Luo Chuan, East Sea City.
Saturday, July 6th, Sunny.
Inside a Japanese restaurant at Wanda Plaza.
"Baby, look—my bestie's boyfriend got her an iPhone 16 Pro!"
Li Ting shoved her phone in Chen Qi's face, showing him her friend's social media post.
"Must be nice. That's like, over 10 grand, right?" Chen Qi glanced halfheartedly.
Right now, he couldn't even spare 100 yuan, let alone 10,000. Staring at his credit card bill—over 5,000 yuan due next month—this 600-yuan meal might just break him.
"Nah, just 8,000-something. My birthday's next month—you'll buy it for me, right?"
8,000?! Might as well sell a kidney—or himself. He could barely afford this damn dinner.
"Babe, maybe... something cheaper?"
Li Ting froze. "What? You're seriously saying no to my first gift request?"
"I'm broke. My credit card's maxed out next month."
"Your problem."
"But I'm literally out of cash. Shouldn't couples help each other? Cut me some slack."
"Where's your money?"
"We go out to eat, watch movies, and hit the supermarket every week—over 1,000 yuan gone just like that."
Li Ting's expression turned icy. "Oh, so you're saying* I'm spending your money now?"
"My friends' boyfriends drop thousands—even tens of thousands—on gifts. I've never asked you for anything, and you have the nerve to bring up dinners and movies?"
"They go out every day. We go out once a week. Have I ever complained?"
Li Ting wasn't lying—she'd never demanded expensive gifts from Chen Qi.
But Chen Qi was at his limit. His parents had died in a car crash during his first year of high school, leaving him to scrape by on meager compensation payouts just to graduate college.
Now 26, with three years in the workforce, he wasn't pulling in the mythical "10K monthly salaries" flaunted by online flexers in Shanghai or Beijing.
Still, in a third-tier city like East Sea, his 8,000-yuan monthly wage was decent—until rent, bills, and this relationship bled him dry.
But he had to rent an apartment downtown—1,200 yuan a month.
He'd been dating Li Ting for over half a year, spending at least 5,000 yuan monthly on meals and shopping. Not once had she paid.
On holidays, gifts costing two to three thousand were expected. Like Li Ting said, she'd never asked for luxury presents—but this was already Chen Qi's breaking point.
During holiday months, he couldn't even afford instant noodles, resorting to plain wheat noodles instead.
Where do people find those understanding girlfriends?
Though he wasn't foolish enough to take out loans for dating, living paycheck to paycheck was suffocating him.
Chen Qi couldn't shake the feeling he was being gaslit. But society normalized this—why should it?
Meanwhile, Li Ting genuinely believed she was being frugal for him. She stared at Chen Qi, waiting for him to cave.
"Maybe… we should just call it quits."
"What did you say?"
"I said let's break up."
Li Ting scoffed. "Over a phone? You're dumping me over a phone?"
"Not the phone. We're financially incompatible. Remember when I suggested cheaper 200-300 yuan restaurants? You got mad immediately."
"I can't afford your lifestyle."
"Fine, let's break up. I see who you really are now."
"I'll pay for this meal. Don't ever contact me again, loser."
Chen Qi was stunned into silence. He didn't know what he'd done wrong—maybe being poor was his original sin.
As Li Ting got up to pay the bill, Chen Qi stayed seated, making no move to stop her. Watching her walk away, he felt an unexpected wave of relief.
"Ding~"
Chen Qi shuddered. "What was that sound?"
"The Ultimate Freeloader System has been activated!When a goddess with 90+ charm points and fewer than 3 past relationships spends money on you, you will receive 10,000x cashback."
Chen Qi's mind went blank. Did I just awaken a system?!
But the name—Freeloader System? How? Li Ting hadn't spent a single cent on him!
"Target detected:
Name: Li Ting
Age: 25
Height: 163cm
Charm: 90
Occupation:Accountant
Past Relationships:3
Favorability: -10
"Bind to this target?"
Chen Qi had just broken up with Li Ting. Normally, they should go their separate ways and cut ties completely.
But to test the system, Chen Qi immediately thought: Bind.
[+617 Freeloader Coins. 6,170,000 Luochuan Dollars cashback issued.]
His phone buzzed instantly with a notification. When he saw it, his scalp tingled:
[Great River Bank: 6,170,000 yuan deposited to your account.]
Chen Qi nearly toppled off his chair. 617 yuan—the exact cost of this Japanese meal.
"Holy shit! The 10,000x cashback is real?!"
"Freeloader System—no, 'Lord Freeloader'—can I use this money freely? Any restrictions?"
"No restrictions. Spend as you wish."
"This is insane! But you're the opposite of other systems. Those give cashback when you spend on goddesses. You're completely flipping the script!"
"Read my damn name."
Chen Qi thought to himself: With Li Ting's attitude, getting her to spend money on me would be harder than scaling the heavens.
But if I find a more obedient, gullible goddess and get her to give me money... I'd be rolling in cash!
"Don't even think about it," the system snapped. "No begging or hinting for money - returns only trigger when goddesses spend on you willingly."
"Lord Freeloader, just lay out all your rules at once," Chen Qi pleaded. "I don't want to get my hopes up for nothing."
"No direct cash transfers to goddesses."
"You can now hear the inner thoughts of any goddess with 90+ charm."
"When favorability reaches 100, the goddess becomes eternally devoted. Her wealth generation doubles, plus you get 10 attribute points."
[USER PROFILE]
Name: Chen Qi
Age: 26
Goddesses: 1
Skills: None
Intelligence: 10
Stamina: 10
Strength: 10
Agility:10
Immunity: 10
(Average human stat: 10. Upgradeable with attribute points.)
Li Ting glanced back from the cashier, crumpled the receipt and threw it at Chen Qi.
[Thoughts detected:]
"He actually awakened? Dammit... With his looks, I might not find someone this handsome again. Pfft, whatever - I'm gorgeous, of course I can do better."
Though Li Ting stayed silent, Chen Qi heard every word.
Sure, Chen Qi came from a poor family and earned little - but his face could launch ships. Why else would a beauty like Li Ting date him?
"WTF, Lord Freeloader - you only picked me because I'm handsome, didn't you?"
"Wrong. I saw your natural talent for mooching."
"But boss... isn't your 10,000x cashback kinda weak? Other systems give trillions upfront."
"You're complaining about free money? Fine. I'll leave."
"Don't go, don't go, Lord Freeloader! I was just joking!"
There was no way he could let this golden goose escape. Having any system at all was a privilege - most people could only dream of one.
Without hesitation, Chen Qi immediately ordered:
- A ￥150 geoduck sashimi platter
- An ￥88 premium bluefin tuna belly cut
The melt-in-your-mouth texture of bluefin tuna belly was worlds apart from cheap salmon.
For the first time, Chen Qi enjoyed a luxurious meal in peace, without worrying about who got the first bite.
After stuffing himself silly, he headed straight to the Apple Store upstairs.
His first words at the counter:
"One iPhone 16 Pro Max, 1TB."
"What color would you like, sir?"
"Black."
"Would you like to trade in your current device?"
Chen Qi glanced at his iPhone 7 Plus - the phone he'd painstakingly saved up for during college by working part-time jobs.
Though it lagged terribly now, he could never bring himself to discard it.
"No "
The clerk soon returned with the new device. Price tag: 13,999 yuan.
Without a moment's hesitation, Chen Qi scanned the payment QR code. A notification from Great River Bank flashed:
[Account debited: 13,999 yuan]
If Li Ting knew he'd bought himself a 15 Pro Max the moment she left, she'd be livid.
With over 6.1 million yuan still in his account, Chen Qi figured even a professional freeloader needed proper packaging.
He checked the time - just 8 PM. The summer night had brought crowds to the shopping mall.
Following the flow of people up the escalator to the third floor, Chen Qi entered the realm of luxury fashion:
Hermès. Louis Vuitton. Gucci. Armani.
The glittering storefronts stood side by side like a lineup of high-end trophies.