"Lin Mo, mop the floor cleaner, don't leave any water stains."
In the living room of the Su Family Villa, Su Zhiyuan sat on a leather sofa with his legs crossed, giving orders without even lifting his head. On the tablet in his hands, a trending topic was clearly displayed: "The Inside Story of the Su Family’s Son-in-Law."
Lin Mo hunched over, wringing the mop in the bucket, and nodded silently. "Alright, Father."
"Don't call me Father," Su Zhiyuan scoffed. "Do you think you're worthy?"
Lin Mo’s hand paused, his knuckles turning white from the pressure. He took a deep breath and continued mopping, his movements meticulous.
The sound of high heels clicking against the floor echoed from the second floor. Su Yuqing walked down the stairs in a well-tailored business suit. She didn't even glance at Lin Mo, heading straight for the dining room.
"Yuqing, what did the Board of Directors say today?" Su Zhiyuan put down his tablet, his tone instantly softening.
"The Chen Group is poaching our clients again," Su Yuqing’s voice was as cold as ice. "The terms they’re offering are terms we simply cannot match."
Lin Mo quietly looked up, his gaze falling on Su Yuqing’s refined profile. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and her red lips were pressed tight; she was clearly in a foul mood.
"It’s all because of this loser dragging us down!" Su Zhiyuan suddenly slammed the table and stood up, pointing at Lin Mo as he cursed. "If news of your arrival hadn't gotten out, would the Su family have become the laughingstock of the entire city? Do you have any idea how much our stock price has dropped?"
Lin Mo lowered his eyes and continued mopping. He was already accustomed to such accusations.
"Father, saying these things now is useless," Su Yuqing said coldly. "Our top priority is to win back our clients."
"How can we win them back?" Su Zhiyuan paced back and forth, agitated. "That bastard Chen Hao is taking advantage of our crisis!"
Lin Mo quietly tidied up his cleaning tools, preparing to leave the living room. As he passed the dining table, he accidentally knocked over a glass.
*Crash!*
The crisp sound of shattering glass was jarringly loud in the spacious living room.
"You loser! You can’t even handle a simple task!" Su Zhiyuan roared in anger. "Do you have any idea how much this glass is worth?"
"I’m sorry, I’ll clean it up right away." Lin Mo crouched down, his finger sliced by a shard of glass, blood beginning to seep out.
"Get out!" Su Zhiyuan kicked the glass shards away. "Just looking at you makes me sick!"
Lin Mo retreated silently from the living room. Behind him, he heard Su Zhiyuan’s instructions to Su Yuqing: "Yuqing, you must attend the Chen family’s cocktail party next week and find a way to ease tensions. As for that loser, don't let him show his face in public and embarrass us!"
Back in the cramped servant’s room, Lin Mo leaned against the door and let out a long breath. The room was less than ten square meters, with almost no space beyond a bed and a small desk. This was his "marital bedroom" in the Su household.
His phone buzzed—a message in his college group chat. Someone had shared the trending Weibo topic about him, with the caption: "Look at our class's 'successful person'—he's climbed up the social ladder!"
The chat exploded instantly.
"I heard the Su lady even bought the wedding ring herself?"
"Living off his wife with such confidence, I’m impressed!"
"Didn't Lin Mo have great grades back then? How did he end up living off a woman?"
Lin Mo closed the group chat and opened Weibo. The topic #SuFamilySonInLaw had climbed to third place on the trending list. Clicking into it, the screen was filled with mockery:
"I heard this son-in-law doesn't even have a job; he's entirely supported by his wife?"
"The eldest daughter of the Su family has terrible taste, doesn't she?"
"Supposedly he was chosen because their fortunes matched—a total tool!"
The most popular post featured a photo from the wedding, showing Lin Mo standing beside the radiant Su Yuqing like an outsider. There were already over 50,000 comments.
Lin Mo smiled bitterly and set his phone down. Two years ago, his father had fallen critically ill and desperately needed a fortune for surgery. The Su family had come to him, claiming that Su Yuqing had a special destiny and required someone with his specific birth chart to marry into the family to resolve it. To save his father, he had signed that humiliating agreement.
In name, he was the Su family’s son-in-law; in reality, he was treated worse than a servant.
Outside the window, thunder roared and a torrential rain began to fall. Lin Mo looked at the pitch-black night sky, feeling a suffocating sense of despair.
Just then, a blinding bolt of lightning struck the old locust tree in the courtyard. Everything went black for Lin Mo, and he lost consciousness.
"Ding! God-level Business System activating..."
A mechanized female voice echoed in Lin Mo’s mind.
"Host identity confirmed: Lin Mo. System binding successful."
Lin Mo jerked his eyes open, finding himself floating in a void of white space. A translucent light screen hung before him, flickering with various data points.
"Where... am I?" Lin Mo looked around cautiously.
"Welcome to the God-level Business System space." A chibi-style female avatar appeared on the screen, sporting twin tails and a sweet smile. "I am the System Spirit, Xiaoshang. I will assist you on your path to a comeback."
"System? A comeback?" Lin Mo was bewildered.
"This system originates from the year 2187 and is the most advanced commercial-aid AI of the future." Xiaoshang spun around. "Detecting that the host is currently in a difficult situation, the system will provide business intelligence, resources, and connections to help you change your fate."
Lin Mo frowned. "Why choose me?"
"Because the host has potential but no opportunity; talent but no platform." Xiaoshang blinked. "Most importantly, the host is not content with being ordinary."
Lin Mo was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled. "So, this is a transaction?"
"You could understand it that way." Xiaoshang nodded. "The system will issue tasks, and the host will receive corresponding rewards upon completion. As your level increases, system functions will gradually unlock."
"What is the first task?" Lin Mo asked directly.
"Novice Task: Earn your first pot of gold—100,000 yuan—within three days." Xiaoshang waved her hand to pull up the task panel. "Reward: One piece of entry-level business intelligence."
"100,000?" Lin Mo gave a wry smile. "I can't even get my hands on 100 yuan right now."
"The system will provide necessary assistance." Xiaoshang smiled mysteriously. "The 'Entry-level Market Analysis' function has been unlocked for the host."
Several financial news items and market data points popped up on the screen.
"Tomorrow at 9:00 AM, the tech sector will see a major fluctuation." Xiaoshang prompted. "This is your opportunity."
Lin Mo read the information on the screen carefully, a spark of hope gradually igniting in his eyes.
"What should I do?"
"The system detected operation logs for stock simulation software on your phone." Xiaoshang pulled up a set of candlestick charts. "Although it was only a simulation, your rate of return over the past three months reached 120%, proving you have talent."
Lin Mo looked at the data provided by the system in surprise. He did indeed use simulation software to practice trading; it was one of his few forms of entertainment.
"But I have no capital..."
"The system has applied for a novice credit limit from a brokerage for the host, allowing for trades up to 100,000 yuan." Xiaoshang winked. "Of course, you bear the risk yourself."
Lin Mo took a deep breath, his gaze turning firm. "I accept the task."
"A wise choice." Xiaoshang snapped her fingers. "Remember: tomorrow morning at 9:00, the tech stock 'Xingchen Tech'."
A white light flashed, and Lin Mo sat up abruptly to find himself back in the servant’s room. The rain outside had stopped, and moonlight spilled onto the floor through the window.
He picked up his phone and saw he had indeed received a text from a brokerage, granting him an operating limit of 100,000 yuan.
"This wasn't a dream..." Lin Mo muttered to himself, his heart racing.
The next morning, Lin Mo made an excuse to go out to buy groceries and headed straight for a nearby internet café. He found a corner seat and logged into the brokerage account.
8:55 AM, Xingchen Tech’s stock price was stable.
8:58 AM, Lin Mo’s palms were already sweating.
9:00 AM sharp, Xingchen Tech suddenly released an announcement declaring a strategic partnership with an international giant. The stock price soared 5% in an instant.
Lin Mo bought in with his entire position without hesitation.
9:30 AM, the gain reached 8%.
10:15 AM, the price pulled back to 6%.
Lin Mo didn't panic; he continued to hold.
11:20 AM, a second rally began, breaking through a 10% gain.
1:30 PM, Xingchen Tech hit the daily limit.
Lin Mo’s account showed a profit of 10,000 yuan.
Over the next two days, Lin Mo followed the system’s prompts and executed precise trades. When the market closed on the third day, his account balance had reached 110,000 yuan.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the novice task!" Xiaoshang’s voice rang in his mind. "Reward distributed: Insider intelligence on next week's Chen Group cocktail party."
Lin Mo exhaled a long breath, leaning back in the internet café chair. In just three days, he had earned more than he hadn't managed to save in two years at the Su household.
More importantly, he had regained his long-lost self-confidence.
When he returned to the Su residence, the villa was brightly lit. As soon as Lin Mo entered, he heard Su Zhiyuan’s angry roar.
"That bastard Chen Hao! Scheduling the party on the same day as Yuqing’s birthday is clearly meant to humiliate us!"
Lin Mo walked quietly outside the living room and heard Su Yuqing’s calm voice: "Father, business is business. I will attend on time."
"No!" Su Zhiyuan opposed firmly. "You must spend your birthday at home that day; otherwise, the media will say the Su family doesn't even care about their own daughter’s birthday just to curry favor with the Chen family!"
"Then what about the clients?" Su Yuqing asked back.
The living room fell silent.
Lin Mo hesitated for a moment before pushing the door open. "Perhaps... I can help."
Su Zhiyuan and Su Yuqing turned simultaneously, looking at him as if he were a lunatic.
"You?" Su Zhiyuan sneered. "What could you possibly help with? Going to the party to keep embarrassing us?"
Lin Mo remained calm and composed. "I can represent the Su family at the party. That way, it won't interfere with Yuqing’s birthday, and we can show the Chen family our sincerity."
"Who do you think you are? Worthy of representing the Su family?" Su Zhiyuan slammed the table and stood up.
"Father," Su Yuqing suddenly spoke. "This might... actually be a way."
Su Zhiyuan looked at his daughter in disbelief. "Are you crazy? Letting him go?"
"The media only knows he is the Su family’s son-in-law; they don't know his... status at home." Su Yuqing carefully chose her words. "Letting him go at least shows that we take this cocktail party seriously."
Su Zhiyuan paced back and forth, finally pointing a vicious finger at Lin Mo. "If you dare to make a single mistake at that party, get out of the Su family!"
Lin Mo nodded calmly. "I will do it well."
Returning to his room, Lin Mo immediately pulled up the intelligence rewarded by the system. The screen displayed internal documents of the Chen Group and the party’s itinerary.
"So that’s it..." Lin Mo narrowed his eyes, discovering the key information.
The real purpose of Chen Hao hosting this party was to announce the acquisition of a major supplier to the Su family. If he succeeded, the Su Group would be backed into a corner.
"Xiaoshang, is there a way to counter this?" Lin Mo asked.
"The host's level is insufficient to unlock higher-level functions," Xiaoshang said regretfully. "But the entry-level intelligence shows that Chen Hao’s acquisition agreement still has loopholes to exploit."
Lin Mo carefully studied the information provided by the system, and a bold plan gradually took shape.
He picked up his phone and dialed a number he hadn't contacted in a long time.
"Hey, old classmate, I heard you work in investment banking? I have a business matter I’d like to consult on..."
After hanging up, Lin Mo looked out at the night sky. The stars twinkled as if winking at him.
Tomorrow would be the beginning of everything changing.