The next morning, Li Banjia was jolted awake by his alarm, not by his dreams.
A hangover-like headache reminded him of how late he had worked the night before, and of that bizarre "Nine-Five Supreme Simulator."
He bolted upright and immediately reached for his phone.
On the screen, the extra 10.00 yuan in his payment app stood out clearly, as if silently proving that everything from the previous night was not a dream.
"It’s actually real..." Li Banjia muttered to himself, his heart beginning to beat irregularly once more.
He threw off his blanket, got out of bed, and opened the secondhand laptop that had been his companion for years. After the startup screen, a pixel-art icon of a eunuch sat quietly in the bottom right corner, like a ghost waiting to be summoned.
He tentatively double-clicked it.
"Clang!" A familiar gong sound rang out.
A minimalist interface popped up with the aesthetic of a cheap browser game. At the very top were the characters "Nine-Five Supreme Simulator," and below were several grayed-out buttons that were clearly still locked: [Harem], [Court], [Imperial Treasury], [Campaign]... only the [Personal Info] button was lit up.
Li Banjia clicked it.
[Your Majesty: Li Banjia]
[Rank: Unranked (Still 108,000 miles away from being a lowly official)]
[Charisma: 3/100 (Better than nothing)]
[Intelligence: 5/100 (Occasional flashes of brilliance)]
[Charm: 4/100 (Not yet a threat)]
[Constitution: 2/100 (Champion of staying up late)]
[Imperial Treasury: 10 (Unit: Liang; current exchange rate: 1 Liang = 1 RMB)]
[Items: [Dragon Might] (Basic) Trial Card x1 (Remaining time: Unused)]
Looking at those pitifully low stats, especially the evaluation of "Constitution: 2 (Champion of staying up late)," Li Banjia’s mouth twitched. "...The system really knows how to mock."
However, the [Dragon Might] card was indeed lying quietly in his inventory.
On the way to work, Li Banjia was packed into the subway like a sardine, his mind in a state of civil war.
"Ten minutes of 'Dragon Might'? It sounds like a temporary buff in a game, but can it be useful in reality?"
"But that ten yuan was real..."
"What if it has no effect and I embarrass myself in front of the boss? Wouldn't that be even worse?"
"But what if... what if it actually works?"
Once this thought appeared, it clung to his heart like a vine. He thought of President Zhao’s face, etched with impatience, and remembered his own weak, trembling voice every time he gave a report.
At nine o'clock, he had to stand in the conference room and face the "King of Hell," President Zhao, to report on a PowerPoint presentation that had been revised N times.
"I'll treat a dead horse like a living one!" As he neared the office building, Li Banjia gritted his teeth and made his decision.
At 8:50 AM, the office was filled with a strange atmosphere—the calm before the storm. Colleagues were either pretending to be busy or whispering to each other, their eyes glancing from time to time at the tightly shut conference room door and President Zhao’s office.
Li Banjia sat at his desk, his palms sweating. He took a deep breath, opened the simulator interface on his computer, and focused on the golden dragon icon.
At 8:59, President Zhao walked out of his office with a sullen face and headed straight for the conference room.
"Li Banjia, you're up." Passing his desk, President Zhao threw the words over his shoulder without looking back.
This was it!
Li Banjia’s heart raced. With a thought (or rather, a click of the mouse), he hit the "Use" button on the [Dragon Might] (Basic) Trial Card.
[Confirm use of [Dragon Might] (Basic) Trial Card?]
[Confirm!]
There was no brilliant golden light, no music.
Only in the top right corner of Li Banjia’s retina, a tiny, counting-down number appeared abruptly: [09:59].
At the same time, an indescribable sensation rose from his spine. It was subtle—not like a surge of physical strength, but more like a… shift in mindset. It felt as though all the tension and timidity around him had suddenly drifted away. He felt his back straighten involuntarily.
"Interesting..." He suppressed his surprise, picked up his laptop, and followed President Zhao into the conference room.
Colleagues from several departments were already seated in the room, the atmosphere stifling. President Zhao sat at the head of the table, his fingers tapping the desk unconsciously, making a ticking sound like a countdown to doom.
Li Banjia walked to the projector and plugged in his computer. Usually, his hands and feet would feel weak at this moment, but today, he felt exceptionally calm.
He turned around, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the room, including President Zhao at the head of the table, with composure.
"Leaders, colleagues, good morning. I will now report on the review of the XX project from the last quarter and the plans for the new quarter."
His voice was clear and steady—neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to fill the room. Even he was surprised by his own poise.
President Zhao raised an eyebrow, seeming somewhat taken aback.
Li Banjia began to explain the slides. His logic was clear, his language fluent, and at one specific data point, he even went off-script to add two points of analysis, which were well-structured.
This was unimaginable under normal circumstances; he usually just read from his notes for fear of making a mistake.
He could feel President Zhao’s tapping fingers stop. The boss’s brows were slightly furrowed—not with impatience, but as if he were truly examining the work.
The countdown in the corner of his eye continued: [04:32].
"...Therefore, based on the analysis above, I suggest that in the new quarter we focus our investment on..." Just as Li Banjia was about to state his conclusion, President Zhao suddenly interrupted him.
"What is the basis for this growth projection? Don't give me any empty talk." President Zhao’s tone was still stern, but it seemed less cutting than usual.
Normally, Li Banjia would have started stuttering by now. But at this moment, meeting President Zhao’s gaze, he replied neither servilely nor overbearingly: "President Zhao, this projection is based on our user research data from last quarter and an analysis of competitor dynamics. The specific supporting data is right here..." He skillfully switched to the appendix page of his presentation, clearly displaying the charts and sources.
President Zhao stared at the screen for a few seconds, looked at Li Banjia, and then simply gave a slight nod without another word.
As the report concluded, Li Banjia took a deep breath and summarized: "That concludes my report. Please review."
The room was silent for a few seconds.
President Zhao cleared his throat and spoke.
"Hmm... the logic is fairly clear, and the overall direction of the plan is feasible." He paused, looking at Li Banjia. "Refine the details and get the final version to me before you leave today."
Having said that, he stood up and was the first to leave the room.
Li Banjia stood there, stunned.
That was it?
No tongue-lashing? No questioning of "what kind of garbage is this?" and he even gave it an evaluation of "overall direction is feasible"?
The sun must have risen in the west!
He subconsciously glanced at the top right corner; the countdown showed [00:17].
The [Dragon Might] effect was about to end.
A massive wave of exhaustion and lingering fear washed over him, and his legs felt weak. But at the same time, an unprecedented sense of excitement and thrill surged through his entire body like an electric current.
It worked! This broken system—it actually works!
He packed his things and walked out of the conference room in a daze, the looks from his colleagues tinged with surprise.
He had barely sat down at his desk.
"Clang!"
The familiar gong sounded in his head again.
[Detected that Your Majesty has successfully used Dragon Might in reality for the first time; the "Path of the Emperor" has been glimpsed.]
[New task triggered: [Display Both Mercy and Majesty].]
[Task goal: Reflect on today’s meeting performance and express appropriate gratitude to the person (?) who provided help.]
[Task reward: [Intelligence] +1, [Imperial Treasury Silver] x20.]
Li Banjia looked at the new mission prompt, especially the question mark after "the person who provided help," and fell into deep thought.
Thank who? Thank myself? Or thank this "Nine-Five Supreme Simulator" that suddenly popped up?
However, [Intelligence] +1, and 20 yuan...
"I'll do it!" Li Banjia clenched his fists.
The road to a corporate slave's counterattack—no, his Imperial road—seemed... it was really beginning, wasn't it?