Jiangdu City.

Outside a small, forgettable convenience store.

“Dad’s dad is grandpa... Dad’s mom is grandma…”

Luke Mitchell stood quietly, watching a few kids having fun with a tiny coin-operated ride. It only cost a buck, but for these kids, it was pure joy.

Luke had just graduated college and couldn’t land a decent job. Left with no better option, he came back to help run the family’s tiny supermarket. Most days were slow, so he’d hang out with neighborhood kids just to kill time.

But today wasn’t like usual.

It was Valentine’s Day. The kind of day where cheesy drama played out everywhere you looked—like some guy confessing to his crush only to get brutally rejected, while some rich dude booked a hotel suite with roses and champagne.

“Hey kids, help me out like we practiced, okay?” Luke said with a smile.

“Got it!” the kids called back, crowding around him, giggling.

Luke crouched down, holding a bouquet in one hand and a ring box in the other. He was ready. Today was the day he’d confess to the girl he had chased for over a year.

Fiona Carter.

It was now or never.

A few minutes later, she showed up. Average looks but carried herself with confidence.

“Where’s Luke Mitchell?” she asked casually.

The kids instantly scattered, laughing and joking, leaving Luke fully exposed in front of Fiona.

“Fiona, I like you. Be my girlfriend, okay?”

He held out the flowers and popped the ring box open. Nestled inside was a small gold ring, just five or six grams—nothing extravagant, but it had cost Luke over two thousand yuan. He’d saved up for months, skipping meals and cutting every corner.

Fiona blinked, seemingly startled by the little stunt. But instead of being touched, her face twisted with disdain.

“That’s it? A few grams of gold? Seriously? I've told you, if it's not a diamond—and at least a carat—I’m not interested.”

Then she looked him in the eye, tone colder than ice. "Look, you're a nice guy, but we’re just not a match. Sorry. I can’t accept your confession. Bye."

Boom—rejected.

And handed a “nice guy” card on top of it.

Luke’s mind went blank. It was like getting hit by a truck. He just stood there, not moving, not speaking.

He couldn’t wrap his head around it.

This was Fiona—the girl he'd chased for over a year. Yet she turned and walked away just like that?

His family didn’t have much. They owned a run-down house and barely got by with that tiny store, located far from downtown. Luckily, the nearby construction site brought in enough customers to scrape by.

Still, for Fiona, he went all in—bought the ring, got the kids to help, rehearsed the whole thing just to give her a romantic surprise.

But reality slapped him in the face hard.

"Fiona... Haven’t we always gotten along? Are you seriously dumping me like this? You’ve got to be kidding, right?"

His voice trembled. He wasn’t ready to accept it.

She didn’t blink.

"Let me be straight with you. Your family’s situation? Not great. Sick relatives, bills piling up, that struggling little shop. If I stayed with you, I’d ruin my whole life. So no, we never had a future."

"You're lying! You knew my situation from the start—don’t act like this is news!" Luke snapped, eyes burning with disbelief."I used to think your family’s land might finally get bought out if there was a new development. But guess what? Developers came and went, and somehow your place always got skipped. Like your house had some kind of repelling spell or something.

Honestly, if it wasn't for your halfway decent looks and that meek attitude of yours, I wouldn't have bothered talking to you. Let's be real—you didn't even make the cut to be a backup option."

Fiona Carter’s voice dripped with mockery, her eyes filled with disdain.

"So that’s what you really think of me? Wow. Didn’t realize you looked down on me this much."

Luke Mitchell was shaking with anger, his fists clenched, jaw tight.

"Not wasting another second on you," Fiona snorted. Just then, her phone rang.

She looked out and spotted a sleek black Mercedes pulling up by the sidewalk outside the store.

A stylish young man stepped out of the car, holding a fancy gift bag.

He walked in, pulled out a high-end jewelry box, and flipped it open to reveal a sparkling diamond ring.

“I got this custom-made just for you, Fiona. A 1.5 carat Zocean ring, nearly a hundred thousand bucks—meant to last forever, just like what I feel for you. Be my girlfriend?”

“Aw! Of course!”

Fiona beamed, then snuggled into Ethan Callahan’s arms like she’d found her dream man.

“Now THIS is what a real man looks like. This is how you do a confession right. Ethan rolls up in a Benz and hands me nearly a six-figure ring—this is class, this is sincerity.”

“Now look at you, Luke. That cheesy flower-in-hand entrance, and a cheap gold band worth maybe two, three thousand? Please. Honestly, I was embarrassed just seeing it. Later, loser!”

With that, she tossed her hair, took Ethan’s arm, and the two strolled out of the store, laughing like they didn’t just crush someone’s heart.

Luke’s eyes burned red. It felt like someone had stabbed him right in the chest.

He was fuming. He couldn’t believe how pathetic he'd been—chasing after a girl who only cared about money and showing off. A girl he used to put on a pedestal.

“Heh...”

He let out a bitter laugh, turned back into the store, and grabbed a bottle of BullCharge energy drink off the shelf. Twisting the cap off, he downed the whole thing in one go.

Then—

A crisp voice echoed in his head.

[Ding! Congratulations, host. One Yuan Exchange System successfully activated!]

Luke froze in place, startled.

"What the hell? One Yuan Exchange? What system?"

[Affirmative, dear host.]

"...So, what now?"

[You get one prize draw per day. Just drink a beverage and check under the cap to receive your reward.]

"Any drink works?"

[Exactly. Any beverage counts. And every prize only costs one yuan to claim—but only once per day.]

“This is unreal…”

Excitement lit up in Luke’s eyes.

[Please check the cap. Today’s one-yuan exchange chance is now active.]

Luke quickly snatched up the empty bottle. Under the faint light, he squinted at the inside of the cap...

Sure enough, there were small characters etched inside. But this time, unlike any other promo cap, the letters glowed with gold light.

“Alright—let’s do this. One yuan exchange, let’s go!”

As soon as he spoke, another crisp sound echoed in his head—

[Host’s wealth -1… Congratulations! Exchange complete. You’ve received: one ton of gold!]

Wait, what?

A ton? Of gold?

One. Whole. Ton. Of. GOLD?