Sitting in the cafeteria of Haicheng Normal University, a second-tier college, Ethan Collins mechanically scooped at his rice bowl, his gaze unfocused.

His mind wasn’t on the food at all—it was locked on a strange line of text hovering in his vision.

[Wealth System Loading... 98%]

That line had been stuck there since last night. After checking again and again, he was sure—only he could see it.

The moment he realized he was about to get the legendary wealth system, Ethan's heart started racing.

As someone who's read his fair share of webnovels, he knew exactly what this meant. With a system like that, he could easily climb to the top of the food chain.

But the progress bar was a real tease.

Over ten hours had passed since he first saw it, and it had barely inched to 98%. Still stuck. No signs of finishing anytime soon.

Even so, just thinking about what was coming made Ethan feel hopeful.

Looking back at his life—it was as average as it could get. Ordinary looks, a normal family, nothing in his school record to brag about. Just your typical nobody blending into a crowd.

Now he was just a freshman, barely a few weeks into college, with zero direction.

But maybe, that was all about to change.

Getting a job after graduation? You’d be lucky to net four or five thousand a month.

Try saving up with that in Haicheng, one of the new first-tier cities, and you’d need at least ten years just to afford a down payment on an old apartment.

Not that it was a terrible life—most people lived that way, juggling work just to get by.

But deep down, it always made Ethan feel trapped.

Who doesn’t want the good life? Who doesn’t dream of having money to burn?

Before, he’d accepted that an ordinary life was all he’d get.

Now? That line of glowing text told a different story.

Things were about to change—big time.

Ethan glanced again at the floating text. Still 98%. Not budging.

He let out a sigh, tamping down the impatience brewing in his chest and was about to take a bite when someone called out to him.

"Hey Ethan! You’re eating here too? Mind if we join you?”

He looked up.

It was his roommate, Liam Reynolds, with his arm around his girlfriend, Sophie Bennett.

Liam was a Haicheng local with a solid background and decent looks. Barely a month into school, and he’d already landed a girlfriend from the economics department.

Ethan had heard him boast plenty about their relationship.

To be fair, Sophie wasn’t just talk—she genuinely was attractive, and her name came up often around campus.

Ethan opened his mouth to greet them, when his eyes accidentally landed on the girl next to Sophie—and he froze.

That girl instantly stole the spotlight from Sophie.

It wasn’t just her delicate features, but the way she carried herself.

She stood out with a simple but stylish outfit—a sleeveless white blouse that hugged her curves and high-waisted denim shorts that showed off her long, slender legs. Her skin was smooth and fair, practically glowing.

This was real beauty. Not that overly-filtered stuff from short videos.

After scrolling past enough fake online “beauties,” seeing someone like her felt like a breath of fresh air.

Every move she made radiated youth and energy. It was hard not to stare.

Ethan quickly looked away before he started to seem weird.

Liam had already pulled out a chair and was sitting down with Sophie.“Ethan, let me introduce you. This is Chloe Carter, Sophie’s roommate. She’s joining us for lunch today,” Liam said, nodding toward the pretty girl across the table.

“What do you think? Isn’t our Chloe a stunner?” Sophie chimed in teasingly, her eyes gleaming with mischief. “She’s still single, you know.”

Of course, Sophie knew she was just joking around—Ethan didn’t stand a chance. Not in her eyes, anyway. She might consider herself attractive, but next to Chloe, it was no competition.

The semester had barely started, and Chloe was already the girl everyone on campus knew. Boys from all years, whether from wealthy families or packed with talent, were already lining up for her attention—even upperclassmen couldn’t keep their cool around her.

Compared to that, Ethan? Sophie mentally did the math.

Average looks, nothing special financially—she remembered Liam saying something about Ethan’s parents running a small store after they got laid off. They made just enough to scrape by every year.

No offense, but in this lineup, Ethan wasn’t even in the running.

“You always love meddling in other people’s love lives,” Liam chuckled, shaking his head. His glance at Ethan had a hint of smugness in it.

He couldn’t help it—he was a Haicheng local, his family had already set him up with a place to live, including a future marital home. Small, only 90 square meters, but with current prices, it was worth over two million. For most people, that was a ridiculous amount.

So yeah, he could admit it—he did feel a bit superior to Ethan.

He glanced at Chloe again—her stunning features and those long legs made it hard to look away. He had thought about chasing her once but gave up pretty quickly. Reality hit hard. So, he settled for Sophie instead.

“I’m not meddling. I think Ethan’s kinda great, actually. Don’t you think so, Chloe?” Sophie smiled slyly, throwing the question at her roommate.

Chloe gave Ethan a short glance before replying evenly, “Eat your lunch, will you? You talk too much.”

Clear enough. Sophie didn’t take it personally. If Chloe actually showed interest in Ethan, now that’d be a bigger surprise.

Still, if by some miracle they did get together, it wouldn’t be the worst thing.

Ethan sat there, feeling a mix of emotions after hearing all this.

“No need to worry about me. I’m not really thinking about dating right now,” he said with a calm smile, looking over at Sophie.

He wasn’t stupid—he knew these kinds of setups were just people being polite. He didn’t plan on taking any of it seriously.

Liam jumped in with a grin, “Ethan’s just not the type for a girl like Chloe. Probably better off with someone more down to earth. Someone like Sophie here—kinda rare for him to meet girls at that level.”

As he said this, he casually slid his arm around Sophie with a look of satisfaction.

Sophie beamed at the compliment. Sure, she wasn’t at Chloe’s level, but she was cute enough.

Liam kept going, clearly enjoying himself. “Look, man, no need to stress. Just find someone decent and go with the flow, yeah?”

It sounded like advice, but it was all flex underneath.

Ethan didn’t react. In his head, he was still stuck on the glitchy message stuck at 98%: "Luxury System Loading—98%."

He just wanted to know—when would it finally finish loading?