Chapter 3: Maximum Reward

Within the span of a single meal, the three girls became well-acquainted. Qiu Yingying and Guan Ju'er, in particular, were two simple-minded young girls who quickly became as close as sisters.

"Guan Guan, you're so amazing! To think you could get an internship at a big company like Huaxin Securities," Qiu Yingying said, looking at Guan Ju'er with envy.

Guan Ju'er pushed up her glasses, looking a bit embarrassed. "Actually, I got this job because my dad pulled some strings. Huaxin Securities is really hard to get into. The other interns in my batch are all graduates from 985 or 211 universities. Sigh, I don't even know if I'll be able to get a permanent position."

"I believe you can do it, Guan Guan! Keep it up!"

Guan Ju'er nodded vigorously. "Mm, thank you, Qiu Yingying."

Watching these two young girls full of vitality, Fan Shengmei couldn't help but shake her head inwardly. They hadn't yet been beaten down by the harsh realities of society.

In the blink of an eye, it had been a month since Guan Ju'er moved into 2202. The relationship between the three had evolved from mere strangers sharing a rental to intimate sisters huddling together for warmth.

Guan Ju'er and Qiu Yingying, in particular, often spent time together venting about the frustrations of their work and lives.

Fan Shengmei became the "big sister" of 2202, offering comfort to the two girls while occasionally imparting some workplace wisdom. Guan Ju'er benefited greatly, but Qiu Yingying was simply too slow on the uptake; she was scatterbrained and didn't really take any of it in, though she remained very grateful for Fan Shengmei's help.

"Buzz, buzz~~~"

On the weekend, the three girls living in 2202 were tortured to the brink of madness by the sound of an electric drill.

Fan Shengmei sat on the sofa and complained, "Ugh, 2201 and 2203—they don't come for the longest time, but when they do, they both show up at once. It’s killing me!"

Guan Ju'er leaned against Qiu Yingying, nodding in agreement with squinted eyes, looking completely listless.

"Tell me about it. I finally don't have to work on the weekend, and I thought I could sleep in and recharge my batteries. Sigh, that's all down the drain now."

Qiu Yingying chewed on a potato chip, reached out, grabbed one, and shoved it into Guan Ju'er's mouth, mumbling as she spoke.

"Yeah, I thought what woke me up was my dreams, but it turned out to be the renovation noise next door."

After sitting for a while, Fan Shengmei stood up and began picking out an outfit.

Seeing this, Guan Ju'er and Qiu Yingying asked curiously, "Sister Fan, are you going on a blind date again today?"

"That's right. I asked Xiao Zheng from property management; the owners of 2201 and 2203 have moved in. A girl also wants to own a house of her own, you know," Fan Shengmei said casually while checking her reflection.

Qiu Yingying chewed her chips like a hamster frantically feeding. "Houses in Shanghai are too expensive. I couldn't afford one even if I worked my whole life."

Guan Ju'er nodded in deep agreement.

Fan Shengmei put her hands on her hips and twisted with a smile. "Relying on myself definitely won't work, so this sister needs to find a wealthy 'golden turtle' son-in-law."

"Alright, I won't keep chatting with you two. I'm changing and heading out."

Downstairs, Qin Hao was also within the range of the renovation noise from upstairs, but it didn't affect him much. After a simple breakfast, he headed downstairs, preparing to go to the residential complex's gym.

As soon as he reached the lobby, he heard a resident complaining about the noise from the 22nd floor, and Xiao Zheng from property management was apologizing helplessly.

"I am truly sorry. The owners of 2201 and 2203 are renovating at the same time, so it is bound to be a bit noisy. However, we have strict regulations on their renovation hours; we won't let them disturb everyone's rest."

A thought stirred in Qin Hao's mind. It looked like Qu Xiaoxiao and Andy would be moving into the 22nd floor next month, and the plot would officially begin.

Arriving at the gym, Qin Hao started lifting weights after a brief warm-up. A year of uninterrupted training had qualitatively improved his physical fitness. While he wasn't at the level of a professional athlete, he was far stronger than some of the gym's trainers.

This was also thanks to AlphaGo's powerful computing capabilities, which allowed him to adjust his form in real-time. His movements were extremely precise, making his training twice as effective with half the effort.

"Um, excuse me, are you a fitness trainer here?" A girl with a 6.5/10 appearance walked up to strike up a conversation.

Qin Hao was used to this by now. The original owner's looks weren't bad, and combined with his sturdy, muscular build, he was quite attractive. There were even some wealthy women who had subtly suggested keeping him as a kept man, which left Qin Hao both amused and exasperated.

"I'm not. The trainers all wear uniforms. If you want to sign up for classes, those two over there are the ones," Qin Hao said, continuing his dumbbell presses at a steady pace.

The girl left, looking disappointed, and her two friends nearby gave up on the idea as well.

"What a dense guy, he deserves to be single!"

An hour and a half later, Qin Hao was drenched in sweat when his phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, Old Liu, how is it? Any news?"

A raspy voice came from the other end of the line.

"I've already found it. I sent the files to your email. Five thousand, as agreed."

Qin Hao transferred the money without a second thought. Half an hour later, he returned home, took a quick shower, sat down at his computer, opened his email, and downloaded the files.

The documents contained the information he had asked a private investigator to collect on the "Scumbag Bai."

Qin Hao was furious as he read. This bastard hadn't just ruined Qiu Yingying; ever since his university days, he had frequently targeted girls who were average-looking and simple-minded, even getting two of them pregnant.

After entering the workforce, the guy hadn't changed his ways, only shifting his primary focus to currying favor with wealthy women.

Looking at the intimate photos of Scumbag Bai with various wealthy women on the screen, Qin Hao fell into deep thought.

These materials alone only proved that Scumbag Bai had a chaotic private life; it wasn't illegal if it was consensual. Even if he took this to the company, the most that would happen was that Scumbag Bai would be fired.

"System, what does 'random luck value' mean for the reward for punishing Scumbag Bai?"

【System: It depends on the degree of punishment Scumbag Bai receives.】

"If I get Scumbag Bai fired, how much luck value can I get?"

【System: 1 point.】

"What's the maximum I can get?"

【System: A maximum of 5 points.】

"What are the conditions to achieve that?"

【System: Total ruin and complete social death.】

Fine, that's ruthless enough. I'll go with that.

A plan gradually formed in Qin Hao's mind, and he called the number back.

"Keep tailing him for me. Also, help me look into the backgrounds of those wealthy women he's been hooking up with."

An impatient voice came from the other end.

"Can't you give me a job that's actually difficult?"

"Fine, go assassinate the President of the United States."

"I don't do illegal things. I'm a private investigator, not a hitman."

"Get lost!"

On the other side, Scumbag Bai continued his usual ways. While flirting with wealthy women, he didn't forget to look for targets within the company. However, young girls who had entered the workforce weren't as easy to fool as those in school, and it took him a long time to lock onto one.

Qiu Yingying: scatterbrained, simple-minded, and average-looking.

From then on, Scumbag Bai would frequently make rounds in the department where Qiu Yingying worked, making sure to walk past her every single time.

After a few times, he successfully caught Qiu Yingying's attention.