Chapter 1

**Knock, knock!** The sound of knocking echoed.

"Hello, your package, please sign for it."

"Thank you!"

Meng Lang took the cardboard box, but his expression was somewhat puzzled.

Did I recently buy anything? I shouldn't have, right? Besides, my current financial situation doesn't allow it.

Could it be another batch of "local specialties" sent by my mom from back home?

*Zip!* Using a key to cut the tape, Meng Lang was taken aback when he saw what was inside.

What is this? A book?

In the box lay a thin, plain black and white book.

Curious, Meng Lang flipped it over, and the next moment, he was stunned.

On the cover, it clearly read *Meng Lang's Tragic Life*...

Meng Lang examined the title again.

Meng as in Mencius, Lang as in wave, no doubt, it was his name!

A vein throbbed on his forehead.

Who is the despicable person playing this joke on me?

And "tragic life"? My life is tragic, not yours!

Could it be Ah Xian?

Unlikely, I haven't mentioned many things to him.

If not him, could it be someone I inadvertently offended?

Meng Lang barely resisted the urge to throw the book to the ground and opened the pages.

The first thing he saw was an author photo.

Wearing a hospital gown, the face was pale and weak, with no trace of a smile.

The key was the appearance... it looked like an older version of himself?

Meng Lang's lips twitched.

So, you think you're great at Photoshop, huh? This special effect must have cost more than 50 cents!

Resisting the urge to tear the photo to shreds, Meng Lang continued reading with the 24 years of self-cultivation and composure he had accumulated.

*Once, my dream was to be a police officer. Later, I achieved half of it, I became an uncle.*

*Later, my dream was to earn a million a year, marry a beautiful mentor, and reach the pinnacle of life. But I only earned 50,000 a year, and the beautiful mentor got married, and the groom wasn't me.*

*So I realized that one should be down-to-earth and set a small goal, join a Fortune 500 company!*

*...*

*I succeeded! I joined Huaxia Life Insurance and became an insurance salesperson!*

*...*

*In the end, I realized that one should never be down-to-earth. As Tony said, money should make more money, so you don't become a slave to it.*

*I borrowed from all my relatives, maxed out my credit cards, and even leveraged, becoming a shareholder of Huaxia Oil. Then I hit the 2018 stock market crash and became a debtor overnight.*

*...*

*My parents emptied their wallets to pull me out of the abyss, at the cost of having to work again after retirement, looking decades older.*

*...*

*After being beaten by society, I finally woke up. I shed the burden of my dreams and decided to guard a city, wait for a person, and live a simple life with my wife and children.*

*That person came as expected, like an angel, illuminating me in the valley.*

*Love came suddenly like a storm. On the second day we met, it rained heavily, and we couldn't go home. The hotel had only one room left...*

*I was sure it was love, and soon we held hands and walked into the Civil Affairs Bureau with smiles.*

*The wind that day was so gentle, filled with the scent of happiness.*

*Even years later, I still clearly remember the staff member who issued our certificate, smiling with blessings and reminding me to tie my shoelaces.*

*...*

*At the end of that year, the child was born prematurely, a 7.7-pound baby boy, with type B blood.*

*Fireworks lit up the sky, as if the whole world was celebrating for me...*

*Even the pandemic the following year couldn't dampen my joy.*

*...*

*18 years later, in a car accident, I discovered that the hospital had given her type A blood...*

*I thought that as long as I truly liked someone, I could move them, but it turned out I only moved myself.*

*That day, I drank a lot, and after vomiting blood and being hospitalized, the doctor diagnosed me with late-stage stomach cancer.*

*My parents couldn't bear the repeated blows and passed away before me.*

*In despair, I pulled out my oxygen mask.*

*In my final moments, I dedicate this book to my tragic life...*

Holding the book, Meng Lang stood silent like a statue for a long time, then his expression gradually twisted.

He threw the book to the ground.

Feeling it wasn't enough, he gritted his teeth and stomped on it fiercely.

"Don't let me find out who did this, or I'll make a 72-hour horror movie for you!"

Fuming, Meng Lang sat on the sofa and drank a few gulps of cold water to calm down.

Calmly, he began to think about who he might have offended, and why they would go to such lengths to curse him.

This ghostwriter's writing skills were top-notch; anyone who hadn't read "Perfect Essays" couldn't have written this. I almost cried reading it!

Was it just to upset me?

What grudge could they have? Did I eat their rice or dig up their ancestors' graves?

Was it a vendetta for killing their father or stealing their wife... Wait! My pure and innocent self couldn't have done that, right?

Could it be the merchant I gave a bad review to last month?

But how would they know my blood type?

Revenge from an ex-girlfriend? Oh, I don't have one, so that's not it.

After thinking for a long time and going through everyone he had offended recently, Meng Lang couldn't find a suspect.

The more he thought about it, the stranger it seemed.

Calmly, he picked up the dusty book, resisting his anger, and read it again carefully.

Then he found a pen and paper.

"Childhood dream was to be a police officer," "Had a crush on a beautiful mentor," "Just joined a Fortune 500 company," "Type A blood."

Looking at the four circled items, Meng Lang was shocked.

"All correct!"

And the time span covered his childhood, college, and working life...

Who could know me so well?

Unless... this person has been closely watching me since kindergarten?

Could it be the legendary "kindergarten wife"?

Just because I forgot the "vows" from back then, did she turn to hate out of love?

Meng Lang racked his brain but couldn't remember if he had ever made a "promise to marry you" in kindergarten.

But even if he did, the crush on the beautiful mentor was a top-secret level secret, even his best friend Ah Xian didn't know, and this person could reveal it.

This wasn't something a "kindergarten wife" could explain.

Thinking about it, Meng Lang picked up his phone.

"Hey, Dad."

"Son, what's up? *Clack clack*," the sound of mahjong tiles clattered.

"What was my childhood dream?"

There was a pause, then his dad's uncertain voice, "Astronaut?"

"What's my blood type?" Meng Lang asked again.

"...O?" The voice was even weaker.

*Click!* Meng Lang hung up.

That suspect was ruled out.

He buried himself in the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Who is this person...?

...

The next day, with dark circles under his eyes, Meng Lang went to work, clocked in, and swiped his face.

Without even entering the office, he wandered to a nearby snack shop.

"Boss, a bowl of wontons and a steamer of dumplings."

"Sure thing!"

Soon, steaming hot food was placed in front of him, and Meng Lang absentmindedly mixed the condiments.

As soon as he took a bite, his expression froze.

Too much vinegar...

*Sigh* He sighed.

He finally understood what it meant to be "constantly on edge, unable to eat or sleep."

He had thought about it all night but couldn't figure it out.

It was as if a pair of eyes was always watching him, knowing everything about him and harboring deep malice. The feeling was extremely unsettling.

"Brother, you don't look too good. Is there something troubling you?"

A voice came from beside him, and Meng Lang looked up to see another customer.

This man was in his thirties, with a mustache, dressed in a suit and polished shoes, wearing a "Longines" watch, carrying a briefcase, and wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. His warm smile was easy to like.

He had a breakfast set on the table, seemingly a nearby office worker.

As the saying goes, "Don't hit a smiling face," Meng Lang politely smiled back, "No, just didn't sleep well last night."

"Oh... You look like you just started working, right?

What's troubling you at your age must be either a woman or work."

"Uh-huh." Meng Lang responded absentmindedly, not interested in a deep conversation.

But to the "experienced salesperson," this was a perfect "lost lamb"!

"I've been through it all. At your age, I was always worried about my salary, and my girlfriend broke up with me.

Working 996 for a few thousand a month, after paying rent and bills, how much is left?

It all comes down to money, a penny can make a hero bow!"

The man in the suit sighed, as if he truly empathized with Meng Lang.

This script never failed, and sure enough, Meng Lang finally looked up, seemingly struck by his words.

"With my half-life of experience, I've learned one thing: relying on a fixed salary to succeed is too hard!

So, make money work for you, so you don't become a slave to it." The man patted Meng Lang's shoulder, wiped his mouth, and seemed ready to leave.

"Wait!"

The voice made the man's lips curl into a smile, but when he turned, he wore his harmless expression again.

"What's up, brother?"

"Repeat what you just said."

"Which part? Oh! I said, 'make money work for you, so you don't become a slave to it.' It's a quote from the world's richest man, Balat. Understanding it can benefit you for life."

The man finished, noticing that Meng Lang's expression was different from what he expected, looking very strange.

Meng Lang put down his chopsticks and looked at the man seriously.

"May I ask your name, sir?"

Here it comes! Business is coming!

The man showed his eight white teeth. "I'm Niu."

Meng Lang sighed in relief, so he was overthinking it...

"But everyone calls me Tony."

Meng Lang: "..."