Chapter 5

Jin Muchen got out of the car, and Candice rolled down the window, revealing a bright and charming face with a smile. "See you at school then."

Without waiting for Jin Muchen's response, the Ford Mercury made a beautiful U-turn and sped off towards the street corner. Jin Muchen stood on the steps in front of the building, a bitter smile on his face.

"See you at school, hahaha..."

He didn't know when he would return to Columbia University. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Jin Muchen climbed the stairs, feeling quite dejected.

On the third floor, he opened the door to a one-bedroom apartment. The weekly rent was two hundred dollars, and the environment was decent, mainly because it was close to the Brooklyn Bridge, making it convenient to go to Manhattan for school.

The house was rented a year ago by him and Ma Ling. Now, he was still here, the house was still here, but Ma Ling was gone.

Jin Muchen came from a small city in the north. His father was an engineer at a design institute in the city, and his mother ran a franchise pharmacy back home. The family was relatively well-off.

Two years ago, Jin Muchen was studying at a second-tier university in China. However, with the worsening job market and increasing competition, his parents felt that continuing his studies at that university would be a waste of time and would not give him a strong competitive edge in the future. To give Jin Muchen a better future, his parents sent him to study in the United States.

After a year of preparatory studies, he managed to earn his parents some face by getting accepted into Columbia University and even landed a girlfriend, Ma Ling.

Ma Ling was a beautiful girl with a face like a celebrity. When he managed to win her over at school, many of the wealthy and well-connected students from China envied him. At that time, he was on top of the world.

However, during his first year and a half at university, Jin Muchen clearly felt the pressure, especially from Ma Ling.

His conditions were good compared to ordinary people, but in the Chinese community at Columbia University, he was just average.

In the United States, it's no exaggeration to say that Chinese people are everywhere, especially on university campuses.

These Chinese people can be divided into two groups: one group consists of top students who were already academic stars in China and continue to excel in the United States, often winning scholarships. The other group consists of wealthy and well-connected children from China. Compared to these people, Jin Muchen's conditions were nothing.

In terms of talent, he was not as talented as the top students, and in terms of money, he could not compare to the wealthy children.

The scarcity of desirable partners in the Chinese community at American universities has always been a problem. A girl like Ma Ling was a rare and valuable resource.

After entering Columbia University, Jin Muchen quickly noticed that a group of guys were eyeing Ma Ling, and she seemed to be getting more and more fickle.

Recently, some unexpected events happened at home. At first, his mother tried to hide it from him, but he sensed something was wrong from her occasional words during their phone calls. He called his uncle and found out the truth.

The family business had run into trouble, and the cash flow was disrupted. So, Jin Muchen sent all his tuition and living expenses for the next semester back home and even sold his car.

Without this money, his future studies and even his life became a big problem. His girlfriend, Ma Ling, even broke up with him over this.

However, Jin Muchen did not regret his decision. He couldn't bear to enjoy life here while his parents suffered on the other side of the world. What he didn't expect was that Ma Ling would turn her back on him so quickly.

Without tuition and living expenses, he couldn't continue his studies, which was like destroying his future.

He was somewhat handsome, but not so much that he could get by on his looks alone.

Without graduating from university, how could he find a decent job or get a green card?

Working illegally wouldn't earn him much money, and how could he support a delicate and beautiful girl like Ma Ling?

For those wealthy children, getting a green card was no big deal. In this day and age, money talks, and without it, you're nothing, even if you had a Martian identity.

So, it wasn't surprising that Ma Ling was taken by those "RMB warriors."

Moreover, Ma Ling was always clear about what she wanted.

No money, no honey! No cash, no ass!

That's how simple reality is!

Jin Muchen sat in the living room for a while, then went straight to the bathroom. After a shower, he came out and stood in front of the mirror.

In the mirror, a tall man with a well-defined, muscular body appeared. He was in his twenties, with a straight nose, slightly upturned at the tip, dense and delicate eyebrows, long eyelashes, large eyes, and a fair complexion. He was quite good-looking.

Jin Muchen was 1.88 meters tall and weighed 180 pounds. A few days ago, his body did not show such defined muscles, and he was also nearsighted with a prescription of 400 degrees.

But now, everything had changed. His muscles were strong and defined, and his six-pack had turned into an eight-pack. These changes happened just a few days ago.

After Ma Ling moved out of the apartment, Jin Muchen was depressed and drank to drown his sorrows, thinking about how to get himself and his family out of their current困境.

He then thought about the family heirloom, a necklace with three jade gourds strung on a red thread. The jade gourds were of different colors—red, orange, and purple—and were intricately carved, smooth, and lustrous.

Before the founding of the People's Republic of China, his grandfather was in the antique business, and the family was quite well-off. Over the years, he had collected many valuable items.

After the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were campaigns to eliminate the "four olds" and political movements, during which his grandfather was often criticized, and many of the family's antiques were smashed or stolen.

The three jade gourds were one of the few heirlooms that survived.

That day, Jin Muchen considered selling the three jade gourds to get some money to help himself and his family out of their current困境.

Later, after getting drunk, he accidentally broke a glass and cut his palm. He only remembered that his blood soaked the three jade gourds, and when he woke up, the jade gourds were gone.

Instead, he found three gourd tattoos on his neck.

The tattoos were ancient in style, with a vine extending from the back of his neck to his chest, and three small gourds hanging from the vine. These gourds were the same color and shape as the heirloom jade gourds he had planned to sell the previous night.

He wasn't sure why this change happened, but he knew that since he got the gourd tattoos, his body had undergone significant changes.

His once ordinary physique had become muscular, and his strength was astonishing. He could lift his heavy bed, which weighed over a hundred kilograms, with one hand and hold it for half an hour without feeling tired.

His 400-degree nearsightedness was gone, and his vision and hearing were far superior to those of ordinary people.

With focused attention, he could clearly see the color of the feathers of a sparrow chirping in the tree outside and hear the suppressed sounds of the couple upstairs having intimate moments. He could even visualize their movements and actions based on the sounds they made. This sudden change took him a few days to fully digest.

Even his mindset had changed significantly, with a rapid boost in confidence. Sometimes, he even felt like he could be a superhero if he wore his underwear on the outside.

However, the side effects were troubling.

His physical changes were like entering a second puberty, and his appetite increased dramatically.

Originally, a regular burger meal for about six dollars would satisfy him. But after his body changed, he found that he needed to eat over a hundred dollars' worth of the cheapest food to fill his stomach.

This quickly plunged him into panic. He only had about three thousand dollars, which wouldn't last him a few days, let alone cover his rent.

This led to his decision to apply for a job at the delivery center, partly to earn money for tuition and partly to rely on the company's "benefits" to help with his food expenses.

Standing in front of the mirror, looking at the three gourd tattoos on his neck, Jin Muchen realized that Ma Ling's departure wasn't entirely a bad thing. It felt like a blessing in disguise.

What he needed to do next was to earn more money to continue his studies or bring his parents over from China.

He was reluctant to give up his studies, as his parents had already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Moreover, he didn't know how his parents were doing back home or if the money he sent would be enough to help them through their crisis.

He needed to work harder. Fortunately, he now had a strong body, and even with more work, he wouldn't feel tired. This was the best gift from heaven.

One job at the delivery center wasn't enough. Once he saved some money, he needed to find another job.

Living costs in the United States were high. Even though he earned thirty dollars an hour, after deducting rent, utilities, and food, he wouldn't have much left.