DEM Chapter 48: A Million a Month? Just a Worker’s Fantasy Before Burning Out

After hearing Tai Bai Tianji and Zhang Youde’s words, Su Yuan, Chen Nuoyi, and many other students fell into deep thought.

As long as they could rank in the city’s top hundred and get into a prestigious academy, their future would, at the very least, include becoming a Foundation Establishment cultivator, with the potential to reach Golden Core!

It was a highly worthwhile deal.

And if your talent was exceptional enough, you might keep up with the special advanced class’s pace without spending, or spending minimally.

But conversely, if you could keep up without spending, wouldn’t splashing out on various rare treasures and resources make you soar?

Not to mention, if you reached the city’s top ten, the school would refund all expenses incurred in the special advanced class.

If you were confident in yourself, spending ten million, let alone any amount, would be a guaranteed profit!

Su Yuan thought about the abilities he’d gained from his cheat-like system: the Abyssal Bloodline, various demonic techniques.

These system rewards had already boosted his grades significantly. With over two hundred days until the college entrance exam, who knew how many more rewards he’d receive?

A million a month, ten million over ten months, he could probably scrape by and save that amount if he tried.

But missing out on the school’s offer to refund all expenses for ranking in the top ten felt like a huge loss.

His dream was to get into one of the top ten academies, and ranking in the city’s top ten was already his set goal.

To achieve that, wasn’t it tempting to go all-in with resources on top of his cheats?

Not to mention, becoming the top exam scorer would bring a tenfold refund, a premise so enticing it felt like something straight out of a novel with a tenfold return system!

He had to compete for it!

But the problem was, how was he supposed to earn ten million?

A million a month, was that something a high schooler should even be worrying about?

If he could earn a million through part-time jobs, he wouldn’t be working, he’d be giving motivational speeches on success!

Cue the applause!

But after much contemplation, Su Yuan resolved to set a goal for himself!

He looked up, gazing earnestly at Tai Bai Tianji. "Teacher Tai Bai, I’ll work hard to save up a million first."

Ten million was too far off. He’d focus on earning the first month’s tuition!

Hearing his resolute tone, Tai Bai Tianji was slightly taken aback.

He smiled and said, "Good. Save up the money first. As for whether to spend it on cultivation resources, you can decide after experiencing my classes when they officially start."

Su Yuan quickly thanked him.

Tai Bai Tianji nodded, said no more, and stood up with his daughter to tour the school, accompanied by the school leaders.

The students from the eight senior-year classes returned to their classrooms under their teachers’ guidance.

Su Yuan quietly rejoined his class’s group, following the crowd back to the classroom.

His homeroom teacher, Yue Lin, walked beside him and said with a hint of helplessness, "I was going to talk to you about this after the Martial Arts Competition."

"Su Yuan, some things can’t be forced. If the pressure’s too much, it’s okay to take a step back. You don’t have to chase the city’s top ten."

Su Yuan shook his head. "Teacher Yue, no matter what, I’m joining the special advanced class. I’ve persevered as an orphan to this point just to get into one of the top ten academies."

"You know, part-time work can actually be pretty lucrative."

"Selling roasted goose at the cafeteria earns me over a thousand a day. Delivering food brings in six or seven hundred. I also found a decent-paying gig at a milk tea shop. All told, I’m making three or four thousand a day."

"Add in the savings I’ve built up over the years, and if I take on a few more jobs, I might just manage to scrape together a million… maybe."

Su Yuan’s voice was calm, but it drew sidelong glances from the entire class.

After listening, Yue Lin said nothing more, only giving Su Yuan’s shoulder a gentle pat.

But despite his resolve, Su Yuan couldn’t help feeling a bit melancholic.

Making money was like learning math, if you didn’t get it, you just didn’t get it.

From his first day of part-time work until now, Su Yuan had some savings, but barely a hundred thousand yuan.

The special advanced class would start after the monthly exam at the end of the month. Even if he earned and spent simultaneously, he had only a month and a half to gather that million.

Where was he supposed to find the remaining nine hundred thousand? He couldn’t exactly take out a loan.

The plot suddenly felt heavy.

By noon, Su Yuan set aside his tangled thoughts and hurried to the cafeteria with Chen Nuoyi to sell roasted goose.

Having sold two hundred portions of Dragonscale Goose the day before and worried about leftovers, Su Yuan had prepared only one goose the previous night.

After setting up, the cafeteria was already filling with students.

A familiar figure rushed to Su Yuan’s serving window. "Section Chief Su, give me a portion of your signature roasted goose!"

It was Wu Xingqi, as lively as ever, smiling brightly at Su Yuan.

"Coming right up," Su Yuan said with a grin, ringing the Soul-Summoning Bell. The goose sliced itself, yielding a plate of meat noticeably larger than a standard portion.

Wu Xingqi swiped her meal card, took the goose, and inhaled its aroma, her face lighting up with delight.

She cleared her throat and said, "Section Chief Su, I want to reserve ten portions of Dragonscale Goose to take home for my family. Prep them for me in advance."

Su Yuan nodded, about to agree, when a thought struck him.

Looking at the carefree, tanned girl happily nibbling on a piece of glossy goose meat, he felt a warmth in his heart.

Su Yuan wasn’t clueless. Wu Xingqi’s sudden order for so many portions was likely because she knew he needed money and wanted to help him earn more.

But in the end, he didn’t call her out on it, instead smiling slightly. "Don’t worry, I’ll save the juiciest ten portions for you."

After Wu Xingqi left with her goose, a long line quickly formed at the window.

Among those queuing for roasted goose, Class Two’s students were especially numerous, with many reserving portions for the next few days.

Yue Lin, Li Ziquan, Zhuge Tie, and other Class Two teachers also placed substantial orders with Su Yuan.

Su Yuan’s anxious mood gradually calmed.

His teachers and classmates were doing their best to support him. What reason did he have to feel down?

As long as he worked his hardest to earn money, he wouldn’t let himself or those helping him down.

Besides, he had the system as a safety net. Even without expensive cultivation resources, he wasn’t necessarily out of the running for the top ten academies.

After the busy period, Su Yuan tallied the noon’s revenue. All one hundred portions of roasted goose had sold out.

On top of that, he received two hundred advance orders. He’d likely need to roast three or four Dragonscale Geese tonight to meet demand.

"Class monitor, we made over four thousand today, a huge haul!" Su Yuan said, grinning at the girl beside him, only to pause.

Chen Nuoyi’s face showed no smile; instead, she was frowning, lost in thought.

"Class monitor, what’s on your mind?" Su Yuan asked, noticing her gaze.

Snapping back to reality, Chen Nuoyi said softly, "Su Yuan, I have an idea."

"If I agree to return to the Chen family, I’d have access to a lot of money. I could lend you ten million."

"That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about money before the college entrance exam."

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