The winter wind cut through the city like a knife, carrying the smell of exhaust fumes and cheap fried noodles. On the edge of Lin City’s busiest street, a dim alley stretched into darkness, where the broken neon sign of Hong’s Pawnshop flickered.

Beneath the rusty staircase of the abandoned bookstore across the alley, an eighteen-year-old boy sat with his knees drawn to his chest. His school uniform was faded, the sleeves frayed from years of wear. In his hands, he counted coins—three one-yuan pieces and a single ten-yuan note. Not enough for rent. Not enough for tomorrow’s meal.

His name was Li Tianyu. Orphan. Dropout. Street rat.

Life had been cruel to him. His parents had died in a fire when he was six—or so the orphanage claimed. At fourteen, he left the home, unable to bear the bullying and exploitation. Since then, he’d survived on part-time jobs no one else wanted: carrying crates at the docks, washing dishes until midnight, running deliveries in the pouring rain.

And yet, here he was—still broke.

Tianyu stared at the coins in his palm and laughed bitterly. “I guess today’s dinner will be instant noodles again.”

His phone—a battered secondhand model with a cracked screen—buzzed in his pocket. He frowned. He didn’t have any friends, and no one called him unless it was work.

When he pulled it out, the screen wasn’t showing the usual lock screen. Instead, it was pitch black, with golden characters scrolling across

Initializing…]

[Verifying host identity…]

[Bloodline confirmed.]

[Welcome, Li Tianyu. Binding Trillionaire Fortune System…]

He froze. “What the hell… is this?”

The golden text vanished, replaced by a clean, elegant interface showing a single number. A number so large, Tianyu thought he was hallucinating.

¥ 20,000,000,000,000.00

Twenty. Trillion.

“…” He blinked. Then blinked again. “Is this… fake? Some scam app?”

Before he could close it, a calm, mechanical voice spoke from the phone.

[Congratulations, Host. You are now the sole heir to the Lost Celestial Bank, founded by the Shadow Emperor himself. All assets and holdings—now yours.]

Tianyu’s heart thudded in his chest. “Heir? What heir? I’m just an orphan!”

[Your bloodline matches 100% with the Li Clan’s direct line. All funds, properties, companies, and confidential resources are under your control.]

“...Are you telling me… I’m rich?”

[Correction. You are the richest man on Earth.]

The system interface shifted, showing more details—shares in multinational corporations, gold reserves in underground vaults, a fleet of private jets and yachts, real estate in every major city in the world.

It felt like a dream. Yesterday, he’d been debating whether to buy bread or instant noodles. Today… he could buy the entire street.

Tianyu’s breath trembled. “Why me?”

Your parents were eliminated by the Four Great Families. Their empire stolen. The Shadow Emperor foresaw this and sealed the inheritance until you reached adulthood.]

The words sank like stones into his mind. “...Eliminated?”

He didn’t have time to process it further before the voice spoke again:

[First task generated: Claim your primary residence. A vehicle will arrive in five minutes.]

“What vehicle—”

The screech of tires echoed in the alley. A sleek, black Rolls-Royce Phantom stopped in front of him, its glossy surface reflecting the neon glow. The back door opened, revealing a tall, stunning woman in a tailored black suit. Her eyes were cold, professional.

“Mr. Li Tianyu?” she asked.

“Uh… yeah?”

She gave a slight bow. “I’m Secretary Lan. I will be assisting you from today onwards. Please, come with me. Your penthouse awaits.”

Tianyu stared at her, then at the luxurious car, then back at his torn shoes. His life had just changed. Drastically.

He took one slow breath, shoved the coins back into his pocket, and stepped forward.

The Rolls-Royce door closed behind him, and the alley that had been his home for years faded into the distance.

The soft hum of the Rolls-Royce Phantom filled the cabin. Li Tianyu sat stiffly in the back seat, clutching his cracked phone as if it might disappear. Outside the tinted windows, the streets of Lin City blurred past.

“Where… are we going?” he asked.

“To your primary residence,” Secretary Lan replied without looking back. Her voice was smooth and cold, the kind that carried both authority and precision. “The Imperial Sky Tower, penthouse suite. You’ll be staying there until we finalize the other properties under your name.”

Tianyu almost laughed. “Penthouse? I live under a staircase.”

“You used to, sir,” she corrected calmly.

The car stopped in front of a towering glass skyscraper, its mirrored walls catching the morning sun. The **Imperial Sky Tower** — the most luxurious building in the entire province. Each floor cost more than he’d earn in ten lifetimes… well, *before today*.

As soon as he stepped out, the doormen straightened instantly, bowing. “Welcome home, Mr. Li!”

Tianyu blinked. No one had ever said those words to him before.

Inside, the marble lobby gleamed like polished ice. A crystal chandelier dripped light across gold-accented walls. Residents in designer suits stopped to stare at him — a young man in a threadbare school uniform, escorted by a woman who looked like she could run a country.

He heard the whispers.

“Who’s that?”

“Must be lost.”

“No, look — that’s Secretary Lan. She only works for the owners.”

“But the owner’s… old, isn’t he?”

Secretary Lan ignored them, leading Tianyu straight to the private elevator. “Access code, please,” a security guard asked.

Lan swiped a black metal card. The doors slid open instantly. The elevator shot upward, smooth and silent, until it opened into a space so vast Tianyu thought it was a hotel lobby — but no, it was his *home*.

Floor-to-ceiling windows offered a panoramic view of the entire city. White leather sofas, an indoor koi pond, a bar stocked with bottles older than him, and a grand piano stood under soft lights.

“Everything here belongs to you,” Lan said. “This penthouse alone is valued at 1.2 billion yuan. Fully paid.”

Tianyu stepped forward slowly, his worn shoes sinking into the plush carpet. His reflection in the glass showed a boy who still looked like a street orphan — but in this place, he suddenly felt different.

The system’s voice chimed in his head.

> \[Host’s environment upgrade complete. Charisma +10.]

Before he could respond, Lan handed him a sleek black card. “Your personal bank card, sir. Linked to all your accounts. Unlimited withdrawals.”

He turned it over, reading the name: **Li Tianyu**. For the first time, it felt real.

Lan continued, “You’ll need new clothes. There’s a charity banquet tonight hosted by the Xu family. Many influential people will be there… including those who once—” she glanced at him—“looked down on you.”

Tianyu’s lips curled. “A banquet, huh?”

He remembered the days when he’d been shooed away from restaurants, mocked for his torn shoes, ignored like he was invisible. Tonight… they would see him again. And they wouldn’t recognize the boy they’d spat on.