Chapter Five: Starting a Company

Chapter Five: Starting a Company

Before long, Shi Bai arrived home. His mother had just finished cooking, so he hurriedly dropped his schoolbag and helped carry the dishes to the table.

His mother paused in surprise. “What’s gotten into you today? You actually remember to help your mother?”

Shi Bai wanted to smile, but the feeling wouldn’t come. Was I really so worthless in my previous life? I didn’t even help my mother serve food. He said instead, “How could anyone not hurry when it’s time to eat?”

His mother gave him a playful, reproachful look. “You only think about eating, just like your father!” As she spoke, she scooped him a bowl of rice.

Shi Bai accepted it with a smile. “Well, I am my father’s son, after all. How could I not be like him?” He picked up some food with his chopsticks.

The meal was simple: stir-fried shredded potatoes and scrambled eggs with tomatoes. Though the taste was plain, Shi Bai still wolfed it down.

It’s only after leaving home that one realizes how precious it is to eat a meal cooked by one’s own mother.

“Slow down, there’s no one here to snatch your food,” his mother laughed, taking out a lunch box and filling it with rice.

Shi Bai knew that was for his father, who was still at the fruit stall, selling produce.

“You eat first, I’ll take this to your father,” she said, placing the box into a tote bag.

Shi Bai quickly put down his chopsticks. “Let me go instead!”

His mother regarded him with even more curiosity. “What’s come over you today? You’re so considerate?”

Shi Bai managed a smile. “I’ve always been this thoughtful, haven’t I?”

But his mother insisted on going herself. “You haven’t even finished your meal, and you want to deliver food? And what about your homework? Get to studying! Everyone says the second year of high school is the most important!”

Shi Bai could never stand her nagging. Covering his ears, he said, “Alright, alright! Just go!”

With that, his mother shut the door and left with the lunchbox.

In truth, Shi Bai had wanted to see his father. After all, having been reborn, he wanted to properly repay his parents for everything.

In his previous life, his father had lost money and was several hundred thousand in debt, yet still managed to put Shi Bai through university.

But Shi Bai himself had been a disappointment, neither studying well nor working hard, and ultimately achieving nothing.

Now, having returned to life, Shi Bai silently vowed to ensure his parents would live well.

At this thought, Shi Bai remembered his second task: to lose a million yuan.

If he wanted to start a manga company, the first step was registration. Normally, that would require a visit to the government office, but with his system, things were much simpler. He simply set a custom task and, as if by magic, the registration was complete.

Company name: Just Be Happy.
Legal representative: Shi Bai.
Registered capital: 100,000 yuan.

A company name alone wasn’t enough; he needed a physical location. So Shi Bai opened up his system, intending to rent a small unit in a residential complex and buy a few computers for work.

But then he remembered: his goal was to lose money. So he changed his plan and decided to rent two presidential suites in a five-star hotel.

“Hello, thank you for calling the Wells Grand Hotel. How may I help you?” A pleasant female voice answered the phone.

Shi Bai cleared his throat. “I’d like to book two presidential suites. How much would that cost?”

“I’m sorry, sir. Our hotel only has one presidential suite.”

Shi Bai was taken aback. He’d never stayed in a presidential suite before and had no idea hotels only had one.

“Alright, then. How much for that one?”

“If it’s just for one night, it’s ten thousand yuan.”

“Ten thousand?” Shi Bai thought for a moment. “Fine, I’ll rent it for a month.”

“Excuse me?” The woman sounded startled, as if she hadn’t heard him properly. “I’m sorry, sir, did you say you want to book the presidential suite for an entire month?”

“That’s right.”

There was a pause, and when she spoke again, her accent had changed. “Very well, sir. Would you like to check in now? Should we send a car to pick you up?”

Shi Bai considered, then said, “No need. I have something to take care of first. I’ll come by myself later.” With that, he hung up.

I need to come up with an excuse for my parents. If I’m always at home, how will I go to work at the company?

Of course, “going to the company” was just an excuse. He mainly wanted to enjoy himself and see what a presidential suite in a five-star hotel was really like.

So he set a custom task: Send Mom and Dad on a one-month vacation.

“Custom task created successfully. Task initiated.”

With his parents out traveling, there’d be nothing for him to worry about. Sure enough, before long, his parents returned home.

Seeing his father, younger by over a decade, made Shi Bai a little emotional, but his father was even more excited—though not because of Shi Bai.

He was clutching a lottery ticket, exclaiming, “Xiao Bai, your dad’s won the jackpot!”

“Really?” Shi Bai quickly took the ticket. He read:

One-Month Scenic Tour of Celestial Empire: Travel to over thirty famous scenic spots in Celestial Empire for free within a month. Complete the tour and receive a fifty-thousand yuan cash prize.

“There’s a prize like this?” Shi Bai found it hard to believe. “Where did you get this?”

“Cigarettes!” his father said excitedly. “I don’t know what happened today—my left eyelid kept twitching. Then, when I opened a pack of Changsha, this thing was right inside!”

“At first, I thought it was fake,” his mother added. “But we called, and they said it’s real! And we have to leave tonight.”

Shi Bai smiled. “That’s great!”

His father added, “I wanted to ask them to just give me the cash, but they wouldn’t. They said you have to finish the trip to get the reward!”

His mother sighed. “At first, I planned to let your father go while I stayed to look after you and your studies. But they said it had to be a couple—husband and wife or partners. So, Xiao Bai, we’ll have to leave you at home.”

Shi Bai waved his hand grandly. “Come on! What’s the big deal? I’m old enough—I won’t starve. Go and enjoy yourselves! You’ve been married all these years and never traveled together. Now that luck has dropped this prize right into your laps, think of it as a belated honeymoon!”

The couple exchanged a glance and smiled, a joy long absent from their faces. “Look after yourself, alright? If you need anything, call us.”

Shi Bai thumped his chest. “No problem! Don’t worry about a thing!”

So they packed their bags. When everything was ready, his mother came over and stroked Shi Bai’s face.

“It’s the first time I’ve gone so far away. I really can’t bear to leave you, my son.”

His father patted her shoulder. “It’s alright! Our son’s grown up now!” He took out a thousand yuan and handed it to Shi Bai. “This should cover your meals for a month.”

Shi Bai nodded quickly. “No problem. Go on, don’t worry.”

His mother kissed him, and the couple left—reluctant but smiling. Not long after they were gone, Shi Bai called a taxi to the hotel.

“They’re off traveling, and I get to live in a presidential suite! What a deal!” he laughed.

When he got out of the car and stood in front of the hotel, he couldn’t help but marvel at the resplendent lobby. “Who would have thought? Even I, Shi Bai, would see this day!” He strode toward the entrance.

“What are you doing here? Who let you in?” Suddenly, a towering figure blocked his way.

Shi Bai looked up. It was a security guard.