Chapter 3: Action

That evening, Xia Yu's family was having dinner.

Xia Dahai suddenly asked, "A-Yu, did you have fun playing with Junzai and the others this afternoon?"

Xia Yu glanced at his father and mother, nodded, and said, "Yes, I had a good time."

"Junzai passed the police exam, so Chunlian and her husband can finally enjoy life!" Chen Mei remarked with a hint of envy.

She was referring to Chunlian, Xia Jun's mother, with whom she had a good relationship.

"They deserve it. After all the hard work of raising Junzai, you don't need to be envious. A-Yu will definitely do even better," Xia Dahai said, glancing at his wife with slight displeasure.

"Yes, yes, our A-Yu will definitely have a bright future," Chen Mei responded, not angry at all. Instead, she happily echoed her husband's sentiment, her eyes full of hope and pride as she looked at Xia Yu.

"Ah-Ming, Xiao-Mei, you should study hard too. If you can be like your big brother, that would make me even happier," Xia Dahai suddenly said to his younger son and daughter, who were quietly eating.

"Got it, Dad!" The siblings nodded earnestly.

Xia Yu looked at his parents, who were just in their early forties, with their graying hair and weathered faces, and felt a pang of sorrow.

He thought back to his parents in his previous life, who were also in their prime but had aged prematurely due to the hard work and exposure to the elements.

He wondered how heartbroken they must have been upon learning of their eldest son's death in that other world. The thought made Xia Yu's heart ache.

But fortunately, he still had two younger brothers who had grown up. They would surely take care of his parents in his previous life, and there were also the two billion he had earned from selling Bitcoin, which he had barely touched. His brothers would definitely be able to marry good wives, and his parents could finally rest. This was the only thing Xia Yu could do for them.

"The parents in this life are also my parents. I must make sure they live a good life!" Xia Yu vowed silently in his heart.

"By the way, A-Yu, did Xia Lei come today too?" Chen Mei asked Xia Yu again.

Xia Yu glanced at his father and saw that he was also looking over. He understood what his parents meant by asking this and nodded without saying much.

"Poor Luo Yan. She struggled to raise her son all by herself, only to fall ill, and now her son is involved with the wrong crowd. A-Yu, you should stay away from Xia Lei in the future. The people he associates with are no good, and I don't want them to have a bad influence on you," Chen Mei cautioned Xia Yu, worried that her most prized son would be negatively affected by Xia Lei.

Xia Yu glanced at his mother and then at his father, noticing his lips moving slightly but ultimately saying nothing, though his eyes also showed concern.

Although Xia Yu didn't agree with his mother's words, he nodded without arguing, not wanting to worry his parents.

Seeing Xia Yu nod, Chen Mei smiled and murmured, "That's good. Study hard. You can definitely get into university. Your father and I will work ourselves to the bone to support you."

Hearing his wife say that their eldest son could get into university brought a genuine smile to Xia Dahai's honest face, fully agreeing with her. It would indeed be surprising if their son didn't get into university.

Watching his happy parents, Xia Yu's throat tightened, and his eyes grew slightly moist. He felt a deep sense of unease.

How familiar this scene was!

When he got into university in his previous life, his parents' faces also bore such heartfelt smiles.

But in this life, he was destined to disappoint them!

Because Xia Yu had already decided to drop out of school. After all, the purpose of studying was to change the fate of his family and himself. And with his memories from two lifetimes and the additional memories he possessed, he already had the ability to make such changes, and a very strong ability at that.

To him, a reborn individual, this era was a goldmine. He didn't have the time to waste in school. If he chose to continue studying, learning things he had already mastered while sitting on a treasure trove, it would be a real disservice to himself and his family.

Moreover, if he wanted a degree as a facade, he could easily obtain one when he became powerful in the future. There was no need to go through the hardships of earning one step by step. If he continued to study now, using precious opportunities to exchange for a diploma, Xia Yu worried that he might be struck by lightning for such foolishness!

As for the connections he could gain through studying? Who said that connections could only be made in school? The top-tier connections were never gained through school, as no school had students who all ended up at the pinnacle of the world. The weak-minded sought to know powerful people, but the truly powerful made powerful people come to know them.

Xia Yu strongly agreed with this notion: "A cheap watch becomes worth hundreds of times more because I wore it!"

With these invaluable abilities, he could rise quickly and easily offset the minor disadvantages of dropping out, making connections come to him instead.

Considering his current situation, dropping out had far more advantages than disadvantages!

The real challenge was how to change his parents' minds and persuade them to agree to his dropping out.

Xia Yu could imagine how devastated his parents would be if he directly told them he was quitting school. It wasn't just a matter of whether they could bear the village gossip; the collapse of their faith built over more than ten years would cause them severe emotional pain.

The most potent harm to a person isn't physical but rather an attack on their spiritual beliefs!

Seeing the genuine smiles on his parents' faces, Xia Yu found himself unable to speak the words.

"It seems that I can only persuade my parents by accomplishing something significant before the start of the next semester. That way, I can convince them to let me drop out and also keep the villagers from gossiping, minimizing the impact!" Xia Yu thought silently, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"Fortunately, it's just the start of winter break, and there are still over fifty days until the next semester. Now it's early 1978, with more than a month until the Lunar New Year. Time is tight! I must take action immediately!"

After dinner, Xia Yu returned to his room and began pondering his next steps.

"I have the knowledge and abilities of a financial giant, making money in the stock market, foreign exchange market, and futures market is very easy, especially in Hong Kong. After all, this isn't Wall Street, where elites gather. But first, I need capital! This route won't work for now."

"I have the management skills and memories of a Fortune 500 CEO, no less capable than Li Chaoren or Bao Yugang. I could easily command a high salary. But this requires a resume, and my age and education are major drawbacks that I can't overcome. So, this won't work either!"

"I have top-tier marketing skills, but again, my age is a problem. I can't reach the higher-ups, and even if I work hard, I can only make a little money, which won't be enough in time. So this won't work either!"

...

After considering many methods, none of them seemed viable, leaving Xia Yu somewhat frustrated.

It's tough to cook without rice!

"The root of the problem is that I don't have initial capital, which makes it impossible to use the treasures I have. It's so frustrating!" Xia Yu thought, feeling increasingly annoyed.

No wonder self-made billionaires often say that the hardest money to earn is the first million!

If Xia Yu had a million yuan, he wouldn't be in such a dilemma. Many of his abilities could be put to use, allowing him to make money in various ways.

But now, he felt helpless, struggling to figure out how to earn his first pot of gold!

Pacing irritably in his room, Xia Yu's gaze suddenly fell on a novel by his bedside—Jin Yong's *The Legend of the Condor Heroes*, a book he had previously enjoyed reading.

"A novel? Wait, I seem to have the memories of a top web novelist." Xia Yu suddenly exclaimed in surprise, quickly searching his memories for that web novel master.

"Got it! The web novel master Ling Yun, a representative of the hard-working type, struggled for fifteen years, reading all kinds of novels, from martial arts to fantasy and xianxia. He studied all kinds of materials, from ancient to modern, Chinese and foreign, and finally exploded in popularity, becoming a god! To find inspiration for his plots, he traveled around the world, and just happened to be in Davos, Switzerland, during his European tour."

He's the one!

"Looking through his memories, I see that he loved martial arts novels since childhood, and was well-versed in the works of Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, and Huang Yi. He also read all the popular fantasy and xianxia novels in his previous life."

"But in this era, where martial arts are in vogue, writing xianxia or fantasy without a reputation would be risky, with no guarantee of success. There's no time to waste, so that's out!"

"That leaves martial arts. The works of a master would guarantee the most success—Jin Yong, Gu Long, Liang Yusheng, Huang Yi, and Wen Ruian!"

"But Jin Yong has already retired from writing; Gu Long's health declined last year, and his works have already been written; Liang Yusheng's works are almost all published; and Wen Ruian is currently writing his Four Great Constables series. With these big names all busy or retired, there really isn't anyone left who can attract the same level of attention," the middle-aged editor thought to himself, reflecting on the current state of martial arts literature.

He felt that the field was lacking in fresh and impactful content. It was a period of transition, and the editors and publishers were eagerly searching for new voices to fill the void left by these iconic authors.