Chapter 24: Me, Li Ya, a little wealthy woman?

On the first day of the lunar new year, at the break of dawn, the sky on the horizon had just begun to show a faint glimmer of light. The entire world was still shrouded in a misty morning haze. Yet, in the countryside, every household was already bustling with activity. People awakened from their sleep, eager to get up and start setting off firecrackers to welcome the arrival of the new spring, hoping to usher in a year of good fortune.

Amidst the crackling firecrackers, Li Ping’an was awoken by the crisp ringing of his alarm clock. Still groggy, he slowly opened his eyes, as if lingering in a sweet dream. Hmm...? What was he dreaming about just now? His mind felt like it had frozen—he could vaguely remember the dream moments ago, but now it had slipped away completely.

Li Ping’an shook his head, took several deep breaths, trying to clear his mind. Then, dragging his exhausted body that felt drained of all strength, he slowly climbed out of the warm bed. Slipping on his slippers, he made his way to his younger sister’s room, yawning as he gently knocked on the door.

“Knock, knock, knock…”

The crisp knocking echoed through the quiet house.

“Xiao Ya—”

Li Ping’an tried to raise his voice to call his sister, but before he could finish, a big yawn uncontrollably escaped. He hurriedly covered his mouth, muffling the sound.

“Aw—oo—” The yawn echoed softly between his palms.

“Get up, come with me to set off firecrackers and welcome the New Year,” Li Ping’an said, forcing himself to sound energetic. “We’ll have a simple breakfast, then visit relatives to pay New Year’s respects.”

After a long pause, his sister Li Ya’s lazy, sleep-heavy voice drifted out from inside the room.

“Ohhh— I’m getting up—”

After Li Ping’an went downstairs, he deftly prepared the long string of firecrackers and a box of fireworks. Standing quietly to the side, he watched as the uncles and elder cousins around eagerly lit their own firecrackers and fireworks. The lively scene did not make him anxious. He patiently waited for his sister, for in his heart, welcoming the New Year together with her was far more important than lighting firecrackers early.

Finally, Li Ya appeared, still wearing thick cotton pajamas, rubbing her slightly puffy eyes and yawning repeatedly as she slowly came downstairs. Li Ping’an smiled calmly, took out a lighter, and lit the fuse of the long string of firecrackers.

In an instant, the firecrackers crackled loudly, their crisp, resonant sounds echoing through the crisp morning air, as if telling tales of joy and blessings for the New Year. The firecrackers went on for quite some time. Just as they were about to burn out, Li Ping’an quickly bent down and lit the fuse of the fireworks.

With a sharp whooshing sound, a brilliant firework shot into the sky like an arrow released from a bow, instantly piercing the gently brightening morning sky.

Both Li Ping’an and Li Ya were drawn to the dazzling display, their eyes rising together to watch the night canvas above.

A booming explosion followed.

The firework burst into a massive, colorful blossom, painting the sky with a dreamlike kaleidoscope of hues. In that moment, no matter how tired Li Ping’an felt, or how sleepy Li Ya still was after a late night, their drowsiness vanished without a trace. They stood gazing upward, mesmerized by the endlessly unfolding fireworks, hearts filled with hope and anticipation for the coming year.

Paying New Year’s respects is an ancient tradition where the younger generation expresses respect and blessings to their elders. Because of this, ever since Li Ping’an’s parents passed away, few relatives came to pay respects to their home. After all, Li Ping’an and his sister were still young and junior in the family hierarchy. It wouldn’t make sense to expect relatives to pay respects to a young man just over twenty and his little sister. That would turn tradition upside down.

That morning, after preparing breakfast, Li Ping’an urged his sister who was still busy washing her face and brushing her teeth. Wearing the familiar floral apron, Li Ping’an, having finished his chores, sat idly on a chair in the dining room, lost in thought.

Suddenly, he remembered something and hurried upstairs. Seeing the puzzled look in Li Ya’s eyes, he rushed into his room. Rapidly and expertly, he entered the ten-character alphanumeric lock screen password and, with hands trembling slightly, opened the backend of the Pet Spirit app.

Li Ping’an’s attention was fully on the app’s sales figures and he had not noticed when his sister quietly followed him into the room.

The string of numbers made Li Ping’an swallow hard.

“Units… tens… hundreds… thousands… ten-thousands…”

“Over 510,000 skins sold?”

He rubbed his eyes in disbelief, afraid he had misread a zero.

After double-checking, it was indeed over 510,000! And the number kept updating in real time.

Five hundred and ten thousand skins—how much money was that?

At 18 yuan per skin, that amounted to 9.18 million yuan!

Before returning from winter break, Li Ping’an never even dreamed he would earn such an amount in his lifetime.

With a heart full of excitement, Li Ping’an shakily opened the corporate account of the new company he had set up through Zhao Peng’s connections. Seeing the long string of digits in the account balance, he finally breathed a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had lifted from his heart.

He muttered to himself, “It’s not a dream. This is all real.”

Hearing a swallowing sound behind him, Li Ping’an turned around. His sister stood there, eyes wide, mouth slightly agape—utterly stunned.

Li Ping’an grinned at her expression.

Once she gathered her wits, he spoke gently, “Xiao Ya, just keep this money in your heart. Don’t show off to your classmates, and don’t tell relatives either.”

“Just remember, with this, our family won’t be bullied anymore.”

At the dinner table, facing a spread of yesterday’s delicacies, Li Ping’an and Li Ya quietly ate with their heads down. Li Ya especially still had a hard time believing that her brother’s Pet Spirit software was so powerful. And now, she herself had transformed into a little rich lady?

I, Li Ya, a little rich lady! Hehe~~~

“Stop daydreaming. Right now, you should focus on your studies.”

“I’ll take care of everything else.”

“Hmm, you have to study math well. I’m saving the CFO position in my company just for you.”

Li Ping’an smiled at his sister, his eyes full of hope and trust.

Hearing this, Li Ya rolled her eyes, but deep down, she took her brother’s words to heart, silently promising to study math diligently from now on.