Lin family's hot pot restaurant business had always been good. Fresh ingredients and flavorful broths made it a favorite among many.
There were many repeat customers, with no shortage of patrons during lunch and dinner hours every day.
Lin's father increasingly enjoyed his profession, feeling much younger. He spent his days concocting new broth recipes, perfecting dipping sauces, and deciding which vegetables to stock.
He felt full of energy every day at work, and Lin's mother was happy to see her husband so content. Especially with the business thriving, they had already begun to recoup their initial investment.
However, Lin's mother was now considering the inconvenience of living in the town. The family of three lived in two different locations, only able to live together two days a week.
If they were to go over in the evenings, it would disrupt the next day's classes. Despite being only an hour's drive away, they could only see each other once a week.
So, Lin's mother considered the possibility of transferring to a school in the county town, and the family moving there to live. Lin's father readily agreed, as he also didn't want to live alone in the city.
"It's good for Mom to transfer to the county, then I can help Dad at the store after school," Lin Yan said. Although the town was relatively quiet, Lin Yan knew that if her mother proposed this idea, she had already thought it through.
"Then Yan Yan can also go to a middle school in the county, and she can continue learning piano in her spare time," Lin's father also agreed.
"Dad, Mom, I want to skip a grade. If I go to a middle school in the county, I want to go directly to the ninth grade."
Actually, Lin Yan wanted to go directly to high school, but she still had to take the high school entrance examination. If she went directly to ninth grade at the start of the semester, she would take the exam next year.
It was unavoidable; she was too young for many things. And because of her age, many of the things she said were not taken seriously.
"Skip a grade? Have you thought it through?" Lin's mother knew her daughter's grades were excellent, so she wasn't surprised when she proposed skipping a grade.
"Yes, I've already self-studied all the junior high courses, so I don't want to waste time in junior high. If I can go to high school a year earlier, I can also take the college entrance examination a year earlier," Lin Yan explained.
Once she was in high school, she would be able to do more things. Moreover, she felt she couldn't stay in this small town forever, even though this life was quite comfortable.
But now she still had to find Ming Hao and also confirm what she wanted to do in this life. Simply completing tasks wouldn't earn many points.
Only by changing the fate of more people, even altering the course of the world, could she gain more points.
Just like in the last world, she had earned over 300,000 points. The harder the world, the more points she would get.
Fifty million points! Although she already knew her world's time was frozen and she had found Ming Hao, she still wanted him to wake up as soon as possible.
"Alright then, I have a classmate in a middle school in the county. I'll ask her about skipping a grade later," Lin's mother said.
"Thank you, Mom!" Lin Yan was very happy about her mother's support.
"When it comes to studies, you can't go wrong listening to your mom. She's an expert in this area," Lin's father joked.
At the start of the new semester, Lin Yan smoothly entered the ninth grade. However, Lin's mother's job transfer was not as smooth. But the problem wasn't too big; after finding a few friends, Lin's mother successfully transferred to a private elementary school.
And so, the family moved to the city. They rented a two-bedroom, one-living room apartment near Lin Yan's school, although it was a bit far from the hot pot restaurant and Lin's mother's school.
Although Lin Yan strongly objected, as it made her commute easier but made it inconvenient for Lin's father and mother to get to work, Lin's father and mother felt they had more flexible work hours and that Lin Yan's schooling was more important.
Rents near schools were generally more expensive. But all the reasons combined couldn't outweigh the convenience for Lin Yan.
Lin Yan increasingly felt that Fu Yin was truly blessed but unappreciative. She had such loving parents, yet Fu Yin didn't cherish them at all. She would regret it later.
Whether Fu Yin would regret it, or when she would regret it, Lin Yan would not know. But her own life was going well.
Without Lin Yan's comparison, coupled with her own abilities, she was now very popular at school. Especially after she made a small profit from an investment with money given by Mr. Fu.
This improved Mr. Fu's attitude towards her. Mrs. Fu no longer prevented her from investing. Even after several subsequent profitable investments, Mrs. Fu gave her more money.
She even owned some real estate and a small company. This was treatment Lin Yan didn't even have, and neither did Fu Qingyuan.
She was particularly proud now, proud of her parents' favoritism. This was something she had earned through her own capabilities.
Not only that, her grades at school were also top-notch, and she began accompanying Mrs. Fu to various banquets.
This time, she was no longer an outsider or someone looked down upon. She truly integrated into this circle, becoming a member of it.
When introducing Fu Yin, Mrs. Fu was full of praise for her, and it was evident to anyone that Mrs. Fu was very satisfied with this daughter she had found again. Of course, everyone was tactful enough not to ask where the Fu family's previous daughter had gone.
The person named Fu Yan seemed to have disappeared from this circle; no one mentioned her, no one remembered her.
Fu Yin was content with this situation and no longer paid attention to the Lin family. After all, it was no longer her home and not worth her effort.
As the days passed, Fu Yin suddenly realized while looking at the calendar that there was an excellent investment opportunity this year, with almost guaranteed profits.
She calculated the funds she had on hand, finding them to be substantial. However, if she invested all her funds, she wouldn't see returns for quite some time. This might cause the Fu couple's attitude towards her to change.
Fu Yin felt that the advantage she had painstakingly built could not be jeopardized. She needed more capital, but she couldn't ask the Fu family for it again.
As for involving Mr. Fu in this investment, Fu Yin never considered it. The Fu family was already wealthy enough; this investment was not necessary to add icing to the cake. She was the one who truly needed this money.
Having experienced poverty in her previous life, she still felt it was best to have money in her own hands.
No matter how rich the Fu family was, she couldn't access much. Moreover, she was not yet fourteen, so no matter how smart she appeared, the Fu couple wouldn't allow her to have too many assets.
They also wouldn't permit her excessive spending, so she had to earn money herself. It was better to rely on oneself than to ask for help; what was in one's own hands truly belonged to oneself.
Therefore, this investment was a must. As long as she invested enough, the returns from this single investment would be enough to satisfy her future extravagant lifestyle!