Chapter 2: The First Pot of Gold and the Awakening System The locomotive ground to a screeching, iron-on-iron halt at the southern border terminal of the mainland. The air here was a chaotic, dizzying contrast to the quiet luxury of Bruno’s burning villa. It smelled of coal smoke, exhaust fumes from unregulated diesel trucks, roasted chestnuts, and the raw, electrical ozone of a nation transforming itself overnight. It was 1991. Thousands of ambitious individuals—laborers, intellectuals, and hidden millionaires—were crammed onto the concrete platforms, carrying massive woven plastic bags stuffed with everything from illegal electronic components to wholesale denim jeans. Leticia stepped off the hard-seat carriage, adjusting the strap of her heavy black leather bucket bag. Her ivory French-style tunic shirt and classic denim jeans set her apart instantly from the drab grey and navy cotton smocks of the crowd. Even with dirt smudging her leather running shoes, her natural, aristocratic elegance made her look like a high-born film star who had accidentally stepped into an industrial marketplace. She walked out of the station gates and immediately headed toward the Dongmen Wholesale District, the absolute epicenter of the southern border’s unregulated retail boom. "Imported electronic watches! Three Yuan apiece! Five Yuan for two!" "Real silk scarves from the southern mills! Highest quality! Take a look!" Street vendors lined the muddy paths, screaming over each other’s voices while swapping stacks of crumpled paper cash. Leticia’s business-trained eyes scanned the stalls with mathematical precision. She wasn't looking to open a tiny snack stand. She had 500,000 Yuan in liquid cash—in 1991, this was enough capital to purchase an entire state-owned manufacturing assembly line. As she stepped into the crowded plaza of the primary textile market, a sharp, crystalline electronic chime echoed directly inside her skull. [DING! Detecting absolute capital detachment from the original novel plot.] [The Super Tycoon System has successfully detected the host's independent business intent!] [Host Verified: Leticia (Han Min-seo)] [Current Liquid Funds: 500,000 Yuan (Personal Capital)] [System Feature Initialized: Market Valuation Insight – The host can now view the exact future profitability margins of any physical asset or business venture within a three-second glance.] Leticia’s lips curved into a sharp, confident smirk. Perfect. With my corporate accounting background and a future-insight system, the 1990s market isn't just an opportunity—it’s my personal playground. [Tycoon Main Mission 1 Triggered: Establish your foundational economic empire. Capitalize on the current border textile shortage. Acquire and liquidate a primary bulk cargo lot within 60 minutes!] [Target Net Profit Margin: Minimum 200%.] [Penalty for Failure: Immediate localized lock of all personal banking funds.] [Mission Countdown: 01:00:00... 00:59:59...] Leticia focused her gaze on the massive wholesale warehouses at the edge of the district. Instantly, holographic text columns began to float over the crates and storage doors before her eyes: • Lot A: Synthetic Nylon Socks – Valuation: Low. Market saturated. • Lot B: Domestic Polyester Dress Shirts – Valuation: Mediocre. Profit margin: 15%. • Lot C: Excess State-Owned Export Quality Denim Overstock (Blocked at customs due to missing stamp) – Valuation: CRITICAL ANOMALY. Real Value: 400% profit margin if liquidated across the northern border sectors. Leticia’s eyes locked onto Lot C. She marched straight toward the warehouse entrance, where a stressed, middle-aged state manager named Director Liu was frantically smoking a cheap cigarette, pacing back and forth in front of three massive shipping crates. "Director Liu," Letica spoke, her smooth, elegant voice instantly cutting through the noise of the market. She took off her dark sunglasses, her sharp, gorgeous eyes pinning him in place. "I hear you have a hundred thousand yards of high-grade export denim sitting in these crates that your regional board cannot move due to the new customs stamp restriction." Director Liu nearly dropped his cigarette. He looked at Letica’s refined frame, his eyes widening. "M-Madam... how do you know about that? The customs border locked the shipment this morning. If I don't liquidate this stock to pay the factory workers by tonight, the state bureau will shut down our entire manufacturing line! I am willing to sell the entire lot for a flat cash price of 200,000 Yuan, but no one in this district has that kind of liquidity on hand!" "I have it," Leticia said casually.She reached into her heavy bucket bag, pulled out her pristine state bank card, and laid it flat onto his wooden clip table. "Twenty ten-thousand-Yuan cash bundles can be verified at the central border bank across the street within five minutes. But I have a condition, Director Liu. You will use your factory's state-registered transport trucks to move this cargo directly to the northern rail junction under my personal corporate manifest." Director Liu’s face flushed a deep, euphoric red. He bowed so low his head nearly hit the table. "Deal! Absolutely a deal, Madam! I will personally sign the title transfer right now!" Meanwhile, across the international waters, inside a private executive jet cruising toward a European procurement summit. Henry sat in the plush leather captain's chair, his severe, handsome face carved out of pure shadow as he reviewed an international currency report. Assistant Lin stood beside him, his hands trembling violently as a high-priority emergency alert flashed across his terminal screen. "P-President Fu..." Assistant Lin’s voice completely cracked, his face turning the color of ash. "The... the secondary villa. Felicia’s thugs returned twenty minutes after your departure. They... they poured industrial gasoline across the entire perimeter and set the house on fire." CRUNCH. The crystal whiskey tumbler in Henry’s right hand shattered instantly under his grip, clear amber liquid and sharp shards of glass cutting into the leather armrest. He rose from his seat, his towering, powerful frame radiating a cold, terrifying aura of pure, murderous rage. "Leticia," Henry’s voice dropped into a gravelly, suffocating whisper that made the entire cabin air freeze. "Did she get out?" "Our... our spies found a piece of torn denim on the rear fence, sir," Lin stammered, cleaning his glasses with a shaking hand. "The house has been completely burned to the ground. There are no... no human remains inside the master bedroom, but Madam’s private bank card... the one containing her five hundred thousand Yuan stipend... it was just used to execute an instantaneous, legal cash transfer of two hundred thousand Yuan at the mainland border terminal." Henry slowly turned his head to look out the window at the endless grey clouds below. A dark, intensely possessive, and utterly volatile fire ignited deep within his obsidian eyes. "She didn't die," Henry murmured, his jawline locking into a ridge of solid granite. "She didn't burn. She took her capital, crossed the border, and used my money to launch a flight path right out of my shadow." He turned back toward his assistant, his expression terrifyingly calm. "Turn the plane around, Lin. Cancel the European summit. Deploy our entire continental intelligence network across the mainland markets. If she wants to play the role of an independent tycoon... I will personally buy out every market she touches until she has nowhere left to run but back to my arms." The corporate chase is officially on! Leticia has secured her first major bulk asset (Lot C Denim) using the system, while Henry has canceled his international summit to hunt her down across the mainland.