Yu Wanlai opened the door and strutted downstairs confidently, as if he were marching off to battle.

Upon reaching the dining table and seeing no one else around, he turned to Aunt Wang, who was standing nearby. “All these dishes—am I the only one eating lunch today?”

Aunt Wang gave him a strange look. “Yes, young master.”

Feeling a bit guilty, Yu Wanlai turned away and stuffed a mouthful of rice into his mouth. Right! He had forgotten that this family was full of workaholics who ate lunch at the company cafeteria. Only he—no, the original character—was a lazy freeloader who caused trouble.

“Alright then, you can go back to work. I’m fine here,” Yu Wanlai said.

Having someone watch him eat made him uncomfortable.

After lunch, he returned to his room to lie down.

“So… what am I supposed to do for money these days?” He fumbled under his pillow and pulled out a folded wallet. “No wonder my pillow felt so uncomfortable!”

Inside were a bank card, a credit card, a few hundred-yuan bills, and an ID card. Yu Wanlai tossed the credit card onto the nightstand—he didn’t like using it. As for the bank card, he didn’t know the PIN.

His eyes landed on the phone charging since morning. Excited, he picked it up—only to be met with a password lock screen. His heart sank.

Wow, not even a single way out, huh?

Holding the bank card, he headed downstairs. Originally planning to leave the house, he realized he hadn’t even fully explored the mansion yet. How was he supposed to find a bank?

“Uh… do we have a driver at home?” he asked Aunt Wang hesitantly.

She nodded. “Yes, young master. Shall I call him for you?”

Relieved, Yu Wanlai nodded. “To the nearest bank, please.”

At the bank.

Enduring the disdainful stares of the staff—”So young and can’t even remember a six-digit PIN?”—he finally got the password reset after a long ordeal.

In high spirits, he inserted the card into the ATM, heart pounding.

Balance: 2.5 yuan.

His vision darkened. Furious, he yanked the card out and tossed it aside.

Trash original host!

The rain won’t fall forever, but your bad luck will!

What kind of fate was this? Sent here just to be a scapegoat with no benefits? A supposedly elite second-generation heir with only 2.5 yuan? Who would believe that?!

In his original world, he still had 100,000 yuan!

When Yu Wanlai returned home, his younger brother Yu Qingyue had just arrived.

Grinning, he shamelessly approached. “Little brother~”

Yu Qingyue shuddered, goosebumps rising. “Ew, what do you want? Stay away from me!”

Yu Wanlai clicked his tongue. Fine, this approach wasn’t working either. Still, he extended his hand with a hopeful smile.

“Big bro’s broke. Lend me some money?”

Yu Qingyue rolled his eyes. “If I remember correctly, Dad transferred you 500,000 just last month…”

He knew this because Yu Wanlai used to brag about it every time.

With a defeated sigh, Yu Wanlai tossed his dusty bank card toward Yu Qingyue. “Only 2.5 left. Check it yourself if you don’t believe me.”

Yu Qingyue dodged, letting the card fall to the floor. Smirking, he sneered, “Oh well. You deserve it.”

Yu Wanlai picked the card back up, glaring. “Why do you keep avoiding me? I’m not contagious!”

Yu Qingyue, satisfied with his teasing, turned to head back into the house.

Yu Wanlai trailed behind, grumbling. “I saved your life this morning! You won’t even lend me some cash? Stingy!”

As Yu Wanlai was about to follow him into his bedroom, Yu Qingyue slammed the door shut with a loud bang, locking him out.

Rubbing his nose, Yu Wanlai pouted. “What a guy… Don’t even give a heads-up before slamming the door. What if my beautiful nose got hurt?”

Just then, he noticed his father, Yu Cheng, had returned as well. His eyes lit up, and he hurried downstairs.

“Dad, you’re back!”

Yu Cheng’s expression darkened the moment he saw his son. If it weren’t for his wife’s desperate pleas, he wouldn’t have taken this good-for-nothing back in. Greedy, lustful, and utterly useless—this kid had every bad trait and none of the good ones.

Yu Cheng removed his coat, sat on the couch, and glared sternly. “What do you want this time?”

Yu Wanlai thought: Wow, the original host was really unpopular, huh?

Sitting beside his father, Yu Wanlai was about to reach for his dad’s arm when Yu Cheng scooted far away.

Yu Wanlai bared his teeth. “I don’t have a virus, you know. Why are you avoiding me like this?”

“Dad, I’m broke. Can you give me some money?”

SLAM!

Yu Cheng smacked the table, the sound echoing throughout the room. “Out of money again?! What do you even do all day? Do you think money grows on trees?! Wait a minute…”

He squinted at Yu Wanlai with a look of deep suspicion.

“You didn’t get into any… bad habits, did you? I’m warning you—if you dare mess with anything shady, you can get out of this house!”

Yu Wanlai was completely speechless. The original host was really something—so unwelcome in his own home! Not only did he fail to get a single cent, but he was also saddled with a bad reputation.

Feeling defeated, Yu Wanlai trudged back to his room and flopped onto the bed. He couldn’t help but laugh bitterly—after running around all day, all he had was 2.5 yuan and three rounds of humiliation.

He picked up his phone and tried to unlock it again, but as expected, he couldn’t crack the password. Frustrated, he tossed the phone aside.

Well, whatever. Honestly, he still had no idea how far along the plot had progressed in this world. But judging by the current situation, it seemed like he hadn’t even managed to worm his way into the company yet. No job meant no future income either.

With no access to his phone, Yu Wanlai went to his desk and booted up the computer, relieved when it powered on without a hitch. He searched for some well-reviewed bars in the city, scribbled the names and addresses onto a small slip of paper, and tucked it into his pocket.

After dinner, armed with only a few hundred yuan, Yu Wanlai prepared to head out.

As he passed the dining area, he paused for a moment and turned his head—just in time to see Yu Qingyue emerging from the kitchen with a custard tart. The serious, untouchable younger brother who wore suits all day was now secretly scooping out the tart filling with a tiny spoon…

Yu Wanlai raised a brow, watching with amusement.

He patted his pocket and clicked his tongue—what a pity he didn’t have his phone right now!

Snapping out of it, he quietly turned back toward the door. He couldn’t afford to get caught sneaking out at night, or he’d definitely get another lecture. Once he made some money, he’d consider moving out—he had no intention of following the original villain’s plotline and enduring this family’s disdain forever.

Hearing a noise, Yu Qingyue glanced up but saw nothing. Assuming he had imagined it, he lowered his head and continued enjoying his custard tart.

Yu Wanlai took a taxi to the bar. Moving with practiced ease, he slid onto a stool at the bar counter and ordered a mojito.

While sipping his drink, he started chatting with the bartender.

The bartender glanced up, eyes brightening at the sight of Yu Wanlai’s sharp features, slicked-back hair, and leather jacket—a devil-may-care look full of charm.

However, when Yu Wanlai mentioned he was just looking for a gig as a bar singer, the light in the bartender’s eyes instantly dimmed. So much for fate, huh?

But after imagining how great it would be to have a guy this handsome performing at the bar regularly, the bartender perked up again. He enthusiastically called over the manager to introduce Yu Wanlai.

By the time Yu Wanlai left the bar, it was already late. A chilly breeze sobered up his slightly foggy mind.

It was a shame he didn’t have his guitar with him tonight—he could’ve performed even better.

Still, he had finally made some money!