Benny stood there on the sidewalk, the evening breeze brushing past him as the system interface slowly faded from view.

¥820.

That was all he had left from the system funds.

And somehow, in front of Uncle Shen and Aunty Luo last night, he had confidently declared Neo’s salary to be ¥8,000 a month.

At the time, it sounded perfect, now it sounded suicidal.

Benny rubbed his forehead. "...How does he not qualify for ¥8,000?"

Then he thought about it seriously for a moment.

Neo skipped lectures. Played games every night. Had absolutely zero work experience. And his greatest known talent was somehow attracting disasters without trying.

"...Actually, fair enough."

Benny sighed deeply.

Still, a promise was a promise.

Even if Neo was rich enough to buy the entire dorm building on a whim, Benny couldn’t just suddenly go: "Sorry, the company thinks you’re worthless."

That would destroy the friendship instantly.

"No... I still have to pay him."

He shoved both hands into his pockets and slowly continued walking down the street.

The market around him remained lively as always. Vendors shouted, scooters passed by, and the smell of food drifted through the air.

But Benny’s mind was elsewhere.

¥8,000...

No matter how he looked at it, there was no way to squeeze that amount out of the remaining funds.

He clicked his tongue lightly. "Maybe I should lower the salary first..."

The idea lasted all of three seconds before he rejected it himself.

"No. I already said it out loud."

And Neo had clearly been excited.

Benny still remembered the way his eyes lit up during dinner.

If he suddenly reduced the pay now, wouldn’t that make him look unreliable as a boss?

A company couldn’t casually break promises to employees.

That was basic management.

"...Right?"

Benny slowed slightly.

A strange thought suddenly surfaced in his mind.

Wait.

If the company temporarily lacked cash flow...

Could it borrow money?

He frowned faintly.

That wasn’t exactly uncommon.

In fact, plenty of startups operated at a loss early on. Some companies even struggled to make payroll and relied on financing just to continue operating.

Benny had definitely heard stories like that before.

The more he thought about it, the more reasonable it sounded.

"That’s normal business behavior..."

He muttered the words under his breath as though trying to convince someone.

Or perhaps convincing himself.

A company loan used to pay employee salaries.

No matter how he thought about it, that counted as operational expenses.

And loans came with interest.

Interest meant additional company losses.

Benny’s footsteps gradually slowed to a complete stop.

"...Huh."

For a moment, he simply stood there silently.

Then his eyes slowly widened.

"...Wait."

The idea expanded rapidly in his head like a snowball rolling downhill.

If a company could borrow money to maintain operations...

Then technically speaking, he didn’t necessarily need to rely only on the system funds to expand the business.

A dangerous excitement quietly rose in Benny’s chest.

Because unlike wasting money directly...

Loans were normal, reasonable and legitimate.

Even banks expected businesses to borrow money.

And if the company failed afterward...

Wouldn’t the debt naturally become part of the loss?

Benny swallowed slowly.

His heartbeat sped up slightly.

"...This..."

He looked upward toward the night sky as though suddenly seeing an entirely new world opening before him.

"...This is genius."

But Benny didn’t allow the excitement to erupt immediately.

Instead, he held his breath instinctively, waiting for the system to interfere.

One breath passed then another.

Each break in between breathes felt like an eternity.

His heartbeat slowly began to quicken.

The third breath was still not interrupted.

By the fourth, even the bustling street around him seemed to fade into the background.

Then came the fifth.

And still no notification appearing before his eyes.

Benny slowly let out the breath he’d been holding.

Then his eyes lit up completely.

"I’M A GENIUS!"

The system wasn’t stopping him.

Which meant even it acknowledged this as a proper business operation.

The more Benny thought about it, the brighter his mood became.

After all, what kind of company never took loans?

Even massive corporations borrowed money all the time.

This wasn’t fraud. This wasn’t misuse. This was finance.

Real finance.

"Hahaha..."

A laugh escaped him before he could stop it.

People passing nearby glanced at him strangely, but Benny didn’t care anymore.

His thoughts were already racing ahead.

If he secured a loan... He could continue hiring employees. Expand the office.

Increase operational pressure.

And if the company kept losing money naturally under all that burden...

Then at settlement, Benny inhaled sharply.

"...No wonder rich people love debt so much."

All this time, he had been thinking too small.

The system funds weren’t the limit.

They were just the starting capital.

And once a business existed, it could naturally leverage outside funding.

That was how real companies operated.

The thought alone made his heartbeat quicken.

Without another second of hesitation, Benny raised his hand sharply toward the road.

"TAXI!"

A cab screeched slightly before pulling over by the curb.

The driver rolled down the window. "Where to?"

Benny immediately reached for the back door before suddenly freezing midway.

His expression stiffened slightly.

"...Right."

This was personal transportation, so that meant personal money.

A normal college student would’ve hesitated.

After all, ¥50 was enough for several meals.

But today... Benny decisively opened the taxi door and got in.

Who cared about another ¥50 loss to his personal wealth? 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

He was about to unlock the magical world of corporate debt.

Compared to that, ¥50 was nothing.

"To the bank," Benny declared grandly as he sat down.

The driver glanced at him strangely through the rearview mirror.

"...You sound really excited about that."

"Of course I am."

Benny leaned comfortably into the seat, unable to suppress the grin on his face.

"I’m about to borrow money."

The driver: "..."

For a brief moment, the middle-aged driver genuinely looked unsure whether he should continue driving or quietly report this passenger to someone.