Chapter Two: Quitting
Chen Yichen barely slept that night.
It wasn't because he was afraid.
It was because he was too wide awake.
Lying in bed, he picked up his phone every ten minutes or so, reopened the banking app, and stared at the balance of more than fifteen million dollars.
NT$15,701,263.
He even turned the phone's brightness all the way down, shut off the screen, and opened it again.
The number was still there.
One in the morning.
Still there.
Two.
Still there.
By a little after three, he finally started to feel sleepy. But whenever he closed his eyes, that sentence automatically appeared in his mind.
Ten million dollars every day.
If it really happened every day, that meant three hundred million dollars a month.
Three billion six hundred fifty million dollars a year.
And that was without investing, running a business, or earning any interest at all.
If it were just an ordinary windfall, ten million dollars would indeed be a lot.
But “ten million dollars every day” was an entirely different concept.
It meant he didn't need to cherish this money at all.
Because if he spent it today, more would come tomorrow.
He wouldn't even be earning it back.
Once the time came, it would simply appear on its own.
At that thought, Chen Yichen sat up again.
For the first time, he realized that the scariest thing about money wasn't how big the number was. It was that once a person knew there would definitely be more tomorrow, their attitude toward money would completely change.
In the past, buying a pair of NT$4,000 shoes could make him hesitate for a week.
Yesterday, he had spent NT$4.28 million on a car.
Looking back now, he wasn't even feeling the same pain he had when he first made the payment.
Because those four million-plus dollars weren't even half a day's increase.
Seven thirty in the morning.
His phone alarm went off on time.
Chen Yichen didn't turn it off.
He simply lay in bed, staring at the ceiling.
That alarm had been with him for three years.
Every day, it woke him up at the same time.
No matter how late he had worked overtime the day before, no matter how much sleep he'd gotten, once the alarm rang, it meant he had to go to work.
Today was the first time he had listened to that sound and had absolutely no reason to get out of bed.
After the first round ended, the alarm went off again five minutes later.
Chen Yichen deleted it outright.
Not disabled it.
Deleted the whole thing.
A confirmation window popped up:
“Are you sure you want to delete this alarm?”
He tapped Confirm.
For some reason, that moment felt even better than buying the car yesterday.
8:21 a.m.
His supervisor called.
Chen Yichen glanced at the name.
Section Chief Lin.
He didn't answer.
The call stopped.
Less than ten seconds later, a second call came in.
Chen Yichen still didn't answer.
Then a LINE message popped up.
“You were absent without notice yesterday. Where are you today?”
Chen Yichen sat on the bed and looked at it for a few seconds.
In the past, something like this would have made him extremely nervous.
Just seeing his supervisor's name pop up could make his stomach clench.
Now, he only found it annoying.
He typed:
“I'll come to the company in a bit.”
His supervisor replied immediately:
“You'd better be here before nine thirty.”
Chen Yichen smiled when he saw that.
He wasn't going to work.
He was going to quit.
9:40 a.m.
Chen Yichen wore the jacket he had just bought yesterday and took a cab to the company.
The entrance looked the same as always.
A whole row of scooters.
People in uniforms swiping their cards to get inside.
The security guard sitting behind the glass, watching the surveillance monitors.
Standing at the entrance, he suddenly felt something strange.
He had only been gone for one day, yet this place already felt so far away from him.
He took out his ID badge and swiped it.
Beep.
Green light.
He could still get in.
Chen Yichen walked inside.
He ran into several coworkers along the way.
Some greeted him.
“Damn, where'd you disappear to yesterday?”
“You take the day off?”
“Section Chief Lin is pissed.”
Chen Yichen merely smiled.
“You'll know in a minute.”
A coworker he was fairly close with, Zhang Jiahao, came over and asked in a low voice,
“Are you quitting?”
“Yeah.”
Zhang Jiahao's eyes widened.
“For real? Did you find another job?”
“Nope.”
“You're quitting without finding one?”
“Yep.”
Zhang Jiahao looked completely baffled.
“Are you crazy? Don't you still have credit card bills?”
Chen Yichen paused.
Before yesterday, those words would have brought him abruptly back to reality.
Now, they felt like something from a past life.
“Paid them off.”
“Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Zhang Jiahao was about to ask more when a voice came from ahead.
“Chen Yichen.”
Section Chief Lin stood in the office doorway.
His expression was unpleasant.
“Come in.”
Chen Yichen walked inside.
As soon as the door closed, Section Chief Lin asked outright,
“What the hell are you doing?”
“Nothing.”
“You suddenly didn't show up yesterday, you're more than an hour late today, and you can barely be bothered to reply to messages. If you don't want the job, you can just say so.”
Chen Yichen nodded.
“Okay.”
Section Chief Lin froze.
“Okay what?”
“I'm done.”
The office fell silent for two seconds.
Section Chief Lin clearly hadn't expected him to be so direct.
“You're quitting?”
“Yeah.”
“You're serious?”
“Very serious.”
Section Chief Lin sat back down in his chair.
“You found another job?”
“No.”
“Then what are you quitting for?”
Chen Yichen almost laughed.
He wanted to say, Because I'll get another ten million dollars at midnight tonight.
But if he said something like that, he would probably be labeled a lunatic the next second.
So he only said,
“I don't want to do it anymore.”
Section Chief Lin frowned.
“You think jobs are easy to find?”
“I know they're not.”
“Do you know what the economy's like out there right now? If you walk out just like this, don't come crying when you can't find another job.”
Chen Yichen looked at the man in front of him.
He really had been afraid of him in the past.
Scheduling, overtime, performance reviews, even whether his requests for time off were approved—so many things had been in the other man's hands.
But now, for the first time, he saw things clearly.
Section Chief Lin was just another salaried employee.
He simply made a little more money than Chen Yichen.
Maybe sixty thousand a month.
Maybe seventy thousand.
Even if it was one hundred thousand.
Once midnight came, Chen Yichen would have received the equivalent of eight years of his salary.
That authority that had once seemed so powerful vanished without a trace.
“I won't regret it,” Chen Yichen said.
Section Chief Lin leaned back in his chair and looked at him for a few seconds.
“Did something happen to your family?”
“No.”
“Or did you win the lottery?”
Chen Yichen smiled.
“Something like that.”
That made Section Chief Lin's expression even uglier.
He probably thought Chen Yichen was mocking him.
“Fine. If you want to leave, follow the procedure. You can't just say you're done today and never come back.”
“Sure. Give me the paperwork.”
The resignation process was more troublesome than Chen Yichen had imagined.
He filled out forms.
His supervisor signed them.
He returned his uniform.
He returned his locker key.
His equipment was inspected.
He had an interview with HR.
Finally, he had to fill in his reason for leaving.
Chen Yichen held the pen and looked at the options on the form.
Salary.
Job duties.
Family reasons.
Personal career planning.
Other.
In the end, he checked “Personal career planning.”
After thinking about it, he wrote four words in the Other field:
“Financial freedom.”
When the HR representative saw it, she looked up at him.
“Financial freedom?”
“Yep.”
“Did you find a higher-paying job?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
Chen Yichen smiled.
“Exactly what it says.”
She didn't ask any more questions.
It was almost noon when he left the company.
The only thing Chen Yichen carried out was a paper bag.
Inside were the personal belongings he'd kept in his locker.
A power bank.
Two packs of gum.
A towel.
And a cheap jacket.
He walked out the front gate.
Then he looked back at the company sign.
Three years ago, when he had first joined the company, he had been happy.
The base salary was NT$6,000 higher than at his previous job.
There was also more overtime.
When he got his first paycheck of more than NT$50,000, he had even taken a screenshot to show his friends.
Back then, he had felt like he was finally secure.
As long as he worked hard, at least his life wouldn't be too bad.
Three years later, he walked away just like that.
He didn't feel the slightest reluctance.
In fact, he felt lighter than ever before.
His phone buzzed.
The salesperson from yesterday's car purchase had sent him a message.
“Hello, Mr. Chen. Your license plate and insurance have been taken care of. You can pick up the car anytime after 3 p.m. today.”
Chen Yichen stopped in his tracks when he read it.
The car.
He had almost forgotten.
His first car, one worth more than NT$4 million, was being delivered today.
At noon, he went straight to the bank.
Because there was something he'd wanted to do since yesterday.
Pay off everything he owed.
He had a little over NT$130,000 left on his credit cards.
There was still NT$270,000 on a personal loan he'd taken out before.
His scooter installments had been paid off long ago.
He also owed a friend NT$60,000.
Chen Yichen sat in the bank and handled each payment one by one.
The total came to less than NT$500,000.
In the past, those numbers had felt like stones pressing down on him.
Whenever he got paid, the first thing he did wasn't think about what he wanted to buy. It was figure out which bills had to be paid first.
He had even once called a friend to ask if he could borrow money because he was short NT$20,000.
Now, in less than half an hour:
Zero.
Everything was gone.
When the final personal loan payment was settled, the bank clerk asked him,
“Are you sure you want to pay it off early?”
“Yes.”
“There will be a small early repayment fee.”
“How much?”
“About NT$2,000.”
“That’s fine.”
In the past, he would have asked whether there was any way to avoid it.
Now, he couldn't be bothered.
Two thousand dollars.
Once midnight came, more than one hundred dollars would enter his account every second on average.
At that moment, he suddenly understood with perfect clarity that he was no longer living the same kind of life as before.
3:18 p.m.
The dealership.
For the first time, Chen Yichen saw his very own car parked in the delivery area.
Dark gray paint.
Black rims.
A low-slung front end.
There was even a delivery sign in front of it.
“Congratulations on your new car, Mr. Chen.”
The salesperson smiled even more enthusiastically than yesterday.
Someone else helped take photos of him.
Standing beside the car, Chen Yichen actually wasn't sure what to do with his hands.
Everything had happened too fast.
The day before yesterday, he had still been riding a seven-year-old scooter to work.
Today, he had quit his job, wiped out his debts, and come to pick up a car worth NT$4.28 million.
The salesperson handed him the keys.
At that moment, Chen Yichen finally broke into a genuine smile.
It wasn't the thrill of staring at numbers in his account.
It was the first time his money had turned into something tangible.
It had become a real car that belonged to him.
“Would you like me to go over the features one more time?”
“No need. I'll figure it out.”
“Of course. If you have any questions, you can contact me anytime.”
Chen Yichen got into the driver's seat.
He pressed the ignition.
The engine roared through the delivery area.
He gripped the steering wheel and sat quietly for a few seconds.
He had watched countless car videos in the past.
He had imagined what kind of car he'd buy if he ever became rich.
But he'd always known those were just fantasies.
Now, they weren't.
He pressed the gas and slowly drove out of the dealership.
At the first red light, a scooter pulled up beside him.
The rider was wearing a company uniform, with a breakfast bag hanging near his feet.
Chen Yichen glanced over.
For some reason, he suddenly thought of himself yesterday.
Whenever he had seen a car like this in the past, he couldn't help turning his head for a second look.
Now, he was sitting inside one.
The air conditioner was blowing.
Music played through the speakers.
The leather on the steering wheel felt impossibly smooth beneath his hand.
He wasn't so excited that he wanted to scream.
Instead, he felt a deep sense of satisfaction.
So this was what being rich was about. It wasn't just buying things.
The best part was the feeling of not having to put up with things anymore.
He didn't have to put up with his supervisor.
He didn't have to put up with the unbearably noisy air conditioner in his rented apartment.
He didn't have to put up with his account nearly hitting zero every month.
He didn't have to like something for a long time, only to close the page because of the price.
Five p.m.
Chen Yichen parked the car near his rented apartment.
The parking spaces there were too small.
He had to maneuver back and forth several times, and the more he looked at it, the more annoyed he became.
This car simply didn't belong in a place like this.
He looked up at the old building where he lived.
The walls were faded.
The covered ground floor was packed with scooters.
A faint odor drifted from the garbage collection area.
Before yesterday, he had thought that as long as the place was livable, it was good enough.
Today, he suddenly didn't want to live there anymore.
It wasn't that he looked down on the place.
It just didn't seem necessary anymore.
Sitting in the car, Chen Yichen searched:
“Luxury apartments for rent in Taipei.”
He scrolled down page after page.
NT$100,000 a month.
NT$150,000.
NT$200,000.
Some were even more than NT$300,000.
In the past, he would have thought those landlords were insane.
Now, he started seriously studying the layouts.
High floors.
Floor-to-ceiling windows.
Two parking spaces.
A gym.
Hotel-style management.
Eventually, he found a high-rise residence in Xinyi District.
The rent was NT$220,000 a month.
Two parking spaces were included.
In the photos, the entire living room wall was made of floor-to-ceiling windows, offering a direct view of the city at night.
Chen Yichen stared at the photos for a long time.
NT$220,000.
In the past, he hadn't even paid that much in rent over an entire year.
Now?
He gained ten million dollars a day.
Two hundred twenty thousand was only 2.2 percent of his daily income.
He immediately tapped the call button.
“Hello, I saw that you have a high-floor unit for rent.”
The agent asked,
“When would you like to see it?”
Chen Yichen checked the time.
“Today.”
“For today, let me confirm the owner's availability.”
“The owner doesn't have to come. As long as you can open the door, that's all I need.”
The agent was apparently caught off guard by his tone.
“I can do that. I have the keys.”
“Then I'll see you in an hour.”
He hung up.
Chen Yichen glanced at the old building where he lived.
He had originally planned to take his time moving one day.
Now, he suddenly felt there was no need.
He could just buy new clothes.
The furniture could stay.
The bed could stay.
He could buy another computer.
Everything truly important could fit in one suitcase.
Seven p.m.
Chen Yichen stood in the living room of the luxury apartment.
The agent opened the curtains.
The entire Taipei nightscape appeared before them.
The lights in the distant high-rises came on one building at a time.
Traffic flowed along the roads like streams of light.
The living room alone was several times larger than his entire old studio apartment.
“The unit is a little over seventy ping, with two parking spaces. The owner covers the management fee, and most of the basic furniture is included. If there's anything you don't like, we can negotiate having it removed.”
The agent continued with the tour.
Chen Yichen walked to the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He looked out for about a minute.
“I'll take it.”
The agent stopped.
“Excuse me?”
“I'll rent it.”
“Sir, don't you want to think it over?”
“No need.”
“The rent is NT$220,000 a month, with two months' security deposit and one month paid in advance.”
“Fine.”
“The owner may also need to see proof of employment.”
Chen Yichen turned around.
“I just quit my job today.”
The agent's expression immediately grew awkward.
“Then… we may need some other proof of financial means.”
“I can pay for a full year upfront.”
The agent fell silent.
“A year?”
“Yeah.”
NT$220,000 times twelve.
NT$2.64 million.
Plus the deposit.
More than three million dollars.
Before yesterday, that had been a number he wouldn't have dared imagine.
Today, it barely made his heart beat faster.
“That should be okay with the owner, right?”
The agent immediately smiled.
“Of course. I'll contact the owner right now.”
11:55 p.m.
Chen Yichen returned to his old rented apartment.
The new place could be signed and moved into as soon as tomorrow.
He sat on the bed.
This time, he wasn't nearly as nervous as he had been the night before.
He didn't even keep staring at the seconds.
11:59 p.m.
He took out his phone.
He opened the banking app.
After paying off his debts, buying clothes, eating, and covering other expenses, his current balance had fallen below fifteen million dollars.
NT$14,982,406.
Chen Yichen leaned against the wall.
Midnight.
His phone vibrated.
He looked down.
A bank notification appeared.
General Deposit NT$10,000,000.
New balance:
NT$24,982,406.
Day three.
Another ten million dollars.
Chen Yichen wasn't surprised anymore.
He simply stared at the number for a while.
Then he opened the notes app on his phone.
He wrote:
Day One: 10 million.
Day Two: 10 million.
Day Three: 10 million.
Then he typed a sentence at the bottom.
If I really can't spend it all, then I can't keep living the way I used to.
He placed the phone on the table.
Then he looked out at the old streetscape beyond the window.
Starting tomorrow, he was moving.
And not just moving.
He suddenly really wanted to know—
When a person had ten million dollars to spend every day, what kind of life could they turn their life into?