"Frank, it's me! Open up, I've got something for you," he yelled with glee.

After a few moments, the door creaked open, revealing a scrappy little kid with a starved look in his eyes. The old man held out a burger, and the kid snatched it like it was his last meal.

"Slow down, Frank, slow down. You must be starving," the old man cooed.

"You eat it, too, grandpa!" the boy said, spreading a big grin on his face.

"You haven't eaten anything for days, Frank. It's all my fault. I've been working for days and haven't earned any money. Fortunately, I met a fool today," the old man admitted.

"A fool? What kind of fool?" Frank asked, looking puzzled.

"I mean a good person," the old man clarified, “Yeah, a good person.”

“Who is he?” inquired the little boy Frank, gawking at his grandpa with saucer-sized eyes.

“Maybe he’s referring to me,” Edward piped up out of nowhere.

Abruptly, Edward appeared before them, causing the old man to step ahead to hastily shield his grandson from harm’s way.

“What do you want? Don’t you dare touch my grandson!” the old man exclaimed, his nerves kicking in as his face contorted with fear. He could even feel his heart thundering in his chest.

“What do I want? You already know the answer to that,” Edward sneered.

“All right, as long as you steer clear of my grandson, I’ll let you do as you please with me,” the old man declared.

He didn't want his grandson to get embroiled in anything dangerous, so he was doing everything in his power to keep him out of trouble.

However, little Frank wasn't intimidated by Edward in the slightest.

“Really? Are you really the good person my grandpa’s raving about? Nice to meet you! My name's Frank, and I'm incredibly grateful to you for giving my grandpa a job,” Frank gushed, grinning from ear to ear, revealing his two shallow dimples.

“Don’t mention it,” Edward replied, forcing a weak smile. “It’s nothing to me. I'm just glad I could help your grandpa.”

Yet, deep down, Edward really wanted to tear his grandpa apart limb by limb since he had robbed him of 1,500 bucks.

“Go inside and enjoy your burgers, Frank,” said the old man with a solemn look, “I have to talk to this gentleman.”

“Okay, goodbye, gentleman. My grandfather is a good man, too. See you later,” said Frank politely, waving goodbye to him.

After handing his grandson all the hamburgers in his hand, he turned to Edward,

“Thank you for not telling my grandson the truth. Now let’s settle this like men,” said the old man.

As Edward was pulling something out from his pocket, he was tensing up, ready for a fight. He hoped that Edward was not fumbling for a gun. When he saw Edward whip out his phone, he heaved a relieving sigh and wiped away the beads of perspiration on his forehead.

“Do you have any Wetalk ID?” asked Edward nonchalantly.

The old-timer was puzzled, staring at Edward’s dangerously handsome face unblinkingly.

“A Wetalk ID?” asked the man, “I do have one, but why?”

“Nothing. I just want to connect with you on there,” said Edward flatly, “come on, tell me your ID now!”

The old man hesitated, still keeping his eyes fixed on Edward in case of a sudden attack. But he eventually relented, showing Edward his Wetalk ID on his phone.

“Okay, I’ve got it,” said Edward.

With a 'ding' that pierced the silence, the old man received a request from Edward to connect on Wetalk. The old man's curiosity piqued, he let his guard down and clicked on the button of 'confirmation'.

"Why the sudden interest?" the old man asked, his eyebrows raised in suspicion.

Edward, as cool as a cucumber, played with his phone by clicking a few buttons on it. In a few seconds, the old man received another text message on his Wetalk.

[You've got a transfer of 500 bucks from Edward.]

The old man's eyes widened in surprise.

"What's the catch?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

Edward, without missing a beat, flatly responded,

"No catch. That's the dough I've coughed up for you to buy a few hamburgers for Frank. The lad's a real gem, you know. But let me level with you, I hope you find a real job. If you keep hustling on the street with your melon-dropping scam, you'll be spending some quality time in the slammer sooner or later. I don't think Frank wants to see you behind bars next time."

"Thank you, Edward, I’ll take your advice, you’re truly a good guy!” said the old man, his face flushing red, "I promise I won't be up to any monkey business again. Maybe I can return the favor in the future."

“You don’t need to, goodbye,” said Edward, his tone aloof, “I suppose our paths shall never cross again.”

He turned around and left.

As he strolled back to the bustling main street, Edward kept thinking about the old man. Despite only performing two noble deeds now, he found it difficult to define whether an individual was inherently good or evil.

He pondered why he didn’t beat the shit out of that old man, but instead gave him his last 500 bucks to him.

“Are you out of your mind, Edward?” he questioned himself, “Now it looks like you need to find another noble deed to perform.”

As he attempted to check his account balance in the system, his eyes flickered with surprise. A notification suddenly popped up on the screen.

[Congratulations, Edward. Your magnanimity towards the old man and profound comprehension of human nature have earned you a reward of 10,000 bucks. This is an excellent start as an Ice Breaking Trader. As a successful trader, a thorough study of human nature is vital. You’ve already put your foot in the door now.]

"What?! Unbelievable!" exclaimed Edward in disbelief, "I never expected to receive such a massive bonus for giving away 500 bucks."

[To be frank, the more selfless love you display to others, the larger your reward will be. That's the principle of this super system. I hope you will utilize it to the fullest. You know, most people in this world have never ventured beyond the purlieus of their cities, either physically or spiritually.]

"What do you mean?" Edward whispered to his system, and his voice was full of curiosity.

[You'll understand what I mean gradually, young man.]

The system replied to him so enigmatically as though it was passing down a secret from one generation to the next like a sage.

"I guess you’re an old-timer, too. " Edward smiled.

[Bingo!! Since the day the financial markets started to emerge, I've been in this world.]

"Oh, my god, are you that old?" Edward exclaimed in disbelief, his eyes widening in shock,

"It looks like I've got a lot to learn from you then. The words you told me just now are too abstract. Could you elaborate on it by giving me an example?"

[Of course, Edward. Look, I mean time and space are lost to most people. For example, a little hill in the city they dwell in is probably the Ultima Thule of their most romantic desires; a park in the city center stands them instead of the Vales of Arcady. They are merely confined to one spot, and to the present moment. Thus, they usually see everything around them near, little, superficial, and in hasty succession.]

"Wow, you sound like a wise old man to me," chuckled Edward, realizing the depth of the system's knowledge. "But what's your point?"

[Well, try to be a man with a great vision, Edward, if you want to be a great trader, I mean, a supreme trader, you must break free from the limitations of the present moment and see the bigger picture. Only then can you make the right moves and strike it big.]

"Okay, be a man with a great vision!" said Edward with a knowing smile, "I'll do my best. But now, it looks like my stomach is starting to bark at me. I'll go grab something to bite first."

Edward felt like he was walking on air as his stomach was rumbling. Meanwhile, the thrill of having $10,000 in his balance was coursing through his veins.

He felt like a tycoon now since it was the first time that he had so much money in his account

"I've got to treat myself to a nice meal," he thought, his mind racing with possibilities. "From now on, I, Edward Addison, will change the way I live. At least, I'll change a little bit to have a nice meal!"

Thinking that there stood a seven-star hotel near his company—FS Hotel, the most luxurious and expensive hotel in Orinda, he decided to grab a bite there. He had dreamed of dining there with Rebecca, his former flame, but now he was alone, and he didn't care.

"Go to hell, Rebecca, you're not worth such a treat!"