The Gold-Digging Captain

Xu Yilin has one rule for life: make money, make big money, make enough to build an airplane.

A poor student who got into TUM's aerospace engineering program through anonymous funding, he looks at research projects that burn through money and has made the word "scrounge" part of his DNA.

Until he meets his genius roommate, He Jinchu.

He Jinchu comes from a family so wealthy they could pile up enough money to make an Alps. He attends classes only when he feels like it, yet consistently ranks first in his year.

In their dorm, He Jinchu asks, "How did you get into TUM?"

Xu Yilin answers frankly, "With a benefactor's money."

He Jinchu raises an eyebrow and sneers. "Gold digger."

Xu Yilin shamelessly sidles up to him. "Then how about I dig for you? It's not like you can spend all your money anyway."

And so Xu Yilin starts working both angles.

He Jinchu: I seem to be spending money a little faster lately.

Xu Yilin often emails his kind benefactor, sharing tidbits about his life:

"My German friend took me out to eat today."

"My German friend went to class today. We're in the same program, but he often goes to sit in on classes in other departments..."

"My German friend gets great grades, but he's still just a little worse than me."

"My German friend has taken up cooking lately, and he's pretty good at it."

"I think... I've fallen for my German friend."

Two years later, the night before they return to China, Xu Yilin is drunk. He mutters to the starry sky, "My dream is to build airplanes... too bad it costs a fortune."

He Jinchu suddenly looks up, the lights outside reflected in his eyes.

"How much? I'll invest. And if you don't think that's enough..."

He moves closer, his breath brushing Xu Yilin's burning ear.

"If I let you take my bank account and me along with it, would that be enough for the rest of your life?"

"But I still owe my benefactor a lot of money. I have to go back to China... and pay it back."

1. The blurb is provisional.

2. Happy ending, one-on-one.

3. The characters aren't perfect; they each have their flaws.

4. Everything serves the plot. Don't overanalyze.

5. This work is entirely fictional. Any resemblance is purely coincidental.

Theme: Stay optimistic and keep working hard until you strike it rich