Urban System in America

In the muffled voices of distant traffic and faint chirping, a young man suddenly jerked up from his slumber.

His face twisted in pain, temples throbbing, and his body felt like it was filled with lead.

He winced on the luxurious bed, rolling around in an attempt to suppress the unbearable pain, but to no avail.

An hour passed, and the pain finally started to subside.

He felt as if he had just returned from a trip to hell. His clothes and bed were drenched in sweat.

Upon closer inspection, something black and slimy could be seen in the sweat, but the young man couldn't care less about that right now.

His face changed colors-red, blue, then white-before finally settling into a pale shade.

Slowly, he opened his eyes.

They were ocean blue but held a mysterious hint of red.

His face was undeniably handsome, with sharp yet balanced features. His ocean-blue eyes carried a unique charm, holding untold secrets. Thick, dark eyebrows framed his gaze, adding intensity to his expression. Prominent cheekbones and a strong jawline gave him a striking presence.

His hair, somewhere between midnight and charcoal, was parted loosely in the middle, falling just past his brow. It carried an air of effortless cool, with a hint of rebellion-a modern ruffian, a man who whispered adventure and danger.

As the pain and dizziness faded, the first thing he noticed was the intricate ceiling above him, adorned with a beautiful chandelier.

He tried recalling what had happened, but his mind was blank.

For a moment, all he could do was stare blankly at the ceiling.

Then, his senses gradually returned. He was in an expensive, luxurious hotel in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.

Memories of the previous night surfaced. After drinking too much, he vaguely recalled booking a high-end hotel room before blacking out.

But that wasn't the real issue.

The most important thing was-he was not himself anymore.

That was right. He had crossed over. He has crossed over from year 20xx to 20xx, He was no longer in his original world.

His former self seemed to have died in his sleep-either that, or he had not really died and had been transported into a new body in an alternative universe, one with a completely different life trajectory.

The excruciating pain he had felt earlier was the result of merging memories-his past as an orphan and the new life of a rich UCLA student.

The sheer volume of information left him utterly bewildered.

His ocean-blue eyes reflected the chaos in his mind.

Shocked, he sat up too quickly, causing dizziness to wash over him. But he couldn't be bothered by that right now.

He struggled to his feet and glanced around the luxurious hotel room, though his thoughts were in too much turmoil to admire its beauty.

He needed a mirror-a way to confirm this new reality.

Scanning the room frantically, his gaze landed on a full-length mirror near the bed.

Staggering toward it, he took in his reflection.

A handsome face with ocean-blue eyes tinged with red, sculpted features that looked as if they belonged to a Greek statue.

His height was a solid six feet, and his build was lean yet well-defined. His appearance wasn't drastically different from his past self-just a little more refined, a little more captivating.

Well, maybe more than a little, but overall you can still see the shadow of his previous self.

A sudden thought struck him, and he hurriedly checked his pants.

Seeing that everything was still intact,and his 'little brother' was okay, he let out a relieved sigh.

After one last look at his reflection, he returned to bed and began sorting through the information in his mind.

His thoughts were still hazy, and he couldn't remember things too clearly.

As he was deep in thought, his phone suddenly rang.

He reached over to grab it from the bedside table, struggling slightly due to his lingering dizziness.

The screen displayed the caller ID: UCLA Student Committee.

It was a call from the university.

That's right. He was still a student. A UCLA student, to be exact.

It made sense.

He hadn't attended classes in a long time, so it wasn't surprising that they were calling.

After some thought, he decided to answer.

"Hello," he said.

Before he could say another word, a furious voice exploded through the speaker.

"Rex Lee! This is the last time I'm warning you. If you don't show up at the university tomorrow, I'll personally send your expulsion notice! And I don't care about your parents' kindness anymore!"

Rex was momentarily stunned.

Piecing things together, he quickly realized that his predecessor had been skipping classes for quite a while, spending most of his time partying in nightclubs.

After some contemplation, he decided it was best to continue attending university, at least for now.

"Sorry, Uncle Johnson.

I promise I'll be there tomorrow," he replied.

After hearing his reply, Mr. Johnson's anger subsided a bit, even though he was still skeptical about his promise, he still chose to believe it for the sake of his parents.

"Alright. But this is your last warning. You need to start thinking about your future and your parents' expectations. You can't keep wasting time."

"I understand. This will be the last time.

Thank you," Rex responded hurriedly.

"Good. See you tomorrow."

Without even waiting for a reply, the call was hung up.

Which showed how angry he really was.

He slowly put down his phone, and thought about Mr. Johnson, his full name is John Johnson, currently he is vice Chancellor of students affairs in UCLA and an old friend of his parents.

Thinking about his new parents made him feel a bit melancholic, but he pushed those emotions aside.

He walked toward the window.

As he gazed at the bustling cityscape of Los Angeles, reality finally sank in.

He had truly crossed over.

And he wasn't just anyone. He was now a rich second-generation heir with over 100 million dollars in inheritance.

Thinking about so much money, he was a bit flustered, because in his previous life he was just an orphan without friends and relatives, graduated from ordinary university,

an ordinary person with an ordinary job.

He spent his childhood in a state sponsored orphanage barely scraping by, after graduating from high school, he left orphanage to live independently, after many twists and turn he finally got admission in 3rd rate University.

He didn't have much interest in studying and other stuff like sports, and hobbies.

As such he rented an ordinary apartment and was just living without any goal or ideal in life.

Well, he did have some interest in the business and entertainment industry, but not as an actor or singer but as an owner of an entertainment company.

Which was obviously impossible according to his condition as he didn't have any connections or capital, who would give a chance to an orphan and a graduate from a third rate university.

He tried starting from an odd job in the entertainment industry but to no avail.

He did receive some calls for acting and modelling, but they were mostly unspoken rules.

He suddenly shuddered thinking about those 50,60 year old, ugly fat women and even men.

He was disgusted and disappointed. So, he completely left the entertainment industry dream behind and honestly found an ordinary job in an ordinary company, which didn't pay much but was enough for a single dog.

In his free time, he spent most of his time watching movies, listening to songs and reading about entertainment news from around the world.

Well, he was a bit more handsome but that's it, He didn't even have a girlfriend yet.

When he thought about his previous life, he realised that he truly lived a miserable life.

But now, things are different.

He had money.

He had an identity.

But most importantly, he had a chance.

He knew the importance of education and connections.

That was why, despite his wealth, he wouldn't drop out of university.

If he wanted to build something real, he needed knowledge.

He needed networking opportunities.

There was still much to learn especially about managing money because without knowing how to manage money, no matter how much money he has he will be bankrupt soon.

You have to know that American Universities aren't just a place for studying, they are important places for making connections. Otherwise, so many rich and powerful people wouldn't send their children to top universities even at the cost of donating millions of dollars.

There were countless stories of people who became rich overnight, only to squander it all due to a lack of financial literacy.

Rex had no intention of becoming one of them.

Thankfully, his predecessor had majored in business management.

That would make things easier.

And while 100 million dollars sounded like a lot, in America-the land of millionaires and billionaires-it was nothing in the grand scheme of things.

Well, if you just want to laze around then 100 million$ are more than enough, but he didn't want to waste his life like in the past.

If he wanted to turn it into something greater, he had to start planning now.

As he looked out at the dazzling skyline of Los Angeles, he made up his mind to graduate honestly.

As he contemplated his future, he suddenly thought about his parents.

(End of Chapter)