Chapter 128 - Financially Capable Vs Financially Stable

"Sofia, what are your parents do for a living? They have raised you well," Jing Jing asked when she could no longer contain her interest in Sofia's bearing. This young lady looked so simple but her gestures were so refined. 

It had been more than an hour as they stroll the district. The two of them passed through fast food stalls and stopped in front of an area where a small shop that was not operating. Few people walked on the side of a street while others were waiting for a cab.

In the small shop, there was a sign on the door that indicated that the business had already stopped its operation for 4 months already. The sign stated that the owner terminated his business and was selling the property.

"My parents?" Sofia muttered. Her lips pouted as she subconsciously thought of her parents. 

Several images flashed in her mind...

In her first memory, her past parents appeared. Two figures were holding a glass of champagne, standing proudly looking at her. They were full of elegance despite their old age.

They were on a yacht and were smiling together. It was the scene when her old soul was still in her body as the Lisa Summers. 

Strangely, the memory was still fresh in her mind. Their family had a yacht party to celebrate her inauguration as the CEO of Summers Holdings Inc.

After some time, another image appeared in Sofia's thoughts...

This time, it showed two elders. A man and a woman sitting in a humble house made of wood. And the entire place was surrounded by almost tall trees. Serenity.

The ambiance of the house was too peaceful and the faces of the elders reflected complete blissfulness as they sat on a wooden chair staring at the sun as it rises above and brought daylight to the dawn. 

They seemed to really enjoy watching the sunrise, one habit that Sofia also does in her past life. But the only difference was that she would watch the sunrise in the metropolitan of District 2 where buildings surrounded the place.

Sofia sucked her breath and closed her eyes. She was suddenly overwhelmed with mixed emotions. Her eyebrows furrowed as she was in deep thought.

"Ehem," she cleared her throat to hide the lingering emotions in her eyes. "Sister Jing, my grandparents raised me in the mountains when I was little. My parents were already dead," she managed to answer. Her tone suddenly became compassionate. 

It turned out that the original Sofia had a pitiful childhood life.

Her parents were killed by a landslide incident in the mountains when they were hunting for their food. The area was too remote and their remains were never recovered.

Still, the heavens gave young Sofia the opportunity to proceed with her education to a non-standard means.

Even if her grandparents could not afford to finance her, she was able to find an opportunity to earn money on her own.

In their mountains, it happened that there was a small computer shop where they use coins to play online games. 

Five coins were enough for anyone to play on the computer for half an hour. Considering the price, it was too cheap, but because the location was in the mountains, it was reasonable.

Sofia learned to play games in the shop. It was her starting point. It started as a plain curiosity as she usually watched the other children were very happy with what they were doing on the computer.

Every day, she goes to the computer shop and watched others play. She would just stand behind them and stared at the monitor until the game is done.

After some time of her observing the players, the older gamers that were regulars in the computer shop taught her how to play. They even paid for a computer for her to use. She did not know why, but maybe, they felt pity that she was the only kid who was not playing inside the shop.

Sofia learned all the commands that needed to play and even memorized the maps and dynamics of the game. 

To say, she was a fast learner. When Sofia had fully grasped the game, the older gamers taught her how to trade and sell rare items of the game  in exchange of real money. 

They were even kind enough to lend to Sofia their bank details whenever she had transactions. And luck may be on her side too as no seller had scammed her whenever she sells an item.

What's more fascinating was that the honesty and integrity of the older gamers towards the young Sofia were too pure. 

Those older gamers showed her the foreign money conversion and all bank history of the transaction deposit from their bank account. 

Not once did they took money from the young girl! They were even proud of her whenever she obtains rare items to trade. It would always mean that she would earn money from her gaming.

And when the school resumed, they also encourage Sofia to enroll with them. Perhaps, they knew that she had a potential to succeed despite her humble background.

At that time, Sofia does not even own any gadgets when she arrived in the town of district 7. But, she had earned enough money to finance her living. 

Also, the senior gamers that encouraged her to enroll continued to guide and her until they moved out to another location, went to college and lost contact with her.

Now, the old soul in Sofia's body fully understood the situation she was in. She had misjudged the young girl by being addicted to the game. No, the young Sofia did not use the game as entertainment. She used it as a means of earning money.

The reason why the young teen played online games from dusk to dawn was that she was also piloting other accounts.

Pilots were players who usually used other accounts on behalf of the owner to meet a goal. To finish a difficult quest, to level up the account, or other stuff. 

It was not unusual for the game to have pilot players for several quests with good rewards refreshes several times within 24 hours. If the owner could not play, they would ask someone to pilot their account instead to be able to gain rewards.

This is how gamers took care of their account without playing directly on it. Their reason of using pilot players? Because the game has an existing ranking no matter which server they play. And if they missed a quest, there is a possibility that their account would fall from their ranks.

The young Sofia had a good rank for her account in the game. She also got a great reputation among the players. So, they sometimes asked her to pilot their account and pay her money.

'This original Sofia is actually similar to me when it comes to financial capability,' she thought. The young girl was capable of gaining money and managed to save it in the bank. She was competent in terms of arranging her current finances and pay them on time. The school fees and the rent of her apartment unit. She had done well. 

The only thing that they were not similar was that the old soul in Sofia's body now was not only financially capable, she was also financially stable.

She only needed to circulate her money. She was already born into a very wealthy family. The money is already on her table for her disposal. Whereas, the original Sofia need to obtain money first. There was nothing on her table. Playing hard in the online game was her only option.

"Sorry to hear that," Jing Jing looked at Sofia. She felt bad for asking about her parents. But, the Sofia that was standing beside her was actually thankful for bringing such a question.

She was fully driven with her goal to go back to the corporate world. She was aware of her current age but she neglected the other matters that a teenager should consider.

If Jing Jing did not ask her about her parents, she would not bother checking the memory of the original Sofia about this matter.

"I was little when they died. It was because of the landslide in my home," Sofia started and glanced at the property in front of them. There were small tears in her eyes as she revisited the memories in her head.

She casually took a picture of the signs that were plastered on the door before she focused her attention on Jing Jing.

"Ohh, that landslide... I remember that," Jing Jing responded softly.

Sofia wiped the small tear in the side of her eye and looked at the sky. Because she was wearing sunglasses, she could stare at the cloud for a long time.

When she heaved a sigh, Jing Jing gulped and finally noticed that there was a melancholic vibe that started to wrap around them. "Ah! I'm really sorry for bringing up the bad memories of your childhood, Sofia. I was just curious that your way of walking is so refined. So, I asked about them," Jing Jing explained.

"I'm okay, sister Jing. You don't need to apologize. I just realized something else," Sofia responded. She could still feel her heart turned heavy by what she had uncovered. 

'I admire you for being so resilient, young girl. What you had worked hard, I will make it prosper. Your story will be an inspiration to the teens in the next generations to come,' she made a vow in her mind as if her soul was communicating the original Sofia through her head.