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Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - Behind the Scenes…

A broke student steals his sister's life-saving money to buy a single pill—then triggers a supernatural 'Gift Return System' that multiplies every gift he gives to elite women. But when city-defending warriors fail against invading monsters, this 'underdog' may be humanity’s only hope—if he can survive his own reckless generosity.

09/09/2026660 words20:03 runtimeShortMax
Du ManmanGift Return: Rise of the UnderdogLu ChenRevenge FantasySu Qingsnow

Characters

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Du Manman

Deputy manager at the South City Trading Center; pragmatic, socially adept, and scores 94. Becomes Lu Chen’s key logistics partner and early romantic foil.

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Lin Ruonan

Strongwilled classmate with family burdened by Ling Ku Syndrome; targeted by scammers selling fake beast meat. Scores 92 and becomes Lu Chen’s third major gift recipient.

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Liu Ruyan

Arrogant, statusobsessed peer who mocks Lu Chen as 'doglike' and accepts his first gift purely to belittle him. Represents the shallow elite he undermines.

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Lu Chen

A financially desperate, academically average high school student with zero official combat rank; secretly possesses the Gift Return System that multiplies gifts given to highscoring women. Motivated by saving his sister and dismantling elitist gatekeeping.

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Su Qingsnow

Toptier student, 'Ice Queen' of the school—ranked #1 in Qi Blood without using any pills. Highly intelligent, reserved, and initially skeptical of Lu Chen’s motives.

Synopsis

Lu Chen begins in desperate crisis: his sister Lu Xiaomiao suffers from Ling Ni Syndrome, requiring 10,000 yuan daily for spiritual energy drainage—leaving only 100,000 yuan as final savings. Defying his parents’ trust, he secretly spends it all on one Qi Blood Pill—not for himself, but to test a mysterious system that demands strategic gifting. His first target is Su Qingsnow, the ice-cold top student who trains without pills and ranks top 10 nationally. Though mocked as a 'sycophantic dog' by peers like Liu Ruyan—who accepts his gift only to humiliate him—Lu Chen’s real motive is systemic: he needs her voluntary acceptance to trigger the 10× return. When she uses the pill, his vital energy surges past 200, allowing triple bone-refinement before breaking into First-Rank Martial Artist—a feat rarer than even school champion Chen Yuhao’s double refinement. Emboldened, he pivots to Du Manman, a pragmatic Trading Center deputy manager. There, he leverages charm, misdirection ('investment mindset'), and escalating generosity—gifting 50 pills, then a 3-cubic-meter spatial ring—to unlock 6× returns with 10× critical bonus, netting 3,000 pills and 18 cubic meters of storage. His third target, Lin Ruonan, is caught in a scam involving adulterated beast meat; Lu Chen intervenes not just to help, but to gift *both* a spatial ring *and* 30 jin of first-tier beast meat simultaneously—exploiting a loophole that triggers quadruple return *plus* a special critical: yielding 120 cubic meters *and* a legendary 6th-tier Beast King cut. Each gift deepens his ties: Su Qingsnow sees him as shrewd, Du Manman grows flustered and reciprocates with a Diamond Card, and Lin Ruonan shifts from suspicion to earnest commitment. Meanwhile, the city descends into chaos—first-tier beasts breach inner districts, overwhelming guards and exposing institutional failure. Lu Chen, now walking with 211 vital energy and triple-refined bones, cuts through swarms effortlessly—not as a hero, but as a system-optimized anomaly. His rise isn’t about strength alone; it’s about rewriting social currency: where elites hoard resources, he floods the system with gifts, turning female peers into unwitting co-practitioners whose cultivation directly amplifies *his* power. The tension escalates not through rivalry, but through asymmetry: every 'kindness' he offers is a calculated investment, every acceptance a tactical win, and every monster wave a grim reminder that the old order is already broken—leaving room for the underdog to rise not despite the system, but *through* its most absurd rule: generosity, when weaponized correctly, is unstoppable.

He stole his sister’s last hope—and got rewarded for it.
Not with mercy.
Not with luck.
With a system that turns every gift to a top-tier girl into tenfold power… just as monsters tear through the city walls.

Quick Info

  • Platform: ShortMax
  • Genre: Revenge, Fantasy, School Life, Action, Comedy

The Pill That Broke Everything

Lu Chen had no combat rank. No talent. Not even rent money.
But he had desperation—cold, clean, and absolute.

His sister Lu Xiaomiao lay in a hospital bed, her body flooding with unstable spiritual energy—Ling Ni Syndrome. Cost: 10,000 yuan per day. Their final 100,000 yuan? Gone in seconds. Not on food. Not on medicine for himself. On one Qi Blood Pill. A gamble. A betrayal. A trigger.

He gave it to Liu Ruyan—not because she mattered, but because she’d accept it just to laugh at him.
Later, he told her: “You think I gave you that pill because I liked you? No—I liked your score.”
She scored under 90. So the system returned only 2×. A test run. A warning.

Then came Su Qingsnow—the Ice Queen. Ranked #1 in Qi Blood without pills. Score: 98.
She didn’t smile. Didn’t soften. Just looked at the pill—and said, “I accept.”

The world flipped.
100 pills became 1,000.
His vital energy spiked. His bones refined—twice. Then three times.
He wasn’t rising.
He was multiplying.

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Pill That Broke Everything
Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Pill That Broke Everything

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Pill That Broke Everything

The Girls Who Unlocked Him

Su Qingsnow saw strategy—not sycophancy.
Du Manman? Pragmatic, sharp—and flustered. When Lu Chen gifted her 50 pills and a 3-cubic-meter spatial ring, she didn’t just accept. She handed him a Diamond Card—the kind reserved for billion-yuan traders or fourth-rank martial artists.
“It’s for when you go to Martial Arts University,” she said, voice low.

Lin Ruonan? Trapped in a scam, selling fake beast meat to save her mother from Ling Ku Syndrome.
Lu Chen didn’t negotiate. He stepped in—dropped both a spatial ring and 30 jin of first-tier beast meat.
The system exploded: 4× return. 10× critical bonus. Plus a legendary 6th-tier Beast King cut.
No fanfare. Just a quiet bite of meat—and a barricade crumbling as she tossed the wrapper like it weighed nothing.

Each gift deepened something real: respect. Trust. Quiet awe.
Each acceptance sent his Qi Blood surging—not from training, but from being chosen.
While elites hoarded resources, Lu Chen flooded the system with generosity.
And somehow? It worked.

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Girls Who Unlocked Him
Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Girls Who Unlocked Him

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Girls Who Unlocked Him

The City Is Burning. He’s Still Giving.

First-tier mutant beasts breached the inner districts—not at the gates, not in the arena—but in the markets, in the schools, in the hospitals.
Guards fell. Sirens wailed.

And there he was: Lu Chen.
211 Qi Blood. Triple-refined bones. Moving like lightning through swarms.
Not with a sword. Not with a spell.
With beef jerky in one pocket. A half-eaten protein bar in the other.
And the calm of someone who knows his power isn’t his.
It’s theirs.

Every pill Su Qingsnow swallowed.
Every ring Du Manman wore.
Every bite Lin Ruonan took.

They weren’t side characters.
They were co-practitioners.
Unwitting generals in a rebellion built on giving.

So here’s the question no one’s asking out loud yet:
What happens when the next gift isn’t a pill—or a ring—or even meat?
What if it’s trust?
What if it’s a promise?
What if it’s the whole city?

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The City Is Burning. He’s Still Giving.
Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The City Is Burning. He’s Still Giving.

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The City Is Burning. He’s Still Giving.

Tap in before the next gift changes everything—this underdog isn’t waiting for permission to rise.

Screenshots3

Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Pill That Broke Everything
Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The Girls Who Unlocked Him
Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog - The City Is Burning. He’s Still Giving.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog about?

It follows Lu Chen, a broke and talentless student who risks his sister’s last hospital funds to buy a Qi Blood Pill—and accidentally activates the Gift Return System. This power rewards him tenfold for gifts willingly accepted by elite women (scoring 90+), rapidly transforming him from outcast to indispensable asset as mutant beasts breach city defenses.

Where can I watch Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog?

Available on our platform for full drama recaps and highlights.

What type of short drama is Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog?

It's a genre-blending short drama combining fantasy, action, school life, revenge, and comedy—centered on a supernatural gifting system, underdog triumph, and satirical takes on meritocracy and social hierarchy.

Who are the main characters in Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog?

The core protagonists include Lu Chen (the desperate underdog), Su Qingsnow (top-ranked 'Ice Queen'), Du Manman (pragmatic trading center deputy), and Lin Ruonan (resilient classmate battling family illness). Liu Ruyan serves as the primary antagonist—a status-obsessed peer who underestimates Lu Chen’s rise.

How does the Gift Return System work?

The system only activates when Lu Chen gives a gift that a woman with a Qi Blood score of 90 or higher willingly accepts. Each successful gift triggers exponential returns—like 100 pills becoming 1,000—or unlocks rare items such as martial arts manuals and Beast King meat. It rewards sincerity and social leverage, not brute force.

Does Lu Chen’s sister survive her illness?

While her condition remains urgent throughout the story, Lu Chen’s escalating returns—including rare medicinal resources and high-tier beast materials—directly fund advanced treatments. Her survival hinges on his evolving power and moral choices, making her recovery both a personal stake and narrative catalyst.

Is Gift Return: Rise of the Underdog a revenge story or a hero’s journey?

It’s both: Lu Chen’s early acts target systemic injustice and personal humiliation (revenge), but his arc evolves into reluctant heroism as he defends civilians during the mutant beast invasion—using unorthodox, system-driven power to challenge elite complacency and redefine what ‘strength’ means.

Quick Summary

Watch broke student Lu Chen turn desperation into dominance using a wild giftreturn power—no spoilers, just pure underdog energy!

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