Chapter 8

The moment Jiang Nian saw the panel's task, he was momentarily stunned.

Five thousand yuan?

Correct—this guy always checks the reward first; the task itself doesn't matter.

Since he was on his way home and Xu Qianqian was talking to him, Jiang Nian barely glanced at the reward before quickly closing the panel.

After acquiring the system, Jiang Nian's mindset had changed.

In twenty years, he would get divorced.

If he continued along his original life path, he would endure twenty miserable years: weakness, inferiority, decay, nothing accomplished, a failed marriage.

If the future was destined to be a tragedy, then fuck it.

Unaware, they reached the building's entrance; just as Jiang Nian was about to climb the dark stairwell, Xu Qianqian suddenly called out to him, making him turn back to look at her.

"What's wrong?"

"'Gui Qu Lai Xi,' 'Wu Yi Wang Zhi Bu Jian'—what comes after that?" she asked; in the darkness, only the girl's blurred silhouette was visible, her voice clear and bright.

Jiang Nian paused, then recalled every classical poem from the Gao San Chinese exam—he'd memorized them all in his memory time—and recited instinctively.

"……Zhi Lai Zhe Zhi Ke Zhui, Shi Mi Tu Qi Wei Yuan, Jue Jin Shi Er Zuo Fei."

Xu Qianqian took a step forward; in the dark, the contours of her delicate face became clearer. Her eyes, half-lit by shadow and light, were like water as she said seriously:

"It's not too late yet. Everything is still possible."

He understood she was referring to the Gao San exam, but in that instant, Jiang Nian couldn't help feeling dazed.

All the system's tasks were tied to Xu Qianqian—if at thirty-eight he'd still have time, what about now, at eighteen? Had he been walking the wrong path from the start?

The person best suited for him might be right beside him.

The moment this thought arose, Xu Qianqian spoke up.

"I've got a set of English practice tests…"

"Cough, cough, I get it," Jiang Nian moved swiftly, grabbing her hand before she could pull out the papers from her bag, "It's late—can we look at them tomorrow?"

Xu Qianqian rolled her eyes, flicked her neat ponytail, and climbed the stairs.

"Whatever."

Back home.

Jiang Nian tossed his bag down and headed for the shower, planning to lie on bed and examine the panel task in detail, but his mom called out to stop him, asking about the delivery.

"Oh, I bought shoes for you and Lao Jiang—bought them on sale, very cost-effective."

"Why waste money on that? Buy yourself something," his mom chided, "I've got plenty of shoes—don't keep spending recklessly."

Hearing this, Lao Jiang walked over and added a few words—mostly that earning money was good, he should save it for himself, since there'd be many future expenses.

Jiang Nian covered his ears and bolted for the bathroom, deaf and blind to their words.

The truth was, parents were forever creatures who said one thing but did another.

After Jiang Nian finished showering, Lao Jiang's new leather shoes were already polished and placed on the top shelf of the shoe rack; his mom's pair was no different—laced up neatly.

As he dried his hair, he smiled faintly and returned to his room.

Jiang Nian skillfully turned on the air conditioner and electric fan, letting the breeze naturally dry his hair. One hand lifted the water cup on the desk, the other tapped open the system task panel.

"Huh? Rival… in love?"

He scanned the task description, pausing at the line: "Never spoke a word from high school to university." Who the hell was this? Some secret crush plot?

That someone was secretly in love with Xu Qianqian didn't surprise Jiang Nian at all—he'd grown up seeing her as his rival, knew her inside and out, long past any romantic filter.

To outsiders, Xu Qianqian was the sweet, fair-skinned, slender, top-scoring good girl.

Jiang family's master bedroom.

Li Hongmei tossed and turned, unable to sleep, thinking about the shoes her son had bought for her and Lao Jiang; in the dark, she couldn't resist nudging her husband.

Lao Jiang immediately shuddered, stiffening his body as if pretending to sleep.

"Stop pretending—you're awake," Li Hongmei said coldly.

"... Huh? Hongmei?" Lao Jiang turned over, feigning grogginess, eyes half-open, "It's so late—everyone in the neighborhood's asleep. What's wrong?"

One sentence, and he'd maxed out all the buffs.

Li Hongmei sighed, "I'm being serious—shouldn't we intervene about Xiao Nian playing games? Earning money's good, but what if it hurts his studies?"

"Maybe we should tell him tomorrow not to play anymore?"

Lao Jiang thought for a moment and said, "I don't think that's right."

"What's wrong with that? Don't you know how crucial Gao San is?" Li Hongmei snapped, sitting up abruptly, "If he doesn't get into a good university, he'll hit walls everywhere after graduation."

"I know all that. Calm down, let me explain slowly," Lao Jiang was slow-paced and always patient, "Now that the kid just earned money, who's the first person he thinks of?"

"I estimate he spent at least fifteen or sixteen hundred—maybe all the money he earned went to us, eaten, worn on our feet."

Hearing this, Li Hongmei's frown softened.

"Xiao Nian's a good kid, but good kids don't find jobs—what if he doesn't go to university?"

"Don't rush. Let me finish," Lao Jiang placed his hand on his wife's shoulder, "Wait until next week's monthly exam results come out, then talk to Xiao Nian."

"Also, you should praise him more these days—stop looking so stern all the time."

"I know, I know, you're always talking," Li Hongmei pulled the blanket over herself, "Sleep, sleep—we have to work tomorrow. Always yammering like you're so smart."

Lao Jiang: "........"

The next day.

Jiang Nian went out to buy breakfast and deliberately brought one for Xu Qianqian, so the two of them once again "coincidentally" walked to school together.

Xu Qianqian smirked, "No reason for kindness—either he's scheming or up to no good."

"How am I being insincere? Didn't you promise to tutor me in math?" Jiang Nian quickened his steps to catch up; they turned through the narrow alley and reached the main street.

"Oh," Xu Qianqian bit into her vegetable bun with satisfaction, squinting as she sipped her soy milk, "Why do you always buy soy milk? I want strawberry-flavored yogurt drink."

"Cut it out, soy milk is good for the brain," he said.

The street sunlight was clear, the green trees lush, mottled sunlight falling on the uneven road lined with shops. The breakfast shop was swarming with students, white steam curling around.

"Huh? I've never heard soy milk can boost the brain?" Xu Qianqian, stepping along in her white sneakers up ahead, turned her head and asked curiously, "Isn't walnut milk the one that boosts the brain?"

Soy milk is rich in plant estrogen; it feeds the baby's dining hall, so naturally it feeds the baby's brain too.

Jiang Nian thought to himself that it wasn't her brain he was feeding. "Who told you walnuts boost the brain? That's purely a placebo effect."

"Really?"

Sunlight fell through the gaps in the girl's hair, and the discussion faded into the distance.

Seeing they were about to enter the school gate, Jiang Nian asked a question as if casually, without changing his expression.

"Hey, is there a boy named Zhou Haifei in your class?"

Hearing this, Xu Qianqian's footsteps stopped.

"A boy?"

"Mm, what about it?"

"There really is someone named Zhou Haifei in our class, but......." Xu Qianqian looked at Jiang Nian, her pink lips slightly parted, "She's a girl, it should be Zhou Haifei."

Jiang Nian was dumbfounded. "A girl?"

Damn! What aluminum-copper?