"Forget it, I’ll wait until the sun goes down to fix it. Anyway, whether I fix it early or late, it still gets fixed. No rush." Chen Jingle tossed his tools aside.
A sudden wicked wind last night had snapped the largest bougainvillea in the yard, crushing and bending a section of the stainless steel guardrail in the process. When he woke up this morning and saw the scene, he instantly got a headache and had no choice but to clean up the mess. The broken branches and fallen leaves were easy to clear, but the guardrail was a pain to fix.
After bustling about for just a few minutes, the blazing sun left him dizzy and lightheaded. As someone who couldn’t stand the heat and tanned easily, he had no desire to turn into a piece of charcoal. He could only abandon his tools in defeat and hide back inside the house.
There was no such thing as autumn here in Lingnan. Even though it was already September, the sun remained mercilessly toxic. Why go out of his way to suffer?
As a thirty-year-old unmarried young man who had already decided to retire and "lie flat," Chen Jingle completely disagreed with the older generation’s belief that "enduring the bitterest of hardships makes you rise above the rest." Going by the traditional saying that "you are what you eat," eating bitterness—enduring hardship—most likely wouldn’t turn you into someone superior.
"More like it’ll eat you alive!"
Instead of letting mental exhaustion drain him, it was better to keep a level head, enjoy life while he could, and simply please himself!
Indoors.
Chen Jingle lay lazily in a rattan rocking chair, holding his phone. Beside him sat a rolling cart of snacks and a homemade glass of iced honey lemon tea. The silent floor fan blew a gentle breeze. He read web novels, occasionally scrolled through short videos, snacked on treats and fruit when he was hungry, took a sip of lemon tea when thirsty, and checked his group chats to see if the members had posted any new spicy memes.
This life was far too degenerate!
He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion. "Chen Jingle, oh Chen Jingle, how did you turn out like this?
"Where is your original grand ambition?
"Did you forget your vow to stand out, make a million a year, and reach the pinnacle of life?"
But on second thought...
"Ah, not having to work is just so damn good!"
As expected, early retirement was the right choice!
Half a year ago.
Due to relationship and work issues, he had decided to take a break. So, he took the one million yuan he had saved over the seven years since graduation, bought a ticket, and returned to his hometown. He spent five hundred thousand building a small two-story villa, outfitting himself with a small garden, a mini pool, a gaming room, and a pet cat. The remaining five hundred thousand was deposited into the bank to earn interest, officially kicking off his early retirement life.
Originally, he had planned to buy a house in the city. However, municipal planning had shifted toward their village in recent years. Several plots of land nearby were sold to build residential complexes, separated from his village by only a main road.
When Chen Jingle saw this, he thought, "Why the hell would I buy a commercial apartment? I might as well just build a villa in the village."
Those shoddy tofu-dreg projects had terrible soundproofing, and he might end up with weird, difficult neighbors. How could that compare to the comfort of a detached house?
Thus, he spent a few months having a professional team handle everything from the design to the main structure and interior decoration. It was quickly built and passed inspection without a hitch.
After moving in, he instantly felt fantastic. "Damn, what kind of beast-of-burden life was I living before?!"
Setting aside the grueling 996 work culture, he used to live in a cramped urban village, eat cheap pork trotter rice, squeeze into the subway for work, and ride a shared bike home. Look at him now! No work, no all-nighters. He slept until he naturally woke up every day, and his biggest dilemma was figuring out what to eat for his three meals. His complexion had visibly improved, and even his hair had restored to its former thick, black state.
Was this not a good thing?
Thinking back to how his former boss had called multiple times after he resigned, hoping he would return to help, he just wanted to laugh.
"When your wife and her brother teamed up to push me out, you were nowhere to be seen to say a fair word. Now that the company’s performance has plummeted, you finally remember my value? Isn’t it a bit too late?
"There is no way I’m ever going back!"
He was very satisfied with his current life. Besides, what would happen even if he did go back? Even if he grinded himself to the bone, there were plenty of people out there who were more outstanding and successful than him. What was the point?
Heroes in this world were as common as carp crossing a river. There were simply too many exceptional people. It was like getting accepted into Qingbei, only to realize that everyone sitting in the same room was just as talented—or even more so—than you. That suffocating feeling rushing at you was despair-inducing. Those without a firm state of mind would easily break down.
His decision to leave the company had been somewhat influenced by this mindset. He had worked hard in the industry for years, only to realize that his ceiling was merely someone else’s starting line. It immediately felt pointless.
Since that was the case, he might as well lie flat.
While he was zoning out, a very gentle, mature woman’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
[Congratulations, little Chen Jingle, on receiving the opportunity to bind with our Genius Baby Growth System.]
The voice was so tender that Chen Jingle wondered if he was hallucinating.
"??? Huh?!"
[It is the Genius Baby Growth System.]
The voice remained gentle, its tone even carrying a hint of doting affection, as if coaxing a child. It perfectly matched his fantasy of the gentle older-sister archetype. So much so that Chen Jingle’s mind wandered for a moment, as if he could see a woman with perfect looks, figure, and temperament sitting elegantly before him, smiling brightly. Even her breath seemed soft and sweet.
SHUDDER.
He involuntarily trembled. When he snapped back to his senses, his eyebrows subconsciously furrowed into a knot. "Me? A baby?!"
[Mhm.]
"..." Chen Jingle fell silent. "I’m thirty freaking years old."
The system’s voice remained gentle. [In the eyes of those who love you, you will always be a baby. Also, little ones aren’t allowed to swear.]
GASP.
Had systems nowadays evolved to this level? You’re using *this* to test a cadre? What official could withstand a test like this?! It was completely irresistible! He finally understood why some people got scammed out of eight thousand bucks in online romances.
"..." Chen Jingle took a deep breath. "Bind!"
[Binding successful. Congratulations, little Chen Jingle, on receiving a beginner’s gift bag: Height +0.1 cm, Strength +0.1 kg, Double Yield Card x1 (One Hour).]
[A genius baby should achieve outstanding accomplishments in sports, academics, practical skills, and other areas, remaining far ahead of their peers. For sports, jumping rope, running, squats, push-ups, planks, and pull-ups are mandatory. For academics, literature, mathematics, foreign languages, and calligraphy are mandatory. For practical skills, cooking, planting, breeding, and health care are mandatory. The system will plan the most reasonable daily schedule based on the little one’s everyday activities. If adjustments are needed during tasks, you may raise suggestions, and the system will accept them at its discretion. Barring special circumstances, please ensure that our smart little Chen Jingle completes the tasks on time.]
The system spoke words that made his scalp tingle with dread, all in that same gentle tone.
Chen Jingle was speechless.
"Wait! Why do I feel like I’ve been scammed?!"
He stayed silent for two seconds. "Whose baby starts with such high intensity? Are you training a super soldier here? What’s wrong with growing up healthy and happy?"
[As a flower of the motherland, you are at an energetic and flourishing age, Baby. Like the sun at eight or nine in the morning, our hopes are pinned on you. Only by laying a good foundation now can you become a pillar of talent that contributes to society in the future. A smart baby can definitely do it, right?]
The system’s voice was absurdly gentle.