Chen Jingle just wanted to roll his eyes at Chen Qiyun’s words.
He thought, "Adult matters are none of a kid’s business!"
He was quite satisfied with his current life and had no desire for an outsider to shatter his comfort zone. After all, adding another person meant having to make more compromises. Was it really necessary? Wasn’t he doing just fine on his own? What benefits could a girlfriend possibly bring him? And could those benefits offset the drawbacks?
Thinking about it carefully, there really was no need.
He was no longer a hormonal seventeen or eighteen-year-old. At thirty, not only had his physical hormone levels decreased, but his entire mindset had changed. He was no longer as naive as before, harboring fantasies about everything beautiful in the world. Reality was reality.
As long as he didn’t shackle himself with the standard corporate slave starter pack—a mortgage, a car loan, and a family—he wouldn’t have any real worries. Even if he did, they would only be temporary.
Not to mention, he was now a man with a system.
At his current pace, Chen Jingle just wanted to focus on improving himself. He didn’t want to bother with any bullshit romance!
He recalled the saying, "When a person has a higher mountain to climb in their heart, they won’t care about the mud beneath their feet." The climb might be long, but the scenery at the summit would prove that it was all worth it.
After lunch, the system rewarded Chen Jingle with another 0.1 kilograms of strength, bringing his total to 33.1 kilograms.
Although he was still as weak as a chicken, the future was promising.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, it was time for a nap. He still had more classes to attend in the afternoon. His current daily routine wasn’t much easier than Chen Qiyun’s; at most, he just had an edge in learning efficiency.
This was his second day bound to the system. He hadn’t completely adapted to this highly regimented lifestyle yet, but it wasn’t too bad. Compared to the rewards the system gave out, this little bit of hardship was nothing.
"Time to sleep. Everything else can wait until I wake up," he mumbled.
Chen Jingle lay down on his bed, and the system automatically helped him power down into sleep mode. Outside the window, the sun was scorching hot and the cicadas chirped incessantly. Inside, the air conditioner blew a cool twenty-six degrees, completely isolating him from the heat wave.
By the time he leisurely woke up, it was already two in the afternoon.
"That was a great nap!"
Setting everything else aside, even if he just treated the system as a sleep aid, it was absolutely fantastic.
[Great job, baby! You have successfully completed the nap task. Reward: Elimination of one back pimple.]
"Time to get to work!" Chen Jingle rubbed his hands together eagerly.
For his afternoon study session, he didn’t choose English, literature, or extracurricular reading. Instead, he selected calligraphy. Since childhood, he had fantasized about having an enviable, beautiful handwriting. Unfortunately, reality was the exact opposite. His hands simply refused to listen to him, acting as if they were completely untamed.
He thought, "So troublesome!"
Digging out a dust-covered copybook, Chen Jingle declared fiercely, "Today, I swear I will practice until my handwriting is beautiful!"
Meanwhile.
What Chen Jingle didn’t expect was that Chen Qiyun actually went to ask her teacher.
During the break, while the teacher was flipping through lesson plans at the podium, Chen Qiyun walked up and asked in a low voice, "Teacher Li, do you have a boyfriend?"
"Huh? What did you say?" The literature teacher, Li Beixing, froze for a moment and blinked, suspecting she had misheard.
"Do you have a boyfriend?" Chen Qiyun asked with a serious expression.
"Um..." Li Beixing rolled her eyes slightly and deliberately kept a straight face. "Why are you asking this?"
Chen Qiyun said solemnly, "My older brother doesn’t have a girlfriend yet."
"Your brother doesn’t have... what does that have to do with me?" Li Beixing’s expression turned strange, and she was almost unable to maintain her composure.
She thought, "Oh my goodness, my own student is actually trying to play matchmaker for me. No, I’m going to die laughing."
"Won’t you consider it, Teacher Li?"
"Uh, I know you mean well, but things like romance depend on fate."
"My brother is really handsome."
Hearing this, Li Beixing swallowed the words she was about to say and coughed lightly twice. "Well, looks are just one aspect. Getting along depends on whether two people’s personalities are compatible..."
"My brother is a super good cook!"
Li Beixing’s heart skipped another beat, followed immediately by an awkward expression. "Well, thank you, but let’s focus on class for now. Besides, even if I really did marry your brother, I would only be stricter with you. Don’t expect me to turn a blind eye."
She was actually feeling a little flustered by her student’s words. She really couldn’t believe it.
"Oh." Chen Qiyun shrank her neck back, not daring to say anything more.
But judging by her reaction, Teacher Li didn’t seem too resistant. Chen Jingle should still have a chance. Hmm, she needed to keep up the good work!
She thought, "Chen Jingle, oh Chen Jingle, if you’re smart, you should cook a few more dishes to curry favor with me! Otherwise... hmph, hmph!"
Returning to her seat, Chen Qiyun could hardly suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.
After Chen Jingle finished his first calligraphy class, he could already write quite beautifully.
The system distributed its customary reward.
[Great job, baby! You have successfully completed the study task. Reward: Elimination of one neck line.]
"Uh, I have neck lines?" Chen Jingle subconsciously touched his neck. He had no idea where all these various little scars and marks on his body came from.
He muttered, "No wonder beauty salons make so much money. People with perfectionist tendencies are willing to spend any amount of cash to erase their physical imperfections." This chapter was copied from novelping dot com without permission.
For his next practical class, Chen Jingle didn’t continue cooking. He had already made too much for lunch, and any leftovers would just go to waste. Instead, he chose to study sweet soups.
To Lingnan people, sweet soup was an indispensable part of summer. Although ice cream, popsicles, and chilled watermelon were also great, they just weren’t the same. The beauty of sweet soup lay in its sweetness—a sweetness that touched the heart. While dispelling the summer heat, it brought a unique sense of joy. Moreover, the vast variety of sweet soups could satisfy everyone’s different cravings.
As it happened, there were still some mung beans at home, along with a bunch of leftover milk pudding popsicles from a previous grocery run. He had only eaten two.
Therefore, Chen Jingle decided to make a milk mung bean slush.
First, he soaked the mung beans in ice water for half an hour, making it easier for them to break down and become a sandy paste. While boiling them, he could add some glutinous rice to increase the thickness and improve the texture. Adding a slice of lemon was optional; if he didn’t have one, a few drops of white vinegar would do the trick. This was primarily to prevent the mung beans from oxidizing and turning an unappetizing black color during the boiling process. Of course, since he was just making it for himself at home, the appearance didn’t really matter.
Next, he boiled the mixture for about thirty minutes.
When the time was up, he checked to see if the mung beans had broken down and if the thickness was right before turning off the heat. Then, he stuck the milk pudding popsicles into the hot mung bean slush, waited for them to melt, and stirred everything evenly. He could also add a bit of ice water to taste.
Just like that, a shortcut version of milk mung bean slush was complete.
He could have used a blender to completely puree the mung beans for a smoother texture, but Chen Jingle didn’t like his slush too mushy. This consistency was just right.
By five o’clock, Chen Jingle was sitting at home, eating his chilled milk mung bean slush while scrolling through short videos.
At this moment, Chen Qiyun came home from school.
"Chen Jingle!"
"Show some respect! Address me properly!"
"I asked for you! Our literature teacher doesn’t have a boyfriend yet," Chen Qiyun said, tilting her face up with a ’praise me’ expression.
Chen Jingle paused his movements and cast a sideways glance at her. "Who asked you to do that?"
"Don’t regret it later." Chen Qiyun immediately frowned.
"Heh."
"Actually, if you just pay a tiny little price, I can help you get her contact info." Chen Qiyun pretended to look nonchalant.
"Not interested."
"Just leave me a little bit the next time you make potato and beef brisket stew."
"I’m in a bad mood. I don’t want to make it."
"...Please, Jingle, just leave me a little bit. Just pretend you’re feeding a chicken! CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK."
Defeated, Chen Qiyun looked utterly pitiful.
"Sheesh!"
He thought, "First she acts arrogant, and now she’s completely subservient. Just thinking about it makes me laugh!"