After dinner, Chen Jingle fed some wet food to the tiger cub, who had finally returned to beg for a meal after running wild outside all day. Unlike yesterday, he didn’t take an early shower and retreat to his bedroom to read. Instead, he wheeled out his electric scooter, strapped on his helmet, and prepared to go for a ride.
It had been overcast in the afternoon, causing the evening dusk to fall a little earlier than usual today. The sky was already tinged with gray, yet not entirely dark—the perfect time to head out.
The peak rush hour in the city center had passed. As long as he deliberately avoided the few main arterial roads that were notoriously congested, the traffic, though heavy, wouldn’t be gridlocked.
Chen Jingle rode his electric scooter at top speed. The wind was warm, but that wasn’t a problem for him. It WHOOSHED past his ears, slipping in and out of his collar and cuffs, keeping the heat at bay. He loved this feeling of flying down the road.
Staying in a relatively confined space for too long naturally led to a bit of discomfort. It was best to get out and walk around; there was no need for a long journey, just cruising around the neighborhood would do. In a way, a change of scenery meant a change of mood—a form of emotional self-regulation.
However, if asked to ride a motorcycle, he would flatly refuse for one simple reason: he was afraid to die! He used to follow a few female motorcycle vloggers, but after not checking their accounts for a month, two of them had already been deactivated.
"So, it’s better to be a bit of a coward in life," he muttered.
An electric scooter was different. The original lead-acid battery could only go so fast, and it was nimble and convenient, able to weave through any street or alley.
After enjoying the breeze along the main road for a while and stopping by the river to watch the fading sunset, Chen Jingle continued onward.
"Is this the Teacher College branch campus? It really is huge," Chen Jingle wondered aloud, stopping by the roadside. He peered through the fence, noticing uncleared construction debris scattered everywhere, both inside and outside the campus.
He shook his head secretly. The work was done too sloppily; he wondered if the workers’ wages had been delayed.
He also spotted the food street people had mentioned. Located right next to the school, it was indeed bustling. It stretched for at least five hundred meters, with stalls packed on both sides. This was probably because there were no other commercial shops nearby to spend money at. It was just a bit cramped; there was no way an electric scooter could pass through. The gap between the stalls could only accommodate two people walking side by side.
There were quite a few students out foraging for food, which showed just how vast the market was.
"Sure enough, college students have money and are willing to spend it!" Chen Jingle marveled.
After all, the economy hadn’t been great these past two years, and many restaurants in the city had closed down. Yet here, the street stall business was booming. However, street stalls weren’t necessarily cheaper than physical shops. One had to watch out for sneaky, overpriced stalls. Besides the college students, he could clearly see middle schoolers, as well as some older youths and middle-aged folks walking around.
Chen Jingle almost wanted to set up a stall himself. "With my culinary skills, if I just whipped up some casual snacks or fast food, wouldn’t it be super easy to farm gold coins from these college students?!"
Of course, it was just a passing thought. He had always been a master of theory. By the time he actually took action, the ship would have already sailed. Besides, setting up a stall looked simple, but doing it in practice wasn’t that easy. He’d think about it later! This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
After watching for a while, he felt he had seen enough and prepared to head home.
In the past, whenever he saw a night market like this, he would usually buy some barbecue and beer, or perhaps seafood porridge and fried rice noodles to satisfy his cravings. But now that his own cooking skills had drastically improved, he had developed a picky palate and looked down on the food from outdoor late-night stands. The main issue was not knowing whether the ingredients were clean. A university gate was different from an elementary school gate; things they wouldn’t dare feed to elementary students could safely be sold to college students.
Even if they really got food poisoning, as long as it wasn’t severe, the students would just chalk it up to bad luck. Besides, he had eaten a very filling dinner, and with green bean soup waiting at home, he had absolutely no interest in these street snacks.
"Let’s go!" He twisted the throttle of his electric scooter and shot off like lightning!
The advantage of a small city was that making a huge lap from the west side to North City didn’t take long at all. Checking the time upon returning home, less than an hour had passed, but his mood was noticeably more relaxed. He showered, read for a bit, and went to sleep. A mundane yet fulfilling day came to an end just like that.
The next day.
Liang City brought the flowers over early, looking like he was in a rush to get to work. Chen Jingle had just returned from grocery shopping and hadn’t even warmed his seat yet. He was thoroughly surprised. "You’re here this early?"
Although they had already coordinated over WeChat yesterday, this timing was still somewhat unexpected.
"It takes me almost forty minutes to get to my workplace," Liang City smiled helplessly.
Heaven knew how he had persevered these past five years. For five whole years, excluding his days off, it had been like this every single day. It was especially excruciating when he encountered harsh weather like strong winds and heavy rain. That was why he was so eager to get transferred back to the city center. Of course, despite the rush, it still required careful consideration. After all, barring any accidents, he would likely be spending the rest of his life at the new workplace.
Tilting his head to look at Chen Jingle, Liang City wondered if he was still half-asleep and seeing things. "How come I feel like you’ve gotten even more handsome after just one day of not seeing you?"
"Well, they say you should look at a person with fresh eyes even after three days apart. It’s perfectly normal," Chen Jingle chuckled.
He couldn’t help it; the system’s rewards were simply too impressive. Although they were all just minor alterations, when combined, the transformation was obvious. People who had known him for years, like Liang City, would inevitably notice something different.
"Damn, is that how you use that idiom?"
"I don’t see any problem with it." Chen Jingle spouted nonsense with a completely straight face. "I’ve been sticking to a workout routine lately. It’s probably just my metabolism speeding up." This chapter was taken from novelping.com without permission.
"Are you trying to fool a ghost? A fast metabolism can make someone handsome?" Liang City clearly didn’t buy it.
"Who says it can’t? Just look at all those people who successfully lose weight or build muscle on ShakeTok. Which one of them didn’t get more handsome?"
"They use beauty filters. Do you really think they look like that in real life?"
"Hey now! How can you slander their good names without any proof!"
"Alright, enough joking around." Liang City opened his trunk and hauled out a large plastic fruit crate, which held several carefully packaged pots of bougainvillea. "I’m leaving these to you!"
"It’s a trivial matter. I can get it done in minutes. Just remember to come pick them up after work," Chen Jingle waved him off.
"You’ve got the skills, so of course it’s a trivial matter to you." Liang City shook his head and laughed. "You have no idea. After Teacher Zhong posted on her Friends Circle, so many people liked it. I wouldn’t have known if I hadn’t asked, but it turns out a lot of teachers and leaders love growing flowers. I’m really riding your coattails this time."
"Well, they can’t exactly say they love money," Chen Jingle laughed aloud.
Liang City couldn’t hold back and joined in the laughter.
"I’m off!"
"Yeah, drive safe."
"I know!"
Chen Jingle carried the plastic crate into the house. This concerned Liang City’s future prospects, so he couldn’t just leave it outside carelessly. The potted flowers were growing quite well, but the pruning was mediocre and failed to maximize the unique characteristics of the plants.
He took a few glances and had already formed a plan in his mind. He could only say that the abilities granted by the system were simply too powerful!