Chen Jingle nodded subconsciously. When he realized what he was doing, he wanted to complain but forced himself to stop.
Once upon a time, he had believed he would become a pillar of society. He had worked his way up from the countryside to the big city through exams, naively thinking he could put down roots there based on his own abilities. He had been young and in his prime, filled with a scholar’s idealism, ready to conquer the world.
But what was the reality?
"I don’t know if I’ve become a pillar of society, but it’s true that ever since I graduated, I’ve often felt suffocated by the weight of it all," he muttered.
Looking back on those years, he couldn’t even describe how miserable he had been. He only knew that he had been exhausted—an invisible, bone-deep exhaustion. Sometimes, he felt he could shoulder the weight of the world; other times, the slightest inconvenience would cause him to break down. He had been caught in an endless cycle of intense self-doubt and silent self-healing.
Yet right now, he was actually experiencing the feeling of being loved from a system’s virtual voice pack. It was almost comical.
"Growth..." Chen Jingle grew thoughtful. "Looking at this introduction, is the grind about to start again? I’m not afraid of grinding; I’m just afraid of not seeing any returns. If I get a reward after every grind, then it’s not so bad. Still, isn’t this novice gift pack a bit too pathetic? How the hell can this be called a ’grand’ gift pack?"
Chen Jingle grumbled in dissatisfaction. He figured that if this were a video game, he would have uninstalled it on the spot out of sheer spite.
[A child’s healthy growth requires step-by-step progress; you must not blindly seek speed. Also, good children do not use bad words.]
Hearing this, Chen Jingle felt a bit deflated.
"Fine! It’s a little pathetic, but it’s better than nothing." He tapped his knuckles lightly against the armrest of his rocking chair. "Height, strength..."
He didn’t have any particular obsession with his height; if he jumped, he could easily clear 1.8 meters anyway. As for strength, as long as he could beat up his great-uncle’s goose, he’d be fine.
"Claim the gift pack for me!"
[Claim successful. Currently, little Chen Jingle’s height is 173 centimeters, and his strength is 32.6 kilograms. The Double Yield Card has been stored in the system inventory and can be withdrawn at any time.]
"Wait, wasn’t I already 173 centimeters? How is it that after adding 0.1 centimeters, I’m still 173 centimeters?!" Chen Jingle frowned deeply, questioning the system.
[To be exact, baby, your original height was 172.9 centimeters.]
"Bullshit! It was exactly 173!" Chen Jingle gritted his teeth in anger. This was a matter of dignity; it could not be insulted!
[The system does not make mistakes. Also, good children do not use bad words.]
Chen Jingle’s mouth twitched. He wanted to say something but stopped himself. Finally, he let out a long sigh and lay back down in his rattan rocking chair. "Whatever. It is what it is."
As for his strength, he chose to selectively ignore it. A man should know his own limits. For the past half year, he had been so focused on enjoying a comfortable life that he had grown increasingly lazy. He hadn’t exercised in ages; calling him a weakling wouldn’t be an exaggeration. It is far easier to slip into indulgence than to return to discipline!
A second later, the system’s voice rang out again.
[It is time to learn. Smart babies love learning the most! Little Chen Jingle, please select one of the four compulsory subjects: Language, Mathematics, Foreign Language, and Calligraphy to begin your studies. The time limit is one hour. You can definitely do it, baby, right?]
"Love learning the most? Heh, I’d have to be possessed by a ghost to say something like that." Chen Jingle’s lips twitched; he didn’t want to move a muscle. Learn? Screw learning!
However, this rebellious thought only lasted for a few seconds. Seeing that he wasn’t moving, the system began to loop the previous task prompt on repeat. It proved that even the gentlest of voices could become incredibly annoying when repeated endlessly.
Chen Jingle had no choice but to yield. "I’ll learn, I’ll learn! I’ll do it! But when I’m done, you’d better give me a reward I’m satisfied with."
Upon hearing this, the system’s voice vanished instantly. As for the reward? It didn’t mention it at all.
Sighing, Chen Jingle tugged at his hair and began to seriously consider what he should study.
"Four compulsory subjects..."
He immediately ruled out math. He hadn’t touched the subject since finishing his college entrance exams. His skills had degraded to the point where he probably couldn’t even solve primary school math problems. He couldn’t muster any interest in it, and besides, he felt it wasn’t very useful in daily life.
He had bought calligraphy copybooks before, but they were just gathering dust. He had been too restless back then and lacked the patience to stick with it, so his handwriting naturally wasn’t much to look at. Although, having good handwriting would be quite practical.
His foundation in Chinese literature and English was slightly better. He had forgotten almost all of his Japanese, remembering only a few simple words and phrases.
Chen Jingle suddenly thought of something. "Do electronic materials like audio and video count?"
[As long as you feel it helps with the subject’s study, baby.]
"That’s not too bad, then."
After years of reading web novels on his phone, he found that his ability to absorb information from physical books had drastically declined compared to his school days. It was a habit he couldn’t change overnight.
Ultimately, Chen Jingle chose English as his first system study subject. Instead of foolishly starting by memorizing the dictionary from the word "abandon," he opted to watch videos.
Recently, videos of foreigners traveling in China under the 144-hour transit visa had been trending online. He often scrolled past similar content, some reposted and some from the original creators. Watching their vlogs, Chen Jingle found he could understand most of the dialogue. He felt grateful that his foundation from his school days was still intact.
Alright, fine! He just loved watching these foreigners act all shocked and overly amazed, like they had never seen the world before. It perfectly satisfied his national vanity! He wasn’t some saint completely detached from worldly desires, after all.
Since the system said videos counted as learning materials, he might as well treat it as listening and speaking practice. He casually clicked on a travel vlog of a foreign couple and started watching.
At first, Chen Jingle only wanted to slog through the hour as quickly as possible. But as time passed, his focus sharpened, and he soon became completely immersed in the learning atmosphere. Outside, the bright sun hung high in the sky; inside, a cool breeze drifted through the room. The young man’s expression was focused, his attention firmly glued to the screen. From time to time, he would furrow his brows slightly or look deep in thought. The gentle breeze fluttered the tips of his bangs. Aside from the slight laziness of lying in a rocking chair, anyone who saw him would have praised his studious diligence.
From needing subtitles at the beginning, he gradually reached a point where he could understand almost everything without them. He was nearly catching up to his peak knowledge level from back in the day.
Chen Jingle loved this feeling of tangible progress and became even more engrossed. The video he had picked was a compilation and quite long, well over an hour. Therefore, when the system’s notification chime rang out, Chen Jingle was surprised. "The task is completed already?"
What was even more absurd was that the knowledge didn’t just slide off his brain like it used to. Instead, it was clearly engraved in his mind. It felt as if he had returned to his intellectual peak in middle school; every cell in his brain felt activated and in a state of high excitement.
"Whoa! The learning process during a task is this effective?!" Chen Jingle was in disbelief.
[Great job, baby! You have successfully completed the learning task. Reward: the elimination of one pimple.]
Huh?!
"Isn’t this a learning task? How does the reward have anything to do with eliminating a pimple?" Chen Jingle looked utterly bewildered.
However, the system didn’t reply.
He grabbed a mirror and was astonished to find that the most obvious red pimple on his chin had vanished.
It was a miracle!
One had to understand that in the Lingnan Region, due to the climate and local conditions, people were very prone to "internal heat." For a vigorous young man like him, breaking out in pimples was completely normal. The only remedies were drinking more herbal tea and staying up less. Once a pimple popped up, even with ointment, it would take several days to disappear completely. And if not careful, it could easily leave an ugly scar.
But with the system stepping in, it was wiped away without a single trace left behind.
"Interesting!" Chen Jingle was suddenly brimming with motivation. Although the reward seemed a bit off-topic, it certainly wasn’t useless.
He couldn’t wait to ask, "Keep going, keep going! What’s the next task?"
[The system believes in a balance of work and rest. After completing one lesson, please rest for ten minutes.]
"No need to rest! I love learning the most!"
[The system believes in a balance of work and rest. After completing one lesson, please rest for ten minutes.]
Chen Jingle had no choice but to accept the arrangement.
Right at that moment, his phone buzzed with a message:
"Hey handsome, come out and play!"
It was accompanied by a highly provocative animated sticker of someone shaking their butt.
*(New author, new book. Please support me, everyone! Thank you so much!)*