In their youth, most people experienced at least one moment where someone made their heart flutter. But as time passed, various reasons caused their paths to diverge forever.
This was very common.
Chen Jingle had no desire to attend a wedding banquet that doubled as a class reunion. Even if he went, it would just be watching others put on a show while feigning politeness to old classmates he hadn’t seen or spoken to in years.
What was the point?
The only gatherings where people could truly talk were small-scale ones.
Liang City nodded. "It’s fine if you don’t go. I’m not going either. We haven’t been in touch for years anyway."
Chen Jingle was surprised. "You’re planning to build your career in the city, so why aren’t you going? You might run into some executive at the banquet; after all, the downtown area isn’t that big."
"Tch, what career? I’m not expecting to climb the corporate ladder, so why bother? Besides, work is busy, and I have to work overtime every few days. I’m sure they’ll understand." Liang City couldn’t care less.
"All right, suit yourself," Chen Jingle said with a smile.
Liang City tilted his head to look at Chen Jingle and chuckled. "If you ask me, you should go out more when you have time. You’re practically growing mold at home."
Chen Jingle spread his hands. "You don’t get it. For someone who doesn’t want to go out, staying at home is perfectly fine. I plan to continue studying and improving myself lately, so I want to go out even less."
Liang City gave him a strange look. "What, are you preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?"
Chen Jingle shook his head. "Not necessarily. I just feel that my knowledge base is still too lacking. I’ll just read and study on my own for now, picking up whatever interests me."
Although the system couldn’t instantly make him invincible, it multiplied his learning efficiency several times over. Who wouldn’t love such an effect? As long as a task provided positive feedback, Chen Jingle would never refuse it.
"That works too," Liang City smiled. "I just wanted to say that the new campus of the Teacher College has officially opened. You should go check out the pretty girls when you have time and relax a bit."
"Oh? I didn’t even notice. How’s the new campus?" Chen Jingle asked in surprise.
This new Teacher College campus was located in the west of the city, not far away. Construction had started a couple of years ago, but he rarely passed by the site and hadn’t paid attention to its progress. Rumor had it that the initial land requisition had allowed a small group of people to achieve financial freedom.
He envied them.
"It’s quite beautiful," Liang City said. "The overall planning is much better than the old campus, and it’s massive. Right now, only a portion of the teachers and students have moved in. I’m guessing they’ll transfer more educational resources over here in the future. Things are looking up for the Teacher College."
Chen Jingle chuckled. "I don’t know about anything else, but the bubble tea shops and the food street at the school gates will definitely see an economic boom. College students are the most willing to spend money."
At the mention of this, Liang City’s eyes lit up. "Now that you mention it, the food street really has been set up, though it’s a bit makeshift, formed spontaneously by small vendors. I heard from my colleagues that a few late-night snack stalls there actually taste pretty good."
"Then how about we find a time to go try them together?"
"Sure, I’ll let you know once I’ve figured out my schedule."
"No problem!"
***
He had originally wanted to stay a little longer, considering there was watermelon, snacks, and someone to help look after his kid. However, the moment Liang City checked the time, he winced. "Ah, it’s 11:40. Teacher Zhong is getting off work soon. I need to go."
"Not staying for lunch? I have plenty of groceries in the fridge." Chen Jingle raised an eyebrow.
Liang City shook his head. "No can do. The cafeteria at Teacher Zhong’s school got a new manager this semester, and the food has become too awful to eat. She doesn’t eat at school anymore. Usually, my mom cooks for her, but today is my turn."
"All right." Chen Jingle didn’t try to make him stay.
"Mingyue, let’s go. Say goodbye to Jingle. We’ll come back next time." Liang City reached out to pick up his daughter.
To his dismay, the little girl hugged Chen Jingle’s arm tightly, refusing to let go, looking like she was about to cry. Left with no choice, Chen Jingle had to spend another good while coaxing her into the car and buckling her into the child seat.
There was a reason they called kids clingy little monsters.
Watching Liang City drive away, Chen Jingle couldn’t help but laugh.
[Lunchtime! A regular diet and balanced nutrition are key factors in a baby’s healthy growth. Little Chen Jingle, please complete your dining task on time. A proper mix of meat and vegetables is required. The time limit is one hour. You can definitely do this, right, baby?]
The system’s voice chimed in, gentle as always.
"No more classes scheduled for now?" Chen Jingle asked.
[During a baby’s growth, it is important to strike a balance between work and rest. Today’s remaining courses are scheduled for the afternoon. Noon is reserved for lunch and a midday nap.]
"Fair enough." Chen Jingle willingly accepted the system’s arrangement.
It was the boss, so what it said went!
As long as it provided task rewards, everything was negotiable! Judging from the rewards of the first two classes, even though they were a bit unconventional, their effects were stronger than medical beauty treatments worth thousands or even tens of thousands. Rounding it up, it was equivalent to earning tens of thousands a day!
Tsk, tsk.
He decided to set a timeframe for himself—say, a week. During this week, he would diligently complete all the course tasks arranged by the system to see just how much he could transform.
"It’s time for a metamorphosis!" he declared.
***
Lunch.
Chen Jingle simply made rice soaked in chili and pork stir-fry broth, a dish he had learned from a video by a state banquet chef.
Cooking for one at home was quite a hassle. Make too much, and he couldn’t finish it; make too little, and it wasn’t worth the time and effort. Currently, he mostly cooked a whole day’s worth of food in one go, eating half for lunch and half for dinner. If he really couldn’t finish it, he would have it as a late-night snack. If he was feeling lazier, he would make some braised pork to keep in the fridge, which would last him several days of braised pork noodles.
He didn’t order takeout because there wasn’t anything good nearby.
Chen Jingle somewhat regretted not choosing cooking for his practical class. Compared to flower planting, he was actually much better at and fonder of culinary arts.
"Good food is the cheapest source of happiness," he mused.
Moreover, cooking delicious food brought a tremendous sense of accomplishment. Showing off a little when entertaining guests during holidays was enough to amaze everyone.
The simple dish of rice soaked in chili and pork broth smelled incredibly appetizing, and finishing it left him deeply satisfied! Following it up with some after-meal fruit felt absolutely wonderful!
[Great job, baby! You have successfully completed the dining task. Reward: 0.1 kilograms of strength. Current strength: 32.7 kilograms.]
Another 0.1...
Chen Jingle sighed. "Fine, it’s better than nothing."
He was starting to grow allergic to the number 0.1. He had never seen such a stingy system. At this rate, when would he ever be able to beat Tyson?
[Nap time! Adequate sleep contributes to a child’s physical growth. Little Chen Jingle, please take a midday nap. The time limit is one and a half hours. You can definitely do this, right, baby?]
He had just sat down to digest his food for a moment when the system’s prompt arrived again.
"A midday nap..." Chen Jingle said thoughtfully.
Truthfully, he was afraid he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. His usual nap time was generally between three and six in the afternoon. Having just finished lunch, he currently didn’t feel sleepy at all.
"I’ll try my best. You can’t blame me if I really can’t sleep, since I am resting," he said. After locking the front door, he headed upstairs to bed.
Miraculously, not long after his head hit the pillow, Chen Jingle began to feel drowsy and drifted off to sleep before he knew it.
By the time he woke up, it was already two in the afternoon. He had slept for exactly an hour and a half.
He immediately couldn’t help but exclaim, "Holy crap! This is a godsend for insomniacs!"