That evening, during dinner, Lin Hao said to mom, “mom, lend me your mobile phone. I want to chat with my friends.”
Ye Huilian smiled and put down her chopsticks. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I would have almost forgotten. When you took the Gaokao, mom bought you a mobile phone.”
Lin Hao was overjoyed. “Really?”
“Really.”
Ye Huilian got up to fetch the mobile phone and handed it to him along with the box. It was brand-new.
After receiving the first mobile phone of his life, Lin Hao hugged Mom. “Mom, thank you. I’ll pay you back in the future.”
Ye Huilian said, “There’s no need. Study hard and earn more money after you graduate.”
They continued eating, and Lin Hao served mom some food.
Ye Huilian was happy. Her son had grown up. She wondered which unlucky girl would benefit from that.
After dinner, Lin Hao returned to his room and activated the mobile phone. First, he downloaded a chat app and logged into his account.
Lin Hao saw one schoolmate’s profile picture after another and opened each profile to look through it.
Meanwhile.
When Xu Yanyu saw Lin Hao online, old memories resurfaced, leaving her agitated. She then deleted Lin Hao.
Lin Hao noticed this, but he did not take it to heart.
He now accepted Su Qingwei's friend request.
Su Qingwei used a cute cat profile picture. Her Social Feed Posts often showed glimpses of her life, revealing her sunny personality.
At the same time, someone saw Lin Hao online. That person was Fang Zhanpeng.
Fang Zhanpeng was Lin Hao's Close friend, one of his few buddies.
Fang Zhanpeng knew about the commotion in their class, of course.
Fang Zhanpeng now sent Lin Hao a message: “Lin Hao, don’t be sad. When the old one leaves, the new one arrives. I’ll introduce someone to you. I guarantee she’ll be prettier than Xu Yanyu.”
Lin Hao: “You’re still single yourself. How are you going to introduce someone to me?”
Fang Zhanpeng: “Haha, some truths are better left unsaid!”
Lin Hao: “I’m not talking to you anymore. I’m going to chat with a girl.”
Fang Zhanpeng: “Where did this girl come from? Don’t try to fool me. Is she from our class? Do I know her?”
Fang Zhanpeng asked several questions, but Lin Hao did not answer.
Su Qingwei came online and was now free to chat with Lin Hao.
Su Qingwei: “Lin Hao, what are you busy with?”
Lin Hao: “I’m busy deleting my social feed posts. I’m afraid you’ll see something embarrassing.”
Su Qingwei（smiled）: “Really? There’s no need to go that far.”
Lin Hao was deleting his Social Feed Posts. The ones from his time with Xu Yanyu looked foolish now.
Fortunately, Lin Hao had not posted many Social Feed Posts in the past. Otherwise, deleting them all would have taken forever.
There were only a dozen or so, so he cleared them all quickly.
From now on, Lin Hao was a fine, devoted man.
Su Qingwei sent a message with a smile: “Should I delete my old social feed posts too?”
Lin Hao: “There’s no need, right? Besides, I won’t sneak into your Spatial Space.”
Su Qingwei replied: “Would you like to go running together tomorrow morning?”
Lin Hao: “Sure, but remember to prepare some water to drink.”
Su Qingwei: “I will. I’ll wait for you.”
The two agreed on a meeting place and arranged to go running together.
Lin Hao went to bed early so that he would have plenty of mental energy.
Early the next morning, Lin Hao left the house after breakfast.
When he arrived at the agreed meeting place, he found Su Qingwei waiting there.
“Good morning, Miss Su.”
Lin Hao greeted her.
Su Qingwei smiled in the breeze. “Good morning, Handsome Lin.”
Lin Hao said, “Talking like this feels strange. Call me by my name.”
Su Qingwei chuckled. “All right, Classmate Hao.”
Afterward, they went running together.
While running, Lin Hao felt relaxed, as if he were walking.
Su Qingwei had trained as a runner, yet she still could not outrun Lin Hao, which surprised her.
Was he really this strong?
Seeing this, Su Qingwei reassessed Lin Hao and decided that he was a promising prospect.
Had Xu Yanyu abandoned this man? Could that have been a mistake?
Was Lin Hao unwanted now?
Was no one interested in him?
Su Qingwei thought she could give it a try and see whether she could get along with Lin Hao.
They did not run too far that day, stopping to rest after only five kilometers.
They were both merely going through the motions.
However, running five kilometers still left Su Qingwei panting. During the break, she supported herself with both hands on her knees to ease her fatigue.
By contrast, Lin Hao had not even broken a sweat, and his breathing was steady.
Su Qingwei thought of something. “Lin Hao, do you want to earn money?”
Lin Hao asked, “What is it?”
Su Qingwei straightened up and put a hand on her waist. “Here’s the thing. Guicheng is holding a marathon this afternoon. It’s twenty kilometers, and the top three finishers will all receive prizes. The champion gets three thousand yuan.”
“Three thousand?”
Lin Hao felt tempted. He was short of money, and three thousand yuan was no small amount.
Besides, he would be going to the countryside tomorrow and would not have much time.
He could run in the marathon that afternoon.
Therefore, Lin Hao nodded. “Sure. I want to participate. I just don’t know the specific Laws.”
Su Qingwei explained the Laws to him, eager to see how capable he was.
The system said, “Participating in the marathon can earn a reward!”
Could he earn a reward?
Lin Hao was delighted. This meant double rewards, so he had to participate no matter what.
That afternoon, Su Qingwei took Lin Hao to register.
After registering, Lin Hao began the race.
As they prepared to start, Lin Hao noticed a familiar face. The person attended No. 2 Middle School with him, though they were not in the same class.
This was his Schoolmate, Chen Jiayuan. From his First Year of High School through his third year, Chen Jiayuan had been the school’s champion in the 1,500-meter race. He was exceptionally strong.
Chen Jiayuan said, “Lin Hao, you’re participating in the race too?”
Lin Hao nodded. “Yes.”
Chen Jiayuan advised him, “Relax. The important thing is participating. Winning a prize is too difficult. There are countless experts here, and even someone like me is only average.”
Lin Hao said little, replying, “All right.”
To avoid attracting attention, Lin Hao held back at first and kept his distance from the leading runners.
Lin Hao waited until the final one hundred meters, then accelerated and crossed the finish line in first place.
The organizers presented Lin Hao with his prize. The middle-aged man said, “Classmate Lin Hao, I heard that you attend No. 2 Middle School, is that right?”
Lin Hao answered, “That’s right. I attend No. 2 Middle School.”
The Middle-Aged Man praised him. “No. 2 Middle School has a talent like you. Impressive.”
In the crowd, Chen Jiayuan watched Lin Hao on the podium. Chen Jiayuan was drenched in sweat from running, yet he had finished only fifth from last.
Chen Jiayuan stared at Lin Hao in shock. He had even said that participation was what mattered, yet Lin Hao had come here to take the goods. That guy had been hiding his true strength!
After collecting his certificate and trophy, Lin Hao also received three thousand yuan. His run had not been in vain.
At the same time, the system also announced: Quest Completed.
When Lin Hao came down, Chen Jiayuan hurried over. “Lin Hao, you’re incredible. You didn’t even sweat.”
Lin Hao said indifferently, “My constitution is just like this.”
Chen Jiayuan gave him a thumbs-up. “Lin Hao, I heard you broke up. You’re strong for a single man.”
Lin Hao said, “I’m doing all right.”
At that moment, Su Qingwei came over. She wore a white T-shirt that caught the eye, and her middle-parted hair framed her beautiful face.
Su Qingwei walked up to Lin Hao. “Classmate Lin Hao, congratulations on winning the champion title!”
Lin Hao smiled. “Thank you. How about we split the prize money half and half?”
Su Qingwei waved a hand. “No need. Buy me a cup of milk tea instead.”
Chen Jiayuan watched them chat warmly, as if they knew each other well, and stood stunned.
He had thought that Lin Hao would become depressed and despondent after the breakup. He never expected Lin Hao to find an even prettier girl in the blink of an eye.
At this rate, it would not be long before this girl became lin hao's girlfriend.
This girl was even prettier than Xu Yanyu!
Chen Jiayuan stood there, utterly shocked and dazed.
Lin Hao said, “Classmate Chen, we’re going to have milk tea. Would you like to come with us?”
“No.”
Coming back to his senses, Chen Jiayuan shook his head. “I don’t want to be a third wheel. Lin Hao, you’re amazing. Goodbye.”
“Goodbye.”
Watching the man flee as though escaping, Lin Hao and Su Qingwei exchanged a glance, finding the scene rather amusing.
Su Qingwei smiled sweetly. “Classmate Lin Hao, let’s go on a date.”
Lin Hao said, “I’d like to, but my family is poor. I can’t afford to support a girlfriend.”
Su Qingwei grew more appreciative of him. “It’s all right. You’ll have money in the future. Lin Hao, don’t lose heart.”
Then, Lin Hao and Su Qingwei went to have milk tea together.