RING RING RING—
The ringing of the phone interrupted Jiang Wanyi’s thoughts. It was a call from her mother.
"Mom."
"How’s the baby? Did you two eat dinner tonight?"
"We ate. I’m taking her for a little walk downstairs."
"A walk is good. You can’t just stay cooped up at home all the time," Jiang Wanyi’s mother said.
"You haven’t really taken care of the baby properly since she was born. Can you handle it? If not, I’ll send your father over."
"Dad’s not in the best health, so don’t have him come. I can barely manage to take care of her. I’ll hold on."
Jiang Wanyi knew perfectly well that she had only made it through the day thanks to Chen Yuan. Without him, she had no idea how she would have managed.
"Well then, you just stay home and take care of the baby. Get a taste of what it’s like."
"Taking care of a baby is no easy job. Back in your day, you all had several kids. I’m amazed you managed to raise them all," Jiang Wanyi said.
"Times are different. Back then, if a child died, no one made a big deal out of it. It’s not like now, where every baby is treated like a treasure," Jiang Wanyi’s mother said with a sigh.
"You take care of her for a while. Once I’ve recovered, I’ll come over and help you. I have to go now, I need to make dinner for your father."
"Mom, wait a second."
"What is it?"
"Have you been looking into lactation consultants for me recently?" Jiang Wanyi asked.
"I’ve asked around my entire neighborhood, but I couldn’t find anyone good."
"Do you know about male lactation consultants?"
"Male ones? I’ve heard of them," her mother said.
"I heard from a neighbor downstairs that her daughter-in-law hired a male lactation consultant, and the results were quite good. I’ve also heard that men are more effective than women, but for a man to do that kind of work..."
The mother and daughter shared similar concerns. In theory, they felt there was nothing wrong with it, but when it came to actually doing it, they felt a bit embarrassed.
"The neighbor downstairs just told me the same thing. I’m a little embarrassed about it too."
"Let’s see how things go first. If you can find a man who’s really skilled, then it’s fine. The most important thing is for the baby to be able to breastfeed. Besides, aren’t there male doctors for gynecological exams? You young people need to be more open-minded. As long as it’s effective, that’s all that matters."
"That’s easy for you to say. It’s because I’m young that I feel embarrassed."
"You young people... how are your mindsets more old-fashioned than an old lady like me?"
"It’s because you’re old that you don’t care."
Jiang Wanyi recalled the time she took her mother to get checked for a breast nodule. The moment they entered the room, before the door was even closed, her mother had already lifted up her shirt.
It even made the male doctor nervous.
"This is mainly for the baby. Breast milk is good for her health. You were breastfed until you were two, you know. You barely even caught a cold your entire childhood."
"Okay, I know."
After hanging up, Jiang Wanyi’s mind was filled with thoughts of Chen Yuan.
’If it were a man my own age, I probably couldn’t accept it.’
’But I’m so much older than him. I see him as just a kid, so it shouldn’t be a big deal... right?’
She glanced at the time.
’I’ll give him a call tomorrow...’
...
After leaving Jiang Wanyi’s home, Chen Yuan took a bus and slowly made his way back to school.
"Cuihu No.1, the heart of the city, a luxurious mansion, 3,650 square feet..."
’My phone’s algorithm is getting a little carried away.’
Afraid he’d start seeing more clickbait content, Chen Yuan closed Douyin and checked his balance.
Not counting his living expenses, he had earned 1,500 yuan today. A huge sum.
He still had the pending task from Jiang Wanyi. It wasn’t an easy one, but he’d complete it eventually. That would bring the total to 2,100 yuan.
Chen Yuan thought of an excuse—he’d say he earned some money from a part-time job during the long holiday and send 1,000 yuan back to his parents.
But on second thought, if he gave them the money, they’d just use it to visit one more tourist spot. ’Forget it,’ he thought, ’I’ll just spend it on myself.’
He had originally planned to buy a nice keyboard, or maybe even bite the bullet and get an HHKB, but after thinking it over, it still felt a bit too extravagant.
’If I get more tasks later, I can save up and sign up for driving school. That way I won’t have to ask them for money.’
After getting off the bus, to avoid getting ripped off, he went to a small supermarket near University City and bought half a watermelon.
The price was a little high, but at least the weight was honest.
’You can sell it for a high price, but you can’t rip me off like I’m an idiot.’
BZZT BZZT BZZT—
His phone vibrated. It was a message from Wang Chuyue.
Wang Chuyue: "How many people are left in your dorm for the October holiday?"
Chen Yuan: "Just one, my roommate who is disabled but determined."
Chen Yuan: "Want to get a meal?"
They had only been enrolled for a month, and the enthusiasm of the freshmen hadn’t completely faded yet.
At this stage, everyone was eager to join various clubs, meet people from their hometowns, and if they managed to meet people of the opposite sex from other departments, they’d start organizing dorm mixers.
Wang Chuyue: "Smart boy. Want to get together for a meal? Bring your roommate, too."
Chen Yuan: "My roommate has a minor injury and can’t get out of bed right now."
Wang Chuyue: "Sprained his ankle? Or broke a bone?"
’Her imagination is too small.’
Chen Yuan: "He got snipped. Can’t move for now, just resting in bed."
Wang Chuyue: "Is your roommate handsome? Meng Meng and I are both single, you know."
Chen Yuan: "Not as handsome as me. smug.jpg"
Wang Chuyue: "Haha, no way. A person has to have some self-awareness."
Wang Chuyue: "I think you and Nian Nian would be a good match. Besides being a little timid, she doesn’t seem to have any flaws."
Wang Chuyue: "But in a guy’s eyes, being timid isn’t really a flaw, right? It just depends on whether you have the guts to pursue her."
’Pursue Song Jianye...’
Pursuing a girl, falling in love... Chen Yuan had thought about it before. At his age, it would be biologically abnormal not to have those kinds of urges.
But it was just a thought. If you asked him when he would actually do it, he wouldn’t know.
Just then, a new mission appeared.
[System Mission: Your 210-month-old baby is now two years old. Do something small to make her happy. Reward: 700 yuan cash, Constitution +5%]
[Note: She is very fond of small animals.]
’Just as I guessed.’
’The first mission was equivalent to birth, the second to her first birthday, and the third to her second.’
’There’s a timeline associated with her.’
’Interesting.’
"Huh?"
Just then, Chen Yuan saw a familiar figure.
And that familiar figure was none other than Song Jianye, walking out of a hotel, a light blue bag in her hand.
He glanced at the hotel next to her—the Lanting Hotel.
It was the most luxurious hotel near University City, a four-star establishment. Students with average means would shy away from it, but some of the rich second-generation kids were frequent customers.
Song Jianye’s pace was a bit quick, her head half-lowered. Her entire demeanor seemed out of place with the colorful neon lights around her, like an island no one had ever reached...