The game, I really misjudged you. So you’re not actually forcing me to spend money!
Turns out someone really does come to this remote corner—she’s saved!
Chu Lingyu’s expression grew a bit complicated when he saw Wen Qian’s current predicament.
—How did she manage to get herself hung up there?
“Chu, please help me down!” The girl looked at him like he was a lifeline.
Instinctively, she reached out to him but froze halfway as she raised her arm, quickly pulling it back down.
“Take off your jacket and jump down yourself,” Chu Lingyu raised an eyebrow, easily seeing that Wen Qian’s jacket was just caught.
He had no intention of stepping forward to help but didn’t leave either, just leaning against the nearby railing.
The tall, slender young man lowered his head lazily; his fringe naturally hung down, casting a shadow that covered his eyes. Only his sharp nose and tightly pressed lips were visible.
“I can’t jump down,” the girl hanging on the railing said with a hopeless tone.
“Help your poor innocent classmate, please—”
Chu Lingyu looked up at Wen Qian but seemed more interested in the wisteria branches extending behind her, his expression casual.
“Why do you think I’ll help you?” He lazily lifted his eyelids. “Do you think I’m that kind-hearted?”
“Of course!” The girl’s firm tone made Chu Lingyu momentarily doubt if he really was the type to jump to someone’s rescue when he saw injustice.
His expression blanked for a moment, and he didn’t get to retort.
Wen Qian was certain this guy would rescue her.
One, because he hadn’t turned and walked away; two, because…
She looked at the (2/5) progress bar floating over his head and cleared her throat.
“Please, classmate, just do a good deed.”
(3/5)
“Kind Chu Lingyu definitely won’t stand by and watch someone die, right?”
(4/5)
“I’ve been hanging here all day, and you’re the only one I’ve met. If you don’t save me, I might—”
“Tch.” The boy seemed a bit impatient as he stood up and walked toward Wen Qian. “Alright… how do you want to get down?”
Wen Qian was finally carried down by Chu Lingyu. She felt like she was reborn, but Chu Lingyu, who was tightly holding her, was not as relaxed as she was.
The blazing sun hung high, baking the lush wisteria leaves, whose natural fragrance overlapped in layers, covering this small corner with a heavy scent that made one feel a bit drowsy.
Chu Lingyu couldn’t smell the wisteria fragrance; instead, a fresh citrus scent lingered around his nose, dissipating some of his own drowsiness.
He awkwardly leaned back; the girl in his arms snuggled close, her cool arm carelessly hanging over his shoulder.
Chu Lingyu’s face was calm but his whole body tense; everything felt off.
“Thanks!” Wen Qian, who treated people like ladders, was much more natural and even thanked him before letting go.
She stood beside Chu Lingyu, reaching to touch the back collar of her jacket, afraid the pressure she’d endured might have deformed the poor uniform.
“No damage, great!” Wen Qian said excitedly.
“I’ve never seen someone dumb enough to get themselves hung up on a railing,” Chu Lingyu said with a sneer after adjusting his mood.
“Well, now you have,” Wen Qian wasn’t ashamed at all. “Thanks for the help, Chu Lingyu—”
The slow trailing tone was like a little hook, and Chu Lingyu fell silent again.
The two left together without much conversation. Chu Lingyu was skipping class himself; he didn’t want to stay at school—the guy Bai Qi was really annoying.
Wen Qian’s desire to skip was less strong—she just didn’t want to waste this opportunity.
After wasting so much time finally succeeding at skipping, only a fool would go back!
【The Dutiful Railing】 event gave Wen Qian 50 experience points.
Not much, but at least she gained something instead of just hanging there for so long for nothing.
Just as Wen Qian was about to close the system panel, a new notification popped up.
【Congratulations! Player earned the title—[Soy Sauce Fresh, Sunbathed 180 Days]
Requirement: Outdoor activity for over 20 hours.
Title effect: Wearing this title reduces the chance of [Heatstroke debuff]】
Wen Qian: …
What kind of weird title is this? This game really has everything??
Chu Lingyu had no destination on this trip; he just didn’t want to stay anywhere that would trap him—whether home or school.
The girl following behind him seemed distracted; her steps slowed and gradually fell behind.
Chu Lingyu pursed his lips, slowed his pace a bit but showed no change in expression.
The two walked one ahead, one behind, silent, but the atmosphere was unexpectedly harmonious.
On the street, crowds bustled and laughed while street vendors shouted their wares. Wen Qian had never been on this street before and felt a thrill as if exploring a new map.
“What street is this?” She sped up and caught up to Chu Lingyu, curious.
“Don’t know,” Chu Lingyu replied casually.
She hadn’t been here, and neither had he—after all, he never needed to use such a back alley to skip class, so naturally didn’t know where it led.
“So, where are you going?” Wen Qian asked, surprised. Could it be he was just wandering?
Chu Lingyu really was just wandering. He didn’t say much but raised an eyebrow and looked at Wen Qian: “Why are you still following me?”
At first, it might have been coincidence to walk together, but now, after all this time, Wen Qian still had no intention of leaving.
“Of course because I don’t know the way,” Wen Qian answered confidently.
“Don’t you have a phone to use if you don’t know the way?”
“Oh, I don’t have a phone either.”
Chu Lingyu tugged at the corner of his mouth, looking rather doubtful about Wen Qian’s words.
Wen Qian didn’t care whether he believed her or not; she was focused on scanning the nearby shops, trying to find the quest trigger point on this part of the map.
She was a restless person—she had to comment on everything she saw. Although most of her muttering was incomprehensible to Chu Lingyu, he didn’t find it annoying.
Hearing it so much was actually kind of interesting.
Wen Qian was torn between following Chu Lingyu to find quests or just searching the map thoroughly.
It was a tough choice. She sighed, but her sigh was drowned out by a passerby’s frustrated complaint by the roadside.
“Sigh, what to do… who can help me…”
Noticing the keywords, the player immediately stopped in her tracks and hurried toward the passerby.
The complaining passerby was the owner of a roadside barbecue stall, now sighing as he looked at his stall.
“Hello, boss!” Wen Qian looked at the NPC as if it were a humanoid experience gift pack.
She got straight to the point: “Boss, are you having some trouble?”
The barbecue stall owner didn’t find it strange for a stranger to ask that question.
“My hand is injured, but I can’t let down my customers.”
He raised his hand to show a small scrape caused by the grill—barely noticeable unless you looked closely.
The NPC, marked with a quest icon above his head, spoke to himself: “The quality of the barbecue is important. Even a tiny injury affects my technique. I have to find someone to help me—who should I find…”
Player: Got it!
“Boss, I’ll help you!”
“You?” The barbecue stall owner looked at Wen Qian gratefully. “Really? Thank you so much!”
Worried that the small injury on his hand would affect the barbecue quality, he decided to entrust his stall to a complete novice stranger.
The barbecue stall owner took trust between people to an extreme.
【Management Quest — Barbecue Stall Owner’s Trouble
As a perfectionist small stall owner, he can’t tolerate any imperfection, but today he encountered some trouble…
Quest requirements: Perfectly serve 10 customers.
Quest rewards: Money +50, Experience +30
PS: This quest unlocks the management mini-game side quest. Complete 10 management mini-games to unlock the [Long-term Part-time Job System].】
Finally, she could unlock the part-time job section! Wen Qian’s eyes filled with tears, and she took the pre-quest for this part-time job section more seriously.
Just as she accepted the quest, the previously gloomy boss suddenly became serious.
“Before greeting customers, let me see your skills first!”
【Management Mini-game (1/10) — Barbecue Stall Beginner Tutorial Activated】
The scene before Wen Qian changed; the barbecue stall turned into a management mini-game interface, with stacks of vegetables and meat neatly placed nearby.
Following the tutorial, she picked up a skewer of meat and placed it on the grill. A 5-second countdown appeared above the meat. When the countdown reached zero, the meat was done. Adding seasoning completed the process successfully.
Having passed the beginner tutorial, the player was confident—she had played at least fifty similar management games, simple and easy!
“Are you ready?” the barbecue stall owner asked Wen Qian.
“I’m ready!” Wen Qian nodded firmly.
【Game Start】
The first customer approached the barbecue stall and, under Wen Qian’s eager gaze, slowly began to speak.
“Boss, one skewer of beef without chili, three skewers of broccoli extra spicy, one skewer of grilled sausage with ketchup, one skewer of grilled sausage with salad dressing, no scallions on all, the first four skewers need cumin, the rest no cumin.”
The girl smiled faintly: “I want to eat the grilled beef here, the rest are takeout.”
Wen Qian’s expression froze in that moment.
Wha—what?
Why was this so different from the beginner tutorial? The beginner tutorial was pure deception!
“Open for business?” A middle-aged woman carrying a basket came over. “Boss, I’ll have two grilled chicken wings, two skewers of potato slices, a bunch of chives, and the grilled fish with spicy flavor—no cumin, add garlic paste…”
“Wait, wait!” Wen Qian hurriedly put skewers on the grill. “Slow down!”
Different skewers had different grilling times, and if overcooked, they’d burn.
Wen Qian, sweating coldly, piled up a bunch of charred unknown things, not daring to look at the boss behind her.
“Cumin, no cumin, garlic paste… fish, where’s the fish!”
Dizzy, Wen Qian searched everywhere for grilled fish. Not finding any on the shelf, she lifted the lid of a nearby bucket, where live fish were bubbling.
What? She was supposed to kill the fish herself?!
【Warning, thief approaching, please protect your skewers—】
“Why is there a thief too!!”
The player’s vision went black.
Chu Lingyu hadn’t noticed Wen Qian leaving right away; he just felt something was missing.
Suddenly realizing Wen Qian hadn’t spoken for a long time, he suddenly understood they had gotten separated.
Looking around at the crowd, Chu Lingyu frowned, stopped, and turned back.
There were many pedestrians, and he couldn’t find the missing person right away. The street vendor’s noisy shouting filled his ears.
He looked up irritably, and when he saw a barbecue stall, his expression went blank for a moment.
Behind the stall, Wen Qian—no one knew when—had replaced the original owner and was seriously handling the skewers in her hands.
Chef’s hat, apron, gloves—all the gear was complete, and her posture looked like a chef who had trained for years.
But…
Why was she there? And why had she replaced the small stall owner??