Kang Ha-rin looked up at her.
“Kang Ji-won, come here.” Her voice sounded serious.
Ji-won swallowed.
“M-Mum?”
“What’s wrong?” she asked, fidgeting with her fingers as she walked closer.
“I found this novel in your room,” Kang Ha-rin said, a faint smile appearing on her face.
Ji-won’s eyes immediately fell on the book in her hands, and her heart skipped.
“You were reading it?”
Ha-rin nodded casually.
“Yes. It’s quite interesting.”
Ji-won stared at her for a moment before looking at the open page.
The words were exactly as she remembered them.
The same pages, the same story, everything.
She scratched her head.
What’s going on here?
“Hehehe. It’s a pretty good novel, right? What do you think of it?”
Ha-rin rested her hands against her cheeks, looking strangely amused.
“The female lead, Fang Che, is actually quite funny.”
Ji-won’s eyes widened.
“Fang Che?”
She quickly looked at the book again.
Nothing had changed.
Her gaze moved across the page, then back to her mother.
Does this mean Mum can’t see what I can see?
A quiet sigh of relief escaped her.
At least Ha-rin hadn’t discovered the truth.
Ji-won quickly sat beside her.
“I know, right?”
Before she could say anything else, Ha-rin suddenly pulled her into a tight hug.
“I’m sorry for being suspicious of you earlier. I didn’t know.”
Ji-won froze.
She had expected questions about the book, not an apology.
“I… don’t understand.”
Ha-rin pulled away and gave her a skeptical look.
“Isn’t it because of this novel and what happened to the female lead later that you suddenly changed?”
Ji-won nearly choked on her own saliva.
After a nervous laugh, she nodded.
“Well… I guess you found out.”
Ha-rin’s eyes softened as a smile spread across her lips.
She gently patted Ji-won on the head.
“That’s good.”
Then she stood up.
“Let me prepare dinner before the day gets any darker.”
With that, she walked away.
Ji-won watched her disappear into the hallway before quickly picking up the book again.
She flipped through several pages, checking them carefully.
Thank goodness Mum couldn’t see anything.
A small breath of relief escaped her.
“You totally saved me from a ton of explaining.”
The Next Morning
Ding!
Kang Ji-won’s sleepy eyes slowly opened at the sound.
Her phone was vibrating.
With a soft sigh, she reached over to the cabinet, picked it up, and turned on the screen.
New credit alert: 100,000 yuan.
Sleep immediately vanished from her eyes.
For several seconds, she couldn’t process what she was seeing.
Her mouth opened, then closed.
100,000 yuan?
She rubbed her eyes and pinched herself hard, convinced she was still dreaming.
Her gaze returned to the screen.
Her eyes widened.
A scream nearly escaped her lips.
100,000 yuan!
100,000 yuan!
So the reward the system promised was actually real?
Ji-won took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down, before placing the phone back on the cabinet.
But what was she supposed to do with the money now?
She thought for a moment.
“Maybe I’ll treat Shen Huiling to a meal at school today. After all, I did promise to buy her one.”
She nodded to herself.
“Yes. That’s what I’ll do.”
By the time Kang Ji-won arrived at school, she had already decided where she wanted to take Shen Huiling for lunch.
The top cafeteria—the one mostly used by the wealthier students and teachers.
She had barely stepped into the hallway when a familiar voice called out behind her.
“Ji-won!”
Turning around, she found Shen Huiling hurrying toward her with a bright smile.
“Huiling!”
The two girls hugged.
“Why are you smiling so happily today? Any good news?” Huiling asked as they pulled apart.
Ji-won smiled mischievously.
“Guess what?”
Shen Huiling blinked.
“A surprise?”
Ji-won pouted.
“Not fair.”
Huiling grinned.
“So, what’s the surprise?”
For a moment, Ji-won wondered how she could come up with a believable lie.
“Ever heard of the word luck?” she finally said.
“I got lucky yesterday. On my way home, I-I saw a man in trouble and helped him. He gave me some money.”
Shen Huiling didn’t seem to doubt her.
After all, Kang Ji-won had been acting differently lately.
“Really? How much?”
She probably expected it to be around two thousand to five thousand yuan at most.
Ji-won smirked.
“It’s 10,000 yuan.”
She had deliberately lowered the amount to make it sound more believable, but even that was enough to shock Huiling.
“What?!”
Ji-won’s smile grew wider.
“But that’s not the surprise.”
Leaning closer, she whispered, “I’ll be using it to treat you to a huge meal at the cafeteria today.”
Shen Huiling’s mouth practically watered.
“Really? That’s so generous of you.”
Ji-won nodded proudly.
“Of course.”
Huiling suddenly remembered something.
“Oh, by the way, Zhang Ran texted me last night. He said he’ll be coming to school today.”
Ji-won’s expression changed slightly.
“He is?”
“Yeah. I haven’t seen him in a while, so I guess he finally decided to show up.”
Ji-won nodded.
“Okay.”
She didn’t think much of it.
Lunch finally arrived. The source of this chapter is g.com.
By then, the cafeteria was already crowded.
Students filled almost every table, and the sound of conversations and laughter echoed throughout the large hall.
Kang Ji-won walked in beside Shen Huiling and glanced around.
“Where do you want to sit?” Huiling asked.
Ji-won pointed toward the upper section.
“Not here. There.”
Shen Huiling followed her gaze and immediately widened her eyes.
“That cafeteria? Can your lucky money even survive the cost of food there? Ten thousand yuan is just like a pinch of salt.”
“You don’t need to worry. I also have s-some savings, and I’m sure it’ll be enough.”
Huiling’s face filled with guilt.
“You’re using your hard-earned savings just to buy me a meal?”
Ji-won patted her shoulder.
“Like I said, it’s no big deal. Come on, let’s go.”
Before Huiling could argue again, Ji-won pulled her toward the upper cafeteria.
The moment they entered, several students turned to look at them.
Shen Huiling immediately lowered her head.
“Oh gosh. I don’t think this is a good idea.”
Ji-won glanced at her.
“Come on, Huiling. Everyone here is here because they can afford it. Now that we also can, why are you acting so nervous?”
Huiling clenched her fist.
“You’re right.”
Hand in hand, the two girls walked toward an empty table and sat down.
Ji-won picked up the menu and passed it to Huiling.
“Don’t hesitate to order whatever you want, alright? We don’t have to behave like countryside bumpkins.”
Just as Huiling reached for it, another hand suddenly yanked the menu away.
“Did you miss the road, Kang Ji-won?”
Both girls looked up.
Cheng Mixi stood before them with her usual sarcastic smile.
They immediately rose from their seats.
Shen Huiling frowned.
“What do you mean by this? Hand it back, Cheng Mixi.”
Cheng Mixi smirked.
“Why? So your dirty hands can stain such an exquisite menu?”
Huiling’s expression darkened.
“You…”
Before she could say anything else, another familiar male voice came from behind them.
“What’s going on here?”
The surrounding conversations seemed to quiet down as everyone turned toward the voice.
Han Yufan was walking toward them.
And he wasn’t alone.
His hand was intertwined with a girl.
Their eyes met.
Ji-won raised an eyebrow and scoffed inwardly.
I wonder why Kang Ji-won fell in love with this weirdo in the first place.
Han Yufan noticed her disgusted expression, and his gaze hardened.
“What are you doing here, Kang Ji-won?”
Ji-won crossed her arms.
“What kind of question is that?”
She glanced around the cafeteria before looking back at him.
“Why are you asking why I’m here? Isn’t it obvious? I’m here to eat.”
The girl beside Han Yufan, Gu Shin, let out a quiet snort.
“Maybe she’s here because of you.”
Well… Ji-won only wanted to treat Huiling to a nice meal.
So why does it feel like this lunch is about to turn into a disaster?
And of course, Han Yufan had to show up at the worst possible time.
What do you think is going to happen next?