Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
The next day, 6 AM…
During the summer, Qin Ze pushed back the time of his morning exercise from 5:30 to 6 since he did not need his life to be as fast-paced and packed.
The sound of running water and someone brushing their teeth came from the half-closed door of the washroom.
Qin Ze knew without guessing that Wang Zijin was the one inside. Qin Baobao was the kind to spend every last second with her blanket. She claimed that women needed sleep to counteract aging.
He sat down in the living room, launched the Points Mall, and started browsing through it.
He had 400 points now.
It was not a lot, but it was not too little. It could be traded for some small tricks but not so much for big skills. Take stockbroking for example. There was a lot to it, which could be loosely split between technical analysis and basic analysis. There was a lot of knowledge involved, and it involved understanding different industries. Therefore, there was no singular stockbroking skill that could be exchanged for in the Points Mall.
Some would say that there was technical analysis in China’s stock market. It made sense, but it was not entirely correct. The stock market was a power struggle. The stockists would try to buy out the lay investors and their peers, and the lay investors would try their very best to snatch up as much profit as they could from the stockists. However, the former would never be able to be on equal footing with the stockists. For example, stockists could pay to spread information to attract the lay investors. They would then sell their stock at a high price to the lay investors.
There was also an invisible hand controlling the stock market. It was invincible and ruled the stock market; everyone was like a lay investor to them.
In June, the invisible hand struck again. The quiet stock market rose by hundreds in a month.
Therefore, Qin Ze began to watch the stock market, hoping to make some profits by following the person. Of course, he was ready to be conned by the invisible hand.
Qin Ze had a special interest in the stock market. The Qin family once went through a tough time, and they even sold one of their properties. Properties were akin to the lifeline of the Shanghai people. His father made a fortune in the stock market that helped the family through. His mother and his sister worshiped his father for that.
Qin Ze was reading history at that time, and looking at the two women’s worship of his father reminded him of a saying he read Xiang Yu say to Emperor Qin while the latter was on tour: you can replace him.
Wang Zijin paused when she left the bathroom and saw Qin Ze spacing out on the couch. She paused before greeting him with a smile. “You’re up so early?”
“I woke up to train and decided to wait when I saw you washing up.”
“You’re going out for a run, too?”
“Too?”
Her eyes lit up and they smiled. “Let’s go together.”
Qin Ze brought Wang Zijin to the nearby park for a run. At 6:30, the sky was rather bright. Cars were flying by, and people had already left for work.
Wang Zijin was dressed in white sports attire. Her long black hair was put together in a ponytail. She was energetic and had a towel around her neck.
Qin Ze was wearing a cheap tracksuit that his sister had bought for him during a sale at the mall.
“We only have an hour.” Qin Ze turned and smiled.
Wang Zijin stared at him and blinked. “Why?” She asked curiously.
“After 7:30, the park belongs to the ladies line dancing in the park square.
Wang Zijin smiled speechlessly.
Five minutes later, they ran into the park and jogged along the stone path.
Qin Ze stopped after half an hour.
Wang Zijin stopped too and turned. “You can’t anymore?” She smiled.
Qin Ze laughed. He thought of a saying: men can never say that they cannot continue. By hook or by crook, they always could.
Of course, he would not say something corny like this. Saying things like that would only leave a bad impression on the girls, but many men were immature and tried to look different in front of girls. Based on his detailed understanding, one should never show off before girls; and that could be the end.
Qin Ze shook his head. “I save half an hour for martial arts.”
Martial arts?
Wang Zijin stared at him confusedly. “Okay, then I’ll go ahead myself.”
Qin Ze watched as she disappeared. He touched his nose. It seemed as if… his attempt to look good had failed him.
He backed away to a grass patch and closed his eyes. He bent slightly and opened his legs, letting his breath flow.
He put his hands around his dantian and drew a circle. After a while, he felt heat rise from his dantian and circulate throughout his body in tandem with his movements.
The system said that one only had to practice the energy cultivation manual for one hour a day, and doing more would not help. The idea behind it was just like studying. It was not the quantity, but the quality since there was a limit to how much humans could take in.
Qin Ze was interrupted by the upbeat music meant for line dancing from the square. He opened his eyes, and they were bright and clear.
Wang Zijin was standing on the stone path, looking at him with surprise and curiosity.
“Taichi? Neijia?” Wang Zijin asked.
Qin Ze replied after a pause. “It’s kind of Neijia, not Taichi. Strictly speaking, it doesn’t really belong to any school; I’m messing around.”
“I don’t believe you,” Wang Zijin said straightforwardly.
“My stomach has been weak since I was a child. I would throw up after that. I later heard that practicing these would help with my health so I went online to research it. I then put the pieces together and came up with this. The effects are pretty good, and I haven’t thrown up since.”
“My stomach’s not good either.” Wang Zijin’s eyes were bright. “Can you teach me?”
“No, you gotta pay tuition.”
“But I’m broke,” Wang Zijin said pitifully.
“Then no.” Qin Ze rejected her. The energy cultivation manual required the system to guide the breath. It would be futile for outsiders to learn this.
“Okay,” Wang Zijin said regretfully, maintaining a smile on her face. She was not upset because of that.
Qin Ze admired her. She was open and had a high EQ. It was easy to get along with her. In Qin Baobao’s case, she would whine and throw a tantrum. Qin Baobao’s mode of operation was like this: what’s my brother’s mine, and what mine’s still mine.
Qin Ze and Wang Zijin left together, walking past the line dancing ladies. Wang Zijin was sweating non-stop. She wiped herself with a towel, and her hair clung to her blushed cheeks. She looked very tempting
“Qin Ze, I heard from Qin Baobao that you’re going to be interning, right?”
“En. I’ll be interning for a year before graduating.”
“Have you sent in your CV?”
“No, I haven’t thought of interning yet. I’m resting at home.”
Wang Zijin pursed her lips. “Baobao said you’re lazy, but I didn’t believe her. I thought someone who could write songs and cook wouldn’t be lazy. But now I believe her, though I think Baobao got it wrong. You’re not lazy; you just lack motivation.”
Qin Ze scoffed. “Why don’t you just uprightly say that I lack interest in self-improvement? You don’t have to be so roundabout.”
Wang Zijin laughed out loud. “Come on, I’m trying to help you out here.”
“I’ve always been mediocre since young, unlike Qin Baobao. She has good grades and always makes my dad look good at parent-teacher conferences. So he would always tell me that he would awake laughing at night if I were half as smart as her. I always thought that I was ordinary. I never stood out. Standing out had nothing to do with me. I only wanted a quiet life since no one would pin their hopes of me because I’m the mediocre child,” Qin Ze said with a smile.
Wang Zijin nodded with a smile.
Qin Ze looked at her. “Shouldn’t you take the chance to encourage and praise me? Take the chance to open up my heart. ‘Falling in love with my best friend’s brother’… isn’t that an interesting plot?”
Wang Zijin laughed out loud in amusement.
“I don’t know you well.” She smiled.
Qin Ze laughed along and saw an electric scooter speeding towards Wang Zijin from the corner of his eye.
“Be careful.”
He put one arm on Wang Zijin’s shoulder and the other on her waist. He pulled her in, and Wang Zijin bumped into his chest.
The electric scooter sped past but still rubbed against Wang Zijin’s calf. She cried out softly.
The rider turned and sped away when he saw that there was not anything major.
“You rushing to get incarnated?” Qin Ze yelled angrily.
It was understandable if one was rushing to work, given the fast-paced city life; but it should not be at the expense of safety, both of oneself and others.
The Shanghai city metro has been built for many years. The many accidents before were from the squeezing and shoving caused by the peak hour rush. Things only improved after they added safety barriers and glass doors on the platforms.
Qin Ze helped Wang Zijin sit down by the road. He folded her pants up. Her fair calf had an abrasion, and streaks of blood could be seen.
Qin Ze sighed in relief. “That’s good, that’s good; it’ll heal in three to five days after applying iodine. If he runs over you, I’ll beat him up.” He grumbled.
Wang Zijin unfolded her pants and smiled. “You don’t have a crush on me yet, but you’re thinking of making your sister’s best friend fall for you?”
“You saw right through me.” Qin Ze laughed as his understanding of Wang Zijin grew. She was open, friendly, not overly reserved, and could take jokes.
She was reserved, evident from how she refused to let Qin Ze touch her calf.
Qin Ze made a detour to buy Wang Zijin a bottle of iodine that she paid for, refusing to give Qin Ze the chance. At the breakfast store, they bought soup dumplings, soy milk, and dough fritters. Returning home, Qin Baobao was already up. She eyed the two of them suspiciously when she saw them return together. “Where did you guys go?”
“Running.” Wang Zijin put the breakfast on the table with a smile before heading to the bathroom to take a shower.