The next morning, Qin Ze woke up as usual for his morning exercise. He was surprised when he didn’t see Wang Zijin. However, his sister’s bedroom door was closed; and it was inappropriate for him to open the door to check no matter how curious he was. Thus, he went out alone for his training.
They were still in bed when Qin Ze returned at 7:30 AM. He sat in the living room and opened the system interface while he ate his breakfast. Online shopping became his daily entertainment just like how he used to spend his time on UC.
An exclamation mark was flashing at the top right-hand corner of the system interface. He tapped gently on it. A message showed up on the interface:
‘Master, congratulations on the completion of your fifth mission. Please accept your mission reward.’
Mission reward?
What in the world is that?
There was an image of a gift box after the message.
Qin Ze was filled with curiosity and expectation as he tapped on the image of the gift box.
“Ding. Congratulations on your one-time minor facial adjustment. The reward has been utilized automatically.”
Minor facial adjustment?
Qin Ze was dumbfounded. A moment later, there was a burning sensation on his face; and his skin felt so itchy as though an army of ants was crawling on him.
What the h*ll was ‘facial adjustment’? Don’t tell me it is some cosmetic surgery. Please don’t turn me into something hideous.
He bolted from his chair and ran into the bathroom.
Qin Ze stood rooted like a statue as he stared at himself in the bathroom mirror.
His mind was filled with one word—f**k.
A dashing young man stared back at him. He stood tall and straight; he even had a well-proportioned body and well-defined features. It was Qin Ze. However, he looked different from the way he usually did: his eyebrows were thicker, his eyes were bright and alert, the bridge of his nose was high, and his lips were slightly thinner. Even the acne spots on his face had disappeared. His skin was smooth and fair. If one was to describe the new Qin Ze, one would say he was as handsome as the ornamental jade on the cap.
It was still his face but his features, compared to how he looked in the past, were more exquisite. Previously, he was good-looking at his best; but right now, he fully deserved to be called a school prince. He was not inferior in any respect when one compared him with Zhang Mingyu.
His appearance had improved by at least two steps. He finally looked like Qin Baobao’s biological younger brother.
At last, no one would mock him or say he was the lesser of the two siblings.
Qin Ze had always been sore about the way he looked. One, as the firstborn and a genius, Qin Baobao was born from the same mother; but how could there be such a huge difference between them? Two, why would any pretty girls pay him any attention when he wasn’t handsome and his intelligence was just average.
In reality, Qin Ze was a man of regular features. However, he looked better with time. Surely, he would be able to find a girlfriend if he really wanted one. Nevertheless, he had set his standards high because Qin Baobao was his sister. He wasn’t interested in any plain Jane. He could imagine marrying a wife with average looks and putting her at the dinner table during family gatherings. It was akin to a handmaiden beside her mistress if she was seated together with Qin Baobao.
It was Liu Ziqiang’s motto for a man to be strong.
For Qin Ze, a man needn’t depend on his appearance.
Gosh. That sounded bitter.
Qin Ze went into shock. More than ten seconds later, his eyebrows suddenly rose. Joy crept onto his face as he jumped ecstatically and made a gesture of a serf who had turned into a master.
From now on, I am also a handsome man.
“I stood in the limelight revolving with my hands clutching tightly onto the moon and the sun…” Qin Ze sang at the top of his voice.
“What are you singing so early in the morning?” Wang Zijin asked gently from the other side of the door. She opened the door. “Are you done washing up? I’m coming in.”
She entered without waiting for Qin Ze’s reply.
They came face to face with one another.
Wang Zijin was stunned. She looked terrible with her messy hair. Initially, she was still feeling groggy. At this point, her half-closed eyes widened abruptly and stared unblinking at Qin Ze.
Qin Ze was inexplicably guilty. He asked jokingly, “What are you staring at?”
Wang Zijin opened her mouth. It took her a long time before she regained her senses. She rubbed her eyes hard and stared at Qin Ze again.
She repeated her actions.
Qin Ze’s mind went swirling while he thought of something to say to buy time.
Wang Zijin spun around. She ran towards the bedroom dragging her slippers and made loud flapping sounds. “Baobao… Baobao. Quick. Wake up! Wake up!”
Qin Ze checked the mirror, caressing his jaw. Speechless.
Is there a need for such a huge reaction?
Wang Zijin pulled a confused and dazed Qin Baobao with her when she reappeared a short while later. The latter squinted her eyes and tried her best to keep up step by step while Wang Zijin tugged at her right sleeve, revealing her fair and smooth right shoulder.
“Slow down… slow down. What’s the big deal about Qin Ze? It’s not as if he’s some gorgeous hunk.”
“H-He… h-he…” Wang Zijin stuttered incoherently, “Am I hallucinating? Am I short-sighted? Your brother looks dashing. He became a gorgeous hunk. This doesn’t make any scientific sense.”
“You must be going out of your mind,” Qin Baobao pouted and complained, “Will you stop all your nonsense? Qin Ze, dashing? You really need to get your eyes checked.”
Qin Baobao shut her mouth because she saw him; Qin Ze was standing in front of the mirror. Her sleepy eyes instantly widened in shock like she had seen a ghost.
She was more surprised than Wang Zijin. After all, she hadn’t known Qin Ze for that long. Qin Baobao, however, had been siblings with Qin Ze for more than twenty years. She knew her younger brother’s face well; she could even tell the exact number of acne spots on his face.
Qin Baobao stared at her brother. Her penetrating gaze caused the hair to stand up on Qin Ze’s skin.
It wasn’t strange for Qin Baobao to react in such a manner. Anyone in her shoes would have the same reaction. The day before, her closest family member was still a loser; but he became Mr. Perfect overnight.
“You are Qin Ze?” Qin Baobao asked solemnly.
“Are you trying to say something?” Qin Ze responded with another question.
Qin Baobao’s incisive look resembled a detective interrogating a criminal. She attempted to find a flaw in Qin Ze to no avail. Qin Ze was still himself. He looked the same as he usually did except he actually looked better now with more well-defined features.
“What’s my favorite food?”
“Chicken mushroom stew.”
“What’s my dream?”
“To be a star.”
“What is my life’s biggest humiliation?”
“Your name.”
“What’s the color to my bra?”
“That’s a tough one. Your panties were mostly white with cartoon prints when you were in junior high. As a senior, you mainly had white and yellow ones. During your university days, you had more varieties and designs; but you still preferred to have white and yellow ones. After your graduation, you have a few of every design except thongs and erotic lingerie. Scrap that. You have erotic lingerie, too. You received them as your birthday present from one of the men, and they were black.”
Wang Zijin was dumbfounded. Was he some perverted brother? How could he give such a detailed description of his own sister’s lingerie?
On the other hand, Qin Baobao heaved a sigh of relief while she patted Wang Zijin’s shoulder. “This is my brother. I have no doubt about that.”
She took two steps forward and cupped Qin Ze’s face in her hands. “How could this be? I woke up and found that my loser brother had turned into Mr. Perfect overnight. I can clearly see the changes in you, and yet there didn’t seem to have any. This face—it’s still my brother’s.”
Wang Zijin remained suspicious. “Qin Ze, did you go for a cosmetic surgery this morning without telling anyone?”
“Nope. Besides, I will need time to recover if that was the case,” Qin Ze complained as he moved his face from his sister’s hands.
“What’s the big deal about this? This is how I always look normally. You guys should get your eyes checked.”
Qin Baobao scratched her head, puzzled. “Is it possible that I don’t usually pay you enough attention?”
Wang Zijin analyzed seriously, “From a biological point… oh, forget it. I know nothing about biology, but I think this is scientifically impossible. People always say a girl starts her transformation from puberty. However, I have never heard of such a drastic change overnight.”
Qin Baobao placed a hand under her chin like Detective Conan from the manga. “It’s not exactly a huge transformation. The nose, eyes, and ears are all Qin Ze. It just feels a bit strange.”
“Nowadays, one can achieve so much using makeup. Whatever I have now is not a big deal,” Qin Ze jested, “I just jog and train every day. It’s refreshing and improves blood circulation. Naturally, I’m revitalized and look more handsome.”
After a long debate, Qin Ze finally managed to bluff his way out. His sister believed in her own brother’s natural beauty rather reluctantly. She convinced herself those qualities were simply hidden until now. As unwilling as she was, Wang Zijin also told herself she hadn’t been paying enough attention to Qin Ze in the past. He had always been this dashing.
Qin Baobao left for work after she finished her breakfast. Before she left, she cupped Qin Ze’s face in her hands, stared for a long time, and left. All the time, she was muttering to herself even as she opened the door to go out.
It was 10 AM.
“I’m going to the market. Do you want to come along?”
“No thanks. I don’t feel well.”
A thought suddenly came across Qin Ze’s mind. “Are you having your period?”
Wang Zijin’s composed oval face turned a bright red. She cast him a furious look. “No.”
“There’s a faint bloodied smell coming from you. I can smell it. Besides, I can tell from the way you look.” Qin Ze talked about menstruation openly with his sister’s best friend.
“Did Baobao tell you?” Wang Zijin was magnanimous in nature, but she couldn’t stop herself from being upset with Qin Ze.
“I know something about Chinese Medicine.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Believe or not, I’m telling you the truth. Fortunately, you don’t have an issue with menstrual cramps like Qin Baobao. Otherwise, it will be torturous for you.” Qin Ze’s expression said it all—I may not have high education, but you can’t deceive me. “On top of that, you haven’t showered. If you’re not having your period, then what?”
Wang Zijin blushed and glared at him. “Can we stop talking about this?”
“Fine… fine. I’m leaving.”
The effect of his Qin Ze’s minor facial adjustment rewarded by the system was instantaneous. He could tell from the reactions of both Qin Baobao and Wang Zijin. Qin Ze could feel it again when he walked on the streets.
A woman was walking along the pavement towards him. She was already staring at Qin Ze’s face when they were about ten meters away. Her eyes remained glued to him even after they walked past each other.
Another example was when he was waiting for the traffic light to change. A group of female students in their junior high school uniforms was talking and laughing while they peeked at him with dreamy eyes.
For the whole day, Qin Ze had been in a state of excitement. Finally, he was enjoying the special treatment that Qin Baobao had been having. Whenever he went, there was always a girl or woman stealing glances at him. He became the center of attention.
He was tall, well-built, and handsome—the perfect long-legged love interest in every woman’s eyes.
If one really wanted to find a flaw in him, it would be the mediocre way he carried himself. It was difficult to change that when he had been doing it for the past twenty years.