Translator: Atlas Studios
Editor: Atlas Studios
After stopping and going for two kilometers, Qin Ze was exhausted. Even though he did not usually like exercising, two kilometers was not particularly tough. It was clear from his exhaustion that the system had really drained him earlier in the day.
The park was quiet and serene. The hedges were neatly trimmed, and the flowers were in full bloom. The park bathed in the dim yellow light from the streetlamps.
Qin Ze sat down on a bench, panting as sweat trickled down his face. “Hu, hu, hu…”
After a short rest, he got up for a jog as cars occasionally passed him by. Sports was never something that Qin Ze excelled in. He had had a weak body since he was a child and would always throw up after rigorous exercise. Other than PE class, he did not work out.
He used to envy the other boys who played basketball and had girls cheering on them. However, he was not skilled enough to play basketball so he was always in the background. All he could do was sit on the grass and watch the clouds, convincing himself that he did not care about the cheers and basketball.
He alternated between ten minutes of jogging and five minutes of walking for an hour. After that, he tossed his jacket aside as he sat down on the bench, his t-shirt drenched in sweat.
“System, system… I feel like I might need CPR.” Qin Ze dropped on the grass, gagging.
“Sorry, host, but the system doesn’t come with such abilities. However, you can exchange for Chinese or western medicinal knowledge from the system.”
“I can exchange for medicinal knowledge?”
“Yes!”
“Eh, it’s fine. I don’t have a medical license. I’ll get arrested for this.”
“Host, you’re slow, given all the novels that you’ve read. Haven’t you learned anything?”
“Are you talking about running into an elderly who needs emergency care in the park? Or a child who has been run over by a car? Or… oh please, even you know that those are in novels. If you were a patient, would you let yourself be treated by a layman? What if they kill you? None of that is logical.”
“My data indicates that many old Chinese doctors never had a license to practice. This kind of thing still rests on you, host.”
“I want to save up my points to better deal with the next mission you assign me.” Qin Ze caught his breath as he bantered with the system.
It was 5:30. The sky was turning a shade of green. The night was fading away. It was almost daybreak.
Qin Ze had finally caught his breath. He then stood on the lawn, mustered his breath, and began to pose. He centered his hands around his dantian, his left above his right with palms facing each other but slightly apart. He then drew them further apart to draw a circle as he bent his knees.
The pace of his breathing alternated in tandem with his movements.
Qin Ze closed his eyes and relaxed his mind. He then played out the 12 duanjin qinggong on instinct. After a while, warmth rose in his dantian and course towards his limbs. He was stuck in that until he heard upbeat music in his ears. When he returned to his senses, the sky was already bright, and cars were starting to build up outside the park. In the square nearby, middle-aged women were already started on their morning aerobics; and the dancing ladies were holding their fans.
The radio on the side was playing the latest upbeat folk music.
Qin Ze took out his phone. It was already 7:30. Before he realized it, it had already been two hours.
He picked up his jacket from the grass and hung it over his shoulder as he jogged home. When he passed by the breakfast stall, he bought two bowls of soy milk, two baskets of soup dumplings, and four sticks of dough fritters.
Opening the door with his keys, he saw that Qin Baobao’s room door was ajar. There was the sound of water coming from the bathroom. It was probably his sister showering. He set the food on the table. He was famished. Thankfully, his toiletries were in his room, or he would be dead by the time Qin Baobao was done showering.
Qin Ze ate breakfast as he scrolled through his inventory of points. There was everything inside, including different industries, jobs, and skills. It was practically a treasure mountain. Qin Ze felt that he had to master everything in the system, so that he could be better prepared for the missions here on.
Qin Baobao walked out of the shower in her bathrobe. Her fringe clung to her forehead, and her face was flushed.
Qin Ze felt that his sister looked better with a bun and side fringe, but she preferred bangs, which she felt were more glamorous.
Qin Baobao pulled out a chair and began stuffing her mouth with a bun before she sat down. “Where did you go in the morning?” she asked with stuffed cheeks.
“I went running.” Qin Ze quietly put the system’s interface away.
“You? Go running?”
Qin Baobao covered her mouth with an exaggerated expression on her face. She feigned later to express her indignance.
“Don’t laugh. Within half a year, I’ll have abs.” Qin Ze huffed.
“I don’t even think you’ll last a week, not to mention six months. If you do, I’ll cover cooking our meals next month.” Qin Baobao scoffed.
“Then, I surrender now.” Qin Ze hit back.
Qin Baobao was 25, but she was hopeless in the kitchen. She never knew which ingredient came first.
Out of spite, Qin Baobao smacked Qin Ze. Qin Ze was then reminded of something after he finished his share of breakfast. “Oh right, I need some money.”
Qin Baobao frowned. “Didn’t I give you five hundred dollars last week? Did you really get a girlfriend?”
“Don’t look at me like that. I bought your birthday gift. It cost a whopping three hundred dollars, and all of it went onto your face.”
Qin Baobao seemed relieved and went back into her room. She came back out with her wallet and put five hundred dollars on the table. “You’re gonna have to limit your spending. I just quit my job, and I’m only paid three thousand a month at my new job. We gotta scrimp and save from now on. We can’t ask Dad or Mom for money, or he’s gonna nag.”
“Didn’t you sign on to be a star? You’re only getting paid three thousand?” Qin Ze was in disbelief.
Qin Baobao rolled her eyes. “I haven’t made my debut. The company signs tons of artists every year. Not many make a name for themselves. Most remain unknown. Besides, stars don’t care for minimum wage. I have three months of training to complete before I can make my debut. In the meantime, that’s all I’ll be making.”
Qin Ze felt an urgency to make more money. Even though his family was local and had two properties, there were not much savings. In the words of the locals, all the money went to the foreigners, never the locals.
After Qin Ze moved in with his sister, his family cut off his allowance. Qin Baobao paid for all his expenses. Three sets of clothes per season, his phone, his laptop… everything was paid for by Qin Baobao.
Even though he was thinking about making money, he would never say it. He lightly kicked Qin Baobao’s calf. “Then, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and go for training already. And don’t come back until you’re somebody.”
Qin Baobao was angry. She retaliated and gave her brother a kick.
At 8:30, Qin Baobao rushed off to work.
Qin Ze got into the shower and out of his clothes. Just as he was about to toss them into the laundry hamper, he saw a pile of clothes in it. Right at the top was Qin Baobao’s black lace underwear from yesterday. His first thought: I’ve heard that people sell used underwear online. I wonder how much Qin Baobao’s will go for.
At 10:00, Qin Ze grabbed the Hermes backpack that his sister bought for him and headed to the university town via the subway.
The University Town was filled with branded schools like Fudan and Tongji. SUFE was nothing in comparison to these schools, though it was not too bad. However, with his ace student sister before him, Qin Ze’s results were a shame.
His father had intended for him to become the star student of Fudan, but he was not the right fit. His father then lowered his hopes to Tongji, but he ended up in SUFE. His father was exasperated, but there was nothing he could say. After all, Qin Ze was a chip off the old block.
His father was a professor at SUFE!
The red roofs and walls, coupled with the broad door. Qin Ze slung his backpack on one shoulder as he made his way into the familiar campus.
Students walked in both groups and alone on the scenic campus. Occasionally, cars drove by slowly.
Qin Ze was wearing a hoodie today. Coupled with his backpack, he looked like a highschooler. He was not a fan of backpacks, but he stayed off-campus and had to use the backpack to transport all the texts. Besides, Qin Baobao bought this bag for him, and it took all of her year-end bonus.
There was an open lecture on international finance at noon today, and he had two core classes in the afternoon. He could have taken a nap at home and gotten lunch before he came for classes, but the professor in charge was known to be petty. He had pop quizzes tied to finals. Many students were in the dumps because of him. Therefore, not very many students attended his class. None of the classes were fans of him.
That was Professor Qin, and yes, he was Qin Ze’s dad.