“What’s your number?”
“Number one!”
“What about you?”
“Number two!”
Shen An listened to their student numbers and stood up regretfully. “I’m further back.”
“Hey, bro, how come your number’s so far back?”
“How should I know?” Shen An said he had no idea, but deep down, he knew it was Zhao Li’s doing.
Normally, seating was either by entrance exam scores or by gender.
Class 1 had clearly separated boys and girls first, then ranked them by scores within each group.
Since Shen An had joined midway, he’d regretfully been placed at the end.
After a brief commotion, the original seats were all shuffled, and everyone sat down according to their numbers.
Shen An immediately noticed his spot was rather awkward.
No one sat to his left or behind him—he was the last one on the left in this row.
But to his right was Shen Lianyao, her face as cold as ice.
In front of him sat Wang Yuqiong, and next to her was Song Rui, who seemed tied to one of the system’s quests.
The three girls formed a neat triangle, boxing him perfectly into this corner.
Seeing Shen An sit beside her, Shen Lianyao looked a little surprised.
But she hid it all away and quietly cradled her phone.
She didn’t even seem inclined to say hello, which made Shen An, who had been about to greet her, hold back.
Wang Yuqiong turned around with a playful grin. “What a coincidence.”
“Uh, yeah, pretty coincidental.”
Wang Yuqiong’s lips curved up. “So, how about it? Thinking of voting for me?”
“I’m considering it.”
Shen An gave her a polite brush-off.
“I hope you pick me.” Wang Yuqiong smiled softly, then turned back around, her gaze shifting to the blackboard.
By now, Chen Nannan had begun her talk. She pulled a USB drive from her pocket, plugged it into the computer, and pointed at the projected content, reading it out word for word.
It was all basic knowledge freshmen needed to memorize, presented in a PowerPoint slideshow.
Shen An sat quietly, his thoughts drifting for a moment, as if he’d really gone back to his own school days.
Others who transmigrated were off slaying enemies, achieving great deeds, or grinding levels and monsters—what goes around comes around.
But him? Straight back to campus life.
He glanced around—no surprises there. Hardly anyone was paying attention. Some whispered among themselves; others fiddled silently with their phones.
These speeches were like every school leader’s meeting: full of empty pleasantries and useless drivel.
Shen An listened with a touch of nostalgia, but the other students had heard it all their lives—their ears had calluses from it.
Even Chen Nannan on stage didn’t like this routine.
But since she was the assistant class supervisor and the academic counselor hadn’t shown, she had no choice but to shoulder the duty.
Surprisingly, though most people were zoning out, the three girls around Shen An were all paying close attention.
Wang Yuqiong and Song Rui sat in front of him, so he couldn’t see their expressions.
But both held their heads high, sitting ramrod straight. Even if they were daydreaming, it was polite daydreaming.
As for Shen Lianyao beside him, Shen An took in her full focus.
At such close range, he couldn’t help sizing her up.
Shen Lianyao’s name sounded soft, but her features were strikingly cold and androgynous, giving off a handsome, icy vibe.
Combined with how she’d sat alone in the corner from the start, it naturally shaped her first impression: aloof, silent, and quiet.
Noticing his gaze, a flicker of focus crossed Shen Lianyao’s eyes. By the time Shen An snapped out of it, he met her slightly puzzled look.
“Shen An.”
He extended his hand proactively.
The gesture only deepened Shen Lianyao’s puzzled flicker.
Ahem~
Shen An withdrew his hand. He’d been out of school too long—his greetings carried a bit of an office worker’s habit.
Shen Lianyao pursed her lips and murmured softly, “Shen Lianyao.”
Oh?
Her voice was surprisingly at odds with her looks.
Cold beauty on the outside, but light, soft, and a little glutinous when she spoke—very pleasant to the ear.
Shen An was about to say more when—
Ding!!!!!
A goofy, grating ringtone blared suddenly. Chen Nannan on the podium jumped, her big eyes blinking as she blankly searched for the source.
The other students, with experience on their side, unhesitatingly turned to stare at Shen An.
Even Shen Lianyao beside him gave him a weird look.
Once again, the whole class’s attention was on Shen An.
Even his usually thick skin stiffened into an awkward smile.
“Shen An? What’s up?”
“Uh, Senior Sister, it’s my alarm!” Shen An explained.
“Oh, oh, then turn it off quick. Don’t disrupt the class meeting.”
“Sure.”
Shen An brushed it off, then ducked his head to fish out the pink brick phone, frowning.
Another new quest?
This bizarre phone design… pink casing…
Shen Lianyao’s little mouth fell slightly open. It was her first time seeing such a uniquely shaped phone.
Wang Yuqiong leaned back a bit, teasing, “Did you set your alarm to go off intermittently? Why does it ring every little while?”
Shen An said lightly, “Yeah, I’ve got a condition. Need to take meds on schedule.”
Wang Yuqiong and Shen Lianyao both looked stunned.
“Want some water?”
Shen Lianyao quietly offered him a bottle of mineral water from beside her.
Now it was Shen An’s turn to be caught off guard.
“I haven’t drunk from it. Just bought it,” she said softly.
“Thanks.”
It’d be rude to refuse, so Shen An took the bottle from her.
He shot a quick glance at Chen Nannan, then turned to Shen Lianyao. “I’ll go take my meds. Cover for me?”
This cold-faced girl turned out surprisingly agreeable. She nodded without hesitation. “Mm.”
Seizing the chance, Shen An slipped stealthily out of the classroom and bolted to the bathroom.
Thwack~
The moment he pushed through the bathroom door, he slammed the pink brick phone onto the sink.
He knew the damn thing was indestructible—no matter how hard you smashed it.
Couldn’t ditch it either, so this was his way of venting.
Then he tapped into the system. After an eternity of loading, the interface finally appeared.
The quests tab blinked with two red dots, matching the two rings.
“Ignored Courage: This quest is from your classmate Song Rui. She plans to muster her courage once during this class meeting. Will you help her?
“Reward: Song Rui’s Gratitude.
“Completing this quest will grant one integral point.”
“Supporter: This quest is from your classmate Shen Lianyao. She plans to run for class president in this class meeting, but the inarticulate girl lacks support. Will you help her?
“Reward: You’ve already received the reward, so you cannot refuse this quest.
“Completing this quest will grant one integral point.”
Reading the two quests, Shen An felt at a loss for a moment.
Not because they were hard—too easy, really.
Compared to Zhao Li’s quest or the ones he’d picked up wandering around for three days, these were child’s play.
Yet each offered one integral point.
Shen An picked up the pink phone and eyed it seriously.
Was this really about healing inner wounds, not granting little wishes?
Shouldn’t the Healing System be renamed the Wish-Granting System?
He strongly suspected it was actually a dating sim system.
These quests were simple favors, but perfect chances to win some goodwill.
Take that “live together for a month” one from before.
Was this thing developed to combat crashing birth rates?
After a moment’s hesitation, Shen An accepted both quests.
Not because he cared about goodwill—he was just a do-gooder at heart, always ready to lend a hand.
What really piqued his interest was Shen Lianyao’s quest. Not the content, but the situation.
The system said he couldn’t refuse because he’d already gotten the reward. First time for that.
Where was the reward?
His gaze shifted to the mineral water in his hand.
“This counts too?”
Shen An was speechless.
What if next time he absentmindedly took someone’s stuff and triggered a quest? Couldn’t refuse then either?
Like accidentally grabbing a robber’s gun—didn’t mean he had to help the guy rob, right?
But then again, Shen Lianyao’s quest at least had a tangible reward. Song Rui’s? Just gratitude.
This system really was completely useless.
It said he couldn’t refuse—what happened if he did?
Shen An felt a twinge of regret. Should’ve held off accepting so fast, tested what happened with a non-refusable quest.
The system only issued quests and rewards from start to finish—no punishment mechanics mentioned.
Were there none? Or was it hiding them?
