Holding the card Zhao Li had given him, Shen An hummed a tune as he strolled leisurely toward his destination.
“Your childish dreams, pursuits without end~
You learned that victory’s not life’s necessity~
The greatest fear in life is the fear of defeat~~~”
He was still wearing his bloodstained white shirt, thrown on carelessly, and with his pallid complexion, he resembled a homeless drifter.
Yet his steps were relaxed and steady, like a fool lost in his own little world.
The bustling pedestrians hurried past, casting puzzled and curious glances at this handsome “drifter.” When they drew close enough to hear his singing, they all frowned, clearly thinking he was butchering the song.
The bright moonlight stretched his shadow long across the ground, while the roar of traffic failed to disturb him in the slightest.
Shen An savored the rare quiet amid the clamor.
In his view, this kind of tranquility born from the midst of hustle and bustle was the perfect time to unwind.
Everything was going fine until a shrill, comical ringtone suddenly blared out amid the crowd.
The pedestrians’ stares at Shen An grew even stranger.
Shen An didn’t care in the least. He felt his pocket vibrating wildly, so he stopped singing and pulled out his pink phone.
After an eternity of lag, text finally appeared in the Healing System’s chat window.
“Congratulations on successfully completing the commission: Mother’s Worry. You will receive one Integral Point and the commission reward: ‘A brand new set of clothes,’ which also triggers a hidden main storyline quest.”
“Next, unlocking the ‘Mother’s Worry’ hidden main quest branch one: ‘Unknown Cohabitant.’ The System defaults that you have accepted the commission.”
“Unknown Cohabitant: Please get along peacefully with Zhao Li’s daughter for one month. During this time, learn as much as you can about her to prepare for future tasks.”
“Reward: Unknown.”
“Completing this commission will grant you one Integral Point. Current Integral Points: 1.”
Shen An read the System’s message carefully, then slipped the phone back into his pocket.
So the thing had hidden main quests after all.
He’d known it wouldn’t be that simple. The first commission was little more than a foot in the door—”willing to help” and “actually succeeding” were worlds apart.
“Get along peacefully for a month?”
Shen An pondered the task’s details. On the surface, it seemed straightforward enough.
As long as she was a normal person—or at least acted like one—he was confident he could maintain a month of peaceful relations.
Literally speaking, there didn’t seem to be anything off about it.
But something about those four words, “peaceful coexistence,” felt loaded to Shen An. And the System had specified a full month.
In other words, if they clashed during that time, or if he was forced to end the cohabitation, would that count as failure?
Oh well.
Shen An gathered his thoughts, deciding not to overthink it.
He hadn’t even met Zhao Li’s daughter yet. Guessing based on imagination wouldn’t get him anywhere.
Whether she was normal or not would only become clear once they met.
More importantly, he was curious about these Integral Points.
Two commissions in a row, each rewarding just one point. Did that mean every task gave only one?
Then he’d need a hundred commissions to make a single wish.
A hundred, huh?
Not an insane number, but not trivial either.
Shen An narrowed his eyes slightly, finding the whole experience increasingly intriguing.
He wasn’t even that fussed about the rewards anymore—or whether he could make a wish at all.
If he treated it like a game, Shen An was starting to enjoy playing it.
In fact, he already was.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, a bag came drifting down from above and smacked right into Shen An’s head.
He raised an eyebrow, picked it up, and peered inside.
There was a brand-new set of clothes, right down to underwear—and thoughtfully, there were three pairs.
Woo woo woo.
The Healing System was just too sweet.
But why only one outfit?
Shen An touched the bloodstains on his shirt, wondering if they would even come out in the wash.
If not, he’d have to figure out how to buy another set, if only to have something to rotate.
Before long, following directions from a passerby, Shen An located the hotel Zhao Li had mentioned.
It really was Eight Seas City’s most luxurious, top-tier establishment!
Standing at the crosswalk opposite, he looked up and felt as if it stretched endlessly into the sky.
The hotel seemed to pierce the heavens, framed against the moon and stars.
He blinked, and the illusion faded.
The building was tall, but not taller than the firmament.
At the entrance, seven golden characters were etched into the facade: “Azure Sea Chain Grand Hotel.”
A chain Grand Hotel.
That meant it wasn’t just in Eight Seas City—there were branches elsewhere.
Lady Zhao Li was quite the wealthy woman indeed.
Too bad~
Shen An had no interest in married women.
A wave of fragrance suddenly wafted over, catching his attention.
He turned to see a street-side food stall. Beneath a black iron wok, flames blazed hot, stir-frying golden rice noodles.
Glancing along the row, the entire street was a chaotic mix of food and drink stalls: not just this one, but barbecues, all sorts of snacks—even candied hawthorns.
The mingled aromas filled the air, drawing in every passerby.
Shen An was no exception.
As he watched, his stomach started rumbling again.
Patting his empty pockets, he sighed in resignation and hurried across the street to the Azure Sea Grand Hotel.
“Hello, sir?”
A hotel staff member approached immediately, greeting him politely.
Shen An pulled out Zhao Li’s card. “Got any rooms available?”
The staff took the card and glanced at Shen An, surprise flickering across his face.
“Yes, we do.”
He turned. “You hold one of our exclusive VIP cards, which grants unconditional access to any suite.”
With that, he led Shen An to the front desk, swiped the card to verify, and let Shen An pick a suite.
Shen An chose one at random and followed the staff to his room.
“Uh, by the way,” Shen An said casually from inside the room, “does the hotel offer any other services?”
“Services?” The staff’s expression turned a bit odd.
“Yeah, like food and drinks.”
The staff blinked, then explained, “Floors one through ten are the dining area, open twenty-four hours. Floors ten through thirty are guest rooms, and thirty through thirty-five are the leisure zone.”
“If you need anything, sir, just head to the corresponding floor.”
“Ahem, does this card cover spending too?”
This was what Shen An really cared about.
If not, he’d have to figure out meals for the coming days.
“Everything below the thirtieth floor is included in the card.”
“Oh~ Great, thanks.”
Shen An breathed a sigh of relief.
That meant he could eat his fill on the dining floors without worry.
As for the leisure zone above thirty? Heh, not his thing.
Hmm~
Though if there was an internet cafe, he wouldn’t mind logging some time online.
After all, aside from this laggy phone that made him want to rant, he had no other entertainment.
He couldn’t just watch TV in the room every day.
Shen An shut the door, took a quick shower, and changed into the hotel’s pajamas. After blow-drying his hair, he flopped onto the soft bed, feeling worn out.
His body was tired, but his mind refused to settle.
After a while, he picked up the pink brick of a phone from the nightstand and examined it closely in the dark.
He stared at it for about half an hour before setting it down, rolling onto his side, and closing his eyes.
This was a strange world.
But also an unknown one.
He pushed thoughts of the distant future aside. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.
Slowly, gradually, he drifted off—though scenes from the rooftop kept replaying in his mind.
That girl, leaping resolutely downward…
It had been just a fleeting glimpse, yet the memory stuck deep.
Even in sleep, he dreamed of her.
Because that girl was downright stunning.
Beautiful things always left a profound impression with effortless ease.
And so, the night passed.
Shen An brushed his teeth and washed his face, then flashed a near-perfect smile at the mirror.
He frowned slightly, deeming it a touch too fake, and tried another.
One after another, like a perfectionist actor, he fine-tuned his micro-expressions.
This was his morning ritual.
He was afraid of forgetting the exact curve his lips should form to convey a “smile.”
It was an expression he couldn’t produce naturally.
The same went for sadness, sorrow, tears—and all the other emotions others took for granted.
After repeating the practice for half an hour, Shen An splashed hot water on his face.
He broke into a sunny smile, drew back the curtains, and let brilliant sunlight flood the room.
Yet he himself stood in the shadows nearby, slowly dressing in the new clothes from the System.
With all his preparations complete, he picked up his pink phone and headed out the door.
He had no specific destination in mind. He simply planned to make good use of this free time before Zhao Li got in touch, taking the opportunity to learn more about this world.
At the very least, he wanted to familiarize himself with Eight Seas City.
As the saying goes, when in Rome, do as the Romans do.
There was no harm in wandering around and taking in the sights.
After all, he had nothing better to do right now.
