Chapter 11: Reading is Actually Entertainment
“I love bathing, the turtle slipped~ Oh oh~ Oh oh~”
“Watch out for fleas, so many bubbles~ Oh oh~ Oh oh~”
Chen Jingle spent an extra ten minutes bathing today compared to his usual routine.
For one, his muscles were sore. For another, while he hadn’t sweat much, his metabolism had clearly kicked up a notch. Sticking to his usual quick rinse just didn’t feel sufficient.
“Tsk, it’s been ages since I took such a thorough shower.”
He even used a bottle of body wash that had been sitting untouched for years.
Wash, scrub, rinse—he emerged feeling fresh and clean, with a pleasant fragrance lingering around him.
Perfect!
While his Northern friends might follow an elaborate bathing ritual, scrubbing every pore head to toe, this was already a step up from his usual quick rinse.
Clean and refreshed!
[Well done! You’ve successfully completed the bathing task. Reward: One scar removed from the buttocks.]
Tsk~
“You see? There’s a reward! Taking a bath even gets rid of a scar—worth it!”
Not that he had scars all over his body.
At this pace, it wouldn’t be long before he transformed into the ideal version of himself—Hu, Guan, or Zhu style.
[TN: I got a feeling that you would transform into a baby instead]
Just imagining it made him look forward to the future.
...
As usual, after drying his hair, Chen Jingle would normally sit in front of his computer, ready to surf the web or launch a game.
But today, with the system’s arrival and all the changes it had brought, his focus had completely shifted away from casual entertainment.
Instead, he asked again, “System, are there any more tasks?”
Completing tasks and earning rewards was what really mattered!
Play? Forget it!
This dude’s on a mission! This dude’s going big!
[Now is your free time. If you’re unsure of what to do, why not read a book? Reading classic literature can broaden your knowledge, expand your horizons, and enrich your mind.]
Chen Jingle’s eyes lit up. A task was a task, after all.
Still, he couldn’t resist teasing, “Didn’t you say evenings are for entertainment? Why does it still involve reading?”
[For a smart individual like you, reading extracurricular books should be a relaxing and enjoyable activity, not a passive chore.]
Tsk~
Chen Jingle shook his head. “Alright, alright. No one can outtalk you.”
Reading it is!
As long as there’s a reward, he didn’t mind.
He turned his gaze to the small bookshelf on his desk.
The bookshelf wasn’t big, and it didn’t hold much: Selected Works, The Water of Canglang, Inside the System, The Town’s Clamor, plus two books gifted by Liang Cheng—XXX on Governance and a local city chronicle.
Most were social science books.
To be honest, these books served more as decorations than for actual reading—judging by the layer of dust on them.
Most of the time, Chen Jingle preferred reading online web novels.
Life was already exhausting enough; why add to the burden with heavy, thought-provoking literature when you could enjoy mindless, feel-good stories?
After all, he wasn’t aiming for further studies or academic research.
When Liang Cheng asked him earlier about considering graduate school, Chen Jingle didn’t dare commit. He didn’t feel he had the capability or the motivation right now.
For humanities students, advancing academically wasn’t as straightforward as in the sciences, where data and experiments were tangible. The only way forward was to read—a lot.
Read various papers and books.
Until they were dog-eared and falling apart!
Ultimately, this relentless “torture” would elevate one’s knowledge base, critical thinking, and ability to distill and articulate complex ideas.
Only by enduring this could one truly master their field and convey their thoughts clearly through writing.
Instead of writing pretentious nonsense without sufficient experience and knowledge, one should dive into books.
If you lack patience and determination, don’t even think about pursuing further studies. That’s the consequence for slackers.
Chen Jingle was lazy by nature, which is why he gave up the opportunity to improve himself and settled into being a self-proclaimed loser. However!
When the system presented him with a new path, he chose to work hard over staying stagnant without a second thought.
Why the sudden change?
The answer was simple.
The difference lay in the immediate positive feedback the system provided. He could clearly see that his efforts were being rewarded.
That made him willing to work hard.
Gamers know the drill—there has to be loot when you grind dungeons. No rewards? Forget it; no one’s playing that trash game!
But reality isn’t a game. Lack of feedback and rewards is the norm.
It was this lack of acknowledgment that had previously turned Chen Jingle apathetic and disheartened.
If everything in life offered rewards like this, what reason would there be to not stay motivated?
...
If web novels count as literature, then Chen Jingle could honestly claim he loved reading.
However, excluding web novels, he would only read what genuinely interested him—be it poetry, materials, or short essays.
Lengthy texts? Not a chance.
He didn’t have the patience for anything that felt like a drain on his time and energy without yielding satisfying results.
Over time, this created a vicious cycle.
Although his first system learning module was English, his favorite subject back in school had always been Chinese.
Chinese was essential not only as part of the curriculum but as something that would accompany a person throughout life.
Unfortunately, the delayed impact of education meant that many only came to appreciate the beauty of Chinese after stepping into the real world.
“The chrysanthemums in Beihai have bloomed; I’ll push you to see them.”
“There’s a loquat tree in the yard, planted by my wife the year she passed. It now stands tall and spreads wide.”
“Children see me and don’t recognize me; they smile and ask where I come from.”
The power of words resonates deeply.
After pondering for a moment, Chen Jingle picked up The Water of Canglang. He’d read part of it before but hadn’t finished, so he decided to continue.
“The water of Canglang is clear; it can wash my tassels.
The water of Canglang is muddy; it can wash my feet.”
This highly acclaimed political novel critiqued the toxic culture of power worship and bureaucracy, exposing the dark, corrupt side of officialdom. It was hailed as a rare gem in contemporary realism.
But every time Chen Jingle tried reading it, he found himself frowning.
Having been spoiled by mindless, feel-good stories, he struggled with its heavier themes.
This time, however, he resolved to leverage the system’s abilities to finish the book.
He read quickly.
Thanks to the system’s enhancements, his reading ability now bordered on photographic memory. He no longer needed to meticulously parse every word like before.
But speed didn’t mean he skimmed.
He truly immersed himself in the world of the book, fully absorbing its content. Only after finishing it did he let out a long sigh.
“It’s well-written, but... it’s not the path I want to take.”
More tasks awaited.
