Chapter 2: This Reward is a Bit Off
Chen Jingle instinctively nodded.
Then, he quickly realized what he had done and was about to complain, but stopped himself mid-thought.
There was a time when he truly believed he would become a pillar of society, moving from the countryside to the big city, naively thinking he could establish himself there with his own abilities.
In his youth, he was full of ambition, full of dreams, imagining a future of success and greatness.
But what was the reality?
"Whether or not I’ve become a pillar of society, I don’t know. But after graduation, I was often crushed by society, unable to catch my breath. That much is true."
Looking back at those years, he couldn’t quite express how difficult it was.
He only knew it was exhausting, an invisible kind of tiredness.
Sometimes he felt like he could handle anything, and other times, even a small issue felt like it could break him. Between these extreme moods of self-inflicted frustration and silent self-healing, he spun in endless circles.
And now, from a virtual system voice, he was somehow experiencing the sensation of being loved.
It was almost comical.
“Growth…”
Chen Jingle muttered thoughtfully, “Based on this introduction, does that mean I have to start working hard again?”
“I’m not afraid of hard work, I’m just afraid I won’t see any results.”
“If every time I work hard, I get a reward, though, then it wouldn’t be too bad.”
“Still, this newbie gift pack is too lame. This is supposed to be a ‘big’ reward?”
Chen Jingle expressed some dissatisfaction.
If this were in a game, he’d uninstall the app right on the spot.
【A child’s healthy growth needs to be gradual, not rushed. Also, little ones shouldn’t use bad language.】
Upon hearing this, Chen Jingle felt a little deflated.
“Alright then!”
“Well, it’s small, but better than nothing.”
He lightly tapped his fingers on the armrest of the rocking chair. “Height, strength…”
He wasn’t particularly concerned with height; after all, he could easily reach 1.8 meters when jumping.
As for strength, as long as he could beat the large goose at his great-uncle’s place, he was fine with it.
“Help me claim my reward!”
【Claim successful. Currently, Chen Jingle’s height is 173 cm, and his strength is 32.6 kg. The Double Reward Card has been added to your system inventory and can be used at any time.】
“Wait, I’m 1.73 meters, right? How is it still 1.73 after adding 0.1 cm?!”
Chen Jingle furrowed his brows, questioning the system.
【To be precise, your original height was 172.9 cm.】
“You’re lying! I’m clearly 173!”
[TN:lol]
Chen Jingle gritted his teeth in frustration.
This was a matter of dignity—there was no room for insult!
【The system doesn’t make mistakes. Also, little ones shouldn’t use bad language.】
Chen Jingle’s lips twitched, and he wanted to speak, but he just sighed long and hard, returning to his reclining position in the wicker chair.
“Forget it, whatever.”
As for strength, he chose to ignore it.
One must know their own limits.
After spending most of the past months in comfort and indulgence, his character had become increasingly lazy, and it had been a long time since he’d done any exercise. Calling himself weak wouldn’t be an understatement.
It’s easy to go from frugality to luxury, but hard to go back the other way!
A moment later, the system’s voice sounded again:
【It’s learning time! Smart babies love to learn. Please, Little Chen Jingle, choose one of the four mandatory subjects—Chinese, Mathematics, Foreign Language, or Calligraphy—and start studying. You have one hour. You can do it!】
“Love to learn? Ha! You must be possessed to say something like that.”
Chen Jingle smirked and refused to move.
Learn?
What a joke!
However, this thought lasted only a few seconds, as the system began repeating the task prompt over and over again.
As it turned out, even the sweetest voice can become annoying if it keeps repeating itself.
Reluctantly, Chen Jingle gave in. “Fine, fine, I’ll study! But when I’m done, you’d better give me a reward I’m happy with.”
Upon hearing this, the system immediately went silent.
As for the reward? It wasn’t even mentioned.
Chen Jingle sighed, tugging at his hair, and began seriously considering what to study.
“Four mandatory subjects…”
First, he eliminated Mathematics.
He hadn’t touched it since the college entrance exam, and now his level was so low he couldn’t even solve elementary school math problems. He couldn’t muster any interest in it, and frankly, it didn’t seem necessary in daily life either.
Chen Jingle had bought calligraphy practice books in the past, but they are just gathering dust. He had been too impatient before, his mindset too restless, so he hadn’t had the patience to stick with it, and of course, his handwriting hadn’t improved much.
If he could write beautiful calligraphy, it would still be very practical.
His foundation in Chinese and English was a bit better, but he had mostly forgotten Japanese, only remembering a few basic words and phrases. Suddenly, an idea popped into his mind: “Would electronic textbooks, like audio or video materials, work for studying?”
【As long as you think it will help with your subject learning, it’s fine.】
“Well, that’s good.”
Having spent years reading novels on his phone, he found his ability to absorb knowledge from paper books had significantly declined compared to when he was actively reading.
Old habits die hard.
...
Chen Jingle finally decided to pick English as his first subject to study through the system.
Instead of starting with reading books, he chose to watch online videos.
Recently, a video series about foreigners visiting China on a 144-hour transit visa has become quite popular. He often saw these types of videos—some were uploaded by others, and some were directly from the tourists themselves.
Watching their vlogs, Chen Jingle could understand most of the conversations, grateful that the foundation from his student days was still there.
He had to admit—he enjoyed watching these foreigners acting so surprised and amazed, getting a strange sense of satisfaction from seeing their reactions.
He wasn’t some kind of saint who had renounced all worldly pleasures.
Since the system said videos counted as study materials, he decided to use them to practice listening and speaking skills.
He casually opened a vlog of a foreign couple traveling, and started watching.
At first, Chen Jingle was just trying to get through the hour, but as time passed, he quickly found himself immersed in the learning atmosphere.
Outside, the sun was shining brightly, and inside, a cool breeze wafted through the room.
The young man sat with a focused expression, his attention fixed on the screen, occasionally furrowing his brows or pondering something.
A light breeze ruffled his bangs.
Apart from lounging in the rocking chair, which made him look a little lazy, anyone watching would definitely praise his diligent attitude toward learning.
At first, he had to rely on subtitles, but gradually, he could understand most of the content without them.
This was almost as good as his peak level of knowledge back in the day.
Chen Jingle enjoyed the feeling of progress and became more absorbed in it.
The video he chose was quite long, a compilation, lasting well over an hour.
So when the system prompt finally appeared, Chen Jingle was surprised: “Wait, I finished the task already?”
What was even more astonishing was that the knowledge didn’t just skim over his mind like usual; instead, it felt like it was clearly engraved in his brain, almost like he was back at his intellectual peak in high school, with every cell in his brain activated and buzzing with energy.
“Wow! The learning effect of this task is good?!”
Chen Jingle couldn’t believe it.
【Great job, baby! You successfully completed the learning task. Your reward is the removal of one pimple.】
What?!
“This is a learning task, right? Why am I being rewarded with acne removal?”
[TN: Big sis system is really funny. She keeps treating him like a baby but her rewards are a bit… Well tbh, I don’t mind that reward at all]
Chen Jingle was completely confused.
However, the system didn’t reply.
He grabbed a mirror and was astonished to find that the prominent red pimple on his chin had completely disappeared.
Amazing!
In the Lingnan region, due to the climate and other factors, it’s common for people to have skin flare-ups, especially for energetic young men like him. It was normal for him to get acne, and he could only drink more herbal tea and avoid staying up late.
When acne appeared, even if he applied ointment, it would take several days to clear up completely, and it might even leave ugly scars.
But with the system's help, it had vanished completely.
“Interesting!”
Chen Jingle felt full of energy.
Though the reward seemed off, it wasn’t entirely useless.
Eagerly, he asked, “What’s next? What’s the next task?”
【The system recommends a balance of work and rest. After completing a lesson, please take a ten-minute break.】
“No need for a break, I love studying!”
【The system recommends a balance of work and rest. After completing a lesson, please take a ten-minute break.】
Chen Jingle had no choice but to accept the arrangement.
Just then, his phone received a message:
“Handsome, let’s go out and play!”
Accompanied by a cheeky dancing emoji💃.
