Late at night, in the South District, inside Yan Huan’s rented apartnt.
The desk lamp illuminated the room with soft, warm light, highlighting the scattered papers on the desk.
Yan Huan lay on his bed, pale-faced and dazed, his mouth slightly open. Symbols and characters seed to float before his eyes.
Suddenly, as if he had figured out the solution to a complex mathematics problem, he clutched his head, his black bangs spilling through his fingers.
His bloodshot eyes glimred with excitent and intelligence.
"I... I think I solved it. If I just apply the integral..."
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed so faint virtual text in his vision, seemingly counting down:
[Study Conqueror, Layer 10, Remaining Ti: 1 minute and 28 seconds]
Instinctively, Yan Huan tried to sit up and return to his desk to continue studying, aiming to maintain his Conqueror layers.
But before he could, a black cat jumped onto the bed, lifted its head, and spoke.
"Yan Huan, it’s ti to rest."
He paused, staring at ow-chan.
Her words seed to awaken the pain in his body. Only now did he realize the aching soreness throughout and the dizzy heaviness in his head.
Overwork, the price of excessive effort...
"Hiss..."
Yan Huan drew in a sharp breath, massaging his shoulder as he asked ow-chan,
"What ti is it now?"
"It’s almost two in the morning, ow..."
ow-chan jumped to his side and lightly swept her tail over his untouched phone, lighting up the screen. The ti read 1:48, alongside several unread ssages on Plane.
"You’ve been studying since 5 PM yesterday—nearly eight hours straight. You still have school tomorrow. If you keep this up, your body might not hold out..."
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, smiling helplessly as he reached out to pat ow-chan on the head.
"I didn’t expect the bonus effect to be so intense. That gradual process of grasping concepts feels surreal..."
The issue wasn’t that studying was dull—curiosity, after all, was a fundantal human trait.
The problem was that learning often lacked imdiate positive feedback.
Especially in a subject like mathematics, where people could spend hours, days, or even weeks without understanding its purpose or application, often feeling they’d gained nothing.
This made studying synonymous with "tedium."
In quantifiable assessnts, no matter how hard you try, there are always problems you can’t solve.
But if you received clear, tangible rewards for every half-hour of study, then learning could be just as addictive as anything else.
This was the reality for Yan Huan, empowered by the Study Conqueror ability.
The more focused he beca, the faster his progress. The more concepts he grasped, the greater the ntal satisfaction.
Reaching the highest layer of focus led to an explosive surge in intellectual clarity, solving puzzles that once seed insurmountable.
It was addictive.
And the "layers" added another elent.
Perhaps due to a mild obsessive-compulsive tendency, every ti Yan Huan thought about taking a break, seeing those dwindling Conqueror layers made him instinctively return to his studies.
But now, he had to stop.
Yawning, Yan Huan watched as the tir for Study Conqueror ticked down to zero.
When it ended, the sharp clarity of his mind seed to fade, leaving him with a heavier head.
Though his natural intelligence remained impressive, having experienced that heightened brilliance, Yan Huan could now truly understand the saying:
"Even among geniuses, there are differences!"
Dragging his tired body to the desk, he organized his notes and drafts and closed the digital textbook he had nearly finished.
After shutting the computer, he prepared to wash up for the night.
"ow-chan, how about I open a can of food for you?"
"ow?"
Yan Huan crouched down and opened a can of cat food, his face full of expectation.
ow-chan glanced at the can, then at Yan Huan’s hopeful expression, seemingly trying to appeal to his reason with a paw swipe.
"Go on, eat up. Cats need to eat to grow big and strong."
"...ow..."
ow-chan hesitantly approached the can, tentatively licking it with her small tongue.
Hmm? The taste wasn’t bad!
"Slurp... slurp..."
Her licks beca quicker, prompting Yan Huan to smile and pat her head.
He opened his phone, finally checking Plane for the ssages he had missed during his focused study session.
Hmm...
In the student council group chat, You Anlina ntioned she’d attend the Linn Ga Expo this weekend.
Hearing this, Ying Gong Tong expressed interest in joining as well.
Great—seems like there’d be a student council outing this weekend.
Without ssaging the group further to avoid disturbing anyone’s rest, Yan Huan noticed a red dot on his contact list.
Soone had added him?
Blinking, he clicked on "My Friends" and saw a new friend request from earlier that night.
"Heart One"
"Requesting to add you as a friend."
"Source: Searched by Plane ID."
As Yan Huan studied the user’s musical note avatar, he walked to the bathroom, contemplating.
Bai Yi, perhaps?
Since Yan Huan had added her mother on Plane, it wouldn’t be difficult for her to find his account.
Thinking it over, he accepted the request but didn’t send a ssage, focusing instead on his nightly routine.
When he erged from the bathroom, ow-chan had finished her can of food and was licking her paws contentedly.
No need to prepare a litter box—divine beings had their perks.
Although, only taking in without expelling... didn’t that make her more like a Pixiu?
"Bedti, ow-chan."
"ow~"
Yan Huan turned off the light, lying down on his bed and massaging his brow.
ow-chan hopped beside him, her clear green eyes blinking as she asked,
"Didn’t you ssage your boss earlier? Hasn’t she replied yet?"
Half-asleep, Yan Huan grabbed his phone again.
True—Tong Yingying hadn’t responded.
What was she doing all night with no updates?
Glancing at the unread conversation, Yan Huan hesitated but decided not to follow up, placing his phone aside.
Instead, he pulled ow-chan into his arms.
"Forget it. I’ll ask her tomorrow."
"ow~"
He closed his eyes, ready for sleep.
Ti rewound slightly, Thursday night, Jinghe District.
In a villa’s first-floor room, warm light illuminated the spacious interior.
An electric guitar connected to a computer sat amidst other instrunts. The computer displayed a professional music software interface, with colorful audio tracks forming a rainbow against the black background.
A song was about to be born.
...
Thinking about all this, Bai Yi’s warm, flushed face slowly cooled down.
She pursed her lips, feeling a bit despondent as she stared at the tracks on her music software.
It was like a dragon without eyes, lifeless and lying dormant in her computer.
"Why are you back?"
The sound of the front door opening interrupted her thoughts, followed by the voice of Zuo Jiangqin.
"Ah, I heard Yi-yi ran away from ho, so I dropped everything and rushed back to Linn..."
A calm, middle-aged male voice responded—it was Jiang Xiong, Zuo Jiangqin’s husband from her remarriage.
"Ugh, it’s just a childish tantrum. She’ll be fine in a few days. She even went out to attend an event today, so I’m sure she’s realized her mistake by now."
"Even a tantrum is serious if it leads to running away from ho. Is Yi-yi asleep yet?"
"I don’t know. She should be."
Footsteps approached. Bai Yi glanced at the door as a knock echoed through the room.
Knock, knock...
"Yi-yi, are you asleep?"
Bai Yi hesitated before softly replying,
"The door’s not locked, Uncle Jiang."
Click.
The door opened, revealing a refined middle-aged man with graying hair and a slightly wrinkled face, still in his formal attire.
Wearing glasses, he surveyed Bai Yi’s room and smiled.
"Your mother said you ran away two days ago?"
"Yes, but it’s all fine now..."
Jiang Xiong crossed his arms, unconvinced.
"Is that so..."
As the conversation lulled, Bai Yi turned to him, taking the initiative to ask,
"Won’t this disrupt your work, coming back to Linn so suddenly?"
"Quite the opposite—everything’s fine. In fact, I was planning to return to Linn anyway. The CEO of Ye International sent his daughter here, and with business ramping up, I wanted to see if I could establish a connection."
"Ye International? That’s huge. Is that even possible?"
"Maybe not for others, but your uncle has a wide network of friends..."
Smiling faintly, Jiang Xiong stepped into Bai Yi’s room and pulled over a chair, leaving the door open.
"The new person in charge, Ye Lan, used to be my senior in school. She was one year ahead of .
"I even attended her wedding, though her husband was no good. She caught him cheating, and after giving him a swift kick that... ended his ability to have kids, she left with her child."
Jiang Xiong casually dropped the story, capturing Bai Yi’s attention despite her reluctance to talk.
"You an Ye International’s family? They’re so wealthy—how could soone cheat?"
"It’s complicated. I only know bits and pieces."
Jiang Xiong shrugged as he explained,
"Apparently, when Ye International was just starting out, things were tough, and her family had multiple siblings to support. It was hard for her during university.
"When things improved and she brought ho her partner, her family disapproved of the poor guy, refusing to bless their marriage."
Bai Yi blinked, curious.
"And then...?"
"Well, when they got married, her parents didn’t even attend. Maybe they sensed sothing off about him. Perhaps it wasn’t just about his background."
Bai Yi’s expression grew complex as she sighed.
"The adult world is so complicated..."
"Exactly. That’s why I want you to spend more ti with your peers, working less."
Catching his underlying ssage, Bai Yi pouted and muttered,
"Isn’t this what being a celebrity is about? Constant events. What if I lose popularity later? Mom always says to make the most of it while I’m still famous."
"You’ll never finish chasing money, Yi-yi."
Jiang Xiong removed his glasses, smiling as he added,
"Even my senior at Ye International has her share of problems. We’re no exception. If things are so stressful that you’re running away from ho, wouldn’t it be better to take a break?"
Bai Yi glanced at him, then softly asked,
"But what about the penalty fees? That’s a huge amount of money, isn’t it? We can’t afford that, right?"
"Exactly, we can’t."
"Then why are you even saying this!"
Annoyed, Bai Yi tossed a plushie from her desk at him, which Jiang Xiong easily caught.
"Don’t be so rigid. I’m saying finish what you’ve already taken on, but take fewer jobs afterward.
"There’s a long road ahead, Yi-yi. Spend more ti in school, with classmates. Read more books, even if you’re not great at studying—gather different perspectives.
"Then, when you’ve freed up ti, do sothing you truly enjoy."
He toyed with the plushie briefly before tossing it back to Bai Yi.
"We’re neither rich nor poor. At worst, even if you don’t accomplish anything, we won’t starve. Relax and be brave."
Bai Yi caught the plushie but simply stared at Jiang Xiong, unable to respond for a while.
Monts later, Zuo Jiangqin’s voice echoed from upstairs.
"What are you doing down there? Hurry up and shower! Clean yourself up and get to bed!"
Bai Yi blinked at her mother’s commanding tone, while Jiang Xiong visibly flinched under her fierce aura, a layer of sweat appearing on his forehead.
It seed like the signal for sothing imminent.
Jiang Xiong moved the chair back into place with trembling hands, smiling wryly at Bai Yi.
"I’m off to bed. You should rest early too."
"Okay, Uncle Jiang..."
Bai Yi nodded, watching him leave and close the door behind him.
Be brave, huh...
Turning back to her phone, she stared at the profile with the userna "Huan."
Pouting, she hesitated before pressing the "Add Friend" button.
A light tap, and then...
"Friend request sent!"
Success!
Nervously clutching her phone, Bai Yi watched the pending friend request in her contact list, her heart racing.
Would he accept it?
Or... reject it?
She clutched her phone and flopped onto her bed, staring anxiously at the screen.
A minute passed.
Five minutes passed.
Ha... maybe he’s busy and hasn’t seen it yet, right?
I’ll just watch so videos. It’s fine.
Bai Yi opened a short video app, but every few swipes, she switched back to Plane to check if he had accepted.
Every ti, the answer was the sa.
No!!
Why did I send a friend request? What was I thinking?!
Isn’t there an option to withdraw it?!
Blushing fiercely, Bai Yi rolled around on her bed, caught in a spiral of regret.
One act of courage, exchanged for an entire night of shyness.
Unbeknownst to her, Yan Huan hadn’t even noticed her request...
His eyes were glued to his studies!
anwhile, in the South District of Linn, at the Tong Yao Pub.
...【Scene transition to the pub dialogue follows】...
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