Reward

"Tang Manman, you should know what kind of person I am."

"I have no background, no family connections, not even parents to rely on like everyone else. My grades are a complete mess too."

"My future is destined to be hopeless."

"So for me, if there's any chance to live a carefree life in the future, I won't let it slip away."

Tang Manman, who had been wiping her tears with her head lowered, suddenly grew anxious upon hearing this. She lifted her face, her expression urgent and sorrowful, tinged with deep resentment—like a puppy unwilling to be abandoned yet powerless to change it.

Lin Yu knew what was going through Tang Manman's mind and comforted her:

"Don’t worry, the woman at the school gate is a creep. I may not want to work hard in the future, but I’m not suicidal."

"Besides, compared to her, I much prefer..."

At this point, Lin Yu’s tongue suddenly felt heavy, stiffening before he could utter another syllable. Especially when Tang Manman fixed her hopeful yet fragile gaze on him, he grew even more embarrassed.

"Ahem!"

Scratching his slightly flushed cheeks, he coughed twice to ease the awkwardness before skipping over the half-spoken words and continuing:

"Anyway, since you like me so much..."

"I’m willing to give you a chance."

"Study hard, get into a good university, land a great job, make big money—and then I’ll tag along with you."

"The kind where you won’t be able to shake me off!"

"Really?" Tang Manman looked up at Lin Yu, her face devoid of much joy, clearly not fully trusting his words.

Her lower lip jutted slightly, her damp, red eyes brimming with a mix of grievance and quiet dissatisfaction as she muttered under her breath:

"You always lie to me..."

"Of course it’s true!" Seeing an opening, Lin Yu quickly affirmed:

"Once you become a corporate executive, a CEO, or some high-powered big shot, I’d be scrambling to suck up to you!"

"Why would I ever refuse you?"

"Besides," he added, "if you end up incredibly successful—powerful and influential—it’s not like I could refuse you even if I wanted to."

"You could just hire a few people to tie me up, toss me into a dark room, and I’d have no choice but to go along with whatever you say..."

As he spoke, Lin Yu suddenly noticed the atmosphere shifting. Across the table, Tang Manman had inexplicably calmed down, no longer sniffling or wiping tears.

Her teary eyes blinked, her expression focused and earnest, gleaming with something akin to the spark of discovering a new world.

...

Seeing her like this, a flicker of unease rose in Lin Yu’s heart.

This kid… she’s not going to turn into something dangerous in the future, is she?

Wait—no!

If anyone’s going to end up in trouble, it’s probably me!

He sighed helplessly.

At this point, Lin Yu had no energy to dwell on distant, uncertain futures. His top priority was to resolve Tang Manman’s emotional knots and refocus her on studying.

Steadying himself, he followed through with his original plan and said:

"Actually, I also feel..."

Under Tang Manman’s intense gaze, the words on the tip of his tongue became difficult to voice again.

Lin Yu decided to avoid looking at her. Picking up the spoon beside his coffee cup, he stirred the dark liquid as he continued:

"I-I actually have feelings for you too, so I’m willing to work hard with you."

"And I don’t mind setting up some rewards along the way."

"Here’s the deal: starting today, for every ten spots you climb in the school rankings, I’ll grant you one simple request."

"Like going shopping, eating out, watching a movie, taking a walk, or seeing the ocean—anything’s fine."

"And I’ll cover all the expenses!"

"If you make it back into the top ten, for every rank you rise, I’ll give you one extra request."

"And if you become the school’s number one..."

"Then I’ll..."

He paused, staring into the brown depths of his coffee, before adding:

"...grant you one not-so-simple request."

"Like taking you on a trip wherever you want, or any other request—as long as it’s within my power, I won’t refuse."

"Oh, and..." Lin Yu kept talking before abruptly cutting himself off, realizing something critical.

I’ve been rambling all this time—what if Tang Manman doesn’t even want these rewards? Wouldn’t that make me look ridiculously full of myself?

...

That’d be so embarrassing!

Anxiously, he glanced up at Tang Manman. Seeing her eyes shining brighter than when Xia Yueshan had heard Lin Yu would teach him martial arts, he relaxed, a faint smirk tugging at his lips.

Seems I still have some charm in her eyes!

He schooled his expression, suppressing the smile, and solemnly added:

"But let’s be clear upfront."

"No cheating the system!"

"If I catch you deliberately tanking your grades just to climb back up, our deal’s off."

"Of course, to be fair, as long as you break into the top ten, no matter your previous rank, I’ll give you the corresponding rewards."

"If you place tenth, you get one regular reward."

"If you take first place, you get nine regular rewards plus one super reward."

"And this system stacks with the earlier one."

"If you don’t want the rewards, I can also cash them out—3,000 for a regular reward, 30,000 for a super one. You can use it to pay off your debt to me."

"I won’t take the cash!" Tang Manman suddenly interjected, her tone vehement, as if someone were trying to trade gold for scrap metal.

Her reaction secretly delighted Lin Yu, his lips threatening to curl upward again.

Being valued feels good.

So good it’s almost intoxicating.

Finally, after some thought, Lin Yu mustered the nerve to tack on one last condition:

"And let’s get this straight—I’m selling my skills, not my body!"

Tang Manman’s face flushed crimson. She ducked her head deeply, hiding whether her expression was disappointment or bashfulness.