It is suggested that all high school students' National Day homework be doubled next year, since he will graduate after all next year.

Xia Yanchun sat comfortably in the back seat, enjoying the gentle breeze of the afternoon. The scent of shampoo lingered in the air—Shen Nian had gotten a haircut and looked even fresher now. Remembering how Shen Nian loved playing with her hair several times a day, she couldn’t resist tugging at the stray strands near his ear.

"You’re distracting the driver, you know. Maybe I should inspect your legs later as punishment," Shen Nian added with a smirk, "Specifically, your thighs."

"Fine, I’ll send you some random pics from the internet. There are plenty on Xiaohongshu."

"Tch, don’t play dumb. I meant the real deal."

"Not happening."

"……"

Xia Yanchun wiggled her toes, feeling unusually comfortable on the electric scooter. Was it because it was brand new? She tightened her grip around Shen Nian’s shoulders and pouted, "How much did this scooter cost?"

"Seven thousand six. Don’t worry, I won’t charge you for rides. Consider it a free commute service—for the sake of being the world’s best friend and, well, checking out those legs."

"The latter is the real reason, isn’t it? You’re such a pervert!"

"Not perverted—just human nature. Perfectly reasonable," Shen Nian declared matter-of-factly.

"……"

When they reached the shopping district, Xia Yanchun hurriedly packed a meal for Li Shiyan. No one could be allowed to starve, especially not their resident "mysterious one."

Neither she nor Shen Nian had eaten yet, and carrying three takeout boxes into school made her nervous the guard might stop her. Luckily, the security uncle turned a blind eye.

Shen Nian parked the scooter in the bike shed near the gate—a space the school had set up for students who lived off-campus. A few electric scooters were usually parked there too, watched over by a dedicated guard. If someone forgot their keys, the guard would even keep them safe temporarily. The school had its considerate moments.

By the time they reached the classroom, it was already past six. Xia Yanchun huffed, blaming Shen Nian for dragging her to the scooter shop and wasting so much time.

When she returned, Li Shiyan was slumped over a pile of books, her soft cheeks squished against the pages, looking half-dead.

"Your deskmate seems a little deceased," Shen Nian pointed out.

Ignoring him, Xia Yanchun delivered the food to Li Shiyan.

Shen Nian took his own meal and wolfed it down at his desk. He ate quickly, shoveling large bites, and tossed the empty container into the trash before the evening self-study bell even rang.

Glancing sideways, he noticed two girls nearby still nibbling at their food, swapping dishes—one picking at the other’s roast duck, the other stealing a bite of lean meat. Shen Nian, who’d grown up surrounded by girls, felt an odd pang of envy.

Maybe he should’ve eaten slower and joined in.

Chunbao, try some of Need’s stir-fried pork with peppers. Hey, little Lolita, go buy water for me and Chunbao.

That’s how you use ‘little Lolita.’

Ma Mingfan rushed into the classroom, out of breath, and immediately launched into banter with Shen Nian and Chen Dong before even sitting down.

"This morning, a cute little sister woke me up by lying on my bed. My tsundere childhood sweetheart waited for me to walk to school. At school, a soft-spoken girl chats with me every day. The cute teacher in the office tailors a deep-learning plan just for me. The hot nurse in the clinic smirks and asks about my love life. And when I get home, my older sister—a working woman—sobs and says she wants to be with me forever. This… this is the ultimate male fantasy, right?"

"I’d call that the delusional ramblings of a dying otaku. Just admit you’re repressed," Chen Dong deadpanned. Is this what happens when you play too much Naruto? Glad he’d switched to Eight Treasures Congee Tactics instead.

"Huh? What’s wrong with that? Don’t tell me you don’t want that kind of life?"

"The rest is whatever, but even your sister? Really?"

"Sisters… hehe… older sisters… hehe…"

Shen Nian propped his chin on his hand and chuckled. "All that blabbering, and I thought you were talking about me."

Ma Mingfan paused, then burst into laughter. "Hahaha! You’re actually fantasizing about it now?"

"Well, minus the sister and the hot nurse, the rest kinda matches my daily life."

"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

Ma Mingfan was laughing like Tom the Cat.

Bro just copied a meme he saw online, and now someone’s self-inserting?

Is this… delusion hour?!

Shen Nian forced a smile. What was wrong with the world? Even telling the truth got you laughed at.

Whatever, whatever. I’m in a good mood today—no need to bother with this head-patting weirdo.

The bell rang, and the classroom quieted down. Shen Nian had two test papers left but finished them before the second self-study session ended.

Eighty papers? Easy. One set a day? Child’s play.

He believed most people could do it.

Big cheats are small cheats, small cheats aren’t cheats—we’re all legit players. If I can do it, so can everyone else. Next year, let’s double the National High School Holiday Homework.

After all, I’ll have graduated by then.

There was a poetic irony to it—like begging to lift gaming restrictions as a minor, then advocating for stricter ones as an adult. Pure hypocrisy.

[Main Quest: Advance to Intermediate Adventurer! (Completed)]

Shen Nian cracked his knuckles. Finally done with all ten monthly exam papers.

Fresh from buying the scooter, the system rewarded him with 5,000 gold coins—5,000 yuan—just enough to recoup some of the cost.

As for the [Intermediate Adventurer] title, it worked as expected: same-type titles couldn’t stack. [Novice Adventurer] was automatically replaced.

(Charm +2, Stamina +2)

He rubbed his chin, feeling no visible change in his appearance. Testing the stamina boost would require some comparison.

The moment the main quest was done, a new one popped up.

[New Main Quest Unlocked: Challenge the Stronger!

Defeat a high-level monster for the first time. Reward: 10,000 gold coins]

A glance at the reward… Meh.

No passive skills, no life skills, no title—but the 10,000 gold made up for it.

For a high schooler, 10,000 was a fortune.

Early on, the system doled out rewards in 1,000s. Now it was 5,000, 10,000… At this rate, buying a car after graduation wouldn’t be impossible.

With three active quests—one main, one side, one hidden—Shen Nian’s already busy life grew even busier. And he loved it.

In even higher spirits now, he felt like teasing the "little Lolita" for fun.

Nearby, Li Shiyan’s nose twitched, and she sneezed softly.

"The weather’s getting colder," she whispered, poking Xia Yanchun’s arm.

"Really? Feels the same to me."

"Hey, your short hair looks so cute! Maybe I should cut mine too."

Xia Yanchun smoothed her hair. "I’ve always kept it this length. If you cut yours, it’ll take years to grow back."

After a pause, Li Shiyan suddenly grinned. "Chun, your place is nearby, right? I’ve never been over."

"You wanna visit?"

"Can I? Weekends are just one day, and I don’t go home. Staying in the dorm is just playing on my phone—so boring!"

"Sure, you can come over if you want." Xia Yanchun noticed Li Shiyan's smiling eyes and grinned back. "But you’ll have to sneak in—can’t let the person across from me know."

"Why?"

"Because Shen Nian lives opposite me."

"!"

What an intimidating name—enough to make someone cry.

"How do you two even live together? That’s terrifying..." Li Shiyan blinked, stealing a glance at Shen Nian at the neighboring desk. No wonder Xia Yanchun always arrived at school with him!

"Ugh, I’m used to it. I’m just built different—anyone else would’ve moved out by now." Xia Yanchun sighed helplessly.

If Shen Nian found out Li Shiyan was coming over, he’d probably shamelessly barge in too. In his usual rogue manner, he’d say something like, "As long as the three of us live happily together, nothing else matters."

...Well, even if Li Shiyan weren’t around, Shen Nian would still force his way in, claiming he needed to study seriously—only to start playing with Xia Yanchun’s hair after a few minutes.

"Mhm!" Li Shiyan nodded vigorously, imagining how she’d react if Shen Nian were her neighbor back home. She’d move out every other week, putting as much distance between them as possible.

She really admired Xia Yanchun for enduring someone like Shen Nian for so long.

Sure, Shen Nian was tall and handsome, but his habit of bullying people wasn’t exactly something to applaud!

Who even raised him to be like this? Poor guy—he must’ve been a nightmare to deal with as a kid too.

Shen Nian is just the worst!

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