A dog's life is only twenty years, and Chen Dong is already eighteen.

On Tuesday, Shen Nian woke up to find that his "meat reform" task had already been completed.

He had only started exercising last Tuesday, and it was supposed to be a week-long challenge, meaning it should have been done by yesterday morning. But this damn system was full of weird glitches.

Opening his mobile banking app, Shen Nian looked at the five-digit balance and felt his future was bright.

Even among students from well-off families, few had as much disposable cash as Shen Nian.

After all, they were just high schoolers—even if their families were wealthy, they wouldn’t just hand over money for a teenager to splurge. Shen Nian was different. Every cent in his account was his to spend however he pleased. If he wanted, he could dump it all into "Three Kingdoms Kill."

But he would never waste money on "Three Kingdoms Kill." Even gods have their limits.

"18K a month, smiling every day."

In the afternoon, there was a P.E. class. After running two laps for warm-up, Shen Nian planted himself next to Xia Yanchun like a log, eavesdropping on the girls’ forbidden gossip.

"Last week, I secretly commented under Xiao Zhan’s post saying he wasn’t as good as my Wang Yuan gege. Got chased and cursed for five blocks."

"Damn, damn. Stirring the pot and watching the fight from a safe distance."

"Then, after Wang Yuan’s concert turned into a chaotic mess, I commented saying he wasn’t as good as my Xiao Zhan gege. My DMs exploded."

"Damn, damn. Playing both sides like a spy."

The girls gasped in awe, and even Shen Nian joined in.

Respect. This was something even Shen Nian wouldn’t dare to do.

Way too risky. One wrong move and you’d end up with your face plastered online, singing "51522" in shame.

Shen Nian browsed forums, but he was just a little rat who quietly commented "+3" under posts. When it came to online warfare, Xiaohongshu users were the real warriors.

Xia Yanchun chewed her gum, lips smacking lightly. She wasn’t part of any fandom, so listening to others roast fan culture was pure entertainment.

Li Shiyan rested her head on Xia Yanchun’s shoulder, eyes closed. The scorching sun had left her dizzy and sluggish. She’d even changed her nickname, so even if Shen Nian was nearby, she wasn’t worried about him teasing her over it.

"What’re you eating?" Shen Nian nudged Xia Yanchun with his elbow.

"Gum. None left," she said, waving him off.

"Liar. Hand it over."

"......" Reluctantly, Xia Yanchun pulled the gum from her pocket and gave it to him.

A ¥1.50 pack only had five pieces. She’d taken one, Li Shiyan had one, and she’d planned to give Shen Nian just one—but once he got his hands on it, he kept the whole pack.

Well, since Shen Nian had been sharing his Wangzai milk with her lately, she decided to be generous this once.

You’re welcome, Shen Nian. Your big sister here has a heart as vast as the ocean.

Huang Chen had just finished playing basketball, his skin glistening with sweat, oily droplets gathering and rolling down.

He wiped his face with his uniform sleeve and saw Shen Nian sitting in the middle of the girls, chatting away. Disgusting.

Out of all the guys in class, none were shameless enough to squeeze into a girls’ circle like that.

Was P.E. class for exercising or for flirting with girls?

A real man should be under the sun, working up a sweat, building a healthy tan—not acting like some pretty boy, cozying up to girls.

Not that he was jealous. He just genuinely thought Shen Nian was too soft. Disgusting. Did good grades, fair skin, height, and a nice voice really give someone a free pass to mingle with girls?

All stats, no skill. Huang Chen wasn’t envious at all.

Exhausted from basketball, he plopped down next to Lin Xiyuan, subtly flexing his sharp jawline.

All skill, no stats.

Lin Xiyuan frowned. Seriously, why was this sweaty mess sitting next to her?

She scooted slightly to the side. As the queen of social circles, she made sure to smile at everyone in her orbit.

That night she’d argued with Xia Yanchun, it was only because Su Kexi had scolded her and she’d gotten heated. Looking back, she knew she’d been in the wrong and regretted it.

She used to talk to Shen Nian often, but ever since that day, she’d barely spoken to him.

She wondered if he’d started disliking her. The more she thought about it, the more it bothered her.

It wasn’t that she wanted Shen Nian to like her—it was just that the guy who’d once been rumored to have a crush on her was now acting indifferent. The stark contrast left her feeling unsettled.

When the rumor first spread, she’d actually believed Shen Nian liked her. And, well, she’d been a little happy about it.

Her thoughts tangled further. Maybe she should apologize to Xia Yanchun sometime. Not because of Shen Nian, but for her own outburst.

She had plenty of friends, but she didn’t want to stay on bad terms with Xia Yanchun, the class monitor. They were classmates, after all. It wasn’t some irreparable conflict—no need to drag it out.

……

Before class ended, Shen Nian and Chen Dong sneaked off to the school store and each bought an ice-cold Coke.

Who could understand the salvation of a sip of Pepsi on a scorching day?

The redemption of a Pepsi believer—Coke just wouldn’t cut it.

"Speaking of, you and Xia Yanchun seem pretty flirty. You two really not gonna take it further?"

"Flirty? Me? Xia Yanchun?"

Shen Nian’s eyes narrowed. Individually, he knew every word, but strung together, they made no sense.

They say dogs can see things humans can’t. Shen Nian understood now—Chen Dong had accidentally revealed his true identity.

Chen Dong gulped down more Coke. "Yeah, feels pretty flirty."

"Hold on, let me ask you something. You’re 18 this year, right?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Good buddy, let me buy you an ice cream."

"Wow, after all those English tests I let you copy off me in sophomore year, you’re finally repaying the favor. Glad to see you’ve got some conscience left."

"Ah."

Shen Nian fell silent, his gaze lowering. He sighed deeply. It suddenly hit him—his buddy might not have much time left.

Dogs only live about 20 years, and Chen Dong was already 18.

Better let him enjoy the good stuff while he still could.

"For real, you flirty types deserve to rot."

"Where’s the flirting?" Shen Nian would rather punch Xia Yanchun into a cream puff than flirt with her. If they could chat for five minutes without arguing, it was a miracle.

"Flirting’s a vibe. Hard to put into words," Chen Dong said sagely. "This weekend, I’m gonna find someone to flirt with too."

"Just say you’re gonna watch porn. We’re bros—I won’t laugh."

"Bruh, I quit that already."

"Nice. How many days clean?"

"Two."

"......"

So, since today was Tuesday, he’d quit for two days? Interesting.

Yanxi reminds you: Due to Tomato’s request for 3M+ daily visits overloading the servers, we now recommend switching to other sources provided by the big boss.