"From now on, Lin Yanran will assist the host in collecting Emotion Points. If both parties appear in the same location, the collected Emotion Points will receive a double bonus."
Stepping out of the commercial building and hearing the system prompt, Xia Wenbin felt an indescribable surge of relief. Not bad at all; having a Bound Tool definitely came with massive perks, and with campus belle Lin Yanran by his side, she was bound to help him rake in a huge wave of Emotion Points.
Still, Xia Wenbin couldn't help but voice a question: "System, why did you set it to six minutes? Are you sure you're not trying to screw me over? Besides, Lin Yanran couldn't get out of the restroom anyway, so what would it matter if I went a bit later?"
"Please do not question the authority of the system," the system warned sternly, before continuing: "The six-minute setting was because the system predicted Lin Yanran would leave the restroom after six minutes, which is why it urged the host to complete the task as quickly as possible."
Hearing the system's explanation, Xia Wenbin realized he had misunderstood and hurriedly apologized, "Sorry, system, I wronged you. So, what about my task reward?"
Xia Wenbin was completely baffled now. The system had notified him that the task was complete, and Lin Yanran was successfully bound, yet there was still no mention of what the reward actually was. Was it trying to rip him off?
"The host has over-fulfilled the task. The system is recalculating the reward, please wait..."
The system simply left it at that and went silent.
Xia Wenbin muttered curses in his heart: *Don't tell me it's not planning to give it to me? I spent my very last savings buying sanitary pads, and even begged to cut the line in front of all those people, and the system won't even give me a hundred bucks?*
The more he thought about it, the more biting the campus wind felt. Was he going to become the first host in history to obtain a system only to starve to death?
"Detected that the host is worried about funds. Reminder: you currently have 330 Points. The host may use Points in the System Mall to exchange for required funds at a ratio of 1:1,000,000."
The system's sudden prompt nearly shocked Xia Wenbin, still worrying about his livelihood, into petrification on the spot!
There was actually such a good deal? Why hadn't the system told him sooner? On second thought, though, it made sense—the system had already mentioned that anything could be exchanged in the mall; who could he blame if he hadn't looked closely?
Unable to believe it, Xia Wenbin summoned the system interface and glanced at the constantly refreshing prompt screen, which was filled with:
"Lin Yanran, harvested... Emotion +10"
Then, he tapped on the exchange mall in the corner. The variety inside was truly dazzling: all kinds of items and props, special abilities, cultivation techniques and martial arts, equipment and skills... it literally had everything imaginable.
There were thousands of pages in total, though many items were grayed out because his Points were insufficient.
After searching around without finding the cash exchange option the system had mentioned, Xia Wenbin selected the "Search" button at the top. After typing in a cash exchange query, a cash exchange icon indeed popped up.
Without a second thought, Xia Wenbin used 1 Point to exchange for 1 million in cash.
*Ding—1 million has been deposited into your mobile phone.*
The second he finished the exchange, his phone immediately chimed with the deposit notification. Xia Wenbin hurriedly opened his mobile banking app to check, and sure enough, his virtual account balance had increased by 1 million.
No way? Just like that, he was a millionaire? If he exchanged all his Points, wouldn't that give him 330 million?
And with campus belle Lin Yanran constantly farming points for him now, wasn't he destined to become a God-tier Tycoon?
At this thought, Xia Wenbin grinned so wide his mouth almost split.
Taking a few deep breaths to calm his racing emotions, Xia Wenbin couldn't wait to make a small purchase to see if the funds provided by the system were actually usable.
So Xia Wenbin picked up his phone and topped up his mobile balance by 100 yuan. Sure enough, after the payment went through, his phone balance changed to 999,900 yuan, and the text message confirming the top-up arrived right on cue.
"Hhahahaha..." At that moment, Xia Wenbin was so happy he almost cried tears of joy. Because he could finally spare his mother and sister from suffering; he was now fully capable of giving them a better life.
He had lived the past twenty years in too much stifling misery. Most of the time, his mother and sister had stood alone to shield him from the storms, while he could only clench his teeth and watch in silence. It wasn't that he didn't dare to help, but he was terrified that if something happened to him, the two of them would have no one left to look after them. So he had endured and endured, but now things were different! Xia Wenbin was going to completely change the way he lived.
Those people who had looked down on his family and those who had bullied them—he would pay them all back, one by one, with heavy slaps.
After jogging a lap around the sports field to calm down, Xia Wenbin decided to head to the south cafeteria for a meal. After all, he hadn't eaten all day and was so hungry his legs were trembling slightly.
***
After the last class of the afternoon ended, students poured out toward the school gates and the cafeteria.
"Hey, have you heard? There was a real hardcore dude at the mini-supermarket today! He ran in and bought over a dozen packs of sanitary pads, claiming his girlfriend was on her period and waiting in the restroom, and he insisted on cutting the line to pay because he was in such a rush!" a boy suddenly ran into the crowd, loudly spreading the rumor he'd heard.
"Oh, that! I actually know about that. My bro Ye Fan was right there in line at the supermarket—if you don't believe me, ask him." Another chubby boy pointed at a dark-faced boy nearby.
"I saw it with my own eyes, could it be fake? That guy is definitely a hardcore legend. I just saw him eating at the south cafeteria! Guess he spent all his money on sanitary pads, because all he was eating was watery porridge—so pathetic, nothing like that big-spender vibe from the afternoon," the dark-faced boy replied quickly as the chubby boy dragged him into the conversation.
"What about his girlfriend, then? Not gonna help him out?" another young boy blurted out.
"Girlfriend? My young friend, are there really any lack of simps these days? Most women just love wealth and despise poverty. A man's gotta look out for himself," the boy who had spoken first patted the young boy's shoulder, explaining with the air of a seasoned veteran.
"Hahahahahaha..." Hearing this, the group burst into laughter.
Little did they know, among the three girls walking right behind them, one had been listening to their conversation very intently.
"Huh, Yanran? Why did you stop? Didn't you say we were going outside to eat together?"
Zhao Xiaoling, who had been tugging on Lin Yanran's arm, asked curiously when she noticed Lin Yanran suddenly halting in her tracks.
"Xiaoling, Huanhuan, why don't you guys go eat outside? I'm not feeling very well, I want to head back to the dorm and rest for a bit." She pointed toward the direction of the dorms as she spoke.
Xu Huanhuan opened her mouth to say something, but Zhao Xiaoling yanked her arm.
Zhao Xiaoling looked at Lin Yanran with a worried expression. "Alright, Yanran, if you're not feeling well, don't walk around. Just go back and get some rest!"
"Yeah, yeah, Yanran! It's totally normal to feel under the weather during your period, get a good rest back at the dorm! We'll bring you back some dinner later," Xu Huanhuan chimed in with a sympathetic look.
"Okay! You guys go ahead! I'll just wander around a bit and then head back to the dorm."
With that, Lin Yanran watched the two of them leave the school grounds, and then walked alone toward the south cafeteria on campus.
***