A Man Should Be Like This

"Dad, are there any part-time jobs at our school?" Qin Ze suddenly asked.

The old man frowned. "Studying is a student's duty. You haven't even graduated yet, so why are you thinking about that? Besides, are your grades even that good? Don't neglect your proper duties."

"My sister wants to replace her phone, but her salary isn't exactly low or high. She still has to cover both our living expenses, so she can't save much. I want to find a lucrative part-time job and get her a new phone." Of course, Qin Ze couldn't say that his sister had changed jobs and they'd fallen into a financial crisis.

The old man's brow immediately relaxed. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Professor Li, who shares an office with me, recently took on a job—helping a private equity company build a fund investment model. He happens to need an assistant. I'll ask him for you."

"Would he even want me?"

The old man sneered. "It's rare for you to know your own limits. But aren't I here? Come to me if there's a problem."

Qin Ze gave an "oh" and continued eating.

"System, is there any quick way to make money? Preferably one that'll make me rich overnight."

"Host, the system isn't your mother."

"..."

Qin Ze felt depressed for a moment. He had thought of many ways to make money today. The Points Shop was a huge treasure trove, but he possessed the treasure and couldn't use it. Write songs for singers? The submission and review process would probably be a hassle, and he had no connections. He had never dealt with an entertainment company and didn't even know how to submit anything. Maybe after Qin Baobao made a name for herself, he could consider it. Becoming a director and making movies was even less realistic. He was a poor student with no manpower, funds, props, or anything else. Exchange marketing plans from the shop and start a company? That wouldn't work either. He still had no connections and no startup capital. Most importantly, he didn't know how to attract investment.

"System, what do you think about me trading stocks? Catch a limit-up every day, and multiply my net worth several times in a month."

"Even if you exchanged for stock-trading knowledge, you couldn't catch a limit-up every day. Besides, you don't have enough points."

"Why would I need to exchange for that? Can't you just tell me directly? Aren't you an intelligent system? Can't you predict which stocks will hit their limit?"

"Ridiculous. First, the system has no ability to foresee the future. Second, do you think your country's stock market is somewhere one can get rich through knowledge alone? There are plenty of shady dealings in the market..."

"Stop, stop, stop. Some things are better left unspoken when we both understand them. If you say them out loud, they'll get censored. This is a very harmonious society. Don't talk nonsense."

"Thank you for the reminder, Host. As an intelligent system, I instantly understand what you mean. I will not reveal any insider information that might affect social harmony in the future."

"You're teachable."

The system was unreliable, so Qin Ze could only find a way himself. Being a professor's assistant and building mathematical models was a decent idea. If he did well, there might be jobs like this regularly in the future. As for asking the old man for help, forget it. With the system in hand, would he be afraid of some lousy mathematical model?

After lunch, Qin Ze went downstairs beside the old man and saw three guys gathered at the entrance, chatting and waiting for him.

"Dad, I'm leaving with my classmates." Qin Ze greeted him.

The old man swept his gaze over them. The three immediately stood tall, puffed out their chests, and sucked in their stomachs. The old man nodded. "Mm."

The university district was packed with shops—milk tea shops, coffee shops, restaurants, KTVs, internet cafés, supermarkets...

Qin Ze and his group headed toward the internet café they frequented, not far from campus. At the school gate, they saw a white Porsche slowly driving out. The windows were down. The driver wore dark sunglasses and looked stylish and handsome. It was Zhang Mingyu, the man Qin Ze had humiliated in Open Class. In the passenger seat sat a lightly dressed beauty, a pink LV bag resting on her lap as she wore headphones and played on her phone.

Envious gazes turned toward the sports car.

"That bastard is back in his sports car to show off again." Li Liang gritted his teeth, expressing the jealousy of a minor Rich Second Generation toward a super Rich Second Generation.

"That seems to be the beauty of the foreign languages department. She really is gorgeous." Liu Ziqiang sighed.

"They drive sports cars and take beauties out to screw around, while poor losers like us can only sit together in an internet café and Duo Queue." Zhao Baliao also sighed. "We didn't lose at the starting line. The moment they were born, they were already at the finish line."

Qin Ze suddenly recalled something from when he had read history. When Liu Bang and Xiang Yu saw Qin Shi Huang on his southern tour, banners stretching endlessly, long halberds standing like a forest, and a magnificent imperial carriage, Liu Bang had sighed, "A man should be like this."

The internet café they frequented was not large, and its facilities and environment were inferior to several nearby places. But it was the only one that allowed smoking. A man didn't have to smoke, but how could a man playing games not smoke?

The group turned on their computers. Amid the clattering keyboards, they logged in and entered their passwords. While waiting for a match, they put cigarettes between their lips. All four wore the same expression: disdainful eyes, crooked mouths, as though they were the greatest people under heaven. To hell with Porsches, tall rich handsome guys, and screwing around. So what if she was the department beauty? Was she more important than teammates? Would she live and die beside you, never abandoning you? Teammates would sacrifice themselves to save your life. Teammates were true love.

Their battlefield had begun. No matter who sat behind the computers on the other side, the heroes of Dorm 303 had never feared anyone. To borrow the words of a great man: take the enemy seriously tactically, but despise them strategically.

The four people in Dorm 303 each had their own strengths. Zhao Baliao had the hotheaded temperament of "though opposed by ten thousand, I shall go," making him suited for tanking. Li Liang was more cunning and enjoyed underhanded ambushes, so he jungled. Liu Ziqiang had excellent mechanics and played AD. Qin Ze's hand speed and mechanics were average, but he had an overall view of the game that no one could match. He was the core of the team and played support.

The last player happily typed, "Wow, this is my first time seeing no one want mid. Thanks, everyone!"

Li Liang's itchy fingers replied, "No need to thank me, son."

"..."

The four expertly slipped into the enemy jungle and lay in ambush for the jungler. That mid-lane guy stood under his tower dancing. Qin Ze sent him a string of pings, but the other player remained unmoved.

Li Liang placed a ward in the jungle. Moments later, the enemy's five players appeared in vision.

Qin Ze frowned, sent a danger ping, and led the team back. If only one enemy had entered the jungle, their ambush would have succeeded. But the enemy was clearly no novice and intended to force an early team fight. Qin Ze's side had only four people. They couldn't fight, and they didn't dare fight. They might get wiped, and then the match would be over before it began.

"What the hell is this guy doing?" Li Liang was annoyed.

Qin Ze placed a ward in the river to prevent the enemy from sneaking over, then helped Li Liang take red.

"Gank mid at level three first," Qin Ze said. Then he went bot to support Liu Ziqiang.

A moment later, "double kill."

The enemy mid laner had taken two kills.

"What happened?" Qin Ze looked completely bewildered.

"Damn, this ****." Li Liang shouted. "I pinged like crazy. Didn't he see it? I ambushed their mid laner and got him low, but he just stood there watching... Then the enemy flashed away, and only then did he react. He flashed after him under the tower. Damn it, trying to tower dive at level three?"

"How did you die?"

"I, I... I saw the enemy had no health, so I flashed in too... Who knew that guy had Heal?"

Qin Ze thought for a moment. "Find another chance to gank him. If he's hopeless, go help Baliao instead. Come bot for a gank at level six."

After a while, Li Liang directly went top to gank. The two coordinated well and successfully took an enemy kill.

Their side got first blood, but the enemy immediately returned the favor. Mid got caught by the enemy jungler, and with the two working together, they effortlessly took the Lackey's life.

Li Liang typed, "Mid, play safe."

Two minutes later, mid died again.

Li Liang typed again, "Damn, can you look at the map?"

A minute later, the mid tower was gone.

Li Liang continued typing, "Elementary schooler?"

"You're the elementary schooler. Your whole family are elementary schoolers." The mid laner seemed furious too.

Li Liang complained, "If your skill level isn't elementary school, I'll livestream eating ****."

"Eat it, I'm a middle schooler."

"Who'd believe that?"

"I'm a girl."

"If you're a girl, I'll livestream cutting off my dick."

Fifteen minutes later, mid had died twelve times, with zero kills and zero assists.

Qin Ze glanced at the map. The enemy mid, bot, and jungle players had all disappeared. His brows rose, and he pinged the dragon pit. Sure enough, three enemies were taking dragon. To confuse them, the enemy jungler had shown himself top while ganking Zhao Baliao. Their adorably clueless mid laner continued farming the lane. At the dragon pit, Qin Ze's trio and the enemy trio fought fiercely. Zhao Baliao, meanwhile, was struggling on his last legs. After being led around in circles for a while, he finally died.

The outcome at dragon had also been decided. While the enemies happily took dragon, Qin Ze flashed in, used his ultimate, and locked down all three. Li Liang immediately entered the fight, using his ultimate to trap the three enemies. After sacrificing Qin Ze and Liu Ziqiang, they wiped out the enemy team and took a dragon while they were at it.

The situation finally improved slightly. Qin Ze let out a breath and lit a cigarette. Then he saw the mid laner's delayed reflex finally kick in: "Awesome!"

"Awesome my ass," Li Liang typed, muttering, "How did we get matched with such an idiot... Damn, Bronze rank?"

The four dormmates were all around the same rank. If they Duo Queued together, they normally wouldn't encounter experts or complete noobs, except for people playing on alternate accounts.

Qin Ze thought about it and felt a wave of guilt. Yesterday, he had Duo Queued with Qin Baobao and lost five games in a row, causing his rank to plummet. That was why they had attracted someone of "equal skill."

The match was still one-sided. Their territory was gradually eaten away, and two crystals were destroyed. But at thirty-five minutes, the tide suddenly turned. The enemy had clearly grown complacent. After gaining an advantage, they began fooling around. Instead of pressing their advantage, they went for Baron. The four-man team seized the opportunity to counter-kill them at Baron, wiping out the enemy team.

This was a common flaw among low- and mid-rank players: they wouldn't go home until they threw themselves to death. Rowing Without Oars, relying on recklessness all their lives. Once they gained an advantage, they always wanted to keep stomping noobs and maintain that lead. Huh, only five completed items? No, can't push yet. Wait until we have all six completed items...

Qin Ze checked the respawn timers, stubbed out his cigarette, and said, "We'll clear the minions and push down one lane. Baliao, go home and heal, then teleport directly to catch up with us."

Zhao Baliao was the main tank. The others could be low on health, but he couldn't. As long as he could stand there and tank the towers, they could push everything in one go. The enemy mid lane only had one Highlands tower left.

Forty-two seconds later, in the final second before the enemy respawned, the Crystal Explosion.

Victory!

The four leaned back on the sofa as though they had been drained dry. Their nerves had been taut for over half an hour, and it was finally over.

Then Qin Ze noticed that the adorably clueless mid laner had sent him a friend request.

Accepted!

"God, God, please carry me!"

"They all refused my friend request. You were the only one who accepted."

"God, please accept my worship, sob sob sob..."

"Let me show off with you, let me fly with you, help me rank up."

"I'm a girl."