Mission

The fluorescent light shone bright and clear. Outside the window came the roar of speeding cars and the faint clamor of middle-aged women dancing in the square. The room was quiet. Qin Ze sat by the bed, playing on his phone, while Qin Baobao drifted off drowsily.

Time flowed quietly by.

So much had happened in just two days that Qin Ze felt as though a lifetime had passed. A few days ago, he had still been an unknown nobody. The next moment, he possessed the power to change the world. He wrote songs, humiliated the School Hunk, and became the most mysterious celebrity on the school forum. He had even casually unlocked Proficient in Traditional Chinese Medicine and cured his sister's years-long menstrual pain... It really felt like a dream.

Back then, when Qin Ze looked at Zhang Mingyu, it was like a random passerby looking at the protagonist: dazzling, extraordinary, destined for greatness. Now, the roles had reversed. When he looked at Zhang Mingyu again, Zhang Mingyu was just a stepping stone meant to be trampled beneath the protagonist's feet. He was the one with the protagonist template, free to humiliate anyone he wanted.

Qin Ze had been an ordinary child since he was little. Other than being too mischievous in elementary school, making his teachers sigh to his parents, "The child is quite clever, just a little too naughty..." Of course, teachers said that to every parent. No one praised him for being smart after he grew up. He knew he was average—not smart, but not stupid either. He would not live too miserably in the future, but he would never achieve glory, either. After graduation, he would find a stable job, date and marry when he reached the right age, have one or two children, and spend the rest of his life working for them. The only thing better than migrant workers was that he would not have a mortgage hanging over his head.

Perhaps it was too quiet. Qin Ze subconsciously pulled out a cigarette and was about to light it when he suddenly remembered Qin Baobao lying beside him. Embarrassed, he put away the lighter and instead stared at his sleeping sister.

Qin Baobao had been a beauty since childhood. There were photos at home from when she attended kindergarten: big eyes, a round face, pink cheeks, and utterly adorable. Once, a little boy tried to kiss her, and she shoved him off the slide, splitting his head open. The parents caused a scene at the school, and the principal came to their home. Their parents had paid quite a bit in compensation. Elementary school, middle school, high school, university... Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, she was already twenty-five. Qin Ze stared at his sister's sleeping face: shoulder-length wavy hair, a smooth forehead, delicately shaped brows, long thick eyelashes, a high nose bridge, a rounded nose tip, thin pale lips... He had looked at this face for over twenty years, yet he never seemed to tire of it.

"Ding... New Mission. Please check it, Host." The system's emotionless voice rang in his mind.

Qin Ze opened the mission interface. The moment he looked closely, it was like a bolt from the blue.

Mission: "Kiss Qin Baobao! Reward for success: 100 points. Penalty for failure: deduct 100 points."

The mission description was short and to the point.

"Holy shit!" Qin Ze stood frozen for more than ten seconds before roaring inwardly, "System, get out here. I swear I'll beat you to death."

"Please speak, Host."

"What kind of bullshit mission is this? Can you get any more messed up? Can I cancel this mission?" Qin Ze nearly jumped out of his skin. "She's my biological sister."

"Host, this mission was generated based on the desires in your heart."

"Bullshit..." Qin Ze suddenly lost his nerve. Just now, it seemed like maybe, perhaps, he had entertained the thought of kissing Qin Baobao. But Qin Ze swore on his integrity that it had only been a fleeting thought. There was absolutely no such thing as a "desire in his heart."

"The Host may choose to give up."

"Give... Wait a minute." The word "up" caught in Qin Ze's throat. "Something's wrong with this mission. Why is the point deduction for failure the same as the reward for success?"

"This is your third mission. The Host has left the beginner stage. From now on, mission rewards and penalties will carry equal point values."

Qin Ze did the math. His first mission had rewarded him with 300 points. Listening to a song last night had cost him 30 points. Exchanging for Russian proficiency this morning had cost 100 points and earned him 200 points. Exchanging for Proficient in Traditional Chinese Medicine that night had cost 150 points. In other words, he only had 220 points now. If he gave up this mission, 100 points would be deducted, leaving him with only 120. What if the next mission involved molesting a loli or something? Considering the greater difficulty of molesting a loli, the reward would likely increase, and so would the punishment. One hundred and twenty points might not be enough to deduct. He had to force himself to complete it. Otherwise, his points would be deducted, his points would hit zero, and it would be game over.

Molesting a loli meant going to prison. Prison would be the least of his worries—what if someone caught him and beat him to death? Kissing his sister would at most get him beaten up, and given Qin Baobao's current condition, he could take on ten of her without breaking a sweat. When weighing two evils, he chose the lesser one without a shred of integrity. He lowered his head and quickly pecked Qin Baobao on the forehead.

Qin Baobao did not wake up, and there was no response from the mission...

Did that not work?

Qin Ze's expression changed. Did it have to be a kiss on the lips?

He quickly kissed his sister's cheek again. Silence...

That was too immoral. Did it really have to be a kiss on the lips? Qin Ze's face darkened.

He took a deep breath and slowly lowered his head, staring fixedly at Qin Baobao the entire time. If she suddenly opened her eyes, he would immediately turn his head away and pretend to be admiring the scenery.

He drew closer bit by bit. Their lips came closer and closer. Qin Baobao was still fast asleep, completely unaware that her first kiss was about to be stolen by her messed-up little brother.

Their lips met, soft against soft. So fragrant, so soft... As if possessed, Qin Ze stuck out his tongue and licked his sister's lips.

"Mm..." Qin Baobao seemed to sense something and slightly turned her head.

Qin Ze immediately straightened up and gasped for breath, all while watching his sister's movements closely. Mainly her eyelashes. A person could pretend to sleep, but eyelashes would not lie.

"Ding... Mission complete. Reward: 100 points. Please continue working hard, Host."

For the first time in his life, Qin Ze felt that having such a beautiful sister was not necessarily a good thing.

Qin Ze slowly left his sister's room and gently closed the door. With a grave expression, he said, "System, do you have Buddhist scriptures or something in your memory? I want to study Buddhism."

"Kissing between relatives is one way of expressing affection. The Host need not dwell on it too much."

Qin Ze covered his face. "This time, I wanted to kiss her. What if next time I see her sexy underwear and want to have sex with her? Boohoohoo..."

The system remained silent for a long, long time. "It is recommended that the Host copulate with a female organism as soon as possible. After all, being young and full of vigor does indeed make such desires likely to arise."

At five-thirty the next morning, Qin Ze got up for a morning run and trained his inner strength.

He returned home at seven-thirty. The moment he entered, he heard Qin Baobao's clear voice. She was practicing pronunciation.

Qin Ze knocked on her door and called, "Breakfast," then turned and went to the bathroom to wash up. By the time he returned, Qin Baobao was already sitting at the table eating breakfast. She wore bear-print pajamas and pink slippers, her ten fair little toes wriggling happily.

Qin Ze lowered his head for a look. "Got a cramp in your feet?"

"Pah. I'm stimulating my circulation and training the flexibility of my toes."

"And then?"

"Then I'll learn to dance. As a woman determined to become a huge star, I have to be able to sing and dance."

"You haven't even learned how to sing yet, and you're already thinking about dancing?"

"I'm cultivating bodily habits first. No rush, no rush."

"I have a feeling that the day you appear on screen will be the day The incident comes to light. Do you think the old man will beat us to death?"

Qin Baobao blinked. "It's fine. Worst case, we'll run away from home. Your sister will support you. We won't have to put up with the old man's attitude."

Qin Ze curled his lip. "You're all talk."

"You were practicing vocal techniques just now?"

Qin Baobao held a Fried Dough Stick between her orchid-like fingers and spoke unclearly through a mouthful of food. "Mm, pronunciation techniques, breathing techniques, singing techniques, and vocal control. Those are all essential skills for a singer. They can't be mastered overnight. You can only practice."

"How long will that take?"

Qin Baobao looked smug. Her phoenix eyes swept sideways, making her look utterly alluring. "With your sister's talent, three months at best, half a year at worst, and I'll be ready to debut."

Qin Ze's heart stirred. He possessed a treasure trove, but had neither capital nor connections. All his good material was just rotting in his hands. Meeting some old man in a park, finding a benefactor, and soaring to success overnight—such things were ultimately unreliable. For example, he had a massive collection of excellent songs, film scripts, variety show scripts, and more, but he had no access to people in the Entertainment industry. That was when he needed Qin Baobao as a scout to charge ahead and clear a path for him.

When old dad found out, she could take the beating for him. And if she managed to make something of herself, he could finally spread his wings. Qin Ze thought darkly.

"Sis, work hard," Qin Ze encouraged her.

Qin Baobao had no idea why, but she nodded. "Mm-hmm."

That morning, he and Qin Baobao took the elevator down together. Since they were heading the same way anyway, Qin Baobao drove him to the school gates.

He had two mandatory major classes in the morning and one Elective Course in the afternoon. After having lunch with the old man, Qin Ze learned Professor Li's office location from him and reported there punctually at around one in the afternoon.

On the top floor of the teaching building was a spacious classroom. There was no metal nameplate beside the door, indicating that it was an unused classroom.

Qin Ze knocked on the door. A few seconds later, someone opened it. It was a delicate-looking girl wearing glasses, who studied Qin Ze in confusion.

"My name is Qin Ze. I'm here to see Professor Li."

The girl stepped aside and turned her head. "Professor Li, someone's here to see you."