Xu Nan trembled.
He never imagined this world could be so...
He never imagined Song Ying's child was already this grown!
What he imagined even less was that this guy actually went to the same school as him!
At last, he understood the system's utter malice in assigning this quest. If the other party discovered his identity... the consequences would be unthinkable!
Xu Nan felt there was no way to explain something like this. After all, he couldn't exactly say, "I sent your mother to another world, could I?"
That was too absurd.
He still had to complete the quest without anyone noticing.
He steadied himself, took a deep breath, and said, "Classmate, I sympathize with what you've been through."
"But that isn't a reason for you to take your own life!"
"People must understand what they live for! Everyone dies eventually; some deaths are lighter than a feather, while others are heavier than Mount Tai!"
The more he spoke, the more impassioned he became. Under the effects of Radiant Presence and Universal Gravitation, he seemed to be glowing all over. Song Cheng stared at him in a daze.
"Do you know how insignificant your death would be if you jumped?"
Xu Nan lectured him earnestly.
Song Cheng said blankly, "I wasn't going to jump..."
"Answer me!" Xu Nan turned stern. "If you took your own life right now, would your death be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather?"
Song Cheng answered weakly, "...Lighter than a feather."
"You wouldn't even be as good as a feather!" Xu Nan snapped in frustration. "At least feathers don't disrupt public facilities. Do you know how many school staff members you'd trouble if you jumped? Do you know how many school leaders' jobs you'd affect?"
Song Cheng looked ashamed.
"You only think about yourself!"
"It's time to raise your ideological awareness!"
Xu Nan shouted, "People should learn from history! Which historical figures died deaths heavier than Mount Tai? Let me list them for you: ****, ****, ****, ****..." (Sorry, I don't know why all revolutionary martyrs are sensitive words, sob sob sob.)
"Which people died deaths lighter than a feather? Zhao Gao, Wei Zhongxian, Qin Hui, He Shen, Wang Jingwei! Every single one of them was a vile traitor!"
"Tell me, if you die like this, how are you any different from the likes of Wei Zhongxian and Qin Hui?"
Song Cheng was horrified. How had he become no different from those infamous figures in history?
Instinctively, he wanted to argue.
Xu Nan quietly cast Touch of Idiocy, then gently took his hand.
Song Cheng shuddered.
His eyes were filled with shame.
"I was wrong," he said.
Clang!
Old Hai's thermos dropped to the ground. The security guards and teachers watching nearby were all stunned, while some even teared up, moved by Xu Nan's passionate speech.
"Get down here already!"
Xu Nan pressed his advantage. "No matter what happens, you have to face life with a smile!"
"Come, recite Pushkin's 'If by Life You Were Deceived' with me!"
From the rooftop of the teaching building came the sound of recitation.
"If by life you were deceived,
Do not be dismayed; do not be wild!
In the days of grief, be patient,
Joyful days will come, believe.
The heart lives in the future,
The present is dreary;
Everything is fleeting, everything will pass,
And what has passed will become dear."
After the poem was finished, everyone had tears in their eyes and applauded. Song Cheng clutched Xu Nan's hand and cried, "I'll never try to kill myself again!"
The onlookers below were utterly confused. They only saw Song Cheng being led away by Xu Nan.
Everyone clicked their tongues in admiration.
The dark-skinned, burly man roared furiously, "Xu Nan!!!"
"I will never coexist with you!"
His voice was loud enough for the people on the roof to hear.
Song Cheng suddenly jolted and released Xu Nan's hand. "What did he call you?"
Xu Nan's heart skipped a beat. He forced a smile. "The wind is strong. You probably misheard. Besides, what I'm called isn't important, right?"
His right hand, carrying Touch of Idiocy, reached for Song Cheng again.
No matter what, he had to get through this first.
But this time, Song Cheng was quite sharp. He jumped away and didn't let Xu Nan touch him!
"Don't touch me with that thing! I always feel weird afterward, like I've been hit with some kind of intelligence-reducing attack..."
Song Cheng's gaze gradually cleared. "Tell me, what name did he just shout?"
Xu Nan was racking his brains for a solution.
Old Hai, who had picked up his thermos beside them, unscrewed the lid and said with satisfaction,
"He shouted Xu Nan. Look at you, kid. You're still so young, yet you're already hard of hearing. When you get older, won't you be completely drained?"
"You should be like me—drink more goji berry tea and start taking care of yourself early."
Xu Nan's face went ashen.
Song Cheng's eyes flew open. "He said your name is Xu Nan! You're Xu Nan?"
"Don't tell me it's just a coincidence. Even if that name is pretty common, I don't believe it!"
"Don't come any closer, don't touch me! Tell me, are you Xu Nan? The one who inherited my mother's estate?"
Xu Nan said awkwardly,
"Don't misunderstand. I am Xu Nan, but my relationship with your mother was completely innocent..."
Before he could finish—
Song Cheng dropped to his knees with a thud.
"Dad—!"
Pfft!
Old Hai, who was drinking goji berry tea, sprayed it all over the ground and began coughing violently.
The onlookers were also stunned, wondering whether the kid had been traumatized. Why was he calling his own classmate Dad?
Xu Nan was even more dumbfounded.
There was... an option like this?
His mind went blank.
Song Cheng scampered over. "Since you inherited my mother's estate, even though you hid your relationship well, you're my stepfather now!"
"From now on, you're my dad!"
"You have to take care of me!"
Xu Nan finally came back to his senses. Looking at Song Cheng's eager eyes, he asked warily, "What are you trying to do?"
Song Cheng said, "I've spent all my money, maxed out my cards. Shouldn't you give me something?"
"Just toss me a million or so for spending money."
"From now on, we'll live together harmoniously. My mother can surely rest in peace with a smile."
Xu Nan nearly spat blood!
How could there be such a shameless bastard? This guy's moral integrity had probably fallen all the way into the eighteenth level of hell!
If it weren't for the resonance between their Ron Sorcerer Bloodlines, Xu Nan would have suspected that this guy shared his profession!
This was a hundred times more shameless than Ah Tang!
Looking into Song Cheng's clear eyes, Xu Nan immediately understood. This guy was clever. There was no way Song Ying had vanished without saying a word and left no message for her son.
"Do you know your mother isn't dead?" Xu Nan asked quietly.
Song Cheng said innocently, "I don't know. I know nothing. I only know that from now on, you're my dad and I'm your son, so you have to feed me!"
Xu Nan gave a dry laugh. "I don't have a million or so. If you're looking for dads, go to the Mental Hospital. There are plenty of people there willing to be your dad."
With that, he turned to leave. Since Song Cheng had been acting all along, his quest should count as complete, right?
He recalled that the people at the law firm had indeed mentioned Song Ying having a son. She really hadn't left him any inheritance, though Xu Nan had no idea what her intentions were.
"At least help me settle last night's hotel bill. My girlfriend is about to leave me."
Song Cheng begged bitterly, "I really have no money left. Otherwise, I wouldn't have put on this whole act to find you."
"From now on, I'll live at school, eat at the cafeteria, live frugally, study hard, improve my ideological awareness, and strive to bring you honor!"
Xu Nan's head throbbed.
Ever since he'd bound himself to this system, why did he keep running into people even more shameless than himself?
Ah Tang and Song Cheng—each one was more shameless than the last.
Unable to withstand Song Cheng's desperate pleas, he finally transferred five hundred yuan to him through Alipay as pocket money, figuring he could treat it as spending money to complete the quest.
You have gained 10 Shame Points! You have gained the bloodline ability—Fake Information (You can forge your personal information. When other spellcasters use Appraisal Technique on you, false personal information will be displayed, including your profession, name, and so on.)
Sure enough, after receiving the money, Song Cheng stopped making a fuss. He happily added Xu Nan's contact information, then slipped away.
If Xu Nan hadn't used Appraisal Technique to confirm that this guy was Song Ying's son, he might even have suspected Song Cheng was a professional con artist.
"Farewell, farewell!"
Before the school higher-ups and the police could be alerted, Xu Nan also used Expeditious Retreat and fled.
Old Hai watched the two of them leave, screwed the lid back onto his thermos, and kept shaking his head.
After that farce, Xu Nan didn't dare attend his Marxist theory class anymore.
He found the male student from the sports academy somewhat familiar too. He was the basketball team's captain, known as Zhang Fei, and his physical prowess was outstanding. Being targeted by him was quite dangerous.
But as Xu Nan walked back, he forgot to deactivate the two specialties, Universal Gravitation and Radiant Presence.
By the time Xu Nan realized it, there were already more than a dozen men, women, old people, and children following behind him. Two Teddies were even barking wildly at him!
Xu Nan was alarmed. He deactivated the specialties while preparing to run.
At that moment, a strong arm suddenly reached out from an alley and pulled Xu Nan inside!
Xu Nan's mouth was covered!
He tried to struggle, but a hoarse, magnetic voice sounded beside his ear.
"Don't make a sound."
"Brother, I'm back to remove your stitches."