"Not even going to say hello when you see me?" Deng Zixin's voice came from behind him.
Chen Zhao turned around nervously and forced out a flattering smile. "Hello, Landlady!"
Chen Zhao felt a little uneasy. He'd ignored his pretty landlady plenty of times before, so why had she suddenly stopped him today? Had something happened?
"Chen Zhao, your parents called this morning. They said money was tight and they could only pay me two months' rent. They can't manage the last month for now." Deng Zixin spoke with a chilly expression, smoke curling from between her red lips.
Chen Zhao was stunned. They couldn't pay the last month's rent?
What was he supposed to do for that last month? Pack up and leave?
He still had school. Where was he supposed to live?
"But you've been renting here for three years, and your college entrance exams are coming up in your final month. I'm not going to kick you out. You can stay." Deng Zixin's tone suddenly softened.
"Thank you, sis!" Chen Zhao was overcome with gratitude. Though his landlady, Deng Zixin, had a fierce temper and was usually arrogant and sharp-tongued, she was actually a kind girl with a soft heart. Warmth spread through Chen Zhao's chest.
"I'm not finished!" Deng Zixin gave Chen Zhao's shoulder a hard slap. "How are your grades?"
"N-not very good," Chen Zhao stammered, answering instinctively.
"Can you get into college?" Deng Zixin asked.
"Probably... maybe... I think... I might be able to." Chen Zhao sounded thoroughly unconvincing. His High IQ Experience Period wouldn't last until the college entrance exams, and who knew what he'd be like once it was over? If he could find a way to recharge his intelligence for the exams, getting into a good college wouldn't be a problem. But if he couldn't, he was probably out of luck.
"My money doesn't grow on trees. I can't let you stay here for free for a month. If you get into college, I'll waive that final month's rent. If you don't, you'll pay up. Got it?" Deng Zixin said around her cigarette.
"Got it, got it! I'll do my best!" Chen Zhao bobbed his head like a pecking chicken.
"Go on back and study hard. Don't spend three years in high school only to get nothing out of it. If you can't get into college after all that, you might as well go to a technical school and learn a trade. You can make decent money that way, too." Deng Zixin nodded, let go of Chen Zhao, and turned away to resume yelling at someone over the phone.
Chen Zhao hurried upstairs, took out his key, unlocked the door, and went inside.
He hadn't eaten dinner yet. He'd gotten so absorbed in studying during dinner time that he'd forgotten to go to the cafeteria. Now he was starting to feel hungry. Chen Zhao made himself a packet of braised beef instant noodles, tore open two sausages, and called it dinner.
As he ate, he thought about what Deng Zixin had just said.
His parents couldn't afford the rent for the final month before the college entrance exams. If he got into college, that month's rent would be waived.
Chen Zhao knew his parents had a hard time finding work back home, and sometimes it was perfectly normal for them not to earn anything. He had two options. The first was to find a way to make some money and cover the rent, easing the burden on his parents. The second was to study hard, get into college after the exams, and have Deng Zixin waive the rent.
After thinking it over, Chen Zhao suddenly remembered the System Ring on his finger and decided to ask the system for advice.
Following the method the system had described the night before, he pressed his finger against the ring and silently repeated:
"System, system, can I ask you something?"
The system was silent for a few seconds before replying in Chen Zhao's mind:
[Please speak, host.]
Chen Zhao's heart leaped. It seemed the system really could talk.
"When the High IQ Experience Period ends, how will I recharge my intelligence? About how much will it cost?" Chen Zhao asked silently.
[The host is still in the beginner experience period. The method for recharging intelligence will be revealed after the experience period ends.]
Chen Zhao felt a pang of frustration. What was so secret about that? Why keep him in suspense? Did the system even know how to do business?
There was no way to guarantee he'd still have a high IQ during the exams if he didn't know how to recharge his intelligence. Besides making the most of these next few days, while his brain was working well, and studying hard, he had another option—find a way to make some money!
But... how was an underage student with no qualifications supposed to earn money?
Lay bricks?
Bricklaying paid well, but his scrawny body wouldn't be able to handle it. Besides, if he went to lay bricks, he wouldn't have any time to study. He couldn't let the little things distract him from the big picture.
Become a gigolo?
But there were already too many people in the duck business, and he didn't have much of a competitive edge. Chains like Zhou Hei Ya, roast duck shops, salted duck stores, duck blood vermicelli shops—the whole industry was already carved up.
As Chen Zhao pondered, his gaze suddenly fell on the computer in the room.
The computer had already been there when he rented the place, and Chen Zhao had spent plenty of time gaming on it over the past three years. Everyone said the internet-plus business was booming. Could he find some online part-time work?
Chen Zhao turned on the computer, planning to search online for jobs he could do in his spare time.
But as soon as the computer booted up, the system's voice rang out in his mind!
[Special quest triggered: Become a wildly popular Winner Winner Chicken Dinner streamer]
[Quest description: The host has a strong desire to make money, but has no skills besides playing games. Why not use the quick reflexes and strategic awareness granted by a high IQ to become a skilled Winner Winner Chicken Dinner streamer and earn money for rent, living expenses, and college tuition?]
[Quest steps: Register a game account and start streaming. That's all there is to it!]
[Quest reward: +10 to appearance]
Chen Zhao read the quest and immediately shuddered with excitement!
This quest... was pretty great!
Just imagining becoming a wildly popular Winner Winner Chicken Dinner streamer was enough to get him excited!
But what was up with the reward? +10 to appearance—did that mean it would make him more handsome?
Whatever. As long as he made money, he didn't care about his looks!
Now that he had a goal and a plan, Chen Zhao was thoroughly fired up. He went online and began searching for information about game streamers.
After about an hour of searching, Chen Zhao felt he had a decent grasp of the game-streaming scene in this world.
There were plenty of similarities to his previous world, but also many differences.
The game-streaming industry in this world was far more developed than in his previous one. Many famous streamers earned over a hundred million a year. But there were also a huge number of streamers—over a million unsuccessful ones who streamed for ages without gaining more than a handful of followers or earning a single cent. The gap between the top and bottom was enormous: popular streamers raked in the money, while unsuccessful ones struggled to earn enough for a soda.
The world was harsh, and the competition was fierce.
In Chen Zhao's view, to make it as a game streamer, you needed one of three qualities—or, rather, one of three paths to fame.
The first was the looks-based route. For example, a beautiful, alluring female streamer or a fresh-faced, handsome male streamer could attract a huge audience with their looks, even if they were terrible at the game. They could play while chatting with their viewers and become popular with ease. Of course, they had to actually be good-looking. Qiao Biluo wouldn't cut it.
The second was the professional-skill route. Your gaming skills had to be strong, your movement slick, and your gunplay smooth. No matter what enemy came at you, you had to take them down in an instant. If you could keep pulling off flashy moves that made the viewers shout, "That's awesome!" then you were well on your way to fame. Many professional esports players started streaming after retirement, using their incredible skills to gain countless followers and easily earn a million a month.
The third was the comedy-and-trash-talk route. These streamers might not have the looks to draw people in, and their gameplay might be nothing special, but they were full of witty banter, like stand-up comedians. They could make their viewers laugh so hard they spat out their drinks. People would follow and tip them, and they could still become popular.
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