Su Li shook the water from his hands and stood up.
"Your level went up too, right?"
Elena fell silent for two seconds and turned her head away.
"...It did. The Family Group's synchronization effect—I'm at mid first rank now too."
She kept her voice low, but it carried a trace of unwillingness.
The young lady of the illustrious Iris Family, a grand duchess who had lived for a hundred years in her previous life, had to claw her way up again from first rank in this life.
Su Li glanced at her and draped the towel over his shoulder.
"It won't take too long."
Elena turned back and stared at him.
"How long?"
"At this rate, I'll reach the threshold of second rank in one or two months at most."
Elena's eyes lit up for a moment, then she quickly returned to that haughty expression.
"One or two months? You seemed to take longer in your previous life."
Su Li curled his lips at her. "This life is different."
Elena stared at him for several seconds before finally giving a snort through her nose.
"Fine. Then I'll wait and see."
She turned and headed back, only to stop after two steps.
"Come eat at my place tomorrow night."
"You can cook?"
Elena's back stiffened, and her boot heel stomped viciously into the mud.
"I'll have Saina cook! I'll provide the ingredients!"
Watching her furious retreating figure, Su Li pulled the towel from his shoulder and wiped his neck.
Two months. Second rank.
His starting line in this life was more than one tier above his last.
On the fourth evening, Su Li sat at the wooden table in the large house on the eastern side of the village. Before him sat a plate of salted pork and cabbage stir-fried