Su Ke left Fengze Residential Park and headed straight for his family's little supermarket. For some reason, he was in a great mood, a faint smile lingering on his face.
"Mom, Dad, I'm home!" Su Ke pushed open the door and saw his parents busy at the checkout counter. He greeted them, then went into the storage room off to the side.
Now he finally had a chance to claim his rewards. On his way home, Su Ke had checked the electronic screen in the Flower Picking System. The mission to help Wei Lan out of trouble was complete, and another completed mission had appeared.
"Mission: Help Wei Lan escape her predicament (Complete); Reward: Piano Mastery (Beginner)."
"Mission: Escort Wei Lan safely home (Complete); Reward: 200 yuan."
"Claim your rewards!"
Although he didn't know when the second mission had appeared and been completed, it didn't matter. Su Ke chose to claim his rewards, and a white light appeared in the space once more. Then a stream of information rushed into his mind. Music theory, fingering, and other knowledge took root deep in his consciousness, and a warm current suddenly flowed through his hands.
His ten fingers felt as comfortable as if they were soaking in milk. They began moving instinctively, nimble and sure. Looking down, Su Ke even had the illusion that his fingers had grown much longer.
"I never knew my fingers were so good-looking!" Su Ke turned his hands over and over. Then he suddenly pinched with his right index and middle fingers, and two hundred-yuan bills appeared. He ran them through the shop's currency detector. The reward money checked out perfectly, so he could spend it without worry or keep it without suspicion.
But now Su Ke had a concern. There was no way he could explain to his parents that the Flower Picking System had rewarded him with money. Yet he wanted them to know he could earn money and ease their burden. If only he had a legitimate reason!
He could tutor students. He thought his skills were decent, especially now that he had the two trump cards of High School Math Mastery (Beginner) and High School Science Mastery (Beginner). But if he ended up leading students astray, the consequences would be serious.
What kind of part-time job could he do, then? He could work as a supermarket promoter, but his schedule didn't match the store's busiest hours at all. He thought it over, but still couldn't come up with anything. Shaking his head, he walked out of the storage room.
His family's little supermarket wasn't large, but it had a full range of goods. As soon as Su Ke stepped out, he spotted a toy keyboard on a shelf nearby. It had been sitting there for ages, but no one had bought it.
Normally, Su Ke wouldn't have paid it any attention. But for some reason, today he walked over as if drawn by instinct. It was only a toy keyboard, but when he switched it on and pressed the keys, it immediately made a sound.
He clenched his fists and let his fingers move naturally a few times. Then a melody flowed from his hands. He didn't know what it was called, but it still sounded beautiful.
"Hey, Su Ke, when did you learn to play?" Zhang Xue looked up and saw him with his eyes closed, his fingers moving over the keyboard as music rang out.
"My teacher taught me!" Su Ke stopped. He couldn't exactly say he'd had a miraculous encounter. Just then, a woman walked in, saying as she came, "I was wondering who was playing. Turns out it's Su Ke. That sounds pretty good!"
Liu Mengmeng was still wearing her uniform from the mobile phone service center. As soon as Su Ke saw her, his face flushed red, and the image of black lace flashed through his mind.
"Hello, Sister Liu," he mumbled. Then he quickly put the keyboard back on the shelf, looking like a startled rabbit.
Liu Mengmeng didn't think anything of it. Of course, she had no idea that she'd accidentally exposed herself earlier. Su Ke blushed so easily; how could such a shy boy possibly have done something like that?
"This kid turns red whenever he speaks. I wonder how he'll ever find a wife!" Su Youfu joked from the side. Su Ke had always been shy and introverted, but parents loved their own children, and that didn't lessen their affection for him one bit.
"Hehe, your Su Ke is so handsome and sweet-looking. Why worry about him finding a wife? I bet lots of girls at school are chasing after him! Isn't that right, Su Ke?" Liu Mengmeng asked with a laugh as she picked vegetables from the shelf.
Su Ke had no idea how to handle a situation like that. His face turned bright red as he stood there. In the end, he could only resort to an escape technique: he grabbed his schoolbag and fled.
Back home, the first thing he did was turn on the computer and log onto No. 17 High School's Tieba. He had no idea which moderator was so annoying, but they'd pinned the post about the campus pervert. In a single day, it had already received more than three hundred replies.
One reply after another. After reading them, Su Ke's back was soaked with sweat. People were even pinning old incidents on him. One person said they'd been groped by a pervert last year; another claimed to have seen a boy touch a girl's butt. One cursed the pervert's hands to rot, while another wished that his little brother would never get it up again. The comments were downright vicious.
Fortunately, the original poster hadn't said anything else. Maybe the whole thing would just blow over. Su Ke could only console himself with that thought. Once he finished reading the post, he had no desire to go online anymore.
Sitting in his chair, Su Ke muttered, "I've got High School Math Mastery (Beginner), High School Science Mastery (Beginner), Military Boxing Mastery, Piano Mastery (Beginner), and 500 yuan in rewards!"
As long as he could improve his English and Chinese grades, the college entrance exams wouldn't be so scary. But what should he do with the money? A vague impression suddenly flashed through his mind, as if it might solve his job problem.
Su Ke shut down the computer and decided to study Chinese and English first. The system's rewards were unpredictable; he had no idea when it might give him something for Chinese or English. He'd better rely on himself!
Su Youfu and Zhang Xue trudged home, exhausted. Before entering, their expressions changed as if by magic, fatigue replaced by smiles. They didn't want their son to see how hard they were working and feel pressured.
"Su Ke, are there any girls at school who are chasing after you?" Su Youfu still remembered Liu Mengmeng's comment. Seeing Su Ke hunched over an English textbook with a grim expression, he asked with a light laugh.
"Dad!" Su Ke put down his textbook and looked at his father's gossipy expression, letting out a helpless sigh. Even Zhang Xue joined in. "That's right. My Su Ke is so handsome. Of course girls like him!"
For some reason, two faces suddenly appeared in Su Ke's mind: Li Feifei, all claws and attitude, and Wei Lan, gentle and sweet.
Then he shuddered. He'd touched Li Feifei's butt again. She must hate him now; even tearing him limb from limb wouldn't satisfy her!
Wei Lan was better!
That was what Su Ke thought.
Before you continue