Tomorrow, Lin Qianqian would no longer come looking for Zhou Fan.
The system's punishment task was complete!
She was free!
She returned home.
The first thing Lin Qianqian did was ask the system to verify that she had completed the punishment task.
"System, I've finished the punishment task. Hurry up and verify it."
[Ding! Verifying punishment task...] [Requirement 1: Ask the comparison target (Zhou Fan) for cultivation guidance for three consecutive days, with each session lasting at least 30 minutes. (Completed, grade: B)] [Requirement 2: On the evening after each cultivation session, give him a lovingly handmade snack as a thank-you gift. (Completed, grade: C)] [Requirement 3: When giving him the snack, say, "I made this myself" and "Do you like it?" Your eyes must also be filled with emotion! (Completed, grade: C)] [Overall grade: C] [Reward issued based on grade: Mid-Grade Spirit Stone ×2]
Lin Qianqian: "???"
"Didn't you promise a High-Grade Spirit Stone? Why did it turn into Mid-Grade Spirit Stones?"
"You're openly embezzling my rewards! Believe it or not, I'll report you to your superiors!"
There was a huge difference between one High-Grade Spirit Stone and two Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
One High-Grade Spirit Stone was worth five Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.
That meant her reward had effectively been cut in half!
How could she not be angry?
[Rewards are issued according to the degree of completion of the punishment task. This is a normal reward!] [This system has not embezzled anything, and the host cannot locate this system's superiors!]
This system had quite a temper, didn't it?
"You're such a heartless system! I'm your host!"
"Other systems do everything they can to get benefits for their hosts."
"But you do everything you can to screw me over!"
[This system adheres to the principles of fairness, impartiality, and absolute neutrality. Please do not lump this system together with other systems!]
"You're worse than those other systems," Lin Qianqian muttered.
The system chose to ignore her.
[Congratulations to the host on completing the punishment task!] [The Second Comparison will begin shortly!] [Comparison target: Zhou Fan] [Comparison time: 15 days from now] [Rewards for winning the comparison: Supreme-Grade Spirit Stone ×10, S-Rank Superpower Book ×1, millennium cold iron ×10, millennium snow silkworm silk ×10]
The Second Comparison had begun too.
"There are actually this many rewards?"
Lin Qianqian's eyes widened as she looked at the rewards listed by the system.
Supreme-Grade Spirit Stones!
An S-Rank Superpower Book!
Those two rewards alone were incredibly valuable!
Not to mention the millennium cold iron and millennium silkworm silk that followed.
They were all top-quality materials!
"So, as long as I win the next comparison, the materials I get will send my strength soaring!"
"But... why is the comparison target still Zhou Fan?"
Lin Qianqian noticed the key detail.
Why was it still that guy?
[Because the host lost the first comparison, the comparison target remains unchanged.] [Once the host wins the next comparison, the comparison target can be changed.]
"Whatever. Since I couldn't beat him in the first comparison and he's still my opponent for the second, this is the perfect chance for revenge!"
Lin Qianqian was deeply unhappy about losing to Zhou Fan in the first comparison.
She admitted that Zhou Fan did have some ability. He was stronger than she had expected.
But he wasn't so powerful that he couldn't be beaten.
Besides, she didn't think she had lost because she wasn't strong enough.
She had simply been careless.
When she first learned that Zhou Fan was her comparison target, she hadn't taken him seriously.
So she hadn't paid any special attention at first and had simply gone about things as usual.
By the time she realized Zhou Fan was no pushover and started putting in the effort, it was already too late.
In the end, she had only lost to Zhou Fan by a narrow margin-even though he had taken her out instantly in the system's simulated battle.
But there hadn't been much of a gap between them in their real fight, and she trusted the real result more!
The only thing about Zhou Fan that put any pressure on Lin Qianqian was his troublesome Genjutsu.
Genjutsu was particularly effective against her.
Of course, having trouble dealing with Genjutsu didn't mean she couldn't deal with it at all.
"This comparison lasts fifteen days too. I just need to focus on studying ways to resist Genjutsu during that time. As long as I can break it, Zhou Fan definitely won't be a match for me!"
Lin Qianqian felt that Genjutsu was the sole reason she had lost to Zhou Fan.
Without Genjutsu, he definitely wouldn't be a match for her!
What she didn't know, however, was that the Sharingan's Genjutsu wasn't so easy to deal with.
"Next time. Next time, Zhou Fan definitely won't beat me!"
Lin Qianqian was brimming with confidence.
She absolutely wouldn't get careless this time!
Starting tomorrow, she would train hard and surpass Zhou Fan in the next comparison!
"But fifteen days from now... that puts the comparison after the college entrance exam."
"The exam is in ten days, so I'll set a goal first: become the Southern District's Top College Entrance Exam Scorer!"
"Then I'll beat Zhou Fan!"
Lin Qianqian already had a clear goal in mind.
She let out a breath, calmed herself down, set her phone aside, and went to take a shower.
After her shower, Lin Qianqian changed into loose, soft pajamas that left her long, snow-white legs bare, picked up her phone from the couch, and returned to her room.
She lay back down on her bed and was just about to scroll through some videos.
Suddenly, Li Mengyao sent her a message.
Several messages arrived in quick succession.
Lin Qianqian opened them.
Li Mengyao: "Holy shit! I knew you were dating someone, Qianqian!"
"But I never imagined it was Zhou Fan!"
"You really kept that under wraps!"
Lin Qianqian: "???"
"What the hell? What nonsense are you talking about?"
She looked utterly bewildered.
Li Mengyao: "Still playing dumb? Someone already took photos of you on a date with Zhou Fan!"
Lin Qianqian was even more confused.
A date?
What the hell?
When had I ever gone on a date with Zhou Fan?
Soon, Li Mengyao sent over several photos.
They were photos someone had taken of her outside Zhou Fan's door when she went to see him that evening.
Several had been taken from particularly misleading angles, making it look as though she and Zhou Fan were standing very close together and being intimate.
There was even a video at the end showing her entering the house with Zhou Fan.
"Someone actually caught that on camera?"
Lin Qianqian had always been careful.
For the previous two days, she had made sure no one was nearby before going inside.
Since today was the last day and she would be free once she finished the training, she had let her guard down a little.
Who would have thought that was all it took for someone to photograph her?
One careless slip, and everything had gone wrong!
Li Mengyao: "So you admit you were on a date with Zhou Fan?"
"I think of you as my best friend, and you even kept it from me! That's going too far!"
"I'm telling you, if you don't explain everything properly today, our friendship is over!"
Lin Qianqian: "It's not what you think. Let me explain."
Li Mengyao: "Fine, let's hear your excuses. I'll see how you explain this."
Before you continue