Cheng Che paid no attention to the little incident just now. Both his legs felt like they belonged to someone else, and he didn't even have the energy to curse.
After he passed the fifth intersection, the outline of Clearwater Bay Residential Complex finally appeared in the distance.
Gritting his teeth, Cheng Che took the last few steps and ran up to his apartment building.
[Ding! Quest "Run, Incubus!" completed. Stamina +1, endurance +1.]
In an instant, a warm current rose from the soles of his feet and swept through every limb and bone in his body.
The soreness and fatigue receded like the tide, replaced by a lightness he had never felt before.
Cheng Che stood at the entrance to his building, gasping for breath, but his eyes were startlingly bright.
"I'm really not tired anymore..."
He took the stairs two at a time, pulled out his key, and opened the door.
"Click-"
"Oh, you're back."
In the living room, his dad, Cheng Jianguo, sat on the sofa with his legs crossed, watching TV in an old man's undershirt.
"You're home awfully late today. Sneak off on a date?"
Cheng Che changed into his slippers. "Yeah, you'll have a grandchild to hold any day now."
"You little rascal!" Cheng Jianguo said with a laugh.
Jiang Xue came out of the kitchen carrying a dish. When she saw Cheng Che drenched in sweat, she paused. "Cheche, what happened to you? You look like you were just fished out of the water."
"I went running. Ran home from school."
"Exercise is good, but don't push yourself too hard." Jiang Xue set the dish on the table and put a piece of spare rib in his bowl. "Eat up."
Cheng Che washed his hands and sat down to eat.
One meat dish and two vegetable dishes, all steaming hot. Just looking at them was enough to whet his appetite.
Cheng Jianguo gave him another piece, muttering, "You've got to replenish your strength after working out."
After dinner, Cheng Che returned to his little bedroom, which was less than ten square meters.
Exam papers from every subject were piled on his desk. A wrinkled sheet bearing the number "985" was stuck to the wall, something he had written himself a long time ago.
He pulled out a math mock exam and started working on it.
He was in surprisingly good form, his thoughts exceptionally clear. When he came across a problem he didn't know how to solve, reading it a couple more times was enough to find an approach.
By the time he finished the paper, his accuracy was more than a little higher than usual.
9:47 p.m.
Time for bed.
He got up and went to the bathroom to wash up. Picking up the dusty bottle of facial cleanser, he squeezed out a little, worked it into a foam, and washed his face thoroughly before patting on some toner.
It felt cool and quite comfortable.
While he was drying his face, he heard his parents' lowered voices from the living room.
"Can you still get up at four tomorrow? My back's acting up again today."
"It's fine, I've put on a medicated patch. You just get your sleep."
"You always have to play tough..."
Their voices grew quieter and quieter.
Cheng Che's hand paused.
His parents ran a breakfast shop. Every day, they got up at three or four in the morning to knead dough, steam buns, and grind soy milk.
Three hundred and sixty-five days a year, they had never missed a day.
He was only seventeen and couldn't help.
He couldn't help now.
The boy in the mirror had a freshly washed face and looked no different from usual.
I'll change your fates.
He said it in his heart.
Early the next morning, Cheng Che woke from his sleep.
His mind was clear, without the grogginess he used to feel under the covers.
[Ding! Yesterday's quest results:] [Quest "Incubus's Beauty Sleep" completed. Charm +0.5.] [Quest "Incubus's Face Project" completed. Charm +0.5.]
A grin spread across Cheng Che's face.
He had gained one point of charm on the very first day. At this rate, breaking 60 was only a matter of time.
His parents had already gone to the shop.
Bread and milk sat on the table, with a note tucked underneath: "Cheche, Mom's gone to the shop. Remember to eat the bread."
Cheng Che held the milk carton between his teeth, stuck in a straw, and ambled into the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face.
He rubbed the foam over his face and looked up at the mirror.
His hands suddenly froze.
Near his left temple were a few light brown acne marks. He had gotten them in his first year of high school, and they had lingered for nearly two years. They usually bothered him whenever he saw them while washing his face.
Now, the darkest and most noticeable ones really had faded a little.
He was certain it wasn't just his imagination.
Cheng Che's throat bobbed, and his eyes grew a little warm.
He had known since childhood that his looks didn't stand out.
His deskmate Guo Xin had even joked, "If you can't find a girlfriend in the future, save up some money and get those pockmarks on your face treated first."
Now, just one point of charm had brought a change visible to the naked eye.
He opened the system panel again.
[Charm: 48/100]
A small "+" had appeared in the lower right corner of the charm field. Cheng Che reached out and tapped it.
[Charm includes: height and proportions / muscle and bone quality / facial refinement / posture and bearing / voice quality]
He stared at the line for several seconds and silently mouthed, "Holy shit."
So charm wasn't just about the face. Height, posture, and voice all counted too.
That meant that as his charm continued to rise, not only would his face improve, his height and proportions would become more balanced, his posture would grow straighter, and even his voice would become more pleasant.
A short, hunchbacked guy with a voice like a drake, yet a handsome face...
Cheng Che shook his head hard.
No, he had to have it all.
He quickly finished washing his face, patted on toner, wolfed down the bread in a few bites, and drained the milk. Then he grabbed his schoolbag and headed out.