A Triple Leap in the Charisma Trial, a Viral MV Launch, and the Heartthrob of Ten Thousand Title

At five thirty in the morning, dawn was only just breaking.

In the southeastern corner of Spring City's People's Park, Cheng Che had already been standing in front of that abandoned low wall for half an hour.

His feet were apart, his knees slightly bent, his left hand holding a ball and his right gripping his racket, his eyes fixed on a chalk circle on the wall.

The circle wasn't particularly round. He had drawn it himself with a chalk stub from school, and after several days of practice, the balls had battered it into a blur.

He tossed the ball, turned his body, and swung.

Smack!

The ball struck inside the circle and bounced back. He stepped sideways to let it pass, tossed another ball, and swung again.

[Backhand Hell Training Pack: Current progress 683/5000.]

That was the only number he cared about right now.

Ten thousand serves-finished.

One hundred hours of footwork training had officially wrapped up yesterday, too.

There were four of these training packs, but only once he actually got to work did he discover that the hardest parts weren't serves or footwork.

They were the seemingly simple backhands and forehands that, in practice, were never quite up to standard.

Cheng Che stopped after another swing.

He looked down at his wrist. It was a little red, but strangely, it didn't hurt.

He was getting increasingly used to the Training Recovery Card's effects. After every training session, all his body's little aches and injuries vanished as though someone had rubbed them out with an eraser.

He turned, walked over to the bench beside the wall, and plopped down.

He still had plenty of stamina. [Enduring Progress Without Fail] worked quietly within him, and even his breathing quickly steadied.

He ran a hand through his hair, leaving his palm covered in sweat.

But his hair was silky smooth.

Black and glossy, as though he had just walked out of a salon after a conditioning treatment.

Over these four days, that bottle of [Perfect Hair Quality Shampoo] had proved even more powerful than he had imagined.

Even the balding old men taking their morning strolls through the park stole extra glances at the back of his head whenever they passed, their eyes practically spelling out, "It's good to be young."

Cheng Che slicked his hair back, his exposed teeth white, even, and attractive in the morning light.

He admired himself in his phone screen for a while, feeling thoroughly pleased.

Those two items really were good stuff.

More importantly, the changes they brought went beyond his hair and teeth.

His charisma on the system panel had automatically risen by 0.5 thanks to his recent "improvements in physical appearance."

He opened the panel.

[Host: Cheng Che]

[Rank: Lower-Tier Incubus]

[Stamina: 66.3 (You have shaken off the title of "useless trash" and are steadily advancing toward "high-grade workhorse.")]

[Endurance: 66.3 (Minor attainment in the Sacred Gigolo Physique. Your sustained output already surpasses that of most of your peers.)]

[Charisma: 66.8 (Your face finally turns heads, but you still have some way to go before you can "bring ruin to a nation and its people.")]

[Intelligence: 66.3 (Your IQ can now distinguish mushrooms from fungi. Congratulations.)]

Cheng Che's gaze lingered on the charisma field.

66.8.

Only 3.2 away from 70.

With a fixed increase of 0.3 every day, he could get there in ten days if nothing unexpected happened.

Then he could draw another talent, and all four of his attributes would soon cross the 70-point threshold.

Was the attribute cap for an Intermediate Incubus 70 or 80?

He felt a little anticipation, but wasn't quite sure.

"Whatever. I'll know when the time comes." He stood, put his racket in its bag, and headed home.

He had to get back and wash up. He still had school.

Before heading back to school, he needed a shower, too.

This Saturday, Cheng Che hadn't gone back to his part-time job at the tennis courts.

He had worked it out.

He had earned three thousand yuan shooting the MV, so he wasn't short of money for now.

Rather than spending his weekends picking up balls on the courts, he might as well pour all that time into the training packs.

He still had a long way to go with his forehands and backhands. The sooner he finished them, the sooner the stamina trial could enter its next stage.

When Old Chen found out, he hadn't said much, only replying:

"Sure. As long as you've got your own affairs sorted out. Whenever you want to come back, just say the word."

Guo Xin, on the other hand, had volunteered to take over Cheng Che's part-time job.

At first, Cheng Che thought he had found his conscience and wanted to earn some pocket money.

Only later did he learn that the bastard had heard the tennis courts were swarming with beauties and wanted to feast his eyes.

After just one day there, Guo Xin sent Cheng Che a message of utter anguish:

"Nothing but hairy men's legs! Not a single person in a skirt! I've picked up over a thousand balls in two days, and I'm number one on the WeChat step rankings every day. What am I even doing this for?!"

Cheng Che laughed so hard he nearly swallowed his toothpaste foam.

He didn't reply, only taking a screenshot to laugh at later.

Aside from Guo Xin, Cheng Che's family had also run into a little trouble these past few days.

Somehow, those entertainment companies had gotten hold of Cheng Jianguo's and Jiang Xue's phone numbers, and the calls came one after another.

Cheng Jianguo was good-tempered and would exchange a few words when he answered;

Jiang Xue wasn't so accommodating. Twice, she had been kneading dough when she answered, and the moment she heard "we'd like to sign your son," she hung up with a blunt, "My son has the college entrance exam to take."

Eventually, the couple couldn't stand it anymore. When Cheng Che came home from school, they pulled him onto the sofa for a little meeting.

After hearing them out, Cheng Che said only one thing:

"We can discuss signing later. I'm not signing now. At least wait until I get into university."

Cheng Jianguo nodded.

"Right. University is a must. Even if you really do become a celebrity later, you still have to finish your education."

Jiang Xue agreed.

"Exactly. Another year or so won't hurt. If you've really got what it takes, people will want you no matter how late it is."

Looking at his parents seated on either side of him, Cheng Che felt warm and secure.

Unlike some families, their eyes hadn't lit up the moment they heard a company wanted to sign their son.

They cared about only one thing: their son had to get into university first.

This is really nice.

Cheng Che shouldered his schoolbag and boarded the bus.

Sitting on the bus, he suddenly remembered Xiao Zhou saying yesterday that the MV and song would launch together today, but he didn't pay much attention.

Several days had already passed. Surely the buzz had died down by now?

"Died down? It's gone up! And it's a massive hit-a massive hit, do you understand?"

In an upscale apartment on the other side of Spring City, Yan Ruanning's female manager excitedly opened an online data chart and showed it to the team.

The first time Cheng Che's face appeared online, he had already caused a small stir.

After the flag-raising video came out, his grades and labels like "working his way through school" and "top student" had all been dug up, taking that small stir straight to a moderate buzz.

Then, when she released her MV teaser saying she had "happened to meet a high school student working part-time at the tennis courts," that news was like pouring another ladle of oil onto the fire.

[A handsome top student working his way through school.]

That label had pushed everyone's expectations to the limit.

Yan Ruanning was gathered around the computer with her team.

"It's almost live." Xiao Zhou's voice was soft, as though she feared disturbing something.

On the screen, the music app's opening recommendation slowly unfolded.

Against the deep-blue key visual, a teenage boy stood on a tennis court, backlit, turning around as though he had heard someone calling.

Beside him was a handwritten title:

"Midsummer Reply"-Yan Ruanning

Ten o'clock sharp.

The curve on the analytics dashboard began to move.

Xiao Zhou's eyes went wide, her fingers swiping rapidly across her tablet.

The publicity director, executive manager, and promotional assistant standing behind her all held their breath.

"First-hour streams..."

"Just tell us already!" the publicity director urged.

"Twice the first-hour streams of 'A Letter from the Evening Breeze.'" Xiao Zhou's voice sounded a little unmoored.

"What about comments?"

"Over a thousand in five minutes. Eight of the ten top comments mention that kid."

Yan Ruanning stood by the window, holding a cup of Americano that had already gone cold, without turning around.

She had barely slept last night, leaving faint dark circles beneath her eyes, but right now she couldn't stop the corners of her mouth from rising.

She had known it would be a hit.

She just hadn't expected it to be this big.

This MV had a good song, beautiful visuals, and the boy was an unexpected bonus.

Add the contrasting label of "a handsome top student working his way through school," and the comments section had long since exploded.

Fans were praising her, casual viewers were asking who the boy was, and media outlets had even contacted the studio on their own, hoping to interview "the boy Ruanning had spotted on the tennis courts."

"Spring City's culture and tourism department called, too." Xiao Zhou raised her phone. "They thanked us for promoting the city, said the results exceeded expectations, and asked whether we had room in the schedule for another collaboration."

Yan Ruanning smiled.

"Reply for me. Tell them I'd be delighted."

Cheng Che knew nothing of any of this.

After school that afternoon, he ran home along his usual route.

Night was falling later and later in Spring City. At five thirty in the evening, it was still light out.

He set off from school, passed through the old streets, crossed the fourth set of traffic lights, and turned onto a relatively quiet side road.

The road was flanked by the boundary walls of old residential compounds, and few people usually took it.

Halfway down, a sudden "ding" sounded in his mind.

Cheng Che stopped short.

Panting, he looked at the system panel before him.

[Charisma Trial: Heartthrob of Ten Thousand. Final objective: Have ten thousand people develop a favorable impression of you. Completed!]

Cheng Che's eyes instantly widened.

Completed?

Just like that?

His heart thumped wildly.

This charisma trial did nothing until it moved, and then it leaped three stages at once.

Last time, he had completed the ten thousand compliments before he could even react.

Now, the ten thousand favorable impressions had actually been completed out of nowhere while he was running.

He hurriedly opened the reward.

[Congratulations to the host on obtaining the title: Heartthrob of Ten Thousand.]

[Title effect: Once equipped, you will carry an aura of "recognition from ten thousand people." When there are relatively few people around, anyone who meets your eyes or speaks with you will automatically view you through a favorable filter.]

"A title?"

Cheng Che froze for a moment.

This system really did have one thing after another. After the draws came items, after the items came talents, and now a title had popped up.

If he kept unlocking things, would there be skins and special effects, too?

He tapped "Equip."

An exceedingly faint warmth spread from his chest, like someone had tucked a hand warmer against him in winter-not hot, but very comfortable.

He looked down at himself and found nothing different.

"That's it?" He scratched his head.

While he was still puzzling over it, two women's voices suddenly came from behind him.

"Is that him?"

"Go take a look, please! What if it is?"

Cheng Che turned around.

Two young women in business suits stood by the road, probably in their early twenties, one with short hair and the other with long hair. They tugged at each other as they approached him.

They wore employee badges from a real estate company on their chests and looked as though they had just gotten off work.

The short-haired woman raised her head and found herself looking straight at Cheng Che's face.

Her steps instantly slowed for half a beat, then stopped altogether.

He... oh my God, how is he so handsome?

She screamed silently in her mind.

She had never understood that thing people called boyish charm before. Now she did.

Tall and slim, his school uniform half unzipped, sweat still unwiped from his forehead, his eyes extraordinarily bright.

Just standing there, he looked as though he had walked straight out of a coming-of-age film.

"Excuse me... are you the person in the 'Midsummer Reply' MV?" the long-haired young woman ventured, her voice trembling.

Cheng Che froze. "MV?"

Then he looked at the girl's phone screen.

On the screen, he stood on a tennis court, turning back to look at the camera. It was the very music video Yan Ruanning had said would "go live in a few days."

It was already out?

"That's me." Cheng Che nodded.

"It really is you! Oh my god, it really is you!" The long-haired girl nearly jumped up, grabbing her companion's arm with one hand as she edged toward Cheng Che. "Could we... could we take a photo with you? Just one! We love you so much!"

Cheng Che was a little dazed by their enthusiasm, but seeing their sparkling eyes, he didn't think they meant any harm, so he nodded. "Sure."

The two girls stood on either side of him and raised a phone.

"Click."

After taking one photo, the short-haired girl cautiously asked, "Could we take another? My smile didn't come out right in this one..."

"Okay."

They took two more.

Cheng Che smiled and waved at them. "I'll get going, then. Take it easy on your way home."

With that, he turned and ran, his strides so quick it was as though someone were chasing him.

The two girls stood there with their hands over their mouths. Only when his retreating figure disappeared around a bend in the path did they finally burst into a fit of muffled, excited squeals.

"Ah-he's so handsome!"

"He's so cute! And his voice sounds so nice! He's so gentle, too!"

"The photos! Quick, let's look at the photos!"

They opened the photos.

In the picture, the boy stood in the middle, a slightly helpless yet friendly smile on his face.

The light of the setting sun shone from behind him, enveloping his whole figure in a hazy halo.

That light wasn't dazzling, yet it made him look especially clean-cut, especially inviting to approach.

"I'm going to print this one out and put it up by my bed," the short-haired girl murmured.

The long-haired girl had already opened a social media app. "I'm posting it! Let everyone who doesn't know him yet feast their eyes!"

Five minutes later, the photo appeared online.

No one imagined that this casually snapped photo would become the first pinned hot post in Cheng Che's Super Topic.