Zhen Nan is a small southern county town, unbearable in the late summer heat.
Jiang Nian had just returned home, opened the refrigerator door, and was greeted by a puff of white mist.
He searched for a while and finally found a few slices of bread left over from the morning, taking a few bites to make do. With something in his stomach, he finally started to feel better.
Bzz, the phone vibrated; someone was calling him.
Le Zhi, the class's life committee member, with a face full of youthful acne, this guy added everyone in the class on QQ. He called it uniting classmates, but in fact, he was just eyeing the girls nearby.
"Jiang Nian, Zhou Yuting wants to find someone to hang out with, should I ask you if you want to go?" Le Zhi's voice carried a hint of persuasion; he had once said he liked Zhou Yuting.
To be precise, not many boys in the class didn't like Zhou Yuting, Jiang Nian included.
Zhou Yuting had an oval face with willow-like eyebrows, a slender waist, and long legs. Beneath the summer school uniform was a bosom as soft as the spring ridgelines. Smart and wealthy, she was the class committee member.
"Really not going? You still remember Zhou Yuting's birthday party, right?" Le Zhi advised, "Is it really necessary? She didn't mean it, it was just a joke."
At the mention of the birthday party, Jiang Nian got annoyed.
Recently, Zhou Yuting celebrated her birthday, and six or seven people gathered for a meal.
Out of kindness, Jiang Nian went to a nearby convenience store to buy some C100 Vitamin Water, and when he returned, he heard Liu Feipeng and a few girls mocking him.
"He won't make an excuse and run off, will he? What we ordered at this table is indeed a bit pricey. He probably thinks it's AA, not realizing all the expenses tonight are on Dapeng."
"Yeah, and saying that cheap drink is tasty, as if we need his few coins."
"Haha, he's a warm guy, ranked just after the dogs."
The group laughed, leaving the Jiang Nian outside the private room feeling terrible. He heard Zhou Yuting's laughter; even though they usually got along well, she didn't say a word for him.
Since then, Jiang Nian saw through it all.
If it hadn't been Zhou Yuting's birthday party, he wouldn't have wanted to go at all. These days, it's better to pursue pure gold rather than pure love. Is having money that great? Can it buy a mom?
If he had money, he wouldn't even glance at someone like Zhou Yuting; he realized he had really misjudged before.
Damn, so this is how they see me!
"Not going, let them play by themselves." Jiang Nian sneered.
Le Zhi replied, "Alright, I'll let Zhou the Great Beauty know."
Jiang Nian put down the phone and leaned back on the sofa, sighing softly. This world has really changed, when did being kind become being a clown?
His chest rose and fell; without money, one gets bullied, but with money, everything you do is right.
At the peak of his anger, there was a ding in his mind. A semi-transparent panel appeared, and line by line, white text slowly emerged.
[At eighteen, you got into an ordinary tier-two college. After graduating, you entered a big company, working overtime till your liver exploded, running errands till your legs cramped, without any promotion or raise.
At twenty-eight, your parents, bitter yet patient, urged their unsuccessful child to go on blind dates. To protect your self-esteem, they carefully handed over a savings book.
At thirty, a dowry exploded at 588k, gritting your teeth to take loans for buying a house and car at 1.34 million. Five-metal gifts were 80k, nurturing gifts 128k, mouth-opening money 30k, boarding-unboarding gifts 66k.
In a luxurious hotel, guests were as numerous as clouds, with smiles on everyone's faces. A bouquet was tossed up high, like a white dove soaring in the air.
At thirty-two, the company optimized, and you narrowly escaped being laid off. Your boss always assigned you the heaviest work, and each time you returned home later than the last, with your health deteriorating further.
At thirty-five, you were unemployed, and your wife increasingly dissatisfied with you. You had no children, and your medical reports were worsening, with arguments becoming more frequent.
At thirty-eight, the suitcase rolled across the floor as your wife left with a cold face. The phone with a shattered screen lit up, your parents' call was continuously rigning.
In the ruins, you bowed your head to light a cigarette.
Host: Jiang Nian, Divorce Revenge System loaded....Do you have the courage...to start...a career comeback at this crossroad of age?]
On the sofa, Jiang Nian gazed at the words in his mind, stunned all over.
Divorce? At thirty-eight?
Wait...is this panel talking about me? Jiang Nian..... the name was correct, he was dazed for more than ten minutes, goosebumps rising all over.
Suddenly, he looked up sharply, suddenly realizing something.
"No, I'm only eighteen!"
WTH, is this system early?
Looking at the last line of small white text frozen on the panel, do you have..... the courage...to start a career comeback at this milestone/crossroads?
He reached out, faintly revealing two choices: yes or no.
There wasn't much to hesitate about. If this system was fake, just treat it as playing a life simulation game. If it was real, then he had no reason to give up.
Jiang Nian was very clear about how low people could stoop due to poverty. He considered himself fairly lucky, at least having his parents to shoulder the burden if the sky fell, and his living standards weren't bad.
What about the future, though, if he couldn't give his parents the support they needed?
In this world, a person can be incompetent but not penniless. Hard work doesn't guarantee rewards; if you choose the wrong path, one wrong step leads to another.
The panel vibrated slightly, then another line of small text appeared.
[Divorce Revenge Game Loaded, Host: Jiang Nian, Male, Age: 38.
Your marriage failed, standing at the crossroads of age, you recall your childhood sweetheart Qing Mei. After getting married, you lost contact with her, with no further news of her.
Reconnect with Xu Qianqian, Reward: 300 RMB.]
After reading, Jiang Nian couldn't help but smirk; why does this system sound so pretentious.
But it doesn't matter, as long as it gives money.
Reconnecting with quarreled Qing Mei Xu Qianqian, hmm..... He stood up and paced the living room for a while. Opening the door, he stared at Xu Qianqian's house across the way and fell into thought.
Jiang Nian knocked on the door without holding back, "Xu Qianqian, what are you doing!?"
Moments later, hurried footsteps could be heard from behind the door, and a crisp voice pierced through even before the person arrived.
"Get lost, Jiang Nian, are you trying to die!?"
Whoosh, the door was pulled open, revealing a petite, pouting face.
A gracefully attractive young girl appeared, about one meter sixty-something, wearing a beige knitted top, with full-looking chest as if hiding treasures.
The girl's eyes lively, skin fair, eyebrows like distant mountains, with smooth long hair tied with a hairband. He hadn't noticed before, but a natural beauty was developing.
Unfortunately, the two never got along since childhood, with their relationship deteriorating sharply since middle school.
Secretly eating Xu Qianqian's ice cream, releasing her pet turtle into a sewer.
Xu Qianqian had a slight cold, but he carried her princess-style to the hospital without a word, causing her to miss exams, and Jiang Nian got his only first place in class ever.
For all these misbehaviors, he should be thankful that Xu Qianqian spared him his life up to now.