Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 1-5

Jing Ling never thought she would have a day where she capsized in a gutter. As a contracted partner of the elite support system, she constantly shuttled between different worlds, helping the system-selected female leads achieve their careers. That was her main job. But besides that, she had a particular hobby—punishing scumbags.

 

She still remembered during one task where she helped the female lead become a fashion master, she casually toyed with six different types of scumbags from various professions. Even her system began doubting whether there had been a mistake in assessing her talents from the very beginning.

 

Whether that was true or not, Jing Ling didn’t know. Anyway, every time she helped the female lead rise to success, as long as she had free time, she would casually flirt with a few scumbags and dump them as soon as the mission was complete. Along the way, she left behind a trail of scumbags who hated her to the core in nearly every world.

 

Because of this, the system had tried persuading her to restrain herself a little—don’t mess with too many people in each world; one or two would be enough just for the sake of formality. To this, Jing Ling replied: “I can’t control my little hands!”

 

The latest task was unexpectedly easy. She completed it in less than half a year. Since the time was short, she only messed with one guy this time. She even joked with the system, saying she had turned over a new leaf and deserved praise. The system replied with a very sarcastic: “Heh.”

 

Not even a minute later, the system suddenly warned: “Host, behind you!”

 

Without thinking, Jing Ling rolled to the side. A large truck grazed her body and crashed into the mountain wall ahead with a loud bang.  

 

“System, what’s going on?” she asked.

 

“Checking—”

 

*BOOM—*

 

The system’s voice and the deafening explosion rang out almost simultaneously. Jing Ling hadn’t even had time to feel any pain before her entire consciousness blacked out.

 

When she woke again, the first thing she did was try to contact the system. But there was no response at all.  

 

She spent an entire day coming to terms with the fact that the system had vanished.

 

During that time, she recalled where she had seen the truck driver before. His name was Tang Zhihua, a truck driver, married, and lived next door to the apartment Jing Ling had rented.

 

Jing Ling liked to mess with scumbags, but she had her own principles. First, she wouldn’t go near ugly men; second, she wouldn’t touch married men. Tang Zhihua fit both categories—he was never one of her targets. But unfortunately, she had an attractive face. Even though she wasn’t interested, he had set his eyes on her.

 

Tang Zhihua’s wife was formidable—she held tight control over the family finances, which meant that every time he tried to fool around outside, he ended up failing due to lack of money.

 

Jing Ling didn’t bother wasting words on this kind of scum. She directly told his wife about it. After that, he quieted down, and she didn’t pay further attention. She vaguely remembered hearing from neighborhood gossip that his wife finally couldn’t take it anymore and divorced him.

 

Because she was the last straw that broke the camel’s back, did that bastard dump all his hatred onto her? Jing Ling felt like she had touched the truth.

 

But it was no damn use. She dodged the truck’s hit, but not the explosion that followed. She had been so close to it that even her corpse was probably blown to bits.

 

Damn it. What a stifling way to die!

 

After spending another half a day swallowing her anger, Jing Ling finally began to sort out her situation. This was a parallel timeline nearly identical to the world of her last mission, but the timeline was earlier—still in the year 2012. The owner of the body she now occupied happened to also be named Jing Ling, a seventeen-year-old from a poor family, attending the third year of high school in town, and just a few days away from taking the college entrance exams.

 

But none of that mattered to Jing Ling. What truly concerned her was that this body was male. After looking down at a chest even flatter than an airport runway and the extra appendage between her legs, her feelings were nothing short of complex and mixed. Still, having traveled through countless worlds, untouched despite being surrounded by temptation, a god-level scumbag of her own kind—her mental resilience was far from average. She quickly accepted the reality.

 

After all, the attributes and skills she had exchanged from the system were still intact. For her, there was nothing unacceptable.

 

Looking at the devastatingly attractive face in the mirror, Jing Ling revealed an arrogant, infuriating smile—*Scumbags, don’t worry. I won’t flirt with you this time. I’ll flirt with your girlfriends instead. Let you enjoy a long, lasting relationship… with your right hand.*

 

(TL note: from now on, the MC’s pronouns will be male)

 

But that was for later. For now, he had to deal with the two shady guys who had been watching him from the school gate and tailing him since.

 

Finishing the large cup of milk tea a girl who secretly liked him had just given him at the school gate, Jing Ling felt like he was about to turn into sugar. He put the cup back into the plastic bag and casually tossed it into a trash collection point by the roadside, then turned left into a small alley.

 

This wasn’t the road home. Walking straight ahead about 30 meters and turning right, there was a three-story building completely blocking the way. Clearly, this was a dead-end alley—and he had known that from the beginning. He deliberately led the two men here.

 

The alley was quiet, and with the hearing enhancement from the system, he could clearly hear the conversation between the two people behind him.

 

“I’m seriously pissed off right now. Lin Yuanhang, did you see it? I called her my wife for two months in the game, bought her gift packs, sent her a phone, even flew all the way here—and she turned out to be a guy! Damn, no wonder she refused to video chat or give me her address!”

 

“You just wanted to sleep with them, but it turned out they were a guy so it didn’t work out. Then just drop it. That amount of money doesn’t even matter to you, Young Master Jiang. What I don’t get is, why are you still following him around? Don’t tell me you’re willing to make do with a guy now? Though honestly, with that face, I wouldn’t blame you.”

 

“Screw you! I’m straight!”

 

“Sure, you’re straight! So tell me—what are you doing tailing him like this?”

 

“I—I—I don’t care. I’ve never taken a loss like this in my life!”

 

Pretending to be a girl in games to scam money is pretty common. But based on their conversation, the scammer was supposed to be him. Jing Ling wasn’t having it—neither was the original host!

 

According to the original host’s memories, although he had an unfairly good-looking face, he was extremely introverted since childhood and a model student after starting school. He didn’t even know where the entrance to an internet café was. With a poor family background, forget about a computer—his phone was a black-and-white screen keypad relic from the past, only capable of calls and texts, nothing else.

 

So, scam money? What an international joke!

 

Still, this needed to be clarified.

 

Jing Ling stood at the end of the alley, his back leaning against the rough concrete wall, waiting for the two to catch up.

 

When the two tailing him turned the corner, they saw the slender and upright figure of a young man at the end of the alley: white shirt, faded jeans, sneakers—his whole being radiating youthful energy. He leaned against the wall, eyes calmly watching them, as if he had been waiting there on purpose.

 

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding between us,” he said, his voice just as calm as his gaze.

 

“Misunderstanding?” Young Master Jiang wasn’t having it the moment he heard that. He didn’t even care why the person they were tailing brought them into a dead-end alley. He strode up to Jing Ling, furious. 

“Pretending to be a girl with voice changers and heavily edited photos, and now you call it a misunderstanding? You think I’m stupid?!”

 

“Exactly,” Jing Ling replied. “Seeing a photo and hearing a voice, and then just sending money and a phone—and even flying across the country? If you’re not stupid, who is? Might as well tattoo ‘Rich and Dumb’ on your forehead.”

 

“Pfft!” Lin Yuanhang behind him couldn’t help but laugh.

 

Jiang, freshly betrayed by his friend’s laughter, was even angrier. “Damn it, still daring to insult me? Believe it or not, I’ll call the cops! I’ve spent eighty thousand on you—that’s enough for a criminal case!”

 

“I believe you. But let me say this again—you’ve got the wrong person. How about this, tell me which game you were playing. Mobile or PC? If it’s a mobile game, then this is easy. Look at the phone I’m using. You think this kind of phone can play games? If it’s a PC game, then it’s slightly more complicated, but still provable. You didn’t tell your ‘wife’ you were coming, right? Why not just find a nearby internet café, log in, and see if she’s online. If not, try to arrange a meet.”

 

To say that entire paragraph without pause wasn’t too hard. But if the speaker improvised the whole thing, kept a flat tone the entire time, and delivered it completely calmly—then that’s pretty impressive.

Jiang listened to the whole thing, thought about it carefully, and was already half convinced. When he saw Jing Ling pull out an ancient flip phone from his pocket, his doubts pretty much vanished. Because the game he played *was* a mobile game. And his trip here had been a spontaneous decision—he hadn’t told anyone except his buddy Lin Yuanhang.

 

Still, there was one more thing he needed to clear up.

 

“The person in the photo I received was definitely you. And the stuff I sent—the address was near here too. How do you explain that?” Jiang asked, taking out his phone and showing the screen to Jing Ling. His wallpaper was a beautiful anime-style girl with long, straight black hair—but the face was undeniably Jing Ling’s.

 

Jing Ling rolled his eyes. “That photo angle? Obvious candid shot. I’m this good-looking—someone sneaking a pic and using it for scams after editing? Totally expected. If you use a photo of a known internet celebrity, you might get exposed. You say the address is nearby? Feel free to look around. This place is tiny—you’ll find it eventually.”

 

“Alright, no more chatter. I’m leaving now. That’ll be 100 yuan.” Jing Ling held out his hand to Jiang.

The latter froze. “What 100 yuan?”

 

“You thought me standing here waiting for you, talking this long, was for free? My time is valuable. That’s the discounted price I’m giving you out of pity for being scammed so badly.”

Jiang: …

 

Lin Yuanhang, watching the drama unfold: …

 

Chapter 2

 

After receiving the 100 yuan chatting fee, Jing Ling couldn’t be bothered to pay any more attention to Jiang Shao and Lin Yuanhang. He picked up his faded backpack and left. Exiting the dead-end alley, he walked straight along the dusty street and arrived at the town park to wait for the bus. The intercity bus came once every half hour; it was a former short-distance coach converted for this route, with only a dozen or so seats. There was only one door for boarding and getting off. The bus was so dirty it looked like it had rolled in mud. For just two yuan, you could ride from the town to the county.

 

Jing Ling was going to see someone. According to memory, the original host was not an only child—he had an older sister named Jing Qiu, five years his senior. Their mother died of illness a few years after he was born. Their father had long worked away from home, and it was fair to say that his sister raised him single-handedly. When he was promoted to the second year of high school, his father got into a car accident on his way home for the New Year. The unlicensed black car he rode skidded off a cliff due to slippery roads. Including the driver, all 11 people on board died. Under such circumstances, not to mention any compensation, even the funeral costs had to be covered by the family themselves. Jing Qiu, who was working away from home, rushed back as soon as she got the news. After handling the funeral, she didn’t go back out to work again. Her brother was entering the most critical period of his schooling—junior year of high school—and couldn’t be left uncared for.

 

Jing Qiu found a nearby job in the county as a waitress and dishwasher, earning 1,500 yuan a month with meals and lodging included. The original host’s tuition and living expenses all depended on her meager salary, so her own lifestyle had to be as frugal as possible.

 

Yesterday evening, Jing Ling received a phone call from Jing Qiu. She said she had asked her boss for leave to accompany him through the college entrance exam and would return home after work today. Jing Ling had a rough idea of the working hours for that kind of job—they typically went very late. In better places, one might be able to grab a taxi, but in a rundown place like this, you wouldn’t even see a ghost on the streets. How would she get home? So he casually asked, and the reply was that her boyfriend had agreed to take her home.

 

Although she wasn’t his real sister, Jing Ling still decided to go pick her up himself.

 

He waited for the bus at the entrance of the park for about ten minutes before it finally came. About seven or eight others were waiting too. When the bus doors opened, a crowd poured out of it. As soon as everyone got off, the waiting passengers swarmed on. Jing Ling was the last to board. The seats were already full, but he didn’t mind and just found a spot to stand.

 

The bus wobbled its way out of the town and toward the county.

 

When it was almost time to arrive, Jing Ling called Jing Qiu. The call had just connected and he had barely said hello when an angry voice came through the receiver: “I’m f**king talking to you, and you’re taking a call? It’s that brother of yours again, isn’t it? Jing Qiu, I’m telling you, if you still want to marry into the Li family, you better cut ties with that brother of yours! My mom said it—our Li family won’t raise some stray kid!”

 

Then came Jing Qiu’s voice, sounding flustered, “Xiao Ling, something’s come up here, I’ll call you back later.” And then she hung up immediately.

 

At that moment, the bus had arrived at its stop. People started getting off one by one. Jing Ling put away his phone and got off as well. The sky had darkened, and the streetlights on both sides of the road lit up. The warm yellow light filled the view, finally giving off the feeling of a modern society.

 

It had been over a year since Jing Qiu came to work in the county, but according to memory, the original host had never once visited her workplace. Fortunately, she had mentioned it a few times, and the original host had some impression of it. After receiving her call yesterday, Jing Ling used the school’s ancient desktop computer to look up a map of the county town. He had memorized the layout of several streets and their landmarks.

 

For him, finding where Jing Qiu worked was no difficult task. The only issue was that it was a bit far, but even that was easily solved—just hail a vehicle to get there. Oh wait, there were no taxis in this place, only motorized tricycles.

 

After getting on one and giving the name of the place, Jing Ling counted his current assets, including the chatting fee he had just earned—altogether 346 yuan and 50 cents.

 

“Truly poor!” he exclaimed, “But I can make do.”

 

About a third of the way there, when they passed by a flower shop, Jing Ling asked the driver to pull over. He got out, walked into the shop, picked up a pre-wrapped bouquet of roses, paid, and got back in the vehicle. As the vehicle started moving again, the driver asked while driving, “These are for your girlfriend, right?”

 

Hugging the flowers, Jing Ling replied, “Sort of.”

 

They soon arrived at the place where Jing Qiu worked. After paying the fare and getting out, Jing Ling stood by the roadside and called her. It rang seven or eight times before it connected. “Xiao Ling, I’m busy right now, I’ll call you later—Li Wei, what are you doing? Give my phone back, give it back—hey, you’re Jing Ling, right? I’m warning you—”

 

The last voice was likely from the phone being thrown, and the call automatically disconnected. The dial tone followed.

 

Jing Ling put away his phone and looked across the street. In the alley next to the small shop called “Happy Restaurant,” a man and a woman were arguing. Their lip movements and gestures perfectly matched the scene he had just heard on the phone.

 

“Trash,” he snorted coldly, flung his backpack onto a tree by the roadside greenery, and strode across the street.

 

Li Wei had been dating Jing Qiu for nearly a year. They met at this very restaurant—he had come with friends for a meal, and when Jing Qiu brought dishes to their table, he noticed her. He courted her for almost half a year before finally winning her over. Jing Qiu’s looks weren’t stunningly beautiful, but she was definitely a delicate and pretty girl. With some makeup and grooming, she could easily outshine a slew of online influencers. Whether when working out of town or after returning, she was never short of admirers. But in the end, it was Li Wei who won her over, something he often flaunted with pride.

 

At first, Li Wei treated Jing Qiu very well—caring and attentive. But after learning about her family situation, his dissatisfaction began to show, albeit subtly. When he found out Jing Qiu planned to support her younger brother through university, his long-suppressed resentment exploded. They had their first fight over this, and it even escalated into physical violence. Afterward, Jing Qiu tried to break up with him, but he swore up and down that it would never happen again, and she softened.

 

But once the line is crossed, there’s always a second, a third time. Over the past six months, they had quarreled countless times—cold wars, shouting matches, even physical confrontations. The word “breakup” had been brought up many times, but each time it was brushed aside after Li Wei begged and apologized.

 

Now, with the college entrance exams just around the corner, Li Wei heard from Jing Qiu that her brother had excellent grades and was almost guaranteed a spot at university. He realized things couldn’t go on like this. So he began pressuring her to choose—either break up with him or cut off ties with her brother. One or the other. Jing Qiu chose her brother, but Li Wei still refused to let go, and they muddled along to the present.

 

After work this afternoon, Li Wei came to see Jing Qiu again. He called her outside, and they had just exchanged a few words when her phone rang. Sharp-eyed, he saw that it was her brother calling and instantly flew into a rage. Without thinking, he lashed out at Jing Qiu verbally. As expected, the two of them started arguing again. Just as things had calmed down a little, her phone rang again—still her brother. Seeing her turn away to answer the call with her back to him, Li Wei exploded with anger, cursed, and tried to snatch the phone.

 

They started fighting over the phone again. Jing Qiu couldn’t overpower him and was afraid he would say something terrible to her brother, so in a fit of anger, she smashed the phone. The elderly, barely functioning device shattered against the wall into pieces and finally gave out completely.

 

A moment of silence—truly the calm before the storm.

 

Li Wei felt the last thread of reason in his mind snap. He raised his hand to slap Jing Qiu across the face, and his foot moved to kick her, cursing filthily as he did, “You b*tch! I’ll beat you to death today! My mom was right—you need a beating to learn your place! Talking nicely to you doesn’t work!”

 

He could almost imagine the pained expression and cries she would make when his slap landed on her face and his foot hit her body. But just when his hand was less than ten centimeters from her face, it suddenly stopped mid-air, completely frozen, and his leg couldn’t move either.

 

After struggling reflexively for a moment, Li Wei realized someone had grabbed his hand—and his leg was being held back too.

 

“Who are you calling trash?” A cold voice spoke behind him. At the same time, searing pain shot through his wrist, and Li Wei couldn’t help but cry out in agony. But as soon as he opened his mouth, a hand covered it.

 

“I don’t want to hear you squeal like a slaughtered pig,” the cold voice continued.

 

Standing by the wall, Jing Qiu finally saw clearly who had suddenly appeared and stopped Li Wei. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

 

“Xiao, Xiao—” she didn’t finish her sentence before something was handed to her. She instinctively lowered her head and, upon seeing what was in her hands, looked even more surprised.

 

It was a bouquet of stunning red roses, with delicate droplets of water still clinging to the petals, and a faint fragrance wafting to her nose.

 

“Be good, don’t say anything. These are for you. Do you like them?” the person said, their voice so gentle it could drown someone in warmth.

 

Jing Qiu looked at the flowers, then at him, and for some reason, her nose suddenly stung. She nodded firmly. “I like them!”

 

“I’m glad. You go back to work now. I have a few things to discuss with him.” As he spoke, he wrapped an arm around Li Wei’s neck and dragged him further into the alley. After a few steps, he paused and turned to look at Jing Qiu. “Don’t worry. It’s just a small matter. It’ll be over soon. I’ll come pick you up after your shift.”

 

A simple sentence, yet strangely reassuring. Jing Qiu looked into his eyes for a moment, then nodded and turned back toward the restaurant.

 

The person who stopped Li Wei—naturally—was Jing Ling. Watching Jing Qiu walk into the restaurant, he finally dragged Li Wei deeper into the alley. The streetlamps were warm and bright, but they couldn’t light up the darkness deep in the alley.

 

“Don’t worry, I really just want to have a quick chat with you. I understand—you don’t like your girlfriend taking care of her brother’s life entirely. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t like it either. It’s like marrying someone who already has baggage—and you’re not even married yet. But if you don’t like it, just break up. Why did you have to hit her? And you just had to drag your mom into this—are you seriously still not weaned at your age?”

 

Chapter 3

 

The original owner didn’t pay much attention to Jing Qiu, this older sister, and naturally wouldn’t be concerned with her personal affairs. Jing Qiu, on the other hand, wouldn’t talk to her still-schooling younger brother about her boyfriend for no reason. So even though Jing Ling had the original owner’s memories, he was basically unaware of the situation between Jing Qiu and her boyfriend. Logically speaking, he had no right to interfere in something he didn’t understand—Jing Qiu’s relationship wasn’t his business. However, based on what that piece of trash said and did just now, Jing Ling felt it was never wrong to beat him up first.

 

And he did exactly that. He dragged Li Wei into the dark alley, stuffed something into his mouth, threw him into the corner, and without a word, started beating him up. As for how to beat someone until they’re wailing for their parents, bedridden for half a month, yet show no signs of injury at the hospital—that was a skill Jing Ling had learned systematically for a long time from professionals in the field, and he had graduated successfully. For a period of time afterward, he became obsessed with perfecting this craft, striving to surpass his mentors. But he eventually got tired of it and didn’t persist for long.

 

It felt like a long time since he last beat someone up.

 

“Do you know what you did wrong?” Once he figured it was about enough, Jing Ling stopped and bent down to pull out the gag in Li Wei’s mouth—which, in fact, was just Li Wei’s own T-shirt, rolled up and stuffed in.

“Oh right, stay quiet and don’t scream. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might do.” Jing Ling added.

 

So just as Li Wei was about to cry for help, he chickened out. He still groaned, but very softly. After catching his breath for a bit, he finally asked, “Who are you? What’s your relationship with that b*tch Jing Qiu?” He didn’t believe in do-gooder strangers stepping in these days—his first suspicion was that this person had something to do with Jing Qiu. The one beating him had stayed behind his back the entire time, even walking beside him when dragging him into the alley. The lighting was so dim that Li Wei couldn’t see his face, but the voice sounded quite young. His first thought was that Jing Qiu had found someone else behind his back, and the proof was that this guy gave her a bouquet of roses—such a big bunch must’ve cost a lot!

 

He’d been with Jing Qiu for nearly a year and knew the basics of her background: both parents gone, barely any relatives, only her younger brother left. Though he had never seen this brother, to him, high school kids were all the same, so he hadn’t suspected a thing.

 

But before he could think any further, a sharp pain shot through his rear. Clearly, he’d been hit again.

“So you really don’t know what you did wrong,” Jing Ling said coldly and kicked him a few more times in the fleshy parts before continuing, “Forget high school and college, you at least finished nine years of compulsory education, right? Didn’t the teachers teach you about civility and manners? Talking like that—calling people b*tches every other word—you didn’t learn anything, did you? Just dating, and she hasn’t even married into your family, yet you’re already treating your mom’s words like holy scripture. You’re already hitting her—so if she *had* married you, does that mean everything she says and does has to be under your control?”

 

“Sorry, I’ve been talking this long and forgot to introduce myself. I’m Jing Ling, Jing Qiu’s younger brother. I don’t know what she saw in you in the past, but it doesn’t matter now. Meeting trash like you when you’re young is just one way to gain life experience and see the colorful (and ugly) sides of the world. I don’t know if she’s told you she wants to break up, but even if she hasn’t, I’ll say it on her behalf: from this moment on, you have nothing to do with her. I hope you won’t bother her again. Otherwise, I won’t guarantee what might happen.”

 

“Even though I don’t think there’ll be any chance of you seeing her again, some things are better said in advance.”

 

“You think me revealing my identity was dumb, huh? Sorry to disappoint you—don’t bother worrying. Feel free to go to the hospital and get examined. If they find anything, I’ll admit defeat.”

 

“Alright, that’s enough from me. I’m not your mom—or wait, your dad—I don’t have the patience or obligation to teach you how to be a decent person from scratch. Goodbye, trash.”

 

Just then, a motorcycle passed by on the road across from the alley. The headlight pierced the darkness and lit up the alley. Li Wei lay on the cold, rough ground, watching the youth walk away against the light—tall and slender, his silhouette calm and unhurried, as if strolling in a garden. The sudden light stung after being in the dark so long. Instinctively, Li Wei wanted to raise his hand to block it, but the moment he had that thought, his whole body felt as if the bones had been taken apart—sharp pain filled all his senses.

 

Villains won’t turn good just because someone lectured them with a few truths. “Lay down the butcher knife and become a Buddha” is just a saying.

 

Although Li Wei was trash in terms of character, he did have one redeeming trait: he knew when to back off. After realizing the gap between him and Jing Ling, he swallowed all the insults he’d wanted to throw out. Maybe he cursed Jing Ling’s ancestors a hundred times in his heart, but not a word came out of his mouth. Only after Jing Ling’s figure disappeared at the mouth of the alley did Li Wei grit his teeth and start cursing.

 

“Damn it! That little bastard must’ve watched too much TV. Really thinks he’s something. Says there’s no way to find evidence of the beating? If I don’t get you thrown in jail for a few years, I’ll take your surname!”

Night had fallen across the land, and at some point, a fine drizzle had started falling from the sky. Jing Ling hadn’t noticed it earlier in the alley, since both sides were covered by eaves. But once he stepped out, he saw that the ground was already wet. It had only just gotten dark, and the rain wasn’t heavy, so there were still many people on the streets. Especially in this area, which was a food district—both sides of the street were lined with small restaurants, and the open spaces were filled with night food stalls. Under the lights, the smoke from the cooking rose straight up into the sky.

 

The restaurant where Jing Qiu worked was right nearby. As Jing Ling walked in, he happened to see her poking her head out to look around, probably worried about him.

 

“Jie (Sis),” Jing Ling called to her softly.

 

Jing Qiu froze for a moment, then immediately looked him over nervously and asked, “Xiao Ling, are you okay?” At this moment, she only had eyes for Jing Ling. As for Li Wei, not to mention that she had already given up on him, even at the best point in their relationship, he could never compare to her younger brother. That’s because she practically raised Jing Ling herself—he couldn’t talk or walk when he was just born, and she was the one who coaxed him. Later, when he could walk, she took him to school. He had always been good-looking since he was little—rosy lips, white teeth, just like a doll from a New Year’s painting. He was well-behaved, never noisy, always quietly sitting beside her, looking around with big round eyes, making people’s hearts melt.

 

Back then, their father had taken away her chance to continue school in order to send her younger brother to school in town. Although she had resented him, every time she looked at her brother—so pretty, so obedient, and so smart—she would convince herself that it was only right for him to go to school in town. Once he got into a good university, graduated, and found a respectable job, he would live a good life like the ones on TV. The old tiled house at home would only be a burden to him. She convinced herself so easily that even the faint resentment she had toward her brother vanished. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have stayed after their father’s accident to hold the family together and keep supporting him through school.

 

Jing Ling gave her a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, I’m fine. Jie, how much longer until you’re off work?”

“About two more hours and we’ll be closing,” Jing Qiu said after checking the time on her phone. Just then, someone inside shouted, “Jing Qiu, the food for table 18 is ready!”

 

“Coming, Sister Wang!” Jing Qiu responded, then turned back to Jing Ling and said, “Xiao Ling, go sit over there for a while. I’m going upstairs to deliver a dish.” She turned to leave, but Jing Ling grabbed her hand.

 

“What is it, Xiao Ling?” she asked, puzzled.

 

Jing Ling smiled. “You’ve been working all day and you’re tired. Go rest for a bit, I’ll help you deliver the dish. It’s not like at home where you make just a few dishes at a time. Carrying so many at once—how can we let a girl like you do it?” As he spoke, he pulled her over to the rest area, held her by the shoulders, and gently pushed her onto the couch. Only then did he turn and walk unhurriedly toward the kitchen.

 

The kitchen was manned by a woman around forty and a girl about seventeen or eighteen helping her. It was dinner time, and business was good. The two were so busy they didn’t even look up when someone came in, just reminded him, “The food’s over there, hurry up and take it up. Table 9’s is almost ready too, move quickly.”

 

Jing Ling responded and picked up the tray with both hands before switching to one hand as he left the kitchen.

 

It was clearly a man’s voice. The young girl who was cutting vegetables paused, then quickly looked up, stunned as she stared. She only snapped out of it long after he had left. “Sister Wang, who was that just now? Is he new? He’s so handsome!”

 

Sister Wang managed to glance at her in the middle of the chaos. “New? What new? Hurry up and cut those vegetables!”

 

The girl was splashed with cold water and quickly came to her senses. “Oh!”

 

Although Sister Wang hadn’t noticed at first, after Jing Ling had delivered food a few times, she realized it wasn’t Jing Qiu and asked about it. Jing Ling introduced himself as Jing Qiu’s younger brother, there to pick her up from work and help deliver a few dishes so she could rest. Upon hearing this, Sister Wang praised him for being thoughtful and caring. She took the chance to explain how hard Jing Qiu had been working to support his education and told him to study hard and not let her efforts go to waste. Then she added, “Hope you don’t mind me nagging, but Jing Qiu is really a girl who makes people feel for her.”

 

Jing Ling shook his head. “How could I? You said all that because you care about my sister. Thank you all for taking care of her this past year.”

 

Two hours passed quickly. After Jing Ling and Sister Wang finished cleaning and organizing the tables and chairs, the restaurant officially closed. The earlier drizzle had become a light rain, falling steadily. There were barely any people left on the street, and the food stalls were quiet and empty.

 

Jing Qiu took an umbrella and said to Jing Ling, “It’s too late now and there are no more buses. Let’s find a hotel and stay for the night, we’ll head back tomorrow.”

 

Jing Ling nodded, took the umbrella from her, opened it, and led her into the rain. The umbrella was a bit small. To keep her from getting wet, Jing Ling wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close. As they walked, he said, “Jie, find a time to talk to your boss and quit this job.”

 

Jing Qiu laughed when she heard that. “I know you care about me, but I can’t. If I don’t work, how will you pay your college tuition? Don’t worry, just focus on your exams. Once you’re in college and graduate and find a good job, then I can stop working. I’ll count on you to support me in the future!”

 

“You won’t have to wait for the future. Starting now, I’ll support you!”

 

Chapter 4

 

The sentence “I’ll take care of you” wasn’t just empty words. 

 

Unfortunately, in Jing Qiu’s eyes, Jing Ling was still just a student about to take the college entrance examination, with an uncertain future—how could he possibly take care of her? But the fact that he had this intention was enough to satisfy her.

 

“Okay, you take care of me!” she said with a smile.

 

Jing Ling could naturally tell she was just brushing him off, but he didn’t explain. Some things are better shown through actions than explained with words, no matter how much or how well you say them.

There were many things he knew—so many, in fact, that he couldn’t even recall all of them. Back when he was completing tasks issued by the system, he had dabbled in almost all trades. Though he wouldn’t dare claim to be a master of everything, he was at least proficient in most. However, everything needed to be reasonable. No matter how gifted someone was, there are some things that must be learned and practiced. For a student from a poor background with a life as plain and simple as a blank sheet of paper to suddenly possess so much knowledge would raise suspicion. Even if no one probed deeply—what if someone did?

 

Jing Ling had many ways to make money, but they all required him to leave this impoverished and backward place. And for now, he couldn’t leave—because the college entrance exams were just a few days away. Although he personally didn’t care much about attending university, a bachelor’s degree and the experience of university life served as an excellent excuse to explain many otherwise unreasonable things. More importantly, Jing Qiu had worked so hard to support the original host’s education, hoping he’d get into a good university.

 

This mindset was just like that of many parents today. Even though they know that with the college admissions expansion, today’s university students can’t be compared with those of the past—and that after graduation, their salaries may be no better than those of migrant workers, or even worse—the dream of going to university had become an obsession after so many years. Every parent hopes their child will become successful. A university acceptance letter represents a form of validation for all their hard work and becomes a lifelong source of pride.

 

So Jing Ling thought it necessary to take the college entrance exam seriously. The cultural background of this world was essentially the same as his original world, just lagging a few years behind—it was still a time when students were divided into science and humanities tracks in their senior year. The original host was a science student with decent grades. If he performed normally, getting into a second-tier university was no problem. But don’t underestimate that second-tier status—Qingshan High School, where the original host studied, hadn’t produced a single student who reached the top-tier cutoff in the past three years. As for those who reached the second-tier cutoff, there were only a few per year, rarely even hitting double digits.

 

“Jie, which university do you think is good?” Jing Ling asked.

 

Jing Qiu blurted out without thinking, “Of course it’s Shuimu University and Didu University—those are the best universities in the country! But unfortunately, these two schools only allocate a dozen or so admissions slots to Yanzhou each year. The competition is too fierce. I asked your teacher, and he said your grades are really good. If you perform normally, getting into a second-tier university should be no problem. Why don’t you apply to Yanzhou Normal University? It’s close to home, and after graduation you could become a teacher—that’s a pretty good job, with winter and summer vacations every year!”

 

“To become a teacher, huh,” Jing Ling sighed, but before he could say more, Jing Qiu continued, “I was just suggesting. Your teacher told me that choosing a major is a lifelong decision, and you should think it over carefully. Pick what you like—I’ll support you no matter what!”

 

Jing Ling nodded. “Alright!”

 

Since she said that, then it’d be either Shuimu University or Didu University. He’d decide based on his mood later. This wasn’t arrogance—although the top universities only admitted a dozen or so students from each province, and there were hundreds of thousands of candidates, only those at the very top had the right to choose. But for Jing Ling, this wasn’t a big deal.

 

If he were just an ordinary person, taking the college entrance exam again after so many years would be difficult. But he wasn’t. From the beginning, he had been a genius. After receiving the system, he had used the points earned from completing tasks across various worlds to exchange for many things—such as photographic memory, precision calculation, and so on. Especially when it came to formulas and calculations, the underlying principles were similar in many worlds. So achieving an outstanding score was actually a very simple matter for him.

 

Time flew by, and soon the college entrance exam arrived. Since home was far from the exam site, Jing Qiu booked a hotel room in the county the day before. The next morning, she got up early and used the kitchen of a nearby restaurant to fry a dough stick and cook two eggs as breakfast for Jing Ling. After he finished eating, she went with him to the exam site.

 

Originally, Jing Ling wanted Jing Qiu to wait for him back at the hotel. The weather was great that day—clear skies with not a cloud in sight. It was easy to imagine how the sun would scorch the earth later. A police line had already been set up far outside the school gates, and although there were landscaping trees by the roadside, they couldn’t shield against the heat with so many people around. Jing Qiu insisted on staying. She felt that since other students had their parents with them, she should be there for him too. With no other choice, Jing Ling had to remind her to use the umbrella and to buy water from the nearby convenience store if she got thirsty—he would finish the exam soon.

Jing Qiu readily agreed and watched Jing Ling enter the exam room.

 

Chinese, Math, English, and Science—all completed within two days. During the first exam, Jing Ling finished the paper at lightning speed and handed it in early, leaving the exam room ahead of time. As a result, he was surrounded by a group of parents at the entrance, who pointed and whispered. The general idea was that being good-looking was useless, and he was clearly just there to accompany others for the test. Even if he couldn’t answer the questions, he should at least review carefully and stay until the end. His original intention had been to spare Jing Qiu from waiting too long and suffering in the heat, but it ended up making her worry even more. So, after comforting her, he obediently stayed until the end for the remaining three exams and left the exam room together with everyone else.

 

Jing Qiu was even more anxious than Jing Ling himself to know the results. But being anxious was no help—after the college entrance exam, it typically took about half a month for the results to be released. She had previously consulted Jing Ling’s teacher about university tuition fees. Based on the standard fees of an average second-tier university, after paying one year of tuition, she would barely have any money left. But in the first year, many essential daily items would need to be purchased, along with living expenses and so on, so money was definitely going to be tight.

 

Therefore, the current top priority was to make money.

 

As for how to make money? She could only go back to work. Although the monthly salary was only 1,500 yuan, there were still nearly two months before Jing Ling started university. This way, she could earn an additional 3,000 yuan and have a bit more flexibility. By then, she could also buy him a couple sets of clothes.

 

When she told Jing Ling that she planned to go back to work, he didn’t object. He only had a small request—that she rest for two more days before returning. Her younger brother caring about her made Jing Qiu very happy. Two days wasn’t a big deal, and she was indeed quite tired, so she agreed.

The next morning, after Jing Ling and Jing Qiu had breakfast together, he suddenly said to her, “Sis, you stay home and rest. I’m going to town to meet up with some classmates. I probably won’t be back tonight.”

 

Hearing that, Jing Qiu was momentarily stunned, but quickly realized he had his own circle of friends. It was normal for everyone to want to relax together after finishing the exams. She nodded in understanding, “Go ahead, be careful on the road. Oh, do you still have money on you? Let me give you some. You can’t just have others pay all the time when hanging out—you should treat them to something too.” As she spoke, she got up to fetch money, but was stopped by Jing Ling. “Sis, no need. I still have some.”

 

“Alright then, be careful on the road!”

 

“Mm.”

 

Jing Ling left the house, walked along a dirt road for a few minutes to the main road, hailed a motorcycle to town, then transferred to a rural-urban bus to the county, and finally took a coach to the city. After all that, it was already afternoon when he arrived in the city. Wearing a pair of cheap, five-yuan sunglasses bought from a small shop in town, he walked through the bustling streets, thinking about how to make money. Jobs that withheld a month’s pay were completely out of the question—he needed to earn money immediately. That left part-time jobs as the only option, since these typically paid daily. But what kind of part-time job? Handing out flyers? Tutoring? Forget it—the return rate was too low.

 

He didn’t know how long he had walked before he lifted his head and casually glanced around. His eyes then landed on a shop sign ahead.

 

It was a bar. Unlike regular businesses that open during the day and close at night, bars made their money in the evening. Just when most people were getting ready to sleep, nightlife was just beginning. Yun City, located inland and not considered economically developed, was still a second-tier city with a decent overall consumption level. Bars in such places brought in relatively high profits, and most importantly, they could be negotiated to pay daily.

 

This was it.

 

Bars usually opened between six and seven in the evening. It was only a little after four now, so there was still some time. Jing Ling randomly found a fast-food place, ordered a Coke and some fries, and sat there for over an hour. Once he estimated it was about time, he got up and left. He was lucky—when he arrived, the bar had just opened. Since it was still early, there weren’t any customers yet. A few uniformed staff were prepping in advance.

 

When Jing Ling walked in, the girl behind the bar was tidying up. Seeing someone come in, she put down her cloth and greeted him, “Welcome. Would you like something to drink? The bartender hasn’t arrived yet, so we only have pre-mixed drinks available.” Although the bar had opened, it hadn’t started operating yet. Still, the bartender girl was very polite and didn’t ignore him.

 

Unfortunately, Jing Ling wasn’t there to drink.

 

“I’m not here for a drink. I’m here to apply for a job. Do you need a bartender?” he asked as he removed the ugly sunglasses, looking up at the bartender girl.

 

She was about to say they weren’t hiring, but when she got a good look at Jing Ling’s face, the words caught in her throat. She had never imagined someone could be this good-looking. The celebrities idolized by countless fans in TV shows and movies were all handsome, but perhaps because they seemed so distant, she felt they didn’t compare to the person in front of her.

 

The bar hadn’t planned to hire anyone recently, but in a world that values appearances, good-looking people always enjoy certain privileges. Even doing nothing, just standing there could be a pleasing sight. If they had any skill at all, boosting sales wouldn’t be a problem.

 

The bartender girl desperately wanted to hire him on the spot, but she was just an employee and had to get the boss’s approval first.

 

“Please wait a moment. I’ll call the boss,” she said, picking up a phone from the bar and dialing. Just as the call connected, she heard a familiar ringtone from outside the door. She paused, then the boss’s voice came from outside, “Xiao Yang, what do you need me for?” As he spoke, he walked in.

 

“There’s someone here applying for a job,” the bartender girl said.

 

Brother Dong, as the boss was called, responded reflexively, “I don’t think we put out any job ads recently.”

 

The girl added, “Brother Dong, just take a look at him.” As she spoke, she pointed in Jing Ling’s direction.

“What’s there to see? Does he have three heads and six arms or something?” Brother Dong said dismissively. But he still followed her gesture and looked—and then he froze. After a long pause, he finally reacted, “Holy crap, am I seeing this right?”

 

Jing Ling walked over. At 175 cm, he was considered tall in the south, and he was half a head taller than Brother Dong. “Boss, are you hiring a bartender?” he asked with a faint smile. A small dimple appeared faintly on his left cheek. That youthful yet slightly boyish charm was enough to steal someone’s soul.

They actually weren’t hiring, but in the face of such beauty, who cared about principles? Brother Dong nodded heavily, “We are! Very much so! Can you start today?”

 

Jing Ling’s smile deepened. “Yes.”

 

Chapter 5

 

Although he told Brother Dong that he could start work at any time, Jing Ling wasn’t so naive as to begin working immediately. Some things still needed to be clarified in advance—such as the pay. Brother Dong was a straightforward person and didn’t beat around the bush. He directly stated, “The bartender’s salary here is 4,000 yuan a month, plus performance bonuses and high-end liquor commissions. Tips are yours to keep. One day off per week. Working hours are from 7 p.m. to 2 a.m., and if there are a lot of customers, you may need to stay later. Normally, there’s a two-month probation period for new hires, but you don’t need to go through that. I don’t know where you learned bartending, but we require at least a basic skill level. If you meet that, great. If not, that’s fine too—you can do something else. The pay will follow this same standard. How does that sound?”

 

Honestly, in a not-so-developed second-tier city like this, that kind of compensation was already pretty good. Most people would’ve accepted it immediately, but not Jing Ling. He had come to the bar specifically for a part-time job with daily pay. If those two conditions couldn’t be met, then there was no point in further discussion.

 

Brother Dong was a forthright man, so Jing Ling didn’t beat around the bush either and clearly stated his conditions: “Brother Dong, the pay you’re offering is very generous, but my situation is a bit unique. I can only work part-time, and the pay needs to be daily. If that’s acceptable to you, then we can keep talking. If not, that’s okay too. I still appreciate the opportunity.”

 

Brother Dong was a bit surprised by what he said but didn’t think much of it. Employment is a two-way choice—he had his hiring criteria, and others had their own requirements. There were a few part-timers already working in his bar, though none of them were paid daily. If it were anyone else making this request, he probably wouldn’t agree—but since it was Jing Ling, everything was negotiable.

 

“That’s fine. I can accept that—but you have to at least work for a month,” Brother Dong offered a condition.

 

Jing Ling shook his head. “A month is too long. Half a month at most.”

 

“No way. Minimum is one month!”

 

“Just half a month. After that, we’ll see how it goes.”

 

“One month—non-negotiable!”

 

“If that’s the case, then forget it.”

 

“Alright! Half a month it is! 120 yuan a day, plus 5% liquor commission. Xiao Yang, take him to change into a uniform and then we’ll test his skills!” Seeing that Jing Ling was about to walk away, Brother Dong gave in immediately.

 

Jing Ling nodded and thanked him, then followed the girl named Xiao Yang to go change.

 

Brother Dong’s bar was of a decent scale, and all employees wore professional uniforms—not some random mishmash. Jing Ling’s current outfit—T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers—obviously didn’t cut it. Xiao Yang took him to the changing room and handed him a suit. Though it had been worn by a previous employee, it was clean, well-ironed, and carried a faint scent of cologne.

 

White dress shirt, black double-breasted vest, slacks, leather shoes, and a black bowtie—it was a common look. But the mass-produced quality of the outfit was average, with sloppy tailoring and poor material. Still, some people are just born to wear clothes well. Even a burlap sack would look stylish on them—and Jing Ling was one of those people. With his great physique and unfairly handsome face, once he changed clothes, he looked like a young noble straight out of a romantic drama.

 

Xiao Yang was completely stunned. It wasn’t until Jing Ling walked up and waved a hand in front of her eyes that she snapped out of it.

 

“Sis Xiao Yang, I’m ready. Let’s go.”

 

“Huh? Oh! Okay!”

 

Meanwhile, Brother Dong had already gone to the lounge in the back and started calling up his VIP clients one by one.

 

“Hello? Sister Wang? It’s Dong San. What have you been busy with lately? Haven’t seen you around at all. Let me tell you, we’ve got a new bartender at the bar today—premium fresh meat.”

“Miss Zhang, got time to stop by today? The bar’s got a new handsome guy. I swear on my honor, he’s way better looking than that Devin guy from Zhou Big Mouth’s place. Come see for yourself if you don’t believe me!”

 

“Sister Rong, long time no see! What have you been up to lately? Got time for a drink? We’ve got a new bartender at the bar.”

 

—

 

At 8 PM, the sky had completely darkened. Unlike small towns where the streets become nearly deserted at night, Cloud City remained bustling after dark—not with the same daytime noise and chaos, but a different kind of luxurious, decadent beauty.

 

A limited-edition BMW i8 in proton red pulled up in front of Zero Bar. As the door opened, a stunning beauty stepped out of the car. Her long hair was loosely tied up, and she wore a sleeveless A-line dress that reached her knees, all in black, with a band of golden flowers embroidered around the waist. She paired it with black stiletto heels and a golden clutch.

 

“Good evening, Miss Zhang!” the doorman quickly stepped forward to greet her.

 

The woman nodded, casually tossed her car keys to the doorman, and walked toward the bar. The doorman opened the door for her, and a wave of noise hit her as soon as it opened. She frowned and asked, “Why is it so loud?” Looking inside, she saw the place was packed, especially around the bar area, which was completely surrounded by people.

 

The doorman explained, “It’s like this, Miss Zhang. A new bartender started today, and all these people came for him.”

 

Miss Zhang had also come to see this new bartender. Hearing what the doorman said only piqued her interest further, though she was still a bit skeptical. “Even if he really is a bit more handsome than Devin from Dark Night, isn’t it a bit much for this many people to show up just for him?”

 

She was considered a regular at Zero Bar—not someone who came daily, but two or three times a week. Lately, she had been going to Dark Night instead because a guy named Devin had started there—good-looking enough to earn her patronage. As a result, she hadn’t been coming here as often. When she suddenly received a call from Dong San today saying a new handsome guy had arrived at the bar, she didn’t really believe it. But considering Dong San swore that if he wasn’t more attractive than Devin, he’d chop his head off and let her use it as a soccer ball, Miss Zhang reluctantly decided to come and see for herself.

 

In response to her doubts, the doorman thought seriously and replied, “He’s really handsome—more than the celebrities on TV. I’ve never seen anyone this good-looking in my entire life!”

 

Miss Zhang couldn’t help laughing when she heard that and waved him away. “Go, go, you’re just like your boss—talking better than singing!” With that, she walked inside. She had just taken a few steps when Brother Dong came out to greet her, grinning from ear to ear. “Finally, Miss Zhang, I’ve been waiting for you!”

 

“Get lost!” Miss Zhang waved him off. “I came to see this so-called handsome guy of yours. If he’s not as good-looking as you claimed, you better wash your neck and get ready!”

 

Brother Dong pointed at the dense crowd around the bar. “Even if you don’t believe me, the public’s eyes shouldn’t be wrong, right? Look at that crowd—they’re all here for Jing Ling. They’ve been surrounding the bar for ages. If there weren’t a back door, I wouldn’t even be able to get in myself!”

 

Miss Zhang was even more doubtful after hearing that. “Really? Go call him over so I can see for myself.”

 

In many places, VIPs and regular customers are treated very differently, and Brother Dong’s bar was no exception. While those regular customers who came for the show could only crowd around the bar and watch, a VIP like Miss Zhang could call the bartender up to a private room on the second floor to serve her exclusively.

 

Brother Dong nodded, walked around to the back, and entered the bar area through the rear door. He said to Jing Ling, who was in the middle of a bartending performance, “Jing Ling, come with me for a bit.” Then he turned to the customers at the bar and said, “Ladies and gentlemen, I’m borrowing your handsome bartender for a little while—he’ll be back soon.” The tone of his last word was full of playful inflection, like a coy lover’s whisper.

 

The people watching weren’t just women—there were plenty of men too. The women came for Jing Ling’s looks, while the men were drawn by his skills. Jing Ling truly knew how to make cocktails and had a professional technician’s license. Though not at the very top of the field, he was in the upper ranks and was particularly skilled at flair bartending. Most people present probably didn’t understand the techniques, but the performance was undeniably cool and easy on the eyes. Men, after all, often have a deep appreciation for flashy skill displays.

 

Jing Ling had just finished mixing a cocktail. His clean, slender fingers held the glass as he handed it to a girl in front of him with a smile. “Miss, your drink.” Then he waved to the crowd. “I’ll be gone for a bit—be right back.”

 

A wave of screams erupted instantly.

 

“Ahhhh don’t gooo!”

 

“Wahhh I finally got to the front!”

 

“Boss, you’re so mean! Jing Ling belongs to all of us, we don’t agree to this!”

 

“Go away! We say no!”

 

Despite their protests, it was all just words. Amid the cries, Jing Ling followed Brother Dong out the back door, went upstairs, and arrived at the private room where Miss Zhang was waiting. Along the way, Brother Dong repeatedly reminded him, “Miss Zhang is a VIP here. You better serve her well, alright? Watch what you say and do.”

 

Jing Ling replied, half serious and half joking, “Let’s make it clear first—I sell skills, not my body.”

 

Brother Dong twitched at the corner of his mouth. “What do you think this place is? I’ve never forced anyone into anything like that! But still, let me warn you—playing along is fine, but keep your head clear. Don’t fall too deep.”

 

By the time he finished talking, they were at the door. Brother Dong knocked. “Miss Zhang, I brought him!”

Jing Ling really couldn’t be bothered to respond to that.

 

“Come in.”

 

A voice came from inside. Brother Dong pushed the door open and gave Jing Ling a glance, signaling him to follow. They entered the room, and once past the entryway, the space opened up. Sitting on the gray sofa against the wall to the right was none other than Miss Zhang.

 

“Miss Zhang!” Brother Dong called out.

 

Miss Zhang lifted her head, her gaze skipped past Brother Dong and landed directly on Jing Ling. Her eyes immediately lit up with surprise and admiration. To be honest, she’d seen her fair share of handsome men. With her own looks and sense of style, she was used to turning heads—but none of the guys she had met before could compare to the one in front of her.

 

The young man had short, tousled hair, features so perfect they looked like they’d been painted by a master artist. His slender yet upright figure radiated elegance. Even in the bar’s cheap uniform, his presence was undiminished.

 

“Good evening, Miss Zhang,” the young man greeted, his voice clear and pleasant.

 

Miss Zhang nodded but kept her eyes locked on Jing Ling. Her gaze was so intense and predatory that even Brother Dong felt nervous, yet Jing Ling himself seemed unfazed, his expression unchanged from start to finish.

 

After a while, Miss Zhang finally said, “Come, sit.” Then she said to Brother Dong, “You can leave now. If I need anything, I’ll call.”

 

Brother Dong looked at Miss Zhang, then at Jing Ling, hesitated for a moment, but eventually turned and left. As the door closed behind him, only the two of them remained in the room.

 

Jing Ling stayed where he was. Miss Zhang didn’t get upset and instead smiled. “What, are you afraid of me?”

 

“No,” Jing Ling shook his head. “I just think there are some things better said up front.”

 

Miss Zhang raised an eyebrow. “Go ahead. I’m listening.”

 

“You are very beautiful, but you are not my type.” Jing Ling paused for a moment before continuing, “Would you like a drink? If you haven’t made up your mind yet, take your time to consider. Once you decide, just let Brother Dong know. There are still guests waiting ahead, so if there’s nothing else, I will take my leave.”