Midnight
Su Cheng was pouring concentrated coffee liquid into a glass on the dining table, stirring it with a spoon, and then downing it in one go. Judging by the several coffee packets on the side table, this was his fifth cup of coffee for the night.
After finishing, he practiced his moves again. An hour later, he sat alone at the dining table, lost in thought.
The competition was drawing near, and he had to pay for his previous mistakes. He needed to start over, and this time, he had to be even more demanding. He had to make the most of every minute!
The process was tedious, but he was enjoying it nonetheless, repeating the same actions over and over, striving for perfection.
But the next moment, Su Cheng retrieved an envelope from his system space. Inside was just a single sentence: "May you remember the goodness and efforts of others, not for the sake of repayment, but to believe in the warmth and brightness of the world. Please, no matter what happens, do not give up, because your future belongs only to you."
Su Cheng stared at the envelope for a while, then looked away and returned to his practice...
This was the last letter from the orphanage director, sent to him after he left the welfare home.
The message was clear: his future was his own, and he just needed to choose his own path.
However, he didn't like owing favors. His upbringing had taught him that if he owed someone a favor, he should repay it as soon as possible.
And this immense kindness naturally needed to be repaid.
The orphanage and the outside world were like two different realms.
If one had to describe it, it would be the difference between black-and-white and color.
The children inside were mostly disabled or suffered from various strange illnesses.
Without exception, they all were.
Those who were physically healthy had long been adopted.
However, this was his refuge, a place of compassion and kindness, and the site of his happy childhood.
So, he had an unwavering goal.
Only when this goal was achieved could he start living for himself.
Now, this goal was about to be realized!
Although he could use a deus ex machina to directly win the championship, he still wanted to try his best through his own efforts.
"It's already five o'clock."
Su Cheng glanced at the wall clock and sighed. Then he cleaned up the remaining coffee liquid and leftovers on the table, filled the trash can, and headed to the bathroom to wash up.
Su Cheng knew the importance of balancing work and rest.
So, he decided to reward himself.
Thus, he grabbed some toilet paper from the bathroom, walked into his bedroom, closed and locked the door, pulled the curtains, unbuckled his belt...
And slept for half an hour.
"Ring ring~"
The alarm rang, and he got up, changed into his school uniform, wiped the computer screen with toilet paper, and booted it up. His hands deftly tapped the keyboard, his eyes focused and serious.
He decided to reward himself with a game of Yasuo.
Being an orphan, playing Yasuo was a very reasonable thing to do.
Even if he was called an orphan, he didn't care.
Because he was one.
Half an hour passed, and Su Cheng's typing speed gradually slowed. Finally, he stopped.
It was six o'clock.
Then he rewarded himself with an hour of review time.
There was an exam this morning, so he couldn't neglect his studies. He brewed another cup of coffee, sipped it while reviewing, and even had a piece of bread for breakfast.
By seven thirty, Su Cheng put down his pen, stretched, tidied up his appearance, and stood up to head out.
He took the trash bag with him, planning to throw it in the nearby trash can.
Today, he decided not to ride his bicycle but to take the bus instead, as he could catch a quick nap that way.
His pace was slow as he looked out the window at the passing scenery, his heart calm and unperturbed.
"Ah~"
Su Cheng yawned as he stood at the bus stop.
No doubt, he was very tired.
So, he took out his thermos from his backpack. Today, it was filled with black coffee.
It was very bitter but also very energizing.
After taking a sip, he bit into a piece of 100% pure dark chocolate and savored the extremely bitter taste.
When he was young, the staff would occasionally give him a piece of this.
He had just happened to come across it while buying coffee yesterday, so he bought some. It was worth mentioning that it had an excellent alertness effect.
The bus arrived, and he got on, sitting in the corner at the back, closing his eyes to rest and enjoy this brief respite.
The bus swayed for a while before finally stopping at the gate of his school. He got off and walked through the school gates.
As he walked, various girls in pleated skirts passed by, and he found them pleasing to the eye.
Entering the campus, Su Cheng headed towards his classroom.
There were still about ten minutes until eight o'clock.
Today's classroom was as quiet and serious as yesterday's.
He sat down and took out his book to start reading.
However, he still didn't notice the several girls in the class who were watching him, each with different expressions.
For instance, the girl with the braided ponytail in the front row openly watched Su Cheng, who was oblivious to the world and immersed in his studies, nodding appreciatively.
Clearly, Su Cheng's attitude this time had left a deep impression on her.
She then became even more focused on her review.
Xuan Ying in the front row was holding a book, turned her head to glance at Su Cheng, then turned back to look out the window, her eyes blinking, not knowing what she was thinking.
As for Li Guanqi, she frowned at Su Cheng's increasingly haggard face.
Strangely, her cheeks puffed up, as if she was a little angry.
Finally, she lowered her head to look at a strange book in her hand.
Why strange?
Because it wasn't a textbook or notes, but rather a kind of strange web novel setting book.
It was a book she had ordered online a few days ago, titled "The Basic Laws of Protagonists."
Various laws of web novel protagonists.
For example:
She was currently on the first page.
1. Protagonist Position Law: If at school, the protagonist is always in the second to last window seat.
(PS: Back row by the window, the birthplace of the king.)
She glanced at Su Cheng's seat and immediately checked it.
2. Protagonist Outburst Law: "At crucial moments, the protagonist always works a hundred times harder than everyone else, even to the point of recklessness."
She looked at Su Cheng's tired appearance and checked it again.
3. Protagonist Luck Law: "The protagonist is constantly surrounded by romantic luck, loved by everyone, with cars even bursting their tires, always attracting many admirers."
She looked at the girls secretly watching Su Cheng, Xuan Ying and Zhao Yan, and checked it again.
4. Protagonist Background Law: "An orphan with an imperfect childhood, but despite this, he is not defeated by life and still loves life, treating others with kindness."
5. Protagonist's Golden Finger Law...
6. Protagonist Trouble Creation Law...
……………
20. Protagonist Invincibility Law: "The protagonist will succeed in anything he sets out to do. Even if an accident occurs, he will ultimately receive far richer rewards than expected."
Seeing this last rule, Li Guanqi stopped her actions, then raised her eyes to look at Su Cheng.
This time, she didn't check it but closed the book and put it in her drawer, then took out her notes to start reviewing.
…………………