This time, the A-level reward is—
[Ding—]
[Character information loading...]
[Target: William Henry Cornelia]
[Intelligence: 4.8]
[Charm: 8]
[Stamina: 3]
[Status: Daughter of the British Commissioner to Yan]
[Danger Level: A]
[If rejected, you will receive 1 reward. For A-level and above, each subsequent rejection per day will grant an additional reward opportunity.]
[Ding—]
[Confession failed]
[A-level reward has been sent to the system space. Please check.]
[System reminder: A-level rewards are not random but are determined based on the host's current needs.]
"Check the reward."
Su Cheng took a deep breath and spoke, then looked at the system panel.
[Flickering Lamp Rekindled]
[One-time skill]
[Effect: Body control/enhancement]
[Duration: Seven days]
[System: When the host uses this skill, the body will release immense energy, rapidly empowering or enhancing all systems and organs. The host will exhibit extraordinary vitality. Of course, this burst of energy is fleeting, but this skill will allow you to maintain this state for a week, during which no physical discomfort will occur.]
[System: Everyone has their moment of glory, but don’t mistake a moment for eternity. Even a dying lamp can shine brightly, and in my eyes, that is eternal.]
"Finally, a decent reward."
Seeing the description of the Flickering Lamp Rekindled skill, Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief. After all, this skill was something he really needed.
Recently, just a short burst of activity left him completely drained, his body unable to handle it.
It was like Wu Dalang trying to catch a cheater—full of desire but lacking the strength.
But with this skill, he could now have both the desire and the strength.
"Activate the skill!"
Without hesitation, Su Cheng clicked to use Flickering Lamp Rekindled.
In an instant, a warm current surged through his body, filling every part of him, making him feel incredibly comfortable and even dispelling his previous fatigue.
"This feels like being reborn."
He murmured to himself, repeating the phrase a few times, finally confirming that he truly had this sensation.
He walked to the mirror to observe himself, first wiping off the lipstick and then removing the colored contacts.
"As expected."
He said with a surprised expression, talking to himself, "Even my lips and eyes have regained their former brilliance. I look radiant."
The person in the mirror now was full of energy, far from the half-dead appearance he had before.
Su Cheng smiled with satisfaction.
"This feels really good."
He stretched his body, then walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked outside, taking in the view.
He did a few chest-expanding exercises, and the usual discomfort in his heart was completely gone, replaced by a surge of strength.
He felt like he had become a perpetual motion machine, with an endless supply of energy, as if he would never tire.
Now, it was time to continue practicing.
Su Cheng packed up and headed toward the school.
Archery Club
The door to the Archery Club was wide open. As Su Cheng stepped inside, he saw Yang Xin packing up to leave, and the two of them bumped into each other, both momentarily stunned.
"You’re not being fair. You said you’d come on Sunday, but it’s almost evening now."
Yang Xin complained, looking at Su Cheng.
"Sorry, I got caught up with something during the day and forgot."
Su Cheng quickly apologized.
"Never mind, I didn’t ask what time you’d come today."
Yang Xin waved his hand, took a key from his pocket, and handed it to Su Cheng, "Here’s the key. Remember to lock up when you leave."
"That’s not necessary. I already have a key."
As he spoke, he pulled out the key that Ji Qingyi had given him.
"Alright, then I’ll head off first."
Yang Xin took the key, glanced at it, nodded, and then turned to leave.
Su Cheng entered the Archery Club and began his training.
He trained for a solid eight to nine hours before stopping.
It wasn’t because he was tired—it was already 4 a.m.
But he didn’t feel the slightest bit sleepy or fatigued. His energy was so abundant that he felt he could go on for seven days and nights without rest.
He packed up, then walked out of the Archery Club. The cold wind hit his face, but he didn’t feel any chill. Instead, it made his body feel warm and comfortable.
He rode his bike home, washed up, ate, put on his school uniform, grabbed his bag, and rode to school.
When he arrived at school, since he was early, there weren’t many classmates in the classroom yet.
"Good morning, Su Cheng."
"Good... good morning."
Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying greeted Su Cheng when they saw him.
However, Xuan Ying kept her head down, her cheeks slightly red.
Clearly, she still felt awkward about what had happened last time.
"Good morning."
Su Cheng smiled and greeted Zhao Yan and Xuan Ying, then sat down at his desk to organize his books.
Not long after, a girl with long black hair appeared at the door, unnoticed by anyone in the classroom.
As soon as she entered, her gaze fell on Su Cheng, then shifted to the third empty seat in the back row.
She walked straight over and sat down.
She turned around and observed Su Cheng closely, noticing that he wasn’t wearing glasses or makeup today.
This made her frown slightly.
Su Cheng looked extremely healthy, completely different from the frail figure he had been yesterday. He radiated a sunny aura, like a blazing sun, emitting boundless light.
His eyes were bright, his complexion rosy, and his cheeks flushed.
He looked even better than a normal person.
"Did confessing to William yesterday cure him?"
This girl was Li Guanqi. She looked at Su Cheng sitting at his desk, her eyes filled with contemplation.
She had been watching from the balcony when the two of them confessed downstairs yesterday.
Finally, she gave Su Cheng another deep look, her eyes filled with intense joy and happiness.
She stood up, returned to her corner seat, and took out a novel setting guide titled "The Basic Laws of Protagonists" from her bag.
Her eyes fell on the last law, the Law of Immortality. She took a pencil from her pencil case, aimed it at the last sentence of the law, and slowly touched the tip to the paper.
She was about to check it off.
But then—
"Click."
As soon as the pencil touched the paper, it made a soft sound.
Then, the pencil lead inexplicably broke, and the broken tip fell directly onto the word "death."
She mechanically looked at the broken pencil lead, her eyes filled with confusion. Then she slowly turned her gaze to Su Cheng’s seat.
Su Cheng was chatting and laughing with Wang Guancong, occasionally making a few witty remarks that had Wang Guancong laughing heartily, even slapping Su Cheng’s shoulder as he laughed.
"Is he so happy and excited because he’s cured?"
She withdrew her gaze, shook her head, sharpened the pencil with a knife, checked off the law again, and then closed the book and put it back in her drawer.
"Yan, have you noticed that Su Cheng seems a bit off today?"
Xuan Ying, sitting in the front row, tugged at Zhao Yan’s skirt and voiced her confusion.
"Really? How so?"
Zhao Yan turned to look at the trio in the back row, and upon closer inspection, she also noticed something unusual.
Gao Ye, Wang Guancong, and Su Cheng.
The three of them were chatting, and at first glance, nothing seemed amiss. But upon closer observation, something was off.
In the past, when the three of them talked, Gao Ye or Wang Guancong usually led the conversation, with Su Cheng occasionally chiming in.
But today, it was Su Cheng who dominated the conversation, talking non-stop and keeping Gao Ye and Wang Guancong in stitches.
This version of Su Cheng was clearly different from his usual self. If one had to describe him now, he was excited, agitated, and hyperactive, as if he were engaged in some intense physical activity, making him appear unusually lively and energetic.
"Maybe they spent the weekend together, so they’ve become more familiar with each other?"
Zhao Yan guessed.
Xuan Ying remained silent, but in her heart, she felt an inexplicable sense that something she cherished was slipping away.
This made her uneasy.
"Ding ling ling~"
The class bell suddenly rang, and all conversations in the classroom came to an abrupt halt.
The teacher had arrived.
Su Cheng looked up and glanced at the podium. The teacher had already stepped onto it and was beginning the Chinese language class.
However, as Su Cheng watched the teacher slowly drone on, he couldn’t help but frown.
For some reason, he felt an inexplicable urge to go up, push the teacher aside, and take over the lesson himself.
But reason quickly reminded him that such an act would be utterly absurd.
The thought vanished from his mind as quickly as it had appeared.
He lowered his head and continued taking notes, but his mind kept drifting to the image of himself standing on the podium, confidently delivering a lecture.
Suddenly, a sharp ringing sound pierced the air.
Su Cheng jolted awake.
“Is this a side effect of the skill?”
It suddenly dawned on him that he had been acting as if he were on some kind of stimulant all day, feeling unusually excited no matter what he did.
Even his personality and behavior seemed to have changed!
This realization startled him, and he stood up, heading to the restroom. He splashed cold water on his face, trying to calm his racing mind.
But the more he tried to suppress it, the more excited he felt.
He poured another handful of cold water over his face.
“Phew!”
He exhaled heavily, and someone beside him handed him a tissue.
Su Cheng turned and saw Li Guanqi standing there, her eyes filled with concern. “Here, wipe your face. Don’t catch a cold.”
A familiar, comforting scent wafted into his nostrils, and his heart gradually settled.
“Thank you.”
He took the tissue and wiped the water droplets from his face. Then it hit him—this was the men’s restroom sink!
He quickly looked around, but Li Guanqi was already gone.
“Was that a hallucination?”
He shook his head and walked out of the restroom, returning to the classroom, which was now mostly empty.
As he sat down at his desk, he felt his phone vibrate.
Su Cheng picked it up and saw a message from Li Guanqi.
Li Guanqi: “I bought some pastries this morning. The extra sandwich is a thank-you for last time at your place. Don’t forget to eat it.”
Su Cheng was momentarily stunned. He looked down and saw a sandwich in his drawer, along with a note written in elegant handwriting: “Also, if you need to rest at noon, I have a small pillow here.”
Reading this, Su Cheng shook his head and began typing a reply.
Su Cheng: “The Archery Club competition is coming up, so I’ll be practicing with the club during lunch.”
Li Guanqi: “Got it.”
After sending the reply, Su Cheng glanced over at Li Guanqi in the corner of the room. She gave a slight nod in response.
Then, to his surprise, she took a small pillow from her bag, walked over, placed it on his desk, and returned to her seat without a word.
Su Cheng stared at the pillow, momentarily stunned. The pillow carried the same comforting scent as Li Guanqi, and it helped ease the excitement bubbling inside him.
“Ding~”
His phone buzzed again. Li Guanqi had sent another message.
Li Guanqi: “No matter what, make sure to rest properly. That way, you’ll be in better shape for the competition.”
Su Cheng: “Thank you.”
After replying, Su Cheng glanced at Li Guanqi, who was now engrossed in a book. He turned his attention back to the pillow on his desk and placed it in his drawer.
Just then, Wang Guancong and Gao Ye returned from the restroom and surrounded him again.
“I believe in you!”
Wang Guancong picked up where they had left off earlier.
Su Cheng’s lips twitched. In his earlier excited state, he had inexplicably blurted out some extremely cringeworthy lines.
“No, I was just joking earlier.”
Su Cheng quickly clarified. Now that he had the pillow, his rationality had returned, and he wouldn’t dare repeat those embarrassing words. Otherwise, he’d die of shame.
“Don’t be modest. Guancong and I are planning to bet our allowance on you!”
Gao Ye chimed in, raising his arms and shaking them as if to emphasize his point.
Last time, he had lost a graphics card to Wang Guancong over grades, so he wasn’t about to miss this opportunity.
Su Cheng’s lips twitched again as he looked at the two of them. “I was really just joking. Don’t take it seriously!”
“Haha…”
Gao Ye laughed. “I think this is the best decision we’ve ever made.”
Wang Guancong nodded in agreement. “Exactly. Who else would we support if not you?”
Su Cheng watched the two of them egging each other on, feeling utterly helpless.
“We’ll be there to cheer you on!”
Wang Guancong then turned to Gao Ye and suggested, “Should we hire a cheerleading squad?”
“Archery isn’t basketball or soccer. It’s a sport that requires silence!”
Gao Ye shook his head but then added, “However, we could get some people to hold up banners with ‘Su Cheng will win!’ It’ll look amazing on the live broadcast!”
“Yeah, and then Su Cheng’s name will be known across the country!”
Wang Guancong finalized the idea and then turned back to Gao Ye. “But ‘Su Cheng will win’ sounds too basic. How about using what Su Cheng said earlier? ‘At the pinnacle of archery, who stands supreme? When Su Cheng appears, the path is empty!’”
Gao Ye nodded and gave a thumbs-up. “That’s perfect! It’s bold and leaves a lasting impression.”
“Enough! Enough!”
Su Cheng, already imagining the scene during the competition, felt his embarrassment reach its peak. He quickly intervened, “Please don’t do anything like that, or I’ll have to pack my bags and move to Mars overnight!”