Ch 40: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

[Note: Xu Nan has been designated by Host Ren Qingqing as the second associated target. Please carefully read the following details, Task Devourer Ruan Cha.]

After finishing her mental roast of the “Devourer” title, Ruan Cha snapped back to reality, her gaze locking onto the first part of the white panel’s message. Xu Nan? Ren Qingqing, after disconnecting from her, had actually targeted Xu Nan?

Why can’t you just play fair and stick to those ‘A-tasks’?!

Ruan Cha couldn’t wait for the countdown on the panel to finish. She quickly pulled her phone from her desk and messaged Xu Nan directly on WeChat:

“Nan Nan, did you hear any strange sounds just now?”

She didn’t have high hopes for an immediate reply—after all, it was class time. Who checks their phone so frequently? But, to her surprise, Xu Nan’s response came almost instantly.

[Xu Nan: I don’t think so. Did something happen?]

Xu Nan hesitated after sending that first message, then added another: “Did something happen outside just now?”

Looking at the two back-to-back replies, Ruan Cha’s heart sank. Xu Nan’s situation was eerily similar to her own past life in the book.

She had been bound to Ren Qingqing without warning or explanation, unknowingly becoming a fuel source for her to complete tasks—completely defenseless and unaware of what was happening.

Ruan Cha’s hand trembled as she gripped her phone, anger surging within her. She felt a sudden, almost uncontrollable urge to deal with Ren Qingqing permanently. Thankfully, since their link had been severed, even her anger didn’t bring on the splitting headaches that used to accompany such thoughts.

Her gaze flickered back to the white panel. When the countdown ended, detailed information appeared, leaving her momentarily frozen.

“Snap out of it.”

Yu Zhiyan leaned forward, tapping Ruan Cha’s chair with his foot under the desk, his voice low and tinged with amusement. “What are you zoning out for? The teacher’s asking you to answer a question.”

Ruan Cha raised her head and found Liao Lan looking at her expectantly. On the blackboard, the solution to a math problem had only been written halfway.

“Sorry, teacher. I got distracted for a moment.”

Liao Lan wasn’t upset. When faced with a normally diligent student who had just secured first place in the grade, she was more than willing to cut some slack. Her tone was warm. “That’s alright. I was asking if you could share your solution to this problem with the class. While grading, I noticed your method was quite unique and much easier to understand.”

Ruan Cha nodded in understanding and headed to the front at Liao Lan’s gesture. Picking up the chalk, she neatly wrote out her complete solutions for the sub-questions (2) and (3).

When it came to math, Ruan Cha’s answers were often more concise than the standard ones.

Blame it on her innate laziness. As a self-proclaimed slacker, Ruan Cha naturally gravitated toward methods that required writing fewer steps, even if it meant finding unconventional shortcuts.

After explaining her solution to the class in less than ten minutes, Liao Lan beamed with pride. At least half the class seemed to be paying genuine attention, and even Xu Shen—sitting in the back row with his zero-score report card—appeared unusually focused.

But some people just couldn’t resist acting out.

Liao Lan had just mentally praised Xu Shen’s unusual concentration when he leaned back in his chair, letting it tilt precariously. “Ruan Cha, could you slow down? I can’t keep up,” he drawled, his tone dripping with mischief.

Xu Shen had no real interest in studying. In the book, his feelings for Ren Qingqing motivated him because she claimed to like diligent students. He was willing to study for her.

Now, his feelings for Ren Qingqing lingered but weren’t enough to make him switch to Class 2 just to see her every day. Instead, hearing from the teacher that Ruan Cha had secured first place and might transfer to Class 1 soon left him irritated and uneasy.

With the likelihood of being in the same class dwindling, Xu Shen figured he’d take this chance to engage her in conversation.

Ruan Cha paused as she placed the chalk down, then smiled slightly. She restructured her explanation, breaking it down into the simplest terms, almost as though she were teaching middle school students unfamiliar with the topic.

Some classmates, who had initially decided to half-listen, straightened up at this point. Watching Ruan Cha patiently re-teach everything just because Xu Shen asked, a few began to take the lesson seriously.

Why is Xu Shen always giving her such a hard time?

Initially, they thought Xu Shen and Ruan Cha might make a good pair. But his entanglement with Ren Qingqing changed their opinions. Between Ruan Cha and Ren Qingqing, the classmates of Class 10 didn’t hesitate—they sided with Ruan Cha without question.

Occasionally, someone would secretly whisper behind Xu Shen’s back: “Do you think Xu Shen is blind or what?”

After finishing her second explanation, Ruan Cha didn’t spare a glance at Xu Shen. Instead, she continued, “Once you master a few key concepts, it’s not hard. Another tip: memorize some common, versatile formulas. If you don’t know how to solve a problem, write those down first—you’ll usually score a few points.”

“If nothing else works, just write ‘Solution’ to start your answer. Even one word can earn a point or two.”

The class: “!!!”

We were too focused on doodling!

Xu Shen disliked how Ruan Cha treated him the same as everyone else. He tapped his desk and smirked arrogantly. “Which formulas are those, Ruan Cha? Since you’ll be leaving for Class 1 soon, why not help us by marking out some key topics? You never know—someone might join you in Class 1 later.”

Like me, Xu Shen silently added.

Before Ruan Cha could reply, Yu Zhiyan chuckled, his raspy voice from constant coughing reverberating through the room. “Xu Shen, asking for key topics when you scored zero in all subjects? You think this is Columbus discovering a new continent?”

“Pfft.”

“Columbus discovering a new continent?!”

“This new classmate is hilarious, hahaha.”

A few classmates laughed quietly, their shoulders shaking as they stifled their amusement, too wary of Xu Shen to laugh openly.

Xu Shen narrowed his eyes at Yu Zhiyan, his voice cold. “Yu Zhiyan, it seems you have a problem with me?”

Tension filled the air as the two glared at each other, the atmosphere growing charged.

“Xu Shen, Yu Zhiyan, both of you knock it off. This is class!” Liao Lan’s voice boomed, her stern expression quelling the rising conflict. When she turned to Ruan Cha, her tone softened. “Ruan Cha, do you have anything else to add?”

Ruan Cha glanced at Yu Zhiyan, then at Xu Shen, and calmly said, “Key points? The entire book. If you’ve got the time, memorize all the formulas and knowledge points from the book—getting a 140 should be guaranteed.”

The entire class: “…”

If we could memorize an entire book, do you think we’d still be struggling as average students?!

After finishing her statement, Ruan Cha nodded to the class and returned to her seat. Noticing Yu Zhiyan had stopped his earlier mocking and was now yawning as he idly played with his pen, she couldn’t help but wonder: could Yu Zhiyan see the shrunken, palm-sized white virtual panel floating in front of her?

Honestly, ever since seeing Ren Qingqing’s panel, Ruan Cha found the concept of walking around with a floating panel utterly ridiculous. She thought she’d gained a golden cheat, only to realize that it was entirely visible to others.

After cycling through several guesses without reaching a conclusion, Ruan Cha decided to let it go. If someone can see it, so what? Who’s afraid of who here?

Still, she had to admit, Yu Zhiyan’s blunt retorts to Xu Shen earlier were oddly satisfying to hear.

Once seated, Ruan Cha pulled out her phone and texted Xu Nan: “You didn’t hear me silently wishing for you in my heart? [Heartbroken.jpg]”

After sending the message, Ruan Cha refocused her attention on the floating white panel in front of her.

---

[Instructions for Task Devourer Ruan Cha: Manage the task difficulty accordingly. P.S.: Task difficulty is influenced by your level of control— In one hour, the following task will be assigned: Complete a set of physics experiment-based simulation questions with an accuracy rate of 70% or higher. Upon completion, the system will extract 1 intelligence point from the associated target, Xu Nan. Note: The host has only 3 remaining points. Initial task failure will not deduct points but will trigger lightning strikes ×3.]

Ruan Cha blinked in confusion. Am I a test designer now?

The task didn’t specify whether Xu Nan’s intelligence or beauty points would be deducted in case of failure. However, based on previous tasks, Ruan Cha understood that when the associated target outperformed the host by over 10 points, Ren Qingqing would face consequences.

She found the system increasingly schizophrenic. On one hand, it went out of its way to provide perks for Ren Qingqing. On the other, it set her up for humiliation time and again. If this continues, it’ll probably implode from internal conflicts someday.

That said, Ruan Cha had to admit this task was unfairly favorable toward Ren Qingqing.

First, Xu Nan wasn’t particularly strong in physics. Second… it was now confirmed that Xu Nan couldn’t hear the electronic voice.

Even if Xu Nan were good at physics, her inability to preemptively act on tasks left her at a disadvantage.

Staring at the panel’s instructions, Ruan Cha pulled out a set of physics experiment-based questions and smiled coldly. “Ren Qingqing, let’s play.”

If I don’t finish this with a 100% accuracy rate, I’d feel bad about you wasting your time finding a new associated target!

---

One hour later, Class 2.

Ren Qingqing, having just switched her associated target, felt completely at ease. Her brows relaxed, her mood uplifted, and an involuntary hint of expectation and desire appeared on her face.

The system had already verified that Xu Nan’s overall intelligence was slightly lower than Ruan Cha’s, with her talents almost entirely focused on experimental operations in biology and chemistry.

Although Xu Nan ranked in the top ten in the grade, she also had her shortcomings. Furthermore, the system would assign tasks based on the host’s strengths.

But whenever Ren Qingqing thought of Ruan Cha’s rank as first in the grade and compared it to her own barely-earned rank of eighteenth—achieved by relying on a simulation paper with over 90% coverage—she was filled with hatred.

It’s all the fault of those two useless parents. Not smart themselves, and they passed on their mediocrity to me!

Glancing at the teacher on the podium, Ren Qingqing asked the system in her mind, “Xu Nan’s intelligence is lower than Ruan Cha’s, right? And when you assign tasks, I won’t encounter a situation where Xu Nan is doing the same subject as me, right?”

In the past, Ren Qingqing could confidently claim that even if she and Ruan Cha tackled the system’s tasks simultaneously, she had the ability to finish first.

But after paying the price of reduced beauty and intelligence, she dared not slack off even slightly. Fortunately, the upgraded 2.0 system could scan the associated target’s surroundings to ensure they wouldn’t unintentionally complete tasks.

[Xu Nan’s intelligence is slightly lower than Ruan Cha’s. Confirmed. The host may rest assured.]

[The system’s 2.0 program is precise. It can assign tasks to the host when the associated target cannot complete them, ensuring the host finishes first.]

Ren Qingqing felt slightly relieved, though a frown crept onto her face. The system’s electronic voice, always cold and emotionless, now seemed even icier since the target change.

Maybe it’s just my imagination, she thought.

Just as she was about to ask something else, the system’s task notification cut her off. Her eyes widened in disbelief, her voice teetering on the edge of collapse: “Liar! Liar!! What did you just say?!”

Instantly, the entire class, including the teacher, turned their astonished gazes on her.

The chemistry teacher, who had been explaining the test papers, darkened his face and snapped angrily, “Ren Qingqing, get out of the classroom immediately! And call your parents this afternoon!”

Ren Qingqing looked up sharply, realizing the subtle but noticeable judgment in her classmates’ eyes. It dawned on her that she had been so furious about the task that she had blurted out her anger at the system in front of the entire class!

Facing the teacher’s stormy expression, Ren Qingqing felt as if she had plunged into an icy abyss.

On the blue virtual panel before her, the task instructions were glaringly conspicuous:

[Ding! Host, please complete a physics experiment-based simulation paper within 30 minutes with 100% accuracy or higher. Completion will result in the extraction of 1 intelligence point from the associated target, Xu Nan. Given the host’s remaining 3 points, failure on the initial task after switching targets will result in no point deduction but trigger 3 lightning strikes.]

[Note: If the associated target scores 10+ points higher than the host, there is also a chance of receiving a negative rebound effect.]

The system paused for a moment after assigning the task.

Normally, the task difficulty should align with Ren Qingqing’s current intelligence level. But why had the difficulty level suddenly spiked so high?!

System: …

Feeling mildly paralyzed.