Ch 59: After My Mother Returned to the Rich Family

On Friday morning, while sitting on the school bus, Ruan Cha heard the System report that the background music had taken effect. She felt a bit regretful that she couldn’t witness it herself. If she could, she’d have recorded it for posterity.

“How’s Ren Qingqing doing?”

[Not bad? At least she hasn’t gone insane.]

“That’s good enough.” Ruan Cha spread a thin blanket over her and Xu Nan’s knees, a saintly smile on her face. “If Ren Qingqing learns her lesson, we’ll focus all our energy on dealing with Yu Zheng. If not, we’ll keep giving her more surprises.”

The BGM was 80 minutes long in total, and each loop only cost 3 energy points—not too expensive.

Xu Nan, sitting beside her, pulled the blanket closer and retrieved a canned drink from her bag. “Cha Cha, want some juice?”

“Sure, I’d like peach flavor.”

“Here you go.”

Each sophomore class had selected five students for this trip, and by some stroke of mutual understanding during the drawing process, both Ruan Cha and Xu Nan had been chosen.

Xu Nan felt lucky to have Ruan Cha as her partner. Over the past week, thanks to frequent lunches with Fu Chen, Huang Jiajia, and a few others, Xu Nan’s formerly shy and socially anxious demeanor had softened. While she wasn’t outgoing yet, she no longer avoided social situations like before.

Noticing this change, the group who often ate with her were genuinely happy.

Ruan Cha took the canned peach juice but, after two attempts, couldn’t pull open the tab. Just as she was about to rub her hands together and try again, a slender, pale hand from the seat in front of her picked up the can.

In the blink of an eye, the peach juice was back in front of her, the tab neatly popped open.

Ruan Cha looked up, leaning slightly forward, and saw Fu Chen resting casually against the seatback. He held the can of peach juice steadily in his hand. Seeing her hesitation, he raised an eyebrow. “Need a straw?”

“No, no need.”

Waving her hand, Ruan Cha was momentarily stunned. It was the first time someone other than a family member had helped her open a can. After taking two sips of the sweet peach juice, the flavor jolted her back to her senses. “Thank you.”

Curious, she asked, “Fu Chen, didn’t you say you weren’t selected? Why are you on the agricultural training team?”

Fu Chen paused while adjusting his sleeves but maintained his calm expression. He answered matter-of-factly, “As both the student council president and class monitor, it’s my responsibility to assist the teachers in looking after everyone. Participating in the activity also allows me to better understand the students’ needs during training, which will be helpful for future events.”

Among the five selected students from Class One, Fu Chen wasn’t originally on the list. However, after class, he had casually swapped spots with a classmate.

With his dual titles of student council president and class monitor, the justification was entirely legitimate. Not only did the homeroom teacher agree, but they also entrusted him with the task of persuading Ruan Cha to reconsider skipping ahead to senior year.

If she really wanted to skip a grade, he could help her catch up. But judging by her demeanor, she didn’t seem to need much help.

Listening to Fu Chen’s upright and noble reasoning, Ruan Cha’s eyes were full of admiration. She even gave him a thumbs up, sincerely praising, “Fu Chen, you’re amazing!”

She almost added that he was a role model, but Ruan Cha had enough self-awareness to stop herself. Fu Chen’s sense of responsibility was something she couldn’t match. If she hadn’t been selected, she would’ve been too happy to contain herself.

Studying seriously doesn’t compare to lying in bed watching dramas, and agricultural training is even less appealing than studying. After all… at least studying lets you sit in a chair. Picking strawberries, with all the squatting and standing, is just plain tiring.

It wasn’t just Ruan Cha; nearly half the students on the three school buses weren’t looking forward to agricultural training. Some of them had been selected for rice planting during their first year of high school, which left their backs aching for days.

Though they’d heard that this time the training involved picking and planting strawberries, most students came from families that weren’t short on money. They had access to farm stays, strawberry fields, and blueberry orchards for leisure trips. The “Jintao Base” didn’t exactly spark excitement.

Until—

The school buses stopped at the base’s entrance.

The grand gates of the Jintao Base were adorned with countless Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck helium balloons, each inscribed with various welcoming messages, making it abundantly clear they were warmly welcoming the students and teachers of Second High School.

Not only were there balloons, but the base staff had lined up neatly in two rows, dressed in clean, tidy uniforms, their faces radiating enthusiasm.

Before the teachers and the base director could exchange pleasantries, the group was warmly ushered inside.

David, the Jintao Base’s director, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man, spoke fluent Chinese. “It’s already noon, so we’ve prepared hotpot for everyone in the main hall as lunch. Of course, there’s also a self-serve buffet, so feel free to eat whatever you like. We guarantee you won’t be disappointed.”

After speaking, David turned back and winked at Ruan Cha, receiving a playful and adorable finger heart in return.

Ruan Cha loved hotpot, especially in snowy weather when she could enjoy it with her family by the fireplace, watching the snow fall outside.

The prospect of hotpot as soon as she got off the bus made her heart leap with joy.

The layout of the Jintao Base hadn’t changed much since Ruan Cha’s visit three or four years ago. The back still had tall dormitory buildings, while the sides featured spacious greenhouses.

Looking around, Ruan Cha scratched her head. When she last came, she had asked her dad why such large dormitories were necessary. His reply, “The employees also deserve good living and dining conditions,” had convinced her.

Now, it was obvious that half the dorms were prepared for high school students coming for agricultural training. No wonder there were rows upon rows of them.

Compared to three or four years ago, the base’s environment had clearly been optimized. Green plants, gardens, and fruit trees were everywhere. Calling it an agricultural training base seemed less fitting than calling it a vacation resort.

Second High School had brought 120 students, arranged by class size from smallest to largest. Ruan Cha’s Class One was at the front of the lineup.

Some students were surprised by the quality of the food, while others were captivated by the beautiful scenery. For the moment, no one noticed the exchange between David and Ruan Cha—except Fu Chen, who had been paying attention to her the whole time.

First, he saw David wink at Ruan Cha. Then, he noticed her responding with a finger heart.

Fu Chen: …

I didn’t even get a finger heart.

Was the only difference between him and the base director… a hotpot?

Fu Chen didn’t think it was the hotpot. Ruan Cha clearly knew the base director personally.

The design of the Jintao Base lived up to its name. From the golden peach accents on the gates to the decorations on the walls, golden peaches of all shapes and sizes caught everyone’s eye.

For students visiting the base for the first time, the prospect of spending the next two and a half days there suddenly seemed much more appealing. The place was incredible!

When they entered the main hall and saw twelve tables filled with hotpot ingredients, they couldn’t help but swallow their saliva. Perfectly sliced fatty beef, fresh and tender vegetables, plates of seafood and meatballs, various tofu products, and noodles were arranged so abundantly it made their heads spin.

It felt less like being at an agricultural training base and more like dining in a high-end restaurant at a five-star hotel.

Ruan Cha’s eyes lit up when she saw her favorite lamb slices, shrimp paste, and omasum on the table. She couldn’t stop smiling and instinctively patted her stomach.

Uncle David is the best! Every table had three or four portions of her favorite dishes!

The four-compartment hotpot broth catered to everyone’s tastes. Some students, wary of getting pimples or gaining weight, initially planned to eat lightly with just a few vegetables. But after the first bite, they immediately betrayed their original intentions.

“This is the first time I’ve thought cabbage tastes so good in hotpot!”

“Not just cabbage—the lamb slices are so tender.”

“I love the cabbage. It’s so fresh I almost bit my tongue!”

In no time, an army of chopsticks was descending on the cabbage and lamb slices.

Sitting in her chair, Ruan Cha focused solely on dipping lamb slices into the broth. Hearing her classmates’ praise for the cabbage and lamb slices, she smiled contentedly.

After all, both the cabbage and lamb slices were homegrown! 100% organic and pollution-free!

On their first day at the Jintao Base, the hotpot feast completely won over all 120 students and teachers from Second High School.

Some students and teachers even approached David after the meal to ask if the base sold its vegetables. When they learned the vegetables were purchased from outside suppliers, their disappointment was palpable.

Ruan Cha, who had been lounging in her chair, reached for a drink when suddenly, a half-pixelated, half-clear image flashed before her eyes.

A cold, stark white room. A person lying on a bed.

She frowned slightly. The person’s face was blurred out, but on their wrist dangled what appeared to be the dog leash Yu Zhiyan had been muttering about when he questioned her.

“1128, what sneaky thing did you just do?”

As soon as Ruan Cha finished speaking, the sticky rice dumpling System hurriedly rolled out. [I noticed the energy pool had some surplus, so I tried to tap into the connection between Yu Zheng and Virus X. But as soon as I touched it, I almost got caught by the firewall Yu Zheng set up. So, I quietly retreated.]

“Why sugarcoat your fear and cowardice so nicely?”

[…]

Ruan Cha sighed, her juice suddenly tasting bland. Yu Zhiyan’s condition didn’t look good. He was already coughing so much—could it be that…?

“System, when you and Ren Qingqing last saw Yu Zheng, did you also see Yu Zhiyan?”

[No.]

After a brief pause, the System added, [But Yu Zhiyan’s health is very poor. His health index has been continuously declining. My system has advanced body data detection capabilities, and there’s an anomaly in the TS gene segment of his genome. With current technology, it’s untreatable. Based on the ancient human lifespan of 100 years, he’ll likely live to around 20.]

Ruan Cha: “…”

She had just asked a simple question—how did it turn into hearing a countdown to Yu Zhiyan’s death?

Ruan Cha didn’t have strong feelings about Yu Zhiyan. He wasn’t exactly an enemy, but he wasn’t a friend either. Thanks to the System and Yu Zheng’s involvement, their relationship was even less than that of ordinary classmates.

But hearing so abruptly that Yu Zhiyan could only live until 20 still left her feeling conflicted.

“Is there a medicine in the System Mall that could cure him?”

Ruan Cha suspected Yu Zheng might try to trade with Ren Qingqing to get something from the System Mall to treat Yu Zhiyan. But would someone like Yu Zheng really go to such lengths for an adopted son?

And…

If Yu Zheng wanted to buy medicine from the Mall, why did he need her? Was he planning for her death so he could freely exchange the treatment items in the Mall without cost?

[There is, but it requires a lot of points. If the Mall is having a sale, it might cost around 2,000 points. Normally, it’s between 5,000 and 10,000 points.]

[Converted to knowledge energy points, the rate is 1 point = 100 energy points.]

The System didn’t think the pricing was unreasonable. Normally, its purpose in this world was to help hosts develop their brains and optimize their genes, already considered cutting-edge technology. Most items in the System Mall, 90% of them, shouldn’t even exist in this world. Naturally, they were expensive.

In hindsight—

The System fell silent. If it hadn’t crashed and been bound to Ren Qingqing, and instead bound itself to Yu Zhiyan, who was clearly smarter than Ren Qingqing, it might have been able to use the System’s abilities to optimize Yu Zhiyan’s genes.

But now, it couldn’t even protect itself, let alone help others.

Ruan Cha stared at the string of zeros and the outrageous exchange rates on the panel, her expression stiffening.

Previously, Ren Qingqing earned just 1 point per task. Even at the lowest discount, Ren Qingqing would need to complete 2,000 tasks to afford the cure.

For a moment, Ruan Cha’s wild imagination seemed all too plausible—if she died, Yu Zheng really might get a free exchange opportunity.

The thought gave her a scare. She remained dazed even as they left the main hall and walked toward the strawberry greenhouse.

Fu Chen noticed her drooping demeanor, glanced at the sun, then walked behind her and switched places with Xu Nan. Using his height, he blocked a bit of the sunlight for her.

“Ruan Cha, do you know the Jintao Base’s director, Mr. David?”

During lunch, Fu Chen had keenly observed that while the staff were friendly toward all the students, there was a clear difference in how they treated Ruan Cha. Their attitude toward her wasn’t just warm—it carried a familial care and indulgence, most notably from David.

Ruan Cha nodded and casually explained their relationship. “Yeah, I’ve known Uncle David for years. This Jintao Base is managed by him for my dad. Without Uncle David, the place would probably be overrun with weeds by now.”

Fu Chen: …
Xu Nan: …

Even though they’d attended the banquet introducing the Ruan family and seen the connections of Ruan Cha’s parents, they both felt they still had much to learn about the Ruan family.

After all, they’d heard that the owner of the Jintao Base also owned several mountains surrounding Jincheng.

So, the mysterious person who had bought up the mountains early on and amassed absurd wealth… was actually Ruan Cha’s dad???

As they approached the greenhouse, Fu Chen gazed at Ruan Cha’s back, his thin lips tightening.

The Ruan family owned several mountains. His family only had a single mine…

It seemed he needed to put “earning from the mine” higher on his priority list.