The night was silent, at 11:59 PM. Liu Chen's newly acquired laptop sat on the desk, and suddenly, countless QQ chat windows popped up, all filled with birthday wishes.
However, the person in question was currently hugging a rabbit pillow, sitting on the side of the bed by the window, with the window cracked open. A chill from outside wafted into the bedroom.
"Buzz, buzz."
In the quiet bedroom, the vibration of the mobile phone was exceptionally noticeable. Liu Chen glanced at the caller ID.
"Ren Yu"
A smile bloomed on Liu Chen's face unconsciously. She swiped up to answer the call and brought the phone to her ear.
The caller seemed surprised that Liu Chen answered so quickly. After a two-second pause, he spoke:
"Happy 18th birthday, Liu Chen."
"Thank you, Brother Ren Yu."
After this, both of them held their phones in silence, the small devices transmitting the breathing of two people separated by thousands of miles to each other's ears.
The moon hung high, https:/
Liu Chen wasn't sure what her feelings for Ren Yu were. She only knew that before they met, she'd heard from Ren Mo that his elder brother, Ren Yu, had never needed to worry or attend cram school since childhood, and had gotten into Shuimu University purely on his entrance exam scores.
At that time, her impression of Ren Yu's name was admiration.
He seemed so distant, like a top student from a completely different world.
Then, the first time she saw Ren Yu in Beijing, his deep eyes beneath silver-rimmed glasses, his handsome, chiseled face carrying a faint scent of alcohol as he breathed, his deep, slow voice when he spoke.
At this point, her feelings were tinged with shyness. Although she was nearly thirty in combined lifespans, Liu Chen, who had never been in a relationship, found it normal to be smitten.
Later, when she visited Ren Yu's own company and discovered they were the creators of the QQ Farm from her previous life, the gap between them felt as vast as the Milky Way.
In the words of her former colleagues, Liu Chen felt she viewed Ren Yu through a thick filter, finding him perfect no matter what.
But whether it was love, perhaps, but more than that, Liu Chen felt that admiration was the dominant emotion.
So at this moment, after receiving birthday wishes, Liu Chen didn't know what else to say besides "thank you," yet she was reluctant to hang up.
After a long while,
Ren Yu spoke from the other end of the phone:
"I heard from Ren Mo last time that you got first place in the whole school. Keep it up, and come to Shuimu next year."
Liu Chen blinked her eyes and suddenly realized, Shuimu University, wasn't that the university Brother Ren Yu attended?
"Brother Ren Yu, are you inviting me?"
There was a few seconds of silence from the other end, then his slightly hoarse voice came through:
"Yes."
It was merely a discussion about university applications, yet at this moment, Liu Chen felt an unspoken understanding had formed between them.
Liu Chen accidentally let out a muffled laugh while holding her phone. Ren Yu on the other end seemed to choke, coughing twice before saying,
"Get to sleep early, goodnight."
Liu Chen, with a smile, also said, "Goodnight."
After saying goodnight, Liu Chen, still smiling, replied to the birthday wishes on QQ. Once all this was done, Liu Chen washed her hands, carefully and thoroughly dried them with a paper towel, then sat back down on her bedroom chair.
She lifted her feet, her heels resting on the edge of the seat, and bent slightly, hugging her knees. Then, she clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and whispered a prayer:
"System, oh System, today is my birthday. I hope you'll love me a little more~"
After speaking, she took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"Start the lottery draw!"
With 1120 lottery tickets, even doing ten x10 draws would barely scratch the surface.
Perhaps her prayer had worked, as the very first draw landed in the red zone.
'Permanent height increase of 1, current height 165cm (160+5)'
Liu Chen stood up from her chair and walked to the full-length mirror in her bedroom. A height of 165cm, coupled with a weight of 52.5kg, was a slender physique that Liu Chen had only ever dreamed of in her previous life.
At this moment, Liu Chen's gaze followed the continuously updating prizes:
'Sweet singing voice (Good)'
'Received cash 1100 yuan'
'Received cash 1100 yuan'
'...'
Then, another draw landed in the red zone:
'Received one beginner recruitment sticker. Upon use, one beginner employee will be obtained within 24 hours.'
'Received a voucher for one additional sales assistant'
'Received cash 1100 yuan'
'Received cash 1100 yuan'
'Received a tube of mascara (After use, eyelashes will grow by 1mm)'
'Received a tube of lip gloss (After use, lips will be plump and shiny)'
'Received a tube of hand cream (After use, hands will be delicate and radiant)'
'Received a pair of Chanel leather boots'
'Received a curling iron (Increases curling success rate by 5%)'
'Received a Chanel sparkling hairband'
'Received a Chanel down jacket'
'...'
'Received photography skills (Good)'
'Received cash 1100 yuan'
'...'
Liu Chen lay on her bed, gathering the items the system had dispensed today along with the gifts from her classmates. Clothes, shoes, hair accessories, cosmetics, and skincare products were strewn across the bed and the carpet, along with the 990,000 yuan in cash that she hadn't taken out of the system.
The small bedroom was filled with the culmination of her eighteenth birthday celebration. Liu Chen smiled, and eventually drifted off to sleep on her bed.
The next morning, when Liu Chen proposed her plan to take her mother out for a grand meal and a massage, she was directly refused by Liu Fang.
"Your new classmates are all good children. They sang for you and gave you birthday gifts, and you haven't shown any appreciation. That's just not right." As she spoke, Liu Fang took three thousand yuan in cash from her bag and pressed it into Liu Chen's hand.
"Go treat them to a karaoke session and a meal. Aunt Lai mentioned that they'll likely start tutoring on Sundays from mid-November. By then, you'll only have half a day off each week, and you kids won't have the energy to go out and play."
Half a day off per week?
Liu Chen was still a little reluctant to give up her mother-daughter plan. Finally, Liu Fang lay on the sofa, a small blanket draped over her, flicking through channels with the remote to find her desired show, "Brother's Contract," and said:
"It's so cold outside, I don't want to go anywhere. You go out and have fun during the day. When you come back at night, I'll stew some chicken soup for you and make you a bowl of longevity noodles."
Seeing Liu Fang curled up on the sofa, comfortably covered by the blanket, Liu Chen still went out.
With Lai Jielun's help, the impromptu gathering was quickly arranged.
All fifty students from Class 6 of the third year were present, gathered in the Lily Hall of the Century Grand Hotel...
When Liu Chen saw the address sent by Lai Jielun, she sprayed out the warm water she had just taken a sip of. Wasn't this the venue where Xue Miao had her engagement party?
Liu Chen asked Lai Jielun on QQ why he had found such a large hall, and that the five thousand yuan she had given probably wouldn't be enough to book such a large private room.
Lai Jielun:
He heard that an engagement banquet was held here during the National Day holiday, but photos of the bride cheating were bizarrely broadcast on the screen. The groom of the engagement banquet was so enraged that he fainted, and it seemed he even had a cerebral hemorrhage. It was quite tragic. Everyone who knew about it felt that this Lily Hall was inauspicious.
Upon hearing that our top student in the entire school was celebrating her birthday, the boss said that if we used this hall, he would give us a 30% discount including drinks. Of course, if you mind, Sister Chen, I can change the venue right now.
Liu Chen: No need, this one it is!