In a rented apartment in Qingyun City.
Xia Liang was playing a game, craning his neck to hold his phone to his ear as he spoke with a helpless tone.
"Hello? Mom? I already told you I have a girlfriend, so please stop setting me up on blind dates… What? You don't believe me? You want her to answer the phone? But… but she's not here!"
Seeing that he was about to lose the game, Xia Liang had no choice but to say, "Fine, Mom, I promise! I'll go tomorrow, okay? I have to hang up now!"
With that, Xia Liang hung up the phone and focused wholeheartedly on the game.
As the enemy's Nexus slowly exploded on screen, Xia Liang's face lit up with joy. "Awesome! We won!"
At the same time, a voice sounded in his head.
[Ding! Congratulations, Part-Time Worker. Your work for this month has been settled.
Number of workdays this month: 31 days.
The system will now issue your rewards:
Base Salary: 20,000
Full-Attendance Bonus: 500
Bonus: 1,000.
Your monthly salary of 21,500 Yuan has been deposited into the System Bank and is available for withdrawal at any time.
Work Points: 20 have been issued.
Host's RMB balance: 178,664.98 Yuan.
Work Points balance: 200]
"Heh, payday again."
Seeing another twenty thousand Yuan added to his account, Xia Liang broke into a rare smile, one step closer to his goal of buying a house.
Thank goodness I have the Part-Time Worker System. Otherwise, saving up one hundred and seventy thousand might have taken forever.
Xia Liang couldn't help but sigh. The Part-Time Worker System had appeared out of nowhere nine months ago, and it was exactly what its name implied. Every month, the System would assign a job to the host, and completing a full month of work would yield rewards. Besides the salary Xia Liang rightfully earned from the job itself, the System would also grant a monthly salary bonus, plus those inexplicable 20 Work Points.
Just as Xia Liang was about to check his job for the next month, the System's voice echoed in his head again.
[Ding! The host has been detected to have completed ten tasks.
Rank upgraded: Level One Part-Time Worker.
The System is now upgrading.]
As the System's voice faded, an invisible electromagnetic wave emanated from Xia Liang, spreading across the entire world.
「One minute later.」
[System upgrade complete. Part-Time Worker Mall unlocked.
Releasing next month's part-time job: Anchor.
Base job reward: Forty thousand RMB, 40 Work Points.]
Hmm? Just as I thought! The System can be upgraded! My salary jumped from twenty thousand to forty thousand just like that! At this rate, won't I be making a million a month soon?
Xia Liang couldn't help but rub his hands together as he opened the newly updated Part-Time Worker Mall. A dazzling array of items immediately filled his vision.
Porsche 911: 1 Work Point
Lamborghini Poison: 10 Work Points
Secluded Community Luxury Villa: 9 Work Points
...
For a moment, Xia Liang was completely dumbstruck.
What a steal! These are things that would cost tens of millions out in the real world, but in here, they only cost a few Work Points!
Beyond that, Xia Liang also discovered numerous skills in the mall.
God-level Cooking Skills… Value: 20 Work Points
God-level Parkour… Value: 25 Work Points
God-level Singing… Value: 30 Work Points
...
Every imaginable skill, even martial arts secrets, was listed—though they all came with a hefty price tag.
A good blade must be used where it's needed most!
Suppressing the urge to buy something, Xia Liang forced himself to calm down. Two hundred Work Points might seem like a lot, but it was only enough to purchase a few skills.
What if a hidden task suddenly pops up that I can't complete on my own and I need to buy something from the mall? Man, what would I do then without any Work Points?
With that thought, Xia Liang lay down on his bed.
Sleep, sleep. I'll hold off on spending the Work Points for now. The anchor business can wait until tomorrow.
Just as he was about to drift off, a notification sound chimed from his WeChat. He opened it and saw a message from her majesty, his mother. As expected, it contained the location for the blind date.
Xia Liang felt a wave of helplessness. He was already twenty-four years old, two years out of college. At his age, his parents' biggest worry was him settling down. They were tireless in their efforts, constantly bothering all the local aunts and uncles to introduce him to potential matches who were also trying to make a life in Qingyun City.
But I really do have a girlfriend!
Xia Liang felt helpless that his parents simply refused to believe him.
Oh well, it's their way of showing they care. It's just a formality, anyway. It won't waste much time.
Ready to go through with the appointment, Xia Liang closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep. At that moment, however, he had no idea that an earth-shattering change had just occurred in the outside world.
「Early in the morning, sunlight streamed into the room.」
"Flower of my heart! I wanna take you home!"
A pop song ringtone jolted Xia Liang awake. After freshening up, he headed out the door. Since the destination wasn't far from his apartment, he decided to walk.
「Early Summer Cafe.」
The decor was exceptionally warm and inviting. When Xia Liang arrived at the pre-booked table, he found a woman already sitting there. Her features were pleasant, and she had a tall, slender figure dressed in a red business suit. The woman was sipping her coffee while sizing him up.
Even Xia Liang knew it was poor form to keep a lady waiting, so all he could do was apologize.
"Sorry, I'm late."
"No, not at all. I was just a bit early," the woman said, putting down her coffee with a faint smile. "Let me introduce myself. I'm Wang Ling. I'm a real estate agent, and my monthly salary is less than two points."
Huh? Less than two points? What the heck is that? Is this some new kind of joke? Even if her salary was only eight thousand, shouldn't she say less than twenty thousand Yuan?
Although he thought this, Xia Liang didn't say it out loud. He simply offered a slight smile, since this was all just for show anyway.
"I'm Xia Liang. I'm currently working as a game booster. My income is about the same as yours." Since she put it that way, he might as well play along.
Wang Ling nodded. "Actually, I've already heard about your situation," she said, her eyes scanning him from head to toe. "I'll be direct. If you want to marry me, you'll need a house of at least one hundred square meters, a car for commuting, and a bride price of five Mao."
"Umm… huh?"
At first, Xia Liang didn't react to the initial demands, but the final one—the five Mao bride price—completely baffled him.
"What did you say? Did I hear you correctly? A bride price of five Mao?"
"Yes, you heard me. Five Mao for the bride price, not a single point less! I know it's a lot to ask, but my parents worked their fingers to the bone to raise me…"
As Wang Ling babbled on, Xia Liang didn't try to refute her. He simply stared at her as if she were mentally deficient.
Good grief, how can someone so young be so dense?
If Wang Ling had asked for a bride price of five hundred thousand Yuan, Xia Liang wouldn't have been surprised in the least. But this five Mao bride price had truly shocked him.
Seeing the way Xia Liang was looking at her, Wang Ling stood up, visibly annoyed. "If that's not possible, then let's just forget it. Don't worry, I won't take advantage of you. I'll pay for my own coffee."
Having said her piece, Wang Ling stood up and walked to the counter to settle her bill, leaving a bewildered Xia Liang behind.
About half a minute later, Xia Liang finally snapped back to his senses. Their bizarre blind date had ended in an equally bizarre fashion.