39. Beginner Quest 2 (Asking for Votes!)

Seeing the words “task reward,” Chen Ling felt a surge of excitement in his heart! Although this beginner’s task seemed to have been completed without any obvious turbulence, only Chen Ling himself understood that without so many coincidences and strokes of luck, it would have been impossible.

Whether it was the telecom company’s promotion, Li Mingjiang’s timely need for Liu Xuefeng, or Zhang Peng’s eagerness to make money… If any one of these conditions had been missing, earning a hundred thousand a month would not have been so easy.

Therefore, Chen Ling was immensely curious about what reward the system would grant, especially since he had triggered a hidden bonus!

“Task rewards are as follows:”

“Task Reward 1: Wealth Template Level Upgrade: Subsistence → Ordinary!”

“Ordinary: You now possess a bit of disposable wealth and have left poverty behind; subsistence is no longer your primary concern. However, you still remain within the common ranks of wealth accumulation. Keep striving, Host!”

Chen Ling: “???”

“Are you calling more than three million just a bit of wealth?”

“Wow! That’s a high standard!”

“Task Reward 2: One ‘D-grade’ Weight Template Factor!”

“Template Factor: Extremely valuable! You can choose when to use it, and it will help you to speed up template level upgrades.”

“Hidden Reward 1: Intelligence Template Level Upgrade: Eccentric → Genius!”

“Genius: Your thinking and analytical abilities have been elevated. You’re no longer limited to analyzing immediate matters, but can now make comprehensive and accurate judgments about complex and vague information. Your thoughts cannot be easily deciphered by those inferior or equal to you; you now possess the preliminary ability to strategize and plan thoroughly!”

In a daze, Chen Ling felt as if something new had appeared in his mind, though he couldn’t consciously probe what it was. He simply felt his thoughts becoming more agile.

“Hidden Reward 2: One ‘C-grade’ Wealth Template Factor!”

“!!!”

Chen Ling was utterly thrilled!

According to the system's description, template factors seemed akin to experience points; using them would accelerate his level upgrades.

If he needed to think carefully about how to use the weight factor, the wealth factor—especially a higher C-grade one—was something he didn’t need to hesitate about at all!

Just as he was preparing to use the C-grade factor directly, the system chimed again…

“Beginner Task 2: You are a college student who has just earned a bit of money and begun to establish social connections. With a little capital in hand, you’re ready to make your mark! Yet, many failures in life are due to some insignificant people and trivial events…”

“Task Objective: Find four people who hold a grudge against you, and ensure they can no longer pose a threat!”

“Task Deadline: 15 days.”

“Task Hint: You never know who might harbor malice toward you! Mercy toward your enemy is cruelty toward yourself!”

“Task rewards will be distributed upon completion! Surpassing the task goals may trigger hidden rewards— the more you exceed, the greater the reward!”

…

“People who hold grudges against me? And four of them?”

The second beginner’s task sent a chill through Chen Ling’s heart…

During college, he had always kept a low profile—at least before he was reborn. He was certain he hadn’t offended or wronged anyone, so who could possibly resent him?

The name Jin Youde immediately surfaced in Chen Ling’s mind. If anyone resented him, it would be that stubborn old ox he had struck down, losing half a lifetime’s worth of foundation. He definitely counted as one.

But Jin Youde had already fled; not even the police could find him, let alone Chen Ling.

Xu Ming probably counted as well. That arranged “blind date” had been ruined by Chen Ling, and Xu Ming had explicitly threatened him.

As for the rest… Chen Ling couldn't think of anyone else at the moment. Even Li Mingjiang and Zhao Yuanqiang might secretly resent him, since he had meddled in their money-making ventures—tantamount to killing their fathers! However, relations were still ambiguous, far from the point of open hostility.

“Who else could it be?”

With these worries, Chen Ling slept restlessly that night.

Early the next morning, after finishing his run and showering, he stepped out of the bathroom to find a man in his thirties standing in the dormitory. He had a round face, round glasses, short dress pants, leather sandals, and a polo shirt tucked into his trousers.

Seeing Chen Ling, the man clasped his hands behind his back and scolded with an air of authority: “Just look at your class, your dorm—it’s like a dog’s den! What is this? Teacher Feng has really spoiled you all! Looks like it’s time to get things in order.”

“?” Chen Ling was baffled. “And you are…?”

The man frowned. “You’re Chen Ling, aren’t you? Still asking who I am? Why didn’t you attend the class meeting the other day? If you had, you’d know who I am!”

Their exchange woke the others in the dorm. Zhang Peng sat up, glanced at the man, and chuckled, “Isn’t that Brother Wei? Here to inspect the dorm? Looks like you got the wrong room!”

Only then did Chen Ling recall—this man was Ye Jianwei, a counselor from another department.

Ye Jianwei’s cheek twitched, and he said sternly, “Brother Wei? Show some respect! Call me Teacher Ye! Also, Teacher Feng has resigned. Since you’re all juniors now, they won’t assign another counselor; I’ll be taking over.”

“And, that little business you’re running—stop it immediately! You should be focusing on your internship, not messing around. Not attending the class meetings is completely unacceptable!”

“You’re required to get the dormitory in order by noon, and every one of you needs to submit a thousand-word reflection before dinner!”

The dorm residents all responded with a collective scoff, ignoring him entirely.

“You—” Ye Jianwei was about to lose his temper, when Bao Zhenhai suddenly shouted, “Hey, where’s my cigarette?”

He then yanked open the drawer with a loud clatter, rummaging through it. “Damn it, where’s my cigarette?”

Ye Jianwei turned to look, and his eyes nearly pierced through his glasses…

Bao Zhenhai pulled out bundle after bundle, wrapped in white bands, bright red—hundred-yuan bills!

Soon, the cash was piled up on the desk like a small mountain…

Ye Jianwei’s breathing quickened noticeably.

He stood frozen for a moment, as if awakening from a dream, then asked, as though he’d seen a ghost, “Where did you get all that money?”

He earned barely two thousand a month, and that pile alone would sustain him for a decade if he didn’t spend a penny.

Zhang Peng and Chen Ling both laughed…

At the end of last month, they had tallied up the accounts and given bonuses to Bao Zhenhai and Bu Chunsheng. Bao Zhenhai, in his rustic way, withdrew all his cash and stuffed it in the drawer, claiming it was satisfying to look at.

Unexpectedly, it startled Ye Jianwei!

“Made from that little business you mentioned!” Bao Zhenhai grinned. “If we went out for internships… where would we make that kind of money?”

Ye Jianwei was dumbfounded.

He glanced at these ordinary-looking guys and began to question his entire life…