Chapter 101: Tyrant x Substitute Bride x Little Dog (1)

Chapter 101: Tyrant x Substitute Bride x Little Dog (1)

After completing tasks in the past, Keding always wanted to know immediately how the beneficiary's new life was developing and whether they were living more peacefully and happily in the parallel world.

But this time, he decided not to use the system's algorithm to know the future in advance and instead chose to maintain correspondence with Feng Yuluo.

Every time Feng Yuluo could send a letter, it was a sign of her happiness, a confirmation of safety.

Keding's replies consumed backend points, with only twenty points deducted each time, which wasn't much.

The company stated that as long as no sensitive content affecting the development of both worlds was revealed, they could chat about anything.

Upon waking up again, a message was already waiting on his phone, showing a bank balance of over 800,000.

Keding stared at it for a while, then quickly changed his clothes to go out.

"Where are you off to?" Keding's father asked while still making sugar pancakes. "Are you coming home for dinner?"

"I'm going to the bank to look at some investment products," Keding said as he changed his shoes. "I've recently received some earnings and plan to put them in a fixed deposit."

"That's great, really great," Keding's father rubbed his hands and asked, "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No, thanks, Dad. You stay home with Mom. I'll be back before dinner!"

Guided by the system, Keding found a reliable real estate agency after leaving the house and said he wanted to buy a house.

The agent assigned to him was surnamed Chen, efficient and capable. After clarifying Keding's requirements, he immediately took him to view properties that met his needs.

"This one has a down payment of 700,000, a fully renovated three-bedroom apartment in an older neighborhood, but it's fully equipped. It’s close to the market and hospitals."

"If you’re looking for a school district property or a slightly larger living room, the down payment would be between 900,000 and 1.2 million."

Agent Chen was highly professional, and even though his client appeared to be a college student, he diligently explained the pros and cons of each property and the seller's attitude toward bargaining.

Some homes needed to sell urgently to recover from business losses and were willing to reduce the price by a few tens of thousands for a quick sale.

Others were in a family dispute about whether to sell, so the price was inflated, but the interior and elderly-friendly features were nearly new.

Keding inspected each one, imagining how his parents would adapt to each house, and commented, "The lighting isn’t very good."

He thought for a moment and looked up other nearby properties with the system.

"Huaying Villa, a two-story standalone small villa with an internal elevator. How much?"

Agent Chen's expression changed slightly, and he said apologetically, "New villas in that area typically range from 2 to 5 million. Townhouses are a bit cheaper, but the type you're asking about with an internal elevator would be more expensive. A conservative estimate puts the down payment at around 2 million."

Even though Keding didn't ask to go and see it, Chen still drove him there, and they toured the neighborhood.

As expected, the quality matched the price. Despite being significantly more expensive, the environment and standard were instantly elevated by several notches.

Keding had been playing different roles in various mansions, and his tastes had improved through osmosis.

He liked the small garden in this neighborhood filled with hostas and the large school of golden-red koi in the artificial lake.

The small villa had great lighting, and the private garden had a large lawn where he could keep a little dog and sunbathe in the future.

At the current rate of completing tasks, he wouldn't have to wait long to buy the house in full.

"Let's add each other on WeChat," Keding said. "I'll contact you in a few months."

Lao Chen couldn't quite figure out the background of this young student. He quickly agreed.

He was very sharp at reading people, a habit developed from working as a veteran real estate agent for twenty or thirty years. Whether the client was dressed modestly or luxuriously, after spending a bit more time with them, he could tell if they were truly wealthy. He could even discern if they had earned their fortune themselves or had a powerful background supporting them.

But no matter how long he chatted with this kid, who was barely twenty, he still couldn't get a read on him.

There were signs of poverty about the kid, but his eyes seemed to have already seen much. He seemed indifferent to prices and money.

When houses became expensive, many clients would show hesitation or tension on their faces. Yet, this young Mr. Ke looked at everything calmly, as if he were used to living in a large villa and was just looking for a delicate, small, yet still charming new place on a whim.

A nineteen-year-old kid... how could he be so shrewd? And he didn't seem like a rich second-generation kid either.

"I'll drive you back," Lao Chen said, still using polite language out of habit. "Feel free to contact me if you need anything."

"Sure."

The winter break was short. It felt like he hadn't rested for two days before it was time to start the new semester again.

When the four brothers of the dormitory reunited, Keding pulled out an eight-inch strawberry layered cake.

"Wow!" Lao Zhang exclaimed in surprise. "Is it someone's birthday today?"

"I don't think it's anyone's," Keding said with a smile. "I just earned some money from a part-time job and wanted to celebrate with everyone."

"Great, great, great! Keding cares about us. I love cakes the most!"

"My worries about the new semester are gone!"

"Let's light the candles and make a wish, but don't say it out loud, or it won't come true!"

The four roommates sat around the cake, solemnly lit the candles, closed their eyes to make a wish, and then shouted "three, two, one" together before blowing out the candles and bursting into laughter.

Keding's past birthday celebrations were just a quick flick of a lighter with friends, and having a good meal at the cafeteria was a small pleasure. But today, he felt exceptionally good.

He had finally made a lot of money and could eat a big cake even when it wasn't his birthday—he could eat until he was full.

Because of this, he was especially grateful for everyone's quiet acceptance and every small, seemingly unintentional care they had given him during his time of poverty.

Dayuan always offered to share his study notes, and during Christmas, he treated everyone in the dormitory to hotpot.

Ergou always brought back large bags of local snacks from home, stuffing a big bag full for him.

Lao Zhang treated him like a younger brother.

More than a cake, Keding wished he could share the knowledge in his mind with them, wanting to repay everyone doubly.

The system, hearing this thought, quietly said, "It's not out of the question."

Keding: "Huh?"

The system: "Bringing it into reality isn't feasible, but you could find an opportunity, like before a big exam, to let them use that useful thing in their dreams—it's just a dream, after all!"

Keding: "Does it require points?"

The system: "Not much! Five hundred points per person each time!"

Keding: "Alright, alright, alright, I hope Lao Zhang doesn't get too scared in his dream."

While chatting with the system in his mind, Ergou, eating the cake, said, "Keke, you don't know, Lao Zhang was cramming during the winter break."

Keding came back to reality: "Ah?"

"Zhang Maomao wants to join that—what's it called—the international exchange class. His GPA barely made it, and it also depends on this semester's grades!" Dayuan interjected. "Don't be fooled by his constant teasing that we're grade-obsessed. He was grinding even during the Lunar New Year!"

Zhang Maomao, having eaten half of the cake, said somewhat shyly: "Even a slacker can have dreams, but I'm a slacker that's a bit too fond of sleeping..."

Keding thought of something, stifled a laugh, and got up to retrieve something from the cabinet.

"This is, ahem, an electric shock alarm clock."

"Whoa, Ke Bao, are you this hardcore on yourself?"

"No, this was a prize from a lottery at the part-time job I did... It's a weird item," Keding said. "I tried it out. It's not that bad. If you're asleep and can't wake up no matter what, it'll sneak up and zap you a little. It's like the static you get from a sweater in winter, not too intense."

Zhang Maomao took the alarm clock with wheels, curiously asking: "Nowadays, alarm clocks can generate static electricity?"

"Yeah. If you don’t think you’ll need it, just return it to me. I’ll put it up for sale on the campus notice board."

Standing by the cabinet, Keding absentmindedly picked up another item he had won in the same lottery.

In total, he had won three physical prizes. He had given the electric shock alarm clock to Lao Zhang, the company logo pendant went to his dad for his keys, and what was left in front of him was this... so-called love-attracting snow globe.

Keding shook the snow globe, and snowflakes danced elegantly around the peach blossom tree.

The system, with a cheerful tone, said: "Who are you thinking about?"

"No one," Keding said. "I'm just shaking it for fun."

"Oh right, thanks to Yang Chengfeng, we can do another eleven-draw." The system said: "Draw! Draw!"

Keding rubbed his hands together: "Let's go!"

A Christmas-like silver-red box appeared again, shaking several times before bursting with confetti.

Keding's sharp eyes caught a burst of bright purple smoke, and he cheered mentally.

"What did I get!! Let me see!!"

The purple smoke unfurled, revealing a crystal-clear large cabbage.

Keding: "...?"

"This is no ordinary cabbage!!" The system immediately said. "Calm down!!"

"Even if it's a cabbage that promotes longevity—" Keding exclaimed angrily, "Who in the world gives a cabbage as an SR-level reward?!"

"Look at the name below! Its full name is! Ninja·Ono-suke·Substitute·Big Cabbage!" The system quickly explained. "It can die in your place ten times! Isn't that amazing?!"

Keding was stunned for a moment, glanced at his buddies who were still happily devouring the cake, and continued whispering to the system while holding the snow globe.

"A cabbage that takes my place in death? Isn't that a bit much to ask of a cabbage..."

"It's a ninja cabbage!!" The system said excitedly. "Whether in a futuristic world or an ancient one, when you're in mortal danger, this magical cabbage named Ono-suke will instantly replace your body, teleporting you to a safe spot within fifty meters, and it has ten uses!"

Keding: "I can barely imagine that scene."

"By the way, how many points do I have now?"

The system beeped twice and displayed the value interface in front of his eyes.

"Ahem, the notes for each world are just something I wrote off the top of my head, so just try to understand them."

Keding: "Huh…??"

History Breakdown Defense Value Statistics Table

[Abandoned Bride White Moonlight]: 1,765

[Motherly Illness Immortal Venerable]: 975

[Kidney Harvesting Together]: 3,650

[Stalker Freak]: 4,172

[Zombie Big Jerk]: 4,761

[Pancake Prince]: 6,890 [*Combined value of biological father and stepmother]

"You previously used 5,000 points to exchange for 5 centimeters of height increase, which will be completed in two months," the system said. "Oh, and you also spent 1,000 points on the Zombie Square Dance. After miscellaneous expenses, this is what's left in your account now!"

[Historical Total Defense Breakdown Points]: 22,213

[Mall Balance Points]: 15,563

"With over 15,000 points, it's still not enough to become a giraffe, but it’s more than enough to have someone directly eliminate a major villain!"

"No rush," Keding said. "I want to save the points for when it really matters."

He closed the page and looked at the other blue sky and white cloud rewards behind the purple glowing cabbage. Most of them looked very familiar.

The only physical reward is a useless company poster, which will be delivered to his home with free shipping.

Besides that, there were also Penguin Experience Vouchers x3 and Native Dog Experience Vouchers x5.

"And then… there’s a company’s single insurance," the system said with a forced smile. "Given your unique job, if you don’t have a partner by the time you’re 88, the company will give you 800,000 yuan as a retirement fee."

"Not sure if I’ll even live that long, jeez!!"

Keding examined these small lottery prizes over and over, and suddenly, a bold and unreasonable idea popped into his mind.

"I’ve made up my mind."

The system jolted in surprise. "What are you planning?"

"In the next world, I’m going to be a dog!!"

"Wha…??"