Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Lou Sheng didn’t feel drowsy all day.

After lunch, during class, when he felt low on energy, he’d pop a couple of candies in his mouth. As long as his blood sugar didn’t drop, Lou Sheng could focus better than most.

Zhang Antong, who’d tried the two packs of candy Lou Sheng gave him that morning, said, “What brand is this? It’s really good. I’ll grab some for my sister later.”

But after snapping pics and searching on his phone for a while with no luck, he gave up.

During the break, the class got rowdy, and the open space behind Lou Sheng was the main spot for roughhousing.

Lou Sheng spun his pen a couple of times, unable to focus on his book.

It wasn’t the noise behind him—it was always this loud and chaotic.

Usually, by this time, he’d be resting his head on the desk, but today he was still buzzing with energy.

Lou Sheng knew the reason.

He was chewing on a milk candy, its flavor incredibly rich. Lou Sheng thought blankly: Who knows what kind of sketchy product this is, but it’s so good...

Seeing Lou Sheng soften up, 017 relaxed and, with nothing better to do, put together a balanced diet plan for him. You can’t just live on sweets.

“017.”

“Hmm?”

“My desk’s packed.”

017 understood. “Okay.” He wouldn’t add anything for the next week.

Lou Sheng, softened by the treats, asked, “So how do I do that task...?”

017: “You’re still in school—it’s fine to wait until after the college entrance exams. Focus on your studies.”

Lou Sheng was doubtful, “You’re that considerate?”

017 stayed silent.

Lou Sheng pressed his lips together.

There’s no such thing as a free lunch. Even if it did fall from the sky, how could it... land right on him?

As they talked, the girl in front of Zhang Antong turned around with her chemistry textbook, likely to ask something.

Zhang Antong’s grades were average overall, but he was great at chemistry.

Unfortunately, Zhang Antong was busy playing with some boys at the back, and the girl didn’t want to interrupt.

Lou Sheng, chin propped on one hand, was lost in thought when his eyes met hers.

The girl hesitated, unsure whether to turn back or ask Lou Sheng.

She glanced at Lou Sheng awkwardly, remembering his usual coldness, and felt a little intimidated.

“What’s the question?” Lou Sheng spoke first.

The girl blinked, staring at his face.

Lou Sheng's cheek was puffed out by a piece of candy, making his usually expressionless face seem less cold and more approachable.

And... still as handsome as ever. If Lou Sheng's personality were just a little bit better, he would definitely have no shortage of female attention.

The girl coughed lightly, suppressing the thoughts in her head, and pushed the book over. "It's this reaction..."

Lou Sheng took two minutes to explain it clearly. He didn't speak much, even when explaining problems, but his reasoning was very clear.

"Received 25 points of gratitude from Qi Xi, GV Department."

Surprisingly high. 017 speculated that part of the reason was that emotions in the real world were stronger, and another part was probably due to the contrast. Lou Sheng's image in the class had always been serious, even a bit cold. When someone like him offered help, it often led to unexpected emotional impact.

Qi Xi glanced at Lou Sheng with a hint of surprise, said "thank you," and turned back.

017: "Good job."

"..." Lou Sheng felt a sudden rush of embarrassment, his face flushing. He couldn't really handle 017's way of doing things.

If 017 were alive, he'd definitely be the type Lou Sheng would steer clear of.

He couldn't resist saying, "017, were you an elementary school teacher when you were alive?"

017 didn't understand why he would think that but answered truthfully, "Nope."

Lou Sheng insisted, "Middle school teacher, then."

"I never was a teacher."

"So, what did you do?"

017 said, "When I died, I hadn't yet graduated from university, so I never got to work in the field I liked."

Lou Sheng was stunned.

Didn't graduate from university... So, he wasn't much older than him.

"But I really enjoy my current job."

"Being a system, huh?"

"Yes."

"Working in the GV Department is very rewarding..." Talking about work, 017 got a bit more into it and added a couple more sentences. Lou Sheng didn't interrupt him.

When 017 mentioned he had experienced ninety worlds, Lou Sheng was amazed.

"Ninety worlds, how long is that?"

"Hmm... probably a few thousand years? But time flows differently in virtual worlds compared to the real world."

Lou Sheng: "Oh." So, he was still much older.

Lou Sheng didn't let himself think about 017, who had once been human, or what the young man whose life ended at twenty was like. Otherwise, even talking to 017 would become strange...

He kept the candy in his mouth for almost half the class, and by the time school was over, his mouth was still filled with a sweet fragrance.

When he got home in the evening, there was a bowl of warm rice on the table. It was quite well-balanced, with some green vegetables mixed in with the meat.

Lou Sheng: ...

This guy really knows how to take advantage.

Gritting his teeth, he wanted to summon 017 and say something, but in the end, he didn't do it.

He pulled over a plastic round stool in the room and sat down at the table, picking up his chopsticks with mixed feelings.

What exactly was the price? Lou Sheng pondered as he finished the fanciest meal he had had so far this year.

...

That night, Lou Sheng studied well into the night. It was rare for him to have such good energy, and he didn't want to rest just yet.

017 silently watched him without saying a word to dissuade him.

Being driven is a good thing, and he didn't want to dampen Lou Sheng's enthusiasm. If Lou Sheng maintained this unhealthy habit for a long time in the future, it wouldn't be too late for him to intervene.

From then on, Lou Sheng's dinner was almost always prepared by 017. Even if Lou Sheng had already eaten something at school before coming home, there was always a late-night snack waiting for him when he got home.

Sometimes he felt embarrassed, especially when 017 calmly said, "Detected that the host is hungry"...

Anyway, from the day 017 appeared, Lou Sheng lost all dignity in front of him. Living in his mind, 017 knew everything and saw all of Lou Sheng's embarrassments clearly.

For the next month, Lou Sheng's approach to studying was completely different from before. Except for one Sunday when he went out to work for a day, he was able to focus on his studies the rest of the time.

Zhang Antong watched as Lou Sheng suddenly became very motivated in his studies after the start of the second year of high school. He didn’t even sleep in class, and Zhang Antong also felt a bit of urgency.

Lou Sheng was already ahead of him, and if he didn't work hard, he would really be at the bottom.

The two desks in front and behind them were in the same group, and they usually had group discussions together in class. Occasionally, the two girls in front and Zhang Antong would come to ask him questions, and because of this, Lou Sheng's relationship with them became slightly closer than before.

In the monthly exam at the beginning of October, Lou Sheng leapt from outside the top five straight to first place. He also ranked high in his grade, making it into the top ten.

Beiyang High wasn’t exactly a top-tier school, but if one could consistently stay within the top fifty in the grade, scoring a spot at a top university in the college entrance exam was pretty much a sure thing.

When Liu Xing saw Lou Sheng’s name on the honor roll, he was totally blown away and made a point to swing by Class 7 during break just to rib him.

"Sheng, when did you sneak in all this studying behind my back? How did you suddenly return to your divine status?" he said, complete with over-the-top facial expressions.

Liu Xing was laying it on thick, and Lou Sheng just frowned in response, not finding it particularly surprising.

When you're in the zone, the grades just come naturally. It's a normal thing.

017 had been keeping an eye on Lou Sheng’s grades too.

He wasn’t too fussed about Lou Sheng’s grades; he just wanted him to be happy. But when he saw his host’s position so high on the honor roll, he couldn’t help but feel a little proud.

017 carefully looked at Lou Sheng’s scores in each subject. He aced his science subjects, though he was a bit lopsided.

Lou Sheng’s English was average, and compared to the top two students, this one subject alone dragged him down by nearly twenty points.

If his host needed it, 017 thought, he could help Lou Sheng improve his weak points.

However, this wasn’t something to bring up at the moment.

During the pause in Lou Sheng’s conversation with Liu Xing, 017 chimed in quietly, "Not bad."

Compared to Liu Xing’s exaggerated and affected tone, 017’s voice was very calm, as if it was just a casual compliment.

But Lou Sheng’s reaction was much stronger than when the former spoke, feeling somewhat uncomfortable all over, his expression inexplicably stiff.

"It’s just like that..."