Chapter 67

Chapter 68: The more handsome the man, the more cunning he is

Qian Qi quickly picked a date, then pointed at the snacks on the desk and joked: “No time like the present, so let’s do it tomorrow. Principal, you’re getting up there in years, your teeth aren’t so strong, so eat fewer snacks. I’ll take these, okay?”

The Principal fell silent, then thought: [Fine, take them! May you stuff yourself, you stingy brat!]

After Qian Qi left, the Principal, who hadn’t gotten his way, felt a bit lost. He paced the office twice, then couldn’t help asking Su Ang: “Are you really taking her to that entertainment place?”

Su Ang glanced at him with a calm look and said: “Song City has no entertainment places.”

The Principal fell quiet.

Eavesdropping at the door, Qian Qi also went quiet.

Circling back and then sneaking off again, Qian Qi wrinkled her nose and tiptoed away before snorting: “As I thought, the more handsome the man, the more cunning he is. Hah, man, I want to see what tricks you’re planning.”

System muttered: [… That was so slick it rubbed off on me. Thanks.]

[Anyway, where’s my check?] The System had waited all day and still hadn’t been “fed” a check, so it kindly reminded her.

“Oh, right!” Qian Qi smacked her forehead, ran to the market, bought a stack of scrap paper and a pen, then squatted by the street to draw checks for the System.

System went silent.

Then the System smacked the back of her head with its panel: [Qian Qi! How dare you trick me!!!]

“You only said you eat checks. You never said they had to be cashable checks,” said Qian Qi with wide, innocent eyes. “Besides…”

She hugged her head and pointed at the System as she scolded: “Do you know why I tricked you? Because you tricked me first. You hurt my young heart and my trust in you!”

[When did I ever trick you?] The System’s attention shifted at once. It swore to defend its honest name: [Impossible. I never-]

The letters on the System Panel stopped. A bad feeling rose.

Wait. Could it be…?

Seeing the System catch on, Qian Qi ducked her head at once and spoke in a voice full of grievance: “That time. The two million time. You said you’d give me a small gift. And what happened? I never saw even a hair of it.”

“I’m such a cheapskate, and I held back for so long without asking you for it,” she said, lowering her voice until it almost broke into little sobs. “I thought Lord System must not have forgotten. Maybe it would remember tomorrow? Maybe the day after? Maybe the day after that?”

“After all, how could the noble, great, all knowing System forget such a thing? It wouldn’t possibly think I forgot, on purpose not remind me, and plan not to give it, right?” Qian Qi shot the System a quick look, then lowered her head again and dabbed away her pretend “tears.”

System stayed quiet.

“Lord System surely didn’t do it on purpose,” said Qian Qi.

System hesitated: [I…]

Qian Qi added: “It will make it up to me. After all, it’s already been 9 days, 5 hours, 28 minutes, and 32 seconds.”

She checked the Light-Brain time and went on: “Now it’s 33 seconds. Lord System will surely be willing to make it up to me with a little extra, right?”

System went silent again.

System sputtered: [???]

[Hold on. You even remember the seconds? You didn’t “forget” on purpose so you could squeeze more compensation out of me, did you?!]

It figured! With how stingy Qian Qi was, how could she not ask for the gift all this time? So this was the trap she set.

It wasn’t trying to keep her gift. It had only wanted her to bring it up first so it could act cool in front of her and firm up its status. It never expected Qian Qi’s mind to be so tough and crafty that she would still find a way to fleece it.

“Lord System,” said Qian Qi, blinking as she held up two fingers to show a gap: “The trust between us is this far.”

“But if you make it up to me,” she said, pinching her fingers tight together with a bright smile: “It will be very, very close.”

System stayed quiet.

It regretted everything. If it had known it would bind to this menace, it would have refused Qian Qi at the start.

[The gift is a free C level potion recipe.] The System Panel displayed the words. It wasn’t being generous. It wanted to push Qian Qi to become a C level powerhouse faster so she could make C level potions, earn more money, and buy more knowledge.

“What about the compensation?” Qian Qi was pleased with the gift, but she cared more about what the System would add.

The System hissed: [Heh, compensation?]

For some reason, Qian Qi felt like it was grinding its teeth.

[Compensation means I won’t eat checks today. I’ll coach you for free!] The System flipped up the panel and, fuming, smacked the back of Qian Qi’s head again: [Compensation, compensation-here’s your compensation! Let’s see you think about anything else!]

Qian Qi ran off at once and shouted: “Bah! Stingy mutt System! If you can’t play, don’t play!”

System sputtered: [???]

[When you want compensation I’m Lord System, and once you get it I’m a stingy mutt?]

[Fickle woman! One day I’ll take you down with me, I swear!!!]

The next day, after Qian Qi finished guiding her classmates’ Magiplant homework, she went to the school gate at the agreed time.

Not seeing Su Ang, she looked around and noticed a deep black, wheel-less, six seat hovercar stop right in front of her.

From inside, a voice said: “Get in.”

In the hovercar, Su Ang sat straight in the back row. He wore a light black slim suit for spring and fall. At the collar of his crisp white shirt, a pure black tie matched the trench coat draped beside him. Silvery short hair fell slightly over his pale forehead, making him look both formal and distant.

Qian Qi slipped into the car and saw that, besides the driver’s seat and the front passenger seat, the back row had four seats facing in pairs. The black trench coat he often wore was folded neatly on the seat next to him, not a single wrinkle showing.

She sat quietly across from him and sized up the hovercar. It was wider and more high end than the Principal’s car. It even had a smart tea table, an e bookshelf, and a Light-Brain projector.

Su Ang gave a light order: “Drive.”

The Driver answered and started the hovercar.

Curious, Qian Qi turned her head and asked: “Don’t hovercars have auto drive? Why do you have a Driver?”

She remembered the Principal used auto drive last time.

Su Ang glanced at her and said: “I don’t trust auto drive.”

Qian Qi rubbed her chin and said: “What a coincidence. I don’t trust Drivers.”

Su Ang fell silent.

He couldn’t find a good reply. Looking out the window, he said lightly: “It will take a while to reach Song City. There are many sky Dungeons in the troposphere. You can watch.”

The word “watch” was cleverly chosen. Qian Qi blinked, looked outside, and saw black Dungeons hanging in the air. They were like fierce beasts with huge open mouths, eager to swallow travelers who lost their way on the route… or any bird on the route.

She watched with wide eyes as a poor little bird flew straight into a Dungeon.

Qian Qi jolted.

Pressing against the window, she let a sad tear drip at the corner of her mouth and cried: “Horrible Dungeons… they even swallow such a cute little bird!”

[Oh? I didn’t know you cared so much about life.] The System sounded surprised.

“No,” said Qian Qi as she wiped her mouth, full of longing: “That was a lone wild duck. The meat is very plump. Ugh! I wonder which rotten beast will get that feast for free.”

The System went quiet.

[Dear hovercar, could you please crash and end Qian Qi right now!!!]