Reborn to prepare for the college entrance exam, you're letting me retire and make a comeback?

Looking at the system notification in his mind, Lu Qian's braised fish no longer tasted good.

This system seems to have some misunderstanding about "family meals".

It's absolutely outrageous that he opened the door to something so outrageous!

That's absolutely outrageous.

Although the task was unusual, his mastery of mathematical formulas was indeed crucial to him.

After all, even elementary school students would shake their heads at his current math skills. If there were a reward for mastering math, his future studies would be much easier.

"But how do I maintain this elder's demeanor?" Lu Qian felt increasingly uneasy as he thought about it.

System tasks are usually triggered when a unique event occurs. A gathering of two families who know each other well is, in theory, nothing special.

Is the sudden issuance of this task because something unexpected might happen at tomorrow's dinner party?

No, no, I need to do some market research beforehand. I have a feeling this stupid system is going to cause me a huge mess.

After finishing dinner with a heavy heart, Lu Qian decided to go out for some fresh air.

"Mom and Dad, I'm going out to find Shuyue."

"Okay, don't run too fast right after you've just finished eating."

"understood."

Lu Qian agreed and picked up his phone to send a message to Lin Shuyue.

[Lu Qian: Are you home? Want to go for a drive together?]

Since we're going to do market research, we should naturally start with Xiaoqingmei.

So he planned to invite Lin Shuyue out and sound her out.

You can also boost your popularity along the way.

Messages are replied to almost instantly.

[Lin Shuyue: Okay, okay! (^▽^) I'm coming down right away!]

She even added a cute little emoji, so she seems to be in a good mood.

Lu Qian hopped on the ghost fire and drove smoothly towards the residential area where Lin Shuyue lived.

We arrived at our destination in no time.

From afar, I could see a figure in a blue and white school uniform standing gracefully under the streetlight at the entrance of the residential area, eagerly waiting.

The last rays of the setting sun gently bathed her, outlining the girl's slender yet vibrant silhouette, giving her a sense of youthful invincibility.

Her long, smooth, black hair was gently swayed by the evening breeze, with a few strands playfully clinging to her fair and delicate cheeks.

Her clear, bright eyes were filled with expectant smiles, like scattered starlight.

Even in a simple school uniform, her elegant and refined temperament shines through, making her resemble a vivid watercolor painting as dusk settles.

Lu Qian stopped smoothly in front of her, took off his helmet, and asked, "Have you been waiting long?"

"No, I just came down!" Lin Shuyue smiled radiantly.

She naturally took the helmet Lu Qian handed her and put it on, then skillfully climbed onto the back seat, gently wrapping her arms around his waist.

Classic waist-hugging gesture, without any shyness.

"Hold on tight, I'm about to start!"

"Set off!"

The will-o'-the-wisps started up again, blending into the city's traffic.

The cool evening breeze dispelled some of the vexation in Lu Qian's heart.

Lu Qian thought for a moment and decided to sound him out first.

"Combing the Moon".

He raised his voice slightly, making sure she in the back seat could hear him: "My dad said your dad went to my house this afternoon and said he's inviting both our families to lunch tomorrow. Did you know about this?"

"what?"

Lin Shuyue was clearly taken aback: "A family gathering? My dad didn't tell me. He only said he had something to do tomorrow at noon and told me to go home early."

So she didn't know either?

Lu Qian's ominous premonition grew stronger.

Logically speaking, there's no need to hide this from Lin Shuyue, so why didn't Uncle Lin tell her?

Not right.

There's something wrong with nine out of ten points.

Strange, where exactly is the mistake?

"Oh, I see," he replied, without saying anything more.

Since she doesn't know, there's no point in asking her.

Lin Shuyue fell into a brief silence behind him.

"A dinner gathering between the two families?"

"Does that mean all of us from both families will be living together? Well..."

She looked down at her faded school uniform, and a thought inexplicably welled up in her mind—

"I need to come home early after school tomorrow and change into something nicer!"

Although she used to wear her school uniform to these ordinary gatherings.

But for some reason, this time the girl wanted to dress up nicely in front of Lu Qian.

"Yeah, dressing nicely makes you feel better!"

In the end, Lin Shuyue found a cute and adorable reason for her idea.

As I pondered, the will-o'-the-wisps continued to weave through the city's neon lights.

"Lu Qian, I can't ride a bike yet!"

Lin Shuyue suddenly patted Lu Qian on the shoulder and suggested, "Why don't you teach me how to ride? So I can give you a ride sometime!"

"what?"

Lu Qian almost thought he had misheard: "You ride this?"

His first instinct was to refuse.

Although Lin Shuyue is usually quite daring, the Ghost Fire is very powerful, and it would be too dangerous for a novice like her to carry someone right away.

He didn't want to lose his life here.

"What? You look down on me?" Lin Shuyue clearly noticed his hesitation and muttered in dissatisfaction.

"..."

Just as Lu Qian hesitated, he suddenly remembered something.

Before her rebirth, Lin Shuyue, an elite lawyer, seemed to have mentioned in an interview that she had won a championship in an amateur motorcycle race during her university years...

"So, does that mean she has a talent for this?"

With this in mind, Lu Qian immediately felt reassured.

Maybe she really is cut out to be a motorcycle girl?

"Alright, then let you give it a try."

He pulled over, got off his bike, and made room for him: "But drive slowly, safety first."

"real?!"

Lin Shuyue exclaimed in surprise and immediately moved from the back seat to the driver's seat, her movements filled with excitement.

She mimicked Lu Qian, gripping the handlebars with a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"How...how do I do it?" She looked up at Lu Qian standing next to her, her eyes sparkling under her helmet.

Lu Qian leaned down and pointed to the dashboard and handlebars: "Look, this is the key fob. Turn it to start the engine. This is the accelerator, used to shift gears. This is the front brake, and this is the rear brake. Don't squeeze it too hard. Put your foot here to shift gears..."

He was explaining, but Lin Shuyue just pursed her lips.

Then, with a hint of coquettishness, she said, "Lu Qian, you're just saying it! How am I supposed to remember all that? Why don't you guide me step by step from behind?"

"???"

Lu Qian was stunned for a moment, and looking at the cunning eyes under the girl's helmet, he immediately understood her "sinister intentions".

Is this little girl thirsty?

It's alright, we've already got the hang of it, so it's hard to say who'll come out on top.

He smiled helplessly and climbed into the back seat.

The back seat of the Ghost Fire wasn't very spacious to begin with, and after he sat down, the two of them were almost pressed together.

"Okay, then follow my movements."

As Lu Qian spoke, he naturally stretched out his arms and wrapped them around Lin Shuyue's slender waist from behind, while his hands steadily covered her hands that were gripping the handlebars.

His chest pressed against her back, and through two thin layers of fabric, their body temperatures were clearly palpable.

"Um……"

Lin Shuyue's body stiffened visibly, and her cheeks under the helmet instantly turned red, as if ignited by the sunset.

The warmth of Lu Qian's hands and the solid touch from behind made her heart race.

But the shyness brought by this intimacy was quickly replaced by a feeling of security.

After all, they were childhood sweethearts who grew up together, and it was common for them to hold hands and hug in private. They had long since become desensitized to each other.

She took a deep breath, tried to relax, and felt the guiding force coming from behind her.

"Okay, turn the key, start the engine... Yes, give it a little throttle... Slowly release the clutch... Okay, let's go!"

Lu Qian's deep voice rang in her ear, carrying a reassuring calmness.

The will-o'-the-wisp hesitated at first under Lin Shuyue's control.

But it quickly became smooth and steady under Lu Qian's guidance, and slowly merged into the traffic.

A gentle evening breeze caressed my face, and this time, the person in the driver's seat was a young girl.

"Wow, Lu Qian, I've learned it! Look!"

Lin Shuyue exclaimed excitedly, gradually getting the rhythm right and picking up the speed slightly.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qian smiled and thought to himself that this little girl was indeed very talented, having learned it in no time.

Under the streetlights, two teenagers in school uniforms rode together in a cool-looking motorcycle. The girl was driving in front, and the boy was hugging her from behind. The air was filled with youthful energy.

Passersby turned their heads and pointed at each other.

"Baby, you mustn't be like those older brothers and sisters!"

A young mother holding her child's hand pointed at them and said earnestly to her child, "They're having a puppy love relationship. Look at them riding such dangerous bikes; it's so unsafe!"

"Hmm∽"

The little boy next to her tilted his head back, blinked his big eyes, and said in a childish voice, "But Mommy, those older brothers and sisters are so pretty, just like the people on TV!"

The young mother was momentarily speechless: "Uh... beautiful... indeed beautiful, but beauty can't be..."

I didn't know how to continue the conversation.

Okay, this visual overload is indeed a bit scary.

It's really pleasing to the eye.

Sitting in front of the will-o'-the-wisp, Lin Shuyue vaguely heard the passersby's discussions. Her cheeks burned even hotter, but a sweet feeling inexplicably welled up in her heart, and her hands gripping the handlebars became even steadier.

Lu Qian paid no attention to this; his focus was more on guiding Lin Shuyue's actions.

Finally, Lin Shuyue brought the will-o'-the-wisp to a steady stop at the entrance of a quiet little park on the outskirts of the city.

This also allowed Lin Shuyue, a novice driver, to drive for quite a while.

As evening falls, the park becomes quite lively, with people strolling, walking their dogs, and dancing in the square. Most of the visitors are groups of elderly men playing chess or cards.

Lu Qian and Lin Shuyue parked their car and walked into the park side by side.

The evening breeze carries the fresh scent of grass and trees, making one feel relaxed and happy.

Lu Qian's gaze swept over the sprightly elderly people in the park, and a thought struck him.

He remembered that there was a rule in the system that interacting frequently with older "juniors" seemed to bring some benefits. Although the specific mechanism was still unclear, it was never a bad thing to have more contact with them.

"Let's go, let's go take a look at the park."

"Okay!"

With just a few words, he tricked his childhood sweetheart into wandering to a shady spot under a tree.

There happened to be two old men playing chess at a stone table.

The battle seemed to be at a stalemate, with several elderly people watching from the sidelines.

Lu Qian and Lin Shuyue also joined in, standing quietly to the side watching.

However, Lu Qian's chess skills were really terrible, and as I watched, I couldn't help but start offering my opinions.

"Hey! Grandpa, that horse jumped here! Step on its cannon!"

"Hey, how can this car go like that? It should turn sideways!"

"Flying elephant, flying elephant to protect the pawn, ouch!"

"..."

His "guidance" completely threw the old man playing the red pieces into disarray. What was originally an evenly matched situation was turned into a predicament by his "guidance," and within a few moves, the black pieces seized the opportunity and checkmated the old man with a powerful cannon.

"Will!"

"Holy shit!"

Grandpa Hong slapped his thigh in frustration, his beard bristling with anger.

"Hello!"

He abruptly turned and glared at Lu Qian: "Hey young man, don't you know the saying 'A true gentleman observes a game without speaking'? What are you doing giving these wild instructions? Look, you've even led me to defeat!"

"..."

Lu Qian was a little embarrassed by the shouting, and touched his nose: "Uh, sir, I'm sorry, I was just a little too excited and couldn't help myself... How about I help you win a game back?"

I know I messed up a bit this time.

Forget it, I'll make it up to them.

"Pshaw, you think you can help me win?"

Grandpa Hong was still angry.

He looked him up and down, his face full of disbelief: "Look at your terrible chess skills just now, how could you possibly beat Old Zhang with such lousy abilities?"

He pointed at the composed old man playing black chess opposite him and scoffed, "This old Zhang is the undefeated champion of our park. Can you even compete with him?"

"You flatter me..."

The old man known as Old Zhang, who played chess, was stroking his gray beard and was immediately flattered.

He glanced at Lu Qian with a nonchalant air, displaying the composure of a master: "Young man, playing chess is about mindset and accumulation of experience. It's not something you can just talk about. You want to challenge me? You're still too green."

Lu Qian: "..."

Well, it seems the old man is looking down on me.

However, his behavior just now makes it hard to believe that he has the ability.

Lin Shuyue, who was standing next to him, laughed when she saw his embarrassed expression.

She gently tugged at Lu Qian's sleeve: "Hey, are you really going to play with this old man? Don't be reckless."

"Don't worry, watch me," Lu Qian said confidently.

How could I tolerate it when my own childhood sweetheart said such a thing?

Things change, and fortunes shift; never underestimate a young person's potential!

"You all look down on me, huh? Fine, then let's fight!"

He sat down on the stone bench that the old man from the red side had given up, and set up the chess pieces.

Amidst the curious and suspicious gazes of the crowd, Lu Qian casually pulled out his phone and tapped the screen a few times...

Then, under Lin Shuyue's gaze, he opened a chess app on his phone and silently selected... Hell Mode.

The game begins.

……

……

A dozen minutes later.

Snapped!

The chess pieces were jolted into the air and scattered.

"I'm not downloading anymore, damn it, I'm not downloading anymore!"

Old Zhang stared at the chessboard, his face turning from red to white, then from white to green, with fine beads of sweat appearing on his forehead.

His hand holding the chess piece trembled slightly; he couldn't understand how he could lose to a mere kid!

The worst part is that he was playing chess with himself while using his phone... How can anyone be so insulting?!

He was so angry his face turned red, and his beard trembled: "These young people nowadays have absolutely no sense of martial ethics!!"