I'm in high school, is my dating system working correctly?

[Your income has been detected as insufficient, and you have fallen below the threshold for financial ruin. The rescue system has been activated.]

In early September, after the vibrant greenery had faded, Lu Yu had just put down his plate in the bustling cafeteria of Jiangcheng Middle School when indifferent, cold words began to appear in his field of vision.

At thirty-five, you've been laid off and are sleeping by a sewer. You've lost your wife, your house has been taken away, and as the freezing rainy night approaches, your life hangs by a thread.

But don't give up. As long as you persevere, happiness will eventually come knocking.

This system aims to help you gradually get your life back on track.

Regain hope by starting with a normal lunch.

[Task: Eat a hearty meal]

Basic reward: 500 yuan

Lu Yu, who had just started his second year of high school, rubbed his eyes.

It's not an illusion.

Has the true awakening system been achieved?

Countless similar scenes from novels, games, and animations flashed through Lu Yu's mind.

His heart pounded, and he immediately took two deep breaths, barely managing to suppress the urge to slick his hair back and stand high in the sky, before re-examining those indifferent and cold words.

Then, Lu Yu discovered the problem.

"Thirty-five years old? The cutoff point? Wife?"

What is this system babbling about?

He had seen jokes about the "kill line" online, but that was something that happened on the other side of the ocean. What did it have to do with him, a high school student in China?

Yes, Lu Yu's high school grades were not ideal. After getting into this key high school in the city by sheer luck, he proved in just one year that people can do anything when they are desperate. Except for math, English, physics, chemistry, and biology, his homeroom teacher regretted his performance and his parents sighed.

Yes, his family's financial situation is indeed not good. His father's factory is not doing well, and they almost couldn't pay wages at the beginning of the year. His mother works hard at the mall from dawn to dusk to earn a meager living. If anyone in the family gets seriously ill or has an accident, it will definitely make things even worse for the already poor family, making it very difficult for them to make ends meet.

But isn't that how you use the kill threshold?

Lu Yu thought to himself that the system probably got his age and nationality wrong.

But... a full meal can earn you a 500 yuan reward?

Lu Yu stared at the eight-yuan vegetarian lunch on his plate and fell into deep thought.

"Since things have come to this, let's eat first."

He picked up the spoon and shoveled the slightly dry but still hot rice into his mouth. He didn't know if it was the psychological effect described by the system, but the cafeteria food, which his classmates usually jokingly called "swill," actually tasted really good to him.

Even the shredded potatoes with ginger hidden inside didn't look so repulsive anymore, and as for the bean sprouts, oh my god, Lu Yu really wanted to stuff these little ones into his mouth in one gulp.

"You eat so awfully, are you a reincarnated starving ghost?"

A light female voice came from behind him. Lu Yu, who was engrossed in eating, looked up and a very beautiful face came into his view.

A girl carrying a plate containing a braised chicken leg and stir-fried pork sat down opposite him.

Her naturally flaxen hair was tied in a ponytail, concealing her small ears. Her eyes held a touch of languid charm, and paired with a slightly tight summer school uniform white shirt and plaid skirt, one could imagine how many people would become the white moonlight of a girl with such beauty at this age in two years.

Anyway, it's not Lu Yu's.

Zhou Qianyun and Lu Yu were born on the same day in the same hospital and grew up in the same factory compound. They went to the same school from kindergarten onwards, and even after Zhou Qianyun's family moved out, the two families did not reduce their contact.

However, when Uncle Zhou restructured the factory, he decisively took out money to start a business. Now his business is thriving, and Zhou Qianyun has rightfully become a rich second generation. She also has good grades, which creates a sad barrier between her and Lu Yu, an ordinary person.

Lu Yu doesn't object to being a kept man, but Zhou Qianyun and he have been sworn enemies since childhood.

When they were little, the two had all sorts of trivial disputes. Because their parents had a good relationship, they were always arranged to sit together by the teacher. They had to hold hands and walk together on spring outings. As a result, they could not get along peacefully for more than a few days before they started to dislike each other again.

Lu Yu remembered that when they were in elementary school, it was popular to exchange secrets. Zhou Qianyun encouraged him to exchange the names of the people he liked. As a result, after Lu Yu casually said it, Zhou Qianyun immediately shouted in class, "Lu Yu likes XXX," which made him feel socially embarrassed on the spot. He was even teased about it a couple of times when he graduated.

He vowed that one day he would make this woman pay tenfold.

"What's wrong? Did the top student from the honors class waste his precious lunch time just to mock the underachievers from the regular class?"

Because the other person spoke so rudely, Lu Yu swallowed the rice mixed with shredded potatoes in his mouth before responding with a slightly sarcastic tone.

"Neuropathy."

Zhou Qianyun rolled her eyes at the boy in front of her, brushed the hair that had fallen beside her ear, tapped the table twice with her fingers, and then spoke.

"My grandfather is celebrating his 70th birthday this Sunday and he's invited your family. You don't need to bring anything, just show up."

After saying that, she ate a mouthful of rice.

"oh."

Lu Yu responded and then lowered his head to continue eating.

He wasn't really paying attention to what Zhou Qianyun was saying; instead, he was thinking about what level of fullness the system meant by "eating a full meal."

Even if he doesn't have a huge appetite, given his typical teenage boy's eating habits, this meal was actually a bit lacking.

As their silent meal drew to a close, a perfectly intact braised chicken leg was placed on Lu Yu's plate.

Looking up, Zhou Qianyun looked disgusted.

"The cafeteria food is really awful."

As she spoke, she stood up and picked up her empty plate.

"It would be such a waste if we couldn't finish it, so here you go."

Without giving Lu Yu a chance to refuse, Zhou Qianyun turned and left.

Looking at the mouthwatering fried chicken leg on the plate, Lu Yu thought this woman was really wicked, actually using leftovers to humiliate him.

Is he the kind of person who would eat a pretty girl's leftovers?

"Waste is shameful..."

Lu Yu ate the chicken leg in two bites and pursed his lips.

In my field of vision, the indifferent and cold words appeared as expected.

Congratulations on completing the task!

For the first time in a long time, you enjoyed a sumptuous lunch, even surpassing what you had before you fell on hard times. The feeling of fullness gave you hope, and the cold wind seemed to lose its biting chill.

[Task Completion Status: Perfect]

[Reward increased to 648 yuan]

"The only things in this world that should not be let down are food and love."

The reward will be issued within 30 minutes. Please check your account.

After clearing away his plates and leaving the cafeteria, Lu Yu took a detour to the small central garden filled with sycamore trees.

This area is close to the teachers' offices, and there aren't many students here on weekdays. For example, right now, there's only one girl sitting at the stone table, engrossed in writing her workbook.

"Where's my money?"

Walking down a quiet corridor with grade rankings, various notices, and a blackboard hanging on the wall, Lu Yu checked his Alipay and WeChat balances on his phone.

It adds up to 514 yuan.

It's completely still.

"Damn it, system, I need to verify the license plate!"

Lu Yu, having searched his pockets but found no system reward, hardened his fist and instinctively punched the wall next to him.

My hands were covered in chalk dust. I turned around and saw several math problems standing out starkly on the blackboard.

The principal of Jiangcheng Middle School, for some unknown reason, started imitating a movie last semester by leaving three math competition questions on the blackboard in this corridor every month. Whoever could give the correct answer first could receive a small bonus.

September has only been going on for three days, and the topic still feels fresh and warm, like the lingering effects of summer vacation.

Lu Yu definitely wouldn't understand it; at first glance, he only recognized the unusually high bonus amount this week due to the start of the school year.

648 yuan.

"?"

The next second, the indifferent and cold words reappeared in Lu Yu's field of vision.

[After a hearty meal and drinks, you stroll in the wind. The fleeting pleasure only serves to highlight the tragic reality. Having been constantly on the verge of death and witnessed unspeakable things, your sanity is almost gone.]

You've gone into a temporary frenzy.

[Symptom Acquisition: Knowledge Acquired Person-by-Person (20 minutes)]

What does it mean?

Before he could react, the words and symbols on the blackboard seemed to come alive, wriggling and crawling, and then, like wild bees stinging him, they flooded into Lu Yu's mind.

Amidst a strange sense of dizziness, Lu Yu discovered that he was gradually understanding the questions.

Good news: Knowledge has entered Lu Yu's brain in a strange way.

Bad news: It's physical entry.

An impulse surged through his mind. Lu Yu raised his trembling right hand, picked up the chalk from the box next to him, and frantically wrote down the symbols and numbers that kept pouring into his mind under the questions.

Da da da da—

Nourishes—

The heavy, frantic sound of chalk scraping abruptly ended with a final, piercing scribbling.

Lu Yu shakily put down the chalk, his back already soaked with sweat. He was enveloped in a feeling of exhilaration that was even more satisfying than getting the African Star in his first game, which made him happy to have solved the difficult problem.

It feels so good! I never knew doing problems could be so comfortable. I wish I could do problems every day.

"Student, these questions..."

Suddenly, Lu Yu felt a poke on his shoulder from behind, causing him to turn around abruptly.

A girl who looked somewhat familiar was standing there.

Her long, black hair had a natural, slight curl, and her eyes were light-colored. She possessed a beauty that was no less than Zhou Qianyun's, only her temperament was colder. She was like a high-and-mighty flower who would dress up and play the piano under the spotlight at a banquet.

The girl was wearing a short-sleeved sports uniform and long pants, holding a slightly worn math workbook and pen in her arms. Her gaze shifted back and forth between Lu Yu and the blackboard, and her cool little face had a serious expression.

Lu Yu didn't have time to speak.

Because, between the pages of the exercise book in the girl's arms, countless ant-like characters swarmed out and buzzed toward Lu Yu.

The effect of "Knowledge for Everyone" will last for another twelve minutes.

"...Classmate, may I borrow this question?"

Before the words touched Lu Yu, he hurriedly spoke, and without waiting for the girl's consent, he forcefully pulled the exercise book from her arms, picked up her ballpoint pen that had fallen to the ground, and bent over, half-lying on the ground, and began frantically doing the problems.

The girl next to him was stunned at first, and then, after realizing what Lu Yu was doing, her usually cool and handsome face showed a rare look of panic and helplessness.

She had deliberately saved her lunch break to find a quiet place to finish her workbook, but Lu Yu was pressing her to the ground, slowly staining it with his marks. She could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, like an incompetent husband.

"Be gentle, don't break it."

The girl hesitated, looking at the frenzied Lu Yu, unsure whether to stop him or leave.

[The violent outburst relieved your symptoms, temporarily ending the madness]

The madman's knowledge has profoundly altered the folds of your cerebral cortex, opening your spiritual vision and allowing you to see more things you've never noticed before.

By the time the indifferent, cold words appeared, Lu Yu had already finished most of the exercise book.

As the feeling of pleasure faded, the boy stood up, flexed his wrists, and then froze.

Recalling what had just happened, Lu Yu turned his head away somewhat guiltily.

The girl, her face contorted in a grimace, nervously clutched the hem of her clothes, her voice filled with aggrieved accusation.

"Why did you steal my calligraphy?"

Perhaps it was due to the effect of [Spiritual Vision], but Lu Yu suddenly remembered that he couldn't quite place where the girl looked familiar.

Because she was the top student among the top students in the neighboring honor class, ranking first in the grade in three consecutive major exams last semester. At this moment, her photo was hanging on the honor roll next door. She was Cheng Bailu, the academic superstar.

Almost simultaneously.

Indifferent and cold words emerged from Lu Yu's field of vision.

Good interpersonal relationships are essential for returning to a normal life. Homeless people also need social interaction. Moving towards the future starts with reconnecting with loved ones.

[Task: Go on a date with Cheng Bailu, your ex-girlfriend from high school with whom you had a regrettable breakup, and exchange gifts]

Basic reward: 700 yuan

"ha?"

*

New author, new book, please support!