Reborn as a high school freshman with an awakened system, a fat boy transforms into a male god.

Zhang Mingyuan continued, "She looked down at the down jacket in the bag and said, 'How much did this cost?' I said, 'Not expensive, it was on sale.'"

He paused, his voice softer than before: "She said, 'Do you have enough money?' I said, 'Yes.' She looked down at the down jacket again and said, 'Then I'll take it.' Then she folded the down jacket and put it back in the bag."

Lin Bei listened quietly.

"She didn't say she wanted to pay me back, nor did she say thank you." Zhang Mingyuan looked at the sky. "But when she said 'Then I'll accept it,' her tone was a little different from usual."

"What's different?"

Zhang Mingyuan paused for a moment, then said, "It's just... she always speaks with a bit of caution, like she's afraid of saying the wrong thing or causing trouble for others. But today, that cautiousness was gone."

The two were quiet for a while, and the wind grew a bit cooler. Lin Bei lay on the mat, looking at the increasingly dark sky above him.

"What about the light blue one?"

"I haven't given it to her yet." Zhang Mingyuan sat up, scratching the back of his head. "I plan to wait for the right opportunity. Like when it's particularly cold and she's not wearing enough clothes, then I'll take it out."

"Then you might have to wait until it snows in Jiangcheng."

"Snowing is fine too," Zhang Mingyuan said. "It's not like it never snows in Jiangcheng."

Lin Bei didn't say anything more, stood up, and dusted off his pants. Zhang Mingyuan also stood up, rolled up the mat, and tucked it under his arm.

"See you tomorrow, Brother Bei."

Zhang Mingyuan turned and left, waving his hand. His footsteps cast a long shadow under the streetlights, and he quickly disappeared into the twilight at the edge of the playground.

Su Wantang had already come down from the stands. She was wearing that white short down jacket, clutching the folded white towel in one hand and carrying a thermos in the other.

She walked up to him, didn't say anything, and handed him the towel.

Lin Bei took the towel, wiped his face, folded it, and handed it back to her. Su Wantang took it and casually unscrewed the thermos cup, handing it to her as well.

"Drink water."

Lin Bei took the water and drank a sip. The water temperature was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, with a faint sweetness. He drank another sip before screwing the cap back on and handing it back.

"Did you add honey?"

"Yes. I drink honey water to replenish energy after exercising." She put the thermos into the side pocket of her down jacket, zipped it up, and said, "I bought the honey on sale at the supermarket last time; it's just sitting there even if I don't use it."

Lin Bei looked at her, paused for a moment before speaking, his voice tinged with amusement: "...Mm."

[Host, the system suggests you don't overinterpret this. She said it was about clearing out inventory.]

Lin Bei thought to himself: Then you can believe it.

【…】

The two walked side by side toward the bike shed. A chilly wind swept in from the playground, but Lin Bei, still warm from exercising, didn't feel cold.

"What did Zhang Mingyuan say to you?" Su Wantang's voice drifted over from the side.

"He said he bought the down jackets. One for Chen Yutong's mother and one for Chen Yutong. He's already given the one to Chen Yutong's mother, but he hasn't found a suitable time to give her the one yet."

Su Wantang paused for a moment, then gave a soft "hmm," and continued walking without asking any more questions.

The electric scooter drove out of the school gate and turned onto the sycamore-lined avenue. A night breeze blew in through the collar, carrying the scent of cold earth. Lin Bei glanced at the back seat in the rearview mirror; Su Wantang was tucking her chin into her collar.

The collar of her white down jacket was worn and faded, and most of the paint on the zipper pull had peeled off, revealing the silver-gray metal underneath.

"Wantang".

"Um."

"The weather is getting colder."

"yes."

Are you free tomorrow evening after dinner?

The person in the back seat paused for a moment, then said, "I'm free."

"How about we go buy a few down jackets tomorrow night?"

There was a two or three-second silence in the back seat. Then her voice drifted from behind, a little softer than before: "...Okay."

The electric scooter continued forward. Streetlights swept overhead one by one, their glow flickering on the two men. The hand on the back seat rested on his waist, bringing the scooter to a steady stop.

As soon as he inserted the key into the lock, he heard voices coming from inside, not the voices from the television.

He paused for a moment when he pushed the door open.

The living room lights were on, and most of the dishes were already laid out on the dining table. His father sat in the main seat, a glass of baijiu (Chinese liquor) in front of him, and a man sat opposite him. The man was wearing a dark gray jacket, his hair was neatly combed, and he was also holding a glass of liquor, talking to his father.

Su Yuan.

"You're back?" Lin Jianhua looked up with a smile on his face. "I ran into your Uncle Su downstairs just now, so I invited him over for a meal."

Lin Bei stood in the entryway, momentarily stunned. He had just changed one shoe, the other was still on, and he was clutching his keys, seemingly stuck between going in and not going in.

"What are you standing there for? Come in." Wang Xiulan poked her head out of the kitchen, a spatula in her hand, her apron stained with oil. "Come in, wash your hands and eat. By the way, Wan Tang is back too, right?"

Before Lin Bei could speak, Wang Xiulan had already put down the spatula, walked a few steps to the door, opened the door to 501, and walked out. She stood at the door of 502, her voice not loud but clear: "Wantang, dinner is ready, come and eat with us."

Su Wantang's voice came from under the door, tinged with hesitation: "Auntie, I..."

"Your dad's here too, drinking in room 501. He's been drinking for almost half an hour. Come over and keep an eye on him, don't let him drink too much."

There was silence inside for two or three seconds. Then the door opened, and Su Wantang stood in the doorway, already dressed in a light beige loungewear. Her gaze first fell on Wang Xiulan's face, then moved over her shoulder to glance at the open door of 501.

"Auntie, well... I'll go check on my dad."

She changed into a pair of light blue cotton slippers, with a little bear with its head tilted printed on the surface; they looked very new. She followed Wang Xiulan into room 501.

Su Wantang stood in the entryway, her gaze first falling on Su Yuan, then sweeping across the dining table, and finally settling on Lin Bei's face.

Su Yuan put down his wine glass, turned to her and smiled: "Tangtang, I ran into your Uncle Lin downstairs just now, and he insisted on dragging me over for a drink."

After listening, Su Wantang lowered her head and walked over. Wang Xiulan had already returned to the kitchen, and her voice drifted out from inside: "Sit down, sit down, Wantang, sit next to Beibei, that seat is empty."

Su Wantang walked over and sat down in the chair next to Lin Bei. Before sitting down, she paused and glanced at the chair, a seat she had never sat in before in room 501.