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

Lin Bei did some math problems for a while, then left the bedroom and went to the dining table.

Wang Xiulan had already set out the food.

Lin Bei lowered his head, ate a mouthful of rice, and chewed it twice.

"Mom, Su Wantang's father came today."

Wang Xiulan paused for a moment.

"What are you doing here?"

"I brought two people with me to find him, both of whom were Zhao Yumei's ex-husbands."

Wang Xiulan put down her chopsticks and looked at him. Her gaze was complex, as if she were looking at a stranger, or as if she were confirming whether this stranger was her own son.

"You went and brought her ex-husband here?"

"Yeah. One lives in the west of the city, and the other lives in the north. We've been running around all day."

Wang Xiulan was silent for a few seconds, then picked up her chopsticks and continued eating. She picked up a piece of celery, put it in her mouth, chewed it slowly, and only spoke after swallowing it.

"and then?"

"Then those two told Su Yuan about it. Zhao Yumei had been married twice before, and each time she took money from the husbands. The first time it was over 300,000 yuan, and the second time it was 150,000 yuan."

Wang Xiulan frowned.

"Uncle Su said he wouldn't sell the house anymore. Then the three of them went to report it to the police together."

Wang Xiulan fell silent again.

This silence lasted even longer. She looked down at the rice in her bowl, tapping her chopsticks lightly on the rim twice, making a crisp tinkling sound.

Does your dad know about this?

"I know. Dad asked Uncle Liu Ping to help him look it up."

Wang Xiulan sighed, and the sigh was very long.

"You two, father and son, are both so nosy." She picked up her soup bowl, took a sip, and put it down. "With your dad's personality, he'll stop and help push a car if he sees it broken down on the road. Last time on the highway, he helped someone change a tire, only to find out after he finished that the person's spare tire was also broken. The two of them were staring at each other in the emergency lane with a broken tire, and in the end, they had to call a tow truck."

Lin Bei's lips twitched.

"You're even more controlling than your father; you meddle in other people's family affairs too."

"Mom, that's no small matter."

"I know." Wang Xiulan looked at him. "Her mother helped me, and I can't repay that favor. Your help to her daughter is a way of repaying part of it for me."

She paused, then continued, "But Lin Bei, you've done all you can. The rest is up to her. If her father doesn't come to his senses, bringing in a hundred people won't help."

"He realized his mistake."

"That's good." Wang Xiulan stopped talking and continued eating. She picked up a piece of pork rib and put it in Lin Bei's bowl, then, as if remembering something, she picked it back up. "I forgot, you're on a diet."

Lin Bei watched the piece of pork rib bobbing in and out of the bowl: "..."

Wang Xiulan thought for a moment, then put the bag back: "I ran all day today, I need to replenish my energy. I'll lose weight tomorrow."

Lin Bei looked down at the spare rib in his bowl, which had finally found its place after many twists and turns, and his eyes welled up with tears.

[The host's mother's understanding of "weight loss" is roughly equivalent to "start studying tomorrow" and "I'll quit after I finish this cigarette." It's one of humanity's three eternal lies. The other two are "I'll treat you to dinner another day" and "I'm just browsing, I won't buy anything."]

Lin Bei ignored the system and focused on eating.

After finishing his meal, Lin Bei returned to his bedroom and sat down at his desk.

He began to ponder.

Su Wantang probably won't commit suicide, and she's saved her house, so these matters can be considered to be coming to an end.

What is the most important thing to do next?

Making money and losing weight.

He wants to make money because he's poor, and he wants to lose weight because he's fat. Poverty and obesity are the two core anxieties of contemporary young people, and he embodies both.

His gaze fell on the memo app on the table.

Rebirth of the Strongest Male God.

The synopsis is written, but not a single word of the main text has been changed.

Writing novels—that was his idea. The online literature market was booming in 2012; he knew the trends for the next decade or so, and what readers wanted to read. Plus, the memory palace technique…

Lin Bei's eyes lit up.

Memory Palace.

He can remember everything. This means that he won't forget any novels he's read, articles he's read, or even short video captions he's seen after his ability was activated.

However, what he saw in his previous life was all before his ability was activated. The system doesn't trace the past, so he forgot what he was supposed to forget.

All you can remember is what you start watching from now on.

Lin Bei picked up his phone and sent Zhou Ziheng a message: "Send me your 'Battle Through the Heavens' TXT file."

Zhou Ziheng replied instantly: "??? Don't you not read novels?"

"I've seen it now."

"Holy crap, Brother Bei, you've finally got it! Wait! I'll post it for you right away!" This was followed by a string of exclamation marks, probably a dozen or so, his excitement comparable to when he himself had signed a novel contract. "Let me tell you, this book is absolutely amazing! I was tossing and turning in bed while reading it, and my mom thought I was having an epileptic seizure and almost called 120!"

A few seconds later, a file was sent over: the full text of "Battle Through the Heavens" in TXT format.

Lin Bei opened the file and started reading from the first chapter.

He wasn't just reading the novel; he was also "entering" it. Using a memory palace, he was storing every word, every plot point, and every writing style of the book into his mind. It wasn't for plagiarism; it was for learning.

He didn't know how to write a novel, but he knew what a "good-looking" novel was. And the word "good-looking" can be broken down.

Just like he didn't know how to make braised pork, but he knew his mother's braised pork was delicious. What made it so delicious? The sugar was caramelized perfectly, the pork belly was stewed until tender, and the star anise and cinnamon were added just right. If you break down these ingredients and follow the recipe, at least it won't taste too bad.

He read three chapters, then closed his eyes. He mentally "flipped" through every page he had just read, every word, every punctuation mark. Even the thought that arose during reading—"This part is really well written"—was stored within him. He could clearly "see" himself silently drawing a virtual underline under the phrase, "Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young man's potential."

Memory palace is really useful.

He read another thirty chapters. Then he closed his phone and wrote the first line in his notes app.

When Lin Bei opened his eyes, he thought he was still dreaming.

He stared at the line of text for a few seconds. This was his own story, but he couldn't write "Lin Bei," he couldn't write "Su Wantang," he couldn't write "Zhao Yumei," he couldn't write any plot points that would be easily identified with the real person. He had to dismantle reality and piece it back together into something new.

Then continue writing.

He was writing very slowly. It wasn't that he couldn't think of anything; it was that he was thinking too much. He wanted to write a story about a fat man who was reborn and changed his fate. The protagonist was named Lin Nan, nicknamed Fatty Lin, who weighed 200 pounds and whose appearance was... unbearable to look at. But this wasn't just his own story; it was also a story he wanted to write for Su Wantang.

He wrote another passage:

"Lin the Fatty stood in front of the mirror, looking at his round face. He remembered a saying he'd heard in his past life—'A beautiful appearance is a dime a dozen, but an interesting soul weighs over two hundred pounds.' He was that interesting soul weighing over two hundred pounds. Although no one believed he was interesting, his weight of over two hundred pounds was undeniable..."

Lin Bei wrote five hundred words, paused, and read them through. They were alright, not amazing, but at least readable. He wrote another five hundred words, making it a thousand words, and then saved the document.

One thousand words. Far from a chapter. He glanced at the time; it was ten o'clock.

Lin Bei put down his phone.

Then he bent down and began to do push-ups.

This time, he did it three times before collapsing. He couldn't get up halfway through the fourth one, but he held on for five seconds before finally collapsing.

[The host's push-up ability has improved from "two in a set" to "three in a set," a 50% improvement. Host, you're awesome! Keep it up!]

Lin Bei lay on the ground, panting, a faint smile playing on his lips. Although he knew the system's "Go for it!" would be followed by a "but," he waited several seconds, but the "but" didn't appear.

[What are you waiting for, host?]

"Waiting for your 'but'."

[This time there are no "buts". Three in a group, while still far from a group of thirty, is definitely progress. The system is fair and impartial; it never uses harsh words when praise is due, and it never holds back when harsh criticism is necessary.]