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

11:30.

Shen Qingzhi came downstairs.

She was wearing a white T-shirt and light blue jeans, her hair was down, and she wasn't wearing makeup.

Lin Bei sighed inwardly: he had worked himself to the bone to get from 1 point to 6, while she just stood there and scored 95. Heaven was really unkind when it came to looks…

[System interruption: This is indeed discriminatory treatment. Host, the system has finished speaking for you. You're welcome.]

Lin Bei: ...Thank you.

[Host, there's also... actually, she scored 97.]

Lin Bei silently revised in his mind: Okay, 97 points.

"Grandpa." Shen Qingzhi walked to the old man's side, glanced at Lin Bei, and nodded slightly. "Lin Bei."

"Qingzhi, you've come at the right time." The old man pointed to the chessboard. "Xiao Lin plays quite well. Why don't you play a game with him?"

Shen Qingzhi shook her head: "I can't beat you guys. Let's eat."

Lin Bei breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know how he could possibly lose to her. Losing to his grandfather was respecting elders, but what about losing to Shen Qingzhi? Showing affection for the young? She wasn't any younger than him.

The old man glanced at the clock on the wall, then stood up: "Let's go eat."

Lunch was eaten at the dining table.

Four dishes and a soup, light and refreshing. A plate of steamed sea bass, a plate of blanched bok choy, a plate of stir-fried shredded pork with green peppers, a plate of garlic broccoli, plus a bowl of tomato and egg drop soup. The dishes look ordinary, but the sea bass was transported from the reservoir early that morning, only the tenderest cores of the bok choy were picked, and even the egg drop soup was made with free-range eggs, resulting in golden-brown egg drop soup.

As Lin Bei ate, he thought to himself: The life of the rich is such that even their "ordinary" is a bit more luxurious than yours.

The old man sat in the main seat, Lin Bei sat to his right, and Shen Qingzhi sat opposite him.

During the meal, the old man didn't say much, only occasionally putting food on Lin Bei's plate. The fish and meat in Lin Bei's bowl had already piled up into a small mountain.

"Grandpa Shen, that's enough." Lin Bei looked at the mountain of fish in his bowl. "I'm on a diet."

"Why are you trying to lose weight?" The old man placed another piece of bok choy in his bowl. "Young people look better a little chubby."

Shen Qingzhi coughed softly beside her.

The old man glanced at her, then at Lin Bei, and smiled slightly, but didn't pick up any more food.

Shen Qingzhi kept her head down and ate, her expression unchanged.

Lin Bei buried his head in his food.

After lunch, the old man went for a nap. Lin Bei sat in the living room for a while, then prepared to leave.

Shen Qingzhi saw him to the door.

"Lin Bei," she suddenly said.

Lin Bei turned around.

Shen Qingzhi stood in the entryway, one hand resting on the doorframe. That pose, if done by someone else, might have been incredibly alluring. But she did… well, Lin Bei didn't know how to describe it.

"Thank you for coming to keep my grandfather company." Her voice was soft and gentle, but every word was earnest. "He lives alone and is quite lonely. Although he has a nanny and a security guard, those people don't play chess with him."

"It's alright," Lin Bei said. "I also enjoy playing chess."

Shen Qingzhi looked at him for two seconds, then said, "Be careful on the road."

Then she closed the door.

Click.

Lin Bei stood outside the entrance hall, stared at the dark brown door for two seconds, then turned and went down the steps.

Back in his apartment complex, Lin Bei went upstairs. He paused as he passed apartment 502. The door was closed, and no sound came out.

He stood at the door for two seconds, then turned around and opened the door to room 501.

Wang Xiulan was busy in the kitchen, the aroma of pork ribs wafting out and filling the entire living room. Lin Jianhua sat on the sofa watching TV, a cup of tea in his hand, looking relaxed.

"You're back?" Lin Jianhua glanced at him. "Did you win or lose?"

"I lost." Lin Bei changed his shoes and walked in.

"It's normal." Lin Jianhua picked up the tea cup and took a sip. "People have been playing chess for decades. How long did it take you to learn? It's normal to lose."

Wang Xiulan poked her head out from the kitchen: "Don't listen to your dad. It's okay to lose, we'll win next time. The ribs are ready, eat your rice first."

"I've already eaten at the Shen family's house."

Lin Bei looked at the plate of ribs, then at his mother.

Wang Xiulan said "Oh," looked at him, and smiled.

"Mom, what are you laughing at?"

Wang Xiulan said, "My son seems to have lost weight. His face is smaller, and his belly is smaller too. He looks more energetic."

Lin Bei's lips curved slightly, but he didn't say anything.

"Oh, right," Wang Xiulan suddenly said, "that girl across the street came knocking on the door at noon today."

Lin Bei was taken aback.

"What's she doing here?"

"We're bringing jujube cakes," Wang Xiulan said. "She said she made them herself and wanted us to try some."

She brought out a plate from the kitchen, on which were several pieces of jujube cake, neatly cut and arranged in a row. The jujube cake was a dark color, with visible pieces of red dates, and was sprinkled with white sesame seeds. It smelled of sweet brown sugar.

"Well done." Wang Xiulan picked up a piece and took a bite. "Sweet but not cloying, with a strong jujube flavor."

Lin Bei looked at the plate of jujube cakes and his heart stirred.

She made jujube cake today. Once it was done, she cut it, arranged it neatly, and brought it over.

He recalled Su Wantang's face. Not the stunning beauty of Shen Qingzhi (97 points), but a gentle and pleasing beauty that grew on you the more you looked at her.

Lin Bei reached out and took a piece, then took a bite. The jujube cake was soft and fluffy, and the sweetness of the brown sugar and the aroma of the jujubes slowly melted in his mouth—not greasy at all, just right.

He chewed twice, then suddenly thought of a question.

"Mom, when did she arrive?"

"It was around noon, about 12 o'clock." Wang Xiulan took another piece. "I was cooking when she knocked on the door. When I opened it, I saw her holding this plate. I said, 'Oh, you child, making this is so much trouble.' She said, 'It's no trouble at all. We have a lot of dates at home, and I thought I'd let you try some.' After saying that, she shoved the plate into my hand, turned around and left. She ran faster than a rabbit. I called her to come in and eat, but she didn't stop."

Lin Bei's lips curved slightly.

He could picture it. Su Wantang stood at the door of 502, holding a plate, taking several deep breaths before knocking. The door opened, she handed over the plate, said a few polite words, and then turned and left, her ears probably bright red.

"What else did she say?"

"Just thank you for helping her during this time, and say that if she needs any help in the future, she should just ask." Wang Xiulan swallowed the jujube cake, patted the crumbs off her hands, and said, "This girl is sensible. And her cooking is delicious too."

Lin Jianhua chimed in from the side, "It tastes better than your mother's jujube cake."

Wang Xiulan glared at him: "If you can speak, then speak; if you can't, then drink your tea."

Lin Jianhua picked up his teacup and wisely kept quiet.

[Comrade Lin Jianhua demonstrated an extremely high survival instinct at this critical moment. This shows that he has developed a conditioned reflex during his long marriage. When his wife speaks in a certain tone, immediately shutting up is the optimal solution. The system suggests that the host learn this in advance; it may come in handy later.]

Lin Bei's lips twitched, and he took another bite of the jujube cake.

He looked down at the small half-piece remaining in his hand; the jujube paste was a dark color, and you could see the tiny fragments of jujube skin. He suddenly remembered something: Su Wantang had said that after her mother passed away, she had never eaten jujube cake again. Because it was her mother's favorite dessert.

She can make it now. I don't know how many times she practiced and how much food she wasted, but she finally made this plate of neatly cut, sweet but not greasy jujube cake.