Don't underestimate the poor and elderly; I was thrilled to refuse the class beauty's adva

Lin Wanqing's face was ashen, as if she had swallowed a fly, and she returned to her seat without saying a word.

Her deskmate, Zhao Rong, immediately leaned over and asked in a low voice, "What happened? Does he really dare not to go?"

"He said 'no'." Lin Wanqing gritted her teeth, her voice squeezing out from between them, "He said 'no' to me in front of the whole class."

Zhao Rong glanced at the last row of seats, then quickly looked away.

"Don't panic," Zhao Rong patted Lin Wanqing's hand, speaking with the tone of someone who's been there, "Let me tell you, if this kind of simp suddenly stops fawning over you, it's 100% intentional."

"Intentional?"

"Of course. Think about it, he'd been trying to seduce you for a year, and you never gave him a straight answer. How could he be satisfied? Today, he rejected you in public to embarrass you, to get your attention, and to make you take the initiative to approach him. That's called—"

Zhao Rong paused, then uttered four words with an inscrutable expression:

"Playing hard to get"

Lin Wanqing paused for a moment, then realized that it seemed to make some sense.

"Then what should I do?"

"You don't need to do anything. Just ignore him, and he won't hold back for more than a few days before he obediently comes back," Zhao Rong said confidently. "I've seen plenty of guys like this. The more you pay attention to him, the more excited he gets; the colder you treat him, the more panicked he becomes."

Lin Wanqing thought about it and agreed with Zhao Rong.

But she was still a little irritated.

It wasn't because Zhang Yifan was ignoring her, but because she couldn't get a Starbucks Vanilla Frappuccino today.

She only has 200 yuan of pocket money a week, and a Frappuccino costs 38 yuan, which she can't bear to spend.

Zhang Yifan used to pay for it all.

"So annoying." Lin Wanqing opened her textbook, slammed it on the table, and said, "What am I supposed to drink today?"

Zhao Rong thought for a moment, then took out a box of strawberry-flavored yogurt from the drawer and handed it over: "Have this for now."

Lin Wanqing glanced at it but didn't take it.

She doesn't like drinking this kind of stuff that costs three yuan a box.

That's so cheap.

Just as Zhang Yifan opened his workbook, a hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.

It is Zongwen.

His deskmate was the only person he could truly call a friend during his three years of high school.

【Ding--】

[Recalling the past, the host remembers Zongwen, her best friend from high school.]

After the college entrance exam, Zongwen publicly exposed Lin Wanqing's manipulation of you. Blinded by so-called love, you had a huge fight with Zongwen and broke off all contact with him.

After that, the two of you had no further contact.

When you were fifty years old, unemployed and penniless, Zongwen somehow learned of your situation, contacted you, and lent you 80,000 yuan so you could start a small business and get back on your feet.

[But you took the money and blindly speculated in stocks, losing every last penny within six months.]

[Ashamed to face Zongwen and even more afraid of being harassed by debt collectors, you changed your phone number, completely severing ties with this only friend who was willing to lend a hand.]

For the next eighteen years, you never saw Zongwen again.

[System detection: This is one of the regrets in your life.]

[Task posted: Regain your best friend's trust.]

[Task Description: Find Zong Wen and express your apology and gratitude in any way possible.]

[Reward for the task: 100,000 RMB in cash.]

[Task Difficulty: Extremely Difficult]

Zhang Yifan sat blankly in his seat, staring at Zong Wen beside him.

Zongwen, with a lollipop dangling from his mouth and his cheeks bulging like a little hamster hoarding food, mumbled indistinctly, "Why are you looking at me? I have the answer on my face!"

Zhang Yifan suddenly remembered what happened yesterday.

Yesterday, Lin Wanqing wanted to try the new product from Ba Wang Cha Ji, but he only had fifteen yuan left in his pocket. A cup of the new product cost twenty-two yuan, and he was too embarrassed to ask his family for more, so he borrowed ten yuan from Zong Wen.

"I'll pay you back next week," he said at the time.

Without saying a word, Zong Wen took out the money and didn't even ask for it back.

This has happened far too many times.

In order to buy things for Lin Wanqing, he would borrow money from Zong Wen every few days, five yuan, ten yuan, twenty yuan. Zong Wen never refused, nor did he ever ask for it.

Zhang Yifan reached into his left pocket and pulled out a twenty-yuan bill, which was the money his mother had given him for breakfast and lunch that morning. He slapped the money directly on Zong Wen's table.

Zong Wen looked down at the money, then looked up at Zhang Yifan, his face full of confusion: "What? You want to borrow again? You haven't borrowed the ten yuan from yesterday—"

"Here's yours back," Zhang Yifan said.

"what?"

"I borrowed ten yuan yesterday, and I'm paying back twenty yuan now."

Zongwen took the lollipop out of his mouth and stared at him suspiciously for a while: "Did you strike it rich?"

"no."

"Then why are you still twenty?"

"Interest."

Zong Wen's expression became even stranger, as if he were looking at a complete stranger: "Wait, brother, what are you talking about interest between us? Have you lost your mind because of Lin Wanqing?"

He picked up twenty yuan, took out a ten-yuan note and pushed it back: "Borrow ten yuan, return ten yuan, don't take a penny more."

Zhang Yifan didn't take the ten-yuan note.

Looking at Zong Wen, his throat suddenly tightened.

If what the system said is true, in his later years he owed Zongwen 80,000 yuan and a sincere apology, but he didn't even have the courage to face it.

"Take it." Zhang Yifan pushed the money back, his voice slightly muffled. "Consider it as you keeping it for me."

Zong Wen was stunned for a moment.

He saw clearly in Zhang Yifan's eyes; it wasn't a joke, but a seriousness he had never shown before.

"Alright, alright." Zong Wen accepted all twenty yuan and grinned. "Since you insist on giving it to me, I'll keep it for you. But let's make this clear first: next time you want to waste money on Lin Wanqing, you'll have to get past me first. Then I'll use this ten yuan to knock some sense into your head."

As he spoke, he flicked the banknote with his finger, making a crisp sound.

Before Zhang Yifan could speak, the system notification suddenly sounded.

【Ding--】

[Congratulations, host, on completing the mission: regaining your best friend's trust.]

[Task Evaluation: You repaid the loan and conveyed sincere apology and gratitude. Zongwen has sensed your change, and your relationship is back on track.]

Task completion rate: 100%

[Rewards being distributed...]

[Reward: 100,000 RMB in cash.]

[The funds have been deposited into the host's bank card. Current balance: 200,000 RMB.]

Zhang Yifan subconsciously touched the bank card in his pocket.

Two hundred thousand.

He had never seen so much money in his entire life.

The family's monthly expenses are no more than three thousand, and two hundred thousand is enough to live comfortably for several years.

But at this moment, he wasn't thinking about how to spend the money.

The system said that he scored 680 points in the college entrance examination and could have gotten into a top 985 university, but because of Lin Wanqing, he gave up his future and went to an ordinary second-tier university, and his life has been on a downward spiral ever since.

Zhang Yifan turned his head and glanced indifferently at Lin Wanqing's back in the third row.

Her long hair fell down, covering half of her face, but she was still beautiful.

But there was no longer any infatuation in his eyes, only calmness.

He looked away, took out a math test paper from the drawer, and flipped to the last challenging problem he hadn't finished yesterday.

The countdown next to the blackboard is clearly visible: there are 37 days left until the college entrance examination.

680 points is not enough.

This time, he's going to get an even higher score!