Earning money was just one crucial part of life, and to secure his spot at the top university in Asia, Qin Fen rushed off to school right after dawn.

Because he had been comatose for a week, he’d even lost his early morning milk delivery job, which left Qin Fen feeling slightly glum. No more free milk for breakfast meant an extra expense for nutritional supplements to keep his body going.

Deep in his intense review session again, Qin Fen suddenly noticed that his two friends, Lin Liqiang and Inzaro Ta, had vanished into thin air. The only trace of Lin Liqiang was his incredibly technical leave request notes appearing every day.

For geniuses like Lin Liqiang and Inzaro Ta, even submitting absence notes wasn’t necessary; they had already been pre-admitted by the university, and their presence at school was merely to experience high school life.

The appearance of the leave slips was simply Lin Liqiang conveying a message to Qin Fen: Buddy, things are great over here, no need to worry about us.

Song Jia remained mysterious daily, often popping up out of nowhere beside him, and even proactively invited Qin Fen to grab a bite after school. Qin Fen had to conjure up various excuses to decline every single invitation. Although he was poor, he still understood the etiquette of not letting a lady pay for a meal out. If Lin Liqiang and Inzaro Ta were around, they could take the lead if they went out together.

Going out alone with Song Jia? Qin Fen didn't think he was worthy of this favored daughter of heaven. Since there was no possibility of a relationship developing, it was better not to waste money, even though Qin Fen had to admit that Song Jia was undeniably a captivating beauty. However, he already harbored a secret crush on someone else, so it was best not to get too close to this great beauty.

The more Qin Fen rejected Song Jia’s invitations, the more it piqued her curiosity and competitive spirit. No one had ever dared to act so high and mighty in front of her, Song Jia!

For several consecutive days, a radiant yet peculiar sight graced the school grounds.

Miss Song Jia, who had snatched the title of campus belle on her very first day as a transfer student, enthusiastically issued date invitations to Qin Fen daily. Yet, student Qin Fen evaded her invitations as if she carried the plague, baffling onlookers. Had the popular trend suddenly shifted? While Qin Fen’s features were sharply defined and undeniably masculine, there were certainly more handsome guys at school.

Qin Fen’s routine had morphed from working in the morning, attending school, then working again at night, to practicing martial arts in the morning, attending school, then figuring out how to dodge Miss Song Jia’s invitations, and finally entering the Battle Net at night to accept challenges for money, capped at two matches per day.

Only when competition appeared would the challenge fees rise high enough. Fighting dozens of matches daily would significantly lower the appearance fee. Qin Fen understood this perfectly, deliberately limiting himself to two matches, which now commanded a price of four hundred US dollars per fight.

If he continued fighting like this, perhaps in a few years, he could amass a considerable fortune. But Qin Fen knew clearly that such a scenario wouldn't happen. Once people realized their challenges were consistently failing, the number of challengers would dwindle, and eventually, no one confident enough would waste money seeking him out for a fight.

Taking advantage of the good market, Qin Fen cautiously defeated his opponents, ensuring every victory was dramatic and narrow. By giving others hope, he lured them into continuing to challenge him, all while actively searching for data on the God of War Arena, preparing for the impending event.

The prizes were distributed randomly, but it was certain they were always excellent rewards. Qin Fen was filled with eager anticipation for the God of War Arena.

“Victory in thirty-six hours…”

The system’s voice announcing the victor had barely faded when Qin Fen logged out of the Sky Fighting Net.

Today was Sunday, and Qin Fen had something very important to do: he was going to meet someone—someone who had shown him great kindness in this city.

He had already arranged the meeting over the phone last night, and the time was drawing near.

Changing into simple casual clothes and picking up the gift already prepared on his desk, Qin Fen broke into a happy smile. This was a carefully selected present, and the cost alone had consumed the earnings from two battles.

In good spirits, his steps felt lighter than usual as he hurried toward the meeting spot, clutching the gift tightly with both hands.

He recalled arriving on Treasure Island not long after his brother’s disappearance. Having spent nearly all his savings searching for him, that girl had appeared like an angel, a sum of money, not huge by any means, that had salvaged his life.

In the past, even supporting himself was difficult, so Qin Fen had buried the affection mixed with gratitude deep in his heart. Now, with the opportunity presented by the Sky Fighting Net, he finally had a basic financial foundation. He resolved that he had to confess his feelings before he enlisted!

Passing through a few streets, he reached the prearranged McDonald's, a place that used to represent high-end spending for the former Qin Fen, and yet, a place he knew intimately.

On the other side of the glass window sat a young girl wearing a white tracksuit, white casual shoes, and her hair pulled back into a neat ponytail. She looked like a high school student, idly watching the street with headphones on, a half-finished cup of coffee resting on the table.

The moment she spotted Qin Fen, the girl’s eyes visibly brightened, a sweet smile blooming on her lips as she raised a pale hand to give him a gentle wave hello.

Tian Tian! The girl Qin Fen secretly adored.

Qin Fen offered a bashful smile, pushed open the door, and hurried into McDonald's. He reached up to scratch his hair sheepishly and said, “Sorry, I’m late…”

“No, you’re not.” Tian Tian smiled, revealing bright, even teeth; her smile was as sweet as her name: “I arrived early. Look…”

Tian Tian raised her wrist, pointing to the cartoon watch face. “You’re actually half an hour early.”

“Ah…” Qin Fen’s eyes widened as he looked at her. “Then if I had arrived exactly on time, you would have had to wait another half hour?”

“Then I would wait,” Tian Tian replied, resting her chin in her hands with an indifferent air. “I made a bet with myself that you would definitely be early.”

After sitting down, Qin Fen silently took a deep breath, picked up the gift he brought with both hands, and placed it in front of Tian Tian. His face flushed slightly as he said, “For you.”

“For me?” A flash of surprise crossed Tian Tian’s bright eyes, mixed with an inexplicable hint of smugness. “Thank you. Why the sudden gift?”

“This…” Qin Fen suddenly realized that confessing his feelings was a hundred times more difficult than fighting a battle.

“Tian Tian, you’re amazing! You actually won the bet,” a voice, laced with slight irritation and a hint of sarcasm, drifted from behind Qin Fen.

Before Qin Fen could turn around, the man who spoke had already approached Tian Tian’s side. He had a prominent nose, dark hair, and his eyes held a fleeting touch of pale blue. A roguish smile played on his handsome, mixed-race face.