Chapter 48: Twisted Ankle
Ren Chi’s new place was a two-bedroom apartment with a living room. The complex was only about a hundred meters from the school. Apparently, a lot of students and young teachers rented here.
An Han, breathing heavily, pulled the suitcase to Ren Chi’s door.
He looked at the old building. This building was probably older than him. It had seven floors and no elevator. The hallway was covered with graffiti and ads, but at least the floor was clean.
“Want to come in? It’s a little messy inside,” Ren Chi said, opening the door and looking at the panting An Han. “Seven floors is a bit high. Come in and rest with some water?”
“No thanks,” An Han said, putting the suitcase inside but stepping back a couple of steps.
Even though he still considered himself a man, he knew his body had changed.
In the dorm, it was fine. There were rooms all around, and someone was almost always there. But in this residential building, who knows what could happen with just two guys alone? Even if he shouted, no one would hear.
Still, my favorability with Ren Chi… 48.
An Han checked the system interface thoughtfully.
This favorability was definitely within the safe range. He hadn’t expected that after just a few interactions, it would already be close to fifty.
To put it in perspective, Chen Junjie, who had known him for over two years, didn’t even have that high a favorability. That clearly proved one thing, Chen Junjie was trash!
“Want a soda?”
“Coming!”
Thinking that Ren Chi’s favorability wasn’t high enough for romance, An Han relaxed and happily walked into the apartment.
The place wasn’t very big. Two bedrooms and a living room, simple furnishings, probably only around sixty square meters. The rent was cheap, but considering it was on the top floor of an old building with no elevator and in the city suburbs, the price wasn’t surprising.
An Han looked around and took the soda Ren Chi handed him. “Teacher, walking up seven floors every day won’t be too tiring, right?”
“You get used to it. Besides, I can’t afford a place with an elevator,” Ren Chi said. He opened a soda, drank half the bottle in big gulps, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and sat comfortably on the sofa.
“No air conditioner in the living room…”
“Use a fan, or go to the bedroom for the AC.”
“Better not go to the bedroom…” An Han felt safe in the living room, but the bedroom made him uneasy.
He pulled up a chair and sat down, rubbing his sore calves. “Teacher, with two bedrooms and a living room… are you planning to live with your girlfriend?”
“No, planning to get a cat. The other room will be for the cat.”
An Han looked envious. His biggest wish now was to have a living environment like Ren Chi’s after graduation, and even get a cat.
But most likely, after he graduated, he’d rent a tiny ten-square-meter room and work a 9-to-9 job every day.
The system is unreliable~ He had thought he’d reach financial freedom soon, but… not yet.
He let out a long sigh. After resting enough, he stood up and said, “Let’s go, let’s continue moving your stuff.”
“Why are you more impatient than me?” Ren Chi leaned against the sofa, watching An Han’s back. He hesitated, opening his mouth, but before he could say anything, An Han interrupted.
“Finish your stuff quickly, I’m going back to the dorm to enjoy the AC.”
“My legs hurt so much! Hurry up, I want to rest~”
He groaned, his calves still trembling slightly. His muscles were sore, and he could barely walk.
He shouldn’t have gone running with Su Peng last night. And now he had to help Ren Chi move, seven floors with no elevator!
“Isn’t this resting right now?”
“This tiny bit of time isn’t enough!”
“Then you stay here and rest. I’ll do it myself.” Ren Chi pointed the small fan on the table at An Han. “Don’t run around. I’ll treat you to a meal later.”
“I’ll just go back to the dorm,” An Han muttered, walking straight toward the door. “I can’t handle the heat if I stay outside for long.”
His back was soaked with sweat, and his hair at the temples and bangs was sticking wetly to his skin.
“Who told you to wear a jacket in such hot weather?”
I didn’t want to wear a jacket! I wanted to wear a chest binder!
But the one I ordered online couldn’t be used! And the system-reward binder had too many side effects! What am I supposed to do?!
Grumbling in his mind, An Han waved his hand at Ren Chi without looking back. “I’m going! You just need to make one or two more trips for the rest of the boxes.”
“Okay, be careful on the way.”
After helping close the door, he grabbed the railing and slowly walked down the stairs, frowning.
Too much exercise today.
He just wanted to get back to the dorm, turn on the AC, and lie in bed playing on his phone.
Thinking this, An Han’s pace quickened.
But only two floors down, his calf suddenly went weak. His body lost balance, and he fell straight onto the floor with a thud.
“Ugh~”
His ankle!
He tried to grab the stair railing to get up, but the injured foot couldn’t put any weight on it. As soon as he tried, a sharp pain shot up, threatening to make him cry.
An Han gritted his teeth, but his face went pale, and he had no choice but to sit back down.
That was close, he almost tumbled down the stairs. He could’ve been seriously hurt.
[Option 1: Wait for a passerby to help. Reward: Large inheritance]
[Option 2: Walk back by yourself. Reward: Guaranteed exam success]
[Option 3: Contact Ren Chi for help. Reward: Random attribute points]
Sitting on the steps, he looked up at the system task that appeared in front of him. He couldn’t help it, he punched the air. “Are you kidding me? I can’t even walk without falling!”
His fist swung through the air, but the task interface didn’t react and stayed suspended in midair.
His frustration eased a little, and An Han reluctantly examined the task carefully.
This was the first task after the system upgrade. The rewards looked similar to before.
Looking at the objectives… it was clear that getting Ren Chi’s help would be the easiest option and the one An Han wanted most. But the random attribute points made him hesitate.
He could barely get up from the floor now. Walking back by himself seemed impossible. If his ankle was badly twisted, walking back to school could ruin his foot.
“Maybe I should wait for a passerby?” An Han looked around and listened carefully, but he didn’t hear any voices or footsteps.
Besides, this was the hardest task. Any passerby might not be friendly.
After dealing with the system for nearly two weeks, An Han had a pretty good sense of how it worked.
“Better pick option three…”
[Option 3 selected. Complete as soon as possible.]
An Han sighed. He didn’t know what new attributes this task would give him.
Strength, appearance, charm… what else would it be?