Chapter 9: With This Body, Romance Isn't Even an Option

"Host, something big is coming~"

Half asleep, Lin Wan was instantly woken up by the Spirit's voice.

Why is this Spirit always awake at night and asleep during the day?

"What is it?" Lin Wan asked drowsily.

"Have you noticed that your body has been feeling much better lately?"

"Mm-hmm."

"Then it's time to start the next mission~"

Lin Wan was fully awake now.

Finally, another mission!

He had been waiting impatiently—no, desperately, for one.

"What's the mission? I'll take it!"

"Since you're still not getting enough nutrition, your body doesn't yet meet the requirements for the next stage of healing. So I've specially prepared a mission for you~"

"I'm looking forward to it."

"Mission: Walk at least 10,000 steps every day. For every 100,000 steps you complete, you'll receive 0.5% disease healing. You can earn up to a total of 5% healing. During this mission, every day you reach the step goal, you'll also receive up to 30 yuan in meal reimbursement."

"How much?" Lin Wan thought he had heard wrong.

"Thirty yuan~"

His eyes lit up.

Oh my... I'm going to get rich!

Thirty yuan a day.

That would be 900 yuan a month!

To reach 5% healing, he would need one million steps, which meant one hundred days.

That was a total of 3,000 yuan!

What if I use the reimbursement money to buy meals for other people, then have them pay me back? Wouldn't I make a fortune by taking advantage of the Spirit?

Just thinking about it made Lin Wan excited.

"Not allowed~ Do you still want your illness cured?" the Spirit said as it instantly crushed his little plan. "The reimbursement is for your own meals. Without a healthy body, how can I heal you?"

"Hehe..."

Lin Wan gave an embarrassed laugh.

"The meal reimbursement has one condition~ It only counts if you eat the food yourself. Anything else doesn't count!"

"Alright..."

Lin Wan became discouraged.

He wrapped himself tightly in his blanket, ready to sleep.

After a short while, he opened his eyes again.

"Spirit, I remember you said before that you could grant lots of wishes, including money."

The Spirit's voice suddenly sounded a little unnatural.

"Did I? You probably heard wrong~"

"Oh... really?"

"Really~"

………………………

After the long holiday, the atmosphere around campus became much more focused on studying.

The students in Dorm 205 suddenly felt much busier than before.

Their relaxed holiday routine quickly turned into the usual cycle of dorm, cafeteria, classroom every day.

Compared to his roommates, Lin Wan was even busier.

Between classes, he not only practiced his gaming skills, but also tried to figure out how to walk 10,000 steps every day.

Fortunately, he had classes in different teaching buildings, so he naturally walked quite a lot.

On top of that, he always went to Cafeteria No. 3, which was farther away.

That was enough for him to reach his daily step goal.

Day after day passed.

Finally, after ten days, he reached 100,000 total steps.

While his roommates were out, Lin Wan climbed onto his bed.

"Spirit, I'm ready. Come on! Do whatever you need to do!"

"Okay~"

This time, the reward was 0.5% healing. That was more than the previous two rewards.

Lin Wan felt a little nervous.

I wonder how much it's going to hurt this time.

"Mmm... it... feels... so good!"

The pain he expected never came.

Instead, a warm feeling spread through his body, as if countless tiny hands were gently giving him a massage.

It felt unbelievably comfortable. He could not help letting out a few happy sounds.

Ten days of hard work had been completely worth it.

Unfortunately, the feeling disappeared almost as quickly as it came.

About ten seconds later, Lin Wan climbed down from his bed.

Still wanting more, he walked over to the mirror.

His appearance had changed a little. His face looked healthier, with a slight rosy color.

He had also been eating much better over the past ten days, so his cheeks had become a little fuller.

His facial features looked softer than before. He lifted his shirt and looked at himself.

His body no longer looked as thin as a skeleton. He had finally gained a little bit of flesh.

Especially around his stomach, it looked slightly softer than before.

Lin Wan's eyes sparkled.

His body was getting healthier and healthier!

That evening, class had just ended.

Lin Wan hugged his books and hurried toward Cafeteria No. 3.

If you're not excited about eating, something must be wrong with your brain!

Because of the side effect from his increased focus and his improving health, Lin Wan found himself getting hungry more and more easily.

His appetite also kept growing.

With his head lowered, he walked quickly toward the cafeteria.

What he didn't notice was that three suspicious-looking figures were quietly following him from some distance behind.

Watching Lin Wan hurry away, Qiu Cheng confidently declared,

"It's definitely just like Old Zhang! Lin Wan is trying to betray the single people's alliance too!"

Sun Mao nodded in agreement.

"Exactly! For so many days now, he's often disappeared during lunch and dinner. Something is definitely going on!"

"And he's been strangely cheerful every day, just like Old Zhang before he got a girlfriend!"

"Now look at him, walking so fast. He's obviously in a hurry to meet someone. He looks exactly like someone rushing to see their partner!"

Zhang Dingding tried to defend Lin Wan.

"Maybe he just has something to do. It doesn't necessarily mean what you two are thinking."

When the two heard that, they turned to look at Zhang Dingding, shook their heads, and said at the same time,

"Old Zhang, you don't get it."

Zhang Dingding looked confused.

Who doesn't get it? Why does it sound like I'm the single one here?

"Come on, keep following him. He turned the corner."

Lin Wan walked into the cafeteria, got his food, and found a random seat.

The other three also got their meals and sat somewhere outside Lin Wan's field of view so they could secretly watch him.

Completely unaware, Lin Wan happily ate his meal.

Suddenly, his view went dark as someone sat down across from him, bringing a light, pleasant fragrance.

"Hi, junior. How's university life? Are you getting used to it?"

A gentle voice reached his ears.

Lin Wan looked up.

A young woman wearing glasses, with long hair falling over her chest and an elegant, mature feeling, was smiling at him.

"Senior Liu! You're here to eat too?"

It was the senior student who had helped him complete his enrollment when he first entered the university. She was also the one who had invited him into the part-time job chat group.

Liu Yiyi brushed a lock of hair behind her ear and looked him over.

Seeing that he was no longer as pale and thin as he had been on enrollment day, she smiled.

"It looks like your health has improved a lot."

When Lin Wan first enrolled, he couldn't join military training because of his illness. He had needed hospital documents to complete several procedures, and Liu Yiyi had taken him to the offices to handle them, so she knew about his condition.

Holding his chopsticks between his teeth, Lin Wan replied, "Maybe it's because the food at Qingnan University is really healthy?"

"Haha."

Liu Yiyi laughed softly.

"That's true. If you're not careful, you can easily gain a few pounds."

In a corner of the cafeteria...

Watching the two chatting happily, Qiu Cheng almost ground his back teeth flat.

"What did I tell you? What did I tell you?!"

Sun Mao was furious, but he didn't dare speak loudly in case Lin Wan noticed them.

"Traitor... What a traitor... I've been handsome and charming since school started, and not a single girl has come over to talk to me. Not one! So why does Lin Wan get—"

He grabbed a chicken drumstick and bit into it fiercely.

At that moment, it wasn't a chicken drumstick. It was Lin Wan.

"Exactly! I'm good-looking too! Why has no girl ever started a conversation with me? And why would a beautiful older-type girl like him, someone who looks like an innocent puppy? They don't even look close in age. They'd be better off as siblings!"

His face was full of jealousy.

Zhang Dingding rolled his eyes.

You two really are hopeless.

They're obviously a good match. Who are you two to object?

So he said, "Yeah, Lin Wan does look younger. But think about it this way."

"What if a cute younger girl leaned into your arms and sweetly called you, 'Big brother'? Could you resist?"

Qiu Cheng stopped chewing completely.

He fell into his imagination.

A few seconds later, a foolish grin slowly spread across his face.

"Hehe... Holy crap... Holy crap..."

No, I can't keep imagining this. If I do, I won't be able to say it out loud.

He quickly straightened his posture and crossed one leg over the other.

A man full of desire can't think straight at all.

Sun Mao looked completely lost in his own fantasy.

In his imagination, all of his anime figures had come to life, hugging him while calling him "Big brother" over and over.

"That's cheating! Totally cheating! That's a deadly cute attack! Absolutely a deadly cute attack!"

Zhang Dingding smiled proudly.

"By the same logic, how many girls could resist a cute younger guy hugging them and calling them 'Big sister'?"

The two looked at Zhang Dingding with envy.

He only got a girlfriend, so why does he suddenly understand romance so much better?

After finding out why Lin Wan had been hurrying off every day, the three of them returned to the dorm ahead of him.

They moved their chairs in front of the dorm door, sitting there like judges in a courtroom, waiting for Lin Wan to come back.

"Bye, junior. If there's anything you don't understand about school, just send me a message on QQ."

"Bye, Senior! And if you hear about any easy part-time jobs, please let me know first!"

They both enjoyed the meal, and before leaving, each gave the other a friendly request.

As Lin Wan walked back to the dorm, he kept thinking about something Liu Yiyi had said.

"Junior, you've become much more cheerful. You're not even shy anymore!"

Have I become more cheerful?

Really?

Maybe...

Maybe knowing my illness can be cured has changed my attitude?

But I still don't like crowded places...

Lost in random thoughts, Lin Wan pushed open the dorm door.

"Stop right there!"

Qiu Cheng sat in the middle of the room like a judge.

"Lin Wan, do you know your crime?"

Lin Wan blinked.

"Huh?"

"Don't play dumb! We saw everything!" Sun Mao said while hugging one of his anime figures tightly.

One roommate after another had found a girlfriend.

And he was still single.

The figure in his arms was the only thing giving him a little warmth.

Lin Wan walked past them and put his books on the desk.

"Saw what?"

"Weren't you acting all lovey-dovey with a beautiful older girl in Cafeteria No. 3 just now?!"

"No."

What do you mean 'lovey-dovey'? We were just eating.

"You're denying it! You're lying!"

"I'm serious. She was the senior who helped me when I enrolled. We just happened to run into each other."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Sigh..."

Qiu Cheng instantly lost all his energy.

"So... that means you can't introduce us to her roommates?"

"Waaah..."

Sun Mao hugged his anime figure even tighter. Now it was Zhang Dingding's turn to be confused.

"Wait... I thought you two were making such a big scene because you wanted to beat Lin Wan up. After all that, it turns out you just wanted to meet that senior's roommates?"

"Of course."

The two answered together, looking completely innocent. Zhang Dingding nearly choked from frustration. He repeatedly bumped his head lightly against the door.

"Are you two crazy? You two are unbelievable!"

These two definitely don't think like normal people.

"Heh."

Qiu Cheng looked at Sun Mao and sneered.

"I think Old Zhang is the one who's sick. See? He's having another episode."

"I agree."

Sun Mao nodded. Then he frowned.

"But if it wasn't because of that senior, why have you disappeared every lunchtime and dinnertime these past few days?"

"The braised pork with preserved vegetables at Cafeteria No. 3 is really delicious. I go there every day."

"Really?"

Sun Mao immediately stood up, his eyes shining.

"Yep."