C4 Miao Xiaoduo, Who Had Put in so Much Effort

"Haha, are we hearing things? Luo Ke claims he finished the test? This pharmacology exam is notoriously tough; word is the questions were even pulled from a top-tier city high school. I'm not doing too shabby in class, and I'm only on question six. He says he didn't turn in a blank sheet? Who's buying that?"

"Right? Looks like Luo Ke's just throwing in the towel, but then again, he's always been at the bottom of the class. The college entrance exam was a long shot for him anyway, and he's been dragging our class average down. If he turned in a blank sheet this time, I doubt the school would even keep him around."

"Exactly, Luo Ke's really flirting with disaster."

"A dead-last student through and through."

The classroom buzzed with chatter, loud enough to catch the attention of nearby classes.

On the podium, the teacher's face was a stormy shade of gray, so dark it seemed rain might fall from his expression.

He couldn't believe Luo Ke would so blatantly flout exam protocol and show off like that. The teacher felt a pang of sympathy for Luo Ke, an orphan who supported himself with part-time jobs and relied on assistance from the Huaxia Federation to get by. Luo Ke often had to skip classes or leave early to work.

Teachers aware of Luo Ke's circumstances had turned a blind eye, letting things slide.

But what about now?

In the midst of the pharmacology diagnostic exam—a crucial juncture for determining university prospects—Luo Ke had barely spent five minutes on the test before boasting about not leaving a blank answer sheet.

Such a mockery, such disrespect for authority!

Any good impressions of Luo Ke had plummeted.

The invigilator's brow furrowed, anger rising.

But as his eyes landed on the test paper on the podium, they bulged in disbelief.

The paper was covered in meticulous handwriting, every line of answers neatly penned. Whether they were right or wrong was another matter, but the effort was clear.

Had Luo Ke truly finished?

The invigilator swallowed hard, about to call out to Luo Ke for an explanation. But looking up, he was stunned to see that Luo Ke had vanished from the classroom, clearly having slipped out while the teacher was distracted.

That kid.

The invigilator muttered a curse under his breath and slammed his hand on the blackboard.

"Continue with the exam, and keep your focus. This diagnostic is critical. Any further disruptions and you'll be disqualified from the test."

The room fell silent.

The invigilator shook his head, his eyes locked on Luo Ke's answer-filled test paper, not looking away.

"Huh, he got the first and second questions right? Those were advanced-level problems."

...

Meanwhile, Luo Ke, having left the classroom, was too preoccupied to concern himself with the others' opinions. He strode out of the school, not heading to his usual job but instead seeking out a quiet corner to process the day's astonishing events.

Undeniably, the miraculous had turned Luo Ke's worldview on its head.

He had to be extra vigilant, scrutinizing the transparent virtual interface he'd seen countless times with renewed focus.

Now, Luo Ke had a basic grasp of the mysterious system: he could learn anything with Wealth.

"The trouble is, earning Wealth is just too hard. A ten-to-one ratio? How's a guy supposed to make it with that?"

"It doesn't really matter," Luo Ke said with a shrug, showing no signs of defeat. In fact, he seemed rather excited to get started.

"Luo Ke, why are you holed up here all by yourself? Do you even know what time it is? Are you trying to starve me to death?"

At the height of Luo Ke's good spirits, a brash and youthful voice echoed down the street, plunging his mood from elation to rock bottom. His face visibly darkened as he walked over to the street corner to see what was going on.

There, at the entrance of Shanhai High School, stood a little girl with her hands on her hips, hurling insults at the campus with wild abandon.

She was a young thing, about seven or eight years old, with a delicate, dewy face that was irresistibly adorable. But her current expression was anything but friendly. Her eyes were narrowed in a fierce glare, her little hands planted firmly on her hips, resembling a tiny lioness mid-roar.

"Miao Xiaoduo, are you out of your mind? Yelling at the school gate like that, aren't you scared the school patrol will catch you and give you a spanking?" Luo Ke pulled the feisty girl aside, his face a mask of annoyance.

"I'm not scared! If they dare lay a finger on me, I'll cry, I'll throw a tantrum, I'll roll on the ground. And I'll record it all and post it online. Let's see if they have the nerve to mess with me," Miao Xiaoduo retorted, shooting Luo Ke a fierce look that mirrored his own rebellious attitude.

Luo Ke was at a loss for words.

"Fine, you win, okay? Just quit making a scene. You're tarnishing my good name," he grumbled.

With a thumbs-up and a resigned expression, Luo Ke began to lead Miao Xiaoduo away. He couldn't let his reputation take a hit like this.

"As if you have any reputation to speak of," Miao Xiaoduo scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Luo Ke, you promised to cook me something delicious today. Don't forget what day it is. And don't even think about fobbing me off with braised beef instant noodles like last year. You made a promise. If you don't make me braised pork, believe me, I'll go straight to the immigration office and report you for trafficking a minor."

"Trafficking, my foot! Miao Xiaoduo, are you asking for trouble? What's wrong with instant noodles? They're full of flavor and come in so many varieties. Eating too much meat can make you fat, you know. I'm looking out for you. Ouch! Why on earth are you stepping on my foot?" Luo Ke winced, hopping on one foot while clutching the other.

"Who's going to get fat that easily? You're just being cruel. I'm going to report you. You weren't like this before, Luo Ke. You swore that every year on this day, you'd make me red-braised pork. Have you forgotten? If it weren't for me pulling you out of a pile of dead bodies four years ago, people would be dancing on your grave by now."

"I don't care, I want my red-braised pork," Miao Xiaoduo insisted with a cold laugh.

Seeing Luo Ke's nonchalant demeanor, she resorted to her last-ditch tactic: crying, causing a scene, and threatening to hang herself.

"Alright, alright, you've got me scared now," Luo Ke conceded, his head throbbing with the onset of a headache. He could only offer a wry smile and give in to Miao Xiaoduo's demands.

She was right, after all.

If it hadn't been for the seven-year-old Miao Xiaoduo, who had found Luo Ke in a heap of corpses outside Shanhai City and dragged him to the relief center in Shanhai City four years ago, Luo Ke wouldn't just be without a reputation—he'd be nothing more than a memory.

From that moment on, Luo Ke and Miao Xiaoduo made a pact to celebrate this day every year, preparing a special meal of red-braised pork as a treat for themselves.