C6 School Beauty Marianne

After Fatty had gone, Everett set to work on how to develop a scenic area that would draw in tourists. To create a scenic attraction, there needed to be a draw. Everett had already sown a hundred square meters of the Bellhand Lawn, which he estimated would sprout within a week. But a lawn alone wouldn't suffice; he needed to plant something more.

"What should I plant? Hold on, why overthink it? Don't I still have over eighty candelabra trees left in my system?"

"I'll go with candelabra trees!"

Everett decided to take advantage of the time after sending Fatty off to plant some desert pillar candelabra trees. But planting wasn't to be done haphazardly; he needed a plan. Surveying the sand dunes before him, he noted their uneven heights. Overall, the dunes where he stood were the highest point, making it the perfect spot for his candelabra tree base.

Without delay, Everett began planting the desert pillar candelabra trees, using the Bellhand Lawn as the central point. He accessed the system, selected a seed, and placed it in the planting box. With a flick of his wrist, a towering candelabra tree, a hundred meters tall, materialized before him.

"Keep going!"

Everett selected another seed and planted another desert pillar candelabra tree. In this manner, he encircled the dune with more than eighty trees, forming a ring.

By the time he finished planting the candelabra trees, it was noon. The desert sun blazed down on Everett, the intense heat almost unbearable against his skin.

Seeking refuge, Everett stepped into the forest of candelabra trees atop the sand dune. Unexpectedly, he felt a coolness wash over him. Looking up, he noticed the candelabra trees were voraciously absorbing the surrounding heat. Before long, the temperature within the circle began to plummet. In just half an hour, the climate within the desert pillar candelabra forest had cooled to a comfortable twenty-something degrees Celsius – an ideal temperature for humans.

"This is amazing! Outside, it's a sweltering forty degrees, but here it's a cool twenty-something. If I plant more lawn, tourists can lounge on the grass, watching the sunrise, the sunset, the dunes... It would be a challenge not to become the greatest scenic spot in the world!"

Everett couldn't have been more pleased with the outcome.

The Bellhand Lawn in front of Everett was far too small, and the megadune before him loomed large, resembling a mountain. Below it lay a flat plain, and above, a towering peak. The 100 square meters of grassland seemed as insignificant as the size of a palm, hardly enough to amaze visitors.

"I need to create a spectacle," Everett mused as he gazed at the entire megadune, resolved to transform the area into a verdant expanse.

But to achieve this transformation, he required a lawn, and for a lawn, he needed money—money that Everett simply did not have at the moment.

"How can I possibly come up with the funds?" Everett pondered. With less than a month to go, he considered that planting grass at the base of the mountain might be feasible.

He calculated meticulously: the base of the mountain covered at least fifty acres, which equated to 33,333 square meters. Even purchasing the cheapest seeds at twenty yuan per square meter would amount to over six hundred thousand RMB—an exorbitant sum!

"Being just a student, how can I raise six hundred thousand?" Everett lay on the sand, deep in thought, when suddenly his phone chimed. He checked the message that had just arrived. In this day and age, there were only two kinds of people who still sent text messages: those sending spam, and those he wasn't well-acquainted with.

"Everett, this is Marian. The school has organized a fundraising event for you, and we've collected thirty thousand yuan. Please add me on WeChat so I can transfer it to you."

Marian? Was it really her?

Marian was the undisputed beauty of Everett's class—not only stunning but also incredibly wealthy. Her father ran a company in Hartlepool, and her mother held a significant government position.

She had been born into privilege, her life marked by beauty and sociability, always willing to lend a hand. Everyone adored her, and Everett was no exception. Well, he admired her, to be precise. After all, someone from his humble background couldn't dare to entertain the thought of being liked in return.

"Thanks, but there's no need. I appreciate everyone's efforts," Everett typed, his fingers hesitating before sending the message. A beauty like Marian was surely out of his league.

*Ding Dong!*

"Everett, don't lose heart. Just pick yourself up, and you're sure to make a full recovery. Believe in yourself and don't abandon your treatment! We're all eagerly awaiting your return!"

Upon reading the message, Everett felt an unexpected moisture in his eyes. In a world often indifferent and harsh, such warmth was deeply moving.

Nevertheless...

"No, really, there's no need. Thank you, Class Rep Lee."

Everett set his phone aside after replying. He wasn't one to take handouts; despite his dire circumstances, he always strove to be positive. He knew that only those who radiated sunshine could warm the hearts of others.

"Everett, our lives are just beginning. We have so much good time ahead of us. Our country is home to countless majestic mountains and rivers you've yet to explore, and the world is full of breathtaking vistas you've yet to see. Would it not be a shame to give up on your life now?"

"Will you join me in seeing them?"

Everett smiled wryly. It's always the same; people offer comfort, but they're not the ones who are sick or impoverished. What does a poor man like me have to do with the country's grand landscapes? I can't even afford to travel domestically, let alone experience the world's beauty.

*Ding Dong!*

"Absolutely, once you're out of the hospital, I'll be there to explore them with you!"

Everett looked up, feeling the desert's gentle breeze. It was a purity he had never experienced before, unlike in Hartlepool, where smog and sandstorms often marred the seasons, turning the sky a dusty gray.

"The class monitor is truly exemplary, such consciousness... Hold on! The system tasked me with creating a tourist attraction and finding ten tourists to help me complete the task. Why not recruit them to help me achieve my goal?"

With this thought, Everett couldn't help but admire his own ingenuity. He really was a genius!

He grabbed his phone and began to compose a message, deciding to play up his plight for a bit of sympathy.

"Class Rep Li, my parents and grandfather sacrificed their lives in the desert for humanity. I've left Hadleigh for the desert, wishing to be buried alongside them. If there's an afterlife, I'd love to be classmates with you all once more. But for now, it seems we must part ways..."

After finishing his edits, Everett clicked 'send.' He was well aware of Marian's profound sense of compassion. Despite being the belle of the campus, she was not one to stand idly by, especially considering her role as a student council member.

True to form, just five minutes after Everett sent his message, he received a reply from Marian.