C17 Expired Coke

Qin Fen scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Su Rou, actually, what happened last time wasn't what you're thinking."

Qin Fen knew that no matter how he explained it, it probably wouldn't come out right. Still, he felt compelled to clarify things, otherwise the issue might never be resolved.

"Alright, Qin, I know you must not be feeling well. You're probably under a lot of stress, which is totally normal," Su Rou said with a sympathetic smile.

What the heck? What stress? She's got a funny way of being understanding.

"By the way, Qin, I'm so jealous of you. I want to be as strong as you. How can I do that?" Su Rou asked with a mix of excitement and admiration.

Qin Fen smiled and replied, "It's quite simple. You're not old enough yet. Once you are, you'll definitely awaken your psionic power, and then you won't have to worry about the bad guys anymore."

Su Rou's face lit up with joy, her previous concerns and fears vanishing in an instant.

"Okay, thanks, Qin. I'll wake you up tomorrow morning; I need your help with something," Su Rou said with a hint of mystery.

Qin Fen, puzzled, inquired, "What's it about?"

Su Rou bounced away, calling back, "I'll tell you in the morning. Don't worry, Fen. I'll knock on your door, so no need to fret."

Hearing this, Qin Fen's mind was in disarray. Great, his earlier attempt at an explanation had probably been futile.

Back in his rented room, Qin Fen lay on his bed and started to check his system.

"Congratulations, host. You've earned 200 skill points. Your current balance is 415," the system's mechanical voice announced.

Qin Fen nodded in satisfaction as he reviewed his combat strength and the skills he had acquired.

"Combat strength: 9 points. The maximum for an ordinary person is 10 points. Skill acquired: proficiency in Intercepting Fist."

Qin Fen was taken aback. He hadn't expected that after all his hard work, his combat strength still hadn't reached an ordinary person's limit.

But then he thought about it and it made sense. His fighting technique was only at a level of proficiency; there were likely higher levels to achieve. If only he had known, he would have aimed for the highest level from the start.

"What are you daydreaming about now? You need 600 skill points to advance your fighting skills to a higher level, and you're not qualified yet."

Upon hearing this, Qin Fen was immediately filled with regret.

"600 skill points? Are you kidding me? That's like highway robbery!" Qin Fen felt an overwhelming urge to bang his head against a wall.

If he had known earlier, he would have given all the money he'd taken from those thugs to the system. Even a few skill points for an upgrade would have been something.

He might not be able to take on those thugs now, but with so many masters in the world, what if one day he crossed paths with a major villain? Wouldn't that spell disaster?

"Let's just wait for the next opportunity. Besides, I make a decent amount every day from my street vending."

"Invincible within a three-meter radius of the ground sheet? That's an excellent skill. As long as I'm behind my stall, I'm untouchable. No one will be able to mess with me then."

Qin Fen smirked, recalling how he had tricked Zheng Xu and Zhao Mengqian's intense desire to get rid of him. He found this feature incredibly empowering.

"It looks like the system has a bit of a conscience after all. It knows it's somewhat cruel to have me peddling goods all day, so it's given me a means to protect myself."

"System, I want to spin the lottery wheel." Qin Fen, seeing his abundance of skill points, urged.

"Congratulations, host, for drawing the consolation prize, Nine-Taste Decoction. Congratulations, host, for drawing the consolation prize, Nine-Taste Decoction."

After drawing the same item over a dozen times, Qin Fen's expression soured.

"Stupid system, crawl away! Why do you keep giving me this concoction? Can't you come up with something new?" Qin Fen was genuinely frustrated.

"Congratulations, host, for drawing expired coke."

"Congratulations, host, for drawing Nine-Taste Decoction."

Hearing the name Nine-Taste Decoction again nearly pushed Qin Fen over the edge, but then something caught his attention.

"What? Expired coke?" He suddenly remembered hearing about this item.

He hurriedly checked his inventory and, sure enough, there was the expired coke. He proceeded to examine the item's description in the illustrated handbook.

"Expired coke, also known as '82 Ice Offer,' can detoxify," the system's voice announced.

At that, Qin Fen's expression soured dramatically.

"System, I'm not buying it. You say it detoxifies? Drinking Nine-Taste Decoction either makes your eyebrows or hair fall out, or gives you a rash. I bet your expired coke has some nasty side effects too."

Qin Fen's skepticism was understandable; the system was notoriously unreliable.

The system responded, "Host, please don't sweat the small stuff."

Qin Fen scoffed and remained silent, his disbelief in the system's claims absolute.

Still, he wasn't about to try it himself, but he could find someone else to test it.

The system's products were always a gamble. But who should he trick into trying it?

He recalled the class group chat where the class monitor seemed to have a bone to pick with him. Maybe he could be the guinea pig? The real challenge was finding a plausible excuse.

Given their rocky relationship, the guy was unlikely to just accept a coke from him.

Well, he'd find an opportunity to offer it later. For now, he'd check the group chat to see what else was being said.

Upon entering the chat, he found it buzzing with activity, and many were mentioning him.

"@Qin Fen, Fen, you're incredible, having two beauties help you run a stall. I'm so jealous."

"Fen, teach me sometime. I want to run a stall with beauties too."

"Fen, when did you learn to break stones with your chest? That's amazing. Can you share some tips? And hey, do you have the contact info for those two beauties? Asking for a friend who's really in need."

Qin Fen's face fell at the group's crude comments.

Then a video surfaced showing him with Zhao Mengqian and Zhao Mengyue at the stall.

Seeing Zhao Mengyue's hard work selling items, Qin Fen felt genuinely moved.

"Enough already, stop tagging me. It's all just a bit of fun," Qin Fen said with a forced smile, his tone deceptively mild, as if he were royalty humoring his subjects.

After exiting the group chat, Qin Fen checked Weibo to catch up on the trending topics, only to discover that he was actually trending himself.

"Young man breaks a boulder on his chest, hustles at a street stall to support his family."

"Two beautiful women go all out to help the spirited young man raise money at his stall to pay off debts."

Qin Fen shook his head with a wry smile. It seemed that anything involving beautiful women was bound to draw a crowd in today's world.