The lecture wrapped up sooner than expected, the professor closing his notes with a casual reminder about next week's assignment.
As Lin Feng slung his bag over his shoulder, he finally understood why the classroom had felt half-empty since the start. A football match was scheduled that afternoon, their college facing off against a neighboring rival.
Even more surprising—his classmate, Li Hao, was part of the roster.
Though only a bencher, being a first-year and still making it onto the team was no small feat. It explained why so many of his peers had skipped class, either to watch the game or to cheer him on.
Lin Feng gave a faint smile. So that's where everyone ran off to…
Pocketing his phone, he stepped out of the classroom into the lively hum of the campus, already hearing faint cheers carrying over from the direction of the football ground.
Though he had nothing on it.
After all, it wasn't just any ordinary match.
Li Hao—the so-called rising star of their year—was on the roster. Though still a bencher, he carried himself with the arrogance of someone destined for the spotlight.
And worse still, he was the one dating Zhao Xue.
Lin Feng's jaw tightened at the thought. She had been his first crush, the quiet light of his college days, yet now she walked hand-in-hand with the same person who had humiliated him more than once.
The memory surfaced unbidden. That group assignment months ago—when he'd simply been paired with Zhao Xue—Li Hao had taken offense. The confrontation had escalated quickly, fists flying. Lin Feng had ended up with bruises, swollen lips, and hospital bills that emptied what little savings he had.
That bastard…
Lin Feng's fingers curled slightly as he steadied his breath. He had promised himself to let go back then, to bury it beneath the monotony of college life. But now, with the Scumbag System quietly humming in his veins and a million yuan sitting freshly in his account, the old humiliation didn't sting the same way.
This time, things would be different.
With those thoughts simmering quietly in his mind, Lin Feng decided against following the crowd toward the stadium. Football matches were meaningless to him now. What he wanted was something simpler—good food, a chance to clear his head, and maybe sketch out his next steps.
He left the campus, his pace unhurried, until the warm aroma of braised dishes and stir-fry spices drew him into a nearby restaurant.
Just as he stepped inside, his gaze froze.
At a corner table by the window, Zhao Xue sat with two of her friends.
Her long black hair cascaded gently over her shoulders, catching the sunlight as she laughed softly at something. Her smile was the kind that could brighten even the dullest classroom, and Lin Feng felt the familiar tug in his chest—the same one he had felt since their first year.
Her friends leaned in close, chattering excitedly, their phones out as if they were planning something—probably about the idol application again. But to Lin Feng, their words faded into the background.
His eyes lingered on Zhao Xue for just a heartbeat too long before he pulled them away, forcing himself toward an empty seat across the room.
The waiter arrived, menu in hand, and Lin Feng ordered casually. Yet, even as the dishes began to arrive one by one, his attention kept flickering back toward that corner, where the girl who once filled his dreams now laughed freely… at a table that didn't include him.
Lin Feng slid into his seat, placing his phone on the table while the waiter handed over the menu. He barely glanced at it before his thumb opened the idol application once again.
His balance was still flush, and after the 10x rebate earlier, curiosity gnawed at him. He tapped in a recharge—this time, five hundred thousand RMB.
A faint buzz rippled through his phone.
[Rebate Skill Activated]
Rebate Multiplier: 3x
1,500,000 RMB credited to account.
Almost at the same time, a crisp notification bloomed across his vision, lines of text hovering before fading into his mind.
[Scumbag System Update]
Host Level: 1 → 2
Status Unlocked:
Rebate Skill (Lv.1) → Enhanced Luck Factor
Additional Slot Available (Skill acquisition chance unlocked)
Ding!
His phone screen lit up again—this time with a bank prompt:
Bank of Huaxia
+¥1,500,000.00 RMB credited to your account.
Account No: ****6782
Time: 14:47:12
Date: 08/22
Available Balance: ¥2,970,000.00
Lin Feng's eyes narrowed slightly, the corners of his lips curving upward. So, leveling isn't just about money—it actually strengthens the system itself.
Just as Lin Feng was about to dig into his food, another ripple brushed against his consciousness.
[Skill Slot Unlocked]
Choose a new ability?
A neat row of options unfolded before his mind's eye, each skill carrying vague descriptions—some focused on wealth, some on influence, others veering toward strange utilities.
Lin Feng frowned, resting his chin on one hand as he mentally asked, System, is there one that pairs well with the rebate skill?
For the first time, the mechanical voice shifted ever so slightly, almost like static brushing against his thoughts.
[Answer: Synergy skills exist. Exact compatibility—randomized. To acquire, host must select from Random Skill Slot.]
Lin Feng exhaled slowly. "So even this is luck-based, huh?"
He tapped into the option anyway.
A soft chime rang out.
[New Skill Acquired: Feeling Meter]
Skill Description:
◆ Displays the emotional level of a target toward the host.
Feelings are quantified in levels.
Level 1 (0/10) → Level 2 (0/20) → etc.
◆ Favorability affects rebate skill: if the target has feelings above Level 0, the rebate multiplier receives a +1 bonus when the host spends money directly on them.
◆ And with each level up, the host will also get one new skill randomly.
Lin Feng's brows arched. So if I normally get 2x, on someone who actually favors me, it becomes 3x…
This setup looked quite good, from Lin Feng eye. Plus, it would be a lie that he was not interested in dating the beautiful girls, but before this, his economic condition would never have allowed him. But right now? He was more than capable of it.
Curiosity prickled in his chest. Lin Feng shifted his gaze subtly, letting the new skill hum in his mind.
Above the heads of the students scattered around the restaurant, faint numbers flickered into being.
[Level 0]
[0/10]
[Level 0]
Almost every single one of them displayed the same indifferent mark. A barren zero—clear as day that they held no interest in him whatsoever.
Lin Feng's lips twitched. Cold, but honest.
Then his eyes moved across the room, toward the table where Zhao Xue sat.
And he froze.
Her black hair framed her smile as she laughed with her friends, but over her head, a different glow pulsed—soft yet steady.
[Level 2 – Favorability 19/20]
Lin Feng's pupils contracted. Level 2? And nearly at 20?
That was a heartbeat away from stepping into Level 3.
For the first time, genuine surprise rippled through him. He leaned back slightly in his chair, masking his reaction with a calm sip of tea. On the surface, Zhao Xue looked like she had eyes only for Li Hao, yet the meter betrayed something else entirely—hidden feelings balanced precariously on the edge of breakthrough.
Anyone would get excited about this kind of development, not to mention Lin Feng, who was the target of that feeling meter, although according to system level 1 here, it indicates being good friends at best, and it is level 3 where a small crush is developed. But in his eyes, it was not a bad thing entirely, and it also meant that he still had quite some chance at it.
"Hello there…"
The sudden voice broke Lin Feng's quiet train of thought.
He glanced up, momentarily caught off guard—only to find Su Qingyi standing by his table, her gentle smile carrying the same polished charm she had shown at the hotel.
Lin Feng's brow eased. So it's her… Not exactly a surprise, though the timing was curious.
Su Qingyi didn't come alone. Two girls trailed after her, chatting softly before noticing him.
Across the room, Zhao Xue's group of friends had already turned their attention toward the new arrival. Lin Feng caught the flicker of recognition in Zhao Xue's eyes, though she masked it quickly by sipping her drink.
Su Qingyi rested one hand lightly on the back of his chair. "Mind if we sit?"
Her tone was casual, but her gaze held a spark that didn't escape him.
Lin Feng nodded faintly, gesturing to the empty seats.
As she and her friends slid in, he caught snippets of the whispers from Zhao Xue's table.
"Su Qingyi? Isn't she from the second year?" one girl muttered.
Her friend leaned closer, lowering her voice, though Lin Feng's sharp ears caught it all. "Yeah, and she's gorgeous. Why's she suddenly talking to him?"
Zhao Xue's lips curved into a polite smile, but her chopsticks lingered idly above her bowl, movements slowing as her eyes flickered once more toward Lin Feng.
The two girls at Zhao Xue's table—Liu Mei, lively with short hair dyed brown, and Chen Rou, quiet with round glasses—exchanged glances that carried a mix of surprise and faint curiosity.