The morning sun poured over Qinghua University, painting the marble walkways gold. Birds chirped, students laughed, and the air buzzed with the start of another ordinary school day.
Except it wasn't ordinary.
Everywhere Li Cheng went, whispers followed him like a shadow.
"That's him—the guy who sent Zhao Ming flying yesterday!"
"You mean the one whose ex dumped him for that rich tycoon?"
"Bro, I heard he awakened some kind of… power?!""Nah, probably steroids."
Phones tilted in his direction, eyes wide with curiosity. But Li Cheng didn't care.
Headphones in, hands in his pockets, he strolled through campus with that same calm detachment he once envied in the people who used to mock him.
Except now, the difference was clear: people got out of his way.
The once invisible poor boy was suddenly the storm everyone whispered about.
"Host," the System's voice hummed softly in his mind, smooth and metallic, "your current popularity value has increased by 240% overnight. Viral potential detected."
Li Cheng raised an eyebrow. "Popularity, huh? Can I trade that for a cup of coffee?"
[No. But you can use it to humiliate your ex.]
He smirked. "Now we're talking."
Meanwhile, on the other side of the campus courtyard, Lin Yue adjusted her designer dress and checked her reflection in her phone screen. The comments on her latest post scrolled endlessly:
"Queen Yue leveling up again!"
"That new car! Who's the daddy?"
"Forget Li Cheng. You deserve luxury."
Her smile was sweet, but her eyes were sharp. "Perfect," she whispered, stepping out of the sleek black BMW parked nearby.
From the driver's side, her new man emerged—a middle-aged, pot-bellied businessman with a luxury watch thicker than his wrist. President Hu, the local tycoon, oozed arrogance with every movement.
"Lin Yue, baby," he chuckled, slipping an arm around her waist, "remember to smile. We're making an impression today."
She nodded, pretending not to feel the wave of disgust that rolled through her at his touch. Just endure it, she told herself. Money first, feelings later.
Then she spotted him.
Li Cheng.
Standing under a jacaranda tree, golden light glinting off his red hair. Earbuds in. Casual clothes. Calm. Too calm.
For a second, she froze. Her heart did a weird skip—part guilt, part… something else.
But then she caught herself and straightened. He's nothing now. Just a phase I outgrew.
"President Hu," she said sweetly, "see that guy over there? That's my ex."
Hu followed her gaze, snorting. "That pretty boy? The one with the cheap sneakers? Tsk. No wonder he looks heartbroken. You upgraded well."
Laughter bubbled from him like cheap champagne.
Students nearby were already recording—sensing drama.
And then, as if on cue…
[System Notification: Public Humiliation Mission Detected.]
[Objective: Reclaim Your Dignity Before 100 Witnesses.]
[Bonus Objective: Viral Face Slap – Reward Doubled.]
[Reward: 10,000 EXP + Skill Unlock – "System Scan: Level 2."]
Li Cheng paused mid-step.
"Oh, now this sounds fun," he murmured, pulling out an earbud.
The courtyard grew tense as he approached the pair.
Students whispered and pulled out their phones. A crowd began forming like vultures circling a battlefield.
Lin Yue's smile froze. "Li Cheng, what are you doing here?"
He looked at her calmly, gaze cool and unreadable. "I study here. You remember what that's like, right? Before you started… shopping for men?"
Her face twitched. "Watch your mouth."
Hu laughed loudly. "Oh? The boy's got a temper. You're that ex-boyfriend, huh? Heard you fainted like a weakling last week. Guess some people just aren't built to last."
Li Cheng tilted his head. "You sure about that?"
"Of course! Look at yourself—broke, pathetic, clinging to a woman who—"
Hu's sentence cut off mid-laugh.
Because the air suddenly shifted.
Wind rustled through the courtyard like a living thing. The temperature dropped just enough to raise goosebumps. Li Cheng's red eyes glowed faintly, and for a brief second, the reflection of floating runes shimmered in his pupils.
[Host Emotion Detected: Controlled Rage.]
[Public Mission Activated.]
[Countdown: 5… 4… 3…]
The System's voice echoed like a drumbeat in his skull.
[2… 1…]
Li Cheng smiled faintly. "You were saying, old man?"
Hu puffed out his chest. "That you're—"
SLAP!
The sound cracked through the courtyard like a whip.
Hu's words died instantly as his head whipped sideways, his cheeks glowing red.
The silence that followed was absolute. Even the birds stopped chirping.
A half-second later, chaos erupted.
"HE SLAPPED HIM!"
"Holy crap, he just slapped the CEO of Hu Corp!"
"Did anyone record that?! I need to upload it—NOW!"
"This guy's insane!"
Hu clutched his face, trembling. "Y-you hit me?! You dare—do you know who I am!?"
Li Cheng adjusted his sleeve calmly. "A loud wallet with legs?"
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Someone dropped their drink. Another screamed, "He's live-streaming this! Ten thousand people are watching!"
[Viral Requirement Met.]
[Reward Multiplier Activated.]
Hu roared, lunging forward, but before he could reach Li Cheng, an invisible force blasted him backward—like hitting an invisible wall. He stumbled and fell flat on his back.
Students screamed. Phones flashed.
[Mission Complete.]
[Reward: 20,000 EXP + Skill "System Scan: Lv.2."]
[Host Level Up → Lv.4.]
Li Cheng exhaled slowly, brushing imaginary dust off his sleeve. The red glow in his eyes faded as the System interface shimmered briefly before disappearing.
Lin Yue stood frozen, face pale.
"This... this isn't possible," she whispered. "You were nothing—just a poor loser."
He looked at her one last time, voice quiet but razor-sharp.
"You spent five years teaching me how to be a fool, Lin Yue. Now it's my turn to teach you what regret feels like."
The words sliced through her like ice.
Without waiting for a response, he turned and walked away. His long red hair shimmered in the sunlight like liquid fire, the crowd parting instinctively as he passed.
By afternoon, the clip was everywhere.
#CampusGodLiCheng
#TheSlapHeardAcrossQinghua
#FromLoserToLegend
Within hours, his name hit the university forums, trending at #1. Students who never noticed him before suddenly wanted to know everything—his class, his major, even his blood type.
"Bro's literally the main character of a novel."
"How's he so calm after slapping a millionaire??"
"Did anyone else see his eyes glow red???"
Even Lin Yue's fanbase turned on her.
Screenshots, old photos, messages—all resurfaced.
And somewhere deep inside the System's interface, new lines of code began forming.
[System Expansion Detected.]
[Host has triggered "Public Awareness Synchronization."]
[Preparing new Feature: Influence Points.]
Li Cheng sat in his dorm room, legs crossed on his bed, smirking at the floating screen in front of him.
"Influence Points? What's that?"
[A currency based on your fame and impact.]
[The more the world watches you, the stronger you become.]
He laughed softly. "So… popularity makes power now? Perfect."
Outside his window, the campus buzzed with gossip. Somewhere out there, Lin Yue was probably crying into a stack of tissues—or counting her lost followers.
Either way, it didn't matter.
For the first time, Li Cheng wasn't chasing anyone.
They were all chasing him.