If you've ever had a spa, you know the routine—some sort of essential oil gets smeared all over you, followed by a thorough massage.
All those miracle effects promised in ads? Honestly, most of it's a stretch. What you actually get is a stress-buster, helps you chill out and unwind.
This full-body whitening spa that Luo Meimei's about to give Shen Qiushan? Same deal, really. Most customers feel satisfied mostly because of psychology and the skill of the beautician—it's the touch that makes it worth their money.
Luo Meimei's a veteran in the beauty biz—her technique is, no doubt, top-notch. First, she gets Shen Qiushan to lie face down on the beauty bed, puts a warm towel on his back to open up the pores, then starts smearing whitening lotion.
Her hands are swift and smooth, moving along the spine and spreading out to the sides, palms grazing skin, fingertips pressing just right on the acupoints. Shen Qiushan sometimes feels tingling, sometimes pure bliss...
To sum it up in two words: damn comfy!
This let Shen Qiushan, who's been working like a horse half his life, catch a glimpse of how the rich enjoy themselves.
If he hadn't just unlocked his system, he wouldn't have forked out 998 for this spa even if his life depended on it!
I mean, he's got two little gold-gobbling monsters at home!
Every morning he wakes up, hundreds gone. Not exactly cash to blow on this stuff.
But things are different now—Shen Qiushan is a "rich guy" with a million in his account!
Why not enjoy it a little?
Plus, honestly, his main goal at first was to learn some "skin care" tips from Luo Meimei and maybe squeeze a bit more out of his system.
But the spa was just too damn relaxing. Shen Qiushan forgot all about the learning part and just soaked up the good vibes.
He even got so relaxed—he straight up fell asleep mid-spa.
And ended up having a dream clearly not suitable for minors.
In the dream, a vixen-shaped masseuse ran her hands all over him, slender fingers creeping from top to bottom, bit by bit crossing over forbidden lines...
Finally breaking through the barrier, giving him a wild ride.
Just at the critical moment, Shen Qiushan snapped awake.
The lights in the beauty room were dim.
Luo Meimei was perched at the edge of the bed, hands gently kneading Shen Qiushan's beefy thigh...
Shen Qiushan's situation was a tad awkward—God knows if it was because of the dream or Luo Meimei's maybe-too intimate touch.
"Hey Younger Brother Shen, you're awake."
Seeing Shen Qiushan's eyes open, Luo Meimei greeted him softly.
"Actually fell asleep, huh."
Shen Qiushan mumbled, then desperately tried to picture his grandma's smile in his head—force-cooling himself down.
Watching Shen Qiushan pull off a "great trick" right in front of her, Luo Meimei grinned and teased, "Did Younger Brother Shen have a good dream or something?"
"Yep, dreamt about marrying a wife."
Shen Qiushan's no pushover—he bounced right back with a perfect response, no embarrassment at all.
"Haha, I figured as much!"
Luo Meimei laughed out loud, and playfully slid her palm a bit further up Shen Qiushan's thigh.
"Sister Meimei, your place is legit, right?"
Shen Qiushan shot back, going with the banter.
"Why?"
"Were you hoping for something less legit?"
Luo Meimei pursed her lips mockingly.
"Hey, that's not what I meant!"
Shen Qiushan quickly waved his hands. "Trading sex is illegal, I'm a law-abiding citizen!"
"Hmph, not that it matters! We're a proper medical beauty clinic!"
Luo Meimei pretend-huffed and playfully patted Shen Qiushan's thigh.
"Yup, looks super proper to me!"
Shen Qiushan nodded with a straight face, then switched topics, "Sister Meimei, can you teach me some beauty tips?"
Since the spa was nearly over, if he didn't start learning now there'd be no time.
"There's tons to learn with beauty. Any area you want to know more about?"
"Anything works, no clue about any of it."
"Okay, let's talk about whitening then..."
Luo Meimei really knows her stuff—when she gets into the technicalities, she's totally in her element.
Ding!
Scholar Index +1
Ding!
Scholar Index +1
...
Shen Qiushan listened for ages, racking up his Scholar Index, but didn't get any extras like blind boxes this time.
Full-body whitening spa—done.
Shen Qiushan checked the time; the whole ordeal lasted a whopping two and a half hours.
The 998 price tag was steep, but the service really delivered.
"Younger Brother Shen, you can chill here for a bit—our shop's got drinks and snacks, want some?"
"Nah, I've got stuff to do, gotta jet."
Shen Qiushan waved it off. He'd planned to head back to the delivery station after leaving school, and for sure the customer he ditched was gonna put in a complaint.
Not that it matters—he's quitting anyway.
System's fully activated, no need to hustle deliveries for survival anymore.
Now the most important thing: hit the books! Get into college!!
Though for a 38-year-old old-timer like him, it's kinda bonkers.
But hey, there's a hundred million at stake.
Gotta grind, no matter what.
Plus, he's now the "Chosen One" with system support!
Getting into a 985 university isn't totally out of reach.
Suiting up, Shen Qiushan gave a big stretch and, accompanied by Luo Meimei, strolled down to the first floor.
"Brother Shen, hope you feel refreshed!"
The front desk girl, Zhang Xue, had switched up her attitude completely.
The same girl who'd called him "uncle" before now bumped him down a generation.
"Uncle's kind of nice, too."
Shen Qiushan grinned and waved—truth is, he was kinda digging the cute receptionist calling him uncle.
Something about that age gap is just satisfying!
Especially if things heat up between them—"uncle" packs more punch than "brother."
MD!
Damn, money really does make men shady!
Can't believe that's where his mind went.
Shen Qiushan cursed himself internally, then let Luo Meimei escort him out the door.
Sanjiang City High School.
It was almost quitting time.
Xu Decai found Wang Guangqing, who'd just come back from an education bureau meeting.
"Chief, got something to report."
"Forget the formal report—just say what's up, Old Xu!"
Wang Guangqing casually pointed to the lounge sofa in his office.
But Xu Decai didn't sit—he walked up to Wang Guangqing's desk and said quietly, "Here's the deal: There's a student who wants to transfer in, but the thing is... he's kinda old. I wanted to check with you first."
"Kind of old?"
"How old exactly?"
Wang Guangqing instantly latched onto the main point, asking offhandedly.
"Uh..."
"Thirty-eight!"
Xu Decai hesitated a second, then gave Shen Qiushan's real age.
"Say what?"
"Come again?"
Wang Guangqing poked his ear with his pinky, staring at Xu Decai in disbelief.
"Thirty-eight! He's a parent of one of our students, takes his kid's education real seriously..."
Xu Decai jazzed up Shen Qiushan's explanation, then quietly slipped a red envelope onto Wang Guangqing's desk, sighing, "Chief, every parent's got it rough!"
"Never seen a parent like this. Should we let him give it a shot?"
Wang Guangqing didn't answer right away. He tapped rhythmically on his desk, then after a long pause, stopped and slapped the envelope: "Let him try his luck. If it doesn't work out, just have him leave!"