Shanghai, Harmony Residential Complex
Liu Yi was jolted awake by a crisp ringing sound. Groggily, he opened his eyes and fumbled for his phone, grabbing it for a look.
“Huh? It’s only 6:45. I clearly set my arm for 7:00. Why did it go off early?”
Ding!
In a daze, the bell rang again, and then he realized that the sound that woke him up did not come from his phone but from his mind!
[Host detected. System downloading.]
Liu Yi instantly sat up, throwing off the covers.
As a handsome and experienced reader of web novels, he knew this process all too well.
[Ding! System download complete.]
[Congratutions, Host! You’ve obtained the ‘Social Death System.’]
“Social… what now?” Liu Yi’s face was a mix of confusion and disbelief.
Why did this system sound so unreliable just by its name?
At this moment, the electronic voice in his mind seemed to see his confusion and immediately gave a detailed expnation.
[The Social Death System collects ‘Social Death Energy’ from the host and nearby individuals, converting it into Social Death Value.]
[These points can be exchanged for cash and other rewards.]
[Currently, the system is a trial version, that is, the youth version of the Social Death System, with a cash exchange ratio of 1:1.]
[Note: The youth version's functions are incomplete, and more functions will be unlocked in the formal version. Please upgrade the system as soon as possible!]
[Current Social Death Value: 0/10,000.]
Liu Yi touched his head, his expression gradually becoming dissatisfied.
“Why is it that other people’s systems either let you earn money by breathing or just gift the host a few billion dolrs to start with, but my system makes me embarrass myself to make cash?”
“And why is my system even a Youth Edition? I just have one question for you, system—are you okay?”
But no matter how much he compined, the system didn't make any more sound.
“Well, guess I’ll leave it to fate.”
Since he was already awake anyway, he resigned himself to getting up and washing up.
Liu Yi, an art student, had just been admitted to the Shanghai Art University this year.
Although he had applied for on-campus housing, as a local, he still went back home often. After all, his family’s pce was far more comfortable than the dorms.
He needed to head to school soon anyway. His first professional css of the day started at eight o'clock. It had only been less than a week since school started, so he must not be te
As soon as he stepped out of his bedroom, he was met with a peculiar sight.
“Sis, what are you doing?”
In front of him was his sister, Liu Xin, crouched devoutly before an incense burner. Three sticks of incense emitted curling plumes of smoke, while she used a sofa cushion as a makeshift prayer mat. In her hands, she fingered a string of prayer beads, her lips moving slightly as if chanting under her breath.
At the sight of such a solemn setup—more eborate than even their ancestor worship rituals—Liu Yi instantly understood.
“Ah, Sis, you’re taking your driving test today, aren’t you?”
Liu Xin’s mouth twitched slightly, but she continued her prayers.
[Ding! Social Death Value from Liu Xin +233.]
Liu Yi saw the words that appeared in front of him and was overjoyed.
“Already got some points?”
“With a 1:1 exchange rate, Sis just handed me 233 yuan for free. Turns out this is easier than I thought!”
A new thought struck him, and suddenly, everything became clear.
Liu Xin, Liu Yi's older sister, had been trying to get her driver's license for four years. During this time, she had switched to three different driving schools, worn out eight instructors, and yet, her driving test results were consistently stuck on the third part.
This had become Liu Xin's sore spot. It was a topic that couldn't be brought up. Every time it was mentioned, she'd grab a folding chair and chase Liu Yi around.
Now it seemed clear—her reaction was just sheer embarrassment and anger.
Liu Yi stroked his chin and thought for a moment, then approached his older sister.
"Sis, you have to be careful during this exam. Don't do something like accidentally putting your seatbelt into the examiner's pants pocket again."
[Ding! Social Death Value from Liu Xin +145.]
“And definitely don’t pull the handbrake and try to do a burnout at the start like st year.”
[Ding! Social Death Value from Liu Xin +288.]
“Also, don't cover your eyes with both hands when you see a car cutting in like the year before st.”
[Ding! Social Death Value from Liu Xin +333.]
“Oh right, what about that time the year before that when you drove the car into a ditch... how did you handle that?”
Liu Xin put down her prayer beads and casually picked up a nearby folding chair.
Time to run!
Liu Yi quickly hid in the bathroom.
After washing up, when he came out, Liu Xin had finished her prayer.
“By the way, sis, why’d you come here?”
His sister was six years older than Liu Yi and had already married and had children. However, they lived in the neighboring community and often came over for meals and to visit.
“Why do you think? To find you, of course.” Liu Xin's eyes still carried a hint of unexinguished anger, clearly dissatisfied with his earlier jabs at her driving history.
“Tonight, your brother-in-w and I have a dinner party. You go pick up Xiao An.”
“No way!”
Xiao An was Liu Yi's nephew, currently in kindergarten. This kid was a real troublemaker, so Liu Yi immediately rejected his sister's request.
“Oh, that’s fine if you don’t want to go. But I did hear Xiao An mention that there’s a new teacher at his school. A really pretty one. Looks to be about your age.”
"Oh, I haven't seen Xiao An in a long time. I miss my nephew a little." Liu Yi said solemnly.
Ignoring his sister's slightly contemptuous look, Liu Yi rushed out of the house.
As soon as he got downstairs, he saw a familiar figure wiping a car with a rag.
“Hey there, Brother Li! New car, huh?”
Li Dezhi lived in the building above Liu's family, and the two families had a good retionship. Seeing that it was Liu Yi, he immediately waved to him.
“Sure is! Check out this MaoDou 3 High-Performance Edition—looks sharp, doesn’t it?”
“Nice! This car looks really sharp.”
Liu Yi complimented him, and Brother Li immediately smiled, very pleased. As expected, a sweet mouth works everywhere
“You heading to css? Hop in, I’ll drop you at the bus stop.” With that, he tossed the cloth into the trunk.
Liu Yi had never ridden in a MaoDou 3 before, so he curiously got in.
“Brother Li, this car must accelerate pretty fast, right?”
As soon as he asked this question, Brother Li's expression was as refreshing as drinking a rge bottle of ice-cold soda on a hot summer day.
“Heh, 0 to 100 in just a few seconds. This baby’s got sports car-level acceleration!”
"I'll tell you what, gasoline cars should have been eliminated a long time ago. Those are things only old people use. We young people should drive electric cars, it's so much more fun."
Li Xiu clicked his tongue in disapproval. His dad drove a domestic gas-powered car too, so making a comment like that was definitely a case of praising one thing while disparaging another.
“Brother Li, I read online that the brakes on this car aren't that good…”
“Snder! That's all snder!” Brother Li’s voice suddenly shot up several octaves. “No one in our car enthusiasts’ group has ever had an issue. Those are just baseless cims from envious trolls who can’t afford one of these! Every single one of them deserves to be hit with a cease-and-desist letter!”
With a hint of indignation, Brother Li stepped on the gas. There was a loud roar, and the car shot forward like an arrow released from a bow.
“Our car uses all imported technology, how could there be a problem with the brakes—”
Bang!
Before he could finish his sentence, the car smmed directly into the security booth at the entrance of the residential compound.
Liu Yi turned to look at Brother Li, whose face had turned ashen, and then gnced at his right foot. It was pressing the brake pedal all the way to the floor.
“So, what’s this now?”
[Ding! Social Death Value from Li Dezhi +999.]
