Chapter 5: The Socially Anxious Child (Please Support and Vote)

Chen Yuan carried the watermelon back to the stall. The girl was still there.

"Miss, your scale isn't accurate, and you can't guarantee this watermelon was bought from me either."

The vendor was acting like a local thug.

"Oh..."

The girl was a bit intimidated. With so many people around, she was afraid to argue further with the vendor.

"It’s a pound short. Give me a refund." Chen Yuan placed the watermelon back on the stall.

"Young man, my scale is accurate. Don't listen to her nonsense. Besides, there's no proof she bought this melon here."

"I've already had it weighed elsewhere. Are you still going to deny it?"

"But you have to be reasonable. What if she tampered with it or swapped my watermelon for another one?"

"You're at your age, and you have absolutely no shame, do you? Do you really need me to call the police to drag you away before you'll be satisfied?"

In this day and age, the timid fear the bold, and the bold fear the reckless. Chen Yuan wasn't reckless; he was simply standing up for his own rights.

"Fine, fine, fine. I'll take the loss." The vendor caved in, not daring to push his luck, and refunded Chen Yuan's money.

"And hers too." I need to secure the rights for this 210-month-old baby.

Reluctantly, the vendor also refunded the money for the girl's watermelon.

The girl looked at Chen Yuan. Her eyes were bright, and her features were delicate, like a finely carved work of art. Her overall temperament was completely different from other girls.

"Thank you," the girl said softly.

"You're welcome."

[Task completed: Reward 400 yuan in cash, memory increased by 5%]

The reward arrived, but he didn't feel any substantial change.

After saying thanks, the girl walked away with her phone. They were heading in the same direction but didn't walk together, keeping some distance between them.

After walking for a while, Chen Yuan saw two other girls approach the long-haired girl. They stood on either side of her, whispering and occasionally looking back at him.

She didn't come alone? Why didn't her roommates help her earlier? Judging by this scene, it didn't look like she was being ostracized either.

"Hey handsome, thanks for your help." One of the girls, wearing a ponytail, looked back at Chen Yuan with an unmistakable, slightly flirtatious smile.

"You're welcome."

"Which school are you from?"

"Polytechnic."

"What a coincidence, we are too. What's your major?"

"Telecommunications."

"We're in Finance. What grade are you? Are you a senior?"

"I'm a freshman."

"What a coincidence, so are we."

"Indeed, quite a coincidence..."

Chen Yuan wasn't much of a talker and didn't initiate any other topics. The ponytail girl, however, was quite chatty. After learning they were schoolmates, she seemed even more interested in him.

"Let's add each other as friends."

"Sure."

Chen Yuan didn't refuse. The girl who bought the melon was a task subject; there might be other tasks related to her in the future, so staying connected would make things easier.

The ponytail girl walked over to Chen Yuan, and they added each other.

"I'm Wang Chuyue, my roommate is Song Jianian, and the other one is Cao Mengyu."

Song Jianian...

"I'm Chen Yuan."

"OK, we're heading off now."

"Bye."

The three of them didn't return to campus but went elsewhere. Chen Yuan went back to his dormitory alone.

"Have you been lying in bed reading novels since I left?"

"I want to move, but it really hurts." Sun Pengnan lay on his bed, taking the hand-grab pancake and cola Chen Yuan had bought, wriggling slowly like a maggot.

"It would be strange if it didn't hurt."

"I just don't know if I can reach the 'Douyin average' of 30 minutes."

He even had requirements for his "manual labor"; he was quite the fastidious guy.

"It's the National Day holiday. Are you planning to just lie here every day? Aren't you going to get up and move around?"

"In a few days. It hurts every time I move right now. I reckon it'll be better tomorrow." Sun Pengnan drank his cola and ate his pancake. "Right now, I'm living off the *Battle Through the Heavens* you recommended."

"Such a classic novel, didn't any of your high school classmates read it?"

"I heard them discuss it, but I didn't take it seriously. Now that I've started, it's absolutely mind-blowing."

"How far are you?"

"Xiao Yan just entered the Magical Beast Mountain Range."

"You're about to meet the Sect Leader of the Misty Cloud Sect. That's the best part. Keep reading."

"Got it."

After finishing his pancake, Chen Yuan lay on his bed. His phone now had a whopping 1,000 yuan. There were many things he could do, like buying a better mechanical keyboard.

Buzz, buzz, buzz—

His phone rang. It was a message from Wang Chuyue.

Wang Chuyue: "Chen, Jianian said you helped her, so she bought you a fruit tea. Is it convenient for you to come down and pick it up in five minutes?"

Chen Yuan: "I was ripped off too, so I wasn't just helping her. Tell her she doesn't need to be so polite."

Wang Chuyue: "But it's already bought. If you don't drink it, no one will."

Wang Chuyue: "The boys' dormitory for the School of Information should be Building 3, right?"

If it hadn't been bought yet, Chen Yuan would have refused, but since it was already done, declining would just be pretentious.

Chen Yuan: "Yeah."

Chen Yuan went downstairs and soon saw the three girls walking over. Whether it was Wang Chuyue or Cao Mengyu, both were quite attractive, especially Cao Mengyu, who had the vibe of a girl-next-door.

But standing next to Song Jianian, the other two seemed to pale in comparison.

The three held milk tea, and besides her own, Song Jianian was carrying an extra cup separately. Wang Chuyue and Cao Mengyu were carrying something together. It didn't look heavy, just bulky and awkward to handle.

"Chen!" Wang Chuyue called out, and Chen Yuan walked over.

"Give it to me, I'll carry it for you."

"No, no, we've got it. It's just a mirror inside, not heavy."

They had only just met, and everyone was being quite polite.

"It's fine, let me take it."

"Then thank you."

Cao Mengyu looked at Song Jianian. "Jianian, he not only stood up for you against that vendor to get your money back, but he's also helping us carry the mirror. Hurry up and give him the fruit tea."

"Oh, right. Here you go, thank you."

Song Jianian handed over the fruit tea. She seemed flustered and didn't say anything more. Chen Yuan noticed a faint sense of detachment about her; she seemed difficult to get close to.

This "210-month-old baby" of his seemed a bit different from others.

"Thanks."

With a mirror in one hand and fruit tea in the other, it wasn't difficult for Chen Yuan at all.

"You guys went out together, why didn't you help her argue with the vendor?"

"Jianian has a bit of social anxiety. We wanted to help her build some courage, so we let her go alone. We didn't expect her to still be so timid; the moment the guy put on a stern face, she got scared." Wang Chuyue sipped her milk tea. "She needs to practice more. Being this timid won't do."

Looking at it that way, the two roommates were actually well-intentioned.

[System Task: Your 210-month-old baby is now one year old. She is very timid and cries often. Take her to complete an outdoor social activity. Reward: 500 yuan in cash, comprehension increased by 5%]