CHAPTER 28: CHAPTER 28 OFFICIAL SYSTEM RELEASE!

The meal with Zhong Liying didn’t take long. Sun Dasheng was mainly in a hurry to get back and upgrade his system.

She first thanked him, then briefly complained about her recent situation. The story was a cliché. She had been sexually harassed by the new regional manager and had rejected him. As a result, she had been transferred from a prime store to one on the outskirts.

After the meal, they went their separate ways.

By the time he got home, the streetlights were just turning on.

Sitting on the sofa, Sun Dasheng stared at the system panel.

[You received a disdainful look from Lin Chunfang. Resentment Value +100]

[You were rebuked by Lee Li. Resentment Value +50]

It seems today’s main volley of attacks came from my former mother-in-law.

Status Panel:

Name: Sun Dasheng

Level: 2 (100/1,000)+

Resentment Value: 1,040

Withdrawal Value: 10,400,000

His palms were sweaty. The uncertainty of what would happen after the upgrade made him uneasy. The system was his greatest asset. With the system, he gained a healthy body. With the system, he had more money than he could ever spend.

He calmed his emotions, steadied his mood, and pressed the plus sign to upgrade.

There was no change in his body. Everything was quiet, completely different from the last two upgrades.

He quickly looked at the panel, which had changed.

[Earth OL Beta Test has concluded! Official Version launching. Updating now...]

He took a quick sip of tea to calm his pounding heart. He then went to the bathroom and scrolled through some short videos to distract himself.

Before long, the update was complete.

The panel now displayed:

Protagonist: Sun Dasheng

Profession: None

Level: 3 (1,000/?)

Experience Points: 140

Withdrawal Value: 1,400,000

The main page hadn’t changed much; the level was temporarily locked and appeared gray. The Resentment Value had become Experience Points. A new secondary page had also appeared.

He clicked on it.

Supporting Character: XX (Add manually)

Profession: None

Bond Value: 0-100 (Intimacy with the protagonist)

Experience Points: 0

Note 1: A Bond Value of over 60 is required to add someone to the supporting character page.

Note 2: Experience Points generated by supporting characters are converted to the protagonist’s experience based on a percentage equal to the Bond Value.

Note 3: The system has adapted to the new world and discovered that all suffering stems from a lack of money. Most money comes from work (entrepreneurship, employment). The system has adjusted the source of Experience Points. From now on, all Experience Points will only be generated from setbacks related to work. No Experience Points will be generated from other sources.

Note 4: Withdrawal method has been changed.

Note 5: The System reserves all rights of final interpretation.

After reading the update notes, Sun Dasheng grew thoughtful. The system clearly didn’t want him sitting around doing nothing. After the update, supporting characters were now a major source of Experience Points.

Having read the system update, Sun Dasheng had an epiphany. It seemed the system wanted him to find some "hidden geniuses" of his own—a Wolong and Fengchu. Or rather, have his supporting characters take on jobs they were terrible at.

Is this the main quest starting?

Lying on the sofa, he was still exploring the updated system when the three girls returned home, still in their work makeup and costumes.

He looked up and was momentarily stunned. It was as if three 2D characters had come to life in the 3D world.

The long-legged Fang Sihan, cosplaying Sun Shangxiang in her "Rose Lover" skin, looked like a real-life figurine. She could even be compared to that A-list celebrity who recently went viral.

The gentle Yun Yuqing, cosplaying Diaochan from "A Midsummer Night’s Dream," exuded an ethereal charm.

The petite Li Sili, cosplaying Yao from "Meet the Divine Deer," was adorable and charming.

"Uncle, we’re off work!" Li Sili chirped, changing her shoes and bouncing over to him. She handed him a beautiful figurine that matched her costume. "The store manager gave it to me. It’s for you."

Fang Sihan and Yun Yuqing also gave him the figurines they were holding. The figurines were beautifully made, and he quite liked them. He thanked them and took the gifts to his bedroom.

After removing their makeup, showering, and changing into pajamas, the four of them sat on the couch.

"Have you guys eaten?" Sun Dasheng asked. It was still early, and he wasn’t sure if they had eaten dinner after work.

"We’ve eaten," Li Sili said, picking up a banana from the coffee table and taking a bite. "The store manager is really nice. She provides work meals for us."

The coffee table was laden with all kinds of fruit that Sun Dasheng had bought on his way home.

"Help yourselves, the fruit is all washed. Don’t be shy."

The other two girls didn’t stand on ceremony and began eating their favorites. He had also jumped on some online trend and bought a box of cranberries.

Curious, they each tried one and immediately spat it out.

"So sour! Uncle, what is this stuff?" Li Sili’s small face scrunched up adorably.

Sun Dasheng chuckled, having anticipated this. He’d had the same reaction when he tried one after buying them. They were incredibly sour. Fresh ones didn’t taste very good, which explained why they weren’t common in stores.

"I saw them in a video. Someone said they’re a specialty from the Northeast, so I figured I should support the old pals up there, you know?" he explained. "Buy the dried ones next time. I hear they taste good."

Li Sili looked unconvinced, a disgusted expression on her face.

Soon, all four of them were absorbed in their phones. The three girls huddled together, scrolling through videos.

"Wow, isn’t that our classmate, Lyu Panpan?" Li Sili exclaimed in surprise.

"Let me see," Fang Sihan and Yun Yuqing said, squeezing closer.

"Why is she wearing a mask? And how did she get on the news?" Yun Yuqing asked.

Fang Sihan read the news headline aloud: "[Ms. Lyu of Hangzhou City and the Sewer Repair Dispute: Who Is at Fault?]"

The comments under the article had gone completely off-topic.

"Ms. Lyu is absolutely right."

"I will always support Ms. Lyu."

"No need to say anything else, Ms. Lyu must be right."

"You can always trust Ms. Lyu."

"Before she takes off the mask, before she has a husband and kids, whatever she says is right."

...

"Isn’t she a local from Shanghai City? Why did she go to Hangzhou City?" Li Sili wondered aloud, puzzled.

Fang Sihan and Yun Yuqing stared at the screen but couldn’t make heads or tails of it either. However, below the article was a direct link to Ms. Lyu’s social media profile.

They clicked the link.

With only three videos on her homepage, the account already had hundreds of thousands of followers. Judging by the comments, her main draw seemed to be her... robust assets.

"Wow! Has she become an internet celebrity?" Fang Sihan asked, her face full of envy.

These days, being an internet celebrity meant money. Being a major internet celebrity meant big money. It was a truth even elementary schoolers understood.

"Was that from the Golden Eye news program?" Sun Dasheng overheard and asked.

Li Sili clicked back to the story, her expression shocked. "Uncle, how did you know?" Then, as if realizing something, she asked, "Are you watching it too?"

"No, I guessed," Sun Dasheng said, putting down his phone. "That news program is based in Hangzhou City. They’ve created a few internet celebrities before."

"Oh, I see!" Li Sili nodded.

Yun Yuqing, the sharpest of the three, seemed to catch the implication in his words. "Uncle, are you saying the program is creating hype?"

"Don’t spread rumors. I could sue you for defamation," he said, but the smile on his face gave him away.

Yun Yuqing just smiled without a word, while Fang Sihan and Li Sili finally caught on.

"To think that someone we were working with just a few days ago is now an internet celebrity," Fang Sihan remarked wistfully.

The term "internet celebrity" sparked an idea in Sun Dasheng’s mind. Nowadays, becoming an internet celebrity was a popular way to make a fortune, but actually succeeding had become increasingly difficult. He could add the girls as supporting characters and have them try to become internet celebrities. The result would surely be fraught with challenges. But wouldn’t that be even better? He could farm a ton of Experience Points.

He decided to act on the idea immediately.

"Sihan, from your tone, it sounds like you want to be an internet celebrity too?" Sun Dasheng asked enticingly.

Fang Sihan admitted it freely. "Uncle, who doesn’t want to be an internet celebrity?" She then looked over at her two friends.

Yun Yuqing and Li Sili also nodded in agreement.

It was common knowledge that being an internet celebrity was a way to make money. And who didn’t love money these days?