SWNOVELXO Chapter 25
“My father has two wives.”
“Hmm?” The question marks above Xu Lin’s head are increasing.
“She’s called Chu Fengyi, and we’re half-sisters with the same father. Our relationship is a bit strange; I can only say it used to be good.”
“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine.”
“Thank you for understanding, Mr. Xu. But I can tell you, my father didn’t want me to step into the entertainment industry.”
“I can sense that.”
Based on Chu Qingchan’s usual speech and the bearded man’s words, her father is indeed a formidable person, and not wanting his daughter in the entertainment industry is understandable.
“After I became an actress, our relationship became a bit… though it didn’t reach a bad point, I feel he must have many complaints against me.”
“But since you’re father and daughter, everything can be discussed. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have asked your sister to look for you, right?”
“I know.” She tousled her dishevelled hair, looking out the window. “But I want to make one more effort. If I give up now, I’ll truly lose.”“Alright, I encourage you mentally.”
“No, encourage me in talent! I believe with Ms. Guan’s training and your own foundation, you can become a formidable musician.”
“Chu Qingchan, you have high expectations of me.”
“It’s my intuition, and my intuition is usually accurate.”
“Whether it’s accurate or not, your sister said it, too. If you don’t tell her, your father will come personally.”
“He won’t. He’s very busy. If he comes personally, I’ll have nothing to say.”
“Okay, but your sister is surprisingly strong. I almost got killed by her strength.”
“Where did she hit you? Do you need to go to the hospital?”
“It’s not that serious. You don’t have to worry.”
“I actually forgot about this. She’s been learning martial arts since childhood. At the age of 13, she could already fight an adult. Now, I’m even less sure of how skilled she is.”
“Darn! Good thing I didn’t know; otherwise, I wouldn’t have had the courage to act calm just now. I would have panicked and spilled the beans.”
“…”
“But I really should exercise a bit. Otherwise, if she comes again, she might actually beat me up.”
Xu Lin suddenly thought of the system, but to improve his physical fitness again, he would need 8k points. It wasn’t a big deal, and he could afford it, even levelling up afterward.
However, a constitution of 6 wasn’t considered high. Most adult males could reach a constitution of 5 to 6. If he exercised, he could reach that level on his own, saving a lot of points. Lately, he has increasingly felt the importance of physical fitness—whether in resistance, lifting suitcases, or being tossed around like a chick by her sister today.
He wasn’t one to hold grudges, but prevention was better than cure. With strength, there’s confidence.
Just like before his rebirth, during university, he practiced the Xu family’s self-defence techniques left by his ancestors. Graduating not only increased his strength but also improved his physique and demeanor. Back then, he was quite famous for being handsome.
So, he felt the need to enhance his current physique. With the foundation of the Xu family’s self-defence techniques and the system recognising him at level 2, exercising would surely yield significant results.
“Oh, Xu Lin, why do men tend to be unfaithful?”
Xu Lin didn’t know what prompted Chu Qingchan to ask such a question.
“Why bring this up all of a sudden?”
“The biggest gap between my father and me might be his emotions… So, Xu Lin, you better not fall in love with two women in the future.”
“I’ll definitely fall in love with two women!” Xu Lin immediately replied, and Chu Qingchan looked at him with a cold expression.
He continued, “Because one is my wife, and the other is my mother.”
“What about your grandmother?”
“Um, that makes it three then.”
After organising the wardrobe, their takeout arrived.
Now, Lin Shui still hasn’t switched to the future’s vibrant orange and blue-coloured food delivery. Currently, Lin Shui relies on phone and WeChat orders.
After a simple lunch, Xu Lin felt no issues with his body and continued with his classes. When he returned home, Su Qingwan mentioned picking him up at thirty. As he descended the stairs, she pulled up just in time, beckoning him to the front passenger seat.
Once in the car, seeing Xu Lin’s improved complexion, Su Qingwan sighed in relief. She was worried he might feel unwell but insisted on going to school.
“Buckle up.”
Su Qingwan instructed, then took a slight sniff and turned her head towards him.
“Teacher, what are you doing?”
“Why do you smell like perfume?”
“Impossible. My mom doesn’t use perfume.”
Xu Lin was sure Chu Qingchan didn’t use perfume because she woke up at 10 a.m., didn’t wear makeup, and even managed to defeat him in a plate competition. Could it be that feisty blonde loli?
“That’s strange…”
“Teacher, I was at home, not outside, but it seems like you’re investigating whether your husband is having an affair.”
“Xu Lin, if you keep teasing me, you’ll have to do double the English homework for me.”
“…Sorry…”
“But don’t you and Ji Yun have anything going on? Lately, it seems you two have been close; teachers were discussing it in the WeChat group.”
“Why are you all so gossip-y?”
“Who isn’t? Teachers are ordinary people too.”
“Yeah, by the way, it looks like you’ve already prepared your lines for tonight.”
“I have. But Xu Lin, there’s something I haven’t told you; it’s about Jia Qing.”
“Go ahead.”
“Actually, it’s not the things he did in high school that bother me the most. It’s that he later played with two girls feelings.”
“Moreover, these two girls are both outstanding, and one of them was my college classmate.”
“That day, at our class reunion, when I heard her cry about it to us, I really wished I could go after him with my sisters.”
“Of course, I didn’t know it was him at the time. I found out later, so I can’t forgive him for hurting and manipulating women’s feelings.”
“So, Xu Lin, even though you’ve helped me a lot, you’re still young and haven’t experienced much of the world. You’re a good kid; don’t turn into that kind of man.”
“Don’t play both sides. If you like a girl, treat her well. Of course, I’m not telling you to start dating now.”
“Teacher, why do you think I would become that kind of person?”
Xu Lin felt a bit frustrated. Chu Qingchan had just warned him not to fall in love with two women, and now Teacher Su was cautioning him against playing both sides too.
Am I really that much of a scumbag? He asked himself, but then he thought about the system. After having the system, he did start to feel a bit… Now he had several people with increased goodwill towards him.
However, this goodwill, although from them to him, was also generated between him and them. Right now, he considers them just friends, even though goodwill originated… But what if it continued to rise?
Could he truly remain just friends if the goodwill increased? If he got into a relationship with someone, would he give up developing goodwill with others?
Although none of them had truly fallen in love with him at the moment, Ji Yun was still inexperienced, and Su Qingwan and Chu Qingchan were grateful for his help.
But in the future, if the goodwill was high with multiple people, would he have to make a choice? If he didn’t choose, he’d be a scumbag. If he chose and made others sad, it’d still be scummy.
Should he give up the favorability system now? But he had already taken the first step. Could he be a bit more bold and a bit more greedy?
A wild idea appeared in his mind. Perhaps it would never come true, but dreams, precisely because they’re dreamlike, make people aspire.
The teacher’s consideration is correct. I really am a scumbag! But scumbags definitely make girls sad. He realised he couldn’t stand seeing his loved ones upset.
What Grandma said is true: treating everyone sincerely, be it a lover, family member, or friend, is perhaps the most important thing.
We are currently recruiting. CN/KR/JP Translators/MTLers are welcome!
Discord Server: https://discord.gg/HGaByvmVuw