Another summer vacation had arrived, and Lin Chen returned to his home in Peach Blossom Village.

With only half a year left until the college entrance exam, Lin Chen decided to make good use of this summer break to cram and get into a good university, find a good job, and provide a better life for his family.

As soon as Lin Chen entered the yard, he heard his mother's voice coming from inside the house.

"Husband, we should give the school spot to Chen. After all, he is the boy."

Lin Chen frowned upon hearing this and tiptoed to the doorway.

"Xiaowen has always been at the top of her class since primary school. If we make her drop out, I'm afraid she won't be able to handle it," his father's somber voice came from inside.

Mother's sighs came from the house: "But Lin Chen is after all our Lin family's bloodline. A daughter is like water splashed out, belonging to someone else's family eventually. One of them has to drop out of school."

Lin Chen finally understood the reason behind the conversation; his parents were worried about him and his sister's education.

The family used to be in good condition, with the father doing some small business outside plus the annual crop yield, supporting the siblings' education was not an issue.

However, six months ago, his father suddenly fell ill with a strange disease. After more than half a year of treatment, not only was the illness not cured, but the family's savings had also been nearly depleted, and they were in considerable debt, unable to afford the sibling's tuition fees.

Although Lin Chen really wanted to continue studying, he knew his sister, whose dream was always to go to university. Making her quit school would be like taking her life.

"It's all my fault, dragging down the children. Why did the heavens inflict this strange illness on me? Now, this half-dead state is even worse than death. At least I'd stop being a burden to the children..." As he spoke, a guilty sigh came from inside the house, followed by a dull thud.

"Husband, what are you doing?" Mother's crying voice came from inside the house, and then, to everyone's shock, the father also started to cry.

Hearing the crying of his parents from the house, Lin Chen's heart tightened and he rushed through the door.

Seeing his parents holding their heads, sobbing deeply, and the large bump on his father's forehead, Lin Chen's heart nearly shattered.

His father was a tough man, who never shrank from adversity, no matter how tough the times. If it weren't for being driven to desperation, he would never have contemplated death.

Lin Chen's heart was torn with pain. As a boy, such a serious matter had happened to the family, yet he had done nothing.

Shame, self-reproach, and humiliation flooded his mind, and in his agitation, his sharp fingernails had already embedded into his flesh.

"Mom and Dad, stop arguing," Lin Chen said with determination in his eyes. "I'll drop out, let Xiaowen continue her education."

When Lin Hai saw Lin Chen burst in, he was first startled, then hurriedly said, "Chen, let me think of something else, maybe I can borrow some more money from the neighbors. I will make sure both of you can finish your education."

Lin Chen, holding back tears, forced a smile: "Xiaowen is a better student than me. Even if I take the exam, I might not get into a good university. And our family already owes so much debt, who else would lend us money? Don't worry, Dad, I can take on the responsibility for our family."

"Son, it's really hard on you..." Seeing Lin Chen was insistent on dropping out, the father sighed deeply.

"Dad, you can never think of taking your life again. Hard times will pass, and our family's days will get better," Lin Chen pleaded, afraid his father might do something foolish again.

"Yes, I won't..." his father, patting Lin Chen's head, said reassuringly.

"Dad, Mom, you guys rest. I'll go take care of the pests in the crops."

"Alright, go ahead," his father nodded.

Leaving home, Lin Chen headed to the fields, dazedly carrying the pesticide sprayer.

Lin Chen and his sister had always been studying away from home; their parents had never mentioned the family's difficulties to them.

Thinking of his father who had considered death to lighten the burden on him and his sister, and his mother's eyes filled with despair, Lin Chen couldn't stop the tears from flowing down.

He knew without thinking about how hard his parents had worked in the past few years to put him and his sister through school, yet here he was, playing online games with his classmates and buying brand names. These thoughts filled his heart with regret and guilt.

"From now on, I, Lin Chen, must become stronger, to give my family a better life." Lin Chen clenched his fists tightly in resolve.

"Help, somebody help..."

As Lin Chen was lost in thought, suddenly a feeble cry for help came from Longquan River.

This was bad, someone had fallen into the water, and Lin Chen quickly ran toward the riverbank.

He saw a girl's figure in the center of the river, becoming less and less visible, as if she couldn't hold on any longer and would sink to the bottom at any moment.

Without a second thought, Lin Chen quickly jumped into the river.

Only when Lin Chen got close did he realize the struggling figure in the water was his classmate, Zhao Xiaowen.

It took a tremendous effort for Lin Chen to finally pull Zhao Xiaowen to safety.

Zhao Xiaowen was known in the village for her beauty, sweet and charming.

Lin Chen swallowed hard and said, "Xiaowen, aren't you a good swimmer? How did you end up drowning?"

"I, I got bitten by a poisonous snake in the water," Xiaowen said, her face deathly pale.

"What?" Lin Chen, who had just breathed a sigh of relief, felt his heart tighten once again.

"Where were you bitten?" Lin Chen asked urgently.

Upon hearing Lin Chen's words, Xiaowen's face turned a bright red, and although she opened her mouth several times, she couldn't bring herself to say it out loud.

"Hurry up, where? If it really was a poisonous snake, we need to squeeze out the venom quickly, or it could be fatal," Lin Chen said, growing impatient with Zhao Xiaowen's hesitance.

Zhao Xiaowen's cheeks flushed, and after biting her lip, she finally pointed and said, "It's here."

After squeezing out the venom, suddenly Lin Chen felt dizzy, and his body swayed before he collapsed to the ground.

"Damn it, I've been poisoned too."

By now, Lin Chen's lips had turned dark purple, and his cheeks had taken on a frightening bruised hue.

Lin Chen lay on the ground, feeling the breath of life slipping away from him.

"What about counterbalancing the good and the bad? Why has retribution come so quickly?" Lin Chen looked up at the sky, filled with indignation.

At that moment, a white light burst forth from the sky and shot towards Lin Chen.

"Damn, what is that?" Lin Chen wanted to dodge, but his body wouldn't respond.

Lin Chen watched, eyes wide open, as the white light struck him right between the eyebrows.

As the white light entered him, the numbness in his body gradually disappeared, and a cold voice echoed in his mind, "Popularity System successfully bound to host 'Lin Chen,' activation process starting now..."

PS: New book rolls around on the shelf begging for collection