Mrs. Ji's efforts to instill values in Ji Tian ended in failure.
After experiencing initial trepidation before slacking off, Ji Tian had now mastered the art of laziness.
Perhaps this was the most satisfactory outcome she could have after enduring the life of a social drudge.
What troubled her the most was the slow progress of the Faith Value because, upon seeing her ranking, Jian Chuyi decided to exert herself and even endure Ji Tian playing her favorite games.
Ji Tian sighed, children grow up and aren't easily fooled anymore.
And the entire class was invigorated by Shen Zhiyi, collectively hitting the books, making life difficult for someone who just wanted to slack off.
Ji Weinan had also been mysteriously busy these past few days: leaving before the chickens and returning after the dogs, even refusing to go to the snack street; Ji Tian wondered what he was up to in private.
Wednesday was sunny and all living things seemed lovable—a perfect day for sleeping.
Jian Chuyi eyed the degenerate Ji Tian with envy but held firm to her own moral compass; she loved studying, and studying loved her in return, so she was determined not to slack off again.
In the middle of it all, Ji Tian had a good sleep, then woke up to listen to a few dozen minutes of class.
During the break of the last period, Ji Tian mulled over what tasty treats to bring Qin Jiangsheng later and whether she should teach him beginning with physics.
That subject seemed rather difficult.
As her thoughts wandered, a quarrel erupted from behind.
"Shen Zhiyi, let Yao Yao eat whatever she wants, why are you meddling so much?" a girl's voice piped up, sharp and obviously confrontational.
Ji Tian looked over to see three people at the back table in a dispute; on the right was the fangirl called Bei Ning from the other day, in the center a chubby girl named Yao Yao with a cup of milk tea and looking troubled, and on the right an earnest-faced Shen Zhiyi.
The noise attracted the attention of the whole class.
Shen Zhiyi stood her ground, "If she wants to lose weight, she shouldn't drink the milk tea. I want her to have some self-control."
Bei Ning had long been irritated by Shen Zhiyi, particularly because she got to sit with her own idol, and retorted, "Yao Yao hasn't said she wants to diet. Why are you making decisions for her? Who do you think you are, expecting her to listen to whatever you say?"
Caught between the two, Yao Yao was almost in tears, "Please stop arguing, I just won't drink it."
Ji Tian clicked her tongue, feeling this had nothing to do with her and was about to look away when the King of Competition spoke up, [Ding! A time-limited double reward hidden mission is activated: help Yao Yao successfully drink the milk tea and receive double Faith Value. Host, would you like to accept the mission?]
Ji Tian's eyes lit up; sleep had indeed brought her a pillow. She had been fretting over no progress, and promptly clicked very certain.
[Watch an advertisement for 30 seconds to commence the mission.]
Ji Tian: "..."
Another advert? Please don't tell her it's another 'watch a dog rescue' thing.
But she chose to watch it anyway.
Studying X
Being proactive X
Reading novels ✓
[In her previous life, she was the most esteemed legitimate daughter of the Marquis Mansion. Since her marriage wasn't to a human, it led to the devastation of her whole family. Reborn, she fights the stepmother, tears apart the scumbag sister, tramples on the scumbag man, and once again grasps power, determined to rewrite history for herself. By accident, she entangles with the formidable Regent King. When she murders, he hands her the knife; a couple that teams up to return home safely.]
After reading the summary of the entire novel, Ji Tian: "..."
It was so inspirational that it left her at a loss for words.
"Task initiated, please complete the task in a timely manner, Host."
At this moment, Yao Yao was already in tears, ready to throw away her milk tea.
Ji Tian stood up and immediately intervened, "Wait a second!"
Shen Zhiyi's slightly uplifted lips fell as she looked at Ji Tian, only to see Ji Tian forcefully place the milk tea in front of Yao Yao, stating earnestly, "Drink! Without a full stomach, where will you get the energy to lose weight?"
Yao Yao's eyes widened. Ji Tian, who usually didn't interfere in others' matters, was actually letting her drink milk tea and even telling her that she wouldn't have the energy to lose weight without eating properly?
She really wanted to drink it, but felt pressured by Shen Zhiyi.
She wasn't from a very wealthy family, her only advantage was her intelligence, which got her into the top class.
Shen Zhiyi narrowed her eyes slightly, "She's already so overweight, drinking more of this will only make her fatter, not drinking is the way to control her weight."
Ji Tian held up her index finger and shook it, "No, no, no, let me educate you: milk, high-quality protein; tea, a good product for fat reduction. When combined, they can promote metabolism. At this time, run a few laps on the track, and with vitality and motivation, losing a hundred and eighty pounds won't be a problem."
Yao Yao: "..."
Although it was slightly exaggerated, it struck a chord with her. Don't ask—it was exactly what she wanted to do.
She swallowed, "Can I really drink it?"
Ji Tian couldn't understand, "Do what you want to do, why listen to what others say? Life is hard enough as it is, having to listen to this and that, if you can't act according to your own will, then what's the point of life?"
She looked around, "I strongly disapprove of this whole 'rat race' behavior. Be ambitious when you need to be, rest when you should. There's no need to wake up at four or five in the morning to study and only sleep after midnight. You'll miss out on many beautiful scenes and even weaken your interpersonal relationships at school. We only live once, so why not enjoy life while staying ahead."
Jian Chuyi looked at Ji Tian with teary eyes, ah, ah, ah, these were all her true feelings. She didn't want to compete endlessly either, but everyone in her class seemed to be trying to outdo each other to death, and in such an environment, her mental pressure had greatly increased.
Meanwhile, Yao Yao felt like Ji Tian was emanating a divine light at that moment. Right, we only live once, why not do as she pleases? She just wanted to drink milk tea.
So she inserted a straw and took a delightful sip, "So, should I run a couple of laps after finishing this drink?"
Ji Tian nodded with satisfaction, "You can drink less, but don't completely deprive yourself. Dieting won't help you lose weight, but exercise will."
Feeling the gaze, Ji Tian met Shen Zhiyi's eyes, feeling a chill in her heart. When she tried to look more carefully, Shen Zhiyi had already looked away.
"Ding, Faith Value +2, Laziness Power 6%, please choose which attribute to add for yourself, Host."
Ji Tian returned to her seat, knowing that completing the task was what mattered.
She looked at her various attribute values.
Her Life Value remained gray, and she didn't understand why, so she asked the King of Competition in her mind, "What's going on with my Life Value? Why is it still gray and unlit?"
"There's no way around it, according to the book, your fate is to be dragged into jail at age 22 and die of depression during your three years there, passing away at 25. That's an ending I can't change either."
Ji Tian felt a chill through her heart, "Didn't you say that lighting these up might change my fate?"
The King of Competition spoke in its usual flat tone, "It might change the outcome of you not going to jail, but it can't change the time of death. If that could really change, it would be a miracle."