After calming the little girl down and watching Li Wenqian nibble on the fruit leather like a squirrel, Zhou Rui smiled slightly and took out the music sheet from his book.
Li Wenqian looked at it curiously. "What is this?"
Zhou Rui placed the sheet music in front of her and said with a smile, "A new song."
Her eyes lit up. "A new song? You wrote it? When?"
Zhou Rui replied nonchalantly, "I got bored in class, so I wrote a song."
Li Wenqian jumped up, clutching the sheet music, and exclaimed, "Zhou Rui, you're a genius! This is amazing!"
Her excitement drew the attention of a few passing students. Zhou Rui quickly covered her mouth. "Shh! Keep your voice down. If the teacher finds out, we'll both get into trouble."
She nodded earnestly, and once Zhou Rui let go, she lowered her voice. "Let me see it!"
Zhou Rui initially thought she wouldn't understand it, but to his surprise, Li Wenqian clumsily hummed the first eight beats.
"You can read musical notation?"
Li Wenqian explained, "After recording the last song, I secretly started learning it. Like you said, the rules are simple to grasp, but it's tough to become fluent."
Zhou Rui nodded thoughtfully. "You can take a picture of it with your phone and practice ahead of time. Tomorrow and Sunday, we'll go to Song Bin's house to record a demo. By the way, you've earned 5,780 yuan in revenue from Stars and Seas. What do you want me to do with it?"
Unconcerned, she replied while snapping photos of the sheet music, "You can hold onto it for me. I don't have a bank card. But can you bring me fruit leather every day?"
This casual remark revealed how much she trusted Zhou Rui. As for the fruit leather, she could easily buy it herself, but after losing the daily routine of walking to and from school with him, she instinctively wanted a way to maintain contact.
Zhou Rui didn't mind. He planned to stock up on fruit leather and stash it in his schoolbag, ensuring she got her daily share.
Seeing him agree, Li Wenqian felt a sense of joy as though she had reestablished a connection with him. But then, a thought struck her, and she hesitated.
"I heard someone in your class got caught dating recently and was criticized by Teacher Huang. Was it... you?"
When she first heard the rumors, she assumed she was the heroine. But to her dismay, the gossip revolved around a different girl—Han Ziyin.
Even though she didn't believe Zhou Rui would date so quickly, she couldn't ignore the fact that the other girl in question was special.
Han Ziyin, the transfer student, had become a sensation in Qinghe No. 1 Middle School.
Zhou Rui, busy with leveling up his system and writing songs, hadn't even noticed that his deskmate had gained such fame.
With her stunning looks, tall stature, and aloof demeanor, Han Ziyin was a "three-high" beauty—a perfect 90 in appearance, aura, and confidence. Coming from Shanghai, she stood out against the small-town vibe of Qinghe County. She quickly earned the title of "school beauty," leaving both boys and girls in awe.
Rumors of Zhou Rui and Han Ziyin being involved had naturally reached Li Wenqian's ears. Even if she didn't believe them, she couldn't help but bring it up.
Zhou Rui's response was immediate and exaggerated. "That's absurd! Miss Han and I are purely innocent!"
Li Wenqian reluctantly nodded and mumbled, "Okay, it's not a big deal. I was just worried it might affect your studies."
Zhou Rui chuckled inwardly. From today on, the last thing anyone needed to worry about was his studies.
In fact, her position as the school's top student might be at risk—because Zhou Rui was rising fast.
"Are we still meeting on Sunday at eight in the morning?" she asked.
"No, let's meet in the afternoon. I have something to do at noon."
"What is it?"
"I have lunch plans."
Before she could press for details, the class bell rang, and Zhou Rui turned to leave.
---
That afternoon, Zhou Rui spent his time perfecting the arrangement of his new song, "Youth." He adjusted small details and jotted down notes to improve its structure.
Han Ziyin noticed his intense focus but refrained from asking for the sheet music, quietly respecting his space.
By the end of the school day, Zhou Rui stretched his arms, finally finishing his revisions.
It was then that he made an important decision: he needed to reorganize his system's entry task bar.
---
The current state of his task bar was as follows:
Taskbar 1: Empty
Taskbar 2: [Inspiration] (Progress: 42/100)
Taskbar 3: [Perseverance] (Progress: 1/100)
After acquiring the [Autonomous Person] entry, one task slot had become vacant, but Zhou Rui hadn't decided how to fill it.
The [Perseverance] task, however, remained stagnant with only one pitiful experience point, revealing its difficulty. Zhou Rui suspected it required physical exercise to progress, but he hadn't had the time or space to focus on it.
He reviewed the two synthesis paths he had unlocked so far:
1. [Focused One] + [Perseverance] + [Luck] = [Chosen One]
2. [Inspiration] + [Light of Righteous Path] = [Flash of Inspiration]
Given the effort required to achieve a [Flash of Inspiration], Zhou Rui pondered where he might acquire [Light of Righteous Path]. Should he become a vigilante? Wear fishnet stockings and fight crime? Act as Qinghe County's friendly neighborhood hero?
He shook his head, amused by the absurdity of the idea.
Instead of forcing himself into tasks that didn't align with his circumstances, Zhou Rui decided to shift his focus.
He asked himself: What do I want to achieve in the next month before the college entrance exams?
The progress bar of [Perseverance] gave him an idea: strengthen his physical fitness. If this task was linked to exercise, then he could turn it into an advantage.
Zhou Rui filled the empty taskbar slot with a new objective: "Strengthen physical fitness."