As she wheeled him along the quiet road leading close to a hill, Zhang Hien who just finished counting the crisp notes in his hands looked up at Jiang Meiying in atonishmennt.
"Twenty five dollars."
{Host profile}
{EXP:25}
{Life span: 9 days}
{shop:locked}
"Does this mean 5 EXP equals 5 days?" She asked the system in her mind. They could communicate that way without having to impliacte her.
"It's irregular. The system has its way of calculating it. Sometimes it's lower than this or higher."
"Hmmm... " She suddenly said out loud while Zhang Hien just sat there, enjoying the evening breeze caressing his skin and hair.
Sigh.
It's been so long since he last went out for fresh air like this when no one was willing to help him out like Jiang Meiying was doing.
Suddenly she stopped Infront of a large hill which was steep but coarse enough for someone to climb.
"Does your head hurt?" He asked, recountering the experience she had when her scalp was pulled back painfully by her hair. He didn't want to talk about the way she defended herself because he felt it was too personal. Maybe she had begun to take martial art classes? But how could she afford it?
The Jiang Meiying he saw, brutally hitting and kicking those snobbish girls was different from the same one that left to clean a vase by late noon today.
"I'm okay."
He had to ask, because he was wondering how she was going to run up and down the hill. He couldn't discourage her from working out, but he couldn't help but feel worried and anxious each time she climbed down the steep-looking hill with great speed.
Seeing her so determined and strong-willed, going up and down many times up the hill despite the sweat pouring out her skin pores, caused his heart to swell. When it looked like she was ready to stop, a screen popped up before her. Her small eyes grew wide.
{Quest: Run up and down the hill 25 times}
{Completed quest; gift package: 5 EXP, 2 extra days life span }
"The quest is quite difficult and almost impossible with someone of my stature but the gift package is very tempting. I'll have to do it." She muttered.
Determination, aided with her adamancy, a strong resolve was built in her mind as she began climbing up the hill much to the surprise of Zhang Hien.
He sat there and watched and she ran up like a missile and ran back down before speeding up again. This continued for a while, and a mist of admiration and pride clouded his vision as he stared at her, sweating in perspiration and heaving, breathing and panting hard as she slowly got tired.
But she completed the quest, collapsing at the top of the hill when she was done, her chest rising and falling in succession to her breath.
{Quest: Complete}
{EXP: 30}
{life span: 11 days}
As she panted, she said to the system,
"Does this mean the system will provide 5 dollars as well?"
It was a complete joke, and she wasn't expecting the answer she got.
"I think Zhang Hien should count the money again." It simply said, and she stopped panting as she looked back down at Zhang Hien.
"How much did you say Jiang Ming gave us?"
"Twenty five dollars... errrrr... Are you supposed to be leaning over the hill like that?"
"I'm fine. Can... you just... count it again? Just to be sure."
He was completely certain it was twenty five, but he did as she said and almost fell off his chair when he counted thirty.
Where had the extra five been hiding?
"It's Thirty."
It was more of a question than an announcement actually.
Jiang Meiying was ecstatic and was looking forward to more quests. This means she could also earn money from the system as well.
As she climbed back down, Zhang Hien quickly said.
"I'm sorry. I was certain I counted twenty five... I... "
Jiang Meiying sighed and pinched her forehead.
"Um... can you just... stop apologizing to me every time."
"Huh?"
"It was an honest, simple mistake. It's not like I would kill you, okay?"
He was left speechless, and didn't know when the money fell to the ground.
However, he snapped out of his reverie when she bent to pick it up.
"Are we heading home?" He asked, leaning back into his seat as she began pushing him forward.
"We're heading to the pharmacy."
Normally, he assumed she was heading there to get some aspirin like she had said but Jiang Meiying had other plans.
When they arrived at the pharmacy, the door automatically slid open and they got in. The two avoided the pair of eyes that was glued on them immediately.
"Isn't that the second young master of the Zhang family?"
"I suppose so, and... that would be his wife?"
"Wife?! She looks more like his mother than a wife. Have you seen her three chins?"
"Such a perfect couple. They are both useless in their own ways." Someone else snickered.
"I wonder what they're here for. I hear they're still living in the Jiang family's household because of the second young mistress, Jiang Miss. Such a blessed soul."
"... Unlike her sister. All she does is eat and hide in her sister's shadows. Shameless!"
Jiang Meiying completely ignored them, and stood Infront of a shelve in an aile, looking for something. After all, they weren't talking about 'her'. Zhang Hien's head was lowered at their words, and he felt so ashamed of himself, but he said nothing and resorted to staring at Jiang Meiying.
One of the customers was bold enough to approach them out of curiosity. Her smile was false, and her friends were right behind her, tittering.
The woman who had approached them had blonde hair and smoky black eyes, and she was very gorgeous. And of course, Jiang Meiying recognized her.
Wang Ting. Last daughter of the CEO of a Women's designer wear company. It was a huge and successful business and had made Wang Zhu one of the most richest men in the country.
His children were schooling abroad, and indulging in businesses, but he couldn't afford to live alone, and let Wang Ting remain by his side while she spent his money extravagantly.
What was she doing in a pharmacy?
Maybe she's getting some mentality pills.
She was in her first year in college and used to bully Jiang Meiying back in highschool because they were classmates before she repeated class.
"Ah. Jiang Meiying." She pretended to be surprised when Jiang Meiying turned to them with a nonchalant gaze. "I didn't know it was you."
She didn't reply, and kept looking at her like she was expecting her to say something still.
Zhang Hien fidgeted under everyone's gaze and dared not to look up.
Wang Ting smiled in satisfaction when she turned over her shoulders and noticed that everyone was looking.
"It's been so long since you two got married, I was wondering when you were going to get a baby bump," Everyone gasped as she continued. "Or... are you pregnant already, Jiang Meiying. You know it's hard to tell considering... " She let her voice trail off with a smirk while everyone laughed.
Zhang Hien could be mistaken for a riped tomatoe at Wang Ting's shameless words, but Jiang Meiying's next words turned him scarlet red.
"Is it wrong to get pregnant for my own husband?"