CHAPTER 3

Aaron raised his hand to shield the wind while trying to light the cigarette. But when the tobacco was about to catch fire, he put away the lighter.

System: "Not smoking?"

Aaron said, "Ericn took care of his voice for so long; I can't let him down."

The system didn't say anything and adjusted the warmth mode it had opened since a while ago by half a degree.

When Aaron returned to the car with the unlit cigarette in his mouth, his body wasn't Aaronlled by the cold wind; it was still warm.

He thought, this young master has a good body, quite resistant to the cold.

Thinking this, Aaron bit the filter and started the car, leaving the cemetery, heading home at a leisurely pace.

Passing by a soy milk shop, Aaron stopped the car and put the cigarette back in his pocket.

Before coming to pick up Brain, Aaron had specifically checked Erci's schedule for today, which mentioned going to Sun's Soy Milk Shop to buy soy milk for his Brain.

This shop's handmade soy milk was stone-ground, with a delicate taste that Brain loved.

After being with Brain, Eric had accompanied him to many breakfast stalls, determining his favorite soy milk flavor, but gradually forgot that he himself didn't like soy milk.

Aaron also didn't like soy milk, so he wouldn't force himself.

He bought himself a bowl of red bean porridge and two cups of soy milk for Brain.

During the wait for packaging, Aaron, filled with hope, asked the system, "If he drinks these two cups of soy milk, how much will his favorability increase?"

System: "..."

The atmosphere was akin to discussing the scientific rearing of pigs.

However, Aaron's emotional adjustment was quite good; it seemed that the cemetery matter didn't affect him too much.

When Aaron returned to the car, the hypnosis card's effect had worn off, and Brain woke up, busy with his phone in the back seat.

Eric, with a bright smile, shook the two cups of soy milk: "Woke up hungry, both of these are for you. We'll buy some good buns up ahead later."

Brain, upon opening his eyes, gained 13 points of favorability out of thin air. Initially indifferent towards Eric's attitude, the scent of soy milk warmed his heart, and seeing Eric's clean smile, his favorability increased by another three points. "Good."

Aaron said to the system, "Look, 62 points, just passed."

System: "... One should have some aspirations in life."

He felt like an old father, earnestly advising his silly son who was pleased with just passing.

Aaron suggested, "Let's set off fireworks to celebrate."

System: "Don't be silly."

Aaron said, "Fine. Add some sugar to my mung bean porridge, I forgot earlier."

The system felt a bit desperate. "Mr. Aaron, what do you consider the favorability of the mission target?"

Aaron confidently replied, "As points. You said you could exchange, so I'm exchanging."

System: "..."

He suddenly regretted letting Aaron know about the warehouse exchange system.

The system used 1 point of favorability to exchange for a little sugar from the warehouse, mixed it into the soft-packaged hot porridge, and stirred it diligently.

In the back seat, Brain observed Eric through the rearview mirror, hesitating to speak.

Aaron let him struggle for a while before expressing concern, "Brain, what's wrong? Car sickness?"

Brain made up his mind.

Leaning forward, he asked, "Are you busy lately?"

"Busy. Very busy."

Although he said so, Eric's voice exuded vitality, full of a spoiled tone.

Brain asked, "How's the songwriting going?"

Eric, initially wanting to talk endlessly, but aware that Brain was a big STEM enthusiast and not very interested in his profession, swallowed the words. "Still working on the lyrics."

Brain said, "Eric, I want to discuss something with you."

"Go ahead."

Brain said, "My parents and third sister are coming next week. You're busy with songwriting now, and my third sister might bring her kid. If it bothers you, it won't be good."

Aaron, enthusiastically analyzing the situation for the system, said, "See that? He's trying to get rid of me."

The system remained silent.

Aaron's speculation wasn't entirely baseless. At this time, Brain hadn't tell the truth to his family.

More accurately, until he married a beautiful mixed-race girl, aside from Brain's parents and his cousin Catherine, no one knew that Brain had once been a homosexual.

Even on the original timeline, despite the generosity of the original owner, he knew that Brain's excuse wasn't well-crafted.

Due to a dispute over the car that Eric's elder brother gifted, they had an unpleasant argument. Eric complained, "Am I that unbearable to be seen?" They quarreled fiercely, and that night, Brain even slept on the couch.

Fortunately, Eric, with a large heart and a forgiving nature, rolled onto the couch early the next morning, proactively reconciling with Brain.

Holding his phone, leaning against Brain's chest, Eric said, "Look, I'm going to stay at my friend's place next week. Just for a week. Don't be angry, okay?"

When Aaron received information about the timeline, he thought, "Little comrade, you might be a bit naive."

If there were any dissatisfaction, it could certainly be expressed, but expressing it had to be done with a certain finesse.

Eric paused, not responding immediately.

Brain felt uneasy, observing Eric's expression through the rearview mirror.

Soon, Eric grinned, revealing a row of small white teeth. "Sure."

His pinky lightly rubbed against the steering wheel cover, "Your parents definitely won't want to stay in a hotel; they find it too expensive. The conditions of the nearby guesthouses are also poor. They've come all this way; making them use public toilets, with no guarantee of 24-hour hot water, is not ideal."

After saying so much in one breath, he looked up, smiling reassuringly at Brain through the rearview mirror, full of comfort.

Then, he lowered his long lashes, and the warm yellow light from the street lamp outside slid perfectly across his cheek.

"But our home is just a one-bedroom apartment. By then, your parents will sleep in the master bedroom, you'll sleep on the couch. Should I also prepare two air mattresses for my third sister and her Aaronld?"

After a string of murmurs, he raised his eyes again to seek Brain's opinion through the rearview mirror.

But in the time it took to say one sentence, Eric's eyes revealed a hint of redness, a mistiness that, when hit by the light outside the window, shone brightly.

Realizing he had lost composure, Eric quickly shifted his gaze away, coughed, as if trying to cover something up.

Brain's heart skipped a beat, "Eric."

Realizing he had been discovered, Eric, helpless, raised his eyes again, staring at Brain, squinting, smiling tenderly, indicating that he was fine.

Under the gaze of those eyes, Brain's heart melted.

He understood his own dilemma, knowing he wasn't ready to come out to his parents, so despite feeling upset, he was still trying to accommodate himself.

A tinge of guilt enveloped Brain's heart.

"Eric, I'll find you a hotel."

Eric didn't refuse, playfully saying with a nasal tone, "Hmm. I want to stay in a good one, a five-star hotel."

Brain chuckled, going along with him, "Yes, yes, a five-star hotel."

The system was very surprised.

This performance was a truly continuous shot.

Aaron's micro-expressions were amazingly coordinated, even the changes in light and shadow outside the car window were used to perfection.

If this were a set, no matter from which angle it was captured, his expressions were flawless.

The system had hastily skimmed through Aaron's information, knowing that before crossing over, he was a model, an actor with numerous fans in both black and white.

At 26 years old, with a modeling background, immersed in a muddy sea of fans, analyzing various data, Aaron seemed to be a star who relied on his looks to gain fans rather than an actor.

But the situation seemed to be different.

The system decided to take some time to study Aaron's situation more and end the adaptation period quickly, improving task efficiency.

Compared to other systems, system061 was always very focused on efficiency when doing tasks.

And Aaron had gained a lot from this performance.

He exclaimed with satisfaction, "System, system, favorability increased by 15 points, remorse value increased by 6 points."

The system also received a series of notifications, "Well, keep it up."

Aaron said, "As usual, exchange a card."

The system: "... Where did this 'usual' come from?"

Aaron said, "What kind of card can I get with 15 points? ... Forget it, send me the warehouse data tonight; I'll translate it myself."

System: "... Fine."

Aaron asked again, "Can unused cards be brought into the next world?"

System: "... Yes."

Aaron was even happier, "Great. How many cards are there in the warehouse? If I collect the whole set, is there any reward?"

The system had to remind him, "Mr. Aaron, we are a serious system, not a card collecting game."

Aaron said, "I like card collecting games. I used to have one on my old phone and I only needed 6 more heroes out of 513."

Talking about this, Aaron sighed in pain, "... After this incident, I don't know how long it will take to collect them."

This was truly cruel to someone with a collecting addiction.

The system ignored him, and Aaron shrugged it off.

They were almost at their destination.

The residential area they rented had no free parking, so Aaron parked the car on the side of the road outside the community.

As he pulled out the car key, Aaron turned his head and saw Eric's reflection on the car window.

In a natural state, the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned, like a small sapling nurtured by love.

No one could have expected that this lively and innocent young man would attempt suicide by cutting his wrists in a town in a foreign country three years later, all due to moderate depression.