Chapter 5: The First Lottery Draw

Su Huai pressed the ice-cold cola against his cheek to cool down, his gaze calmly fixed on Chen Nuanhan.

[Hard Work Goal 1: Chen Nuanhan]

[Favorability: 10+]

[Eligible for one lottery draw, do you want to open the Favorability Lucky Wheel now?]

[Note: Rewards will be more inclined to reflect her talents, abilities, and attributes due to favorability coming from Chen Nuanhan.]

Huh?

This is somewhat interesting...

Looking at it this way, the rewards drawn would vary according to different anchoring targets?

Then these three chances are more precious than I thought they would be.

It's not surprising that Chen Nuanhan only has a Favorability Rating of just over 10; the current Su Huai is quite compelling, knowing that for her, he's just one of the countless secret admirers, just a stranger from the same class.

It's also possible that his previous Favorability Rating was a bit higher but was pinched off by Su Huai's frivolous action...

Who cares, I can always grind it back sooner or later. Those minor details aren't important.

"Open it!"

Su Huai didn't hesitate and immediately began his first attempt.

A wheel emerged on the system panel, divided into 20 equal-angle segments, each representing an equal 5%.

The prize zones were divided into four colors, 1 gold, 3 red, 6 blue, 10 white.

It was easy to understand that the jackpot had a 5% chance, while the white prizes had a 50% chance.

After a careful look, Su Huai felt pity that only on the white zone were the names of the gifts written, which was 100,000 dog food; the rest were question marks.

So, the worst prize for Chen Nuanhan's 10 points of favorability is 100,000 dog food?

Su Huai's heart began to thump wildly.

He didn't want the top-tier rewards; he only wanted that 100,000 dog food.

The system store had many items available for purchase, and the prices for the first buy were quite cheap; this was much better than those flashy but useless trinkets.

How long would I have to wait for Chen Nuanhan to spend her own money to accumulate that much dog food for me? Isn't it better to just draw it directly?

Right now, Su Huai's greatest wish was... deep blue, make it thicker!

In the tense atmosphere, the wheel's pointer slowly came to a halt, passing the white dog food zone and stopping in the adjacent red zone.

Huh?

A 15% hit rate, second prize on the entire wheel, that's a win, right?

But I really wanted that dog food...

Half with regret and half with trepidation, he waited two seconds before the reward exploded.

[Congratulations to the host for drawing Chen Nuanhan's top-notch Pulling Skills, Pulling ability +40, a less than serious skills panel has now been opened]

Su Huai clenched his fist excitedly, suddenly uninterested in dog food.

Good grief, give whatever is lacking, right?!

The main reason a playboy is a dog is that they know how to give but not how to take back; they lick so eagerly that it's as if they're drenched in oil, seemingly wild and unrestrained, but actually, they have no rhythm at all.

Playboys and playgirls, on the other hand, know how to advance and retreat, moving back and forth, making others hooked and irresistibly comfortable.

Being reborn, Su Huai theoretically should have an overwhelming advantage over his peers in terms of experience, knowledge, and mentality, but when it comes to interacting with the opposite sex, his practical skills were not high.

How many middle-aged salarymen are skilled at pulling? Raise your hand, let me see!

If they were truly good at it, they wouldn't have been losers in the first place.

And a loser reborn would still, in the short term, be a theoretical king but a practical rookie, requiring a lot of time to level up their skills.

For some with particularly poor talent, they might build a billion-dollar business and still be die-hard straight men.

Being a straight man isn't bad, but Su Huai is in a rush to earn Gold Coins, right?

If I fawn over you, I'm a playboy; if you fawn over me, it's censored. I prefer the latter.

Sighing contentedly, Su Huai opened his personal panel again.

[Host: Su Huai]

[Comprehensive Physique: 68 points]

[Comprehensive Intelligence and EQ: 66 points]

[Looks 62, Physique 65, Health 71, Strength 69]

[Overall Assessment: Not a weakling but not outstanding either; a male college student whose advantage is youth with a huge downside potential.]

Good grief, am I still at the peak of my attributes?

Su Huai disliked the words "huge downside potential," it made it seem like there was an endless downhill road ahead.

But that was indeed the case.

Young people don't appreciate their looks and physique at 20. By the time they're in their thirties to forties, with a half-bald head, slack muscles, a protruding belly, and starting to split streams while peeing, then they will understand what "an unavoidable plight in middle age, brewing goji berries in a thermos cup" means.

To be honest, back then, Su Huai genuinely felt timid at heart when sparring with women his age.

He had never won at video games, but never lost when leaning on walls. His favorite catchphrase was, "Back in the day when I was young..."

So when Su Huai saw his somewhat mediocre stats, he was not at all disheartened; in fact, he was quite happy.

One moment he was urinating in three different directions, and the next, he was back at his peak. It was exhilarating.

Even though that peak wasn't very high, he could work hard, right?

Run 200 meters a day, do 5 push-ups, and slowly build from there... weren't six-pack abs within easy reach?

Rebirth is such a joy...

Rebirth plus a system is joy multiplied, whoopee!~~~

Looking forward to opening the "Unserious Skill Panel" again, Su Huai took only a glance before hurriedly closing it.

That's not me, that's not me...

He muttered to himself a few times, ready to completely forget the panel.

Whatever skills it contained would remain his eternal secret. Don't ask, whosoever asks shall be silenced!

...

Crouching there for about a minute, Wu Tianyou finally retrieved his and Chen Nuanhan's luggage, scurrying back to claim credit.

"Nuannuan, see if anything's missing? If everything's here, let's go... Eh? Old Su, why are you squatting there again? How many graves did you dig that you still haven't cried enough? Do you even realize how big of an issue you've caused?"

Seizing the opportunity, he couldn't wait to stomp on Su Huai once more.

If it had been the 19-year-old Su Huai, he would have gotten irritated by now, surely jumping up to have a brawl with him.

But now...

Su Huai messed up his hair and suddenly stood up.

The movement startled Wu Tianyou, but Su Huai didn't bother with him at all.

Turning to look into Chen Nuanhan's eyes, he spoke with genuine sincerity, "I'm sorry, I just got a message from my mom that my best friend from childhood suddenly passed away. I couldn't control my emotions for a moment—I was completely dazed then, feeling like everything before my eyes was unreal, so... Anyway, I didn't do it on purpose, and thank you for comforting me."

Upon hearing this, Chen Nuanhan immediately felt appeased.

She did not doubt his words at all, because Su Huai's earlier breakdown was too sudden and too impactful to be an act—it was certainly something serious.

Thinking this, she even started to see him as someone genuine and deeply emotional.

Having a severe princess complex did not mean she was malicious.

"It's okay, it's okay, I didn't really help with anything..."

Her expression was very gentle, her voice soft and delicate, as if afraid of provoking Su Huai further, "Stay strong. He surely wouldn't want to see you like this... You're quite sentimentally attached, so it's really fortunate to be your friend."

Wu Tianyou was dumbfounded.

Something seemed off about this conversation, didn't it?

"It's not like you, Old Su. What exactly did you do to Nuanhan just now?"

He was anxious, but it just so happened that he touched on Chen Nuanhan's sore spot, and as expected, got scolded, "Can you shut up for once? Are you asking for trouble? Hurry up, aren't we going to check in?!"

Her rising tone added a touch of fierce arrogance.

Although it was common for Northeastern girls to be fierce, Chen Nuanhan was not usually like this, and Wu Tianyou was criticized until he was downcast.

And what hurt even more was that right after scolding him, Chen Nuanhan immediately softened her tone towards Su Huai.

"Let's go, Su Huai. We should head to check in. If you have time this evening, let's go out and you can unwind a bit."

In reality, "if you have time" meant "we'll see, depending on how you act," but Chen Nuanhan's way of talking was particularly lethal to young men.

The most important thing was that it cost her nothing—the promise of that pie in the sky was enough to sustain them for many days.

Su Huai naturally responded positively, "Thanks, you're really nice."

"It's nothing, let's go."

Chen Nuanhan's lips curved into a shallow smile. She seemed to not care much, but as she turned around, every strand of her hair seemed to dance with excitement.

Wu Tianyou was so perturbed it nearly gave him a heart attack. He was in complete disarray, his expression more pitiful than Yuan Hua's own.

The dagger had struck right in his heart.

He no longer had the heart to hound Su Huai and glowered at him before hurriedly following Chen Nuanhan with his luggage in tow.

"Hey, Nuannuan, wait for me..."

Watching the two receding figures, Su Huai's smile held profound meaning.

Women do not pity weak men, but they sympathize with strong men when they occasionally show vulnerability, triggering a protective instinct rooted deep in their genes.

Su Huai wasn't yet strong enough, but when he provided a reasonable explanation, turning the situation around to his benefit was a piece of cake.

The favorability he had lost was all pulled back, and now he had established a good image. Touching her earlobe had been like getting something for nothing.

Tch, the system really picked the right person. I'm just too suited for this kind of effort...

Thinking this, Su Huai sauntered leisurely towards the university's entrance.