Awakening Elementary School System in University
Chapter 8: Since We’re Already Here

Chapter 8: Chapter 8: Since We’re Already Here

In the end, Chen Lin promised to treat his three brothers to barbecue on the fourth floor of the cafeteria before the holiday break.

Although Fatty Zhao and the others were still grumbling, "You’re getting off easy, kid," deep down, they believed Chen Lin.

After all, Chen Lin had been their roommate for almost two years, and they had a pretty good idea of which girls he usually hung out with.

He really didn’t have any connection to Shen Yan.

’So, is it possible he was really just discussing math with Shen Yan?’

The three of them were a little curious as to how Chen Lin had suddenly become so good at math.

However, they all had a tacit understanding not to ask. After all, everyone has their little secrets.

...

Early the next morning, Chen Lin was woken up by his phone vibrating nonstop.

He blearily fumbled for his phone; the screen was lit up with a WeChat message from Li Zihan.

It was a screenshot of the campus forum post from last night: "SHOCKING! Math Department Goddess Shen Yan Suspected to Be in a Relationship! Spotted Chatting Intimately With a Mysterious Man Outside Her Department Building After Dinner!"

Below the screenshot was a cheeky emoji.

Li Zihan: [How’s it feel? [Grabs popcorn] [Grabs popcorn] [Grabs popcorn]]

Chen Lin’s eyelid twitched. All his sleepiness was gone.

He opened the campus forum app, and sure enough, the post had been bumped to the top of the homepage, marked with a fiery red "HOT" tag.

He clicked on it and saw there were already over a thousand replies.

The top comment was from a user named "Captain of Goddess Yan’s Guard": "Don’t believe or spread rumors. We’re waiting for an official denial from Goddess Yan! The only thing on her mind is studying!"

Hundreds of replies swarmed below it.

"Supporting the captain! Goddess Yan belongs to mathematics, not to any man!"

"Exactly. That photo’s so blurry it looks like it’s been censored. On what grounds are you calling her Goddess Yan?"

Scrolling down further, the tone of the comments started to shift.

"BOOHOOO, my goddess is gone. I’m heartbroken. Who’s treating me to barbecue on the fourth floor tonight? Let’s drink until we drop!"

"Who’s the pig that dug up our school’s prize cabbage? Show yourself!"

"Everyone, disperse. I just heard from a friend in the math department that Goddess Yan really was with a guy yesterday. And apparently, he’s from the literature department."

"What? The literature department?! On what grounds? How is some liberal arts major worthy of our Goddess Yan? Does he know Analytic Geometry? Can he solve partial differential equations?"

"To the poster above: calm down. What if the guy is just really handsome?"

"Being handsome isn’t everything! If their intellectual depth and academic level don’t match, a relationship like that is doomed to fail!"

Chen Lin couldn’t help but laugh as he read.

’These people really have too much time on their hands.’

He sent an emoji back to Li Zihan.

Chen Lin: [Bored.jpg]

He casually opened his profile page, scrolled through his post history, and found the promotional post for his errand-running service from almost a year ago.

[Yan University’s most reliable errand runner! Food from the cafeteria, bubble tea runs, package pickups—rain or shine, I deliver! Fair prices, honest service! If interested, please add WeChat XXXX...]

Chen Lin stared at the post for two seconds, then deleted it without a second thought.

’My lord, the times have changed.’

’I’m a guy with a System now. I’ve got to think bigger.’

’Besides, what if I can’t hide my "Little Champion"-enhanced physique anymore and someone exposes me? Wouldn’t I just become an internet joke?’

’"If you got the Flash’s powers, what would you do?"’

’"I’d deliver takeout! That way I could deliver the most orders and make the most money!"’

’Instant social death.’

Chen Lin considered his options. It was time to streamline his part-time jobs.

The errand-running, which was pure physical labor, could be dropped completely.

The tutoring, the bar gigs, and the new math consulting job for Shen Yan—those three could stay.

’One lets me get a pretty girl’s WeChat, another is a chance to relax each week with a cute kid like Yaoyao, and the last one... well, the pay is just too good.’

’Perfect.’

After sorting everything out on his phone, Chen Lin felt refreshed. He got out of bed, washed up, and prepared to head to his major course.

He had just stepped out of his dorm building when his phone rang. It was a WeChat voice call from Shen Yan.

Chen Lin swiped to answer, and her signature crisp voice immediately came through the earpiece.

"Chen, are you up? I’m not bothering you, am I?"

"No, I just got up. I’m on my way to class. What’s up?"

"It’s like this," Shen Yan said, speaking quickly and getting right to the point. "I went over the project materials from the professor again last night, and there are still a lot of things I can’t figure out. The content is much more complex than our modeling competition. I wanted to ask when you’re free this week. I’d like to hire you to help me look at it, for the price we agreed on yesterday."

Listening to her, Chen Lin noted that she hadn’t mentioned the forum post once, not a single word from beginning to end.

He was almost certain that she either hadn’t seen it at all or had seen it and paid it no mind.

’What a personality...’

Chen Lin couldn’t help but chuckle. ’Socially, she might be a handful, but as a client, this pure, focused personality is an absolute breeze to work with.’

"I’m free Wednesday afternoon. Let’s touch base then."

"Okay, great! I’ll contact you again tomorrow evening then! I won’t disturb your class!"

After hanging up, Chen Lin shook his head and walked into the academic building, ready for his morning class: Appreciation of Chinese and Western Literary Trends.

The Chinese Language and Literature Department was sarcastically known for its "pay tuition for self-study" approach. Accordingly, Chen Lin had spent his first two years of university just coasting by with a "Cs get degrees" mentality.

But Yannan University was, after all, a top-tier institution, and its administration was relatively strict. Attendance for required major courses, in particular, was very tightly monitored.