When system cheat becomes rampant!

Chapter 91 Starting with Two Maps

I rang the doorbell, and it was Xiang Beifei who answered the door. His awkward eyes were filled with confusion, but after I explained my purpose, he hurriedly welcomed me into the house.

The room was dimly lit, and I could smell a strong scent of medicine, accompanied by the heavy coughing of an elderly man. Upon asking, I learned that Xiang Beifei was preparing medicine for his grandfather, who suffered from severe chronic asthma. His condition had flared up in recent days, causing intense coughing fits.

I asked him why he hadn't gone to the hospital?

He replied, "We don't have the money."

Upon hearing this, my heart felt heavy.

In this day and age of rapidly advancing technology, asthma has long been conquered, and yet some people still suffer from it due to poverty.

It turns out a speck of dust in the era of systems is a mountain on the shoulders of a level N Awakener.

The room was very cramped, with several big, bulging sacks piled up in a corner. After entering, the room felt even more crowded, leaving hardly any space to move around.

(Insert image of overcrowding)

Xiang Beifei apologetically brought me a chair. I asked if I could interview him, and he was shy in front of the camera, stating he didn't want his face to be shown.

I respected his choice and didn't post his photograph.

During our conversation, I learned that his parents had died when he was very young, and he had been living with his grandfather ever since. His grandfather supported his schooling by collecting recyclables.

Only then did I realize that the sacks in the corner were filled with plastic bottles.

I asked him what his plans for the future were, given his high test scores?

He said he planned to attend an ordinary university and then earn money to treat his grandfather's illness.

"What about Liangzhou University? It's the only one of the nine elite universities that recruits level N students. Won't you give it a try?" I asked further.

He shook his head, saying he wouldn't go. A vocational college had already contacted him. If he could attend, he would be exempt from tuition fees and also receive a subsidy. He wanted to use that money for his grandfather's medical treatment.

Attending Liangzhou University was almost an impossibility for a level N candidate, and even if admitted, the expenses would be enormous, which he couldn't afford.

I sighed inwardly.

The child was very sensible.

Reality was very cruel.

I couldn't help but wonder, what's wrong with our Jiuzhou Alliance? Why has a high-scoring student fallen to such a state? Why don't the nine elite universities recruit level N students, forcing a bright and high-scoring student to opt for a vocational college?

A vocational student with 732 points must be the most ironic thing in this era of systems.

When every one of us lives with the help of the system, everything seems to be taken for granted. But as the era of systems hastily marches forward, who really has the time to stop and consider these issues?

If this had happened to me, I probably would have handled it worse than him.

I also asked about his aspirations for the future, and he told me he wanted to become a doctor and cure his grandfather's illness.

His simple wish was inexplicably heart-wrenching.

Before leaving, I told him I knew a specialist at a hospital and would recommend him for his grandfather's treatment. He hesitated, so I made it clear that it was free, the specialist would help for free.

Only then did a relieved smile spread across the child's young face.

That smile lit up the dim room and rekindled hope in the family.

I distinctly saw the future in Xiang Beifei's eyes, bright and dazzling.

It was his tomorrow.

When his grandfather heard about this, he made an effort to get up from the bed despite his illness to thank me profusely. I quickly waved my hands and said, "No need, no need, I'm just doing what I can."

Seeing the excited grandfather and grandson, I felt terribly uncomfortable. All I could do was to help cover their medical costs.

The grateful pair saw me to the door, and in the moment before it closed, I couldn't hold back anymore and tears fell from my eyes.

I am not a level N Awakener, but at that moment, I felt no different from one.

May all the kind people in the world be treated with gentleness.

——

Xiang Beifei read the article with astonishment.

Sincere and touching, it resonated deeply! The article was grounded, with every word striking a chord!

If he weren't the person involved, he might have believed it himself!

Yu Lei was very skilled at writing such pieces, adept at using pitiful tales to garner sympathy, casting Xiang Beifei and his grandfather as if they were nearly too poor to eat.

Not one of the incidents mentioned in the article was true—they were all fabrications by Yu Lei.

To be clear, Xiang Qingde took life seriously, and though he lived in poverty, he kept the home tidy and clean, and was in good health. The garbage piles in the street outside simply didn't exist; the street cleaners came to clean up on time every day.

On the day Yu Lei came, Xiang Beifei didn't even go out to meet him, not exchanging a single word with him.

However, the article portrayed him as a youth with "eyes filled with hope."

Start with two pictures, and the rest was pure fabrications.

And the pictures were forged!

The guy crafted them with finesse, depicting Xiang Beifei as a green youth struggling to survive in the cracks of life, Xiang Qingde as an elderly man confined to his bed, and himself, Yu Lei, as a conscience-driven media person with a sense of justice and responsibility who dared to expose unfairness!

Once the article was published on various media platforms, it instantly caused a sensation.

Many people kept sharing it, bombarding friends and family group chats, with parents using the story to lecture their underachieving children, expressing sentiments like "the other family's child," followed by a smiling emoticon. Stay updated with m-v le-mpyr

As more people saw it, the discussions grew, and in just half a day's time, it unexpectedly shot into the top ten trending searches.

By doing so, the task set by Yu Lei's system was sure to be completed.

"I really underestimated this guy."

Xiang Beifei hadn't expected Yu Lei to spread rumors so blatantly, to gain attention, increase traffic, and complete his system task.

The most astonishing part was the people commenting under Yu Lei's article, all expressing pity for Xiang Beifei; then, there were those inquiring about his contact details through Yu Lei, saying they wanted to visit, donate money to Xiang Beifei, and offer a helping hand.

Then, even more shameless—

Yu Lei left a donation account number, claiming he would pass on the contributions.

There were probably heaps of donors.

And that money was likely to end up entirely in Yu Lei's own pockets.

——

"Xiang Beifei, whom did you give an interview to?" Kong Xiuwen made a special trip to Xiang Beifei's house to ask.

"I didn't, this article, not even the punctuation can be trusted, nothing in it is true," said Xiang Beifei.

Frowning, Kong Xiuwen said, "I knew it, it's complete nonsense! Look, he's released another video, an interview about Teacher Yang Hua!"

Kong Xiuwen played the video on his phone, and on the screen, Yang Hua was enthusiastically saying:

"Yes, Xiang Beifei, this student, I had high hopes for him from the start! His academic performance wasn't great in the beginning, but I always encouraged him, told him not to get discouraged, helped him identify and fill in his gaps, and he improved rapidly. You could say, the high scores he achieved today are the result of our joint efforts..."

This was shot a few days ago after the results came out, with Teacher Yang Hua elevating himself to a very high pedestal in front of the camera.

"How can he have the face to say that!" Kong Xiuwen rolled his eyes.

"Let him talk," Xiang Beifei said.

He turned to look at Xiaohei, who was playing with a red pill.

That was Yang Hua's Qi and Blood Pill.