4: Chapter 4 "Daily Intelligence System" Binding

The phone vibrated again, the three words "Gu Jingshen" flashing on the screen like a sudden spark of light in the dark night.

"Hey, Fan Zi!" A hearty laugh like a sea breeze came from the other end of the line, with the sound of waves crashing against the shore in the background. "Guess where I am? Hainan! I've finally escaped that godforsaken place, Jiangcheng!"

Zhang Fan buried his face in his knees, his throat tightening: "...When did you go?"

"Just arrived yesterday!" Gu Jingshen's voice was mixed with the rushing sound of waves hitting the beach and the reggae music drifting from a distant bar. "The sun here is so fierce it could peel off a layer of skin. I stripped off my long sleeves as soon as I got off the plane and got into shorts and a tank top."

"The upside is that the bikinis at the seaside are so blinding you can't look at them all—white, black, yellow, tsk tsk. It's a pity you're not free, kid, otherwise your godfather would take you to sweep the beach and snag a couple of spicy ones for you!"

He paused, the sea breeze seemed to stop suddenly, and his tone sank, carrying a rare seriousness: "Seriously, Fan Zi, I still think you and Gu Feifei aren't a good match... Don't get defensive, let me finish."

Zhang Fan's knuckles tightened around the phone, his nails digging into his palm, the pain making him gasp. His throat felt like it had been rubbed with sandpaper—tight and dry—and he couldn't utter a single word.

"That woman wasn't honest even back in school," Gu Jingshen sneered, with the pride and disdain of a Sea King. "Do you know she was casting a wide net? Flirting with those rich second-generation kids from the Economics and Management Department. She even asked someone for my WeChat back then. Heh, who am I? I'm the school's veteran Sea King; how could I not see through such a petty trick?"

He clicked his tongue, the mockery in his tone growing stronger: "Only you treat her like a treasure and think she's pure. Let me tell you, this kind of Green Tea has a whole set of tricks to coax men. Once you're of no use to her, she'll run faster than anyone."

These words were like ice-quenched needles, accurately piercing Zhang Fan's softest spot.

He remembered Gu Feifei's smiling eyes when she said, "I only like you because you're honest," the joy he felt when he saved money to buy her a bag, and the scene in the stairwell where the hypocrisy was torn open...

It felt as if someone was clutching his heart, the pain making him bend over, his forehead resting against the cold wall.

With the phone pressed to his ear, Gu Jingshen continued to ramble on the other end, but he couldn't make out the specifics anymore. He only felt those words like a tide, repeatedly crashing against the fantasy of "sincerity" he had been desperately holding onto, washing away those pitiful remnants of hope.

"Fan Zi? Why aren't you saying anything?" Gu Jingshen's voice suddenly rose. "I'm not telling you this to make fun of you..."

"I know," Zhang Fan finally squeezed out the two words.

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by the sound of a can opening. Gu Jingshen took a gulp of beer and his tone relaxed again: "As long as you know. Wait until I get back, I'll take you clubbing and introduce you to some girls from the Art Department. They're as pure as bottled water, a hundred times better than that Green Tea, Gu Feifei."

Zhang Fan didn't respond; he just pressed his forehead harder against the wall. The cold wall surface grated against the gauze, making him slightly more clear-headed.

He opened his mouth. In the past, he would have definitely argued, "Feifei isn't that kind of person," but now his throat felt blocked, and he couldn't say a word.

As Zhang Fan listened, tears suddenly fell.

It wasn't out of grievance, but an indescribable feeling—at a time when he was abandoned by the whole world, this best friend, who was enjoying the sea breeze and looking at beautiful women in Hainan, had pierced through the lie he was desperately guarding based on pure intuition. It turned out it wasn't that he wasn't good enough, but that he had misjudged the person from the very beginning.

"Fan Zi? Why aren't you talking?" Gu Jingshen sensed something was wrong. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine." Zhang Fan sniffled, his voice as raspy as if it had been soaked in water. "Have a good time."

"Duh, of course I will!" Gu Jingshen's laughter came through the receiver, carrying the recklessness and sincerity of youth. "Wait for me to bring back local specialties. Sanya's mangoes are incredibly sweet. When I get back, we'll drink until we drop!"

Zhang Fan gave a soft "Mm" and said nothing else.

After hanging up, the phone screen went dark, reflecting his bloodshot eyes.

The sea breeze couldn't reach the stairwell in Jiangcheng, but Gu Jingshen's voice carried a salty warmth that melted a small piece of the ice frozen in his heart.

He remembered their first deep conversation in the dorm during their freshman year. Gu Jingshen said his mother hadn't made it when giving birth to him, and his father died in a car accident during his senior year of high school. At the funeral, his stepmother cried harder than anyone, but he always felt that woman was after the family company.

"See, neither of us has anyone to love us." At that time, Gu Jingshen had bumped his shoulder, smiling as if it didn't matter, though his eyes were red.

It was this sentence that made the two teenagers, both carrying the label of "orphaned parents," each other's support.

They skipped classes together to spend the night at internet cafes, argued until they were red in the face over a rebound on the basketball court, covered for each other while drinking at bars, and when drunk, lay on the campus lawn counting stars, saying they would start a company together and buy neighboring houses in the future.

In this world, Gu Jingshen was probably the only one who, no matter how miserable he was, would never look at him like he was a joke. He would only call him an "idiot" and then offer his shoulder.

But precisely because of this, he couldn't say it—couldn't say he had been betrayed by his girlfriend and boss, couldn't say he was being kicked out of his rental like a stray dog, couldn't say he was about to lose even his parents' belongings.

Gu Jingshen was looking at bikini-clad beauties in Hainan, while he was crying in a stairwell in Jiangcheng clutching a suitcase; the contrast was too jarring.

The night wind poured in through the stairwell window, making him shiver. He hugged the suitcase tighter, as if holding onto the last shred of dignity.

He even had a ridiculous thought: if he had fallen down the stairs and never woken up, would he not have to face all this?

Just then, an emotionless mechanical voice suddenly rang in his mind:

[Strong emotional fluctuation detected in host, binding conditions met...]

[daily intelligence system is activating... 10%... 50%... 100%]

[Activation successful. Host: Zhang Fan. Level: LV1.]

Zhang Fan was stunned.

Auditory hallucination? Was it a sequela of the concussion?

He shook his head, trying to shake off the strange voice, but a deep blue virtual panel abruptly appeared before his eyes, floating in the air like a game interface:

[daily intelligence system]

[Level: LV1]

[1 basic piece of intelligence can be obtained for free daily. Paid intelligence requires Intelligence Points (Current balance: 0)]

[Today's Intelligence: Tonight at 21:00, in trash can No. 3 at Peoples Square, there will be an abandoned A famous jewelry brand gold necklace, valued at approximately 20,000 yuan.]

Zhang Fan blinked, and the panel was still there. He pinched himself hard, grimacing in pain.

It wasn't a hallucination.

He stared at that piece of intelligence, his heart racing uncontrollably.

A system?

A cheat?

This kind of plot, which he had only seen in web novels, was actually happening to him?

He instinctively felt it was absurd, staring at the empty stairwell corner, his heart thumping wildly.

Was it a hallucination?

But the voice was too clear, even the brand, value, and time of the necklace were precise.

What if... what if it was real?

He fished out his phone and used the remaining charge to check the location of the "trash can on the west side of Peoples Square," his fingertips turning white from the pressure.

There was still an hour until nine o'clock.

"Let's take a gamble."

He said to himself, his voice as soft as a sigh, but the light in his eyes brightened.

He hid the suitcase behind a pile of clutter in the stairwell, covered it with a rag, and patted the lid as if promising his parents' belongings: "Wait for me to come back."

Then he turned and walked downstairs step by step. Every step on the cold concrete felt like stepping on a red-hot iron plate, burning and painful, but he didn't look back.

Stepping out of the building entrance, the night breeze made him shiver. The convenience store at the community gate glowed with a warm yellow light, but he gripped his water bottle and walked toward Peoples Square.

The road was long and the wind was cold, but he knew that what might be hidden in the trash can was not just a necklace, but the courage for him to survive in this city.