Chapter 2

Zhou Yi stared at the poster, lost in thought. He began to doubt whether the world before him was really the one he knew from ten years ago. As time ticked by, he suddenly snapped back to reality. Since there were discrepancies, he decided to find out the truth first. Standing here wasting time wouldn't help, and his mother was waiting for him to bring vinegar home!

This moment of daydreaming had wasted a lot of time. Zhou Yi didn't linger any longer and strode towards the small supermarket. He pushed open the glass door and squeezed into the crowded store.

The supermarket, despite its name, was less than twenty square meters in size. Goods were placed everywhere, leaving only a narrow path for a person to walk through. Zhou Yi, familiar with the layout, grabbed two bags of vinegar and threw them on the counter. As he reached for his money, he noticed a girl of about seventeen or eighteen standing behind the counter, hands on her hips, looking at him with a questioning expression.

Zhou Yi was taken aback and sized her up. The girl was dressed quite simply, which was common in Bailing District, where only the children of the district committee wore branded clothes. Her skin was very fair, her eyes bright and clear, and her features delicate. She looked like a pure and innocent girl, but the way she stood with her hands on her hips gave off a stern and intimidating aura.

"This familiar air of a female warrior, could it be..."

Feeling a cold sweat on his back, Zhou Yi's eyes darted around and then landed on a small, delicate silver earring on her earlobe. At this moment, he finally recognized who she was, and memories flooded back, making him quite sentimental.

When Zhou Yi was a child, he was often bullied while running around the streets of Bailing District with his friends. There was a girl in District 1 who was known for her boyish demeanor. One day, when Zhou Yi was being bullied by the leader of the children from District 12, this girl happened to pass by and, without a word, beat up the leader. From then on, Zhou Yi was under her protection.

From that day on, Zhou Yi remembered the girl with the silver earring in her right ear. He was often teased by the other children, who said he had a thing for her. The rumors spread, and Zhou Yi was so embarrassed that he didn't dare to go out. The girl, however, didn't care and even came to his house in District 6 one afternoon to invite him to play. At first, Zhou Yi refused, but she eventually dragged him out by the ear.

This went on until Zhou Yi left Bailing District at the age of twenty to seek his fortune. They were always together, though Zhou Yi was often reluctant and only complied due to her authority. His parents never minded the children's play. Time flew by, and years passed.

When it was time for him to leave, the girl saw him off at the bridge. For the first time in over a decade, she didn't beat him up but instead gave him a serious talk. Zhou Yi didn't take it to heart, eager to leave the "manly woman" behind. He left with a gloomy face.

During the six or seven years he spent outside, Zhou Yi sometimes received letters from the girl, usually delivered by her brother who traveled with him. However, he was afraid of being ridiculed and thought of her bad temper and violence, feeling relieved that she didn't come to find him. When he occasionally returned home to visit his parents, he would avoid District 1 and later heard from his parents that the girl from District 1 often came to ask about him...

As time passed, their contact became less frequent. Zhou Yi, who was then deeply attracted to the upper class, became successful in his career and gradually ignored her letters. Later, he heard that the girl had moved to the city with her brother and married a wealthy man. He felt a sense of relief and ignored his parents' advice, focusing on the pleasures of life. It wasn't until he suffered a major setback that he remembered the girl who had protected him in his childhood.

The girl's name was Liang Qingnü. He always remembered a line from an ancient poem his teacher taught him: "Qingnü and the moon goddess both endure the cold, competing in beauty in the frosty moon." No matter what, the Qingnü of the past was gone, and only the person before him remained. When the memories of the past overlapped with reality, Zhou Yi's buried memories resurfaced. He now understood Qingnü's feelings but had always avoided them out of fear of ridicule. Realizing this, he knew how precious what he had lost was. If he met her again, he wouldn't be so foolish as to ignore her feelings.

Lost in thought, Zhou Yi suddenly felt a sharp pain in his ear. Qingnü's slender fingers were twisting his ear, pulling him to the front of the counter. She stood with her chest out and eyebrows furrowed, looking at him sternly. "Are you going to confess or do I have to force it out of you?"

"Ouch! You still have that temper..."

Zhou Yi winced, his head close to Qingnü's, looking embarrassed but not caring. He remembered this scene. He had played until three or four in the morning with his friends and somehow she found out. When they met, she beat him up. Now, at seventeen, she was still as fierce as ever. As he spoke, he noticed the budding peaks on her chest, only an inch away from his face. He blushed and then composed himself, saying, "I never noticed, but you've grown up..."

Qingnü, who was about to scold him, suddenly heard this and looked down to see the boy staring at her chest with a straight face. Her face turned red, and she pushed him away, grabbing something from the counter to throw at him.

"You have a lot of nerve! How dare you tease me!"

Qingnü's teeth were clenched as if she wanted to tear him apart, but Zhou Yi knew she was just a paper tiger. He wasn't afraid of her anymore.

"Why are you so aggressive? A gentle lady should attract a gentleman, not throw things at him."

Zhou Yi caught the items she threw, not angry but rather amused. He put them down and continued to tease her.

"I don't need you to tell me! You little hooligan!"

Qingnü answered casually but thought to herself that the boy had always avoided her. Why did he dare to come to District 1 today and even talk back to her? She decided he must have learned bad habits from his friends and needed to be taught a lesson. She rolled up her sleeves to grab him, but as she reached out, she heard her father cough from behind the curtain and immediately stopped.

As she relaxed, Zhou Yi stood in front of the counter with a smile, which Qingnü saw as a victorious one. She clenched her fists, and Zhou Yi quickly said, "Don't hit me, don't hit me. Pay for the vinegar first, and I have something important to tell you."

"Hmph! What important thing? Little hooligan!"

Qingnü looked at him with disdain, unwillingly ringing up the vinegar. Before she could ask, Zhou Yi said, "Qingnü, I heard your brother opened a studio in the city, right?"

Hearing her name called so intimately, Qingnü immediately raised her fist. But as Zhou Yi continued, her eyes widened in suspicion. "Why are you asking? Little hooligan!"

"Don't keep calling me a hooligan, it sounds so bad," Zhou Yi said, pretending to be angry.

"Why not? Little hooligan! Little hooligan!" Qingnü, hands on her hips, replied defiantly.

Seeing her stance, Zhou Yi waved his hands in defeat, saying, "Call me whatever you want! But I have something important to say. Can you call your brother and tell him a friend wants to work part-time at his studio?"

"Hmph, who has a hooligan friend like you."

Qingnü crossed her arms, looking at him with disdain. Zhou Yi didn't get angry, put away the vinegar, and said regretfully, "I was planning to earn some money to buy a bracelet for a friend, but I guess that's not happening now."

With that, Zhou Yi sighed and left. As he was about to step out, he heard her say, "Hmph! Save your money for your parents first! Who wants your bracelet..." Hearing this, Zhou Yi smiled slightly and left.

As soon as he left, Qingnü, dressed simply, whispered, "Little hooligan!" Her eyes sparkled, and a smile crept onto her face as she turned to continue her work.

After being away for so long, Zhou Yi was inevitably scolded by his mother. However, he wasn't the argumentative young man he used to be. No matter how much his mother scolded him, he just ate his meal and then washed the dishes with a smile. After watching some TV with her, he waited until she went to take a nap and then went to his room to check some information on his computer.

Computers, relics of the old era, were now considered junk, while natural resources had become a luxury. Many old districts like Bailing relied on these relics to survive, and the living conditions were deteriorating, even affecting the more developed areas. Almost everyone longed for the green mountains and clear waters of the past. Long-term plans to revitalize nature were slow to show results, but virtual reality could satisfy people in the short term. Therefore, "Pianyan," a game-like world, was developed as a large-scale virtual project and operated by the government.

After spending the afternoon browsing news and forums, Zhou Yi confirmed that, except for the name of the first chapter, the content of "Pianyan" in the first half month of its official operation was the same as what he knew. Relieved, he put his mind at ease.

Around two in the afternoon, Qingnü sent a text message saying Zhou Yi could go to the city to find her brother and provided his contact information. She also took the opportunity to scold him. Zhou Yi didn't take it to heart, smiled at the message, and immediately called the number.

"Go to the city anytime? Ha, I'll stay in Bailing. Why go to the city?"

The call was answered, and after a brief greeting and introduction, the person on the other end seemed annoyed. Zhou Yi, playing with a small object, said, "I need a Class A virtual pod and an invitation for a beta tester. Deliver them to Bailing District 6, and I already gave you my address."

The person on the other end was taken aback, then laughed coldly and was about to hang up when Zhou Yi suddenly asked, "How much information have Liang Da's team collected and verified on the four basic attributes?"

The call paused, and Zhou Yi continued, "How much does Liang Da know about the Worldly System?"

Zhou Yi put his feet on the table, tapping it and smiling, "It seems Liang Da doesn't understand. This isn't a request from a subordinate to a superior, but a mutually beneficial deal. You know everything about me and can come to find me anytime. All I want is an opportunity..."

...

In the evening, a truck drove through the narrow streets of Bailing District. Zhou Yi's mother was tending to her precious orchid when she was surprised to see the truck stop in front of their house. Two robot workers got out and carried a large virtual pod to the door. A smart robot from the passenger seat followed, holding a thick file.

"Good afternoon, ma'am. Is this Mr. Zhou Yi's house?"

In the bedroom, hearing the familiar voice of the smart robot, Zhou Yi finally felt at ease. He thought, though he had to sign a series of "unequal treaties," the plan for the Qi Cultivator could finally begin...