Upon hearing her daughter’s question, Li Caifeng quickly replied:
“Your father went to the bureau yesterday afternoon and still hasn’t come back.”
“He didn’t come back all night? Looks like there’s another big case at the bureau that he has to handle.”
After hearing her mother’s answer, Yan Qi understood why she hadn’t seen her father. She then said to her mother:
“Yeah, I just hope he comes home safely like he always does.”
“Don’t worry, Mom. Dad’s been a detective for so many years—has there ever been a time he didn’t come home safe and sound?”
Yan Qi smiled reassuringly at her mother.
“You’re right. Come on, sit down and have breakfast.”
Comforted by her daughter’s words, Li Caifeng couldn’t help but chuckle. She then pointed to the chair beside her, motioning for Yan Qi to sit down.
“Okay.”
Responding to her mother, Yan Qi quickly took her seat. Seeing the bowl of homemade egg noodles on the table, she immediately picked up her chopsticks and started eating.
In no time at all, the entire bowl of noodles had disappeared into Yan Qi’s stomach.
“Mom, your egg noodles are delicious! But there’s just not enough… burp.”
Hearing her daughter’s voice, Li Caifeng—who hadn’t even finished a third of her own noodles—looked at Yan Qi’s empty bowl and recalled that the same thing had happened yesterday. A puzzled expression crossed her face.
“That’s strange, Xiao Qi. Why have you been eating so quickly these past two days?”
“Because your cooking is so good! That’s why I eat fast. Is there a problem?”
Yan Qi looked at her mother questioningly.
“But the noodles taste the same as always, don’t they?”
Frowning at her daughter’s response, Li Caifeng took another bite of her noodles, still confused.
As a responsible mother, she soon had a sudden realization, coming up with a perfectly reasonable explanation for Yan Qi’s unusual behavior.
“Oh, how could I forget? Even though Xiao Qi is about to start college, she’s only fourteen this year. She’s growing fast during puberty—it’s normal for her to eat more and eat quickly.”
Having settled the matter in her mind, Li Caifeng turned to her daughter with enthusiasm.
“Xiao Qi, would you like some more noodles?”
Hearing her mother’s question, Yan Qi wasn’t sure why she suddenly sounded so eager. But since she genuinely wanted more of her mother’s cooking, she nodded sheepishly.
“If it’s not too much trouble, I’d love some more.”
Seeing her daughter’s shy expression, Li Caifeng became even more convinced of her earlier assumption and couldn’t help but laugh.
“Of course! If you want more, I’ll make it for you right away. Just wait a moment.”
“Thanks, Mom!”
After finishing the hearty breakfast her mother prepared, Yan Qi was so full she could barely walk. She returned to her bedroom but, unlike usual, didn’t lie down to rest. Instead, she sat back down at her computer and resumed her earlier work.
About an hour later, after reviewing all the information she had gathered and gaining a deeper understanding of the world, Yan Qi stood up and stretched with a satisfied sigh.
Once she relaxed, she muttered to herself:
“This world is way more complicated than I thought. If I didn’t have the Six-Star Transformation Card: Digital Diva, I’d probably never realize how dangerous it really is.”
“But just knowing about the dangers isn’t enough—I need enough power to protect myself.”
With that, she opened her System Panel to check her current Reputation Points.
[Current Host Reputation Points: 235,654.]
She knew that she could earn 1 Reputation Point per day for seven days from each person who remembered her after a major event. Seeing the number on the screen, she realized that yesterday’s incident had successfully left an impression on over 200,000 people. A satisfied smile spread across her face.
“With this, even if I don’t do anything else for the next week, I’ll still earn over 200,000 Reputation Points daily. That’s 1.6 million in seven days—enough for sixteen 10x draws! Hmm… should I try my luck now?”
Tempted by the thought of the Gacha System, Yan Qi seriously considered it.
But after some deliberation, she decided that her current transformation cards were sufficient for now. Plus, she didn’t entirely trust her luck. So she dismissed the idea, resolving to wait until the week was over.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t even checked the System Shop yet. I wonder what’s in there.”
Remembering she hadn’t explored the shop, Yan Qi quickly navigated to it.
A dazzling array of items appeared on the system panel before her.
“So this is the System Shop? There’s so much stuff… Let’s see where the Reputation Point-exclusive transformation cards are… Ah, here!”
She soon found the limited-time Six-Star Transformation Cards (available for one month) and clicked on them.
Immediately, two striking illustrations appeared:
-
A seductive, fiery nine-tailed fox demon in revealing attire, holding a bell.
-
A pure, modest church saintess in conservative robes, holding a staff.
“Wow, both of these Six-Star cards are gorgeous! Especially the nine-tailed fox—totally my type!”
After admiring the artwork, Yan Qi eagerly checked the prices.
But when she saw the number—1,000,000,000 Reputation Points (ten digits)—her excitement instantly deflated.
“System… are you serious? One billion Reputation Points for a single Six-Star card?”
[Dear Host, all prices in the System Shop are fairly evaluated and reasonably set.]
The system’s emotionless reply left no room for negotiation.
Realizing the system wasn’t joking, Yan Qi didn’t argue further. She just stared at the two cards on the screen, thinking to herself:
“One billion Reputation Points… Based on my plans, I’ll definitely earn that much easily in the future. But right now, I’m just getting started. Does this mean… I have to give up?”