The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 188 : Prejudice is an Insurmountable Mountain

"Dad!!"

After a brief silence, Chen Yuying stepped forward and pushed Chen Zhongping toward the door. A blush rippled across her face, looking very pretty, but the words coming out of her mouth were not so pretty:

"You can go now, go! If you say weird things like that again, I'll get angry!"

"Sorry, Xiao Ding, Xiao Qu, Yingying is counting on you—Thud!" Chen Zhongping's words, along with himself, were shut outside the door.

Xiao Lin and Xiao Bai seemed to have been ignored, or perhaps there wasn't enough time to entrust them.

Mhm, she definitely forgot to entrust us—at least that's what Xiao Lin thought.

After closing the door, Chen Yuying pressed her face against the peephole, observing whether her father had truly left.

"My dad's gone. He's just unreliable sometimes, don't take his words to heart." After a while, moving her gaze away from the peephole, Chen Yuying said with a mix of apology and helplessness.

It wasn't that she didn't understand her father's concern, but she had already made all the necessary promises, guarantees, and explanations at home, yet it still ended up like this.

"Actually, it's understandable. If I found out that among the classmates my daughter was going out to play and stay overnight with, there was a boy whose first sentence upon meeting was about night raids and perverts, my daughter would never be able to take the civil service exam in this lifetime. I can only blame myself."

Lin Li didn't have any temper or resentment; it was human nature.

Acquaintances would know he was purely joking, but strangers wouldn't. Although Lin Li would never act like this in front of strangers anyway.

But I can't blame Chen Yuying for not giving him a heads-up, right?

Forget it, I might as well blame Bai Bufan.

"Why wouldn't she be able to take the civil service exam? Would you punish your daughter by not letting her take it?" Qu Wanqiu didn't understand.

"Because Lin Li's daughter's classmate would have already gone downstairs (to hell), and Lin Li would have already gone inside (to prison), so his daughter would absolutely fail the background check for the civil service exam." Bai Bufan understood, so he answered for Lin Li.

Qu Wanqiu: "..."

I understand now.

But Lin Li skipped way too many steps in his explanation. You don't get points for just writing the answer!

In comparison, Chen Yuying's dad actually had a pretty good temper.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have set up a pervert persona." His image in front of Chen Zhongping was hard to salvage now. No matter how many good things the Class Rep said, it probably wouldn't help.

"Setting up a persona means consciously shaping and displaying a specific social image or role. Do you even need to shape yours? Aren't you just acting as your true self?" Ding Sihan looked over sideways, full of disdain.

"I have to tell myself to restrain myself every single moment. Does that not count as conscious shaping and displaying? Does that not count as setting up a persona? Do you really want me to reveal my true colors?" Lin Li immediately retorted.

Ding Sihan: "..."

So 'pervert' is already the result of Lin Li restraining himself?

Makes sense.

Ding Sihan found herself accepting this conclusion within a second.

As expected of Lin Li.

"Can't argue with that. That is indeed a persona. I'm starting to feel regret and fear. Please, keep restraining yourself." Ding Sihan gave a thumbs up and hugged herself.

"Don't be too scared, guys. Look, there's a security camera watching me right here." After changing into new slippers and walking into the first-floor living room, Lin Li saw a security camera in the corner and said with a smile.

—Unlike hotels, these homestays, which are basically used for team building, do set up security cameras in some public areas because of property issues. It's not illegal, and tenants are informed.

"Maybe Uncle is behind the camera staring at me right now," Lin Li said with a smile.

Zzz—

Zzz—

The sound of a piston connecting rod operating rang out, and the camera nodded.

Lin Li: "..."

Eh?

"..."

No, Uncle? I was just saying that casually. Are you really behind the camera?

That was a warning just now, right?

It's actually a camera that can record audio. Then didn't he hear everything I just said?

"Holy fuck..."

Lin Li pressed his forehead. He felt a bit dizzy when he took a deep breath, as if a Liangyou Ice Room was greeting him.

(Translator's Note: A reference to a meme about a specific ice room/cafe).

Now his persona had been updated again, unfortunately, it was an even more embarrassing update.

The joke he made with Ding Sihan might not sound like a joke to Chen Zhongping's ears.

It might not even have just reached Chen Zhongping's ears.

Lin Li smiled in relief, shook his head in self-mockery, walked up to the camera, took a deep breath, bowed slightly, and spoke seriously:

"I'm sorry, Uncle. I was just joking earlier. I know my limits, you don't need to worry too much. I apologize. I won't say these improper things anymore. I take responsibility for what I said, and I apologize again."

Faced with Lin Li turning into a Japanese-style bowing machine, Bai Bufan scratched his head, a bit at a loss.

He could tell that Lin Li's mood was a bit low right now, but... did he have to interact with a serious Lin Li from now on?

Then Bai Bufan felt he might as well go home.

I only have this one Lin Li, and it seems he's about to be played to death.

His expectations for the trip, which he originally thought would definitely be fun, plummeted.

Seeing this scene, Chen Yuying retreated outside the door with a dark face, holding her phone. Even through the door, they could hear a bit of her talking on the phone.

A few minutes later, she returned to the living room, looked up at the camera: "Lin Li, take a look, is it turned off?"

"It should be off." Seeing that the little red dot indicating the camera was operating had disappeared, Lin Li said.

"Hmph! Alright, you two can be as perverted as you want now. Don't worry about these things." After a soft snort, Chen Yuying's expression improved a bit.

Lin Li scratched his head. Why does that sound so weird?

"Class Rep, I'm not a pervert." Bai Bufan raised his hand, feeling a bit wronged.

"Oh, oh, sorry." Chen Yuying immediately apologized.

"Class Rep, I'm not a pervert either." Lin Li also raised his hand, feeling quite wronged.

Chen Yuying immediately turned to Ding Sihan and Qu Wanqiu and said: "Let's take our things upstairs first..."

Lin Li: "?"

No.

This... this isn't right, is it?

"Class Rep, where's my 'oh, oh, sorry'? Don't treat us differently!" The feeling of being ignored was hard to bear. Lin Li tried to awaken Chen Yuying's conscience. "Moshi moshi, Class Rep, acknowledge me a little?"

Chen Yuying, who had no conscience: "Let's go, upstairs."

But hearing Lin Li's tone become lighthearted again, Chen Yuying smiled.

This is good.

...

The five of them went upstairs.

In such a large homestay, there actually wasn't a single bed.

Of course, that didn't mean there was nowhere to sleep, just that there weren't any conventional single or double beds. Each floor had a communal sleeping space where four or five people could easily sleep. Outside, there were also several sofa "beds" and recliner "beds."

The three girls stayed on the third floor, which had an en-suite bathroom. Lin Li and Bai Bufan stayed on the second floor.

The girls staying on the upper floor would reduce the occurrence of many awkward situations when going up and down the stairs daily.

Actually, Lin Li wanted Bai Bufan to sleep at the courtyard gate to watch the door, but Bai Bufan refused. Quite selfish of him.

They agreed to meet back on the first floor after putting their things away.

"Lin Li, come with me." As soon as Lin Li came downstairs, he saw Bai Bufan, who had come down a step earlier, calling out to him.

"What's wrong?" Lin Li followed him.

So the two came to the bathroom on the first floor.

"Look." Bai Bufan pointed to the sign on the wall.

[Please do not flush anything other than toilet paper down the toilet to avoid causing blockages. Thank you for your cooperation.]

"How should we deal with our poop? Do we have to put it in our pockets and take it outside to throw away?" Bai Bufan asked worriedly.

"Idiot, isn't there a trash can right here? Just point your butt at it and poop," Lin Li sneered. "The toilet is for flushing paper, so the trash can is obviously for holding poop."

Bai Bufan truly had no capacity for thought.

"I see. It seems my thinking was still too limited." Bai Bufan suddenly realized.

"What are you guys talking about? What thinking?" The bathroom was under the stairs. Ding Sihan, who was coming downstairs, saw the two muttering at the bathroom door and came over to ask with interest.

Ding Sihan joined with a face full of curiosity.

And left with a face full of disgust.

Fuck, two idiots.

...

"So which restaurant are we going to eat at later? Is it decided?"

After all five of them were on the first floor, Lin Li looked at Ding Sihan.

"Mhm, it's decided. There's a Shanting specialty restaurant near us with pretty high ratings. Let's just go there," Ding Sihan nodded. "There's a supermarket on the way, so we can buy ingredients and snacks on our way back."

"Buy ingredients? What are we buying ingredients for?" Lin Li caught the blind spot.

"Didn't you listen during the voice call?" Chen Yuying asked.

"Of course I listened. I must have just forgotten, it's definitely not because I secretly opened TikTok in the background and was scrolling through videos without listening to what you guys were saying. How could that be? I don't do things like that," Lin Li confessed.

"Let's try cooking for ourselves for dinner tonight!" Chen Yuying glared at Lin Li in amusement, then explained, her eyes holding a hint of anticipation: "There's a kitchen and a fridge here. Do it yourself, and you'll have plenty of food and clothing."

"But Class Rep, I don't know how to cook at all." After Bai Bufan finished speaking, he looked at Lin Li. "Lin Li doesn't know how either."

"You useless piece of trash, don't lump me in with you," Lin Li sneered.

"Don't bring out those homemade side dishes of Yu Qian's again," Bai Bufan mocked.

(Translator's Note: Yu Qian is a famous Chinese comedian known for his hobbies, including cooking).

"Listen to me carefully," Lin Li laughed maniacally. "I am proficient in tasting and appreciating Sichuan, Shandong, Cantonese, Fujian, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, Hunan, and Anhui cuisines. I am well-versed in writing the Chinese characters for cooking techniques such as steaming, boiling, stir-frying, stewing, roasting, pan-frying, and deep-frying. I am familiar with turning on and off cooking tools such as stoves, rice cookers, microwaves, and range hoods.

"I am worlds apart from you."

Bai Bufan: "..."

You motherfucker.

"I am a piece of trash, and Lin Li is a stubborn piece of trash." After thinking for a moment, Bai Bufan gave his evaluation.

Lin Li didn't retort this time.

Chen, Ding, Qu: "..."

You have to admit, Lin Li's spiel really threw people for a loop. We were almost bluffed.

"Sihan and I actually don't know how to cook either. Wanqiu is the only one who knows how to cook and make dishes. I only suggested it because she's here to back us up," Chen Yuying explained with a smile.

"I actually only know a little bit. What's really backing us up is hot pot. We'll buy a bag of hot pot base later. If we find we can't cook, we'll just switch to eating hot pot. Throw the ingredients we bought in, and everything will be fine," Qu Wanqiu felt a bit embarrassed being praised and hurriedly spoke up modestly.

"Hot pot is indeed omnipotent, and the first aid equipment in the homestay is also very complete. Then OK, trying to cook a meal ourselves is pretty good too," Lin Li nodded.

Qu Wanqiu: "...There's no need to emphasize the first aid equipment."

"Then let's go. Let's go eat lunch first!" After a brief discussion, Chen Yuying stood up and said.

[The sect squad's outdoor experiential learning has officially begun. However, it is regrettable that the first trial is not what you excel at, making it difficult for you to be of great use.

Gold will eventually not be hidden by dust. If you cannot stand out within the squad, how can you talk about becoming the supreme powerhouse of all ages?

You might as well look for opportunities to prove yourself and gain recognition.]

[Task Triggered!]

[Task Five: During this squad experiential learning process, obtain heartfelt recognition and praise from other squad members (0/4).]

[Rewards: Physique Improvement: Insight increased by 50%, Spiritual Energy Absorption Speed increased by 100%; System Currency 100.]

Lin Li, who habitually fell behind the girls with Bai Bufan, saw this task notification from the system while putting on his shoes in the entryway.

Heartfelt recognition and praise?

Lin Li grabbed Bai Bufan: "Bufan, I'm your best son, right?"

Does this count?

Let's try. The two of us have always been conjugate father and son anyway.

"Get lost, I'm your best son," Bai Bufan counterattacked instantly.

Lin Li: "?"

I even took the initiative to lower my seniority, and you still want to fight over this?

Bai Bufan took two steps, then suddenly turned his head:

"That's not right."

Lin Li found it a bit hard to hold back. The look in Bai Bufan's eyes carried care and also doting: "As parents, we really can't stand seeing you like this. You're prone to shedding tears. Alright, since that's the case, I am the best dad, right?"

It's all recognition and praise. Since Bai Bufan likes this kind, Lin Li didn't mind.

Bai Bufan: "..."

"Spit, spit, spit!"

"Retract that. I thought you said you were my dad. Lin Li, you are indeed my best son!" Bai Bufan hurriedly changed his tune.

Although he didn't know why Lin Li was acting crazy, only a bastard wouldn't take advantage of a good deal.

The task showed no movement.

"I feel like you're not being heartfelt enough. Come on, say it again from the bottom of your heart." So Lin Li looked straight into Bai Bufan's eyes and encouraged him.

Bai Bufan: "?"

Now Bai Bufan was actually a bit scared. He squirmed two steps to the side in the entryway, looking vigilant: "Lin Li... what are you trying to do?"

"Just say it from the bottom of your heart, I'm not doing anything," Lin Li urged.

"I won't say it. There's definitely a trap waiting for me. I won't say it." But Bai Bufan firmly chose to keep his mouth shut, repeatedly emphasizing it.

Then forget it.

Lin Li hadn't really expected this shortcut to work anyway; he was just casually trying it out.

This probably couldn't be done from the bottom of the heart, and it might not even count as praise.

After putting on their shoes, the five of them headed to the nearby restaurant.

Lin Li would occasionally introduce the road signs to Chen Yuying, as well as what the white and yellow lines on the road meant, in order to help with Task Two.

Even mosquito meat is meat.

Lin Li also proactively asked Chen Yuying if it was impressive that he knew these things. Although she said it was impressive, his task still showed no movement.

Heartfelt is the difficult part of the task.

While Lin Li was thinking about how to solve this, his arm was suddenly grabbed by Bai Bufan.

"Hmm? What's wrong?" Lin Li turned his head in confusion.

"Where exactly was the trap in that conversation just now? I've replayed and deduced it in my mind so many times. How were you planning to insult me afterward? Please, tell me. I feel like there are ants crawling all over me." Bai Bufan had been thinking about it the whole way, but no matter how much he scratched his head, he couldn't figure it out.

Lin Li: "?"

"I wasn't planning to insult you," Lin Li told the truth.

"Impossible." However, Bai Bufan sneered, first eliminating the correct answer, then urging: "Hurry up and tell me. If I had said it again just now, how were you going to insult me?"

"Bufan, I yield. You're also a Nezha fragment. Nezha has three heads and six arms, and you have one head and two arms (idiot)." Lin Li sighed.

(Translator's Note: "Er bi" / two arms sounds like "shabi" / idiot).

"Were you going to insult me with this? The aggressiveness is okay, but the transition isn't very good, is it? What does it have to do with making me call you son? Is it Li Jing..." Bai Bufan started analyzing seriously.

Lin Li smiled in relief.

You motherfucker.

(End of Chapter)