The System is Abstract, Luckily, So Am I

Chapter 198 : Great, Lin Li is Going to Become a Pillar of the Nation

Prejudice is an insurmountable mountain.

However, Lin Li quickly noticed that Chen Yuying's expression when she said this carried a hint of teasing.

So she was doing it on purpose.

Then it's fine. In that case, any mountain is just a piece of cake in front of Lin Li.

Rat poison can poison rats. Feed a mountain some yam (shan yao), and the mountain will behave.

(Translator's Note: A pun on "shan" meaning mountain and "yao" meaning medicine/poison).

If only Yu Gong had my intelligence back then. Why would he have his descendants dig the mountain for generations? He was an old geezer who already had children, so he didn't need to worry about getting married and having kids, but what about his descendants? 

(Translator's Note: A reference to the Chinese fable "The Foolish Old Man Removes the Mountains").

When Yu Gong's grandson heard his grandfather's vow, he was probably already kowtowing and apologizing to his "little brother," saying, "Little brother, I'm sorry, you probably won't be of any use in this lifetime."

"It's a pity that you clearly had the chance to go to the restaurant and eat a piping hot, freshly made breakfast, but now you can only eat takeout. It's not about stealing a scooter." But he still had to go through the motions, so Lin Li shrugged helplessly.

"Is this scooter rented, or did you buy it?" Chen Yuying leaned in, looked at the electric scooter closely for a while, and asked curiously.

Compared to the scooter Lin Li used for food delivery before, this one lacked the thick, large insulated box on the back, and it was smaller overall, looking much cleaner.

It would also be much more comfortable to ride. Naturally, Lin Li had specifically chosen it.

"I'm not Chen Yuying, of course it's rented," Lin Li said matter-of-factly.

Hearing her own name instead of "Class Rep" from Lin Li's mouth was still a very novel experience for Chen Yuying. She blushed for no reason and gave Lin Li a reproachful look.

"Why rent an electric scooter?" she asked.

"Aren't we going out today? We can't really ask Uncle to drive us, can we? It feels inappropriate. With an adult around, we wouldn't be able to have fun freely. Even if we asked him to wait, we'd be constrained by time. So it's definitely not as good as taking a taxi. But taking a taxi for five people means we need two cars, which is a bit wasteful.

"So after exercising this morning, I went to a nearby electric scooter shop and rented this scooter. That way, we only need to call one taxi. Plus, having an extra mode of transportation gives us another way to solve small problems."

Lin Li explained.

Actually, the core reason was that no matter how smoothly Chen Yuying learned to ride a bicycle, the task progress wouldn't advance even a tiny bit. Lin Li's ultimate goal in teaching Chen Yuying to ride a bicycle was to get her to learn how to ride an electric scooter.

The electric scooter is the real mecha.

But what he said was indeed a secondary reason.

"That makes sense."

Although she didn't think it was absolutely necessary, since Lin Li had already rented it, what was done was done. Why be a buzzkill? The most important thing when going out to play is to be happy. It was a harmless matter anyway, so Chen Yuying smiled, nodded at Lin Li, and agreed.

Lin Li was very pleased, his mouth curling up in a smile.

They chatted at the door for a few minutes, and soon the delivery driver arrived with the breakfast Chen Yuying had ordered.

After Lin Li went up to take it, the two returned to the first floor of the homestay.

Chen Yuying sat on the sofa, eating her breakfast slowly, while Lin Li moved the bicycle—which he had already washed and tested earlier that morning to ensure there were no problems—outside the homestay.

"Class Rep, did you bring socks that cover your ankles?" Lin Li asked Chen Yuying after returning.

"Yes, why?" Chen Yuying had brought not only the sandals left in the entryway but also a pair of sneakers.

"Give them to me for a second." Lin Li snapped his fingers and held out his hand.

Three seconds later, Lin Li's eyes widened. He looked at Chen Yuying with a hurt expression and asked, "Class Rep, why are you looking at me with that expression? It really hurts my feelings. I'm just going to modify them a bit and give them right back to you."

"Oh." Answering weakly, Chen Yuying went upstairs and then came back down.

Then she watched as Lin Li slipped a "wristband" over the tube part of each sock, wrapped them simply with tape, and handed them back to her.

"What is this for?" she asked.

"I'm afraid that if you panic and move your feet around, they might get caught in the wheels. Also, when you fall, your ankles and knees are the most easily injured areas. With this double protection, you won't have to worry too much," Lin Li explained.

Many people have a scar on their ankle, although most of them got it from getting caught in the wheel while sitting on the back of a bicycle.

"Oh, oh." Chen Yuying nodded.

This occasionally attentive Lin Li is unfamiliar.

"It's a pity neither of us brought pantyhose, otherwise we could cover both the ankles and knees. Three wishes fulfilled at once. What a pity," Lin Li sighed.

Chen Yuying: "..."

Familiar again.

"Pantyhose are so thin, what can they protect? And protecting the ankles and knees is only two wishes, right?" she asked.

Lin Li looked at Chen Yuying like she was an idiot and immediately replied, "Because the third wish is that I want to see you wear them, Class Rep."

Chen Yuying: "..."

Now it's genuinely familiar.

"By the way, Class Rep, although I prefer black pantyhose, white, yellow, green, pink, or purple are all fine. I accept adjustments," Lin Li continued to talk smoothly.

"I only have white ones. Black is too embarrassing. Also, I'm not wearing them for you to see, so adjustments are useless." Lin Li's gaze was fixed on the ceiling, so even though they were talking about this kind of topic, Chen Yuying didn't feel uncomfortable.

When Lin Li's words were overly perverted, his body would be exceptionally well-behaved.

This is a good pervert.

He controls the degree of perversion so it doesn't make people truly hate him.

Nibbling on a piece of toast, she spoke while throwing the remaining toast to Lin Li: "I'm full. You can eat the remaining two pieces."

Lin Li caught it steadily: "I'm also very full from breakfast, but it's fine to give it to me. I'll save it to feed the dog."

"Give it to Bai Bufan?" Chen Yuying asked subconsciously.

"Hahahaha—" Lin Li couldn't help but laugh out loud this time. "Class Rep, you said that, I didn't. I said I was going to feed the stray dog at the door."

Being laughed at by Lin Li like this, Chen Yuying's face turned slightly red. She turned her head away and clicked her tongue: "I don't believe you."

Chen Yuying put on Lin Li's specially made socks, put on her sneakers, and went outside. Without needing Lin Li's instructions, she got on the bicycle and adjusted it to her most comfortable height.

The homestay was quite remote, and there weren't many people around on a holiday morning. Even though the roads were empty, for safety's sake, Lin Li still found an off-road area suitable for practice.

"Class Rep, practice your balance first. Don't pedal yet. Just push off the ground continuously to start, and then try to steady the bicycle. Don't worry, I'll be right behind you. If you can't hold it, I can," Lin Li said while staying close to Chen Yuying's rear wheel.

Chen Yuying wasn't heavy. After activating [Charge], steadying the bike was not difficult for Lin Li.

"Okay."

Chen Yuying nodded and pushed off the ground with both legs.

The bicycle moved forward steadily until the thrust from pushing off the ground could no longer keep the bicycle upright.

She did this two or three times.

"I've got it. What's the next step?" Chen Yuying turned to look at Lin Li, then looked confused: "What's wrong?"

Because Lin Li's eyes were wide open.

"You mastered balance that easily?" Lin Li said in surprise. "Class Rep, have you studied dance or something before?"

"I have. I've studied quite a few types of dance, but I'm not an expert in any of them. I guess you could say I'm a very low-budget jack of all trades, master of none," Chen Yuying replied.

"Class Rep, I suspect you're being modest," Lin Li clicked his tongue, then suddenly thought of something and asked with interest: "Class Rep, do you know ballet?"

"I've studied a little bit," Chen Yuying nodded.

"Then we can exchange pointers another day," Lin Li gave a thumbs up.

Chen Yuying: "?"

Facing Chen Yuying's gaze, which was full of doubt and looked at him like he was a pervert, Lin Li chuckled softly. After sneakily looking around to make sure no one was there, especially Bai Bufan, he demonstrated a crane pose and a grand jeté from ballet in front of Chen Yuying.

Shattering doubts with action!

Now it was Chen Yuying's turn to widen her eyes.

The movements were very standard; there were definitely traces of training.

But you really know how to do it?

"Why did your family send you to learn this?" Chen Yuying was very shocked.

"I taught myself." Lin Li never relied on any system; his achievements today were all self-taught.

"Why did you want to teach yourself this?" Chen Yuying still didn't understand.

"To look at white tights."

"Cough, cough, cough, cough—" Lin Li's answer almost made Chen Yuying choke to death.

Seeing Chen Yuying coughing lightly while clutching her chest, Lin Li smiled and stepped forward to pat her back.

After catching her breath, Chen Yuying looked up, gave Lin Li a resentful glare, and then rubbed her temples: "Lin Li, I really yield to you."

What a reason.

Good thing it's Lin Li.

"Alright, Class Rep, let's continue learning how to ride the bike first. We'll talk about the socks later.

"Later, you still start by yourself, and then I'll push you from behind when the bicycle is about to lose momentum. You just keep maintaining your balance. If you feel comfortable, you can try pedaling."

"Okay, but we're not talking about the socks later either."

"That's really a pity."

To be honest, the hardest part of learning to ride a bicycle is balance.

Once you master the balance between the person and the bike, the rest of the learning process is quite simple.

Having long legs is great. Even if the bike wobbles, you won't fall. A little push with the calf acts as a kickstand, completely eliminating the need for Lin Li's support.

The Lin Li from childhood was really useless. Why were his legs so short? Useless thing.

Chen Yuying only encountered a little difficulty when starting from a standstill by pedaling and when turning the bicycle. Otherwise, she adapted very quickly.

In just over an hour, she could already ride the bicycle in circles around this empty lot. Although the handlebars would occasionally wobble, and whenever Lin Li tried to act as a roadblock in front of the bike, Chen Yuying would still get anxious and habitually squeeze the brakes instead of turning.

But it was only a matter of time. Once she got used to it and became confident, she would be fine.

"Sigh, it seems I won't be able to see the scene where you accidentally fall to the ground while learning to ride a bike, crying 'ying ying ying' like a pear blossom bathed in rain, and I stand beside you with my hands on my hips, laughing maniacally and calling you a super invincible big idiot."

No longer needing to wait behind the bike, Lin Li sighed when Chen Yuying slowly rode another lap and returned to his side.

Chen Yuying remembered when Lin Li said this to her last time, so she proudly crossed her arms, tilted her head slightly, and looked at Lin Li: "Then what should you do now?"

"Class Rep! You're so amazing!" Lin Li praised with a look of shock, admiration, and exaggeration.

This was what he had said when they were bickering back then: "When the time comes, you'll only be able to look shocked and say I'm amazing."

He actually remembered it.

But it was too exaggerated; instead, Chen Yuying couldn't stand it.

Taking her phone out of the pocket of the pants she had changed into for riding the bike and handing it to Lin Li, Chen Yuying said: "Lin Li, help me record a video. I want to show my family that I can ride a bike."

"Sure."

Lin Li naturally wouldn't refuse.

Because it was recorded for her family to see, Lin Li followed behind Chen Yuying recording, not making a sound the whole time. Otherwise, he would have definitely added some weird narration.

"Ding Sihan and the others are awake. They're asking where we are."

After Chen Yuying finished riding and signaled OK, the video stopped recording. A WeChat message popped up on the phone. Lin Li glanced at it and said.

"Then let's go back. We've learned long enough today, my butt is sore."

Chen Yuying got off the bike, did a chest expansion exercise, and then crossed her arms and swung them upwards to stretch her body.

The beauty of her curves was fully displayed. See no evil, but if it's polite, you must see. This was Lin Li's principle. But because it was Chen Yuying, he instinctively took one look and then looked away to avoid making her uncomfortable.

"Okay, let's go back."

...

[Yingying: [Video]]

[Yingying: I learned how to ride a bike in one morning. You two still don't know how, right? [Proud]]

Seeing the message in the family group chat, Chen Zhongping carefully watched the video and immediately praised her.

[Chen Zhongping: Impressive.]

[Wife: You're still not proficient enough, right? Don't go on the road, pay attention to safety.]

[Yingying: Mhm, I know. I'm just learning.]

[Chen Zhongping: Yingying, what's wrapped around your ankles? Are you hurt?]

[Yingying: It's just wristbands wrapped around to avoid getting caught in the wheels while learning to ride. But I didn't use them at all, there was no chance of getting hurt. Don't worry.]

[Chen Zhongping: That's good. I thought you wrapped them after getting hurt.]

Teaching a daughter to ride a bicycle seems to be a universal experience for fathers.

Unfortunately, he didn't know how to ride one himself.

Mainly because there was no place to use it, so Chen Zhongping had no need to learn.

Chen Zhongping watched the video again.

Someone had to teach her how to ride. Looking at the shadow, this guy didn't have long hair.

Who could it be? It's so hard to guess.

Whenever Chen Yuying started to wobble in the video, the camera immediately moved closer. The handling was okay.

The unnecessary things on her ankles were probably this guy's doing too.

He does seem somewhat decent.

But.

He was supposed to teach his daughter how to ride a bike, but this guy took his place. This was the first crime.

Having one crime and not knowing it, this was the second crime.

Having two crimes and not knowing it, this was the third crime.

...

Too numerous to record! Too numerous to record!

Chen Zhongping was horrified to discover that Lin Li's crimes were simply uncountable!

I still have to find a way to encase this kid in a concrete pillar and make him a pillar of the nation.

(End of Chapter)