The last month had arrived.
As another cold wave swept through, the winter this year was generally colder than in previous years across the country.
While people complained about the weather, a long-standing folk rumor became a hot topic of discussion.
It was the Mayan prophecy of the end of the world, which claimed that on December 21st of this year, a major disaster would occur on Earth, bringing an end to human civilization.
Since the Maya had five major prophecies, and the first four had come true to some extent, many people around the world believed this prophecy.
However, the vast majority of people preferred to believe in science, treating it merely as a topic of casual conversation.
Qin Tian, having experienced it once before, naturally knew that this was a ridiculous lie and that nothing would happen on the 21st; it would be as peaceful as could be.
After finishing dinner at the cafeteria, the sky had completely darkened.
Qin Tian and Xia Nuan Nuan, dressed in warm clothes, strolled through the campus.
“Brother, do you really believe the end of the world will come?”
Xia Nuan Nuan asked with a smile after hearing some senior students walking past discussing the topic.
“I don’t believe it!”
“Why not?”
“Because… I still want to walk through the long years with you.”
Qin Tian replied with a warm smile.
Xia Nuan Nuan was stunned for a moment, gazing at him with a hint of adoration.
“Don’t worry, even if the end of the world truly comes, I will definitely stay by your side.”
Qin Tian raised his hand, ruffled her hair with a doting smile.
“Mhm!”
Xia Nuan Nuan responded with a soft hum, her eyes closing slightly, and hugged his arm tighter, whispering in a voice only they could hear, “As long as you’re by my side, I fear nothing.”
“Phew… Speaking of which, it’s really cold this year!”
“Yeah, it’s a shame the house isn’t renovated yet. Otherwise, it would be nice to curl up on the sofa and watch TV.”
“It’s going fast. We should be able to move in before the New Year, and after two months of ventilation, we can start living there.”
“Hehe… I hope the end of the world doesn’t come, or at least comes a bit later. I still want to live in our new house.” Xia Nuan Nuan said with a smile.
Just as Qin Tian was about to say something, his phone suddenly rang from his pocket.
He took out his phone and looked at the caller ID; it was Zhao Mingyuan.
“Hello, Brother Zhao!”
Qin Tian answered the call directly.
“Brother Qin, the branch store at your school is opening this weekend. See if you have time to come with your classmates and join the fun!”
Zhao Mingyuan got straight to the point.
“So soon? Alright, I’ll definitely be there.”
Qin Tian agreed.
Zhao Mingyuan was full of entrepreneurial spirit; in just over a month, he had already opened four more stores.
This latest branch was located on a street not far from Jiangcheng University, only a ten-minute walk away.
Zhao Mingyuan had discussed it with him when preparing to open this branch, and it had only been half a month, but it was already opening.
“It’s just that the processes have become more familiar, and the locations were chosen long ago, so it’s very quick to get things done,”
Zhao Mingyuan said with a chuckle.
“That’s still thanks to your strong capabilities, Brother Zhao. Your efficiency is incredible.”
Qin Tian quickly showered him with praise.
After all, he was a hands-off boss who didn’t do anything, leaving all the work to Zhao Mingyuan, so he felt a little embarrassed and made sure to butter him up whenever he had the chance.
“Hahaha… Don’t flatter me too much. If you feel embarrassed, then bring more people to liven up the place.”
“No problem, we’re both class monitors. If we call out to our classmates, many will be willing to go.”
“That’s great.”
After a few more pleasantries, they hung up.
“Should I tell the girls?”
Xia Nuan Nuan asked with a sweet smile.
“No need, I’ll just send a message in the class group.”
Qin Tian smiled, opened the class group, typed a message, informed everyone about the opening time and address of the branch store, and promised them free internet access that day.
After the message was sent, the class group immediately erupted.
“Holy crap, is this your internet cafe, Brother Tian? Another branch opened?”
“Anyone playing Dungeon Fighter Online and doing abyssal runs? Let’s do it together!”
“What nonsense Dungeon Fighter? What’s fun about pay-to-win games? Let’s go for League of Legends.”
“I’ve never been to a high-end internet cafe before. Free trial is too good!”
“Boss Qin, who is handsome, dashing, and generous, can you give us more free internet trial cards?”
“We definitely have to check out the class store. I’ve been curious before. Sisters, let’s go together then!”
…
“See, it’s all sorted.”
Qin Tian glanced at the messages in the group and grinned at Xia Nuan Nuan beside him.
Xia Nuan Nuan chuckled, blinking her big eyes playfully, “Boss Qin is so generous.”
“Are you teasing me? Come here, little girl, let the boss have a peck.”
Qin Tian looked at her cute and playful demeanor, cupped her face with both hands, and gave her a big kiss.
“Hey, what are you doing!”
Xia Nuan Nuan touched her face where there was no saliva and raised her hand as if to hit him.
“Haha…”
Qin Tian laughed triumphantly, like a rogue who had taken advantage, and sprinted away.
“Stop right there, don’t run!”
Xia Nuan Nuan shouted and chased after him.
On campus, their laughter echoed, attracting envious and jealous glances from many students.
…
…
Compared to the damn end of the world that would never come, Qin Tian was more concerned about his own life.
The life countdown he had exchanged a few months ago only had a few days left.
According to the system’s settings, once the countdown ended, his soul as a reborn individual might be sent back to the time before his rebirth.
Qin Tian absolutely could not let such a preposterous thing happen; he’d rather jump off the tenth floor and end it all.
With 888 system points remaining, he could exchange for another 37 days, which didn’t make him too anxious.
In addition, his current wealth was also enough to exchange for a considerable amount of time.
Of course, unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn’t want to use money to buy his life; it felt too strange.
It was like a terminally ill patient, bitterly handing over the money earned throughout their life to the hospital, except in his case, he was handing it over to the system.
However, the system tasks, which hadn’t appeared in a long time, made him feel a bit helpless.
Although there were still two tasks left unfinished, another one wouldn’t hurt!
As the saying goes, three’s a charm!
Perhaps the system sensed his unspoken grievances, and a task indeed arrived.
In a blink of an eye, it was the weekend, the day the internet cafe branch was to open.
In the morning, as Qin Tian was preparing to take the guys from his dorm to the internet cafe, the system task notification sounded in his mind.
[System Task Triggered: A boss who is always hands-off is not a good boss. Host, please play your part today and maximize the internet cafe branch’s first-day revenue. Task rewards will increase with revenue!]
Qin Tian froze for a moment, then looked at everyone with an embarrassed expression and tentatively suggested, “Uh… can I discuss something with you all? Can we not have free internet today? Maybe another day?”
The guys looked at each other, then burst into boos of disdain.
“Not going then, no money. I’ll just sleep!”
“No way, Boss Qin, aren’t you too stingy?”
“This way it’s no fun!”
“What the heck, weren’t we promised free trial cards?”
…
“Alright, free, it’s free. But everyone, help me with something.”
Qin Tian changed his mind helplessly.
“What is it?”
“Do you have friends from other classes or anything? Call them over.”
“And they’ll get free internet too?”
Zhang Lang asked in surprise.
Qin Tian glared at him exasperatedly.
“What are you thinking? If you invite everyone from the entire school to take turns for free internet, how am I supposed to make any money?”