Beep beep—beep beep—
Jiang Cheng turned off the alarm clock, squinting as he unlocked his phone.
6:00
If he slept any longer, he’d be late.
He pulled off his pajamas, changed into his school uniform, and after a quick wash, grabbed the milk bottle from the dining table before heading out.
A note was pinned under the bottle, with a single scrawled sentence.
[Mom has to work overtime today, so take care of your own dinner.]
Jiang Cheng boarded a bus that had just arrived and found a seat near the back.
Most of the passengers were students or office workers; some leaned against the windows, dozing, while others wore earphones, silently reciting vocabulary.
Jiang Cheng glanced around casually before turning his gaze outside.
The sky in the old town seemed to brighten earlier, with hurried pedestrians weaving under faded shop signs.
After a while, Jiang Cheng looked away, tilted his head back, and finished the milk in one gulp.
Then he stood up just before his stop.
Before getting off, he checked his watch.
6:45
Jiang Cheng blended into the crowd entering the school gate.
His classroom was on the first floor, so he walked at a leisurely pace.
“Jiang! Did you do yesterday’s math homework?”
A boy from the back desk patted Jiang Cheng’s shoulder. Without turning, Jiang Cheng handed over a workbook.
“Thanks, man.”
Wang Yu scratched the back of his head, wanting to say more, but Jiang Cheng was already memorizing vocabulary.
Is this the self-discipline of a top student?
Jiang Cheng had transferred to the school this year and immediately claimed the top spot in their grade.
He was quiet, rarely interacting with classmates.
The only thing people knew about him was that his family wasn’t well-off, and he’d likely transferred for the scholarship.
After memorizing vocabulary for a while, Jiang Cheng pulled out a blank sheet to silently write them out.
Soon, the bell rang, and the class began reciting English texts.
Jiang Cheng continued writing his vocabulary.
The English teacher glanced at him as she entered through the back door but said nothing.
There was a ten-minute break after morning self-study.
Unlike others who went to the corridor to bask in the sun, Jiang Cheng stayed at his desk, closing his eyes to rest.
His mind replayed the argument with his mom last night.
“Mom, I can take a part-time job after school. You don’t have to work the night shift anymore.”
“No way!”
Jiang Xiaoyue didn’t even look up as she rejected her son.
“After your college entrance exams, you can work as many jobs as you want, and I won’t stop you.”
If it weren’t for a debt they couldn’t pay off, she wouldn’t have agreed to let him transfer schools.
Hearing him talk about part-time work now, she refused without a second thought.
Since her husband’s death, she’d endured every hardship.
Now, with her son at a critical moment, she couldn’t let him get distracted.
“But… those debt collectors called again, didn’t they?”
The moment Jiang Cheng said this, Jiang Xiaoyue’s face darkened.
“It’s just a bit of time after school, Mom.”
“So when you said you’d study at home, you were actually planning to work part-time? That’s what you’ve been scheming?”
“Since you call me Mom, you’d better listen to me!” Jiang Xiaoyue had been exhausted from overtime lately and had no patience to argue with her son about this.
She glanced at her phone, stood up from the sofa, grabbed her keys, and slipped into her high heels.
With a thud, the door slammed shut, and the living room fell silent again…
“Take out the test paper you did yesterday.”
Jiang Cheng’s thoughts were interrupted. He hadn’t noticed the bell for class had just rung.
Clearing his mind, he pulled the test paper from his bag and began listening attentively.
By the time classes ended for the day, the sky was darkening.
As one of the few students excused from evening self-study, Jiang Cheng walked alone to the bus stop.
Another night of eating alone—he planned to grab something at the noodle shop near home.
17:50
Jiang Cheng glanced at the wall clock as he entered the noodle shop.
“Hey, Little Jiang! Back for noodles? The usual pickled vegetable and pork noodle?”
“Yeah.” Jiang Cheng nodded with a smile.
The shop owner headed to the kitchen, adding an extra portion while cooking.
Jiang Cheng ate quickly, paid the bill, and started walking home, passing a small alley along the way.
The dark alley entrance was where local delinquents sometimes hung out.
But today, they weren’t there—just a middle-aged man in sunglasses and a mask, standing alone.
He held a box, dressed in a neatly pressed suit.
Jiang Cheng glanced at him but was stopped.
“Hey~ you, the student over there~”
Jiang Cheng ignored him, quickening his pace.
“Don’t walk so fast! I just want to ask if you’re interested in a part-time job.”
Jiang Cheng hesitated for half a second but kept walking.
Just as he neared his apartment building, the man ran up and blocked his path.
“Hah… hah… young people sure are fast. I’m serious, it’s just a simple product testing job.”
The man opened the box, revealing a wristband that looked like any other on the market.
“This much! Wear this wristband for half a month, test it out… and I’ll pay you this much!”
The man held up five fingers.
“How about it? You don’t have to do much—just write a feedback form at the end. I can pay half the wage upfront, the rest after half a month.”
His eyes were hidden behind the sunglasses.
“Is there a contract to sign?” Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then looked up at the man.
“Haha, I’m just randomly picking people to test our new product. No contract, don’t worry. How about this… we add each other on WeChat, and I’ll transfer the payment to you later.”
Jiang Cheng stared at the man for a minute before pulling out his phone to scan the code.
Then he saw a new contact with a completely black profile picture—and a transfer of 250 yuan.
Perfect timing for that study guide I need.
Now I won’t have to ask Mom for money.
Jiang Cheng’s steps quickened as he thought this.
He pushed open the door to his dark apartment.
The only light came from the wristband, displaying 18:30.
Jiang Cheng grabbed a broom, swept the living room and kitchen, then changed clothes and sat at his desk to do homework.
He yawned.
Squinting at the time, it was only 19:00.
Only half an hour has passed—why am I so tired?
He poured himself a glass of ice water, gulping it down with a glug glug. But the drowsiness didn’t fade.
He flipped through his remaining homework.
Most of it was done at school, and the rest could be finished if he woke up early tomorrow.
Jiang Cheng grabbed his pajamas and underwear, took a quick shower, and soon after lying in bed, drifted into a groggy sleep.
The next morning, he was woken by the alarm.
Despite sleeping early, Jiang Cheng felt exhausted. He glanced at the wristband on his wrist.
It read: 14:23:59
Huh? What does that mean? Is the wristband broken? Jiang Cheng rubbed his eyes, thinking he’d misread it.
Gradually, he sensed something was off.
His skin felt unusually smooth, soft to the touch.
And for some reason, his chest felt heavy and warm, as if something was stuffed inside his pajamas.
Must be because I’ve been so tired lately. Squinting, he didn’t think much of it and headed to the bathroom.
He looked in the mirror, and the toothbrush cup in his hand crashed onto the sink.
The figure in the mirror had pink hair, wide, sparkling eyes filled with panic, a delicate nose, and soft lips.
The pajamas were tight across the chest, the buttons straining as if they might pop.
On the exposed wrist was the wristband, its screen glowing.
14:23:50