Chapter 87 : 87: Photo
"Why not simply spend 1,000 headline points to buy a control talisman?"
Yu Lei pondered whether this choice would be cost-effective but decided it was not worth it after some consideration.
He needed to save up 150,000 headline points to exchange for a Qi-Raising Talisman, which would help him advance to the later stages of Qi-Controlling.
In his previous attempts to obtain news clues, he had spent many headline points to exchange for control talismans and memory talismans to manipulate the news subjects. Unfortunately, once the news was reported, the response was lukewarm, like throwing a stone into the sea—hardly making a splash.
Not making the news headlines meant the system points were wasted, which pained him for a long time.
Hot searches are something that celebrities and marketing companies can easily achieve with some money, but his system did not work that way; it required genuinely completing tasks. Sometimes, his own miscalculations could also lead to failure.
Now, he needed to conserve headline points, ensuring he collected 150,000 to progress to the later stage of Qi-Controlling. The higher his cultivation, the more he could achieve.
"Forget it, it's more important to create a topic first... If this topic hits the hot search, then dealing with those two isn't too late."
Yu Lei opened his personal camera to check the photos he had just taken.
They were close-ups of Xiang Beifei's living room, which he had secretly snapped a few photos of while Xiang Qingde was talking to his grandson.
Yu Lei was not satisfied with these photos. Although Xiang Qingde's home was somewhat impoverished, everything was tidy and clean, even the stovetop utensils shone brightly.
This did not meet his expectations. He had wanted to create a "poor boy makes good" sensation, which required dilapidated, dusty walls and messy, cramped furniture for contrast.
However, despite only living with his grandson, their place was well maintained, with not many furniture pieces, just enough for their needs, making their home comfortable to live in without giving off an impoverished vibe.
Clearly, although poor in material wealth, these two were not poor in spirit and took life very seriously.
"Hmph, the photos can be completely fabricated."
Yu Lei planned to later find a graphic designer to edit the photos, making them look more disordered.
He saw a garbage bin nearby and after a slight contemplation, seeing no one around, he kicked the bin, scattering trash everywhere, then frantically snapped photos of the garbage pile.
"An academic prodigy emerging from a filthy, chaotic slum... Isn't this material perfect? Hehe."
Yu Lei casually threw a cigarette butt on the ground and then strode away.
Unbeknownst to him, a gaze from above the window sill had been fixed on him the whole time.
"All right, if you must do it this way."
Xiang Beifei withdrew his gaze; he had seen the other party's system interface and understood exactly what the guy was up to, hence his firm rejection.
Yu Lei thought this time would be like the usual, easily crafting fake news, but he did not realize that Xiang Beifei had seen his chosen system task clearly.
Xiang Beifei did not think further; instead, he turned back and continued to sit on the bed to cultivate the Chaos Yin-Yang Formula.
—
In the evening, Kong Daming warmly invited Xiang Qingde and Xiang Beifei to his restaurant for dinner, as it was a celebration for Kong Xiuwen, and, therefore, Beifei did not refuse and went with Qingde.
Kong Daming's restaurant business was thriving. The place was large, and he flamboyantly displayed two banners, reading "Warmly Celebrating Kong Xiuwen Scoring Above Elite University Admission Line in the College Entrance Exam" and "Warmly Celebrating Xiang Beifei Attaining the Top Scholar Position in Luhe High School."
Xiang Beifei was somewhat surprised; he had not expected Kong Daming to also hang a banner for him.
"Haha, I originally wanted to arrange something bigger, but time was tight, so let's just have a small gathering tonight. After you also pass the assessment at Liangzhou University, I'll throw a big celebration for you and Xiuwen!"
Kong Daming cheerfully greeted Xiang Qingde and his grandson.
Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen were childhood friends, and Kong Daming had watched Xiang Beifei grow up, so he was always good to Xiang Beifei.
"Come on, we're all family here—no need to be formal!"
Kong Xiuwen's mother, Chen Xiuqin, said with a smile, "It's Xiaofei who's really going places, much more so than my Xiuwen. I'm worried when I look at his grades."
"Auntie, he's at least confirmed to be going to Liangzhou University," Xiang Beifei said.
"That's just good luck. Don't worry, I have high hopes for you too, Xiaofei. You'll definitely make it as well," Chen Xiuqin said, then turned to Xiang Qingde, "Don't worry, old man, Xiaofei can do it."
Xiang Qingde smiled, "Then I'll count on your good words."
Chen Xiuqin awakened the ["S-grade, Yi Jian Mei System"], and was a hairdresser. With the help of her system, her hairstyling skills were superb. She owned five salon branches, often traveling to style hair for celebrity teams.
"Before we eat, let me give you both a haircut, symbolizing—'accumulating thickness and welcoming renewal!'" With a flourish, Chen Xiuqin produced two shiny scissors.
Xiang Beifei touched his own short hair, which had been cut very short due to the rules set by Yang Hua, and said, "My hair isn't long enough."
"I don't just cut hair short," Chen Xiuqin said with a mysterious smile, clicking the black scissors in her left hand, "I can make it grow longer too!"
Now that was interesting.
Xiang Beifei glanced at Chen Xiuqin's system and saw that the black scissors in her left hand were a magical item from the system. Unlike other scissors that cut hair short, these scissors could make hair grow long.
"She's always liked these superstitious things. Originally, it was my thick hair that caught her eye, and she chased after me, wanting to practice her hairdressing skills on me every day. Having thick hair has its benefits," said Kong Daming as he proudly ran his hand through his dense hair, akin to seaweed.
Chen Xiuqin kicked Kong Daming lightly: "Stop your nonsense—who chased whom, you know very well. If you hadn't relentlessly pestered me with that thick skin of yours, would I have fallen for you?" Dive deeper into the story on m-vle-mpyr
"Hehe."
Kong Daming shook his hair and then smugly patted his round belly, winking surreptitiously at Xiang Beifei and Kong Xiuwen.
Kong Xiuwen looked resigned.
It was true he had inherited his Dad's thick hair, but he had awakened the ["hair loss system"], where less hair meant stronger powers, and the lost hair would not grow back!
Fortunately, the hair that had not shed could still grow longer.
"Seize the last moments of handsomeness before the hair loss begins!"
Kong Xiuwen touched his own hair, looking resigned to his fate.
Xiang Beifei wondered if Chen Xiuqin cutting too many people's hair caused Kong Xiuwen to awaken the ["hair loss system"], but regardless, Kong Xiuwen's system was at least S-grade with great potential.
"Quick, let's get you new hairstyles. Having a crew cut is too rigid; you need something more stylish."
Chen Xiuqin especially disliked crew cuts and if it weren't for the school rule set by Yang Hua, prohibiting long hair, she would definitely change Kong Xiuwen's hairstyle every day.
Without further ado, Chen Xiuqin dragged both Kong Xiuwen and Xiang Beifei to the adjacent salon.