Spring City First Renmin Hospital.
In a double occupancy hospital room, a young girl lay on the bed near the window.
The girl's eyes were gently closed, and her pale complexion could not hide her breathtaking beauty.
If one were to ignore the tubes connected to her body, she might simply appear to be asleep.
A woman in her forties held a towel in her hand, carefully wiping the girl's body.
"Tan'er, Mom believes you'll wake up."
"Heavens couldn't possibly be this cruel to the two of us..." As she spoke, large tears rolled down from the woman's eyes and landed on the girl's fair skin.
The family member of the patient on the neighboring bed saw this scene and couldn't help but sigh.
This family was truly too tragic.
Over the past few days, she had come to understand a bit about them: the girl's name was Qi Baotan, a beauty from a young age, though burdened by poverty. Her extraordinary looks had instead become a source of trouble.
Her mother was in poor health and unable to do heavy work. To support the family, Qi Baotan left high school early to work. One day, she was discovered by a talent agency and signed on to become an actress.
But shortly after, the news came that she had jumped from a building in a suicide attempt. Though her life was saved, she was left in a vegetative state.
Mrs. Qi couldn't accept the situation and decided to sue the talent agency.
Later, people from the agency came and issued threats, essentially demanding Mrs. Qi drop the case or else the two of them wouldn't be able to survive in Spring City.
With nowhere to turn for help, Mrs. Qi aged ten years in a matter of weeks—truly heartbreaking.
After wiping her daughter's body clean, Mrs. Qi changed Qi Baotan into fresh hospital clothes, tucked her in, greeted the neighboring family member, and left the room carrying the water basin.
The neighbor couldn't help but study the girl's face. No matter how many times one looked, it still left an unforgettable impression.
A pity indeed...
At that moment, the door to the hospital room was pushed open, and someone walked in.
Initially, she thought Mrs. Qi had returned so quickly, but when she turned her head, she saw a young person dressed in black with a black baseball cap, slim to an excessive degree, with an androgynous appearance.
The person walked directly to Qi Baotan's bedside and stood motionless.
Unable to hold back, she asked, "Excuse me, are you a friend of Qi Baotan?"
The stranger replied with a faint "Mm," followed by a long silence.
Shen You'an gazed at the girl on the bed, who seemed simply asleep.
Her youth and beauty resembled the most delicate blossom perched on a branch.
But before she had the chance to fully bloom, she had fallen into ruins, eternally frozen at her most stunning age.
In her mind, Shen You'an saw a reflection of her own past in this girl.
Beauty was not a crime, yet it became a harbinger of doom.
She deserved to live vibrantly, not wither prematurely.
In her mind, Shen You'an summoned the system.
[I want Qi Baotan to wake up.]
The system yawned as it roused from slumber.
After processing Shen You'an's words, the system's childlike voice sounded incredulously, [An'an, you should think carefully. You've worked hard to accumulate these points, are you sure you don't want to reconsider?]
[I've thought it through. I want to save her.]
[Alright then.]
The system activated its point repository. [An'an, over the past nine years, you've accumulated a total of 501 points. The Soul Revival Pill necessary to wake Qi Baotan costs 500 points in the shop. If you're certain about redeeming it, please confirm.]
Within the Sea of Consciousness, Shen You'an saw a floating holographic screen emitting a faint blue glow. Displayed on it were the words: Soul Revival Pill, 500 points.
Below was a button for confirmation of exchange.
Without hesitation, Shen You'an clicked to redeem.
A profound and ancient voice echoed within the Sea of Voidness: [Soul Revival Pill successfully redeemed. 500 points deducted.]
The Soul Revival Pill radiated a golden light as it slowly descended into Shen You'an's hand.
The neighbor saw the figure in black close their eyes, with their right hand hovering above Qi Baotan's head. A faint golden glow emanated from the black-clad individual's palm, gradually merging with Qi Baotan.
She rubbed her eyes, and then rubbed them again.
Could it just be a trick of the light?
Looking again, she saw a beam of slanting sunlight bathing Qi Baotan—that golden glow was from the sunshine.
It really must have been her imagination; the gold was clearly sunlight.
"Good luck."
Shen You'an cast a final glance at Qi Baotan and turned to leave the hospital room.
Just as Shen You'an left, the hand of the girl on the bed, limp by her side, suddenly twitched.
——
[Five hundred points, An'an, you're truly generous.]
[It's a life.]
To Shen You'an, no amount of points could compare to the value of a human life.
[Without points, you won't be able to trade for potions to conceal your appearance...]
On her way out of the elevator, Shen You'an abruptly grabbed a man's wrist; his hand had just emerged from the pocket of an elderly man, clutching a bulging wallet.
The man twisted in pain and snarled in a low voice, "I warn you, don't meddle in my business…"
A sharp cry escaped his lips, his forehead beaded with cold sweat, and his face contorted from the pain.
The elderly gentleman turned his head and instantly understood the situation. Taking back the wallet, he urgently checked the contents.
Seeing no money had been taken, he sighed in relief and smashed the bag forcefully against the thief.
"This is my wife's surgery money, and you dare to steal it? I'll beat you till you regret it!"
The man suffered the old man's beating helplessly, the chain from the bag striking his face and eliciting a sharp intake of breath from the pain.
Security guards arrived and restrained the thief, calling the police.
"Young lady, thank you so much. Without you, I wouldn't have realized my money was stolen, and my wife's surgery would've been jeopardized!"
Shen You'an offered a gentle smile. "Grandma, I'll go with you to pay the fees."
The elderly woman beamed. "That's wonderful! Nowadays everything is self-service payments, and I don't know how to use the machines. If you could help me, that would be perfect…"
Shen You'an helped the elderly woman pay the fees and declined the offer of a meal, briskly leaving the hospital.
[Daily Kindness task completed. Points +1. Total Points: 2.]
The system's childlike voice echoed in her mind.
Shen You'an paused in her steps.
Since the moment the system's voice had first resonated in her mind, nine years had unknowingly passed.
The #007 Scholar System—Shen You'an still didn't understand why it had chosen her. Sometimes she thought perhaps her rebirth was due to the system.
Over the past nine years, Shen You'an had come to fully understand the workings of the system.
Under its grand title of "Comprehensive Development in Morality, Intelligence, Physical Fitness, Aesthetics, and Labor," were hidden the mechanics to gain points.
In these five aspects, Morality equated to virtues, and Labor represented skills. Only these two components could generate points, which could then be used to enhance Intelligence, Fitness, and Appearance.
Morality was divided into five levels; Daily Kindness was the most basic, earning one point.
Labor skill points could be accrued through various competitions, including knowledge and physical events. Points differed based on rank and level—regional, national, or international—and the gold, silver, bronze rankings included progressively higher point values. The pinnacle tasks represented intellect at the International Olympiad and physical prowess at the Olympics, with gold medals at these events awarding the maximum of 500 points.
With higher levels, the accumulated points could be exchanged in the shop for items of comparable tiers or used to improve intelligence, physical fitness, and beauty.
Although Shen You'an had access to such a powerful system, she had never grown reliant on it. From beginning to end, she treated it as a supplementary tool.
During her three years in middle school, she participated in no competitions whatsoever, instead dedicating herself wholeheartedly to learning, advancing step by steady step and accumulating knowledge.
One day, the system would leave her, but knowledge would accompany her forever.
Having endured the misery of her previous life, Shen You'an understood one truth deeply: only through knowledge could she broaden her horizons and change her fate.
"Ding," a system notification rang in her mind.
[Creating Good Karma task completed. Points +10. Total Points: 12.]
Shen You'an froze for a moment.
Instinctively, she turned back to look at the inpatient building behind her.
Qi Baotan… had woken up.