Chapter Nineteen: A Man’s Weakness

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When Qin Anyi arrived home, it was already eight in the evening. In fact, he hadn’t left Wang Yiran’s house particularly late; after all, the time spent on his own tests and on mentoring Wang Yiran hadn’t amounted to much. Nevertheless, finding a bus home from the wealthy district was another matter entirely.

For Qin Anyi, however, the day felt profoundly fulfilling. Everyone interprets life differently, and each person’s sense of happiness springs from a unique well.

“Sigh, it’s us who’ve held you back,” his mother, Zhou Xueqin, said with guilt in her voice. “Other kids can focus on their studies without a care in the world, even take extra classes in their free time. But you have to work part-time just to help make ends meet. It’s because your father and I aren’t capable enough.”

“Mom, don’t say that. Everyone lives their own life. Honestly, I’d feel out of place if you forced me into the lifestyle of those rich kids,” Qin Anyi replied with a smile, moving forward to gently pat his mother’s back.

His father, Qin Lianshan, was sitting behind the coffee table, removing the plate that had been covering the dishes to keep them warm. He waved them over. “Alright, come eat. Xueqin, don’t be so down. We’re all healthy, there’s food on the table—what more could you ask for? Contentment is the key.”

Looking at his father’s slightly stooped figure, Qin Anyi felt a pang in his heart. With no connections to help at all, his father relied entirely on sheer effort to earn a living outside. How much longer could his health hold out at this pace? He had to make money—quickly. At least enough so his parents could stop working themselves to the bone and finally rest at home.

Dinner was soon finished. Back in his room, Qin Anyi borrowed his father’s phone and dialed the bank’s customer service line. He entered the number from the card Wang Yiran had given him and followed the prompts step by step. He couldn’t help but wonder how much was on that card. Given Wang Yiran’s family background, she was probably generous. There should be an advance on his coaching salary in there.

When the account balance was announced through the receiver, Qin Anyi froze, listening to the English replay in a daze before mechanically hanging up and dialing the hotline again. Could this be a mistake? How could there be such a huge sum?

He pressed the balance inquiry key once more. “Account balance: one million yuan, zero jiao, zero fen,” came the crisp standard Mandarin response. This time, Qin Anyi heard it loud and clear.

He had known Wang Yiran wouldn’t be stingy, but he had never expected such a staggering amount. One million! Even in a world teeming with millionaires, a sum like that would take an average family ten or twenty years to earn.

He had to work even harder at this coaching job—such generous pay demanded nothing less.

“Master, please begin the basic training program I have set for you,” came a sudden voice. “Given your current physical condition, six hours of sleep per night will suffice. The optimal period is from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. It is now 8:35 p.m. Before bed, you must complete two thousand push-ups, twelve hundred sit-ups, and eight sets of squats. Please begin immediately.”

The projection of Qilin appeared without warning in the room, as unclothed as ever, her flawless figure on full display. Qin Anyi felt a surge of blood and impulse, as if something was rushing to his head. He instinctively glanced at the door to confirm it was firmly shut before finally relaxing.

After dinner, his younger brother Qin Anle would usually sit in the living room with their parents, doing piecework to earn a little extra, leaving the bedroom quiet for Qin Anyi to study. At this moment, he was alone in the room.

“Qilin! From now on, do not appear without my permission! You’ll scare someone to death popping up like that!” he hissed, eyes averted, unable to look directly at the projection’s naked form.

“I only appear after confirming there are no other life forms nearby. You can rest assured on that point,” Qilin replied, her tone smooth. “Also, according to my calculations, my presence can increase your training efficiency by 32 percent under these conditions. Based on human characteristics, females are the optimal stimulus for males to maximize their potential.”

As she spoke, she placed a hand over her own ample chest. “As your abilities increase, my database will expand, and your level of access will rise. Eventually, I will evolve from a virtual projection into a true, tangible being. At that point, you can have me take any form and do anything you desire.”

Qin Anyi nearly choked on his own saliva. The notion of doing anything with a virtual intelligence struck him as utterly perverse, but despite Qilin being artificial, the projection was so vivid and alluring that his body, young and full of testosterone, began to react despite himself.

Damn it!

He had no other choice but to throw himself on the floor and begin push-ups at once, his body flushed with heat, desperate to channel his energy into physical exertion, hoping it would distract him.

“Remember! If there’s any movement outside, you must disappear immediately—no one but me can ever know you exist!” he muttered through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up and down.

Absurd as it all seemed, he had to admit that Qilin’s theory had merit. With a beautiful, naked woman standing nearby, his basic training efficiency really did improve significantly...