NOVEL WEB Chapter 1:
Chapter 1: System? Is This Some Kind of Prank?:
Zhou Ming absentmindedly stared at the computer screen, fingers tapping away at the keyboard.
“Should I check one more time?”
He quickly reached for his phone and opened WeChat.
The chat with his goddess, Han Mengran, was still stuck on yesterday’s message.
“Did you have breakfast?”
Han Mengran hadn’t replied. All that remained was Zhou Ming’s overly eager greeting.
Zhou Ming sighed and started making excuses for her in his head.
“She’s probably just busy. Yeah, that must be it—she’s busy.”
In the three years since graduating, Zhou Ming had been working as a corporate slave at Jingtai Group in Magic City.
“Zhou Ming, could you handle this file for me? I’ve sent it to the corporate chat.”
His coworker, Jiang Peipei, interrupted his train of thought.
Zhou Ming looked up and was met with the sight of Jiang Peipei’s curvy figure.
“Sure thing, Sister Pei. Consider it done!”
He agreed quickly and sneakily glanced at her voluptuous curves as he took the file.
Noticing his gaze, Jiang Peipei laughed while covering her mouth.
“What? Mesmerized by your big sister’s body again?”
Embarrassed by her teasing, Zhou Ming quickly waved his hands.
“No way, Sister Pei, don’t say that.”
Jiang Peipei laughed even more, and her ample curves jiggled along with her.
“Haha, you’re not even my type.”
Their colleagues in the marketing department all gave knowing smiles. They had seen this kind of interaction many times before.
But Zhou Ming’s mind wasn’t really on that. His eyes kept drifting back to his phone screen, hoping a message from Han Mengran would pop up.
“Why hasn’t she replied yet?”
“Is she really that busy?”
He couldn’t help but open WeChat again, but the chat was still empty.
“Sigh, forget it. I should just focus on work.”
Zhou Ming sighed helplessly and turned his attention back to the file on the computer.
[Ding!]
Just as Zhou Ming’s mind was drifting again, the WeChat notification sound chimed.
“Ah! Did the goddess finally reply?”
He rushed to open WeChat, only to find it was a group message.
“This weekend, team-building event to enhance cohesion. Please reply once received!”
“Sigh, just a group message…”
Zhou Ming laughed bitterly and mentally cursed his manager, Yu Zuolin, a hundred times.
“Stupid manager, always stealing our weekends.”
As much as he wanted to complain, he was just a small fry. What choice did he have?
“Received!”
Zhou Ming absentmindedly opened his Moments feed and saw Han Mengran had posted a new status.
She was smiling brightly in the photo, standing in front of a flower shop.
He looked at the timestamp—it was from that very morning.
“She updated her Moments… but didn’t reply to me?”
So… the clown… was me?
After hesitating a bit, he decided to message Han Mengran again.
Zhou Ming quickly typed:
“How come you posted on Moments but didn’t reply to my message?”
But just as he was about to send it, he hesitated again.
“No… That’s too direct. Makes me seem petty.”
He shook his head and deleted the message.
Sighing, he tossed the phone on his desk.
As he looked out at the bustling street below, an unexplained frustration filled his chest.
“Sigh, I’m nothing but a clown. I’ll always be a clown in front of her.”
[Ding! Host, you’re not a clown.]
[You’re just a simp!]
Zhou Ming was leisurely making coffee in the break room when a sudden voice echoed in his mind.
It startled him so much he nearly threw the coffee pot. Who the hell hears voices in their head?
“Huh? Who’s there? Who said that?”
He looked around, but the break room was empty.
[Host, no need to panic.]
[I’m the most powerful, most magnificent, and most selfless God-Tier Tycoon System across the multiverse. That’s right, the one and only. No further explanation needed.]
Zhou Ming’s lips twitched. This system was unbelievably narcissistic—its title alone was practically trying to pierce the heavens.
“You’re just full of yourself, huh? Think a long name makes you powerful?”
“A system, huh? Alright then, give me a few hundred million to prove it.”
He figured it was just a coworker playing a prank when the voice returned.
[Ding! Mission issued.]
“What? A mission?”
Zhou Ming froze. Was this system actually real?
[Forget your simp identity! Only hard work leads to the best future!]
[Please complete all your tasks for today within two hours.]
[Mission reward: 100,000 yuan in cash, +10 mental agility points.]
“Complete today’s work in two hours? And there’s a reward?”
Zhou Ming’s eyes widened. This system… wasn’t kidding?
He had read plenty of web novels. Didn’t all protagonists with systems become invincible and date supermodels?
Why was he still stuck being an office worker?
[Host, please complete the task quickly. Your reward is waiting!]
Sensing his doubt, the system reminded him again.
Zhou Ming stroked his chin. This system was a bit odd, but it couldn’t hurt to try.
Work had to be done anyway. Since it’s already started… why not give it a shot?
He returned to his workstation and checked the time.
“Hmm, if I don’t slack off, I can probably finish today’s tasks in about an hour and a half.”
“Let’s see if this system is the real deal.”
One hour later—
[Ding! Mission completed!]
[Ding! 100,000 yuan awarded.]
[Ding! +10 mental agility points.]
Then came the notification from his mobile banking app.
Zhou Ming looked down.
A bright “100,000” had just appeared in his balance, and his mouth dropped wide enough to swallow an egg.
“System—no, Daddy, you’re serious!”
He’d read so many novels, but he never expected one to actually come true!
He felt a rush of energy surging through his body, and his thoughts became sharp and quick like a flowing spring.
Tasks that once seemed complicated now looked straightforward and easy.
“Am I about to ascend? Could I really become the kind of protagonist who rises from nothing, slaps villains, marries a rich beauty, and reaches the peak of life?”
Zhou Ming was thrilled and began imagining his glorious future.
“Huh, Zhou Ming? You actually finished everything already?”
Jiang Peipei’s voice snapped him out of his daydream. She looked at him in surprise, holding the files he had just sent.
“Ah… yeah, Sister Pei. You know how efficient I always am.”
With the system on his side, Zhou Ming grew bolder and began teasing her.
“Oh? Just how fast are you? I wouldn’t know.”
Jiang Peipei gave him a flirty glare, surprised that he had the nerve to flirt with her.
“Haha, Sister Pei, don’t misunderstand. I meant my work speed.”
Zhou Ming quickly explained, afraid she might get the wrong idea.
“Haha, you little rascal.”
Jiang Peipei laughed and patted Zhou Ming’s shoulder before returning to her desk.
“System bro, keep it coming!”
“Give me ten more missions!”
“I want to fight ten battles!”
Zhou Ming shouted into his mind, feeling just like when he used to game in college.