An Expert Is actually By My Side

Chapter 13: Night Chat in the Dorm Room

Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations
[Host: Cloud Hao]
[Programming: 1]
[Music: 2]
At 11 o’clock in the evening, it was lights out in the dorm room. Cloud Hao was lying on his back on the bed and staring at the attributes panel in a daze.
I only have three attribute points in total, still feels very noob-like…
Besides, unlike programming, music is all greek to me. It might take God-knows-how-long for this attribute to take effect.
Cloud Hao thought to himself and sighed inwardly.
If only I was just a little bit more lucky at that time and my skill points were randomly assigned to programming, that would be great.
At least in terms of creating games, he was still interested in it after getting a little sweet taste of success.
Moreover, in his vague memory, his job in his past life was game designing. So, things like developing games were like going back to his previous profession.
“Don’t think too much for now…”
At present, there appeared to be two ways to trigger system missions—either wait for an opportunity or create an opportunity and take the initiative.
The key to everything was then how to evoke his roommates’ desires—erm, no, ambition!
If they are going to lie on the bed like salted fish the whole day, living like ordinary university students, how can they become winners in life? How are they going to buy cars, houses, and submarines?
When he thought about this, Cloud Hao felt that he could not wait any longer. He cleared his throat and was about to say something.
However, just then, Zhu Kening, who usually had the most to say, opened his mouth first.
“Brother Cloud, come to think of it…”
“Hmm?”
“Why did your father give you this name?”
Cloud Hao was stunned for a moment before replying to him, “This… is nothing special, is it? Soar above the clouds, have a magnificent aspiration as high as the sky… My father wanted me to take Civil Service Exams previously, but I didn’t have much interest. I probably failed to live up to his expectations.”
Zheng Xueqian remarked, “I thought it was just a sound-alike for good luck.”
Liang Ziyuan nodded and unusually interrupted, “I thought the same too.”
Cloud Hao smiled and said, “Good luck? I guess it could have that meaning too… Though I don’t think I’ve had any good luck in the past 18 years.”
Else, how do you explain my hidden potential stat?
Even the system that popped out from God-knows-where is ridiculing my luck.
Zheng Xueqian looked at Zhu Kening.
“What about you? Is there any story behind your name?”
“Of course there is,” Zhu Kening said with a smile. “My hometown is in Ning County, and my father named me Kening in order to improve the geomancy in our county.”
Zheng Xueqian was stunned.
“Huh? Using the word “Ke”, which means jinx, to improve geomancy. Are you trying to jinx the geomancy or improve it…”
“What the hell do you know.” Zhu Kening narrowed his eyes at him. “This ‘Ke’ is to jinx the poverty in Ning County.”
Liang Ziyuan dumbfoundedly said, “Can it be understood like that?”
Zheng Xueqian mocked under his breath, “I’ve only heard that if something is missing in your life, you make up for it with your name. This is the first time I’ve heard of people using their name to subdue the geomancy in their hometown. Your old man really sticks his nose everywhere.”
Making up for what you lack in your life is nothing bad.
Come to think of it, it’s said that when a person is born, if the fortune teller predicts that you lack in gold amongst the five elements, they’ll add gold or prosperity in the name. If it lacks in the wood element, then just add a forest.
According to this logic…
Doesn’t it mean I lack luck?
F*ck!
Perhaps it was just a casual remark, but the listener read his own meaning into it. Cloud Hao suddenly recalled a kind of athlete’s foot medication named Da Kening and subconsciously blurted out, “Perhaps it might not have been geomancy.”
Zhu Kening was stunned.
“What?”
“It could also be for treating an illness…”
Zheng Xueqian and Liang Ziyuan didn’t react at first, but they caught on within seconds and couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
Zheng Xueqian, in particular, was the most tasteless. Not only did he laugh, but he was also hammering his fist on the quilt, completely not concealing his joy at all.
Zhu Kening’s brows furrowed as he said, “Are you guys mad?”
Cloud Hao, who was holding back his laughter, coughed dryly and quickly changed the topic. “Let’s not talk about names; it’s so boring. How about life and dreams… Let’s start with the head of the dorm room. Come on, Brother Kening. What’s your dream?”
Dream?
Zhu Kening gave an answer without any hesitation, “Become an official!”
Completely expected.
On his first day in the dorm room, Cloud Hao had already noticed that this guy was quite obsessed with being an official.
“The problem in Ning County is not geomancy, but poverty! If I become the county magistrate, the first thing I’d do after taking office is to pull the folks from home out of poverty, help them make a fortune, and become rich!”
Brilliant!
Who would have thought that this guy would have such an aspiration?
Looks like he’s not a complete idiot.
Hearing his words, Cloud Hao’s impression of him changed slightly.
However, this change in impression did not even last for half a minute before it was replaced by another negative emotion.
This guy…
As soon as the chatterbox was set free, there was no end to it!
Starting from the lofty aspiration of reviving his hometown, Brother Zhu Kening went on to the agriculture in his hometown and the cornfield outside his house. Then, for one reason or other, the topic turned to the language teacher of his second brother-in-law’s next-door neighbor’s child, where he grumbled about how the education in his hometown was full of problems.
Initially, the three in the dorm room were still listening attentively, but later on, the more they heard, the sleepier they got.
After letting out a tut, Liang Ziyuan put on his headphones.
Zheng Xueqian’s eyelids fought to stay open, and he nearly fell asleep.
Cloud Hao hadn’t completely given up on him and stared straight at him.
However, soon enough, even he was disappointed.
No new tasks popped up, and his hidden potential stat remained a question mark. There was no change at all.
It seemed that mere fantasies wouldn’t change anything. The system also didn’t think that this guy would remember all his boasting after waking up.
Setting the class president aside, Cloud Hao looked at the sleepy Zheng Xueqian and threw him the same question,
“What about you? Do you have any dreams?”
“Dreams? Oh, dream…” The sleepy Zheng Xueqian yawned and said, “I don’t have that many thoughts. Just study hard and be done with it.”
Cloud Hao asked in a persuasive tone, “In that case, do you like programming?”
Zheng Xueqian was stunned for a moment. Then, he said with a smile, “What’s there to like or dislike about that… I’ve already applied for this major, so I’ll still have to learn it ultimately. Ah, of course, I don’t read up in advance at all. I just casually flip through the pages.”
Cloud Hao was speechless.
The hidden potential stat remained unchanged.
No mission panel popped up either.
Looks like today is also not the turning point of this guy’s fate.
Besides himself, only one person in the dorm room had not joined in on this topic.
Seeing Ziyuan put on his headphones and about to sleep, Cloud Hao rapped on the bedside railing and asked, “What about you, Brother Ziyuan? Do you have any dreams?”
“Me?” Liang Ziyuan was momentarily stunned. His brows furrowed as he pondered for a moment before saying, “Release my own album…”
As soon as Cloud Hao heard it, he immediately became invigorated.
“I understand what you mean, but you should be more ambitious, such as becoming the king of the music world…”
“That’s too far ahead.” Liang Ziyuan continued after a pause, “Also, all that king of the music world doesn’t matter to me. I simply like music. I don’t care if others like it or not.”
Zheng Xueqian whispered, “But we care.”
Liang Ziyuan kept mum.
There was still no pop-up window for mission notification. It seemed that nothing was going to happen today.
Cloud Hao sighed and was about to sleep when Liang Ziyuan suddenly threw the topic back to him. “What about you?”
When Zheng Xueqian didn’t respond, Cloud Hao was slightly stunned and pointed at himself.
“Are you asking me?”
Liang Ziyuan nodded.
“I’m very curious; what is your dream?”
At this moment, not only Liang Ziyuan, but even Zhu Kening, who was rattling on, and Zheng Xueqian, who was about to go to bed, all reacted, and both their ears pricked up.
Not understanding why his pals would be interested in his affairs, Cloud Hao racked his brain for a while. He then said while lying on his back, “Probably… Games?”
Zheng Xueqian questioned, “Playing games? I don’t see you playing them.”
Cloud Hao responded, “More like a game designer?”
Liang Ziyuan asked, “Why are you saying it like a question?”
“Because I don’t know either.” Cloud Hao sighed involuntarily. “Maybe I’m the kind of person who doesn’t have a dream… Anyway, as long as I can make a small fortune, perhaps I’ll be content.”
Hearing his words, Zhu Kening said in an aged tone, “Let me tell you, it’s usually people with this kind of personality that should not be underestimated.”
“Contented with a small fortune. In that case, what kind of small fortune is considered a small fortune? Not seeking anything is the same as wanting everything. If you don’t have anything in particular you desire, you will wish to have everything.”
Zheng Xueqian sneered. “Okay, Brother Zhu is starting to spout nonsense in that serious manner again.”
Liang Ziyuan didn’t say anything. He just silently increased the volume of his headphones.
Zhu Kening sighed when he saw no one taking his words seriously.
“Hah, you guys don’t believe me, but I’m telling the truth. Fine, so be it. One day, you guys will understand these principles on dealing with people on your own. This dorm head shall not speak further on this.”
Not seeking anything is the same as wanting everything…
Cloud Hao felt uncomfortable with Zhu Kening acting like a wise old man. He just shrugged helplessly.
“Maybe.”
He turned this body to face the wall and yawned, about to go to sleep.
However, at this moment, he suddenly recalled that he still had an unused memory fragment.
His heart thumped slightly. Cloud Hao opened the system interface and found the transparent crystal, about the size of a rice grain, lying in his inventory. He gently pinched it with his fingertips.
“…What could it be?”
With a tinge of curiosity, he exerted some force on his fingertips.
The grain-sized memory fragment instantly turned into a sky full of light and flowed into the top of his skull.
A familiar warm current ran down his spine and enveloped his brain.
[Unlocked Memory·Song: “The Fleeting Fireworks”]
The familiar melody wrapped in memories flooded in and merged into his consciousness.
It felt like another piece of jigsaw had been put in place in a messed up puzzle.
Cloud Hao could still remember the singer and vaguely recall how astonished he was when he first heard the song. However, he couldn’t call up more details.
“Is it going to be music this time?”
Cloud Hao raised his index finger and pressed it on the space between his brows. He was trying to digest the sense of discomfort that accompanied the memory from his previous life.
Although he was not good at singing, this system gift reminded him.
He already had an idea in mind about how to trigger the next mission.