"Man, life really is brutal sometimes."
Doug Feng leaned back in his seat as the train rattled on, staring at the dirty window while the countryside blurred past. The journey was long, but it gave him plenty of time to think. He imagined what life would've been like if he hadn't been reborn, if he hadn't bonded with that absurd but magical Favorability System.
If things had gone on like before, he'd still be stuck in that hopeless grind—no future, no light, no chance. Just endless gray days of mediocrity and disappointment. He'd probably be slouching somewhere, still getting bossed around by thugs like Li Zuming and Liu Hanming.
But that life was gone. Dead and buried.
Now, he had a second chance—and more importantly, a cheat code in the form of a system that tracked how much people liked him. If he couldn't turn things around with that, then he really had no business calling himself a man.
As the train chugged along for nearly eight hours, Doug plotted every step he needed to take to get justice for his dad. Those two bastards—Li Zuming and Liu Hanming—were going to pay.
By the time their truck finally crossed into Yangjian City, the sun was starting to dip behind the horizon. Their delivery was scheduled for a steel mill on the city's outskirts, and it took a solid hour to unload the goods. When Doug and his father finally made it to his aunt's apartment complex, it was already past six.
"Fangzhen, we're here!"
They trudged up three flights of stairs before Mr. Du rang the doorbell to apartment 301. The building was old but decent—typical working-class housing in a mid-sized industrial city.
Doug's aunt, Zhao Fangzhen, opened the door with a warm smile that stretched from ear to ear.
"Well, look who finally made it! And little Dougie too—haven't seen you in ages! Come on in, come in!"
She turned and shouted over her shoulder, "Lingling! Come out here! Your cousin's here!"
The apartment was modest but clearly better off than Doug's own home. His aunt had bought it a couple of years ago, thanks to her husband's stable job. Her husband, Mr. Shen, was a workshop supervisor at Sanyi Electronics, pulling in a respectable five thousand yuan a month—not counting bonuses.
Doug and his dad shuffled into the living room, where a 42-inch TV flickered in the background. Fangzhen brought out a bowl piled high with fruit and gestured for them to sit.
Then, from one of the bedrooms came a groan.
"Mom! I told you not to bother me unless it's important! I've got my mock exams, remember? The same papers they're using in Zhicheng—they're brutal! If I bomb this, I'm toast for the college entrance exam!"
Doug raised an eyebrow as a teenage girl stormed into the room, arms crossed and annoyance written all over her face.
"Lingling, don't be rude! Your uncle and cousin came all this way to see us. Can't you spare ten minutes to chat?"
Zhao Fangzhen sighed, already turning back toward the kitchen. "You two catch up. I'll go finish dinner."
Lingling rolled her eyes but didn't argue. She plopped down on a chair, arms still crossed.
Doug gave her a wry smile. "Long time no see, Lingling. You've grown up a lot."
She raised a skeptical brow. "Yeah, well. I'm trying to get into a top university. Unlike some people."
Doug blinked.
"Well, okay then."
His dad laughed awkwardly and cut in, "She's right, Doug. Your cousin's always been top of her class. You should learn a thing or two from her—both of you are in science track, after all."
Doug opened his mouth, then shut it. Honestly, he wasn't even mad. He was twenty-five inside, and she was what—seventeen? No need to bicker with a bratty teenager. He grinned instead.
"You're absolutely right. Lingling, I'll be looking to you for some serious study tips."
"Hmph. Not like they'll help much. The college entrance exam's in what—fifty days? If you haven't been working hard already, it's kinda late."
She sighed dramatically and then added, not-so-casually, "This latest mock test—same paper as your city's third benchmark exam—it was a nightmare. I probably only scored around 550. What about you, Doug? How many points do you think you got?"
The smugness in her voice was practically dripping onto the floor.
Before Doug could respond, his dad laughed nervously again and said, "Heh, if Doug can get close to 500, we'll be thrilled. He's been trying, though! That's what counts, right?"
Doug just shrugged. "I did okay. Nothing to write home about."
Ding-dong!
The doorbell rang again. Lingling jumped up.
"That must be Dad!"
She practically skipped to the door, her annoyance forgotten.
"Dad! You promised me a new phone after the exam! I want the latest Motorola—the one with the camera and the flip screen. Did you get it?"
Her dad, Shen Hongxin, stepped in wearing a pressed suit and holding a briefcase. He gave a sheepish smile.
"Ah, I totally forgot. Work's been insane. Tomorrow, sweetheart—I promise, we'll go get it tomorrow."
Then he spotted Doug and his dad.
"Oh! Brother-in-law, Doug—when did you get here?"
"Just now," said Mr. Du with a modest nod.
Doug could see it clearly now—his uncle didn't think much of his dad. Probably never had. Even when Doug's mom had married into the Du family, everyone thought she was marrying beneath her. After all, Mr. Du worked himself to the bone as a logistics driver and only brought home a few thousand yuan a month.
"Dinner's ready!" Zhao Fangzhen called from the kitchen. "Everyone, to the table!"
Plates of hot, fragrant food were laid out on the dining table. Steamed fish, stir-fried vegetables, pork ribs, and a big bowl of egg drop soup. Doug's stomach growled.
"Brother-in-law, join me for a few drinks tonight, yeah?"
Shen Hongxin bent down and pulled out a dusty bottle of baijiu from the cabinet under the sink. It had a golden label—Huanghuashan Rice Liquor, a regional specialty from Zhicheng.
"It's good stuff," he added. "Award-winning too. Got a gold medal from some expo in France or whatever. You've gotta try it."
Doug's dad hesitated. "Ah, my wife told me not to drink…"
"Oh, come on! You're not driving tonight, right? Just a few glasses. Relax."
Before he could say no, Shen had already popped the cap and filled his glass to the brim.
Doug watched as his father lifted the glass, sniffed it, then took a delicate sip.
"Mmm… now that's good liquor," old Doug murmured, savoring the flavor.
Doug didn't miss the way Shen looked satisfied, like he'd just won some kind of silent battle.
As they all sat down to eat, Doug stayed quiet, observing the dynamics.
He wasn't just here to visit family. He was here to start changing everything—from how others saw his father, to how he was going to reshape his own fate.
This might've been a family dinner on the surface.
But underneath?
It was the beginning of war.