Chapter 29: A New Mission, An Old Revenge

A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang inside Jason’s head.

[Ding! Mission Complete.]

[Mission: Secret Tutoring]

[Reward: $10,000.]

[This is a recurring mission.]

[Reward for the next completion: $20,000.]

Jason’s eyebrows lifted.

Ten thousand dollars.

Just like that.

A slow grin spread across his face.

Not bad.

He felt noticeably better than he had before the lesson, and now the system had rewarded him with enough money to cover months of ordinary expenses.

Back in 2010, ten thousand dollars was a serious amount of money. For most people, it was more than they could save in months, sometimes even years.

Tonight had turned out better than expected.

Jason looked toward Victoria and put on the same harmless expression he had been wearing all evening.

"Aunt Victoria... you really worked hard tonight."

He paused, rubbing the back of his neck.

"I feel a lot better now, but I’m not sure I completely understand everything yet. When are you going to teach me again?"

Victoria stared at him.

For a moment, she didn’t answer.

"Tomorrow..."

She stopped herself.

"No. The day after tomorrow."

Her voice became firmer.

"You need to rest. You can’t expect to learn everything in one night. And don’t forget, you’re still young. Your health matters more than anything else."

She had originally planned to continue the next day.

But thinking about it now, she couldn’t understand why she had been so eager.

Maybe she really had been rushing things.

Jason nodded obediently.

"Okay. Thank you, Aunt Victoria."

A small smile appeared on his face.

Tonight had gone well.

Very well.

Whatever awkward distance had existed between them before, it was no longer quite the same. Something had shifted, and Jason could feel it.

There was no need to force anything.

Some things were better when they were allowed to develop naturally.

He stood and stretched.

"Thanks for tonight, Aunt Victoria. I’ll let you get some sleep."

He leaned down and gave her a brief kiss before turning toward the door.

Victoria froze.

Her cheeks immediately turned pink.

"Jason..."

Her voice was soft, almost helpless.

Jason glanced back with an innocent smile.

"Good night, Aunt Victoria."

"Good night..."

He stepped out.

The bedroom door remained slightly open, letting the cool air circulate through the room. After everything that had happened, neither of them wanted the room to feel any more stuffy than it already did.

Victoria watched him disappear down the hallway.

She remained still for several seconds.

Her heart refused to settle.

---

After washing up, Victoria sat alone on the edge of her bed.

The room was quiet now.

Too quiet.

She stared at her reflection in the dark window, her thoughts wandering back over the night’s events.

Jason had changed.

That was the only conclusion she could reach.

The boy she remembered from years ago had always been affectionate and dependent on the adults around him. But lately, there was something different about him.

He seemed more confident.

More mature.

And somehow, that made it harder for her to keep her thoughts in order.

She lowered her gaze to her hands.

Then, after sitting there for a long while, she quietly shook her head.

Enough.

She needed to get some sleep.

Tomorrow was another day.

---

Jason returned to his room and dropped onto his bed.

The mattress sank beneath him as he stretched out, staring at the ceiling.

He was in an unusually good mood.

The mission had paid off.

And the situation with Victoria was progressing exactly as he wanted.

He closed his eyes.

I’ll have plenty of opportunities.

There was no reason to rush.

"Ding!"

The system’s voice interrupted his thoughts.

Jason opened his eyes.

[Host is nineteen years old and has only been in college for half a year, yet you have gained thirty pounds.]

[If you continue at this rate, you may become significantly overweight by graduation.]

[Mission: Become a Gym Member]

[Reward: $20,000.]

Jason stared at the notification.

Then he laughed.

"You’ve got to be kidding me."

He looked down at himself.

Thirty pounds really was a lot.

"Fine. You win."

He sat up.

"I’ll get a gym membership tomorrow."

The mission wasn’t exactly difficult, and twenty thousand dollars was more than enough incentive.

Jason yawned and fell back onto his pillow.

"Time to sleep."

Tomorrow was going to be busy.

He still had to visit the private detective and collect the evidence against Olivia.

A cold look flashed through his eyes.

Olivia.

His jaw tightened.

In his previous life, that woman had played a major role in destroying his family and ultimately contributing to his mother’s death.

He had carried that hatred for years.

This time, things would be different.

He wasn’t going to confront her blindly.

He would take everything away from her piece by piece.

Her reputation.

Her relationship.

Her comfortable life.

Everything.

And if his memory was correct, Olivia’s brother, Liu Chuanzhi, was married to a woman named Bai Jie.

Bai Jie worked at a gym.

Jason’s lips curved into a faint smile.

That’s convenient.

The system wanted him to join a gym.

And the gym happened to be connected to someone from Olivia’s family.

Two birds with one stone.

"Perfect."

He closed his eyes.

"Liu Ruyan..."

A dangerous smile touched his lips.

"Your sister-in-law is going to be very interesting."

---

The following morning, sunlight poured through the sheer curtains, spreading a warm golden glow across Jason’s bedroom.

He woke slowly.

For a few seconds, he simply stared at the ceiling, still half asleep.

Then he rubbed his eyes, ran a hand through his messy hair, and walked downstairs.

The smell of breakfast reached him before he even entered the kitchen.

Victoria was already awake.

She wore a light-blue apron over her clothes and stood at the stove, carefully preparing breakfast. Her movements were calm and practiced, the picture of an ordinary morning.

Jason paused in the doorway.

For some reason, the sight gave him a strange sense of familiarity.

"Aunt Victoria, good morning."

Victoria turned around.

Her expression softened immediately.

"You’re awake? Good morning, Jason. Go wash your face. Breakfast will be ready in a minute."

She sounded completely normal.

But beneath that calm exterior, her mind was still carrying pieces of the previous night.

She thought about what had happened.

Then she thought about her best friend, who she would need to see later.

What am I supposed to tell her?

The thought alone made her uncomfortable.

She quickly pushed it away.

There was no point thinking about it now.

She turned back toward the stove.

A few minutes later, Emma came downstairs.

She wore a loose pink nightgown, her hair falling naturally around her shoulders. She looked sleepy, stretching as she walked into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Jason."

Then she took a deep breath.

"Wow. That smells amazing. What did you make? I’m starving."

Victoria smiled.

"I made the porridge and soup dumplings you two like. Go wash up. We’ll eat when everything’s ready."

"Okay!"

Emma disappeared toward the bathroom.

Soon, the three of them were sitting around the dining table.

Emma and Jason ate quickly, clearly hungry.

Victoria watched them with an amused smile.

"Slow down. Neither of you is being chased."

Emma laughed.

"I’m hungry!"

"You’ll be even hungrier if you choke."

Jason chuckled and continued eating.

After breakfast, Victoria wiped her hands with a napkin and glanced toward the clock.

"I’ll go take food to your Aunt Shuwan today."

Jason looked up.

"Your ankle is okay?"

"Much better."

Victoria moved her foot carefully beneath the table.

"Almost completely healed. If I stay inside all day, it’ll probably get stiff again. A little walking will do me good."

Jason nodded.

"Alright. Be careful."

"I will."

She paused before adding, "And you’re going back to school today, right?"

"Yeah."

Victoria gave him a meaningful look.

"You took quite a bit of time off last semester because Shuwan was in the hospital. Now that her condition is more stable, you should focus on school again."

Her tone became more serious.

"Work hard. Get good grades. After graduation, you can decide whether you want to go to graduate school or find a good job at a major company."

She wasn’t simply giving him advice.

She genuinely wanted him to have a stable future.

Jason smiled.

"I know, Aunt Victoria."

Victoria nodded.

Then her eyes drifted briefly toward Emma.

She watched the way her daughter interacted with Jason, the easy familiarity between them.

A strange thought crossed her mind.

Maybe they really would make a good couple.

The thought should have made her happy.

Instead, something inside her tightened.

She lowered her gaze.

And what about me?

A bitter little smile touched her lips.

If only I were younger.

She quickly pushed the thought away before anyone could notice.

"Finish your breakfast," she said softly. "You’ll be late for class."

Jason nodded.

"Yes, ma’am."

The morning continued as if nothing unusual had happened.

But beneath the ordinary conversation, several lives were already moving in completely different directions.

Jason had his revenge to pursue.

The system had new missions waiting.

Olivia’s downfall was beginning.

And neither Emma nor Victoria had any idea just how complicated their relationship with him was about to become.