Chapter Two: A Small Reluctance

After several attempts, Zhou Chen discovered that although the system panel appeared within his field of vision, only he could see it; no one else could, and it only manifested when he summoned it. To traverse worlds, all he needed to do was open the system panel and communicate with the system.

Once he understood that reality would pause when he crossed into another world, Zhou Chen set aside his concerns, opened the system panel, and prepared for his first crossing.

A flash of white light filled his eyes, and in the next moment, he lost consciousness.

…

Sitting in a simply furnished office, Zhou Chen wore a bewildered expression.

He had thought that crossing over would involve his whole body, but now it was clear that only his consciousness had traveled. In this world, he was not called Zhou Chen, but Xia Junshan—a name Zhou Chen was quite familiar with, since he had recently been watching a television drama where the male lead bore that very name.

“It’s actually real.”

The system’s power was truly formidable. Not only had it made him Xia Junshan, but it had also allowed him to inherit the original’s memories. Except for some distant, faded recollections, he now possessed the past decade or so of memories.

He opened the system panel. The interface was much the same as before, except for a new task at the bottom.

Task: Xia Junshan from “A Little Dilemma” hopes his daughter, Xia Huanhuan, will improve her grades. Please help Xia Huanhuan gain admission to Hanlin Middle School.

“Damn.”

Upon seeing the task, Zhou Chen’s mind buzzed. This was truly hell difficulty from the very start.

Both Xia Junshan and Xia Huanhuan were characters from the recent hit drama “A Little Dilemma,” playing a father-daughter pair. The series was themed around education, interweaving the complex relationships of several families. Overall, it was a rather realistic portrayal.

Zhou Chen, a fan of novels, TV, and film, had recently resigned and was following “A Little Dilemma.” He was more than halfway through. From its captivating beginning to the later episodes’ forced sentimentality, he hadn’t yet reached the finale, but based on his years of watching dramas, he was certain it would end happily.

But now, having crossed into the world of the show and become Xia Junshan, this world was no longer mere fiction.

For him, it had become real.

Especially with the system’s task: failure meant he would be trapped in this world forever, until old age and death.

Having finally acquired the system and its power to traverse TV worlds, Zhou Chen could not accept such an outcome. He had to complete the task.

Yet he never expected the system would present such a despair-inducing mission for his very first crossing.

Helping Xia Huanhuan gain admission to Hanlin Middle School—this was pure torment.

Having watched “A Little Dilemma,” Zhou Chen knew well what kind of school Hanlin was: the most elite private junior high in Jiangzhou, where only the best of the best could earn a place.

But what about Xia Huanhuan?

She was the very definition of a poor student—the kind who studied sporadically, with a strong sense of pride but lacking any spirit of hard work.

In short, she was a spoiled little princess.

In the show, her academic struggles led to endless family turmoil—tutoring sessions, parental coaching, hiring teachers—yet her grades never improved, earning her the title “a block of wood that cannot be carved.”

To be fair, Xia Huanhuan was a lovely child: a bit delicate, but outgoing and cheerful, especially gifted in singing, dancing, and the arts—a girl easy to like.

But when it came to academics, there were just too many problems.

Knowing the plot, Zhou Chen realized this was indeed a hellish challenge.

The gap between a public school like Fengfan Junior High and Hanlin was vast. Even Yan Ziyou, with her excellent grades, might not make it—let alone Xia Huanhuan.

If Xia Huanhuan possessed Mi Tao’s academic ability, Zhou Chen would have no worries. But the problem was, she didn’t.

If he failed, he would never leave this world.

This anxiety robbed Zhou Chen of any joy at having crossed over.

He had to admit, the system was truly powerful. Becoming Xia Junshan, he inherited everything—memories appeared seamlessly in his mind, as if he’d lived this life himself.

It was as if he’d been reborn and had suddenly awakened memories of a past existence—everything flowed smoothly.

Xia Junshan was him; he was Xia Junshan.

In the show, Xia Junshan was a good man—loving and loyal to his wife, respectful and filial to his elders, gentle and doting to his children.

But due to his own childhood experiences, he spoiled his daughter excessively—afraid she would fall if held too loosely, melt if held too tightly. He was the epitome of a doting father.

Now, as a renowned architect in a design institute, a high-level manager with a private office, he could daydream or ponder problems without anyone noticing.

From his memories, the show’s plot had yet to begin—at this moment, Xia Huanhuan was in the second half of fifth grade, with just under a year and a half until the junior high entrance exams.

How to raise Xia Huanhuan’s grades to Hanlin’s level in a year and a half was Zhou Chen’s most urgent problem.

Given what he knew from the show, personal tutoring was out of the question. Even with all of Xia Junshan’s skills, if the original couldn’t manage, neither could he.

Tutoring one’s own child could really send your blood pressure soaring.

After-school classes, private tutors, one-on-one instruction…

There were many ways to help a child learn, but whether they were effective could only be proven by practice.

For example, in the show, Xia Huanhuan attended the city’s top tutoring center, Zeshou, but she simply couldn’t keep up—with both money and effort wasted.

So, Zeshou was out. Now then…

“Knock, knock!”

“Boss, it’s time to go home. Aren’t you leaving yet?”

Zhou Chen was startled from his thoughts. Looking up, he saw his subordinates, Qiqi and Feifei, peeking in at him.

“Oh, just thinking about something. You two go ahead. I’ll leave soon.”

“All right, boss, we’ll head out then.”

Qiqi and Feifei waved goodbye and left with their bags.

The design institute where Zhou Chen worked had once been a state-owned enterprise; now, it was half state, half private. As one of its top architects, he enjoyed excellent pay and senior status, leading a small team.

After sitting a while longer, Zhou Chen packed up for the day. As he left the office, he greeted familiar faces naturally, without a hint of awkwardness.

“Wow, a seven-seater Enclave really is more comfortable than that Mazda3 I used to have.”

He got in, buckled up, pressed the brake, started the car, shifted into gear—a practiced sequence, smooth as flowing water.

He recalled how, before crossing over, he’d worked in a small city for five years, managing to save enough for a Mazda3. Now, as a city executive, his car wasn’t top of the line, but far better than before, and his annual salary equaled several years of his past earnings.

As he was driving, an unfamiliar ringtone startled him. Zhou Chen paused, then realized it was his phone. He picked it up with one hand.

Glancing at the screen, he saw the caller ID—it was his wife, which made him inexplicably nervous.

Who wouldn’t be? He was now Xia Junshan, but his soul was not, and facing the original’s wife was bound to feel awkward.

“Nan Li.”

In “A Little Dilemma,” Nan Li was Zhou Chen’s favorite character: a woman in her thirties, beautiful, elegant, highly capable, yet still charming and sweet.

Not perfect, perhaps, but certainly the type most men would find appealing—even when her character grew stubborn later in the show, she never became unlikeable.

Now, such a woman was suddenly his wife. Zhou Chen felt both nervous and a little excited.