Chapter 10: Late-Night Designated Driving

After Zhou Shuo and Pei Ming deleted the post, they assumed the matter was settled. What they didn't know was that before it was taken down, several people had already seen it — including Ye Qinghe's answer. Those people had taken screenshots, saved them, and were now working through the calculations themselves.

Ye Qinghe had no idea that a question he'd answered on a whim would set off so many things.

After answering it and confirming that the Math Prodigy skill was genuinely impressive, he put it out of his mind.

It wasn't like he needed to solve math problems every day. As far as he was concerned, the skill wasn't particularly useful to him.

He shifted his focus entirely to studying the kinds of questions that came up on Stand Till the End.

That was the real priority — the thing that could actually change his life in the short term.

With Photographic Memory, he only needed to read something once and it was instantly etched into his mind. He never had to worry about forgetting anything. The sheer joy of learning this way was utterly addictive.

If he'd had this ability back in his previous life, he would have poured every ounce of energy into studying.

"This is truly baffling. Looking at the results, Ye Qinghe's other physical indicators haven't changed significantly from before. The only difference is a slight increase in cellular activity — but that still doesn't explain the restoration of function in his right index finger!"

At 301 Hospital, the specialist that Ye Dali and Ye Qinghe had come to see stared at the report, utterly stumped.

He remembered this patient very clearly. He had spent a good deal of time studying the case but had never been able to identify the cause. After that, the father and son had stopped coming — he'd heard they'd gone to seek other specialists. He never expected that when they finally returned, there would actually be signs of improvement.

It made him want to turn this into a new research topic and study it properly.

The problem was that Ye Qinghe didn't seem willing.

"Could an increase in cellular activity really have this kind of effect on physical function? Perhaps I should find some other patients to test and verify the hypothesis."

* * *

That evening, Ye Dali came home to find Ye Qinghe studying in front of the projector.

"How long have you been at it? Getting on the show is a rare opportunity, sure, but you still need to balance work and rest. Don't stare at it for too long — give your eyes a break every now and then."

"Yeah, I know."

Ye Qinghe turned his head and smiled.

"Are you going out again after dinner? It's not raining today."

Ye Dali asked while sorting through the vegetables.

"Not tonight. I already went out this morning."

The System's daily task was five kilometres. Going beyond that, no matter how much extra, wouldn't earn any additional Lottery Draws — so Ye Qinghe saw no point in heading out again.

"Oh, alright then. I'll head out for a bit after dinner. Might be back a little late, so if you get sleepy, just go to bed — don't wait up for me."

Ye Dali said it casually, almost as an afterthought.

"Okay."

Ye Qinghe didn't ask where he was going. He already knew — Ye Dali was going out to find a way to earn more money.

Back when things first started, Ye Dali had done exactly this — working several jobs in a single day. It was only in the past few months, when Ye Qinghe's condition showed no sign of improving and he'd flatly refused any further treatment, that Ye Dali had finally eased up and stopped taking on so much work.

Now that there was a glimmer of hope, Ye Dali was naturally going out to hustle again.

Two hundred thousand yuan!

He absolutely had to win that two hundred thousand from Stand Till the End!

Ye Qinghe repeated it silently to himself.

That was the fastest way he could see to solve their problems right now.

Dinner, cleanup, massage — once all of that was done, Ye Dali hopped on his bike and headed out.

Designated driving was something he'd done before. There was a folding electric bicycle at home, and he'd charged it during the day — perfect for tonight.

For that kind of work, the best spots to pick up fares were outside busy restaurants or nightclubs. Places like that were scarce in the suburban area where they lived, so Ye Dali had to head into the city first.

"Dali? Didn't you quit designated driving? What are you doing back at it?"

Ye Dali had worked this area before, so once he arrived, someone recognised him right away.

"Qinghe's condition has improved a little — his right index finger can move now. With any luck, he'll make a full recovery before long. I need to earn as much as I can."

Ye Dali said it with a wide grin. He'd told this same story to many people throughout the day.

He was genuinely happy, from the bottom of his heart.

"That's wonderful news! Congratulations! After all this time, the clouds are finally parting!"

"Thank you, thank you!"

Ye Dali laughed as he replied.

It was a Friday, and the restaurants were doing brisk business. A steady stream of people who'd had too much to drink came out looking for designated drivers. Ye Dali had arrived a bit late, but a few acquaintances put in a good word for him and helped him move up the queue. He quickly picked up a fare and drove off in the customer's car.

When he returned, he didn't let those same people push him to the front again — he waited his turn like everyone else.

By half past eleven, the streets had thinned out considerably. Most of the other designated drivers had already called it a night, leaving only Ye Dali and two others still holding their ground.

"Liulihe? That's way too far — I can't do it."

"Me neither. Old Ye, what about you?"

Ye Dali had been standing further back in the queue, but since the destination was too remote for the two ahead of him, they turned to ask him instead.

Liulihe — Ye Dali knew the place. It was roughly fifty kilometres from Jingcheng. If he drove out there, getting back would be a serious problem. There were no buses at this hour, no subway out that way either. He'd either have to pedal back on his own or find somewhere to crash for the night and return the next day.

"I'll go. Count me in."

Ye Dali didn't hesitate. Yes, it was far — but they charged by the kilometre, and far meant more money.

His electric bicycle might not have enough charge to make it back, but Ye Dali figured he'd just pedal the rest of the way if it died on him.

"Old Ye really goes all out."

"What choice does he have? With a kid in that condition at home, every day costs money."

The two remaining drivers shook their heads as they watched Ye Dali fold up his bicycle, load it into the customer's trunk, and drive away.

By the time Ye Dali pedalled home in the dark on his dead electric bicycle, it was well past one in the morning.

"Why are you back so late?"

Ye Qinghe heard the noise and turned his head to ask.

"Did I wake you? I took a long-distance designated driving fare. The battery died on the way back, so it took a while."

Ye Dali had been careful not to turn on the lights, tiptoeing in so as not to disturb Ye Qinghe — but he'd woken him up anyway. He felt a little guilty and kept his voice low.

"Xiao Ai, lights on!"

"No, no — leave them off."

But the light came on, and Ye Qinghe saw Ye Dali covered in dirt, with large patches of raw scrapes along his arms. His eyes immediately reddened.

"It's nothing. On the way back, a car came flying past — my bike had no power, so the driver didn't see me in time. When it came barrelling toward me, I jumped into the ditch on the side of the road."