Chapter 114: New Background, New Skills

...A side quest?

In other words, although it’s still a date, this is completely different from the last time when Wen Nan took the initiative to invite her.

This time, the system acknowledged Irene Guan’s proactive invitation.

So, if it goes smoothly, not only will there be experience gained, but there’s also a chance, like the previous school side quest, to randomly obtain equipment or items.

And most importantly, the progress made during this date will be genuinely recorded on the character card, unlike last time when everything reset to zero once the date ended.

Wen Nan certainly wouldn’t refuse something like this.

However, there’s a small problem right now—

These two movie tickets... are handwritten!

They are printed on the kind of thermal paper that modern movie tickets use, but the movie titles are written in red marker by hand, and there are even two stick figures drawn beside it, holding a dog on a leash...

This “soulful artist” really captured the theme well.

And that theme—getting a dog... Clearly, it was something Wen Nan made up casually during a chat with Irene Guan in this very office to avoid being caught by the mind-reading skill.

At that time, to cover his lie, Wen Nan even asked the system to find a recent movie related to dogs, and the system “thoughtfully” suggested The Outside World.

Now, looking at these two handwritten movie tickets in his hand, Wen Nan found himself at a loss for words.

He touched the row of characters on the ticket; the crimson ink wasn’t fully dry and immediately stuck to his fingertip. He rubbed it gently, and the red stain spread across his skin.

What kind of prank is this? Some strange fetish? Or is it a deliberate test?

Wen Nan pondered, then looked up at Irene Guan, meeting her sincere eyes, tinged with a hint of nervousness.

“Don’t you... want to go?” she asked cautiously.

Is it really a matter of wanting or not wanting?

Judging by her serious expression, it didn’t seem like a joke.

Could it really be about the movie tickets?

Is he having another episode?

Wen Nan regretted using the Mind-Reading skill on Jing Yuan Yang; clearly, it was more needed on the CEO side.

Seeing Wen Nan hesitate, Irene Guan lowered her gaze, a trace of disappointment showing on her face. She raised her hand to take back the movie tickets.

“If you don’t want to go, then forget it—”

“I want to go, of course I want to go,” Wen Nan quickly withdrew his hand, carefully placing the tickets back into the envelope. “I’m just too happy and didn’t react right away.”

Irene Guan smiled again. “I’ll be downstairs at your place twenty minutes before 9:50 PM. This time, don’t be late.”

Wen Nan nodded, smiling as he replied, “See you tonight.”

Whether it was his problem or the movie tickets’ issue, since the system recognized this as a side quest, he might as well agree first. After all, the main quest completion rate was already 100%. Going on a date was a guaranteed win.

Stepping out of the CEO’s office, Wen Nan stretched lazily and glanced at the time—it was exactly three in the afternoon.

Tea time!

Passing through the heavily guarded main reception hall, Wen Nan headed toward the company’s north gate.

Crossing the street in front of the gate, he walked straight into the café opposite the north entrance.

“Welcome! What would you like to drink?”

As soon as he pushed the door open, a smiling clerk behind the counter greeted him cheerfully.

Wen Nan couldn’t help but think how much friendlier the NPCs in this world were compared to the game lobby.

He approached the ordering counter. The clerk flashed a row of gleaming white teeth and pointed to the menu in front of him.

“Would you like to try our signature hand-brewed coffee? We have an afternoon tea special—add just twenty yuan and get a blueberry cheesecake.”

Without looking at the menu, Wen Nan asked directly, “Do you have activation points here?”

The clerk was stunned, hesitating for a few seconds before replying, “Sorry, sir, what did you say?”

“Activation points,” Wen Nan repeated clearly, “Activation points for low-level characters.” The clerk was still puzzled. “Sorry, sir, what did you say?”

Wen Nan fell silent.

Isn’t this the place?

The café opposite the company’s north gate... isn’t it here?

Wen Nan sent a message: [9527.]

9527 replied: [I’m here.]

Wen Nan: [You said the activation points weren’t here before?]

9527: [The system shows you are already at an activation point. Wishing you a smooth activation.]

Wen Nan: ...

Just as Wen Nan was about to ask more, the clerk spoke again. “If you’re unsure what to order, you can sit over there by the window and scan the QR code to order online.”

He gestured toward a table in the corner by the window.

Seeing the QR code on the table, Wen Nan guessed what was going on and without hesitation went to sit and scanned it.

Immediately, a series of system prompts appeared before his eyes—

[Welcome to the No.13 Character Activation Point in The Office’s Forbidden **!]

[Please select the character you wish to activate in this area...]

Wen Nan had no choice; he only had one low-star character left to activate—Qiqi.

[Beginning identity verification—]

[Please place the control glyph of the character within the scanning window, and position your face within the facial recognition frame...]

[Player identity verified. Control glyph verification completed...]

[Identity verification passed. Preparing to activate character—Liu Qiqi.]

[To adapt to the new map level and player background, the character to be activated will undergo information updates.]

[Randomly matching new background introduction and corresponding character skills. Please wait...]

Wen Nan was momentarily stunned by the prompt.

Activating a character in a new side quest now also updated their background? And even came with new skills?

Such a treat?

[Random matching complete. The character Liu Qiqi to be activated has the following updated backgrounds and skills:]

1. Battle-Hardened Childhood Sweetheart:
Background Update: Your deskmate and first love, Qiqi, chose a different city when filling out college applications after high school graduation. You two have rarely contacted each other since, living in the north and south separately. In the new city, Qiqi joined a free fighting club and fell deeply in love with the sport. Within a few years, she honed her skills to the point where she was nearly unbeatable in non-professional competitions. You unexpectedly watched one of her matches and reunited with her as she stepped down from the podium.
Supplementary Skill: Battle-Hardened (Passive Skill). Character’s output and burst damage are permanently increased by 200% on the original basis.

2. Immune to All Poisons Childhood Sweetheart:
Background Update: After high school, Qiqi took the SAT and went abroad for her undergraduate studies. While overseas, she encountered the fanatic propaganda of missionaries, the rampant spread of political correctness, and the brainwashing of various groups such as animal rights, environmentalists, and feminists, yet she remained true to herself and resisted assimilation. Ultimately, she returned home successfully, remaining as youthful as ever.
Supplementary Skill: Immune to All Poisons (Passive Skill). Character’s armor and poison resistance attributes are permanently increased by 300% on the original basis.

3. Understanding Childhood Sweetheart:
Background Update: After high school, Qiqi enrolled in the local teacher’s college, majoring in psychology, and eventually became a counselor. She quietly came to your city and watches over you silently.
Supplementary Skill: Understanding (AOE Skill). When activated, all characters within a 5-meter radius share a connection with her. The degree of connection varies with character star level. Skill duration is 30 minutes, with a cooldown of 2 hours.

[Please select the matching background and skill for your character...]

(End of chapter)