The school day went by slowly, and soon enough lunchtime arrived.
Noah slung his backpack off one shoulder, letting it fall with a casual thud on the lunch table. He leaned forward, grinning as he pulled out a sleek, brand-new box and held it out toward Aiden. “Got something for you,” he said, his voice full of playful mischief.
Aiden’s eyes widened, his face lighting up as he saw the box in Noah’s hand. “No way,” he mumbled, cheeks still puffed out with a mouthful of chicken wings. He quickly swallowed, barely chewing. “You got it?”
Noah chuckled, nodding. “Here you go, the long-promised iPhone 15 Pro Max,” he said, handing it over, feeling relieved that he finally gave it to him.
Aiden’s face transformed equal parts awe and disbelief as he held the box. “Bro, are you serious?” He looked at Noah, eyes wide with a mixture of admiration and excitement.
“Yeah, yeah, don’t get too excited,” Noah said with a smirk. “The iPhone 16 is about to drop soon. AI and everything. So don’t go thinking you’re hot stuff with an outdated phone.”
Aiden stared at him, then rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “You’re acting like a spoiled second-gen billionaire or something.” He let out a laugh, then grinned, leaning forward conspiratorially. “I mean, you just handed me an iPhone 15 Pro Max like it’s nothing. And you want me to not be happy?”
Noah shrugged nonchalantly. “Hey, you need it for the YouTube channel, don’t you? Just saying, don’t get too comfortable.” He flashed a half-smile.
Aiden shook his head with a mock sigh, “You can’t take anything for granted, so I’m blessed that you gifted me this right now.”
Aiden added, “I’m gonna use this bad boy to finally start that YouTube channel, just like you said.” He paused, eyes shining.
“Mukbang videos, man, I’m going to do mukbang. You know, I eat tons, so might as well make it worth my while, right?”
[Ding! Ultimate Choice System has been activated!]
He let his eyes scan the choices that flashed across his mind:
Option 1: Help Aiden film his first video, and make it go viral.
[Reward: Intermediate Marketing Skills, Basic Cinematic Skills.]
Option 2: Leave Aiden on his own, he can sort himself out.
[Reward: Basic Marketing Skills.]
Option 3: Give Aiden advice on his first video.
[Reward: several thousand dollars.]
Noah’s eyes sparkled as he read through the options. For him, this wasn’t even a question—he’d pick Option 1.
[Ding! Intermediate Marketing Skills & basic Cinematic Skills Rewarded]
After receiving the skills, Noah felt that he could film any video and make it go viral at any moment he would like. Market strategies, camera angles, and lighting angles all danced in his head creating a viral clip.
Aiden was the one person who’d never changed, who’d never treated him any differently no matter what. That loyalty ran deep, and Noah wanted to help him succeed.
Aiden was one of the rare few that Noah, didn’t subconsciously try to take advantage of or use a chess piece.
Noah glanced at Aiden, who was looking down at the box, carefully running his fingers over the edges.
“Hey,” Noah said, “how about I help you with that first video? We can film it together, and I can help you get it out there. A big launch, something to get everyone talking.”
Aiden’s eyes widened. “You mean it? You’d really do that? I thought you’d be too busy or something.”
Noah shrugged, leaning back in his chair. “Well, think about it. You’re good at what you do, and I’ve got a bit of experience with marketing. Plus, you’re not just some random guy—I want to see you kill it out there.”
Aiden grinned, the excitement returning to his face. “All right then! We’ll do it. We’ll make a video so good, it’ll blow everyone else’s out of the water. They won’t know what hit them!”
Noah smiled, but his mind was already running, strategizing. With the marketing skills he’d gain from this choice, he’d be able to boost Aiden’s channel in ways he couldn’t do on his own. He imagined the surge of views, the subscribers flooding in. It wouldn’t just be a video—it would be a brand, a series, something with a loyal following.
Aiden was already brainstorming out loud. “Maybe I’ll do a few spicy challenges or something huge for the first video. Maybe a gigantic bowl of ramen or something ridiculous like that. You think that’d grab attention?”
“Hmm, It wouldn’t grab attention to be fair. We need traffic in a saturated market, and to get traffic you need to be unique, and I know exactly what you need.” Noah said as a small evil smirk flashed on his face.
Aiden’s eyes gleamed as he leaned in, captivated by Noah’s idea. “So, what’re you thinking, man?”
Noah grinned an almost wicked glint in his eye. “if you want people to watch, you need something no one’s seen before. We need a twist, something unexpected.”
Aiden tilted his head, brow furrowing. “A twist?”
“Exactly,” Noah replied. “Something insane, over-the-top. Something that’ll have people clicking the video just to see if you can actually pull it off or something that is out of the norm
Aiden’s grin spread excitement in his eyes. “All right, then. I’ll trust you on this. We’ll do it your way.”
Noah nodded. “Good. Let’s set this up for tomorrow. I’ve got a few things to handle today.”
“Works for me. I’m not in a rush,” Aiden agreed, already plotting out his next moves in his head.
They slapped hands in a quick goodbye, then parted ways as the day went on. Eventually, the last lesson bell rang, signaling the end of classes. Noah had barely packed his bag when he saw Lily approaching him, her expression more serious than he’d ever seen. He could already guess what she was coming to talk about.
“Noah,” she said, a slight urgency in her tone, “I wanted to talk to you about something important. Are you free?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied casually, slinging his backpack over one shoulder. “Let’s talk on the way out.”
They walked side by side, weaving through the stream of students making their way out of the building. She kept her gaze forward, almost like she was choosing her words carefully.
“About that pill you gave me earlier,” she finally said, “I told my dad about it. He asked if it had any side effects, and I wanted to check with you first.”
Noah shook his head, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. “Zero side effects. I can promise you that. If there’s even one, I’ll do whatever you want.” His tone was confident, almost challenging, as if he were daring her to find a flaw.
Lily’s eyes widened in surprise. She nodded, a hint of admiration glimmering in her gaze. “I see… that makes it even more impressive. Honestly, I think it’s amazing.”
They walked in silence for a moment, then she added, “My dad wanted to know if you’d be free to come over for dinner tonight. He’d like to meet you if you’re available.”
Noah raised an eyebrow, masking his intrigue with a thoughtful look. “So, her dad’s making his move already. That was quicker than I expected, he’s quite decisive” he mused inwardly. It was impressive—they weren’t beating around the bush.
He glanced over, pretending to consider her invitation. “I’ve got a few errands to run first, but yeah, I can come by later. Just send me your address, and I’ll let you know when I’m there.”
Lily nodded, pulling out her phone. “I’ll text you the zip code. Call me when you’re close.”
“Sounds good,” Noah replied, watching her type with quick speed. They exchanged farewells, and he turned to leave, catching the whispers around him as they parted ways.
“Damn, did you see that? Noah and Lily walking out together!”
“He’s moving fast, huh? First, he’s helping her, now they’re practically inseparable.”
“Ah, must be nice being smart and good-looking,” another muttered enviously.
A third student sighed, shaking his head. “This is just like one of those romance mangas. I swear, life really is unfair.”
Noah tuned out their chatter, walking through the gates and making his way to his sister’s school. He arrived just as the younger kids were let out, and he spotted her bright smile as she ran up to him.
“Noah!” she exclaimed, hugging him tightly. “Can we have ice cream?” she said, with her eyes wide and innocent as she pointed at the ice cream truck.
“Of course we can,” he replied, patting her head gently. “Let’s get some ice cream then head home.”
“Yay!”
Arriving at the ice cream truck, the person serving asked “What flavour do you want, little one.”
“I want Cookies & Cream flavour, with a KitKat on top and chocolate sprinkles. Make it a large cone sir, thank you!” replied Emily.
“I will have vanilla ice cream,” said Noah, as he handed him the cost of the cones.
“Here you go,” said the person serving, as he handed the two delicious-looking cones to Noah.
After giving Emily her ice cream, they sat at a nearby bench to enjoy their ice cream before heading home.
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