Chapter 8 A Helping Hand

• When Noelle returned to the classroom, she spotted the jewellery box on the table.
• The box was the one Zoey borrowed originally, but the necklace inside had been swapped out for a fake by Zoey and Madeline.
• Confused, Noelle reached out to customer service and asked them, "Isn't it weird how Madeline isn't as nice as she comes off, yet she's somehow the hero of this world?"
• In a straightforward tone, the customer service explained, "Because luck happened to fall on her."
• Noelle paused for a moment, then understood.
• Due to her luck, even if Madeline is a hypocrite, she remains the favoured one in this world—her career and relationships will be smooth sailing.
• She, or rather the original character, serves as the contrast to the favoured one; even if she initially held a winning hand, she'll ultimately face hardships due to various reasons.
• Noelle couldn't quite express whether she felt resigned or angry, but she knew she had to do something; otherwise, completing the mission might prove difficult.
• After school, she chose not to get picked up by the driver.
• The driver's employment resulted from a disagreement between the original character and her father. She did not allow her father to send someone to follow her, so Lindsey had to find a driver temporarily.
• But, considering their home was a short distance from the school, Noelle didn't feel the need for a driver.
• As she turned onto another street, customer service again warned her about Nelson nearby.
• Noelle immediately snapped out of it, walking forward casually while looking around. Then, she spotted a slender figure at the restaurant entrance, helping unload beverages.
• A boxy delivery truck was parked at the restaurant's side entrance, filled with crates of drinks. Nelson, dressed in a black short-sleeved shirt, was lifting one of the boxes of drinks and then walking into the restaurant.
• Even from a distance, Noelle could tell his unnaturally pale complexion wasn't normal.
• Nelson had been injected with medication, and the aftereffects hadn't wholly subsided; he was still running a slight fever. But he had struggled to find this part-time job, so he gritted his teeth and pushed through it.
• At this moment, Noelle also recalled that in the original plot, the original character had discovered Nelson's part-time job and, just like before, had deliberately caused trouble to get him fired by the boss, forcing Nelson to listen to her and do things for her.
• Noelle knew about Nelson's seriously ill mother. She understood that he had to figure out how to support their lives and his mother's medical expenses. That was why he racked his brain every day to earn money.
• The original character either didn't know or didn't care, casually playing with Nelson like a cat, toying with a mouse, and effortlessly manipulating him.
• You see, every penny he earns is life-saving money for his mother, and the original character basically bullies him to prevent him from saving his mother.
• No wonder he later treated the original character so harshly.
• Noelle took a deep breath, pondering how to change things. Just then, she saw Nelson come out again.
• His face seemed even worse than before. He walked to the car and lifted a box of drinks, but as he prepared to step up, he staggered, slipped, and fell to the ground with a bang.
• The box also crashed down, accompanied by the sound of breaking glass and red liquid seeping out onto the ground.
• A manager-like figure stormed out, furious at the sight of the young man on the ground. "What the hell are you doing? You can't even handle this small task. Do you know how much those bottles of wine cost?"
• The manager cursed under his breath, "Damn bad luck. Can you afford to compensate?"
• Nelson was drenched in cold sweat, lips pressed tight, apologizing softly, "I'm sorry."
• The manager lost it and shouted, "Sorry? How is sorry going to fix anything? You will have to compensate. That box of wine is 133 dollars!"
• Nelson's knuckles, supporting him on the ground, turned white.
• Hw barely made thirty dollars from moving all the goods.
• Seeing the manager about to kick Nelson in frustration, Noelle quickly stepped forward. "Stop!"
• She looked at the manager. "I'll compensate you. Just stop with the foul language."
• The manager had initially looked down on the young girl, but seeing her with her slightly curled, beautiful, and inexplicably dignified blonde hair, he was momentarily stunned. His attitude involuntarily changed.
• Noelle took out her wallet, handed some bills to the manager, and said, "Here."
• Then she turned and walked towards Nelson. "Are you okay?"
• Nelson, avoiding her help, got up by himself.
• A moment later, they stood at the intersection.
• Nelson, still pale but with a cold, indifferent look, asked, "Alright, what do you want from me this time?"
• Noelle quickly waved her hands. "No, no, you've got it wrong. I just saw you looking unwell. Do you need to go to the hospital?"
• Nelson suddenly became quiet.
• He knew exactly what kind of person was standing before him — someone so unexpectedly generous was indeed up to no good again. But right now, he didn't have the energy to deal with her.
• "I'll consider today's money a loan from you. I'll pay you back within a month," he said without glancing at Noelle again. Turning on his heel, he began walking back.
• Noelle had anticipated this. She knew he wouldn't trust her change of heart so quickly. She didn't push further and trailed behind Ye Nanheng at a distance. She only turned away after seeing him enter the old residential area.
• Her place was near Nelson's, just under three bus stops.
• Back home, Noelle thought about how she could help Nelson, keep him from going down the wrong path, and, if possible, change his opinion of her. One thing's for sure. If she ever faces hardships in the future, he won't add to her troubles.
• She began searching for information through her inherited memories and the original plotline. After a while, she finally found a solution.
• She picked up her phone, set up a new Discord account, and sent Nelson a friend request with the nickname FateChanger.
• Nelson also searched for part-time jobs online, such as doing assignments for others, playing games for others and game levelling services—anything that could earn him money he took on.
• Back in his home, after a hot shower and some porridge, Nelson finally relaxed that night.
• As soon as he returned to his room, he heard a notification sound. Seeing the request note, he raised an eyebrow slightly.
• FateChanger'. What kind of edgy username is this?
• Nelson hit 'accept' and replied with a smiley face.
• Smiling was something he did little in real life, but things felt lighter online, especially since this might be a new client.
• The person got back to him right away.
• FateChanger texted. 'Hey there, do you do game levelling? I need an account bumped to level 85 and fast.'
• Nelson responded. 'Sure.'
• His fingers hesitated for a moment. After a brief pause, he typed out. 'Payment first.'
• His mother hadn't been feeling well these days, and he had caught her secretly taking painkillers several times. He really needed the money.
• Initially, he had planned to offer to accept half upfront if the other party hesitated. But the next moment, the other person transferred seven hundred and fifty dollars.
• His original asking price was was five hundred dollars. Nelson sent back a question mark and got a quick reply.
• That is the money for the levelling service. Sometimes, you need a gaming buddy to level up. I'll pay the gaming buddy fees upfront. If it's not enough, I'll make up for it later.'
• Nelson bit his lip, thought momentarily, and then typed. 'Thank you, boss.'
• At least now, he had the means to take his mom to the hospital.