The system clutched its face and screamed, [So sweet! Host, you have to give her a perfect ten for this!]

Yan Wenshu ignored the noise in his mind this time. He stared at Zang Ling’s dimples for a moment before saying in a low voice, “Eight.”

“Eight?! So does that mean you’ll agree to my request?” Zang Ling asked excitedly.

Yan Wenshu paused, lowered his head as if deep in thought, wondering how to respond. But before he could, Zang Ling clapped her hands together, as if having a sudden realization.

“No need to say anything, I get it! I’ll keep trying!”

“One day, I’ll make you accept me willingly.” She clenched her fist, full of confidence. “Just wait and see, Yan Wenshu.”

Wasn’t he just afraid of not being good enough for her? Simple. As long as she made him better, everything would work out.

Yan Wenshu had no idea about the wave of events the future held for him. At this moment, he merely chuckled and said, “Alright.”

The system, however, couldn’t take it anymore. It was frantic. [Host! Last time, I barely understood why you rejected Zang Ling, but this time she’s practically offering herself to you, and you still won’t accept? What are you going to do when the storyline starts in a few days?]

[Nothing.] Yan Wenshu replied calmly. [I want Zang Ling to truly fall for me. If I agree now, she’ll just grow tired of me and break up later.]

[But… I don’t think Zang Ling is that kind of person…]

Yan Wenshu fell silent. He watched Zang Ling’s cheerful silhouette as she walked away. He didn’t believe that someone who was used to standing at the top could genuinely love someone.

Even Yuan Haolang, who swore he had found true love, still welcomed every woman who threw herself at him behind closed doors.

The wealthy families were all like a pool of clear water. On the surface, they appeared pure and pristine. But that clarity was just for show. Beneath the surface, filth had long since settled, silently corrupting the entire ecosystem.

Yan Wenshu mocked himself. In his past life, only a fool like him would have believed he could shake the foundations of people like them.

The system was going crazy. It wanted nothing more than to possess Yan Wenshu’s body and get together with Zang Ling itself. If Yan Wenshu and Zang Ling became a couple, it would gain a surge of energy. If they fell in love and got married, it could immediately return home.

That was how it was supposed to go. But unfortunately, it had encountered a reborn and overly cautious Yan Wenshu.

The system tried to check Zang Ling’s affection level to prove its point, but then, it fell silent.

Zang Ling was so obsessed with its host’s looks, taking him to movies, buying him candy… Yet, her affection level was only at 20?

Not even at the level of friendship.

Ridiculous.

The system shrank back slightly, relieved that it hadn’t voiced its thoughts to the host.

At that moment, Zang Ling suddenly stopped, pointed to a shop by the road, and asked, “How about we eat here?”

Yan Wenshu looked up and saw the sign: “Zhang’s Sha County Snacks.”

He raised an eyebrow, a bit surprised. With Zang Ling’s status, she could dine somewhere more luxurious. Yet, she had chosen a common street-side eatery.

Could there be some deeper meaning?

Having made up their minds, they stepped inside. Though the shop was small, it was clean and tidy. The owner, a woman in her forties, greeted them with a warm smile as soon as they entered.

“Miss Zang, what will you have today? The usual?”

Yan Wenshu’s eyes flickered. From the sound of it, Zang Ling came here often. That was… unexpected.

“Yep, Aunt Cheng, one bowl of beef noodles for me, please. I’ll eat here.”

Cheng Meiyun’s smile brightened. She turned to Yan Wenshu. “And for you, young man?”

Yan Wenshu glanced at the menu on the wall and nodded politely. “Pickled mustard green soup noodles, please. Thank you.”

“Auntie, he doesn’t eat cilantro. Remember to leave it out.”

“Got it! Please wait a moment.”

“WeChat payment received: 21 yuan.”

Yan Wenshu snapped back to reality and realized that Zang Ling had already paid. The system scolded him, [Host! As a gentleman, you should never let a lady pay for you.]

[Zang Ling even remembers that you don’t eat cilantro. How thoughtful!]

Seeing that Yan Wenshu remained unresponsive, the system assumed he hadn’t registered the moment and sulked to itself. You’re both hopelessly dense.

The system felt like its dream of going home was drifting further and further away. Meeting these two blockheads… it might as well give up.

The noodles were served not long after. The delicious aroma made Zang Ling, who was already starving, impatiently take a sip of the soup before it even had time to cool down.

Predictably, she burned herself.

Her tongue tingled with pain, making everything she ate afterward taste bland.

Frustrated, she suddenly saw a can of soda appear in front of her. Looking up, she met Yan Wenshu’s handsome face. He asked, concerned, “Did you burn yourself? Drinking something cold might help.”

Zang Ling’s eyes lit up. She grabbed the can eagerly. “Thanks! Yan Wenshu, you’re my hero!”

Yan Wenshu was speechless. That was all it took to be a hero?

“The bottled water here isn’t very cold, so I chose soda instead. I wasn’t sure if you liked it, but I figured it’d do for now.”

Zang Ling took several big gulps. The icy soda washed over her tongue, relieving the burn. She let out a satisfied sigh. “It’s fine, I don’t dislike soda. Actually, I used to love it when I was little, but later, I stopped drinking it because I heard it could damage my teeth.”

She looked at Yan Wenshu and complimented, “I’ve noticed—your teeth are really white. You don’t seem like someone who drinks a lot of soda.”

Before Yan Wenshu could respond, the system exclaimed, [She even pays attention to your teeth! How is that not proof that she likes you?]

[No, it just means she has a weird focus.]

Yan Wenshu replied in his mind, then looked at Zang Ling and nodded before shaking his head.

Zang Ling was puzzled. “What? Did I guess wrong?”

Yan Wenshu explained, “I liked soda when I was a kid too, but my family couldn’t afford it often. I’d only get to drink it on birthdays or special occasions.”

Zang Ling blurted out, “But now you can make your own money. You can drink it whenever you want.”

“I don’t anymore. It just… doesn’t feel the same. Like something’s missing.” He lowered his gaze, smiling faintly.

Zang Ling was momentarily stunned. Then, she understood—nothing had changed except the people.

She pressed her lips together, wanting to comfort him, but didn’t know what to say. Looking down at her bowl of noodles, an idea suddenly came to her. She softened her voice and asked enthusiastically, “Yan Wenshu, do you want to try my noodles? They’re really good!”

The system issued a serious warning, [Host, be careful. This is a deadly question. Think carefully before you answer.]

[I don’t think you can refuse, right? This is a great opportunity to increase Zang Ling’s favorability. If you miss it again, well… I can only say, Host, you’re really not in a hurry.]

The system might as well become the King of Anxiety.

Yan Wenshu seem hesitated. “Is that okay?”

Zang Ling: “Of course, I’m not too much of a germaphobe.”

Since she said that, Yan Wenshu didn’t hesitate anymore. He ate a few strands and commented, “It’s pretty good.”

Zang Ling’s brows relaxed as she smiled. “I told you it’s good. I know you don’t eat spicy food, so I specifically left it out.”

“And the beef is really good, too. Auntie Cheng is so generous; she gave me a lot. You should eat more. You still look too skinny.” As she spoke, she transferred most of the beef in her bowl into Yan Wenshu’s noodles.

“Thanks, but that’s not necessary—”

“No worries, they’re supposed to be yours anyways!”

Yan Wenshu said helplessly, “If you give me all the meat, what will you eat? You’ll get hungry later.”

“I don’t really feel hungry now, I’ve already passed that point.” Zang Ling cupped her face with both hands, staring at him with an odd gleam in her eyes. “Yan Wenshu, I just realized you have a huge problem.”

Yan Wenshu, mid-bite, froze slightly before lifting his gaze with a smile. “What problem?”

“You—”

Zang Ling deliberately drew out the word, watching his nervous expression, then said, “You look super good when you blush!”

“…”

——

After leaving the noodle shop, Zang Ling still couldn’t figure it out. Was her joke not funny? Why did it seem like Yan Wenshu’s smile was a little forced?

Even though she was joking, it was also her honest opinion.

Could it be that it turned into a lame joke?

“Are we heading home now?”

Zang Ling snapped out of her thoughts. “Hold on, it’s still early. Let’s walk around some more.”

But wandering aimlessly didn’t seem like a great idea either, so she changed the topic. “Is there anywhere you’d like to go?”

Yan Wenshu glanced around, his gaze catching on something. Zang Ling followed his line of sight and was surprised. “A women’s clothing store? You want to go there?”

Yan Wenshu: “I want to buy a gift for a friend. Can you help me pick something out?”

Alarm bells rang in Zang Ling’s head. If he was buying a gift from a women’s clothing store, that meant this friend was a girl. Could it be that Han Something-Meng girl from earlier?

Her mind ran wild, but she kept her expression calm, maintaining a poised demeanor. “Have you decided what to get?”

“Shoes.”

Although Zang Ling wasn’t thrilled about picking out a gift for a potential romantic rival, she couldn’t refuse since Yan Wenshu had asked.

She had no resistance when faced with those eyes.

Zang Ling thought, Those eyes should be declared a world heritage treasure.

According to Yan Wenshu, he wanted to buy a pair of comfortable shoes for his friend, regardless of the price, as long as they were good.

Hearing that, Zang Ling felt even worse. She knew about Yan Wenshu’s background—an orphan with little money. Yet, he was willing to spend a lot on this friend…

That showed how important this friend was to him.

But even though Yan Wenshu said he didn’t mind the cost, she wouldn’t actually pick something too expensive. After browsing for a bit, she selected a pair of moderately priced, comfortable white sneakers.

She watched as Yan Wenshu paid, secretly thinking about how to get him to spill this friend’s identity.

However, before she could act, Yan Wenshu handed the shopping bag with the shoes to her.

Smiling, he said, “Zang Ling, this is for you.”

Zang Ling froze for a few seconds, stammering, “For… for me? Wasn’t this supposed to be a gift for your friend?”

Yan Wenshu replied, “Forgive me for a little trickery. I noticed you’ve been wearing high heels for a long time. You must be exhausted. And since we’re going to keep walking in the afternoon, your feet would be sore by the time you got home. So I thought I’d get you a pair of comfortable shoes. But I wasn’t sure of your size or preference, so…”

Reading between the lines, Zang Ling already understood.

“Yan Wenshu, I didn’t know you were this sneaky.”

Yan Wenshu only smiled without saying anything.

Zang Ling grinned from ear to ear and immediately switched into the white sneakers, jumping a few times in place. “Not bad! No wonder I picked them out myself.”

“Thank god you like them.” Yan Wenshu said, while taking the shopping bag containing her old high heels.

“Alright, let’s head out again!”

Just then, Yan Wenshu glanced at the sky. “We might not be able to.”

“It’s about to rain.” This was something he hadn’t foreseen.

Zang Ling looked up at the dark clouds gathering above. Still hopeful, she said, “It shouldn’t start that quickly, right?”

“It already has.”

Yan Wenshu held out his hand, catching a few raindrops in his palm. The drizzle rapidly turned into a downpour, raindrops splattering against the ground with crisp sounds.

Zang Ling quickly pulled Yan Wenshu under the awning of a nearby clothing store. Frustrated, she said, “This rain isn’t stopping anytime soon. Looks like our afternoon plans are ruined.”

Yan Wenshu reassured her, “It’s fine, we can go out again another time.”

“But we can’t just stand at someone’s storefront forever…”

Zang Ling’s eyes darted around as an idea struck her. “Yan Wenshu, how about this, you should come over to my place! I’ll treat you to dinner!”