According to what Yan Wenshu knew, Zang Ling’s home wasn’t exactly nearby, but since she brought it up, he wouldn’t refuse.

Still, he had to at least pretend to decline a few times. Agreeing right away would make him seem too eager.

“…I think I’d better not. It’s too much trouble for you.”

“No, no, you would never be troublesome. You don’t need to do anything, and just your presence will light up my home. Yan Wenshu, you’re the brightest star in any crowd!”

Yan Wenshu lowered his head, slightly embarrassed.

Zang Ling watched this with a sense of victory. Suddenly, a thought flashed through her mind and she blurted out, “You’ve never been to a girl’s house before, have you?”

Yan Wenshu mumbled, “I haven’t. I rarely interact with girls, so… maybe it’s better if we just wait until the rain stops. If it’s still early, we can find somewhere else to go.”

“Come on~” Zang Ling looked up at him with wide eyes. “Let me be your first—wait no! I mean the first girl to invite you over! Come try my cooking, I promise it’ll blow your mind and you’ll never forget it!”

Yan Wenshu seemed a little moved. He hesitated. “Are you sure it’s okay?”

Zang Ling nodded like crazy. “Of course, of course! I’ve invited you this sincerely—surely you won’t turn me down again, right?”

After a pause, Yan Wenshu finally said, “Then… I’ll be intruding.”

“You’re not intruding at all! Hehe, awesome!”

Seeing this, the system shed tears of joy in its space.

Thank goodness, the host was finally not dodging anymore.

If he kept running away, the system really believed he’d be doomed to failure this lifetime again.

It didn’t understand why Yan Wenshu kept refusing things, even though he clearly wanted to break free from his original fate.

Ten minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of Huian Apartments.

After paying the fare, Zang Ling glanced at the storm outside and figured it was only going to get worse. She turned to Yan Wenshu and said, “It’s still raining. When we get out, let’s run for it together, okay?”

Yan Wenshu nodded.

What he didn’t expect was that as soon as he got out and found his footing, Zang Ling grabbed his hand and sprinted forward.

Raindrops splashed onto his face, cold and refreshing. Yan Wenshu’s gaze fell on the woman holding his hand—her red dress fluttered in the rain, her radiant smile outshone everything around them. At that moment, even the heavy air seemed to lighten and refreshen.

Yan Wenshu’s eyes were complicated. Why is she so happy?

Soon, they rushed into the apartment building. Zang Ling let go of his hand and turned around with a laugh, “Look at us—don’t we look just like the soaked chickens they describe in those books?”

When she let go, Yan Wenshu felt a strange sense of disappointment in his heart. It disappeared almost instantly. He only thought of it as his imagination.

“Kinda, yeah…”

“No, wait—actually only I look like one. You even look good when you’re soaked in the rain!”

Yan Wenshu softly said, “You look good too…”

Zang Ling tilted her head. “What did you say?”

“Nothing. Just thinking about how heavy the rain is today.”

“Haha, I actually kinda like rainy days, especially splashing in puddles, running around in the rain without a care in the world. Sounds childish, right? I mean, I’m already this old and still acting like a kid. If anyone from the company saw this, they’d be shocked.”

Yan Wenshu looked at the joyful light in her eyes and smiled. “No, it’s very whimsical. People would just think you’re carefree. Besides, twenty-eight isn’t old—you’re still young, with plenty of possibilities ahead.”

“You talk like you’re my elder or something. I’m clearly older than you!” Zang Ling chuckled and led him inside.

“Here you go.”

“Thanks.”

Yan Wenshu took the towel she handed him and wiped his face. Then he heard her say, “My parents bought this apartment for me back when I was in college. I haven’t been here in a while, so there’s a bit of dust. Don’t mind it, I’ll tidy it up later.”

“It’s fine, I can help.”

“It’s no big deal, I can handle it. You go take a shower first. Don’t catch a cold.”

After a pause, Yan Wenshu shook his head. “You should go first. Your clothes are soaked too, and you’re wearing a dress. It’s easier for you to get sick.”

“I’m fine,” Zang Ling waved it off. “I’m strong as a horse.”

But Yan Wenshu insisted. “You go first, I’ll go after you.”

“…Alright.” Zang Ling looked at him for a moment, then sighed dramatically. “If only I were a guy. We could’ve just showered together.” 

That way I could find out if he has abs…

Sigh, too bad I’m not.

Yan Wenshu’s heart sank. He forced a smile.

So she is finally going to show her true self…

[System, if Zang Ling tries to drug me, warn me immediately.]

[Roger that… but I doubt she’d be that bold. Besides—]

Before the system could finish, the bathroom door swung open.

Zang Ling stepped out, wrapped in a towel, hair dripping as she rubbed it dry. “Ahhh, that shower felt amazing.”

The system swallowed its words and changed its tune, [Host… Zang Ling really doesn’t treat you like an outsider.]

Yan Wenshu lowered his gaze. “I already wiped down the dusty spots.”

“You’re done already?!” Zang Ling looked frustrated. “I must’ve taken too long in the shower. Sorry for the trouble.”

“It’s okay.”

“What are you looking at? Did something fall on the floor?” Zang Ling asked curiously.

Yan Wenshu looked up and stared straight into her eyes. “No… There’s no food in the fridge. What do you want for dinner? I’ll go to the market and get some groceries.”

Zang Ling looked frustrated. “Ah, I forgot about that. I’ll go once the rain stops. I said I’d treat you to a meal, so don’t do anything! I already feel guilty for letting you clean the place.”

“Your top priority now is to take a shower.”

Yan Wenshu replied, “Okay.”

System was curious, [Host, why is your heart beating so fast?]

[…Mind your own business.]

Zang Ling suddenly remembered something and called out to Yan Wenshu, “Wait! There aren’t any men’s clothes here. Just wear mine for now.”

[Whoa~ Host, you’re already wearing your girlfriend’s clothes? Happy about it?]

Yan Wenshu felt like the system was repeatedly accusing him of being a hypocrite. Annoyed, he said, [One more word and I’ll put you in time-out.]

The system immediately shut up.

Zang Ling led Yan Wenshu into the bedroom. She opened the walk-in closet, pointed at the rows of clothes like a queen, and said, “Pick anything you like!”

Yan Wenshu was speechless,  “…”

All he could see was pink. He couldn’t think of a single thing he could wear.

The system tried hard not to laugh but still let out a small wheezing sound.

Haha, I’m dying over here.

“Can’t choose? Then I’ll help you!” Zang Ling tried to keep her excitement in check, cleared her throat, and pulled out a lacy dress. “How about this one? It has a cutout at the waist. I bet you’d look amazing in it!”

Before Yan Wenshu could respond, she pulled out another long dress with a slit. “This one’s great too! The length is perfect for you, and the deep V-neck will make your neck look so long.”

Then she grabbed a fuzzy pajama set from the closet. “If you don’t like sexy, how about something cute? You’d look adorable in this! Ahhh, the more I look, the more I want to see you wear it…”

System showed a concerned expression, [Hey hey hey, she’s revealing some kind of kink, right? Now I do believe she might drug you. This is way too freaky.]

[Host, should I call the police for you?]

[…Don’t you think Zang Ling is kind of fun?]

The system fell totally silent.

Should I say “birds of a feather”? What a terrifying men.

[So are you gonna wear it?]

[Nope.]

The system’s tiny wings drooped in disappointment. Humans are so fickle… You say it’s fun but won’t wear the dress. I even had my camera ready.

Zang Ling held the outfit up in front of Yan Wenshu, eyes sparkling. “Yan Wenshu, you’ll wear it, right?”

Hearing the system laughing with schadenfreude in his mind, Yan Wenshu calmly said, “Thank you, but I think this outfit suits me better.”

He held up a loose white T-shirt and a pair of oversized red shorts.

Zang Ling went silent. She distinctly remembered burying that pair of shorts at the bottom—how did he even find them?

“You’re sure you want to wear that?” she asked, skeptical. “There are much better-looking clothes in the closet. You really won’t try them? You might discover a whole new world!”

“Hmm… I’m sure. I don’t like wearing women’s clothes.”

Zang Ling looked a bit disappointed. “Okay, I won’t push you. But you missed a chance to enter a mysterious realm.”

“What kind of mysterious realm?”

Zang Ling faltered, then said seriously, “Don’t be curious, because I won’t tell you.”

“Okay, I won’t ask.” He answered obediently.

“Good boy.”

The system repeated her words teasingly, [Good boy~]

Despite having lived two lives which added his age up to fifty years, Yan Wenshu froze and forced a smile.

[Shut up.]

[It wasn’t even me who said it… Why am I the only one getting scolded…] the system mumbled.

Yan Wenshu pretended not to hear. He looked at Zang Ling and said with a deliberately conflicted tone, “Actually… I have another question. May I ask?”

“Mhm?”

“Have you worn all these clothes before?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Zang Ling averted her eyes and muttered vaguely, “…Some of them, some not. You go shower, I’ll go start dinner, haha.”

The system blew her bluff without any hesitation, [None of the tags on the clothes have been removed. Host, don’t forget to cut the tags off those two you’re wearing.]

Yan Wenshu’s lips curled up slightly—finally, a small win.

——-

When Yan Wenshu came back out, Zang Ling had already finished cooking.

System was surprised, [You were only in there for fifteen minutes… and she’s done? Don’t tell me it’s takeout?]

Yan Wenshu had the same suspicion. Just like Zang Ling’s father said, she looked like someone raised in luxury, how could she possibly know how to cook?

Zang Ling noticed him and happily said, while setting down the dish she was carrying “Perfect timing, I just finished the last dish. Let’s eat! But…”

She frowned at his dripping hair. “You need to dry your hair first.”

With that, she grabbed a hairdryer. Yan Wenshu sat on the sofa as she turned on the warm air, gently lifting his hair with her fingers while she dried it.

The system watched the suddenly peaceful scene, curious about what they were thinking.

It checked Zang Ling first.

Zang Ling was thinking, [Wow, Yan Wenshu has so much hair. As expected from someone who just graduated. But why is his hair so black and slick too? Is it natural? Should I ask him? Ask? Don’t ask? Ask? Don’t ask…]

The system lost interest and switched to Yan Wenshu. Surely it won’t be disappointed, right?