Until I was diagnosed with advanced-stage stomach cancer.

Noticing the shift in my tone, Gu Qin seemed momentarily surprised.

At this point, I wasn’t in the mood to continue talking with him. I pushed him away, intending to leave, but Gu Qin quickly came to his senses and grabbed my arm.

“Wait.”

I was still preoccupied with thoughts of my illness, feeling lost and distracted. I hadn’t expected him to grab me so suddenly, causing me to stumble backward.

Gu Qin moved forward at the same time, and suddenly, we collided, our lips pressing together.

Me: “!”

The warmth of his lips jolted me, as if something had exploded in my mind. Almost instinctively, I pushed him away.

At the same moment, I heard the system in my mind chime with a “ding.”

“Congratulations, host,” the system sounded more excited than I was. “You successfully kissed the target, extending your lifespan by one year!”

I felt a wave of warmth spreading from my lower abdomen to my limbs, making me feel noticeably lighter and more at ease.

It finally dawned on me, and I was overjoyed.

I’d tried so hard to kiss Gu Qin before, only to fail. And now, I’d accidentally kissed him—and gained an extra year of life!

I’d truly lucked out.

Apparently, my elation was obvious, as Gu Qin, seeing the expression on my face, seemed to snap out of his own shock. He frowned. “You look… happy?”

Realizing this, I quickly tried to manage my expression, pretending to be upset. I covered my lips and said pitifully, “That… that was my first kiss!”

The room fell into an awkward silence.

Me: “…”

Oops, maybe I overdid it a bit.

Gu Qin, on the other hand, smirked coldly after recovering from his initial surprise. “As if it wasn’t mine too?”

I wasn’t entirely shocked by this statement.

Gu Qin was attractive and academically successful, incredibly popular in our school. Just in the time we’d sat together as desk mates, I’d seen countless girls bring him love letters and drinks. But he never seemed interested and had always remained single.

I laughed awkwardly. “Well, I guess now we’re even, right?”

Gu Qin didn’t seem satisfied with my response, his expression icy.

Feeling even more awkward, I cautiously asked, “So… what would make you not angry? Maybe…?”

I couldn’t help but feel a bit hopeful.

“Maybe I could let you kiss me to make it even?”

Just one more kiss, and I could gain another year of life!

Thinking this, I practically lit up—until I noticed the vein popping on Gu Qin’s forehead.

“Fang Chi!”

I shuddered, quickly scrambling down from his bed in a fluster.

“I’m just kidding! Just kidding, really!”

And with that, the strange incident of the night came to an end.

My relationship with Gu Qin seemed more awkward than ever.

But I didn’t mind. Awkwardness was better than death, right?

With my lifespan now extended by a year and my body feeling less uncomfortable, I could finally focus on planning my next steps.

In the following days, I was noticeably more cheerful.

One day, while I was happily studying in the classroom, someone called out, “Fang Chi, someone’s here for you.”

I looked up and saw a familiar figure standing at the back door of the classroom.

I was surprised and immediately got up to go over.

“Su Man, what brings you here?”

The girl in front of me was Su Man, our grade’s beauty.

Su Man was a dance major at our school, known for her beauty and gentle personality, and many boys liked her and were pursuing her.

And I was no exception.

Unlike other boys, I wasn’t serious in my pursuit, but I did like her and would occasionally text her or invite her out.

She was usually cool and distant with most people, but seemed to treat me better, often replying to my messages and even going to a few movies with me.

But she’d never made any promises, and we just had this subtle connection.

When she saw me, her eyes sparkled with a hint of excitement, though she quickly looked a bit shy.

She bit her lip and spoke softly, “Fang Chi, why haven’t you been messaging me lately?”

I paused, surprised.

It was true—I used to text her every day, but since learning about my illness, I’d been so focused on my quest to stay alive by “targeting” Gu Qin that I’d stopped paying her much attention.

I scratched my head, laughing awkwardly. “Oh… I’ve just been busy studying lately.”

“Is that so?”

Su Man didn’t push further, her cheeks turning slightly pink. “Next week’s my birthday. I’m inviting some friends to celebrate. Would you like to join us?”

I was just about to answer when—

“Excuse me.”

An icy voice sounded behind me.

Turning, I realized Gu Qin was standing right behind me, looking at Su Man with a less-than-pleasant expression.

Su Man’s face lit up even more when she saw Gu Qin, her cheeks turning a deeper shade of pink.

“Gu Shen… oh, sorry, am I in your way?”

She stepped aside quickly, but her eyes couldn’t help drifting over to him.

Gu Qin, however, remained expressionless as he walked past us.