Chapter 42: Keqing Is a Spring and Autumn Scholar!

“This is your room.”

Back home, Su Ze helped Chen Keqing put away her luggage.

He first showed the young woman around her room.

The house Su Ze currently lived in was quite ordinary, with two bedrooms; he normally used one and kept the other as a guest room, which was seldom used.

The guest room was simply furnished but contained all the essentials.

“If you want to read or do your homework, you can go to the study.”

Su Ze pointed to the study directly opposite the guest room.

The study was quite spacious, with a writing desk and a computer desk holding a desktop PC…

“You can sit in the study for a while; I’ll change the sheets for you, and when it’s time for dinner I’ll take you out to eat.”

With an air of genuine hospitality, Su Ze had everything arranged just so.

“Th-thank you for the trouble.”

Chen Keqing stammered.

She turned her head cautiously, taking in her surroundings.

After all, it was her first time alone in a room with a dependable adult man, so she felt somewhat nervous and restrained…

“By the way, let me tidy up your desk first.”

Noticing the notebook on the study desk, Su Ze walked over and neatly put it away.

It contained doomsday intel, so it was better to keep it safe…

As Su Ze tidied the desk, Chen Keqing stared at the notebook in his hands; sensing that he intended to take it, she felt a bit curious…

“It’s a diary.”

Su Ze explained casually.

“Oh…”

Chen Keqing glanced at the notebook again, even more curious about its contents.

After tidying the study, Su Ze turned and went to straighten up the guest room.

Chen Keqing obediently sat in the study chair; while Su Ze bustled about, she surveyed the bookshelves.

Her gaze passed over the second shelf, noting The Analects, The Collected Works of Wang Yangming, Zhuangzi…

『So many books…』

『I wonder… could there be something like Jin Ping Mei in there?』

『Ah, I’m so nervous; what if later Su Ze tries to, uh, make a move on me…』

『Breathe… don’t be nervous; you need firm principles, Chen Keqing!』

『Mom always said that things too easily obtained aren’t cherished; if Su Ze makes a move, I have to refuse, well… at least say no a few times…』

Obviously, Chen Keqing was more inclined to read the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The titles on the bookshelf didn’t quite match Chen Keqing’s refined tastes.

At this moment.

Su Ze, who was making the bed in the guest room, secretly listened to Chen Keqing’s inner thoughts, smiling as he looked at the notebook by the pillow…

He now had a plan to seduce Chen Keqing.

……………

Late at night.

In the study.

Leaning over the desk, Chen Keqing’s eyelids drooped.

On the math test paper before her, the questions seemed like hypnotic symbols, constantly assaulting her fragile defenses…

Nothing unusual happened that night.

After dinner, she sat in the study drilling problems for a full five hours.

Because Su Ze was reading right beside her, she didn’t dare glance at her phone, and inwardly she couldn’t count how many times she thought, Love’s Strength is truly amazing.

To keep up a good impression in front of someone she liked, this academic underachiever had indeed transformed into a top student…

“If you’re sleepy, go to bed; don’t worry, I’ll stay up with you tonight,” Su Ze suddenly looked over at her and said.

“I am a bit tired…” Chen Keqing said as she stretched languidly, her curves drawing attention.

“I also have informants; if there’s any sign of trouble, I should get a warning, so rest well and don’t be afraid,” Su Ze said earnestly.

“…Oh,” Chen Keqing replied, embarrassed.

Had Su Ze not mentioned it, she might have forgotten that she was staying at his house to hide from that so-called big Young Master…

“Th-then I’ll go to sleep first,” Chen Keqing said shyly as she stood.

“Mm, go ahead.”

“…Good night.”

“Good night.”

The guest room door closed gently.

Su Ze smiled to himself.

His earlier claim of having informants to give early warnings was, of course, nonsense.

But the threat did exist.

After all, Bai Zhimao had been physically erased by him; today there might be no consequences, but if the Bai family still couldn’t find him tomorrow, they’d probably start to suspect.

If things move any faster, someone might trace it back to Su Ze by tomorrow…

So, the warnings Su Ze gave Chen Keqing that afternoon weren’t entirely intended to intimidate.

Of course.

These were all trivial matters.

Once doomsday arrives, past concerns may no longer matter.

……………

『doomsday Countdown: 1 day 18 hours 16 minutes』

In the blink of an eye, it was nearly 6 AM.

Su Ze glanced at the simulator’s cooldown timer, then stood to fetch a cup of hot water in the living room before returning to his desk and sitting down again…

He took out his notebook once more.

With the cooldown about to end, he had to hurry and start a new simulation.

Strictly speaking, if he got extraordinarily lucky, the remaining time could still allow him to earn three simulation rewards.

But if he insisted on chasing three rewards, time would be too tight.

So, it might be better to lower his expectations and aim for only two simulation rewards, leaving plenty of time…

『Apocalypse Simulator cooldown has ended…』

The moment the cooldown ended, Su Ze opted to start the simulation.

『apocalypse simulation has begun…』

『Please choose one of the following three Talents as the inherent Talent for this simulation!』

『Random Landing (Purple): At the moment doomsday begins, you will be randomly teleported to a location in the world (excluding bodies of water), and you will encounter one miraculous event during your doomsday journey.』

『Game King (White): You excel at all kinds of games and possess high comprehension.』

『Axe King (Green): You can summon a massive axe as your weapon, and while wielding it you can use Jump Strike to deal heavy damage to enemies.』

A purple Talent appeared…

Moreover, it was a cost-type Talent.

Su Ze’s gaze immediately ignored the other two options, focusing on the purple Talent.

This type of Talent was inherently rare.

And the last time he profited handsomely from a cost-type Talent, it was Demon Contract…

“Unfortunately, it’s only a purple Talent, so it’s probably not that great.”

Su Ze murmured to himself.

But even if it wasn’t great, he still had to choose it.

“Encounter one miraculous event…”

Before formally selecting the Talent, Su Ze read through the Talent’s description again.

The “miraculous event” described was quite vague…

He didn’t even know whether the event would be good or bad.

Good things aside…

As for bad things, it would probably mean encountering a highly threatening containment object.

“If I could actually see the true form of various containment objects, it would still be worthwhile.”

After so many days of simulations, there wasn’t much doomsday intel left that Su Ze didn’t understand.

But intel on containment objects was essentially nonexistent, and the doomsday finale of Falling Stars remained completely elusive.

If the simulator allowed free choice, Su Ze would certainly explore those two aspects right now…

『Inherent Talent ‘Random Landing (Purple)’ has been selected.』

『Simulation start…』

『Day 1: Doomsday arrived as scheduled. In the blink of an eye, you were transported to another city in the country, Yun City. When you looked around, you realized you were in the bustling downtown district…』