The campus cafe was quiet.
Shen Yulan held her cup with both hands, glancing at him from time to time. She wasn't smiling, but her posture was different than usual: more open, less distant.
"I don't usually accept invitations," she said. "But today… it felt strange."
Lin Mo nodded. "Coincidences rarely are."
She frowned slightly, intrigued. Beside them, Su Qingyue observed in silence. She listened.
Initial affinity established.
Sufficient to consolidate the theft.
The system appeared.
Confirmation: The simulated romantic interaction accelerates the erosion of the protagonist's halo.
Recommendation: Maintain apparent interest without real commitment.
Qingyue felt a slight knot in her chest. "Simulated…?" she thought.
Lin Mo took a sip of his coffee. His thoughts were cold and precise: "I'm not interested in them. I'm interested in what they represent."
Qingyue clenched her fingers.
"Each female protagonist is a destiny node. Taking them away is the most efficient way to steal points."
Shen Yulan looked him in the eyes. "What are you thinking about?"
Lin Mo smiled softly. "About how noisy this place is."
An immediate thought followed, hidden from everyone but the one who could hear his mind: "And about how your presence here just cost another man 120 destiny points."
Qingyue heard it. And for the first time… she felt jealous. Not of Shen Yulan, but of the coldness with which Lin Mo did everything.
"Mr. Lin," she intervened. "Don't you think this… could go wrong?"
Lin Mo looked at her out of the corner of his eye. He thought: "She's starting to worry about me. That is also a stolen destiny."
She shuddered. "And if one of them truly falls in love?" she asked in a low voice.
Lin Mo placed the cup on the table. "Then they will adapt."
A clear thought: "Destiny doesn't ask permission when it destroys someone. Neither do I."
The system intervened.
Mild Warning: Excessive coldness may generate emotional instability in the heroines.
Suggestion: Balance manipulation with protection.
Lin Mo barely smiled. "See?" he thought. "Even you want me to look after them."
Shen Yulan stood up. "I have class," she said. "But… I'd like to see you again."
Lin Mo nodded. "Whenever you like."
Immediate thought: "As long as the protagonist keeps losing, I will keep showing up."
She left. The protagonist, watching from afar, clenched his fists without knowing why.
The system notified:
Continuous halo erosion detected.
Projection: The Son of Luck #1 will enter the doubt phase in 72 hours.
Qingyue stared at Lin Mo. "Do you truly feel nothing?" she asked.
Lin Mo looked directly at her. He thought without filters: "Right now, the only thing that matters to me is winning. Feelings come later… if they survive."
She heard everything. And even so… she didn't walk away.
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