[Cloud Nine Café — September 16, 12:30 PM]
The café sat on a quiet street near the campus, tucked between a bookstore and a dry cleaner. It was a small establishment with maybe twenty tables inside, and the hand-painted sign above the door looked like it hadn't been updated in years.
Lin Feng approached the entrance with three women in tow.
Lin Weiwei walked close to his left side with her hand possessively gripping his arm. Her disguise—bad makeup and baggy clothes—did nothing to hide the territorial energy radiating from her every movement.
Xiao Yue maintained position on his right with her hood pulled low over her face, her cold expression masking instincts just as territorial.
Zhang Tingting followed slightly behind, nervous energy crackling from her every step. She kept glancing around like she expected someone to jump out and drag her away.
Lin Feng pushed open the door.
The interior was exactly what he'd expected—modest décor, mismatched furniture, and the smell of coffee beans mixed with something freshly baked. A few customers sat scattered across the tables, lost in their phones or laptops.
The manager spotted them immediately.
His eyes did the quick calculation that service workers everywhere learned to do—clothing, posture, accessories. He took in the expensive fabric of Lin Feng's jacket, the designer bag Lin Weiwei carried despite her "disguise," and the grace in Xiao Yue's movements that no hood could hide.
The manager's smile widened as he approached.
"Welcome, welcome! Table for four?"
Lin Feng shook his head. "I need to rent this café for the afternoon."
The manager blinked, and his smile faltered for just a moment before professional instincts took over.
"Rent the entire café?" He glanced around at his current customers. "We're open for business, sir. Perhaps a private room instead—"
"The entire café." Lin Feng's voice stayed calm. "How much?"
The manager's eyes darted to the two women flanking this silver-haired young master. Both were beautiful beyond reason, and both were clearly with him.
Yuan signs practically materialized in his pupils.
"For an exclusive afternoon rental..." He pretended to calculate. "Ten thousand yuan, sir."
Lin Feng considered the number.
Ten thousand yuan. Is that a lot here?
Back on Earth, ten thousand yuan for an afternoon café rental would be on the expensive side. A bit steep, maybe. But its not unreasonable for a private booking.
Whatever. I don't have time to think about this right now.
"Fine." He reached for his wallet. "Ten thousand—"
Two sounds cut through the café simultaneously.
SLAM.
SLAM.
Lin Feng's hand froze mid-reach.
Two checkbooks had materialized on the counter—one from his left, one from his right.
Lin Weiwei's pen was already moving across her check, the number "10,000" appearing in elegant script. Xiao Yue's pen moved with equal speed, writing the same amount on her own check.
Both women noticed each other's actions at the same moment, and their eyes met across Lin Feng's chest.
The temperature in the café dropped several degrees.
"I'll pay." Lin Weiwei's voice came out sweet—too sweet. "Big Brother shouldn't have to worry about such things."
"No need." Xiao Yue's response was ice. "I'll handle it."
"I offered first!"
"I can afford more!"
Something dangerous flickered in Lin Weiwei's eyes. She crossed out the 10,000 on her check and wrote a new number.
"Twenty!"
Xiao Yue's pen moved immediately. "Thirty thousand!"
"Fifty!"
"Eighty!"
The manager's hand started trembling. His eyes had gone wide, darting between the two women like he was watching a tennis match where the ball was made of pure gold.
"One hundred thousand!" Lin Weiwei's voice stayed perfectly calm.
"One-fifty!" Xiao Yue matched her tone.
"Two hundred!"
Behind them, Zhang Tingting's jaw had dropped so far it nearly hit the floor. She stared at the climbing numbers with the expression of someone watching a car crash in slow motion.
These amounts were insane. Her family's noodle shop didn't make two hundred thousand in two years of operation.
"Three hundred!" Xiao Yue wrote the number without hesitation.
"Five hundred!" Lin Weiwei countered.
The other customers in the café had stopped pretending not to watch. Several had their phones out, recording what was clearly the most entertainment they'd had in months.
"Seven hundred thousand!"
"Eight hundred!"
The manager looked like he might faint, and his legs had started shaking visibly.
"One million!"
Silence.
The number hung in the air like a grenade with the pin pulled. One million yuan. For a café. For an afternoon.
Lin Weiwei's pen hovered over her checkbook. Her jaw was tight, but her hand was steady.
She started to write.
"ENOUGH."
Lin Feng's voice cut through the tension like a blade, and both women froze.
He stepped forward, placing himself between them and the counter. His expression had gone flat, all pretense of casual observation gone.
"One hundred thousand. Total." He looked at both of them in turn. "Stop wasting money."
Lin Weiwei opened her mouth to protest. "Big Brother—"
"One hundred thousand." His tone left no room for argument. "Forty thousand from each of you. I'll pay twenty thousand myself."
Xiao Yue's eyes narrowed. "You shouldn't have to pay anything."
"I'm paying twenty thousand." Lin Feng met her gaze steadily. "That's final."
A moment of silent standoff passed between them.
Then Lin Weiwei crossed out her million-yuan figure and wrote "40,000" with deliberate strokes. Her expression said she wasn't happy about it, but she wasn't going to fight him on this.
Xiao Yue did the same. Neither woman had won, and neither had lost.
The manager accepted the three payments with trembling hands. He counted the zeros twice, bowed so low his forehead nearly hit the counter, and practically floated toward the register.
-------------------------
[12:35 PM]
As the manager stumbled away to process the payments, Zhang Tingting finally found her voice.
"Lin Feng." She stepped closer, her tone careful. "Why... why did you pay that much?"
Lin Feng glanced at her. "What do you mean?"
"That's..." She hesitated, clearly uncomfortable discussing money. "My family's noodle shop. The one you helped sponsor."
Another reminder of money flowing out. Lin Feng's eye twitched.
"We barely make a hundred thousand yuan in a year." Zhang Tingting's voice dropped lower. "And our shop is bigger than this café."
Lin Feng went still.
He turned slowly and looked at the menu board mounted on the wall behind the counter.
Coffee — 3 yuan.
Tea — 2 yuan.
Pastry — 3 yuan.
Lunch Set — 6 yuan.
Three yuan for coffee.
Lin Feng stared at the menu board.
Back on Earth, a cup of coffee cost twenty to thirty yuan at any decent café. Tea was around fifteen. A pastry? Twenty at least. And a lunch set would run you forty to fifty, minimum.
Here, coffee was three yuan. Tea was two. Pastries cost three, and a full lunch set was six.
Everything is seven times cheaper here. Maybe more.
His brain finally cracked.
If coffee costs three yuan and a lunch set costs six, then daily revenue for a place like this might be a few hundred yuan. Monthly revenue maybe ten to twenty thousand. Yearly revenue... sixty to a hundred thousand at most.
And I just paid one hundred thousand. For one afternoon.
The "fair price" of ten thousand was already a massive scam. The REAL rental should have been... what, two or three hundred yuan?
His eye twitched again—this time visibly.
That manager saw three rich idiots walk in and quoted us thirty times the actual value. And I couldn't even tell because I was too busy dealing with those two.
Fuck... I just got scammed this time.
-------------------------
[12:40 PM]
The manager returned with receipts and the widest smile Lin Feng had ever seen on a service worker.
"The café is yours, Young Master." He bowed low. "For as long as you need it."
"We need it cleared." Lin Feng gestured at the remaining customers. "Everyone out. Compensate them five times whatever they spent."
The manager's smile somehow grew even wider. "Of course, of course!"
He scurried off to handle the evacuation personally.
The process was smooth and fast. Customers received unexpected refunds plus a 5x bonus, and not a single person complained about being asked to leave. Most looked bewildered but very pleased.
Within a few minutes, the café was empty.
The manager stood by the door, still wearing that ecstatic expression. "Will you need anything else, Young Master?"
"Privacy." Lin Feng's voice was flat. "And the keys to the back room."
"Absolutely. Absolutely!"
The manager handed over the keys, then floated out the door to enjoy his windfall somewhere far away from whatever these rich young people were planning.
The café fell silent.
Lin Feng pulled out his phone.
-------------------------
[12:45 PM]
The call barely rang before Lin Qingwan's voice came through.
"Little Brother~" Her tone carried that familiar lilt of amusement. "Calling me in the middle of the day? This must be interesting."
"Big Sis. I need a favor."
"Oh? Tell me, tell me~" A pause. "Or wait—let me guess. You need me to deliver a larger bed? One that fits four people?"
Lin Feng pinched the bridge of his nose. "Big Sis!"
"Fine, fine. What do you need?"
"I need a surveillance team at Cloud Nine Café. Near the east campus gate. Hidden cameras, hidden microphones—the full setup."
A pause. When she spoke again, the teasing had faded into something sharper. More focused.
"What are you planning, Little Brother?"
"I'll explain later. Can you send them?"
Another pause—longer this time. He could almost see her tilting her head, that unreadable smile firmly in place as she weighed whether to push for more.
Then: "They'll be there within twenty minutes."
"Thank you, Big Sis. Send them to the back entrance."
"Mm. You owe me details later~" Her voice dropped into something wicked. "Oh, and Little Brother? Three girls at once! Impressive! But remember—no protection. I expect nieces and nephews."
Lin Feng's head snapped up.
His eyes swept the street outside. The rooftops. The windows of nearby buildings.
Where is she?
CRUNCH. CRUNCH. CRUNCH.
The sound of potato chips being eaten came through the phone, casual and unhurried.
"Stop looking around like a headless chicken, Little Brother. You'll never find me."
He stopped looking.
"Don't forget our arrangement." Her tone shifted back to business. "I want to meet Xiao Yue tomorrow."
The line went dead.
Lin Feng stared at his phone for a long moment.
Big Sis is terrifying.
Zhang Tingting had been watching this exchange with growing disbelief.
Hidden cameras? Hidden microphones? A surveillance team that could mobilize in twenty minutes?
Her fingers curled against the hem of her sleeve.
She'd seen Lin Feng chase Su Qingxue for four years. She'd watched him carry her bags, buy her coffee, get rejected over and over again. Everyone on campus had laughed at him behind his back—the lovesick young master who couldn't take a hint.
That Lin Feng stammered when he was nervous. That Lin Feng looked away when people stared. That Lin Feng couldn't command a goldfish, let alone a surveillance team.
But this Lin Feng...
He'd just requested hidden cameras like he was ordering lunch. His voice hadn't wavered once.
When did he become like this?
And more importantly... what else can he do?
-------------------------
[1:03 PM]
The Lin family operatives arrived exactly eighteen minutes after the call.
Six people in plain clothes walked through the back entrance, carrying cases that looked like ordinary luggage. They nodded once to Lin Feng and immediately got to work.
Zhang Tingting's eyes followed their movements.
One operative pulled a camera from his case—no bigger than her thumbnail—and pressed it into the corner of a picture frame.
Another slid a microphone beneath a table centerpiece, her fingers moving so fast Zhang Tingting almost missed it.
A third climbed a stepladder and adjusted a light fixture, leaving behind something tiny and dark nestled against the bulb.
No one spoke. They communicated through hand signals and brief glances, flowing around each other like they'd done this a thousand times.
How often do they do this?
Three of them disappeared into the back room and emerged in café staff uniforms—barista aprons, server outfits.
They took positions behind the counter and near the entrance, their postures shifting instantly. Shoulders relaxed. Smiles ready. Just ordinary workers waiting for customers.
Zhang Tingting blinked.
Twenty-five minutes. They'd transformed the entire café in twenty-five minutes.
If she hadn't watched them do it, she would never have known.
The mismatched furniture sat in the same spots. The hand-painted menu board still hung behind the counter. The smell of coffee beans still lingered in the air.
Lin Feng gestured toward the back. "This way."
Lin Weiwei followed without hesitation, her hand finding his arm like this was just another Tuesday. Xiao Yue fell into step on his other side, her expression bored, as if commandeering cafés and installing surveillance equipment was something she did before lunch.
Meanwhile, Zhang Tingting stood frozen for a moment before her legs remembered how to move.
The back room was barely bigger than her family's pantry. Cardboard boxes had been pushed into corners to make room for a tangle of cables and equipment.
Four people squeezed inside. Three monitors lined the wall, showing feeds from the hidden cameras that covered every angle of the café floor.
Lin Feng took the center position with the best viewing angle.
Lin Weiwei immediately pressed against his left side, her shoulder touching his, her hand finding his arm. Physical contact maintained.
Xiao Yue moved to his right, matching the position exactly. Neither woman willing to yield an inch.
Zhang Tingting sat in a separate chair near the door. The only one without a territorial stake in Lin Feng's personal space.
The screens showed the café floor. One operative wiped down the counter with slow, lazy strokes. Another arranged pastries in the display case. A third adjusted chairs that didn't need adjusting.
Near the front door, a woman in a barista apron flipped the sign from CLOSED to OPEN. She glanced out at the street for a moment, then returned to her position behind the register.
Lin Feng checked his watch. 1:32 PM.
Less than thirty minutes until Long Tian's arrival.
Then he pulled out his phone.
-------------------------
[1:32 PM]
The phone rang twice before connecting.
"Hello?" Su Qingxue's voice came through flat and dull. Almost annoyed. "Lin Feng?"
Two days ago, she would have let his calls go to voicemail. Yesterday, she might have answered with contempt. Today, she just sounded... inconvenienced.
Well… progress, I guess.
Lin Feng kept his tone professional. "Quick question."
"What."
"Do you have a date with Long Tian at 2 PM? At Cloud Nine Café?"
Silence on the other end.
"...Yes." Her voice sharpened. "How did you—"
"Just confirming. That's all I needed."
He ended the call before she could respond.
Zhang Tingting had gone pale.
She'd heard her best friend confirm it. Directly. Personally.
The date was real. With Long Tian. In less than thirty minutes. And Zhang Yuting would be coming too—same place, same time.
Zhang Tingting's hands clasped together in her lap, knuckles white.
This is really happening. I'm about to watch my best friend and my cousin both show up for a date with the same man.
What has the world come to?
-------------------------
[1:50 PM]
Ten minutes until showtime.
The back room had fallen into silence—though not because of Long Tian.
Lin Weiwei was pressed so tightly against Lin Feng's left side that breathing had become uncomfortable. Her grip on his arm had gone from possessive to crushing.
Xiao Yue matched the pressure from the right. Neither woman spoke. Neither backed down.
Lin Feng sat perfectly still between them, doing his best to ignore the cold war being waged across his ribcage.
Zhang Tingting sat forward in her chair with her fingers twisted together. Her knee bounced against the cardboard box beside her—though whether from anxiety about Su Qingxue or secondhand stress from the two women flanking Lin Feng, she couldn't say.
On the monitors, the operatives moved through their routines—wiping counters, checking the register, straightening menus. Just café workers waiting for the afternoon rush.
Lin Feng's eyes stayed fixed on the front door.
Long Tian arrives first. Su Qingxue five minutes later. Zhang Yuting after that.
And then I'll finally see how this bastard operates.
His jaw tightened.
1:55 PM.
Five minutes.
No one moved. No one spoke.
1:57 PM.
Three minutes.
Zhang Tingting's breathing had gone shallow.
1:59 PM.
One minute.
Lin Weiwei's nails dug into Lin Feng's arm. Xiao Yue's shoulder pressed harder against his.
2:00 PM.
The café door opened.
-------------------------
[2:00 PM]
Long Tian walked in with impeccable timing.
His golden hair caught the afternoon light streaming through the windows, practically glowing against the modest backdrop of the café interior. His shoulders were back, chin level, moving like he owned every space he entered.
He wore casual clothes—clean and neat despite being clearly inexpensive. The kind of outfit that said "I don't need fancy things to be impressive."
His warm smile emerged immediately as he surveyed the café. He gave a slight nod, apparently satisfied with the atmosphere.
He chose the central table without hesitation. The one that offers maximum visibility with clear sightlines to both entrances.
Smart. He can see both entrances from that seat.
Lin Feng watched every movement through the monitor.
Even through a screen, he could feel it—that indefinable quality that made people look twice, that drew attention without trying, that made everyone in the room unconsciously orient toward its source.
The female operative behind the counter—a trained professional who should have been immune to such things—blushed faintly as Long Tian approached.
The protagonist aura... it's not bullshit after all. I read about it for ten thousand chapters, but seeing it in person is something else entirely.
"Green tea, please." His voice carried the warmth of old friendship, despite this being their first meeting. "Two cups. And one jasmine tea. May I see the menu as well?"
He ordered for both of them. Knows their drinks. Knows their timing. Either this guy did his homework... or the system fed him every detail.
He paid with an expensive-looking wallet, handling it just long enough to make sure the operative noticed.
Flashing the wallet. Really? That's your move?
Long Tian returned to his table and arranged the cups symmetrically. He sat facing the main entrance and pulled out his phone to check his messages.
His smile widened at whatever he saw on the screen.
-------------------------
[DING!]
[MISSION STATUS]
[TIME: 14:00:00]
[LOCATION: Cloud Nine Café]
[TARGETS: En Route]
[CURRENT AFFECTION:]
├─ Su Qingxue: 61/100
└─ Zhang Yuting: 70/100
[MISSION REQUIREMENTS:]
├─ Su Qingxue: Raise to 70+ (9 points needed)
├─ Zhang Yuting: Maintain above 59 (11 point buffer)
└─ Duration: Minimum 2 hours
[STATUS: AWAITING TARGET ARRIVAL]
-------------------------
Long Tian reviewed the numbers with satisfaction.
Just nine affection points. Two hours. This should be easy!
His fingers tapped against the table.
Yuting might overreact when she sees Qingxue. But she'll understand eventually. She has to.
This isn't betrayal. This is survival. The system forced my hand.
Everything I do is for her. For me and Yuting. She just doesn't know it yet.
Everything was in place. Both targets were incoming, and the system would guide him through every interaction—every word, every gesture optimized for maximum impact.
He settled back in his chair, completely at ease.
Completely unaware of the eight cameras recording his every move.
Completely ignorant of the hostile personnel positioned throughout the café.
-------------------------
[2:02 PM]
Zhang Tingting sat frozen in her chair, staring at the screen without blinking.
So that's Long Tian.
Golden hair. Warm smile. The way he moved through the café like he belonged there—confident but not arrogant, relaxed but not lazy.
Her cheeks warmed.
He's... actually kind of handsome.
Dashing, even.
She thought of Su Qingxue's dreamy expression when she talked about him. Zhang Yuting's giddy excitement. The way both of them had transformed overnight.
Maybe I understand now. Just a little.
"Zhang Tingting."
Lin Feng's voice cut through her thoughts. She flinched and turned to find him looking directly at her, his gaze sharp and knowing.
"Don't let him get into your head."
Her eyes widened.
How did he—
I didn't say anything. I didn't even move. How did he know what I was thinking?
Her face burned. She opened her mouth to deny it, but nothing came out.
Lin Weiwei's eyes narrowed. "What's wrong with her?"
"Her face is red," Xiao Yue observed flatly.
Both women turned to Zhang Tingting with identical expressions of suspicion.
"What do you think of him?" Lin Weiwei asked, her tone dangerously sweet.
Zhang Tingting's eyes dropped to her lap. Her fingers twisted together.
"I... I just thought..." She swallowed. "He's kind of... handsome. And dashing. A little."
Silence.
Xiao Yue tilted her head, studying the screen for a moment. "He does look... decent, I suppose."
"I can see the appeal," Lin Weiwei admitted. "For other women."
She paused.
"But to me? He's just... ordinary."
"Very ordinary," Xiao Yue agreed.
Both women fell silent, still looking at the monitor. Then, almost in unison, they shifted their bodies away from the screen—Lin Weiwei pressing closer to Lin Feng's left side, Xiao Yue mirroring the movement on his right.
Neither said another word about Long Tian.
But Zhang Tingting caught it. The way their shoulders had tensed. The way their expressions had hardened. The way they now refused to even glance at the monitor, as if the very sight of him left something unpleasant on their skin.
Then something strange happened.
Lin Weiwei glanced at Xiao Yue. Xiao Yue glanced back.
For a brief moment, the two rivals shared the same expression—lips pressed thin, noses slightly wrinkled, eyes carrying identical disdain.
They looked away without a word.
Zhang Tingting's fingers curled against her knees.
These two have been fighting over Lin Feng since the moment I met them. They agree on nothing.
But they agree on this.
Lin Feng's voice cut through the silence.
"Su Qingxue will arrive anytime soon."
His eyes never left the screen.
-------------------------
[2:05 PM]
The café door opened again at exactly 2:05 PM.
Su Qingxue walked in with the energy of a woman who knew every eye would turn her way.
Designer dress worth tens of thousands of yuan. Makeup applied with professional precision. Hair styled immaculately without a single strand out of place. An expensive handbag coordinated flawlessly with her outfit.
Every detail curated for maximum visual impact.
In the back room, Lin Feng's eye twitched.
Zhang Tingting's breath caught.
"That dress."
Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue turned to look at her.
"I was there when Lin Feng gave it to her." Zhang Tingting's eyes stayed fixed on the screen. "Last year. For her birthday. It cost eighty thousand yuan."
Her gaze moved to the jewelry.
"The earrings were for Valentine's Day. The necklace was an anniversary gift—the anniversary of when they first met, even though you two weren't even dating." Her voice cracked slightly. "And that bracelet! That bracelet, it's the one that you bought because you caught her looking at it."
Qingxue is wearing a fortune. And all of it came from Lin Feng.
And she's wearing it... to meet another man.
"Shameless." Lin Weiwei's voice came out flat. "Absolutely shameless."
"Beyond shameless," Xiao Yue agreed.
Neither woman looked at the screen for more than a second after that. Their eyes returned to Lin Feng instead, watching his reaction, refusing to give Su Qingxue the dignity of their attention.
Lin Feng said nothing. His expression remained unreadable.
But his eye twitched again.
-------------------------
On the monitor, Su Qingxue spotted Long Tian at his table.
Her face lit up. A bright smile spread across her features—the kind of unguarded happiness Zhang Tingting hadn't seen from her in months.
"Long Tian!"
She waved and walked toward him quickly, her heels clicking against the tile floor as she maintained her grace despite her eagerness.
Long Tian stood smoothly and moved to pull out her chair. His warm smile spread across his face.
"Su Qingxue. You look beautiful today."
She sat down and ducked her head slightly, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
Zhang Tingting stared.
Qingxue is blushing.
The ice queen of Qinghua University. The woman who rejected dozens of suitors without a flicker of emotion.
Blushing like a schoolgirl at a simple compliment.
"Thank you." Su Qingxue's voice came out soft. Almost shy. "I kept thinking about seeing you all morning."
"Me too." Long Tian held her gaze, his eye contact warm and steady. "I've been looking forward to this."
He gestured at the tea already waiting on the table.
"I ordered your favorite. Jasmine."
Su Qingxue's expression melted. Her hand pressed to her chest.
"You remembered!"
Zhang Tingting's brow furrowed.
Wait.
Jasmine?
She leaned forward, her fingers gripping the edge of her chair.
"That's not right."
Lin Feng glanced at her. "What?"
"Qingxue doesn't like jasmine tea." Zhang Tingting's voice rose with confusion. "She always orders chamomile. Always. For as long as I've known her."
On the screen, Su Qingxue lifted the jasmine tea to her lips and took a delicate sip. Her smile never wavered. No correction offered. No sign that anything was wrong.
"Why didn't she correct him?" Zhang Tingting's hands were trembling now. "Why is she drinking it like it's exactly what she wanted?"
Nobody had an answer.
Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue exchanged a glance.
On the monitor, Su Qingxue continued sipping the tea she'd never liked, smiling at the man she'd known for less than a week, wearing the gifts from the man she'd rejected for four years.
As if she'd forgotten her own preferences entirely.
As if Long Tian's version of reality had overwritten her own.
-------------------------
Meanwhile,Lin Feng watched every detail before him.
Interesting.
Zhang Tingting was slightly affected by him. Her cheeks flushed the moment she saw his face. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. But that's expected. Her starting affection was around +50.
If anything, I'm surprised that was all Long Tian could do to her from afar.
Very interesting. Looks like I need to look at Zhang Tingting more seriously.
He glanced at Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue. Neither would look at the screen. Crescent marks from Lin Weiwei's nails were forming on his arm. Xiao Yue's jaw hadn't unclenched once.
I expected them to dislike him.
The novel made it clear—Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue never liked Long Tian throughout the entire ten thousand chapters. Not once. Not even a little.
But this level of hostility...
They couldn't even stand the sight of him.
So this is what -99 looks like.
They don't just dislike him. They're repulsed by his very existence.
His gaze returned to the monitor.
Su Qingxue was laughing at something Long Tian said. Her hand reached across the table to touch his arm. She sipped the jasmine tea she'd never liked, smiling like it was her favorite thing in the world.
And then there's Su Qingxue.
Five minutes of interaction and she'd already forgotten what tea she liked. She was even wearing gifts from the other Lin Feng to meet this man.
It seems that the system's influence is stronger than I thought. It's not just boosting his charm—it's rewriting her preferences. Her memories. Her sense of self.
What else has it changed?
What else will it change?
He filed the observations away and continued watching in silence.
-------------------------
[DING!]
[Su Qingxue Affection: 61 → 62 (+1)]
[Cause: Thoughtful gesture (tea), romantic atmosphere]
[Progress: 1/9 points needed]
[Status: On track]
[Time Elapsed: 3 minutes]
-------------------------
On the other side, Long Tian's smile widened slightly as he reviewed the notification.
One point already. This is going perfectly.
Just eight more to go.
He glanced at the time on his phone. 2:08 PM.
Yuting should be here soon. I need to raise Qingxue's affection a bit more before she arrives.
He leaned back in his chair and stretched his arms behind his head. His eyes drifted lazily across the café—past the barista wiping down the counter, past the decorative plant in the corner, past the picture frame on the wall.
His gaze lingered on nothing.
Noticed nothing.
The tiny lens in the picture frame. The microphone beneath the table centerpiece. The barista whose eyes flickered toward him every few seconds.
All invisible to him.
He turned back to Su Qingxue with that warm, practiced smile.
Behind him, the café door began to open.
-------------------------
[#18: Zhang Tingting] ★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (1-Star Heroine) ├─ Previous Affection: 43
└─ Current Affection: 40 (-3)
-------------------------
[END OF CHAPTER 26]