[Observation Room—September 16, 03:49 PM]
Zhang Tingting's cheeks were still warm when she forced herself to look up at the monitor.
Just focus Tingting. Stop being weird.
And when she looked, the warmth drained from her face immediately.
On screen, Su Qingxue was pressing her lips against Long Tian's jaw. Zhang Yuting leaned in from the other side, her mouth brushing closer to the corner of his lips.
Wait—
Long Tian's hand had slipped under Zhang Yuting's blouse. His other hand rested somewhere on Su Qingxue that the camera angle mercifully obscured.
Both women were smiling. The same smile. The exact same smile.
Zhang Tingting's fingers dug into the armrests.
That's Yuting. That's Qingxue.
"Big Brother, you're still holding her..." Lin Weiwei's voice drifted from somewhere to Zhang Tingting's left, soft and sulky. "Just let go already..."
"Your hand is on her waist," Xiao Yue murmured from Lin Feng's other side. "Move it to mine instead."
Zhang Tingting tried to block them out.
On the monitor, Su Qingxue whispered something, and Zhang Yuting nodded — eager, immediate, like she'd been waiting for permission.
Qingxue doesn't whisper. Qingxue doesn't... she doesn't do any of this.
She made Lin Feng keep three feet of distance for four years.
Four years.
And now she's—
"Why is your grip tighter on her side?" Lin Weiwei tugged at Lin Feng's sleeve. "Big Brother, that's not fair..."
"I can feel your pulse," Xiao Yue said quietly. "It's faster when you look at the screen. Stop looking at the screen."
Zhang Tingting couldn't look away. Couldn't stop watching.
"His hands," she heard herself say. "They're... he's..."
The words died in her throat.
Just say it. Say what you're seeing.
She couldn't.
Lin Feng's voice cut through the murmuring beside him, quieter than she expected.
"He thinks he's doing something good."
Lin Weiwei paused mid-tug. Xiao Yue's fingers stilled on his arm.
Zhang Tingting turned to look at him. He was still holding both women — Lin Weiwei had her cheek pressed against his shoulder, Xiao Yue's hand was tracing circles on his chest — but his eyes hadn't left the screen.
"What do you mean?"
"Look at his face." Lin Feng tilted his chin toward the monitor. "There's no guilt. No performance. He's not playing a role."
Zhang Tingting looked. Long Tian was smiling down at both women, and there was something almost tender in his expression.
"Big Brother..." Lin Weiwei's voice had gone smaller. "Are you worried about them?"
Lin Feng didn't respond to her.
"In his head right now," he said slowly, "he's being the best boyfriend either of them has ever had."
The words took a moment to land.
"That's..." Zhang Tingting shook her head. "That's insane."
"Yeah."
"He's groping them in public. After one hour. And he thinks he's being—"
"Caring. Attentive. Everything they deserve."
Xiao Yue's fingers had stopped tracing circles. She was watching Lin Feng's face now, her expression unreadable.
"You sound like you understand him," she said.
Lin Feng's jaw tightened. "I understand the pattern. Not the person."
Silence — except for Lin Weiwei shifting against his side, her fingers finding his sleeve again.
Zhang Tingting looked back at the screen. At Qingxue's glassy eyes. At Yuting's too-eager smile. At the hands that kept drifting lower.
"So what do we do?" Her voice came out smaller than she intended. "How do you fight someone who doesn't even know he's doing something wrong?"
Lin Feng didn't answer right away.
Lin Weiwei tugged at his arm. "Big Brother? Are you listening to me?"
"You're ignoring us again," Xiao Yue added quietly.
When Lin Feng finally spoke, his voice was flat.
"I don't know yet."
---------------------
[Long Tian's Side—03:55 PM]
Both women were tucked against Long Tian's sides. Su Qingxue's head had found his shoulder, and Zhang Yuting's fingers were playing idly with the buttons of his shirt.
The café had grown quieter in the late afternoon lull. Somewhere behind them, a barista was grinding coffee beans.
Long Tian let out a slow breath.
This is nice.
He pressed a kiss to the top of Su Qingxue's head. She made a small, contented sound and nestled closer.
This is really nice.
Zhang Yuting noticed the kiss and tilted her face up toward him, hopeful.
He smiled and kissed her forehead too.
Well, fair is fair.
For a while, none of them said anything.
Then a thought drifted through his mind, lazy and unhurried.
You know what would make this even better?
"I wonder," Long Tian said, almost to himself, "if any of your other friends would want to hang out with us sometime."
Su Qingxue hummed against his shoulder. "Mm... maybe."
"The more the merrier," Zhang Yuting murmured, her eyes half-closed.
Neither of them tensed. Neither of them pulled away. Neither of them asked why he'd want that.
See? This is how it should be.
No jealousy. No possessiveness. Just... openness.
He thought about Lin Feng for a moment. Four years of obsessing over one woman. Four years of suffocating her with attention she didn't want.
That's not love. That's a cage.
This is different. This is—
"Oh!" Su Qingxue sat up suddenly. "Tingting!"
Zhang Yuting blinked awake. "What?"
"I invited Tingting yesterday!" Su Qingxue was already reaching for her phone. "I completely forgot."
"Me too. I even told her parents about Long Tian." Zhang Yuting rubbed her eyes. "Why didn't she show up?"
Long Tian watched them both fumble for their phones, and something flickered at the edge of his thoughts.
"Tingting?" he asked. "Who's that?"
"My cousin," Zhang Yuting said, scrolling through her messages. "She's Qingxue's best friend too. I told her to come with me yesterday. She was supposed to come here today too."
"She hasn't read any of my messages," Su Qingxue muttered, frowning at her screen.
"That's weird. She always replies fast."
Long Tian kept his expression warm. Curious.
"I'd love to meet her," he said. "She sounds important to both of you."
"Yes, she is. After all, she's my beloved cousin. I owe her a lot." Zhang Yuting was already dialing. "Let me try calling."
She pressed the phone to her ear.
---------------------
[Observation Room—04:00 PM]
Zhang Tingting's phone buzzed against her thigh.
She glanced down at the screen.
Zhang Yuting — Incoming Call
Her stomach dropped.
"I can't—" She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes wide. "I can't answer this. She'll hear it in my voice. She'll know something's wrong."
Lin Feng's hand landed on her shoulder.
"Answer it. I'll walk you through."
"Big Brother."
Lin Weiwei's voice came from his left, flat and pointed.
"Your hand is on her shoulder."
"Lin Feng, I already tolerated you touching her but now you touch a third woman?" Xiao Yue added from his right.
Lin Feng didn't turn around.
Are you serious right now?
I touch her shoulder once — once — for operational purposes, and this is what sets you off?
You two have been climbing on me for an hour.
He kept his eyes on Zhang Tingting.
"Tell them you're with me," he said, his voice low and steady. "Say you're helping me figure things out. That you're trying to bring me back to Qingxue. Keep it short. Don't explain too much."
Zhang Tingting's hands were shaking. The phone kept buzzing.
"But what if she—"
"Tingting." His grip tightened slightly on her shoulder. "Just trust me."
Her fingers stopped trembling.
She didn't know why those two words helped. They just did.
"Okay..."
She took a breath and swiped to accept.
"Tingting!" Zhang Yuting's voice burst through the speaker, bright and eager. "Finally! I've been calling and calling. Where have you been?"
In the background, Su Qingxue's voice: "Put her on speaker! I want to hear!"
Zhang Tingting pressed her free hand flat against her thigh to stop the trembling.
"Sorry, I'm at a—" She cleared her throat. "I'm at a coffee shop. With a friend. I didn't check my phone."
"Well, forget coffee! Come meet us! We're at this amazing café, and there's someone I really want you to—"
"I…I can't." The words came out too fast. She forced herself to slow down. "I can't right now, Yuting."
A pause on the other end.
"What? Why not?"
"I'm..." Zhang Tingting's eyes darted to Lin Feng. He gave her a small nod. "I'm with someone."
"With someone?" Zhang Yuting's voice sharpened with curiosity. "Who?"
Zhang Tingting gripped the phone tighter.
"I'm with Lin Feng."
---------------------
[Long Tian's Side — 4:02 PM]
The café seemed to go quiet.
Long Tian was still smiling. His arm was still around Su Qingxue. His other hand was still resting on Zhang Yuting's thigh.
But his fingers had stopped moving.
Lin Feng.
The name echoed in his head.
Lin Feng!
Su Qingxue and Zhang Yuting were still talking into the phone, asking Tingting questions, but their voices had faded to a distant hum.
She's with Lin Feng. Right now. Today?
The same day Qingxue finally found someone who treats her right.
His jaw tightened. He forced it to relax.
Why?
Why is his name coming up again?
He's supposed to be nothing. A bad memory. Someone Qingxue left behind.
So why does he keep showing up?
Long Tian kept his expression warm. Interested. He nodded along to the phone conversation like he was listening.
He wasn't.
What if he's not letting go?
What if he's still trying to drag Qingxue back into that miserable life?
Four years he wasted her time. Four years of making her feel like she owed him something.
His hand on Zhang Yuting's thigh had gone still. She didn't seem to notice.
And now he's with Tingting. Qingxue's best friend! Yuting's cousin!
Coincidence?
He looked around the café without moving his head. The windows. The other tables. The corners.
Everything looked normal.
But that doesn't mean anything.
What if he's watching?
The thought made his chest tight.
What if he saw everything?
Qingxue in my arms. The touches. The almost-kisses.
What if he's been watching this whole time?
He thought about how Tingting hadn't replied to any messages. Hadn't read them. Hadn't shown up.
She was supposed to be here.
Yuting invited her yesterday.
But she didn't come.
Instead she's with him.
Why?
Why would she choose to spend time with Lin Feng instead of her own cousin?
Unless...
Unless he got to her first.
The paranoia coiled tighter.
What if she's reporting to him?
What if she's been telling him everything?
What if this whole day — Qingxue, Yuting, all of it — what if he knew everything from the start?
Long Tian's smile was still in place. His body language was still relaxed. But his pulse had quickened.
The system says he's nothing. A stepping stone. A minor villain to be crushed along the way.
But yesterday, when we passed each other on campus...
The way he looked at me.
Like he already knew something I didn't.
The system could be wrong.
The system has been wrong before.
He forced himself to take a slow breath.
Calm down. Think.
I need to protect them.
Both of them.
From whatever he's planning.
He thought about Su Qingxue. About her four years trapped in Lin Feng's orbit. About how she was sitting here now, finally free, finally happy.
She deserves to stay happy.
She deserves someone who'll fight for her.
And if that means figuring out what Lin Feng is up to...
The idea took shape slowly.
If she stays close to him for now, I can keep an eye on things.
I can make sure he's not planning anything.
If he's still the same pathetic guy he's always been, nothing changes. She stays safe.
But if he's been watching us... if he knows...
He'll slip up. Men like him always do.
And when he does, I'll be ready to protect her.
Long Tian's thumb traced an absent circle on Zhang Yuting's thigh. She made a soft sound and leaned closer.
I don't want to put Qingxue through that.
But I have to know what he's planning.
I have to keep them safe.
That's what a good boyfriend does.
The tension in his chest eased slightly.
This isn't about me. This is about protecting them.
Lin Feng is the threat. I'm the solution.
Su Qingxue was saying something to him. He turned to her with a warm smile.
"Sorry, I missed that. What did you say?"
She repeated herself, something about Tingting coming later maybe, and Long Tian nodded and made the right sounds.
I'll find out the truth.
And then I'll make sure he never bothers them again.
That's what they deserve.
That's what a real man does.
---------------------
Su Qingxue was still holding the phone, her brow furrowed.
"I don't understand." She looked at Zhang Yuting, then at Long Tian. "Why is Tingting with Lin Feng? Haven't I told her to come with us today?"
Long Tian reached over and took her hands, letting the phone drop gently to the table.
"Qingxue."
He held both her hands in his, thumbs tracing slow circles over her knuckles.
"Listen to me."
Su Qingxue's eyes searched his face. "What is it?"
"Don't tell Lin Feng about us yet."
Su Qingxue blinked. "Don't tell him? Why not?"
"I need you to stay close to him for now." Long Tian kept his voice low and steady. "Act like before. Like nothing's changed."
"But..." Her fingers tightened around his. "I don't understand."
"His family has connections," Long Tian said. "Power. If he finds out you've moved on before I can protect you properly..."
He let the sentence trail off, letting her imagination fill in the rest.
"I'll find a way to free you from all of that eventually." He lifted her hands and pressed a soft kiss to her knuckles. "I promise."
Su Qingxue's lips parted. Her eyes went soft and glassy.
"You'd do that for me?"
"Of course I would."
"Just for a little while," he continued. "Until I can keep you safe. Can you do that for me?"
Su Qingxue nodded slowly, her smile spreading wide.
"Of course. Anything you need."
"Thank you for trusting me Qingxue." He traced his thumb along her palm. "Also, if he wants to give you things, let him. Don't refuse his gifts or his help."
Su Qingxue tilted her head. "Let him give me things?"
"You spent four years with him, Qingxue. Four years of your life. Just think of it as compensation for tolerating him all those years."
Su Qingxue considered this for a moment. Then she nodded.
"I will. I promise."
Zhang Yuting leaned forward from Long Tian's other side, her eyes bright.
"I'll help! I can be your wingman on this! We can coordinate, and—"
"No."
The word came out sharper than Long Tian intended.
Zhang Yuting flinched.
Long Tian softened immediately. He reached over and took her hand, threading his fingers through hers.
"I can't risk you, Yuting. I can't bear watching you being hurt by him. For Qingxue, at least, he already knows her. It's better if he doesn't know you."
His voice dropped lower, and he squeezed her hand. "What's important is that you're safe. And I want to keep it that way."
Zhang Yuting's eyes widened. "But I want to help..."
"I know." He brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers. "But I need to protect you. Please. Let me do that."
Zhang Yuting's cheeks flushed pink. Her resistance crumbled.
"Okay..."
Long Tian turned back to Su Qingxue.
"So for now, Qingxue, just you. He already knows you, so it's natural for you to be around him." His thumb was still tracing circles on her palm. "But I'll be here the whole time. If anything happens, you tell me immediately."
Su Qingxue nodded eagerly. "I will."
"Tell me everything. What he's doing, who he's with, what he says." Long Tian held her gaze. "So I can keep you safe."
"Okay, I'll keep an eye on him for you. And if he tries anything, I won't let him. I'm only yours, Tian'er."
Both women were watching him now with identical expressions — wide eyes, soft smiles, complete trust.
"Don't worry." Long Tian squeezed both their hands. "I'll be a good man for you two. I'll protect you both, guide you, and do my best to keep you safe from people like Lin Feng."
"Because that's what a real man should do."
---------------------
[System notification: Affection increased]
[Su Qingxue: 70 → 72]
[Zhang Yuting: 78 → 79]
---------------------
[Observation Room—04:10 PM]
Zhang Tingting's phone slipped from her fingers and clattered against the floor.
Her hands wouldn't stop shaking.
"He sounded so normal." She stared at the monitor, her voice barely above a whisper. "So... reasonable."
On screen, Su Qingxue was smiling up at Long Tian — grateful, adoring, completely trusting.
"He just turned her into a spy." Zhang Tingting's throat tightened. "In thirty seconds. And she... she thanked him for it."
Lin Feng's hand was still on her shoulder.
"That's Long Tian."
Zhang Tingting turned to look at him, her face glowing red. He was the only thing she could see right now.
"He is the type of person who can make betrayal sound like loyalty." Lin Feng's eyes stayed fixed on the monitor. "Make spying and sabotage sound like an act of love."
He was quiet for a moment.
"And the worst part? He believes it. He genuinely thinks he's protecting her."
Zhang Tingting's eyes remained on Lin Feng. Her face continued to glow red.
Lin Feng finally turned away from the screen.
He expected tactical discussion. Strategic analysis. Planning the next move.
What he found instead made him freeze.
Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue were both staring at him.
Not at the monitor. Not at the phone on the floor. Not at Zhang Tingting.
At him.
Lin Weiwei's eyes had gone flat. Cold in a way he hadn't seen before.
Xiao Yue's expression was perfectly still — the kind of still that came right before something shattered.
Neither of them was looking at the screen anymore.
They're not angry about Long Tian.
They're not worried about the spy mission.
They're angry about...
Lin Feng became very aware of his hand. Still on Zhang Tingting's shoulder.
Oh.
He removed it slowly. Then, just as carefully, he slid his arms back around Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue's waists.
Lin Weiwei's gaze followed the movement. Her jaw tightened.
Xiao Yue didn't blink.
Neither woman said anything.
Lin Feng had seen this before. In his past life. The silence that came before an interrogation turned violent. The quiet that meant someone was choosing their words very, very carefully.
But he maintained his composure, acting as if nothing had happened.
"Big Brother." Lin Weiwei's voice was soft. Too soft. "Your hand was on her shoulders for a long time. So she's your type now?"
"Seven minutes, Lin Feng," Xiao Yue added. "You held her for seven minutes, you womanizer."
Lin Feng opened his mouth, sweat forming on his forehead, yet his composure remained. "What are you two talking about? Anyway, I want to see what our new spy does next."
On the monitor in front of him, Long Tian was smiling warmly at Su Qingxue and Zhang Yuting, pulling them both close.
In the observation room, Lin Feng did not dare look the two women in the eye.
The silence stretched.
Zhang Tingting looked between Lin Weiwei and Xiao Yue, then at Lin Feng, then back again.
She very quietly bent down to pick up her phone, trying to make herself as small as possible.
And then, she smiled.
---------------------
[Zhang Tingting] ★☆☆☆☆☆☆ (1-Star Heroine)
├─ Previous Affection: 35
└─ Current Affection: 29 (-6)
---------------------
[Long Tian's Side — 4:15 PM]
The café had grown quiet around them.
Long Tian sat with both women tucked against his sides, watching the afternoon light turn gold through the windows.
Su Qingxue's head was on his shoulder, her eyes half-closed. Zhang Yuting's thumb traced slow circles on his palm.
Every time he shifted, they nestled closer.
---------------------
[DING!]
[MISSION COMPLETE: DUAL DATE CHALLENGE]
[Duration: 2 hours, 0 minutes — REQUIREMENT MET]
[Su Qingxue: 63 → 72 (+9)]
[Zhang Yuting: 71 → 79 (+8)]
[BONUS: Sister-wife Dynamic Established]
---------------------
[SESSION REWARDS]
[Conquest Points: +1,500 CP → Total: 3,400 CP]
[Cash Bonus: +¥35,000 → Available: ¥54,680]
---------------------
The numbers glowed in his vision for a moment, then faded.
Fifty-four thousand yuan.
A few weeks ago, that number would have made him choke. It would have sent him running to the nearest ATM just to confirm it was real.
But right now, sitting here with the afternoon light warm on his face and two beautiful women leaning into him like he was the only solid thing in the world...
The money didn't matter as much as he thought it would.
"Hey." He kept his voice soft. "We should go. It's getting late."
Su Qingxue made a small sound against his shoulder.
Zhang Yuting's fingers tightened on his.
Neither of them moved.
Long Tian smiled.
"Come on." He squeezed Zhang Yuting's hand and pressed a kiss to the top of Su Qingxue's head. "I'll walk you both home."
They gathered their things slowly — reluctant, unhurried. Long Tian paid at the counter without looking at the total, left too much for a tip, and held the door open for both of them.
Outside, the air had turned cool. Su Qingxue shivered slightly, and Long Tian shrugged off his jacket before she could say anything.
"Here."
She looked up at him as he draped it over her shoulders. That soft, glassy smile.
"Thank you, Tian'er."
Zhang Yuting watched from his other side. Her face devoid of any jealousy.
And warmth.
Just a soft, glassy smile.
Then, they walked toward campus together — Long Tian in the middle, one woman on each arm. The streetlights were starting to flicker on.
"Same time later?" Long Tian asked.
"Yes!" Both voices came at once.
Long Tian laughed.
"I'll be counting the days."
---------------------
[System notification: Affection increased]
[Zhang Yuting: 79 → 80 (+1)]
[New Mission Accepted]
[Chance Encounter: Create opportunity to meet Zhang Tingting]
---------------------
The new mission blinked into view.
Zhang Tingting.
His smile didn't waver, but something flickered behind his eyes.
The cousin. The one who was supposed to be here today.
The one who's with Lin Feng instead.
I had already set things in motion. Qingxue would keep an eye on him. She would report back to me and tell me everything about Lin Feng.
I will definitely find out what he's planning.
And when I do, I'll keep them safe.
The thought settled in his chest like a promise.
He glanced up at the sky — pale orange fading to blue — and let out a slow breath.
Today was a good day.
A really good day.
---------------------
[End of Chapter 29R]