Favorability

"Progress reward? When did I ever complete a progress task?"

Ye Feng clearly remembered completing most of the girls' progress tasks long ago, and their progress bars were almost at 100%. Aside from that, there were only the survival rewards he had previously earned.

Opening the system panel, Ye Feng immediately began scrutinizing every word of the information. Sure enough, he soon spotted an issue with Li Mucheng's status. Her progress showed 100%, followed by a line of tiny text:

[Affection level maxed out. Host is advised to manage affection levels appropriately. Current completed affection targets: 1/4.]

Wait... wait a minute! This progress is... affection?!

After fully absorbing the meaning of that small line, Ye Feng rubbed his eyes in disbelief, afraid he had misread it. But upon confirming it again, he slumped onto the bed, utterly stunned.

"This... how could the progress be affection? Did I misunderstand it from the very beginning?"

Ye Feng's mind raced as he recalled everything he had done whenever the affection progress increased—whether it was rescuing Li Mucheng from danger, sharing a room with Xie Yuyan, or getting along amicably with Su Yuxin and Shen Mengli. It seemed all his actions had only deepened their feelings for him. Only now did the truth dawn on him.

"So that's it... This so-called progress wasn’t about spending more time with them. It was always about their affection for me..."

With that realization, Ye Feng quickly checked the affection progress of the other girls. Sure enough, aside from Li Mucheng, the remaining three were all at 99%.

Ye Feng took a deep breath. He never imagined his charm would be so overwhelming—all four girls he had interacted with held such strong feelings for him. But this wasn’t the life he wanted. He hadn’t approached them with the intention of winning their affection. Yet now, by the time he understood the system’s true meaning, it was already too late.

What should I do... What on earth should I do?

Overwhelmed by an invisible pressure that nearly suffocated him, Ye Feng clutched his chest, his gaze blankly fixed on the floor. Suddenly, he remembered the explanation for the "Charm" skill included in the progress reward he had just received. Suppressing his anxiety, he reopened his skill attributes.

[Charm Max: Your charm enhances interactions with the opposite gender...]

The first part matched the previous description, so Ye Feng skimmed through it. At the end, however, he discovered an additional line:

[Your charm may trigger heightened emotional responses from those who harbor affection for you. The nature of these emotions depends on your actions. Host is advised to exercise caution.]

Heightened emotions?!

Ye Feng frowned, carefully dissecting the seemingly simple yet profoundly complex sentence.

"First, because of my Charm skill, girls like Mucheng developed strong feelings for me. But what does 'heightened emotions based on my actions' mean?"

As he muttered to himself, memories of Xie Yuyan stabbing him and Li Mucheng imprisoning him flashed through his mind. His eyes widened in sudden understanding.

"Could it be that because of their affection, whenever I interact with other girls, it triggers negative emotions in them? That’s why..."

"It all makes sense now. Why Yuyan attacked me when we got home, why Mucheng kidnapped me in the car... All of this is my own fault..."

Ye Feng trembled, his hands clutching his head. Then, another memory surfaced—his conversation with the director of Hope Orphanage. The topic had been about his excessive kindness.

"The director was right. My kindness led to this outcome! It’s because of my gentleness that these girls kept crossing my boundaries, and by the time I noticed, it was too late..."

A shiver ran down Ye Feng’s spine. He had assumed things would improve, but now he was plunged into deep thought.

What should I do?

......

"Mmm..."

Li Mucheng sat on the living room sofa, clutching her dress anxiously as she stared at the door to Ye Feng’s room. He had been silent for so long—had something happened? But if she disturbed him while he was resting, wouldn’t he dislike her even more?

"Teacher..."

After much hesitation, Li Mucheng finally stood up.

"No! No matter what, Teacher must be safe! Even if he hates me, I need to check on him."

Resolved, she marched to Ye Feng’s door. But as she raised her hand to knock, she froze mid-air.

Maybe... I should listen for sounds first? That way, I can make a better judgment.

No, no! If I do something this shameful and Teacher catches me, I’ll never be able to explain myself! I can’t risk ruining my chances with him over a misunderstanding.

While she wavered, the door suddenly swung open. Caught off guard, Li Mucheng stood frozen in place.

"Mucheng... What are you doing here?"

Ye Feng stammered, his heart sinking at the sight of her. All he wanted was to return home and sort out his thoughts, but now Li Mucheng stood before him, triggering another wave of unpleasant memories.

"Teacher... I... I..."

Li Mucheng was equally flustered by his sudden appearance, stumbling over her words. Seeing Ye Feng step back, she realized she might have frightened him again.

"T-Teacher! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to stand here! I just wanted to—"

"Let’s talk tomorrow, okay? Class is almost over, and I need to go home to handle some things. Is that alright?"

"Ah..."

Panicking, Li Mucheng bit her lip, wanting to reach out and stop him—to explain herself properly. But she feared forcing him to stay would only make things worse. In her desperation, tears spilled down her cheeks right in front of him.

"Eh... Eh?!"