"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?!"
young master of the Shen family—a figure of immense power and wealth beyond measure—and awakened the "Destined Ultimate Villain System"! His starting scenario? Running into his icy fiancée who shows up with a mountain-descending divine doctor to break off their engagement. The divine doctor arrogantly taunts: "What does your Shen family have besides a bit of stinking money? You're not even worthy of tying Qingxue's shoelaces!" Shen Fei just smiled. He completely defied the usual script: "Fine, I agree to break off the engagement. Also, notify the finance department to withdraw all investments from the Su family." Minutes later, with its capital chain severed, the Su Group teetered on the brink of bankruptcy! The once aloof and proud ice queen CEO was thrown into utter panic. That very night, she went to Shen Fei's villa, casting aside all dignity to beg and plead desperately... From then on, in this world teeming with Sons of Destiny, Shen Fei embarked on a path of extreme dimensional suppression! A mountain-descending divine doctor? Peerless medical skills? Shen Fei: "Reporting you for practicing medicine without a license! I'll gladly take your ancient medicinal cauldron and twin sister assassins." The Crooked-Smiling Dragon King? Commanding a hundred thousand soldiers with a single order? Shen Fei: "Illegal assembly and suspected treason! Let a fleet of attack helicopters sanitize the area and teach you what the state apparatus really means!" A reborn tycoon? Knows all the golden opportunities of the next decade? Shen Fei: "A trillion in capital to reverse and pump the stock market, making you blow your margin and jump on the very first day of your rebirth!" What Chosen Ones? What bearers of Heavenly Fortune? In Shen Fei's eyes, they're all just chives (i.e., suckers/marks) waiting to be harvested! Shen Fei: "Sorry, but as the Destined Ultimate Villain, I don't play by the rules of honor. I only play the game of dimensional suppression."
e school belle recognized by the whole school, a genius girl from the kendo club. She also has a hidden identity, the youngest legendary demon hunter. Chen Shuo just transmigrated and found himself turned into a weak, helpless little vampire. He was caught by Su Xiyen and taken home at the very beginning. Since then, Chen Shuo's life creed only had two items. "First, classmate Su Xiyen is always right." "Second, if classmate Su Xiyen is wrong, please refer back to item one." Many years later, Chen Shuo, who had turned back into a human, led a pair of twins to appear in front of all the vampires to share the secret of how he turned back into a human. "It's simple, I tricked a female demon hunter into becoming my wife!"
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
e bizarre and supernatural had descended. The previous emperor was a thoroughgoing tyrant; no longer satisfied with human women, he had set his sights on a stunningly beautiful supernatural entity. He met his end in his bedchamber, drained of all his vital essence. As the legitimate eldest son and crown prince, Wang Hao was thus hastily enthroned, becoming the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty. No sooner had he awakened the "Imperial Sign-In Intelligence System" than he was assassinated by a Son of Destiny—a classic villain's opening. The Great Zhou, ravaged by the former emperor's excesses, was in national decline. The great families within its borders harbored their own treacherous schemes, martial sects began to defy the imperial court's decrees, and border armies, their pay and provisions in arrears, grumbled incessantly against the central government. Fortunately, the central capital was still held secure by the half-million Imperial Guards and fifty thousand Imperial Forest Army who obeyed the court's orders, along with the royal family's hidden reserves of power, barely managing to suppress the realm. As the Great Zhou's finances worsened and supernatural activities grew ever more frequent, the court sat atop a volcano. Ambitious plotters everywhere dreamed of overthrowing the dynasty, and even some reclusive ancient powers emerged, attempting to sway the tides of the world. At the first grand court assembly, the civil and military officials nearly came to blows, fighting tooth and nail over the allocation of fifty million taels of silver from the summer tax revenues. The spectacle opened Wang Hao's eyes—the Great Zhou's bureaucracy was not only corrupt but also martially proficient, a cabinet of all-rounders. Some officials even had the audacity to suggest the emperor release funds from the imperial privy purse to address the emergency. Wang Hao suddenly felt weary. Let it all burn.
