Following Lin Yu's train of thought, Mao Ruirui quickly pondered.
If holding hands wasn't enough to prove their couple status...
Perhaps they should...
Do something more intimate?
Sit down to rest and lean against each other.
Was this what Xiao Yu had in mind?
After hearing his story about that yandere girl,
Mao Ruirui had already made up her mind—she would help him to the very end.
Now was not the time to back down!
Mao Ruirui immediately responded:
"No problem, Xiao Yu... Whatever you need me to do, just tell me."
"As long as it helps you, as long as it pulls you out of this gloom, I'll do it!"
Her words carried a touch of brave determination.
This assurance struck a chord in Lin Yu's heart.
After sitting down on the steps to rest,
Lin Yu even pretended to look around several times.
Then,
he said nervously:
"I’m sure she’s nearby. My intuition is always right."
Mao Ruirui glanced at Lin Yu’s arm,
then boldly looped hers through it, adjusting her position to sit as close to him as possible.
"Xiao Yu, is this... okay?"
"Wait, sorry—hold on..."
She quickly withdrew her arm, took out a wet wipe from her bag,
and rubbed it over her arm, wiping it clean.
During their earlier run,
a faint sheen of sweat had formed on her skin.
In contrast, Lin Yu was completely dry, still fresh and cool.
Pressing against him like that would’ve been impolite.
Once her smooth arm was thoroughly wiped clean,
she looped it through his again and repeated her question:
"Xiao Yu, now it’s fine."
"Staying like this should make that yandere girl think we’re more like a real couple, right?"
This feeling was absolutely wonderful!
Without Lin Yu even asking, Ruirui-jie had already taken the initiative!
"Ruirui-jie, thank you."
"I hadn’t even figured out what to do yet."
"Honestly, if you weren’t helping me..."
"I wouldn’t know who else to turn to..."
Lin Yu’s voice was tinged with melancholy.
His sincere gaze made Mao Ruirui’s heart ache again.
Xiao Yu had helped her so many times in life.
Seeing him "tormented" like this,
how could she just stand by?
A bright guy like Xiao Yu must’ve been truly desperate to say something like that.
He...
was calling out to her for help!
Mao Ruirui touched her cheek, moved, and said:
"Xiao Yu, don’t say that. I’ll definitely find a way to make her back off."
"My face isn’t sweaty..."
"I think most couples at this point, the girl would lean on the guy’s shoulder or arm."
"Maybe we should..."
Lin Yu: "!!!"
You read my mind!
She was even a step ahead of him.
As the "boyfriend," how could he let the "girlfriend" keep making the first move?
What kind of man would that make him? What kind of man!
Lin Yu obliged her suggestion, pulling his arm free and wrapping it around her shoulders.
With a gentle tug, he drew her into his embrace.
"Is this how it’s usually done?"
he asked softly.
[Ding!]
[Masterful move! Your first embrace has left your dao companion’s heart racing!]
[Reward: 50 spirit stones.]
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
Talking was one thing, but actually doing it was another.
Once Lin Yu really held her in his arms,
her restless heart couldn’t stop pounding.
Her hands fidgeted awkwardly, unsure where to place them.
Wrap them around Lin Yu’s waist in return?
Too deliberate.
Rest them on her lap to smooth her skirt?
Too stiff.
Press them against the steps?
Too rigid.
Just as she hesitated,
Lin Yu’s other hand reached over and took her freshly wiped hand,
then placed it...
against his own chest. (Of course, nothing further!)
At this point,
their intertwined figures looked every bit the couple—if not more.
Mao Ruirui had completely overestimated her composure.
Right now,
she couldn’t even hold a normal conversation.
Her nerves were so frayed she could barely speak.
Xiao Yu is so slim!
Just leaning against him, she could feel his lean, toned frame.
Being held by him was incredibly warm.
If not for knowing someone was watching,
the feeling would’ve been even better.
"Ruirui-jie, let’s talk about something else."
"What’s your ideal type for a boyfriend?"
Just as her thoughts were wandering,
Lin Yu suddenly caught her off guard with this question.
Her mind flooded with images of Lin Yu himself!
"I... I’ve never really thought about it carefully,"
Mao Ruirui quickly deflected, buying time.
Lin Yu wasn’t about to let her off that easily.
So he pressed on:
"That’s fine, it’s normal. There are plenty of things I haven’t thought through either."
"Now’s a good time to sit and reflect."
"If you had to choose someone to spend the rest of your life with, to entrust yourself to..."
"What kind of qualities would they need?"
Hearing this,
Mao Ruirui knew she couldn’t dodge the question.
So she really started thinking...
The more she pondered, the more her heart fluttered.
Wait, do I actually like Xiao Yu?
Why, even after calming down, do all his good traits keep coming to mind?
"Ruirui, have you thought about it?"
"Go ahead and tell me."
Lin Yu’s slightly commanding tone left her no room to resist.
She blurted out:
"I’d want my boyfriend to be..."
"Optimistic, active, sporty, and full of energy."
"Kind and patient, preferably without too much romantic baggage."
"If he’s from Pingchuan, close to where I work, so we can see each other often, even better."
"As for looks or money, I don’t have strict standards. If he meets the above, those don’t matter."
"I’m just an average earner from an ordinary family."
"As long as he’s driven, I believe we could build a future together and never go hungry."
After saying this,
Mao Ruirui nervously bit her lower lip.
Every single point she listed—Xiao Yu fit perfectly!
Would he think she was dropping hints on purpose?
She really wasn’t! It’s just...
That was genuinely what she wanted in a boyfriend.
Wait, no no no—that’s not right!
Just a few days ago, she hadn’t even been thinking about dating, wanting to focus on her career first.
Had spending so much time with Xiao Yu these past days...
put these ideas in her head?!
"Would a bachelor’s degree be enough?"
Lin Yu suddenly asked.
Mao Ruirui paused, then replied:
"Of course, that’s more than enough."
"I only have a bachelor’s too—I’m not looking for some ultra-educated genius."
Lin Yu followed up:
"What if he’s still in undergrad?"
Mao Ruirui: "!!!"
...
(First update of the day! Only 375 more "Power-Ups with Love" needed for the bonus chapter. If you're enjoying the story, please take a moment to watch a quick ad—your support means the world!)
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
