Dignity

"Mu Xuan, be good, just hold on a little longer!" An Yi looked at Shen Muxuan and said softly.

Shen Muxuan hesitated, her pretty face conflicted. "Then... how much longer?"

"Seven hours."

Shen Muxuan:

"Let me go! Damn An Yi, you jerk, you're doing this on purpose!"

"Don’t be like that, good Mu Xuan! Sister Mu Xuan! Grandma Mu Xuan, just hold on a little longer, please!"

"How can you just say 'hold on' like it's nothing?! What’s wrong with you this early in the morning?" Shen Muxuan glared at An Yi angrily.

This guy refused to let go of her hand no matter what.

"Mu Xuan, whatever you do, don’t let go!"

An Yi was half-kneeling on the ground, clinging to Shen Muxuan’s slender, soft waist, pleading pitifully, "If I shrink to 9 centimeters, no one will love me anymore!"

"What 9 centimeters?"

A question mark popped up in Shen Muxuan’s mind.

But seeing An Yi’s pitiful expression, she couldn’t help but soften.

As it turns out, when a man acts spoiled, a woman’s heart melts.

Some experts claim that a man's acting cute easily triggers the maternal instincts ingrained in a woman's genes.

Shen Muxuan sighed and gently patted An Yi’s head. "Alright, alright, stop it. I’ll hold on, okay?"

"Mu Xuan, I love you!"

Overcome with emotion, An Yi hugged Shen Muxuan tightly and planted a big kiss on her cheek.

"W-what are you doing?!" Shen Muxuan blushed and whispered.

An Yi was still gripping her hand, refusing to let go no matter what.

"Damn it!"

This damn system had him by the throat!

The mere thought of losing five centimeters filled An Yi with soul-crushing dread.

Less than two minutes later, Shen Muxuan whispered, "Um, An Yi..."

An Yi raised an eyebrow. "What’s up?"

"I... I really can’t hold it anymore..."

Shen Muxuan looked up at him, her beautiful eyes brimming with tears.

An Yi:

---

In the bathroom.

"You done yet?"

An Yi, wearing a blindfold and still holding Shen Muxuan’s hand, asked helplessly.

The girl was too shy to let him see anything.

She’d even gone so far as to blindfold him!

Wait—was this even a blindfold?!

Shen Muxuan glanced at An Yi nervously. "N-not yet... I can’t undo my clothes with one hand. Can you let go for just a second? Just one second!"

"Not even a second! This is about a man’s dignity. I’ll help you!"

Without hesitation, An Yi lifted the blindfold and extended his expert "clothes-removing" hand.

Shen Muxuan was still wearing her traditional outfit, and the knots looked complicated—but for An Yi, it should’ve been a piece of cake.

Seriously!

With his Lv3 lockpicking skills, he could defuse a bomb. How hard could a few buttons be?

One minute later, cold sweat dripped down An Yi’s forehead.

This was just plain weird!

He actually couldn’t undo it!

"What kind of knot is this?!"

His dexterous fingers had met their match.

Shen Muxuan explained, "It’s called a lotus knot. My master’s special technique."

"Lotus knot?!"

An Yi almost coughed up blood.

"Why would you tie your clothes like this?! Are you setting up a formation?!"

Shen Muxuan seemed to read his confusion and added, "Master said lotus knots are to protect girls from unscrupulous men."

An Yi scoffed.

"Protect my foot! A real scoundrel wouldn’t bother untying anything!"

And now, even a gentleman like him couldn’t get anywhere!

Rip!

An Yi’s hand slipped, and a strip of fabric tore loose.

A large gap now exposed Shen Muxuan’s fair, delicate skin—especially the long legs beneath her red undergarments, which were downright mesmerizing.

"It’s been a while..."

An Yi swallowed hard, then awkwardly muttered, "Well, the lotus knot isn’t that hard to undo."

The sound of a flushing toilet echoed.

Shen Muxuan, still holding An Yi’s hand, stepped out of the bathroom with a flushed face.

She pouted at him. "Did you peek?"

"No, I swear!" An Yi, still blindfolded and facing the wall, declared solemnly.

Shen Muxuan sighed in relief and removed his blindfold. "Okay, I believe you."

An Yi wiped his nose, discreetly cleaning up the nosebleed that had started flowing.

"My clothes are ruined..."

Shen Muxuan looked down at her torn outfit with a sigh.

She didn’t have many clothes, and this one had lasted her a long, long time—until An Yi’s "help" tore it to shreds.

An Yi chuckled. "No big deal. It’s just clothes—I’ll buy you new ones!"

"Really?! I want traditional outfits!!" Shen Muxuan’s eyes sparkled.

An Yi smirked. "No problem. I’ll get you ten! Let’s hit the mall!"

He’d just come into some money, but with everything happening lately, he hadn’t had time to spend it.

"Are you really An Yi? Since when are you so generous?"

Shen Muxuan pinched his cheeks, checking for imposters.

An Yi rolled his eyes. "Of course it’s me! When have I ever been stingy?"

Shen Muxuan scoffed.

After preparing for their shopping spree, the two got ready to leave.

Shen Muxuan tried to tie another lotus knot, but An Yi desperately stopped her.

---

Screech!

A taxi pulled up in front of Jiangbei City’s most luxurious buffet restaurant.

When no one got out, the security guard approached to direct them to the parking lot.

Then, to his shock, two people emerged from the driver’s side—still holding hands.

The guard was speechless.

City folks sure know how to have fun. Couldn’t one of you just use the passenger door?

"An Yi, your car is so cool!"

Shen Muxuan admired the taxi with shining eyes.

Back when they took a taxi to Qin Yao’s birthday party, she’d secretly vowed:

Work hard at the supermarket!

Once I have money, I’ll ride taxis every day!

And now, her dream had come true so soon.

"Just a little toy I bought for fun."

Still holding Shen Muxuan’s hand, An Yi eyed the extravagant hotel with a faint smile. "This is the place."

"Wait—are you insane? A meal here costs half a month’s groceries!"

Shen Muxuan pressed a hand to An Yi’s forehead, checking for fever, then frowned.

Having lived in this world for over half a year, she knew a thing or two.

Places like this looked expensive—but were actually even more expensive.

"Think bigger, got it?" An Yi grinned.

Inside, he cursed.

This is daylight robbery!

688 for a buffet ticket?!

How does a place like Jiangbei City even have prices like this?!

That’s just wrong!

But for the newly wealthy An Yi, it was pocket change.

Before even entering, An Yi stared at the security guard.

The guard grew uneasy. "Sir, is... is there something you need?"

An Yi shook his head, disappointed. "Never mind."

Logically, the guard should’ve taken one look at his cheap clothes and taxi, sneered, and set up the perfect scenario for An Yi to humiliate him in return.

He’d even mentally prepared to slap the restaurant manager.

But the guard didn’t cooperate!

An Yi suddenly understood—getting mocked is the protagonist’s privilege.

A villain like him doesn’t even qualify for insults!

Not long after An Yi and Shen Muxuan entered, another young couple arrived at the hotel entrance.

"Bai Xiu, I feel like eating here today. Is that okay?"

A heavily made-up girl blinked and asked with a smile.

Bai Xiu touched his wallet and nodded with a bitter chuckle.

Just then, the security guard at the door suddenly turned arrogant, eyeing Bai Xiu up and down before sneering, "Where did this broke loser crawl from? Know your place—someone like you doesn’t belong in the Shermore Hotel."