Red wine dripped slowly from the young man’s forehead, tracing the bridge of his high nose before sliding down his thin, sensual lips, which were pressed tightly together. It was clear he wasn’t in the best mood.
Ruan Mingyi couldn’t care less about his feelings. The moment she saw Shen Qingling, she couldn’t help but swallow hard, her dazed eyes widening slightly.
077: "Ruan Mingyi’s affection points increased by 30."
Shen Qingling: "So she’s a looks-oriented type..."
"In the original story, she called Gu Yijin a ‘pathetic pretty boy.’ Her standards are ridiculously high, and she’s extremely superficial. It’s no surprise she likes your face."
"But her interest in men usually lasts about three minutes before she moves on. What you need to do is keep her continuously intrigued and maintain that interest long-term."
After hearing 077’s explanation, Shen Qingling had a rough idea of how to win Ruan Mingyi over.
With a girl like this, you couldn’t be overly warm or too cold—you had to play hard to get, like flying a kite, reeling her in and letting her go. That’s how you’d make her fall.
Outside, Ye Qiao noticed something was off and quickly hung up her call before rushing in.
The moment she saw the red wine on Shen Qingling’s face, she knew Ruan Mingyi had caused trouble again.
"I’m so sorry, handsome. My friend’s had a rough day, and she’s drunk, so... Really, whatever compensation you want, we’ll—"
"No need."
Shen Qingling cut her off coldly.
Ruan Mingyi wouldn’t like a man who groveled without self-respect, so he couldn’t act subservient in front of her.
The female barista at the café, having worked there long enough, recognized Ruan Mingyi.
She whispered to Shen Qingling, "This café is owned by the Ruan Family. She’s the eldest daughter of the Ruan Family, and from what I’ve heard, this young lady has quite the temper."
Another girl who had a crush on Shen Qingling chimed in, "Yeah, Shen Qingling, just let it go. Don’t make things worse for yourself."
Worried that Shen Qingling and Ruan Mingyi might clash, the barista walked over with a smile and said, "Miss Ruan, let me take you to change your clothes."
But Ruan Mingyi pointed at Shen Qingling. "Not you. I want him to take me."
Shen Qingling glanced at the barista. "Forget it. Don’t get involved—she’ll just take it out on you. I’ll go. I’d feel bad if the whole café’s performance suffered because of me."
The girl stared at Shen Qingling in surprise before blushing.
She’d always thought Shen Qingling was too cold and aloof to approach, but it turned out he was actually quite gentle—considerate, even. The kind of aloof-but-warm male lead that was irresistible.
Ye Qiao tugged at Ruan Mingyi’s sleeve. "What are you doing, Mingyi? You splashed wine all over him and still haven’t apologized."
Ruan Mingyi swayed unsteadily before grabbing Shen Qingling’s arm. "Shen Qingling, right? I’ll apologize... I’ll apologize in the restroom..."
She could barely stand, collapsing into Shen Qingling’s arms.
Shen Qingling frowned.
Ye Qiao stepped forward to support Ruan Mingyi and said to Shen Qingling, "I’ll help her inside. You come with us, okay?"
Only then did Shen Qingling nod, following them into the restroom.
Thankfully, the restroom had individual stalls—otherwise, this would’ve been beyond awkward.
Ye Qiao dragged Ruan Mingyi into a stall to change.
Meanwhile, Shen Qingling stood at the sink, washing the wine off his face, though the stains on his clothes weren’t coming out anytime soon.
He raised his eyes to his reflection in the mirror—his dampened features somehow looked even more striking.
Then came Ruan Mingyi’s drunken mumbling:
"Are my boobs bigger than hers?"
"Y-yours are bigger. She’s flat as a board. You win."
"Then why’s he with her and not me?"
"You insulted him. Of course he’s mad."
"What’d I say?"
"You said, ‘I wanted something long-lasting, but you’re lacking in length and stamina.’"
"I said that? But I’ve never even... slept with him. I haven’t even held his hand!"
"You asked his ex-girlfriend, and the ex complained to him. He fought with you and blocked you."
"Oh... right. That’s why I wanted to drink today."
"..."
Ye Qiao sighed in exasperation at the drunk mess in front of her. Once Ruan Mingyi was changed, Ye Qiao helped her out.
The moment Ruan Mingyi saw Shen Qingling, she grinned and shoved Ye Qiao aside, stumbling toward him. "You’re so handsome. Way hotter than any guy I’ve liked before."
"..."
When Shen Qingling didn’t respond, she pouted and poked his chest. "H-hey... why aren’t you talking? Oh—I forgot to apologize. S-sorry... I didn’t mean to splash you. I was aiming for those two ugly losers. You’re hot, so I wouldn’t splash you... heh..."
"Miss Ruan, you’re drunk. If there’s nothing else, I need to get back to work."
Shen Qingling tried to leave, but Ruan Mingyi grabbed his hand and slumped against him.
Afraid she’d fall, Shen Qingling had no choice but to wrap an arm around her waist.
The scent of her perfume mixed with red wine filled his senses. Her body was soft as water, and with just a slight downward glance, he could see the alluring curve of her cleavage.
"N-no, you can’t go. Are you new here? I’ve never seen you before. If I’d known you worked here, I wouldn’t have wasted time on that gold-digging loser..."
Ruan Mingyi was clearly wasted, barely able to stand, her entire weight leaning into Shen Qingling.
He looked down at the woman in his arms. There was no denying it—Ruan Mingyi was stunning. The flush from the alcohol only added to her intoxicating allure.
Calmly, Shen Qingling said, "Miss Ruan, I have work to do."
But a drunk Ruan Mingyi wasn’t listening. She tilted her head up, studying him. Water droplets still clung to his lashes, softening his usual cold demeanor and giving him an almost boyish innocence.
Blinking slowly, she murmured, "Shen Qingling... your eyelashes are so long."
"..."
"Hey... is that long too?"
Ye Qiao’s eyes nearly popped out of her skull as she yanked Ruan Mingyi away.
"I’m so sorry. She’s not usually like this—just a little... abstract when she’s drunk."
"The word ‘abstract’ has saved a lot of idiots from being called out."
Shen Qingling’s retort was merciless.
Ruan Mingyi was too drunk to care, but Ye Qiao, fully sober, was dying of secondhand embarrassment.
Normally, Ruan Mingyi would never act like this. Sober, she’d have just asked for Shen Qingling’s number, thrown money at him, and taken him out to dinner. If she liked him, she’d keep him around for a few days. If not, she’d toss him aside.
But today, drunk off her mind, she’d spouted nonsense at Shen Qingling. When she sobered up, she’d probably want to dig a hole and disappear.
Ruan Mingyi was someone who valued face above all else. In her eyes, pride was more important than the sky itself. If someone upset her, no matter how much she had liked them before, her feelings would instantly vanish.
Shen Qingling glanced at the red wine stain on his clothes and frowned. "Miss, I need to get back to work now. You should take your friend home before things escalate."
Ye Qiao apologized, "I’m so sorry for the trouble. We’ll leave now. I’ll make sure the shop compensates you for today."
Shen Qingling replied, "No need. It’s just part of the job."
His refusal to accept any compensation only made Ye Qiao feel even more guilty.
Ye Qiao took Ruan Mingyi back to the Ruan Family.
Ruan Mingyi’s father called, and she answered the phone groggily while sprawled on the sofa.
"Hey, Dad. If you miss me, just call."
"—Still the same CCB account."
With that, she hung up. Ye Qiao could only sigh in resignation.
Ruan Mingyi’s parents had divorced when she was very young. Afterward, her father had buried himself in his company’s affairs, rarely paying her any attention. Even now, their relationship was strained—money was practically the only thing that connected them.
After a long, exhausting day, Ye Qiao was also worn out. She leaned against the sofa and dozed off.
By the time Ruan Mingyi woke up, it was already dark outside. She rubbed her temples and winced. "Ugh..."
Why did her head hurt so much?
What had happened?
Today, that freeloader had blocked her, then she’d had some drinks with Ye Qiao, gone to a café, drank some more, and then...
Ruan Mingyi bolted upright.
!
She had flirted with a ridiculously handsome guy!
he colors of other people’s emotions. Light red meant anxiety. Gray meant exhaustion. Orange meant excitement. Yellow... meant repression. At the same time, he could gain unlimited control over one of those colors. Pale cyan: relaxation. Using this ability, he started offering “two-yuan hugs,” spending an afternoon exchanging emotional-color experiences with others. Then came his final female customer of the day— a girl whose emotional color was pure black... —— A week later, Xu Chuan had become skilled at using pale cyan—Relaxation—treating it like a bottle of menthol balm whenever he needed it. That was when he discovered he had unlocked another unlimited emotional color: Purple, the color of fear. So these emotional colors refresh every week? Fine, I take it back—I’ll never call you useless again... —— Much later, after Xu Chuan had accumulated countless emotional abilities, one night, he suddenly found himself inside someone else’s dream. There, he could use the emotional colors he possessed to paint. And in her dream, he painted her a shower of pink shooting stars, spreading across the depths of the night sky...
ions, keeping it grounded and realistic】 After quitting his job, office worker Su Yang accidentally binds with the "Enjoy Life System." As the name suggests, simply by indulging in life's pleasures, he can earn random rewards from the system—no need to spend money on beautiful women or grovel before anyone. Just enjoy, and the money follows, making it all about effortless fun. The system comes with a scanning feature, allowing him to establish a favorability bond with women rated 85 points or above. Every 20-point increase in favorability unlocks additional rewards. After suffering through over twenty years of hardship, Su Yang trembles with excitement, his dull eyes suddenly gleaming with newfound hope. "Enjoy life? How hard could that be?"
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
