After their confessions were rejected, they regretted it for the rest of their lives.

Chapter 100 Is that your girlfriend?

A deafening clap of thunder followed, and then a torrential downpour began.

In the dimly lit corridor, a cold wind carrying moisture blew in, accompanied by a noisy whistling sound.

A cold wind blew at the same time, causing Zhu Xuening's slightly damp, grayish-white long hair to flutter slightly.

There was a noticeable height difference between the girl and Xia Weichan, and because they were so close, she tilted her head slightly to meet her gaze.

Zhu Xuening blinked her clear, alluring eyes, waved gently with the arm with the tassel tied around her wrist, and whispered in a soft, sweet voice, "Good morning~"

'

""

Xia Weichan remained silent for a moment, looking at the calico cat in front of her who seemed to be going for a sweet look. She was just about to give the cat a heads-up, telling it not to do what it did last time and go straight to her door.

I didn't expect this guy to show up so quickly...

He squinted, glanced back deliberately, and asked in a low voice, "—What are you doing here?"

"I came to find you—"

Zhu Xuening tilted her head innocently and said, "Because you said I shouldn't bother you with messages, I decided to come find you today. I actually don't quite understand the meaning of those contracts, so I came to ask you about them—"

"I give up..."

Xia Weichan reached out and tapped her on the head. The height difference between them was just right, and the girl squinted slightly without flinching. Then Xia Weichan asked, "So why did you come so early?"

"Because it's going to rain today—"

Zhu Xuening replied matter-of-factly, "Taxi drivers can't go up the mountain. If I had come later, I would have had to walk a stretch of mountain road in the rain, so I came before it started raining."

As she spoke, Zhu Xuening showed Xia Weichan her slightly damp clothes and playfully stuck out her tongue: "Although I still got soaked..."

"You really are..."

Xia Weichan sighed, listening to Zhu Xuening's words, which seemed reasonable and well-founded, but it was clear that the other party's act of coming to her door was an attempt to exploit a loophole in the contract.

She had told him not to message her or bother him, and Xia Weichan remembered the clause in the contract that said it couldn't interfere with his daily life—

I've never even heard of this guy!

Xia Weichan lowered his voice, looked into Zhu Xuening's eyes, and said seriously, word by word, "Your behavior has already disturbed me."

"Um--"

Zhu Xuening paused for a moment, then turned to look elsewhere. The rain outside had become quite heavy. The girl looked back at Xia Weichan, seemed to ponder for a moment, and then said, "Sorry, I'll be going then."

After speaking, the girl coughed twice, turned around and prepared to leave. Thunder was still flashing outside, and raindrops were falling heavily.

"Come back here."

Then Zhu Xuening was grabbed by the shoulder by Xia Weichan, causing her to turn her head with a puzzled expression: "—Hmm?"

"Where are you going back to?"

"Taoist temple".

'

'

Xia Weichan felt a headache coming on as he listened to the girl's answer. Didn't she just say that taxis couldn't go up the mountain?

Let it rain for a while longer—

His gaze swept over Zhu Xuening's somewhat frail body.

Is this guy's physical condition any good?

Xia Weichan didn't want her, her bound partner, to encounter an accident before things even started.

But let's invite this guy into the house—

What should Zhou Juzi do when she wakes up and sees Zhu Xuening in her bedroom?

"Mr. Xia?"

Zhu Xuening glanced at the hand resting on her shoulder, then looked up at the silent Xia Weichan and asked curiously, "Do you feel uncomfortable having me come in?"

My girlfriend is still sleeping—

Xia Weichan simply confessed directly.

He didn't hide anything from Zhu Xuening, because he had already told her that he had a girlfriend.

He thought about it and concluded that this cat, which seemed very well-behaved, probably wasn't the type to cause trouble for no reason.

"I'm letting you in now, but keep your voice down. Remember what I told you before, behave yourself. Our relationship is purely a business partnership."

"Um--"

Zhu Xuening tilted her head slightly to the side, looking at the scene in the living room. There didn't seem to be any trace of a girl there.

In the entryway, there were only men's slippers; they weren't living together.

Zhu Xuening, without blushing or skipping a beat, gestured with her fingers in a way that was obvious at a glance, and asked softly, "Yesterday—Mr. Xia, did you do it with your girlfriend?"

"ha?"

Xia Weichan's eye twitched. Looking at Zhu Xuening, who had been somewhat talkative from the start, a black line seemed to appear on her forehead. "Stop talking nonsense and come in."

Xia Weichan did not deny it, because that would actually hinder Zhu Xuening's favorability rating, since no girl would like a promiscuous scumbag.

This is what Xia Weichan thought.

Based on the lessons he learned during Zhou Juzi's upbringing, he definitely needed to hint to Zhu Xuening early on that he wasn't a good man.

This way, the favorability rating definitely won't increase.

Zhu Xuening took small, quick steps and quietly entered the room. She sat on the sofa, glanced around the living room, found the closed bedroom door, and asked softly, "Mr. Xia, aren't you worried that your girlfriend will be jealous if she sees me when she wakes up in the morning?"

Are you a slut?

"Um?

'

"Isn't what you're saying obvious?"

Xia Weichan looked at this guy, her brows almost furrowed together. In this era, there was no such definition as "cross-dresser," but on Earth, Xia Weichan felt that Zhu Xuening would definitely be a cross-dresser.

Although there is no evidence—

"Let me make this clear first: our relationship is purely professional. The so-called lover is just a figurehead. Even if I find seven or eight more girlfriends, you have no right to interfere."

"oh."

Zhu Xuening reached out and smoothed her slightly damp hair, taking one last look to confirm that there were indeed no signs of cohabitation.

Recalling the information I got from that "milkless black-clad detective" yesterday, it seems that this "girlfriend" and Xia Weichan really didn't date for very long.

It's even possible that their situation is similar to yours?

Thinking about this, Zhu Xuening didn't have too many concerns. Xia Weichan had lied to her about many things. The girl pinched the tassel and whispered to the somewhat worried Xia Weichan, "Actually, you've fallen into a misconception—I've been following the rules you set that noon, while Mr. Xia has been considering me as his girlfriend."

She paused, pressed her fingers to her throat to try and quiet her cough, and then continued, "A normal girl shouldn't feel too much of a crisis if she explains things clearly to a male friend with whom her boyfriend has no romantic feelings."

"No emotional foundation?"

This guy is definitely messing with himself.

If Xia Weichan hadn't had no favorability rating displayed, he almost would have believed this nonsense.

It's really strange that the person whose favorability rating increased the fastest would say something like that.

Xia Weichan rolled her eyes at her, then asked, "So, what brings you here today?"

"Um—I'd like to ask, why did you choose to replace the melting snow mountain?"

"Because I want to see birds."

Xia Weichan gave a perfunctory answer, since they were all just killing time. She wanted to ask, "Why?"

Why are there so many "whys?"

"I remember telling you back then, don't ask me why."

"--All right."

Xia Weichan's words cut off all the questions Zhu Xuening wanted to ask next, which troubled the girl somewhat. "Actually—I want to repay you—"

"Shut up, don't say things like that to me."

Xia Weichan interrupted Zhu Xuening before she could finish speaking.

He almost developed PTSD because of that sentence; he had heard it all before in the three failed attempts.

To put it in a strange way, these guys have such low self-esteem. I'm bound to you, so you should just focus on doing your job well, work for me, let me get the final reward, and then beat the game. Don't think about any random repayments or those ridiculous things like "I don't think I'm good enough for your feelings."

He said, "The greatest way you can repay me is to listen to me. Don't ask why. Besides, you don't owe anyone anything right now, so in three months—wouldn't it be nice to be a free man?"

"But--"

Zhu Xuening pursed her lips, and only then did her charming appearance turn into one of embarrassment. "After you help me repay those favors I owe, it won't be a clean break, but rather I'll owe you—"

"I'll say it again, you don't owe me anything, and—I'm not a good person, understand?"

Xia Weichan's voice was very soft, gently guiding the girl.

To put it bluntly, the relationship between Xia Weichan and her bound partner is similar to exploitation—or even, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it involves designing some PUA (Pick-Up Artist) scenarios.

For example, the things he said to Ke Yuexuan in the second playthrough.

Do we really want to help the girl escape her family? That's just a side benefit.

He did this because the Ke family would affect Xia Weichan's development.

If Xia Weichan truly cared deeply for Ke Yuexuan, and if their love was mutual and intense, then Duan Rong would have already become a son-in-law in the Ke family and given up some of his personal freedom to support the young woman.

Throughout the entire relationship with the bound object, Xia Weichan has profited the most.

Let alone the final reward, the various professional skills and talent traits that the system reveals during the process of raising the girl are things that cannot be measured in money.

If you could check Xia Weichan's current class skills, you would find that he has more than a page of skills.

Not to mention the good fortune and longevity that will follow, which are things that no amount of money can buy.

Especially after four playthroughs, Xia Weichan's mindset has become increasingly "utilitarian," with the thought, "I have to treat you well—"

[Raising the elephant increases favorability]

"you--?"

Get out of here!

Xia Weichan rubbed her forehead, swallowing back the words she almost blurted out.

If it weren't for the rain outside, he really would have thrown Zhu Xuening out because of the system's sudden notification.

Looking at the girl in front of him, who seemed somewhat at a loss because of his emotional changes, Xia Weichan couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

He couldn't understand the logic behind this guy's rising favorability rating.

At least Zhou Juzi's story has some clues to follow, but Zhu Xuening's tone is different and forceful.

He was speaking in a very gentle tone, trying to reason with people.

The main problem is that this guy's physical condition isn't very good. Ke Yueci also showed Xia Weichan Zhu Xuening's previous medical examination report.

"Mr. Xia?"

Zhu Xuening cautiously asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"

"No--"

Thinking this through, Xia Weichan couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. If all else failed, maybe she should just ignore the affection level altogether.

"People don't live for others; be a little selfish."

Xia Weichan said this, looking helplessly at Zhu Xuening. The latter seemed to be thinking after hearing it, and the next second her light-colored eyes fell on what was behind him. She paused for a moment, her expression freezing, before returning to normal. She asked in a soft voice, "Mr. Xia, is that your girlfriend?"

"?!"

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