Returning to university, starting with confessing to his ex-wife, his counselor.

[Ding! Detected that the host has completed a deep connection with a high-quality partner candidate—Xiao Jiayu. The 'Partner Center' function is now unlocked. Please go and check it out.]

[Ding! Romance Main Quest 3 - Confirmation of Favoritism has been updated. Please go to the 'Quest Center' to check.]

......

In the early morning, the shy curtains were drawn back, and a cool breeze carrying mist rushed in, spreading the scent of photinia flowers throughout the room.

The system message arrived as expected, but Liang Chao didn't rush to check it. He walked leisurely to the window, stretched, and looked at the not-yet-fully-lit sky.

Behind me, the bed and carpet were a mess.

Once his brain had fully activated, he turned around and looked at his best friend.

On the soft bed, the girl's bare bottom and her fair thighs, still covered in battle-damaged white stockings, were exposed to the elements, while she restlessly tucked the blanket between her legs.

A breeze through the window brushed against Xiao Jiayu's delicate skin, waking her up with a chill. She gently lifted her eyelashes, her eyes revealing a lingering warmth of hazy dreams.

"It's cold~~"

Upon hearing this, Liang Chao quickly drew the curtains.

Only after it was over did I realize that my best friend had closed her eyes again and her breathing had become even.

Seeing this, Liang Chao moved his lips, but ultimately stopped his urge to do morning exercise.

He glanced at the time; it was six o'clock. He thought to himself that after finishing his morning boxing practice and breakfast, he would replenish his energy and then find her to train again at 7:30.

Yes, my little friend is delicate and needs to rest for three and a half hours.

As for him, he didn't dare to sleep at all!

The fear that I would call out Teacher Yang's name 784 times as soon as I fall asleep is not unfounded, because I missed calling it several times last night while my eyes were open.

If his best friend hadn't become half-idiot by then, only knowing how to roll her eyes and keep babbling, and if he hadn't been so quick-witted, he would have been able to quickly argue that it was part of the script.

The consequences... are simply unimaginable!

Thinking of this, Liang Chao looked at Xiao Jiayu, whose brows were furrowed, and couldn't help but feel uneasy again.

[Could it be that Xiaoyu is actually angry? We agreed to stay up all night, but she started at four o'clock...]

After getting dressed and quickly washing up, Liang Chao intended to go downstairs for a morning run.

After thinking about it, I found some hot water, soaked the disinfectant handkerchief, and decided to help my best friend clean up.

"Ouch~ Kuku~ It hurts~"

After cleaning for a while, the latter frowned, reflexively kicked her leg, and then... continued to lie down, emitting soft snoring.

As luck would have it, she kicked someone right in the face, causing him to fall flat on his backside.

Liang Chao was immediately embarrassed, unable to tell whether the latter was unintentional or involved some personal grudge.

He stood up abruptly, pulled the summer quilt over the little girl's bottom, and sullenly left the room.

When going downstairs, Liang Chao had to take the stairs because the hotel elevator was under temporary maintenance.

[Holy crap!!!]

His face remained calm, but the moment he stepped down the stairs, his legs went weak and he almost lost his balance.

"No...wasn't it said that an eighteen-year-old's body is invincible? How could it be that after only four hours..." Liang Chao was shocked, his lips trembling, his face full of disbelief.

"No! I don't believe it! This can't be true!"

His face turned deathly pale, and in a fit of defiance, he stomped on the floor again, and then... he tumbled down the stairs!

Damn it!!

Twenty minutes later, Liang Chao had to accept reality and stood shakily in the hotel garden.

Thinking about the training that was to come, his pale lips began to tremble slightly.

[How about we skip the stance training and boxing today and go back to rest first...]

slap~

The moment this thought crossed Liang Chao's mind, he couldn't help but slap himself.

He forced himself to endure the soreness in his legs and clicked on the task—the reward introduction for self-discipline and reinvention.

【Peak Form: When feeling overwhelmed, using this skill instantly restores all stamina and energy, and removes fatigue. Reclaim your peak form and strike again! (Cooldown: 48 hours)】

"No! The path to becoming a black dragon is destined to be arduous, and the glory of Nazumang should have been written by me!"

In an instant, the desire to become the Black Dragon overcame his inertia.

He gritted his teeth and growled, his knees slightly bent, his center of gravity lowered, confronting the pain in his body with his will.

Upon seeing this, the cleaning lady dragging the trash can turned pale and quickened her pace.

"What bad luck to run into a lunatic first thing in the morning!"

"......"

The cleaning lady left, grumbling and cursing.

Liang Chao's face turned pale and then green. He opened his mouth as if to explain something, but then said nothing!

So be it. The outstanding are destined to face criticism. The Immortal Venerable regrets, but I...

Liang Chao's expression returned to normal, and he stood in a static posture as if a mountain had collapsed. He didn't notice that on the third floor of the hotel, a short man limped to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and was secretly looking at him.

As it turns out, willpower alone is not enough.

After standing in the stance for only ten minutes or so, Liang Chao's legs started shaking like a leaf, and he had no choice but to try to distract himself.

[View Companion Center]

As soon as he finished thinking about it, a flash of white light appeared before his eyes, and a light array resembling a character slot in a simulation game came into view.

Standing on the array of light is a tiny, beautiful, lifelike figure about ten centimeters tall—a miniature version of a dwarf!

She was wearing a hotel bathrobe, her hair loose, and she was crouching behind the curtains, seemingly spying on something.

Liang Chao paused for a moment, then subconsciously turned to look in the direction of the hotel. He then noticed a curtain on the third floor swaying as if in the wind.

He blinked and turned to look at the lifelike little figure.

But then she looked like she had just done something wrong, with her little arms outstretched and her short legs tiptoeing as she scurried back to the bed.

But after running only a couple of steps, she suddenly furrowed her delicate brows, opened her mouth and called out, but no sound came out. However, Liang Chao read the meaning from her lip movements: it was... Ouch?

After the pain subsided, the little one immediately became obedient, taking tiny, slow steps as he climbed onto the bed.

Then he crawled under the covers, pulled his head over the covers, and pretended to be asleep?

Upon seeing this, Liang Chao couldn't help but open his mouth slightly, and his computer froze for a few seconds.

[Wait, this is real-time?!]

After a moment of stunned silence, his eyes lit up slightly, and a sense of wonder arose in his heart as if a real-life beautiful girl had become an electronic pet.

He watched with great interest for a while, then noticed that his best friend was going to the bathroom, so he immediately went to turn off the projected image.

He's already eaten all the little people, so he can just go and do whatever he wants.

Peeping and such is too perverted; he can't accept it.

Just as he was about to turn off the 3D projection, the screen went white, the miniature figures disappeared, and lines of red text appeared in their place.

[WARNING: The real-time projection function is designed to help players monitor their partner's safety and prevent unforeseen accidents.]

At this moment, players must remain calm!

Liang Dynasty: "......."

Liang Chao felt that the system was too biased against him!

After a moment of silence, he studied the [Couple Center] again.

The current functions are very simple, with only two: [Companion Documentary] and [Connection Enhancement].

[Partner Chronicle: Includes basic information about partners with whom a deep connection has been established, synchronizing their current emotional state and situation in real time, helping the host accurately grasp the partner's situation and address the root cause.]

Liang Chao nodded, thinking to himself that this real-time projection must be an important part of this "Couple Documentary".

He stroked his chin and continued to examine another function.

[Connection Benefits: During deep connection, partners enter a complementary state, using their own strengths to compensate for each other's weaknesses, slowly improving their physical and mental well-being. (Note: The benefits are affected by factors such as the number of connections, duration, and emotional intensity; the process is slow and requires persistence.)]

[Benefits of Partner Xiao Jiayu to Host: Improved skin condition; Benefits of Host to Partner Xiao Jiayu: Second release of height potential]

"No, how come my strength is height? System, are you mistaken? My strength is clearly... beep beep~~" Upon seeing this, Liang Chao immediately became anxious.

He looked indignant and muttered a word that needed to be censored, but when the system ignored him, he had no choice but to shut up in frustration.

"Oh well, height is height, so be it!"

Liang Chao smacked his lips, looking somewhat unhappy.

He used to complain that the small turtles were too small, but after trying them, he realized that small has its advantages...

[The little girl probably likes this buff, since she's always wanted to grow taller.]

He muttered to himself as he reached out and touched his face, finding that it seemed a little smoother.

Immediately, the scene of walking A last night involuntarily appeared in his mind.

At that time, Xiao Yu'er tilted her head back, half-closed her eyes, her whole body was snow-white, and her skin was covered with a light layer of sweat. When you touched her, it was even more delicate than a baby's skin.

And he...

"So, you can't entirely blame me for my weak legs." Liang Chao scratched his face, shifting the blame to the short guy.

He studied the [Couple Center] for a while before checking the newly appeared main quest.

It's been a week since the second main quest of the romance event appeared, and there haven't been any new quests since.

Liang Chao originally thought that, like other role-playing games, he would have to complete the main storyline before he could proceed.

Now it seems that this is not the case.

He gritted his teeth, practiced his stance and boxing, while reading the mission briefing. As he read, he inexplicably became quiet.

[Preface:]

On the night she turned eighteen, she changed the confession she was about to say into "Can I be your best friend?"

It's not that you're afraid to move forward; it's just that in that instant, your gaze was blown away by the wind to the other side.

This relationship is so complicated; it's neither a clean friendship nor an open and honest romance.

You always use the name of "best friend" to greedily indulge in favoritism and freedom, while she guards a safe distance, but loses out on happiness and early sleep.

Later, in the late autumn of her sophomore year, she hid in a corner where the streetlights couldn't reach and watched you hold another girl's hand.

"Actually, I knew we weren't right for each other a long time ago, but I still rejected everyone else and walked with you through a path that led nowhere. Although it wasn't long, it was unforgettable. Thinking about it now is heartbreaking. I can't keep you or I can't let you go."

"I should have known... we shouldn't have been friends..."

She really, really wants to tell you these things, she really wants to scold you, hit you, and cry in front of you.

But she just kept her head down, crunching each maple leaf with every step, only hiding behind a tree to block the wind from sneaking into her collar when you turned around.

"Liang Chao, I'm so cold... Kuku~ Waaah~"

【Romance Main Quest 3: Confirming Favoritism】

In the past life, the so-called best friend still lies in the WeChat list, but there is no excuse for us to contact each other again; in this life, the so-called best friend not only lies in the WeChat list, but also lies on top of you, wanting to speak but also weeping, tightly connected.

The relationship changed too quickly, and she felt uneasy, fearing that her favoritism and courage would be fleeting.

[Task objective: Within 24 hours, soothe the emotions of your partner, Xiao Jiayu, to prevent her from engaging in any extreme behaviors (such as making a public announcement, confronting the host's other potential partners, etc.), and help her calmly accept the current emotional state.]

[Task Rewards: A corresponding exclusive treasure chest will be awarded based on the task completion rating.]

[Warning! Warning! Warning! Your partner, Xiao Jiayu, has developed an "evil" desire to dominate, which may affect the future development of your relationship. Please begin the mission as soon as possible!]

"Holy crap!! What is Little Turtle trying to do? Is she trying to kill me?"