LIGHTNOVELSTORY Chapter 5:
Chapter 5: The Heroine Lin Keqing:
[The host succeeded in committing evil, orchestrating a fight between the upstairs couple at night, mentally tormenting Xu Yourou, and earning 20 villain halo points!]
[Xu Yourou’s favorability towards the host is +5, bringing the total to 64 (admiration).]
As the morning light seeped through the windows, Wang Zhenxing woke up and checked his phone. Two notifications from late last night greeted him, confirming his progress.
The actors he had hired for the upstairs drama had been worth every penny.
Xu Yourou’s favorability had finally crossed the “heartbeat” threshold and reached “admiration,” giving him more room to manipulate her emotions.
He decided not to contact her immediately. Xu Yourou, already sleep-deprived and emotionally strained, needed more time to simmer. To ensure the pressure remained constant, he had paid the upstairs couple 30,000 yuan to fight every night for half a month.
For a couple of migrant workers earning just 10,000 yuan a month combined, this was a windfall. Fighting, after all, was already a part of their routine. Now, they could do it with extra enthusiasm.
Three days passed in a blur.
Xu Yourou’s fruit shop remained closed, leaving her with nothing to occupy her time during the day. Previously, running the shop had provided structure and helped her stay busy. The exhaustion from work had made it easier for her to fall asleep at night.
Now, with endless free time, she felt adrift. Her mind wandered, amplifying her emotional emptiness. At night, the arguments from upstairs persisted, compounding her mental strain.
She often sat with her phone in hand, hoping for a call. But after days of waiting, the call she yearned for never came. Finally, unable to hold back, she took the initiative and dialed a familiar number.
In his office, handling company matters, Wang Zhenxing heard his phone ring. Glancing at the caller ID, he smirked, set aside the contract in his hand, and answered.
“Zhenxing, am I interrupting your work?” Xu Yourou’s gentle voice came through the line.
“Not at all. What’s going on?” he replied casually.
“Well…” Xu Yourou hesitated. She had planned to return his shirt but suddenly remembered she hadn’t washed it yet. Not only did it still carry his scent, but it also bore traces of her own. This was hardly the right time to give it back.
“Are you calling about the shirt? Is it ready?” he asked.
“It was, but the wind blew it onto the floor and it got dirty again. I’ll wash it and bring it to you later,” she lied smoothly.
“Alright,” he replied, his tone unchanged.
Xu Yourou didn’t hang up.
She wracked her brain for another topic to extend the conversation. After a pause, she said, “The sewer at my house is clogged again. Are you free to come by tomorrow? I’ll buy groceries, and we can have dinner together.”
Hearing this, a satisfied smile spread across Wang Zhenxing’s face.
After days of waiting, she had finally reached out with an invitation.
Just as he was about to agree, the system’s familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
[The important character Xu Yourou has extended an invitation. The host must choose.]
[Option 1: Accept her invitation, help fix the sewer, and stay for dinner. The chance of staying overnight is 50%.]
[Option 2: Politely decline, letting her long for your presence for a few more days. Xu Yourou’s favorability will increase by 5, and the next invitation will have a 99% chance of an overnight stay.]
“Only a 50% chance of staying overnight if I go now?” he thought, surprised.
Despite her growing feelings, Xu Yourou’s years of independence had given her strong self-control. It seemed he had underestimated her.
“It’s better to wait,” he concluded.
“There’s a lot going on at the company right now. I don’t think I can make it tomorrow. Maybe in a few days,” he said, maintaining his composed tone.
“A few days…” Xu Yourou sounded disappointed but didn’t press further. “Alright, just let me know when you’re free, so I can prepare.”
“Sure. I have to get back to work now. Let’s talk later,” he said, ending the call swiftly.
[Xu Yourou’s favorability towards the host increased by 5, bringing the total to 69 (admiration).]
As expected, his decision to decline had increased her interest in him.
He couldn’t help but smile.
The harder it was to attain something, the more desirable it became—this applied to both men and women.
Putting aside his thoughts about Xu Yourou, he returned to work.
In the past, he had relied on a highly competent male secretary to handle the bulk of his workload. However, that secretary had recently resigned to pursue higher education abroad, leaving him short-staffed. Without a replacement, he had to manage everything himself.
By the time he wrapped up for the day, it was already 9 p.m.
“I need to hire a good secretary soon. This level of busyness is cutting into my enjoyment of life,” he muttered as he stretched, feeling the weight of the day’s work.
He hadn’t even had dinner yet. Calling for his driver, he decided to stop at a nearby hotel restaurant for a meal.
The driver parked and waited outside while Wang Zhenxing entered the hotel. After ordering a few dishes, he ate quietly, savoring the calm.
His peace was soon interrupted by a commotion at a nearby table. A waitress, in her early twenties, had accidentally spilled tea on a customer while serving. The guest was furious, claiming to have been burned and demanding compensation.
The young woman repeatedly apologized, her flustered expression only accentuating her beauty. Her tall, elegant figure caught Wang Zhenxing’s attention.
[The heroine Lin Keqing is in trouble. The host must choose.]
[Option 1: Ignore the situation and continue eating as if nothing happened.]
[Option 2: Side with the customer, berating Lin Keqing harshly and demanding compensation. Reward: +20 villain halo points, -30 favorability from Lin Keqing.]
[Option 3: Help Lin Keqing, earning +5 favorability and receiving the “Advanced Fighting Skills” reward.]
“So, she’s a heroine,” he realized, understanding why she stood out so much.
Ignoring the first option, he deliberated between the other two.
With his wealth, looks, and charisma, acquiring additional skills seemed like the smarter choice. Advanced fighting skills could prove useful, whether for self-defense or staging heroic moments to win favor.
“A perfect opportunity,” he thought, his lips curling into a subtle smile.
…
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