107: palpitations

Knock, knock—

Two gentle knocks sounded in the quiet little studio. The sound wasn't loud, but it gave Liu Nansheng a start.

She stood up from her chair almost immediately, walked quickly to the door, reached out to tidy her hair—which wasn't actually messy—took a deep breath, and then turned the doorknob.

Chen Li was standing outside the door, wearing a set of light gray casual clothes. He looked clean and refreshed.

He stood outside the door with a slight smile, as if offering a greeting.

Liu Nansheng felt her heart race as an inexplicable heat quickly rushed to her cheeks. Even without looking, she knew her face must be red.

A feeling she had never experienced before surged into her heart, and her mind went blank for a moment. She clearly should have invited Chen Li inside, but the words felt stuck in her throat, refusing to come out.

She felt like a complete fool just standing there, but her body simply wouldn't react.

[Liu Nansheng]

[Affection Level: +18]

As the system notification rang in Chen Li's mind, he looked at Liu Nansheng, whose cheeks were flushed and whose eyes were darting away, and he felt a bit puzzled.

What's going on?

She wasn't like this last time I came. Why is she so nervous today? Could it be... she's intimidated by my handsomeness?

He subconsciously looked down at himself. His outfit was no different from the last time he came for the maintenance. If there was a difference, it was that he had come with a mission this time.

But that shouldn't warrant such a big reaction from her, right?

Still, an increase in Affection Level was always a good thing, even if the reason for the jump was a bit mysterious.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Chen Li smiled, breaking the slightly awkward silence.

"Ah? Oh, right!"

Liu Nansheng snapped back to her senses and stepped aside to let him through, her voice carrying an imperceptible tremor. "Chen Li, please come in."

Chen Li stepped into the familiar small studio. Unlike last time, it was now neat and orderly.

The air still held that familiar fragrance—a faint scent similar to jasmine.

He couldn't help but recall Liu Nansheng's frantic tidying last time, which stood in stark contrast to the cleanliness before him now.

"Nansheng, you've kept it so clean."

Chen Li looked around, finding a topic to break the slightly awkward atmosphere.

"What? Are you saying my living room was too messy last time?"

Liu Nansheng blurted it out, her tone carrying a hint of coquettishness that she didn't even notice herself.

The moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. That tone... no matter how you heard it, it sounded like she was acting spoiled.

"No, I definitely didn't mean that,"

Chen Li waved his hands hurriedly. "I just feel... well, it feels very different from last time. It's quite nice."

Liu Nansheng lowered her head, the tips of her ears heating up. "Chen Li, sit down for a moment. I'll go get the tools."

Chen Li sat down on the two-person sofa in the living room and waited quietly.

After a moment, Liu Nansheng came out carrying the same plastic basket as last time.

Whether it was psychological or not, Chen Li felt that Liu Nansheng's technique today was exceptionally gentle and careful.

Her movements were fluid and precise, and her touch was as soft as water, giving him a feeling of being pampered.

Looking at Liu Nansheng's behavior, he felt it was a good omen. The Affection Level had risen, and he hoped everything that followed would go smoothly.

He thought to himself: "System, bind Liu Nansheng."

[Binding...]

[Binding complete]

[One slot bound: Liu Nansheng. Current Affection Level: +18]

[Friendly Reminder: One slot is currently frozen]

Chen Li glanced at the pitiful +18 Affection Level on the system panel and couldn't help but smile bitterly.

Accustomed to the high scores of Tang You and Gu Qingcheng, this number was so meager it was almost unbearable to look at.

But what could he do? This damn mission was forced upon him by the system; there was no way to refuse.

With such a low Affection Level, how much money would he have to dump into her to max out the limit?

If he bought her gifts and she accepted them readily, it would be easy. But the problem was—is Liu Nansheng the type of person who would just take whatever you give her?

Thinking of this, he felt a headache coming on, and his temples throbbed twice.

What Chen Li didn't know was that Liu Nansheng was also undergoing a mental struggle.

She didn't know how to start. Should she just ask him if he was going home for the summer break? But after asking that, how could she say the hardest part?

'Come home with me and pretend to be my boyfriend'—these words had circled in her mind countless times, but she could never find the right moment to say them.

For a girl to take the initiative to ask a man to play the part of her boyfriend and even bring him home to deal with her parents was embarrassing enough in itself.

What worried her even more was that, based on her understanding of her parents, they would likely go out of their way to make things difficult for Chen Li.

If they viewed her, their biological daughter, as so 'cheap,' how would they treat a boyfriend she brought home on short notice?

She didn't even dare to imagine the scene that would unfold.

Could a wealthy guy like Chen Li endure such a situation? Would he be able to cooperate and play this scene out to the end?

These messy thoughts were like a tangled ball of yarn, trapping her in the middle.

But no matter how much she hesitated, this was something she had to do.

The small room was momentarily silent, save for the faint sound of traffic from outside the window.

Both were preoccupied with their own thoughts, and the words swirling in their throats felt blocked by something invisible, unable to be spoken.

"Nansheng, you..."

"For the summer break, are you..."

At almost the exact same moment, the two of them spoke at once.

The moment their words collided, they both froze for a second, then simultaneously burst into laughter.

This sudden synchronicity caused the previously stagnant air to loosen up quite a bit.

"You go first," Chen Li said softly.

"Okay," Liu Nansheng took a light breath. "Are you going home for the summer break?"

"I'm planning to head back in the next couple of days."

"What were you going to say just now?" Liu Nansheng asked.

"I was going to ask if you could... come back to Gaocheng with me? That way it'll be easier for me to... uh, have you help me wash my face."

Liu Nansheng was completely stunned. She could hardly believe her ears. Did Chen Li have mind-reading powers?

Or was he simply sent by the heavens specifically to save her? Every time he appeared, he seemed to strike the core of her heart with precision.

Last time, he used a sum of money to help 'redeem' her.

This time, just as she was worrying about how to invite him to travel with her, he beat her to it and offered to go home with her.

All of this was far too coincidental, so much so that it caused an indescribable throb in her heart.

[Liu Nansheng]

[Affection Level: +32]

...