Xixi

"Ding~"

"You chose option D. Reward obtained: Points +300. New skill acquired: Fighting, current level: Lv. 1."

On the way back to school, the system's distinctive electronic voice rang out in Wang Ge's mind.

Immediately afterward, Wang Ge felt a slight sting in his brain as unfamiliar knowledge flooded in and spread from his mind throughout his body.

The process was brief. In about a second, Wang Ge had returned to normal, and Gu Panyan beside him noticed nothing unusual.

It rewarded me with a skill... Wang Ge was rather delighted. This was the first time the system had directly awarded him a skill.

Though it was only level one, as long as he had points, he could keep raising the skill level.

When it came to skills, the hardest part for him was not leveling them up, but getting started in the first place.

The system had no shop. To acquire new skills, he either had to spend points on a lottery draw or study and train hard on his own.

Lottery draws were unreliable, pure gambler behavior. What he got depended entirely on luck.

As for practicing on his own... some skills might take years just to get started in. It was simply too troublesome.

"With beginner-level Fighting, I can spend some points to level it up. If Gu Panyan wants to beat me up in the future, at least I won't be completely unable to fight back..."

Wang Ge glanced at Gu Panyan beside him and hummed a tune in good spirits.

By the time the two returned to school, evening self-study had not yet ended. Gu Panyan went back to the classroom, while Wang Ge headed to the library on the grounds that he "didn't want to attend evening self-study."

"Why are you only back now?" Chen Yanxi looked up at Wang Ge and asked.

Wang Ge plopped down across from her and said with a grin, "What, did you miss me?"

"I was merely asking out of politeness. I have no interest in what you went to do." Chen Yanxi lowered her head and resumed reading, her tone calm. "I feel more at ease when you aren't here."

"You didn't answer my question. Chen Yanxi, you're feeling guilty!" Wang Ge declared with certainty. "You definitely missed me, but you're too embarrassed to admit it, right?"

"If thinking that brings you emotional comfort, then suit yourself, classmate Ah Q."

She was mocking Wang Ge for having the Ah Q spirit.

"Being Ah Q isn't so bad. At least it keeps my mood from getting too terrible." Wang Ge casually opened the copy of Strange Stories from a Chinese Studio on the table. "After all, you always speak so ruthlessly. Without a bit of the Ah Q spirit, I'm afraid I couldn't survive by your side."

"Actually, if it were someone else with weaker emotional resilience, I would phrase things more tactfully."

"...Do I need to thank you for recognizing my emotional resilience?"

"Don't misunderstand. I wasn't complimenting you. I meant you're thick-skinned."

Wang Ge's face visibly darkened.

Chen Yanxi raised her book, hiding the slight upward curve of her lips.

"Damn Chen Yanxi!" Wang Ge gritted his teeth. "You ruined my good mood! Compensate me!"

"Classmate Ah Q, I believe that as long as you fully play to your strengths, your good mood can return at any time."

After a pause, Chen Yanxi added, "Also, please stay farther away from me. I'm in a good mood right now, so don't infect me with your bad mood."

Wang Ge: "..."

"I won't lower myself to your level."

Wang Ge snorted, then said, "Let's talk about the matter of you pretending to be my girlfriend this weekend."

Hearing that it was serious business, Chen Yanxi closed her book and set it aside, nodding slightly. "Go ahead."

"Since we're pretending to be a couple, we first need to exchange some basic information so no one sees through us. Things like birthdays, hobbies, home addresses, measurements..."

"Hm?" Chen Yanxi made a questioning sound.

"Ahem, forget I mentioned the last one." Wang Ge coughed and said seriously, "I'll go first. My birthday is December 21. My home is in Building 2 of Dongxingcheng Residential Area in the eastern district, though I currently live in Zhengyang Residential Area outside the school, in a rented place. As for my family background, just remember that I'm a rich second-generation kid. My hobbies are..."

"Are the people you go out with on weekends also rich second-generation kids like you?" Chen Yanxi asked.

"More or less."

Chen Yanxi nodded, committing it all to memory. "My birthday is November 20. I live in Xingfuli Residential Area in the southern district. I come from an ordinary family. Both my parents are workers."

The southern district... that was the poorest area in Changchuan City. It seemed Chen Yanxi's family situation was not very good. No wonder she had to work part-time on weekends... Wang Ge muttered to himself, then asked, "What about food? We'll definitely have to eat when we go out together. What do you like to eat? Any foods you avoid?"

"Anything is fine. I'm not picky," Chen Yanxi said. "What about you?"

"I don't like fish. Other than that, nothing," Wang Ge said.

Eating fish meant picking out bones, and he found that troublesome.

"Also, I've never had a girlfriend before, and now I suddenly have one. They'll definitely ask what happened." Wang Ge thought it over. "So we also need to make up our relationship story, including how we met, how we got together, who pursued whom, and so on."

"You can decide those things. As long as it isn't too outrageous, I can accept it," Chen Yanxi said.

"Really?" Wang Ge raised his brows. "Then I'll say that you desperately chased after me, and I only agreed because I had no choice."

"Fine." Chen Yanxi nodded calmly.

Wang Ge gave her a thumbs-up. "So generous. Just as expected of the girl I like."

Chen Yanxi ignored that remark and asked, "Is there anything else we need to pay attention to?"

"There's also how we address each other. We definitely can't be as distant as we are now. We need to sound more intimate."

Chen Yanxi frowned. "Hm?"

Wang Ge's lips curled up. "Haven't you read novels? How do couples in novels address each other? Things like baby, darling, sweetheart..."

What even are those...? Her brow furrowed even more deeply.

Wang Ge's smile widened. "Of course, I wouldn't mind if you just called me husband."

"...That's too mushy. I can't accept it," Chen Yanxi said bluntly.

Wang Ge spread his hands. "Then what do you suggest?"

"I'll just call you by your name."

Chen Yanxi shook her head. "The things you mentioned—even if I really were with you, I still wouldn't call you that.

...As for how you address me, do whatever you want."

"Wife!"

Wang Ge blurted it out.

The expression on Chen Yanxi's face instantly froze.

"Can't accept that?"

Wang Ge blinked. "Then how about... my lady?"

I was wrong. I shouldn't have told him to call me whatever he wanted... No, I shouldn't have agreed to pretend to be his girlfriend in the first place... Chen Yanxi rubbed her temples with a headache, then looked at Wang Ge helplessly. "Can you act normal...?"

"Haha, I'm just joking."

Sure enough, if I want to win an argument against Chen Yanxi, I have to be shameless and refuse to play by the rules... Wang Ge said with a smile, "I'll just call you Xixi. What do you think, Xixi?"

It was still somewhat mushy, but much better than the previous two... Chen Yanxi took a deep breath. "Fine."

Please bookmark, vote, and keep reading~