Gu Yuena: Can You Give Me the Chance to Be Your Girlfriend?

Elsewhere.

Chen Fan did not slow down in the slightest, heading straight for the mountain gate of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Relief.

It was the only thing he felt right now.

That pretty, charming face that had once made his heart race now held nothing but distorted willfulness and arrogance in his mind.

Like?

Maybe he had, once.

But through all the arguments, all the unreasonable tantrums, all the threats of breaking up, that ridiculous bit of affection had long since been worn away completely.

All that remained was endless exhaustion and weariness.

Over a single new dress, she could throw several days of his heart's blood to the wind.

Had a woman like that ever truly cared about him?

Chen Fan gave a self-mocking laugh.

A simp.

He felt that all the compromises and attempts to please her over the past few months had made him a complete and utter idiot.

He had always believed his sincerity could earn her growth and change.

Now, it seemed like nothing more than a joke.

Fine. A clean break was a clean break.

From now on, the sky was vast and the sea was wide. He would no longer have to delay his cultivation just to coax an immature Princess.

Only...

Chen Fan's brows furrowed slightly.

That cold system notification still seemed to echo in his mind.

[Bonding Target Ning Rongrong's satisfaction has fallen to its lowest point. Bonding Relationship terminated.]

[Host, please find a new Bonding Target as soon as possible.]

[Bonding requirement: The target must consciously acknowledge being in a romantic or marital relationship with the Host.]

That was the truly troublesome part.

Leaving Ning Rongrong had left him refreshed.

But this damned system insisted that he bond with a woman.

Where was he supposed to find a woman willing to acknowledge that she was his girlfriend?

He had transmigrated here alone. Apart from the connections he had made during these past few months in the sect, he practically had no network at all.

A heroic figure flashed through Chen Fan's mind.

The Crown Prince of the Heaven Dou Empire, Xue Qinghe.

No, he should say Qian Renxue.

She had shown tremendous appreciation for the business plans he had devised for the sect.

She had even personally invited him to Heaven Dou City, asking him to enter the Eastern Palace and assist her.

But at the time, he had been determined to accompany Ning Rongrong to Shrek Academy, so he had politely declined.

Now...

The breakup had been decisive. Going to Heaven Dou City seemed like the best option at present.

On one hand, the system's standards for a Bonding Target's "quality" were extremely high. Ordinary women could not even catch its eye.

But Qian Renxue—the Young Master of Spirit Hall and the future Angel God—was unquestionably qualified.

But on the other hand...

Chen Fan rubbed his temples.

Making the current Crown Prince acknowledge that she was my girlfriend?

That would be harder than killing her.

But if he did not go to Heaven Dou City, where else could he go?

He could not exactly grab some girl off the road and ask whether she wanted to be his girlfriend, could he?

It seemed the pace of his strength's growth would inevitably be slowed.

Who knew how much time and effort it would take to find a new Bonding Target?

Chen Fan let out a quiet sigh.

If only...

If only Na'er could be bonded with.

A petite figure with silver long hair and purple eyes involuntarily appeared in his mind.

She was the girl he had rescued from the jaws of Soul Beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest when he had gone there to obtain his First Soul Ring.

She had lost all her memories, even forgetting her own name.

So Chen Fan had named her "Na'er."

Over the years, the two had depended on each other for survival.

Na'er never threw tantrums and never made demands. She simply stayed quietly by his side.

The way she looked at him had always been so pure, filled with dependence and tenderness.

When he had encountered her in the Star Dou Great Forest, he had already established a relationship with Ning Rongrong, and the system had already formed a bond.

He had never had the chance to consider whether Na'er could become the system's Bonding Target.

He had only thought that this silver-haired, purple-eyed girl was so beautiful she seemed inhuman, with an indescribably ethereal air around her.

Later, he had settled her in a secluded courtyard within the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.

Ever since then, whenever he had time, he would go visit her.

That tiny courtyard had become his only refuge from Ning Rongrong's unreasonable tantrums.

And Na'er had long regarded him as her sole support.

But...

Chen Fan's brows knitted together once more.

The customs of this world were ultimately rather traditional.

It was not like his Previous Life, where saying, "Be my girlfriend," and receiving a nod was enough to establish the relationship.

Matters between men and women were treated with great seriousness here.

Na'er was pure-hearted. If he proposed it so abruptly, would she agree?

Even if she did, would the system recognize such a verbal acknowledgment?

Troublesome.

Truly troublesome beyond measure.

Chen Fan exhaled a breath of stale air, and his gaze turned firm again.

Forget it. No more thinking about it.

His top priority was still to go to Heaven Dou City.

Working with Xue Qinghe and gradually gaining a foothold in Heaven Dou was the proper path.

As for a bonding item... he could only take things one step at a time.

Having made up his mind, Chen Fan did not linger any longer. He turned and was about to head down the mountain.

"Chen Fan!"

A clear yet somewhat urgent call came from behind him.

That voice...

Chen Fan stopped short and abruptly turned around.

Beneath an ancient tree beside the mountain path stood a slender figure.

Silver long hair drifted lightly in the mountain breeze, while purple eyes like the purest gemstones stared unblinkingly at him.

Who else could it be but Na'er?

Yet today, she was completely different from her usual quiet, serene self.

A flush of excitement tinged her fair cheeks. In those purple eyes, usually brimming with tenderness and dependence, there now flickered a light... almost like joyful anticipation.

"Na'er? What are you doing here?" Chen Fan asked in surprise.

Lifting the hem of her skirt, Na'er hurried over to him. She was breathing slightly hard from running so fast.

She raised her exquisite Little Face, the light in her eyes growing brighter as her voice overflowed with barely contained delight.

"Chen Fan, you finally broke up with Ning Rongrong!"

That one sentence left Chen Fan stunned on the spot.

He opened his mouth, countless questions flooding his Thoughts.

"How did you know?"

Less than half an hour had passed since it happened. No matter how quickly the news traveled, it could not possibly have reached her secluded courtyard this soon.

Yet Na'er did not answer his question.

She merely looked at him with those sparkling eyes.

The undisguised excitement and joy in them made Chen Fan's heart inexplicably skip a beat.

The Maiden before him possessed an unearthly beauty, her cool temperament carrying an indescribable liveliness.

But Na'er spoke again.

She gathered tremendous courage, and even her fair neck was stained with a lovely pink hue.

She took a small step forward, instantly closing the distance between them.

"That chance..."

Her voice trembled slightly, filled with a Maiden's shyness.

"...can you give it to me?"

Chen Fan had yet to react.

The next moment, Na'er raised her head. Those pure purple eyes looked earnestly into his.

"Can you give me the chance to be your girlfriend...?"

Huh?

Chen Fan froze.

He had still been agonizing over where to find a new Bonding Target, and Na'er had delivered herself right to his doorstep?