The Card-Face-Off

"Only 1,200 Survival Points. That's enough for ten draws. I've already used seven draws, so I've got three left. Maybe I'll get lucky and pull a Gold Card."

"Gold Cards are certainly better than Silver Cards, but they're also a hundred times harder to get."

"I wonder what kind of card I'll draw next time, and what sort of upgrade it'll give me."

Zeng Mo thought it over, then started fretting about how he and Qing'er would manage the next two days. He wanted to visit other cities to look for supplies.

The more he thought about it, the more the delicious aroma of the food Qing'er had prepared tugged at his appetite.

Soon, he got up and went to wash.

When he came back, Xiao Nao and Xiao Yue had already made three stir-fried dishes and a small pot of white rice.

"Master, you can eat now." Xiao Yue took off her apron and came over with a smile.

Zeng Mo nodded and sat down on the sofa. He accepted the bowl of rice Xiao Nao served him, picked up his chopsticks, and chatted with the two women as he ate, asking what they planned to do today.

Before long, he had finished breakfast.

After breakfast, Xiao Yue went to wash the dishes.

Zeng Mo led Xiao Nao to the empty room on the first floor and began today's training.

"Xiao Nao, this time I won't use my special ability. Just try to dodge."

"Understood, Master." Xiao Nao nodded solemnly. She clasped her hands in front of her and settled into a defensive stance.

Zeng Mo immediately rushed toward her. The moment he got close, he swept a leg out to kick her.

But Xiao Nao only shifted her body slightly. In the instant Zeng Mo looked back at her, she suddenly grabbed his arm, yanked hard, then shoved him away.

In the blink of an eye, Zeng Mo was knocked to the ground.

Xiao Nao didn't give him a moment to recover. She quickly turned and sat on his back, pinned his arms, and tied him up tightly. No matter how Zeng Mo struggled, he couldn't break free.

[The host practiced with his believer, Xiao Nao. His physical fitness increased by 5.]

Seeing the system's notification, Zeng Mo, who had been completely unable to break free no matter how he struggled, couldn't help feeling depressed.

Wasn't this a little too discouraging?

How could he be completely helpless against her?

When Xiao Nao saw that Zeng Mo had stopped struggling, she let go and helped him up.

"Master, sorry for the trouble."

"It's fine." Zeng Mo gave a wry smile. "I didn't expect you to be so fast. You're much faster than me, even with my agility boost."

"Master, I was moving at my normal speed. You only thought I was fast because, while you were moving, my brain's processing core had already simulated your actions hundreds of times. When you made that tiny movement with your right shoulder, I knew exactly how many meters away I needed to be before I could kick you."

"I see." Zeng Mo suddenly understood. "So you don't need to show any obvious signs of preparation. You had me fooled."

Xiao Nao nodded gently.

"Fine. Fighting you without using my ability is just asking to lose. Unless I use my ability to boost my speed beyond what your body can react to, there's no way I can beat you."

"But using my ability only gives me one short burst of speed."

Zeng Mo nodded, then took Xiao Nao back to the living room. The three of them chatted for a while with Xiao Yue, who was busy tidying up, before they decided to go out for a walk.

As soon as they left the building, Yu Lin sent him a video call.

Xiao Yue answered it and considerately said, "Master, the hostess has called. She probably wants to talk to you for a while. Xiao Nao and I will head to the southern part of the city to dance. We'll find someone there to give us a new identity as overseas merchants."

Zeng Mo agreed. "All right. I've heard the southern part of the city is dangerous. Be careful."

"Mm."

Xiao Yue and Xiao Nao left together.

Zeng Mo sat down by the window and answered the video call. Yu Lin appeared on the screen in a white dress.

"Honey, honey, our short film has just become popular. Lots of people are discussing it," Yu Lin said with a smile.

"Everyone's talking about it?"

Zeng Mo chatted with her while moving around the room.

Yu Lin thought to herself, So many people are talking about it. It's just a promotional video for an obscure movie. How did it end up trending? There are even people asking whether the boss and the actress are a couple.

"Haha, the fans are growing so fast," Zeng Mo said with a smile.

"It's only been a little over half a day, and our followers have increased by 150,000. We're already at 1.5 million, and we're still growing..."

"The first episode's been a huge success."

"Exactly, honey. If we keep things up like this, we'll soon be able to promote it throughout the whole country..."

Zeng Mo chatted with Yu Lin about the short film, then checked the Survival Points he had gained near the shelter. After that, he stopped by the martial arts gym and bought some lunch.

When Yu Lin saw Zeng Mo go out to buy lunch, she asked curiously, "Honey, what are you going to do?"

"I'm going to practice at the martial arts gym."

"Oh, honey, you're going to the gym? Then I'll go and discuss it with them. Tonight, I'll book a new restaurant and reserve a private room so we can celebrate."

"Okay."

Zeng Mo ended the call with Yu Lin and headed to the martial arts gym.

After collecting all of today's Survival Points from his daily activities,

his Survival Points had reached 11,780.

He could do ten more draws.

But he wasn't in a hurry to draw yet.

Instead, he planned to teach Yu Lin the new self-defense techniques Qing'er had shown her today, then go to a restaurant nearby for dinner.

Soon, the small dining table was covered with more than ten dishes, and a large tray of roast meat sat sizzling in the oven.

"Did you order too much?" Zeng Mo asked as he started eating.

"You've had a busy day, honey. Eat more."

"What about the wine?"

Qing'er asked.

Yu Lin said, "I don't think honey drinks much. But he likes fruit wine, right? I'll ask the waiter to bring a few bottles of the fruit wine he likes."

Zeng Mo had originally wanted to refuse, but since it wasn't white liquor or beer, he said, "One box should be enough."

"Sure. If there's any left, we can take it home."

"Okay."

Soon, the waiter brought over a box of colorful fruit wine.

Yu Lin quickly filled everyone's glasses.

"Honey, Qing'er, I've filled all our glasses. Let's celebrate the success of our first project. Here's to our first success!"

Yu Lin raised her glass. Zeng Mo raised his as well, and they clinked glasses.

"Cheers."

After a few glasses of fruit wine, the three of them started talking more freely.

From work they'd never done before to the strange things that had happened at school, then to Yu Lin and Qing'er's childhoods, they chatted about almost everything.

Zeng Mo also enjoyed the atmosphere. Perhaps knowing he would leave in a year had brought about a huge change in his personality.

That was why he especially treasured his peaceful days with Yu Lin.

The three of them ate until half past eleven.

Qing'er had a good tolerance for alcohol, but she didn't know how the three of them had finished all the fruit wine.

The fruit wine tasted sweet, but after eating spicy food and as time passed, the alcohol started to take effect.

Zeng Mo hadn't drunk much more than the others—only about four glasses—but the alcohol was strong. After a while, he began to feel dizzy.

"Waiter, the bill."

Zeng Mo held up his hand and called for the waiter. Then he went to the front desk to pay. Afterward, he returned to the dining area, picked up the tipsy Yu Lin and Qing'er, and carried them toward the entrance.

Just like that.

The night ended.

Yu Lin and Qing'er were both drunk, and they kept talking nonsense all the way.

When they reached the room,

Yu Lin, already quite drunk, asked, "Honey, are we home?"

"We're home." Zeng Mo gave a tipsy smile and tried to focus as he carried the two women in his arms toward the door.

They had just reached the doorway.

Qing'er leaned against Zeng Mo, her beautiful eyes slightly narrowed. "We're home, honey. We're home."

Zeng Mo used his shoulder to open the door, then steadied the two women leaning against him. He stood there for a long moment before finally saying,

"Time to sleep."

"Okay. Let's go to bed." Yu Lin rested her head against Zeng Mo's chest. Her flushed cheeks were enticing, and her eyes held a soft, captivating look. She suddenly whispered shyly, "Honey, the three of us should sleep together tonight, okay?"

"Sleep together?" Zeng Mo swallowed. His body reacted, and he suddenly remembered the secret he had been hiding from Yu Lin. He asked nervously, "I—what did you say, Qing'er?"

Yu Lin leaned against his arms and laughed foolishly, "If we're sleeping together, then let's all sleep together. We'll do it together, too."

"Okay."

"Come on, let's go to the bedroom and sleep."

In his drunken haze, Zeng Mo didn't know what he was doing. He only knew that he had ended up on the bed. It felt as if four soft little hands had started pulling at his clothes, and then he seemed to sink into a sea of warmth. Before long, he was so drunk he lost all awareness...