Panel? What's going on?

Inside a luxurious villa.

Gu Wanqing lay in bed, unable to fall asleep for a long time.

Her mind had been filled all day with the image of Lin Ao's retreating figure from that afternoon.

"He... agreed..."

"He looked so pained at the time. He did have feelings for me, didn't he?"

Thinking of this, she suddenly shook her head frantically.

"No, no, no. I've known Lin Ao since I was a child; this person doesn't have a shred of romance in his eyes! Xiao Fan is right—he only cares about profit, and our engagement is just a bargaining chip he can exploit."

Gu Wanqing smiled bitterly. Lin Ao was outstanding, the eldest son of the main branch of the Lin Family, and a renowned "ascetic-style" heartthrob in Jianghai City.

He was the target of every socialite and heiress. After graduation, he took over the company's various operations, bringing massive wealth to the Lin Family once again.

The Lin Family and the Gu Family were family friends, and their grandfathers had arranged a marriage for them. Since childhood, Gu Wanqing had actually harbored secret feelings for him and had always liked Lin Ao. After growing up, she had even tried to confess her feelings to him, but all she ever received were those icy gazes and indifferent words.

"I understand. We already have an engagement, so it doesn't matter whether I like you or not. I have other matters to attend to now; I'm busy."

That sentence from Lin Ao back then had completely shaken Gu Wanqing.

Coupled with Xiao Fan constantly whispering in her ear that Lin Ao only cared about profit, that he was a work machine, and that he was only marrying her for the sake of the Gu Family.

And so, the scene from this afternoon took place.

Xiao Fan was a new security guard at her company, young and possessing extraordinary martial prowess.

Once, when she was working late, Gu Wanqing was harassed by some thugs, and he had saved her.

It should have been a normal occurrence; the boss was being harassed, so wasn't it only natural for a security guard to help drive the troublemakers away?

For some reason, Gu Wanqing and Xiao Fan inexplicably became good friends, and she would tell him about many things.

You think being a Child of Destiny is a joke? Even if he just farted, you'd think it smelled like roses.

Gu Wanqing sighed.

A look of determination appeared in her eyes; then let's break off the engagement!

"Ding--!"

The phone she had placed on her nightstand rang.

She picked it up for a glance, realized it was just a work report, and tossed it back down.

She turned off the light, closed her eyes, and was just about to sleep.

Wait, why did I see Lin Ao's name?

She picked up the phone again and opened the text message to see that the sender was indeed Lin Ao.

This was the first time he had ever sent her a text, though she didn't know how to evaluate the content.

As she read it, the corners of her mouth twitched.

"I thank you to hell and back!"

Gu Wanqing casually typed a "1," clicked send.

She threw the phone back onto the nightstand, pulled the covers over herself in a huff, and fell asleep.

At Lin Family Manor, Lin Ao had downloaded TikTok on his phone.

This was the first time his phone had ever contained such an entertainment app.

Finally, he didn't have to be like the old "Lin Ao," with his brain filled only with work and schemes.

"Hahahaha, this is too funny."

"Haha, this one is pretty good too!"

"Hiss--! You can watch this on TikTok? Still, it's not as good as the black silk stockings my employees wear."

Experiencing TikTok for the first time, Lin Ao felt as if he had opened the door to a new world; he couldn't stop, he absolutely couldn't stop.

Just then, his phone popped up with the "1" that Gu Wanqing had replied with.

Lin Ao felt greatly gratified. It seemed his politeness was the right move; it perfectly demonstrated the beginning of me being a nice guy.

The next morning at 7:00 AM.

Lin Ao was woken up by his mother for breakfast.

He walked downstairs yawning, sporting two dark circles under his eyes.

"Indulging in pleasure ruins one's ambitions, it really does. I promised myself I'd sleep after watching just one more video, but then the sun came up."

He mumbled to himself continuously while eating breakfast in a daze.

"Didn't you sleep well last night?"

Li Wanyu looked at Lin Ao with concern. Could something actually be wrong with his health?

"Oh, I was just experiencing the various facets of life last night and accidentally stayed up too late."

Lin Ao replied casually, thinking to himself that scrolling through TikTok was surely a way to experience the various facets of life.

"You brat, what nonsense are you spouting? If you're not feeling well, remember to go to the hospital. And what about Gu Wanqing? Did you ask her out?"

Li Wanyu cared about this matter most; it concerned her future daughter-in-law, after all.

"I did. I arranged for her to come over at 8 o'clock today since last night."

Today is the day that decides my future path, so how could I not have it arranged?

"Why did you set it so early! Are you having her over for a meeting? Girls love to sleep in; what were you thinking?"

Lin Dong looked at Lin Ao with a look of exasperation. It was one thing for this brat to be so disciplined with his own schedule, but he didn't understand girls at all when it came to dating.

"Alright, alright, let the young people handle their own affairs. We're leaving now to give them some space."

Li Wanyu pulled Lin Dong out the door as soon as she finished breakfast, so as not to disturb them.

Lin Ao thought to himself, isn't this exactly a meeting?

We are holding a meeting to call off the engagement.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Ao started feeling sleepy again, forcing himself to sit in the living room and doze off.

He wondered, why hasn't this woman arrived yet?

"This way, Miss Gu. The young master has been waiting in the living room since early this morning; you can go right in."

A servant led Gu Wanqing to the living room to see Lin Ao.

When Gu Wanqing arrived, she saw Lin Ao sitting alone on the sofa, propping his chin up with one hand while dozing off.

His complexion was haggard, and he had deep dark circles under his eyes.

Gu Wanqing was stunned for a moment.

He... looks like he didn't sleep well at all last night. Has he been thinking about the engagement annulment all night long?

Gu Wanqing walked toward Lin Ao on tiptoe.

She crouched down, looking at the haggard man before her.

I've never seen Lin Ao like this; he has always been proud and cold. Combining his reaction from yesterday with how he looks now, it seems the annulment really hit him hard. These dark circles—did he not sleep a wink all night?

As Gu Wanqing thought about this, she shook her head to herself.

She was here today to formally discuss the annulment with him. He had already stated clearly that it didn't matter whether he liked her or not; in his eyes, feelings didn't exist.

Give up, Gu Wanqing.

However, her hand couldn't help but want to caress this man's face.

Just this once. It would be the first and the last time.

From now on, they would have no relationship, and this was also the first time Gu Wanqing had ever touched Lin Ao.

Her palm moved gently, resting softly against his sharp, angular face.

Lin Ao was at his best right now; in his sleep, his expression was soft, and those cold eyes of his were hidden from view.

The moment Gu Wanqing made contact with Lin Ao, it felt as if a faint electric current passed through her palm.

Suddenly, Gu Wanqing felt the world go black, and a massive amount of information flooded into her mind.

A wisp of red energy emerged from both her body and Lin Ao's, dissipating into the air.

When she opened her eyes again, before she could even process the information in her mind, she discovered a transparent information panel appearing over Lin Ao.

"?"

Gu Wanqing rubbed her eyes hard.

She leaned in closer to take a look.

"What is this? An hallucination?"

She rubbed her eyes vigorously again, but the information panel was still there!

She stared at it, and it read:

[Name: Lin Ao]

[Appearance: SSS]

[Personality: Complex inner composition.]

[Hidden Attributes: Tsundere, sharp-tongued but soft-hearted, zero resistance to women's tears.]

[Relationships: Father: Lin Dong, Mother: Li Wanyu, Fiancée: Gu Wanqing (Pending confirmation).]

[Current Status/Thoughts: So sleepy, I really want to sleep in a bed.]

[Affection Level: 60.]

[Heart Rate: 90.]

[Current Goal: Annul the engagement.]

[H-Index: 50.]

[All data is updated in real-time.]

"..."

Gu Wanqing stared at the information above, dumbfounded.

Then, a pop-up window appeared!

[Congratulations on deviating from the destiny path!]

She waved her hand vigorously at the panel, only to find that her palm could pass right through it.

By accident, she slapped Lin Ao across the face.

She noticed that the data on Lin Ao's panel had changed.

[Character's current state/thought: Terrified.]

[Character's heart rate: 130.]