A Clear Breeze in Both Sleeves: How Dare I Wrong the Fair Lady

Qin Chuan looked at Ning Rongrong across the counter, his mouth agape, momentarily at a loss for words.

Ning Rongrong stood before the counter, her slim waist accentuated by a blue skirt, her calves, wrapped in white stockings, pressed together as she stood. A few stray locks of hair from her forehead rested against her cheeks. She kept her head lowered, her fingers picking at the wood grain on the edge of the counter.

Qin Chuan froze for a full three seconds before snapping back to reality and letting out a laugh.

"Ning Rongrong, stop joking. You're so beautiful, how could you possibly be interested in someone like me?"

He truly felt it was absurd. He had transmigrated here only a few days ago, possessing no system, no martial soul, and no soul power—a man with absolutely nothing.

Business at the shop was dismal; he only managed to avoid starvation thanks to the patronage of Xiao Wu and the others. In any world, his circumstances would be considered the absolute bottom of the barrel.

Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at Qin Chuan.

"I'm serious. I mean it."

As she spoke, she tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear, a flush creeping onto her face.

This blush was half genuine and half for the sake of experience points. But the words she spoke were not entirely false.

"I think you're a good person, very unique. Everyone else is fighting for soul rings, resources, and rankings, but you're different. You just guard this little shop, quiet and peaceful. I really like that feeling."

Qin Chuan felt a complex mix of emotions upon hearing this.

In his original world, he was just an ordinary worker who repaired claw machines, earning a monthly salary of four thousand, single, and living in a partitioned room in an urban village. Never had a girl this beautiful said such things to him.

Yet, the more she said, the more unreal it felt.

Qin Chuan considered his situation: no soul power, no martial soul.

Ning Rongrong was the young mistress of the Seven Treasures Glazed Sect, backed by one of the top sects on the continent. The gap between them was further than the distance from Earth to the moon.

Thinking of this, Qin Chuan said, "With nothing to my name, how could I dare to lead a beauty astray?"

Ning Rongrong's mouth pouted slightly. Was she being rejected?

Her mind raced as she calculated.

The condition "gain the shopkeeper's favor" couldn't be met just by saying a few nice words; she had to make him truly fond of her. But since he had rejected her, what could she do?

Ning Rongrong's brain worked at lightning speed.

If she kept trying to talk him around, this man seemed quite steady in his personality; once he had refused, it would be hard to make him change his mind.

Then, stop the chatter.

Ning Rongrong walked around the counter and stood before Qin Chuan. She stood on her tiptoes, placed her hands on his shoulders, and leaned in.

Her lips pressed against the corner of Qin Chuan's mouth.

Mua~~!

Just a light touch.

Qin Chuan turned to stone, his mind going completely blank for that instant. The residual warmth on the corner of his mouth was soft and tender, carrying a faint, sweet scent.

Ning Rongrong stepped back half a pace, her face flushed deep red.

This blush was real. Although her original intention was for experience points, this was her first time kissing someone. The moment her lips touched his skin, her heart nearly jumped into her throat.

Qin Chuan stood there, his mouth hanging open, unable to close it for a long time.

Just then, a notification sound exploded in Ning Rongrong's mind.

[Congratulations to player Ning Rongrong! Gained the shopkeeper's favor, membership experience +10. Ordinary Member upgraded to Bronze Member, current experience 5/20.]

[Bronze Member privileges: Daily claw machine attempts +1, cap increased to 4.]

Ning Rongrong's head buzzed.

She had leveled up!

She had jumped straight from an Ordinary Member to a Bronze Member! Her attempts had increased, and she had even unlocked the High-Tier Zone!

Ning Rongrong was so excited that her whole body felt hot, blood rushing from her chest to her fingertips.

She looked at the still-dazed Qin Chuan, only one thought remaining in her mind: If she did it a few more times, could she keep gaining experience?

Ning Rongrong leaned in again, this time kissing him directly on the lips.

Qin Chuan's body was as stiff as wood, but he did not pull away.

Ning Rongrong's lips pressed against his, soft and warm. She felt her face burning, her ears burning, and even the base of her neck heating up.

After waiting two seconds, there was no new notification sound.

Ning Rongrong increased the intensity. She parted her lips, her tongue tentatively touching Qin Chuan's, then slipping inside.

Qin Chuan's brain completely crashed; he could feel something warm and slippery moving in his mouth, his teeth were lightly tapped, and his tongue was curled.

The entire process lasted about ten seconds.

When Ning Rongrong pulled away, her lips were glistening with moisture, and her face was as red as if it had been scorched by fire.

[We apologize, repeat check-ins are invalid. You may attempt to unlock new scenarios.]

Ning Rongrong was stunned for a moment. New scenarios? What kind of new scenarios?

She hadn't yet figured out what other "scenarios" could be unlocked.

Qin Chuan finally snapped out of his petrified state. He looked down at the girl before him, whose face was flushed so red it looked like it might bleed, his mind a complete muddle.

"Ning Rongrong... what exactly is wrong with you? Did you mess up your cultivation and get a qi deviation?"

"I didn't get a qi deviation." Ning Rongrong touched her burning ears. "I'm being serious."

Qin Chuan took a step back, his back hitting the cabinet. "But... how many days have we even known each other?"

"Love at first sight doesn't care about the length of time."

Qin Chuan looked into Ning Rongrong's earnest eyes, unable to tell if this was sincere or just a momentary impulse. He reached up to touch his own lips; the warmth from earlier hadn't faded yet.

"Ning Rongrong, listen to me." Qin Chuan tried to make his voice sound as normal as possible. "I'm a mortal. No martial soul, no soul power, not even any talent for cultivation. What could you possibly want from being with me?"

Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and replied, "I like that you're a good person."

Qin Chuan: "..."

Qin Chuan glanced at the small mirror hanging on the wall nearby. It reflected a perfectly ordinary face—not ugly, but certainly not handsome. His gray-blue work uniform was wrinkled, and his hair was a bit messy.

"Strange, I'm not even handsome. Honestly, compared to that Oscar guy, I'm not any better."

Ning Rongrong's expression shifted. "You know Oscar?"

Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat.

Damn it, I slipped up. He had read the Douluo novels in his original world and knew these people's names. But in this world, as a mortal running a small shop by the academy gate, how could he possibly know the students inside?

Qin Chuan hurriedly tried to patch things up.

"Oh, he came to my shop before, walked around, and left without buying anything. He doesn't look bad, and his strength seemed pretty decent. What do you think of him?"

As soon as Ning Rongrong heard the name Oscar, the soft expression on her face vanished instantly.

"That stinking hooligan! Every day he sees a girl, he asks if she wants to eat his 'big sausage.' Isn't it disgusting? Last time he even said that kind of thing to me; I was almost furious to death. Compared to you, he's a hundred thousand miles behind."

Qin Chuan made a mental note of that.

It seemed the relationships in this world were very different from the original work he had read. In the original, Oscar was at least a reliable support-type, but here, he had become a stinking hooligan.

What exactly was going on in this world?

"Oh, so that's how it is." Qin Chuan gave a dry laugh.

Ning Rongrong stopped venting about Oscar and steered the conversation back.

"So, you agree to be my boyfriend, right?"

Qin Chuan's mouth twitched. This girl was truly persistent.

"Sorry, I haven't thought it through yet. Can you give me a few days to consider?"

Ning Rongrong stared at him for two seconds, then smiled.

"Fine, matters of the heart take time. But don't even think about running away."

Qin Chuan let out a dry laugh and hurriedly changed the subject.

Ning Rongrong felt wonderful inside. Although Qin Chuan hadn't explicitly agreed, he hadn't completely rejected her either. Plus, she had already obtained the Bronze Member status, and she had an extra grab attempt today.

"Brother Chuan, can I play in the High-Tier Zone now?"

Qin Chuan was stunned. "Sure, play whatever you want. You need to go to the Crystal Ball to exchange for game coins; I can't control it, otherwise I'd give you a few more."

Ning Rongrong nodded, thinking this Crystal Ball was quite magical.

She pressed her hand against the Crystal Ball, and a notification flashed into her mind.

[Notification: The High-Tier Zone consumes 100 points of soul power experience to obtain 1 grab attempt. The High-Tier Zone requires 'Bronze Member' status. You can obtain million-year soul rings, hundred-thousand-year soul bones, innate full soul power, second martial soul fragments, etc. Increases the probability of low-tier prizes.]

100 points of martial soul experience would take at least two days of cultivation. But the rewards were just too tempting!

Ning Rongrong decided to take a gamble!

She consumed 100 points of martial soul experience and exchanged them for a colorful game coin.

She dropped it in and chose to grab the Hello Kitty.

The mechanical claw wobbled as it descended, grabbed the Hello Kitty by the head, lifted it into mid-air, and then it slipped.

A miss.

Ning Rongrong's mouth turned down, feeling a bit disappointed. But she was still in a great mood. After all, her biggest gain today was the Bronze Member status, and she had found a way to increase her experience.

She would come back tomorrow.

"Brother Chuan, it's getting late, I'm heading back to the academy. I'll come back to play tomorrow."

"You got it!"

Ning Rongrong shouldered her little purse, waved at Qin Chuan, and pushed open the glass door to leave.