Qin Chuan stared at Ning Rongrong across the counter, his mouth opening slightly. For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
Ning Rongrong stood in front of the counter. Her blue skirt hugged her slender waist, and her legs, wrapped in white stockings, were pressed together. Wisps of hair fell beside her cheeks. She kept her head lowered, her fingers still picking at the wood grain along the counter's edge.
Qin Chuan froze for a full three seconds before coming back to himself. Then he let out a laugh.
"Ning Rongrong, don't joke around. You're so beautiful. How could you possibly be interested in me?"
He truly thought it was absurd. He'd only been transported here a few days ago, and he had no system, no Martial Soul, and no Soul Power. He was a three-nothing nobody.
Business at the shop was so terrible he could barely keep from starving. He only managed because Xiao Wu and the others looked out for him. In any world, that kind of situation put him at the very bottom of the barrel.
Ning Rongrong raised her head and looked at Qin Chuan.
"I'm serious. I mean it."
As she spoke, Ning Rongrong touched the loose strands of hair beside her ear. A flush crept across her face.
Half of that blush was real, and half was for the experience points. But the words she'd spoken weren't entirely false, either.
"I think you're a good person, and you're special. Everyone else is fighting over Soul Rings, resources, and rankings. You're different. You look after a little shop and keep to yourself. I really like that."
Qin Chuan felt a jumble of emotions after hearing that.
In his old world, he'd been an ordinary worker who repaired claw machines. He'd earned a little over four thousand yuan a month, was single, and lived in a subdivided room in an urban village. No girl this beautiful had ever said anything like that to him.
But the more it happened, the less real it seemed.
Qin Chuan thought about his situation. First, he had no Soul Power. Second, he had no Martial Soul.
Ning Rongrong was the young miss of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, with one of the continent's top sects behind her. The gap between them was farther than the distance from Earth to the moon.
Thinking of this, Qin Chuan said, "With empty sleeves, how could I dare hold back a beauty?"
Ning Rongrong's lips puckered. Had he rejected her?
Her thoughts raced.
The "earn the Shopkeeper's favor" condition couldn't be completed just by saying a few nice things. She needed him to genuinely like her. But he'd rejected her. What now?
Ning Rongrong's mind worked at lightning speed.
If she kept trying to talk him around, it would be no use. This man seemed steady; once he'd refused, it would be hard to get him to change his mind.
Then there was no point wasting words.
Ning Rongrong went around the counter and stepped in front of Qin Chuan. Then she rose onto her toes, placed both hands on his shoulders, and leaned toward him.
Her lips touched the corner of Qin Chuan's mouth.
Mwah~~!
Just a light little kiss.
Qin Chuan turned to stone. His mind went completely blank in that instant. The lingering warmth on the corner of his mouth was soft and warm, with a faint sweetness.
Ning Rongrong stepped back half a pace, her face bright red.
This blush was real. Even though her original intention was to earn experience points, this was her first time kissing anyone, too. The moment her lips touched Qin Chuan's skin, her heart nearly leaped into her throat.
Qin Chuan stood there with his mouth open, unable to close it for a long time.
Just then, a notification exploded in Ning Rongrong's mind.
[Congratulations, Player Ning Rongrong! You have earned the Shopkeeper's favor. Member experience +10. Ordinary Member upgraded to Bronze Member. Current experience: 5/20.] [Bronze Member privileges: Daily grabs +1, maximum 4.]
Ning Rongrong's head buzzed.
She'd leveled up!
She'd gone straight from Ordinary Member to Bronze Member! Her number of grabs had increased, and she'd unlocked the High-Tier Zone!
Ning Rongrong was so excited that her whole body heated up, the warmth spreading from her chest all the way to her fingertips.
She looked at Qin Chuan, who was still standing there in a daze, and had only one thought: If she tried a few more times, would her experience keep going up?
Ning Rongrong leaned in again. This time, she kissed him directly on the lips.
Qin Chuan's body was stiff as a board, but he didn't pull away.
Ning Rongrong's lips rested against his, soft and warm. Her face felt hot, her ears felt hot, and even the back of her neck was heating up.
After two seconds, no new notification appeared.
Ning Rongrong pressed harder. She parted her lips, tentatively brushed the tip of her tongue against Qin Chuan's lips, then slipped it inside.
Qin Chuan's mind shut down completely. He could feel something warm and slippery moving in his mouth. It gently tapped his teeth, then curled around his tongue.
The whole thing lasted about ten seconds.
When Ning Rongrong pulled away, a faint glisten clung to her lips, and her face was as red as if it had been held over a fire.
[Sorry, repeating a check-in is ineffective. You can try unlocking a new scene.]
Ning Rongrong paused in surprise. A new scene? What new scene?
She couldn't think of any other "scenes" to unlock for the moment.
Qin Chuan finally came back to himself. He looked down at the girl in front of him, whose face was red enough to drip blood, his thoughts a complete muddle.
"Ning Rongrong... what's gotten into you? Did you mess up your breathing while practicing?"
"I didn't mess up my breathing." Ning Rongrong touched her burning ear. "I'm serious."
Qin Chuan took a step back, his back against the cabinet. "But... you've only known me for a few days?"
"Love at first sight. It doesn't matter how long we've known each other."
Qin Chuan looked into Ning Rongrong's earnest eyes. For a moment, he couldn't tell whether she meant it or was acting on impulse. He touched his lips, where the warmth hadn't yet faded.
"Ning Rongrong, listen to me." Qin Chuan tried to make his voice sound normal. "I'm an ordinary man. I have no Martial Soul, no Soul Power, and not even the talent to cultivate. What do you want from being with me?"
Ning Rongrong thought for a moment and answered, "I want you because you're a good person."
Qin Chuan: "..."
Qin Chuan looked into the small mirror hanging on the wall nearby. It showed an ordinary face—not ugly, but not particularly handsome, either. His gray-blue work clothes were wrinkled, and his hair was a little messy.
"Strange. I'm not handsome, either. Honestly, I'm not much better than Oscar."
Ning Rongrong's expression changed. "You know Oscar?"
Qin Chuan's heart skipped a beat.
Oh no, he'd given himself away. He'd read the Douluo novel in his old world and knew these people's names. But in this world, how could an ordinary man running a little shop by a school know one of the students?
Qin Chuan hurriedly tried to cover it up.
"Oh, he came into my shop before. He looked around, didn't buy anything, and left. He's not bad-looking, and he seemed pretty strong. What do you think of him?"
The moment Ning Rongrong heard the name Oscar, the gentle look on her face vanished.
"That shameless creep! Every time he sees a girl, he asks her if she wants to eat his Big Sausage. Isn't that disgusting? Last time, he said something like that to me, too. I was so mad I nearly exploded. Compared to you, he's a hundred thousand miles behind."
Qin Chuan silently filed that away.
It seemed the relationships between the people in this world were very different from the original novel he'd read. Oscar had been a reliable support in the original, but here he was a shameless creep.
What kind of world was this, anyway?
"Oh, I see," Qin Chuan said with a vague laugh.
Ning Rongrong stopped complaining about Oscar, and the conversation circled back around.
"So, you agree to be my boyfriend, right?"
Qin Chuan's mouth twitched. This girl really didn't know when to give up.
"Sorry, I haven't made up my mind yet. Could you give me a few days to think it over?"
Ning Rongrong stared at him for two seconds, then smiled.
"Sure. These things take time. But don't even think about running away."
Qin Chuan gave a strained laugh and quickly changed the subject.
Ning Rongrong felt pleased as punch. Qin Chuan hadn't agreed outright, but he hadn't rejected her completely, either. And she'd already gotten Bronze Member. She'd even gained another grab today.
"Brother Chuan, can I use the High-Tier Zone now?"
Qin Chuan blinked. "Sure, go ahead. You'll need to use the Crystal Ball to exchange for Game Coins. I can't control it, or I'd give you a few extra."
Ning Rongrong nodded, thinking the Crystal Ball was fascinating.
She pressed her hand against the Crystal Ball, and a notification entered her mind.
[Notice: The High-Tier Zone costs 100 Soul Power experience for 1 grab. The High-Tier Zone requires 'Bronze Member.' Possible prizes include Million-Year Soul Rings, Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bones, Innate Full Soul Power, Second Martial Soul Fragments, and more. Increases the probability of lower-tier prizes.]
She'd need at least two days of cultivation to get 100 Martial Soul experience. But the rewards were far too tempting!
Ning Rongrong decided to take a gamble!
She spent 100 Martial Soul experience and exchanged it for a colorful Game Coin.
Then she put it in and chose to grab the Hello Kitty.
The mechanical claw wobbled its way down, caught Hello Kitty by the head, and lifted it into the air—then slipped.
She didn't win.
Ning Rongrong's lips drooped a little in disappointment, but she was still in a good mood. The biggest gain today was becoming a Bronze Member, and she'd also figured out how to earn experience.
She'd come back tomorrow.
"Brother Chuan, it's getting late. I'm heading back to the academy. I'll come play again tomorrow."
"Sure!"
Ning Rongrong slung her little purse over her shoulder, waved to Qin Chuan, and pushed open the glass door.