Deep Night Knock

At nine o'clock at night, the dormitory hallway was quiet, save for the dim, yellowish glow cast by the single light at the far end.

Xiao Wu rose from her bed on tiptoe.

She had changed into a new long pink gauze dress, but left her scorpion braid undone, letting her long hair drape over her shoulders and back. She wore no grey stockings, leaving her fair legs bare, and had slipped into a pair of flat cloth shoes to ensure her movements remained silent.

She wore no rabbit-ear hair accessories, her face scrubbed clean.

Xiao Wu pulled a thin jacket from beneath her pillow, draped it over her shoulders, and paused to glance back as she reached the door.

Her three roommates were fast asleep, their breathing steady and rhythmic.

Xiao Wu gently pulled the door open, slipped through the gap, and eased it shut behind her.

The hallway was empty.

Xiao Wu hugged the wall and hurried to the stairwell, descended, and slipped out through a small side door of the dormitory building.

The academy was quiet at night. The streetlights were on, illuminating the main path, but Xiao Wu avoided it, opting instead for a narrow trail behind the teaching buildings. This path was rarely used; it was lined with low shrubs, and behind the bushes stood a low perimeter wall.

As Xiao Wu climbed over the wall, the hem of her pink gauze dress caught on the masonry. She gave it a tug, tearing a small hole in the fabric.

"Tsk."

Xiao Wu had no time to worry about it; she jumped from the wall and landed in a dark alley outside the school.

Most of the lanterns on the pedestrian street had been extinguished, with only a few late-night snack stalls still glowing.

Xiao Wu hurried along the street to the western section and stopped in front of the Happy Claw Machine.

The shop was closed, the lights off. Looking through the glass, everything was pitch black; nothing could be seen.

Xiao Wu hesitated for a moment, then raised her hand and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock, knock. She waited a few seconds, but there was no response.

Xiao Wu knocked three more times, this time with more force.

Knock, knock, knock!

A commotion came from inside, sounding like someone rolling off a bed, followed by the sound of stumbling footsteps.

"Who is it?" Qin Chuan's voice drifted from behind the door, thick with sleep.

"Brother Chuan, it's me, Xiao Wu. Open up."

There was a two-second silence behind the door.

Then the lock clicked, and the glass door was pushed open just a crack.

Qin Chuan's head poked through the gap. His hair was messy, his eyes barely open, and his grey-blue work uniform was buttoned incorrectly.

"Xiao Wu? What time is it... Why are you running over here in the middle of the night?"

Xiao Wu squeezed through the gap and shoved Qin Chuan aside.

"Don't ask, just let me in."

Qin Chuan stumbled back two steps, nearly tripping over his own slippers.

Xiao Wu pulled the door shut behind her and slid the bolt into place, locking it tight.

Qin Chuan was fully awake now.

"You... what are you doing? Why are you locking the door?"

Xiao Wu turned around. Her loose hair spread across her shoulders in the dim light, and her pink gauze dress shimmered with a hazy luster under the moonlight. Her face was hard to make out in the darkness, but her large eyes were bright, reflecting the moonlight filtering in through the window.

"I'm here to top up my membership," Xiao Wu said, getting straight to the point.

"What?" Qin Chuan looked blank.

Xiao Wu was a woman with a strong competitive spirit.

She had already made up her mind. Ning Rongrong had received 10 experience points and leveled up to Bronze just by kissing Qin Chuan. The system said it could "unlock new scenarios." What Ning Rongrong was too embarrassed to do, she, Xiao Wu, could.

Besides, the non-disclosure agreement only forbade telling other men; it said nothing about doing other things to the shopkeeper.

Furthermore, the Crystal Ball stated it clearly: the better you treat the shopkeeper, the better your luck, and the higher your chances of winning.

Xiao Wu gave herself a mental pep talk: For a ten-thousand-year spirit ring! For innate full spirit power! For becoming a Douluo as soon as possible!

Go for it!

"Brother Chuan." Xiao Wu took a step forward.

Qin Chuan instinctively took a step back.

"Brother Chuan, promise me one thing."

"What thing? Can't you say it tomorrow? It's the middle of the night!"

Xiao Wu took another step forward, closing the distance to half a meter. She tilted her head up, staring into Qin Chuan's eyes.

"Be my boyfriend."

Qin Chuan's mouth opened, closed, and opened again.

"No..." He scratched the back of his head, his face full of confusion. "What is going on today? Ning Rongrong confessed to me this afternoon, and now you too? I'm just a mortal—what is so good about me?"

"Ning Rongrong confessed to you?" Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth turned down. "Hmph, she certainly moves fast."

"Look, look, if you two start bickering because of me, that would be so bad..."

"We won't bicker. We've already talked it over."

Qin Chuan: "Talked it over? Talked over what?"

Xiao Wu realized she had almost let it slip and quickly reined herself in.

"Nothing, nothing. Brother Chuan, just tell me whether you agree or not."

Qin Chuan sighed and leaned against the counter.

"Xiao Wu, listen to me. I am a mortal. I have no martial soul, no soul power, and my fists aren't even as hard as yours. What kind of good life could you possibly have following me?"

"I don't ask for anything."

"But... but I have nothing to my name, how could I dare to lead a beauty astray?"

"I don't ask for your promises, nor do I want you to give me anything." Xiao Wu stepped closer. "I just need you to nod."

"This..."

Xiao Wu was impatient by nature. The more he hesitated, the more anxious she became. When she got anxious, she tended to lose her head, and when she lost her head, she tended to do impulsive things.

She took a deep breath.

"Second Soul Skill, Charm."

Hum— A soft light radiated from Xiao Wu's body, and a pale pink halo enveloped the entire shop.

Qin Chuan's pupils dilated slightly.

He was a mortal with not a shred of soul power to resist. To him, the effect of Charm was nearly one hundred percent.

Qin Chuan's gaze turned hazy, and the defensive tension in his body vanished.

Xiao Wu walked up to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. Her palms could feel his body heat, transmitted through that wrinkled, gray-blue work uniform.

"Brother Chuan." Xiao Wu's voice softened. "Am I not good enough? Not pretty enough? Look at me."

Qin Chuan looked down at the face before him.

Her long, loose hair hung down on both sides, framing a fair, clean face. Her large eyes were round, the corners slightly upturned, and her lips were a natural light pink, devoid of any makeup.

Under the influence of Charm, the thoughts previously occupying Qin Chuan's mind—I am a mortal, I am unworthy, I have nothing to my name—were all washed away by a warm, fuzzy sensation.

"You are beautiful," Qin Chuan's voice sounded distant. "I like you very much."

Xiao Wu's heart began to pound.

She knew this was the effect of Charm, but the moment Qin Chuan said it, her face still flushed with heat against her better judgment.

Xiao Wu took Qin Chuan's hand and led him toward the small room at the back of the shop.

The room was not large; it was where Qin Chuan usually slept.

A wooden bed sat against the wall with the quilt folded untidily, and a small oil lamp rested on the headboard. The window was cracked open, allowing the moonlight to shine in at an angle, casting a silver-white ribbon of light across the floor.