At nine o'clock that night, the dormitory hallway was quiet and still. Only the lamp at the far end remained lit, casting a dim yellow glow.
Xiao Wu carefully climbed out of bed.
She had changed into a new pink gauzy dress, but hadn't tied her hair into a Scorpion Braid. Her long hair hung loose over her shoulders and down her back. She wasn't wearing her gray stockings, either. Her two pale legs were bare, and she had slipped on a pair of flat cloth shoes so she could walk without making a sound.
She had left off her rabbit-ear hair ornament and gone bare-faced.
Xiao Wu pulled a light jacket from beneath her pillow and draped it over her shoulders. When she reached the door, she glanced back.
Her three roommates were all asleep, breathing evenly.
Xiao Wu eased the door open, slipped out sideways, then gently closed it behind her.
The hallway was empty.
Keeping close to the wall, Xiao Wu hurried to the stairs and went down. She slipped out through a small side door in the dormitory building.
The academy was quiet at night. Streetlamps lit the main road, bathing it in bright light. Xiao Wu avoided the main road and took a winding path behind the classrooms instead. Hardly anyone used it. A row of low shrubs lined either side, with a short wall behind them.
As Xiao Wu climbed over the wall, the hem of her pink dress caught on a stone at the top. She tugged at it, and a small tear opened along the edge.
"Tch."
Xiao Wu had no time to worry about it. She jumped down from the wall and landed in a dark alley outside the academy.
Most of the lanterns along the pedestrian street had gone out. Only a few late-night food stalls were still lit.
Xiao Wu hurried to the western end of the pedestrian street and stopped in front of the "Happy Claw Machine."
The shop door was closed, and the lights were off. Through the glass, she could see nothing but darkness.
Xiao Wu hesitated, then raised her hand and knocked.
Knock, knock, knock. She waited a few seconds, but there was no answer.
Xiao Wu knocked three more times, putting a little more force into it.
Knock, knock, knock!
A commotion came from inside. It sounded as if someone had rolled out of bed, followed by a series of clumsy footsteps.
"Who is it?" Qin Chuan's voice came from behind the door, thick with sleep.
"Brother Chuan, it's me, Xiao Wu. Open up."
There was silence behind the door for two seconds.
Then the lock clicked, and the glass door opened a crack from the inside.
Qin Chuan poked his head through the gap. His hair was a little mussed, his eyes barely open, and two buttons on his gray-blue work uniform were fastened crookedly.
"Xiao Wu? Do you know what time it is? Why are you here in the middle of the night?"
Xiao Wu squeezed through the gap and shoved Qin Chuan aside.
"Don't ask. Let me in."
He stumbled backward two steps, nearly stepping on his own slippers.
Xiao Wu swung the door shut behind her and flipped the latch, locking it.
Qin Chuan was wide awake now.
"You... What are you doing? Why'd you lock the door?"
Xiao Wu turned around. Her loose hair spilled over both shoulders in the dim light, and her pink gauzy dress shimmered faintly in the moonlight. Her face was hard to make out in the dark, but her big eyes were bright, reflecting the moonlight coming in through the window.
"I'm here to buy a membership," Xiao Wu said bluntly.
"What?" Qin Chuan looked completely baffled.
Xiao Wu was a fiercely competitive woman.
She'd already made up her mind. Ning Rongrong had kissed Qin Chuan and gotten ten experience points, enough to reach Bronze. The system had said that she could "unlock a new scene." Anything Ning Rongrong was too embarrassed to do, she, Xiao Wu, could do.
The Confidentiality Agreement only said she couldn't tell any men. It didn't say she couldn't do other things with the Shopkeeper.
Besides, the Crystal Ball had stated it plainly: the nicer she was to the Shopkeeper, the better her luck and the higher her odds of winning.
Xiao Wu silently psyched herself up. For the Ten Thousand Year Soul Ring! For Innate Full Soul Power! So I can become a Douluo as soon as possible!
I'm going all in!
"Brother Chuan." Xiao Wu took a step forward.
Qin Chuan instinctively stepped back.
"Brother Chuan, promise me something."
"What is it? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"
Xiao Wu took another step, leaving only half a meter between them. She lifted her head and stared into his eyes.
"Be my boyfriend."
Qin Chuan opened his mouth, closed it, then opened it again.
"It's not that..." He scratched the back of his head, confusion written all over his face. "What's going on today? Ning Rongrong just confessed to me this afternoon, and now you're doing it too? I'm just an ordinary person. What's so great about me?"
"Ning Rongrong confessed to you?" Xiao Wu froze for a moment, then turned down the corners of her mouth. "Hmph. She certainly didn't waste any time."
"Look, it'd be awful if you two started fighting over me..."
"We're not going to fight. We already agreed."
Qin Chuan said, "You agreed? Agreed on what?"
Realizing she'd nearly let something slip, Xiao Wu quickly clammed up.
"Nothing, nothing. Brother Chuan, just tell me—will you say yes?"
Qin Chuan sighed and leaned against the counter.
"Xiao Wu, hear me out. I'm an ordinary person. I don't have a Martial Soul or Soul Power, and I'm not even as strong as you. What kind of life could you have with me?"
"I'm not asking for anything."
"But... but I'm a man with nothing to my name. How could I dare hold back a beauty like you?"
"I'm not asking you to promise me anything, and I don't want you to give me anything." Xiao Wu stepped closer. "I just want you to nod."
"This..."
Xiao Wu had always been impatient. The more someone hesitated, the more impatient she became. Once she got worked up, she was prone to losing herself—and once she lost herself, she tended to act on impulse.
She took a deep breath.
"Second Soul Skill: Charm."
Buzz—A soft light radiated from Xiao Wu, and a pale pink glow enveloped the entire shop.
Qin Chuan's pupils dilated slightly.
He was an ordinary person with not a hint of Soul Power to resist it. Against him, Charm was practically one hundred percent effective.
Qin Chuan's gaze turned hazy, and his guard melted away.
Xiao Wu walked up to him and placed both hands on his shoulders. Through her palms, she could feel the warmth of his body, seeping through his rumpled gray-blue uniform.
"Brother Chuan." Xiao Wu's voice softened. "Am I not good enough? Not pretty enough? Look at me."
Qin Chuan lowered his head and looked at the face before him.
Her loose hair fell on either side, framing her clean, fair face. Her big, round eyes tilted slightly upward at the corners, and her lips were naturally pale pink, untouched by anything.
Under the influence of Charm, all the thoughts in Qin Chuan's mind—"I'm just an ordinary person, I'm not worthy," "I have nothing to my name"—were swept away by a warm, hazy feeling.
"You're beautiful," Qin Chuan said, his voice drifting. "I like you very much."
Xiao Wu's heart began to pound.
She knew it was Charm working, but the moment Qin Chuan said those words, her cheeks still warmed despite herself.
Xiao Wu took Qin Chuan's hand and led him toward the small room at the back of the shop.
The room wasn't big. It was where Qin Chuan usually slept.
A wooden bed stood against the wall. The blanket was folded somewhat haphazardly, and a small oil lamp sat by the head of the bed. The window was open a crack, and moonlight slanted inside, casting a silvery-white band across the floor.