Xiao Wu's Five Chances

Zhu Zhuqing's voice came from the darkness, laced with vigilance.

"It's me, Xiao Wu."

"Where did you go?"

"To the bathroom." Xiao Wu made up an excuse, kicked off her cloth shoes, climbed into bed, and pulled the quilt up to her chin.

Zhu Zhuqing didn't ask again and turned over.

Ning Rongrong and Bai Chenxiang were both asleep, making no sound.

Xiao Wu lay in the dark, her fingers tracing the Pink Rabbit Pendant under her pillow, unable to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

She was a Silver Member now, while Ning Rongrong was still only Bronze; Xiao Wu laughed silently under her covers for a good while.

But she couldn't tell her roommates about this. If Ning Rongrong found out how she had leveled up to Silver, there would be hell to pay.

Xiao Wu clutched the rabbit pendant in her palm, turned over, and slowly closed her eyes.

Her body still felt a bit sore, but her heart was warm, and she slept exceptionally well that night.

At seven-thirty the next morning, the alarm went off.

Xiao Wu was the first to wake up—or more accurately, she had been so excited that she was already awake, just waiting for the alarm.

She sat up in bed and stretched. The soreness in her body had lessened quite a bit, though her lower back still felt a little stiff.

"Morning," Xiao Wu greeted her roommates with a grin.

Ning Rongrong sat up from her covers, yawning, and squinted at Xiao Wu. "You're in a good mood today."

"Really? Maybe I just slept well last night."

Xiao Wu said this aloud while snickering to herself.

Zhu Zhuqing was already up and changing. She took her black leather jacket off the hanger, pulled it on, zipped it to the right spot, and stepped into her black ankle boots.

In the corner, Bai Chenxiang was quietly tying her hair into two low ponytails. She changed into light, casual clothes, pulled on a pair of gray stockings, and stepped into low-heeled shoes.

After the four of them finished washing up, they went to the cafeteria for breakfast together.

While eating, Xiao Wu kept stuffing buns into her mouth until her cheeks were puffed out like a hamster's.

Ning Rongrong watched her from across the table, feeling a bit puzzled. "Why are you eating so much today?"

"Hungry," Xiao Wu mumbled, her mouth still full of half a meat bun.

Zhu Zhuqing lowered her head to drink her porridge, saying nothing.

Bai Chenxiang ate her steamed bun in small, delicate bites.

After breakfast, the four of them followed yesterday's agreement and headed to the Claw Machine Shop.

Today was the first day Zhu Zhuqing and Bai Chenxiang were helping with the chores.

When they reached the shop entrance, Qin Chuan had already opened the doors and was sitting behind the counter, lost in thought.

Seeing the four girls arrive, Qin Chuan stood up.

His gaze swept over the four of them, lingering for a moment on Xiao Wu's face.

Xiao Wu waved at him with a grin. "Brother Chuan, morning!"

Qin Chuan's mouth moved as if to say something, but he swallowed it back.

When he woke up this morning, his brain had felt like mush. He vaguely remembered something happening last night, but the specific details were hazy, like a dream.

There were some traces left on the bed, and a dried, dark red mark on the sheet.

Qin Chuan had stared at that mark for a long time before slowly recalling a few fragments.

He remembered someone knocking, remembered Xiao Wu coming in, and remembered her saying something. The memories that followed became intermittent, as if separated by a veil, leaving behind only scattered sensations.

The feeling of warmth, softness, and being pressed tightly together.

And the creaking sound of the wooden bed.

Qin Chuan rubbed his nose, his heart skipping a beat.

Was it real or fake? Did Xiao Wu really come, or was he dreaming?

He secretly sized up the grinning girl in front of him. Xiao Wu was wearing the same pink gauze dress as yesterday, her scorpion braid looking neat and spirited. There was nothing unusual about her face; she laughed and joked as usual, showing no flaws at all.

"Brother Chuan, what are you looking at?" Xiao Wu tilted her head.

"Nothing, nothing at all." Qin Chuan quickly withdrew his gaze.

Forget it, it must have been a dream.

Zhu Zhuqing had already grabbed a rag and started wiping down the claw machines. She worked efficiently, taking only two minutes to wipe a machine from top to bottom. Bai Chenxiang took a broom and began sweeping, her movements gentle, barely kicking up any dust.

Ning Rongrong grabbed a new rag to wipe the counter.

Xiao Wu helped tidy up the room.

Ning Rongrong gave her a suspicious look but didn't ask any questions.

As Zhu Zhuqing finished wiping the sixth claw machine and straightened her back, a notification sound rang out in her mind.

Congratulations, player Zhu Zhuqing! Helped the shopkeeper with chores, Member EXP +5, Ordinary Member, current EXP 5/10. Today's check-in task completed, please return tomorrow.

Zhu Zhuqing's fingers tightened around the rag.

Everything Ning Rongrong said was true; doing chores really did increase EXP.

Bai Chenxiang received the same notification.

Congratulations, player Bai Chenxiang! Helped the shopkeeper with chores, Member EXP +5, Ordinary Member, current EXP 5/10. Today's check-in task completed, please return tomorrow.

The group exchanged glances, saying nothing, but the meaning in their eyes was clear.

It worked.

However, Ning Rongrong noticed a detail: yesterday, cleaning had granted +5 Member EXP, but today it only granted +2.

For the same task, doing it a second time caused the EXP to decay.

The four of them took turns finishing the chores while Qin Chuan watched from the side, looking flattered.

"You all are too kind. Is my little run-down shop really worth all this effort to clean?"

"It is, it is," the four replied in unison.

Qin Chuan felt a bit embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.

After finishing the cleaning, the four of them each received a system notification.

Zhu Zhuqing's EXP increased by 5 points, as did Bai Chenxiang's, and Xiao Wu's increased by 5, bringing her to 80/100.

Only Ning Rongrong had only gained 2 points.

Ning Rongrong put the rag back into the bucket and washed her hands. She didn't say anything aloud, but she was muttering to herself. Yesterday, cleaning had granted 5 points, but today it was only 2. Sure enough, repeating the same chores caused the EXP to decay.

This meant that relying solely on wiping tables and sweeping floors would eventually become a dead end.

To level up quickly, she would have to take the unconventional path of "gaining the shopkeeper's favor."

Ning Rongrong snuck a glance at Qin Chuan behind the counter. He was looking down, organizing items, his gray-blue work shirt sleeves rolled up to reveal his forearms.

She glanced at Xiao Wu next to her.

Xiao Wu was in unusually high spirits today; she had been cheerful since morning, practically walking with a spring in her step.

Ning Rongrong felt something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Alright, cleaning's done, let's start playing the Claw Machine!" Xiao Wu clapped her hands and was the first to rush to the counter.

She took out a Gold Soul Coin and pressed it against the crystal ball. The coin was absorbed, and the crystal ball spat out five bronze Game Coins at the bottom.

Five.

Zhu Zhuqing was passing by and paused when she saw the number of coins that had rolled out.

"Huh, Xiao Wu, how come you get five tries?"

Xiao Wu scooped up the five Game Coins, rattled them in her palm, and looked innocent.

"I don't know. Maybe I'm just lucky? Did the crystal ball give me extra?"

With Qin Chuan and Zhu Zhuqing right there, it wasn't something she could press on.

Xiao Wu didn't give her a chance to ask anyway; she grabbed the Game Coins and ran to the first machine in the ordinary section.

"I'm first, I'm first!" Xiao Wu inserted the first Game Coin, and the joystick popped out.

She gripped the stick and shoved it hard, sending the claw flying to the far right, where it hit the glass wall and bounced back.

"Not this one, not this one." Xiao Wu muttered as she adjusted the direction, aiming for a small purple bear.

She pressed the button.

The mechanical claw descended, its three iron fingers closing and catching the bear by the ear.

It lifted it up—two centimeters.

Clack. It slipped.

"Ah!" Xiao Wu stomped her foot.

Second coin. She changed targets, aiming for a Yellow Duck.

The claw grabbed the duck by the head, lifted it, and wobbled toward the exit.

Halfway there, the duck spun around and slipped right through the iron fingers.

Xiao Wu's face crumpled.

Third coin. Still the same Yellow Duck.

She lined it up and pressed the button. The claw descended, but it was off-center.

It didn't even touch it.

Fourth coin, missed.

Fifth coin, missed.

Xiao Wu had missed all five times. She stood in front of the Claw Machine empty-handed, looking as if her soul had been drained away.

"How could this be..."

Ning Rongrong walked over and patted her on the shoulder. "It's okay, it's okay, just a normal performance. My turn."

Ning Rongrong took out a Gold Soul Coin and exchanged it for 4 Game Coins. She walked to the second machine in the regular section and aimed at a small green frog.

The first coin: she grabbed it, but it dropped halfway.

The second coin: she didn't grab it at all.

The third coin: she grabbed it, but as it reached the top of the chute, it shook violently and fell back in.

Ning Rongrong stared at the little frog that had fallen back into the pile of dolls and took a deep breath.

The fourth coin: the final attempt.

She closed her eyes, silently chanted "must win" twice in her heart, then opened her eyes and pushed the joystick.

The mechanical claw moved to a position slightly to the left above the little frog.

She pressed the button, the claw descended, and the iron fingers opened and closed.

It caught the frog by its hind leg and lifted it up.

The frog spun half a circle in mid-air, and its hind leg slipped slightly from between the iron fingers.

Ning Rongrong's hand gripped the joystick, her body leaning forward against the glass.

The claw moved to the top of the chute and released.

The frog fell, hit the edge of the chute, and bounced.

It didn't go in; it flipped over and landed back inside the glass cabinet.

Ning Rongrong's shoulders slumped.

"Four misses in a row."

Zhu Zhuqing's luck wasn't any better.

She walked to the third machine in the regular section with a cold expression, pushing the joystick with a steady hand. Her hand-eye coordination was the best among the four, and her precision was far superior to the others.

But precision was one thing; whether the mechanical claw let go or not was out of her control.

The first coin: she grabbed it, lifted it to the highest point, and it dropped.

The second coin: she grabbed it, moved it two-thirds of the way, and it dropped.

The third coin: precise alignment, perfect grab, moved all the way to the top of the chute, and released.

The doll fell, clipped the edge of the chute, did a somersault, and bounced back into the cabinet.

The corner of Zhu Zhuqing's mouth twitched.

She turned around, walked to the side, and leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, saying nothing. But her eyes were fixed on the Claw Machine, filled with unwillingness.

All three of them had been wiped out.

Xiao Wu missed five times, Ning Rongrong four times, and Zhu Zhuqing three times.

Bai Chenxiang was the last one to step up.

She walked to the machine in the middle of the regular section and looked down at the dolls inside.

The dolls in the machine today were different from yesterday.

Qin Chuan had said that they would automatically restock every morning. The little black cat that Zhu Zhuqing had caught yesterday was gone, replaced by a Blue Swallow doll, its velvet wings spread wide, two black bean eyes stitched onto its round head.

Bai Chenxiang stared at the Blue Swallow for several seconds.

She inserted her first Game Coin and gripped the joystick with both hands.

Her fingers were trembling slightly.

Bai Chenxiang had a quiet personality and did everything at a slower pace. She moved the joystick very slowly, shifting the claw back and forth over the doll three or four times before finding a position she was satisfied with.

She pressed the button, the mechanical claw descended, and the iron fingers opened, catching perfectly between the Blue Swallow's wing base and its body.

It closed, grabbed it, and lifted it up.

Steady, no swaying.

It reached the top of the chute.

Release.

The Blue Swallow fell straight down.

Thump.

The lights at the bottom lit up with a ding-dong sound.

"You got it!"

Xiao Wu was the first to shriek, rushing over to hug Bai Chenxiang's arm.

"Chenxiang, you're amazing! You're the only one who won!"

Bai Chenxiang crouched down and pulled the Blue Swallow out from the retrieval slot. It was the size of a palm, and its velvet wings felt soft to the touch.

The moment she held Little Swallow in her palm, a voice transmission flooded her mind.

Bai Chenxiang's body stiffened slightly.

She lowered her head, her long eyelashes veiling the emotions in her eyes.

Qin Chuan clapped his hands twice from behind the counter.

"Congratulations, congratulations, student Bai Chenxiang has caught a doll. Honestly, I truly hope you all win every time."

"That's for sure, Brother Chuan is such a good person," Xiao Wu chimed in with a grin.

Ning Rongrong nodded along as well, though she didn't say a word about the prize.

Zhu Zhuqing remained leaning against the wall, her gaze sweeping over Bai Chenxiang's hand before pulling back.

Qin Chuan noticed that Bai Chenxiang's expression was a bit odd, as if she were lost in thought. But he didn't dwell on it; it was normal to be happy for a few seconds after winning a doll.

"Brother Chuan, we're heading back to the academy, we'll come play again next time," Xiao Wu said.

"You got it!"

Qin Chuan watched the four of them walk out the door and did some mental math. He had brought in 8 silver soul coins today, and adding that to yesterday's earnings, he already had over a dozen in his pocket.

Qin Chuan stood up, walked over to the small mirror on the wall, and looked at his own rumpled, gray-blue work uniform.

"This won't do, I need to go out and get some decent clothes. I'm a shopkeeper, after all; dressing like this is just too shabby."

He tucked the silver coins away, planning to head over to the clothing store at the end of West Street once he closed up shop in the afternoon.