It was simply that Ning Rongrong had refused to run, and Dean Flender had given her a tongue-lashing.
Then the young girl had run out, looking miserable, and wandered around the shopping district to clear her head.
In the original story, Ning Rongrong had it pretty rough.
She was the cherished daughter of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect.
But when she came to Shrek Academy,
they branded her a spoiled princess, psychologically manipulated her, and ground down her sharp edges until she became as docile and obedient as a pet, losing her own personality.
"Ning Rongrong's a rich young lady. She's got money!"
"Maybe if she buys a Mission Card from me and gets some rewards and opportunities, she won't go back to that impoverished academy to suffer!"
Li Haiyun thought to himself.
"Miss, a Mission Card costs ten thousand Gold Soul Coins. Do you have that kind of money?"
Li Haiyun asked warmly.
"Of course I do!"
"Boss, give me one Mission Card to start!"
Ning Rongrong declared boldly.
Then,
she slapped ten thousand Gold Soul Coins onto the counter.
Although Solio had obtained a Spirit Bone,
Ning Rongrong still wanted to buy just one Mission Card first and test the waters.
The customers nearby stared in surprise.
They hadn't expected this young girl to be so wealthy, tossing out ten thousand Gold Soul Coins in one go!
These old men couldn't even scrape together a hundred Gold Soul Coins!
It was enough to make a man sick with envy.
Li Haiyun lightly tapped the pile of Gold Soul Coins with his long fingers and had the system count them.
Once he'd confirmed the amount was correct,
Li Haiyun took a Crimson Gold Mission Card from the System Storage Space.
"Miss!"
"Send a wisp of Soul Power into the Mission Card, then follow the instructions to complete the quest and claim your reward!"
Shopkeeper Li Haiyun reminded her.
"I know!"
Ning Rongrong stuck out her tongue and said.
Then,
Ning Rongrong lightly waved her fair hand and sent a wisp of Soul Power into the Mission Card.
Chapter 3: Black Grade Quest: A Thirty-Breath Hug?
The next moment,
black light flashed across the Crimson Gold Mission Card, and several lines of black text appeared on it.
Quest Grade: [Black Grade] Quest Details: [Hug shopkeeper Li Haiyun in public for thirty breaths!] Quest Type: [Public] Quest Reward: [Martial Soul evolution: the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda evolves into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!] Quest Rating: [A rating will be given based on how well the quest is completed.] Notes: [Quest ratings are divided into A, S, SS, and SSS! An SSS rating will grant an additional reward!]
Reading the words on the Mission Card,
Ning Rongrong froze.
At the thought of having to hug shopkeeper Li Haiyun in public for thirty breaths,
Ning Rongrong, who had never been intimate with a man, panicked, and two clouds of red rose across her pretty cheeks!
But
the quest reward was simply too incredible!
The Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda evolving into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!
And an SSS rating would bring an additional reward!
Ning Rongrong had never even dared to dream of such a thing!
The reward was tempting her badly.
Shopkeeper Li Haiyun naturally knew what the Mission Card said.
"Hm? A Black Grade Mission Card, and it even has an additional rating reward. Not bad!"
"But the quest details actually say I have to let her hug me for thirty breaths?!"
"How embarrassing..."
"And the reward is so generous—the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda evolving into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda!!"
"If Ning Rongrong's father, Ning Fengzhi, found out, he'd probably laugh himself to death in his sleep!"
Li Haiyun thought to himself.
However, in front of everyone, Li Haiyun still pretended not to know.
"How is it, miss?"
"I saw the Mission Card flash with black light just now. You must have received a Black Grade quest!"
"Black Grade rewards are much better than Purple rewards!"
Li Haiyun said.
The customers nearby perked up at his words.
"What? It's a Black Grade quest? Even better than that Spirit Bone quest with the Purple Grade reward!"
"Whoa, this young lady's so lucky. I wonder what her reward is. I'm dying to know!"
"Still, a Black Grade quest must be hard to complete, right?"
"..."
The customers nearby whispered to each other, leaning in to talk.
"Y-yes, that's right. My quest is Black Grade!"
"And the reward's really good. It's so tempting!"
"But I'm not sure... can a reward this generous really come true?"
Ning Rongrong asked, hesitating.
After all, hugging Li Haiyun in public was unbearably embarrassing.
From the time she was little, Ning Rongrong had been pure and chaste; she'd never even let a man touch her hand.
"Don't worry!"
"Whatever the reward is, it will come true!"
"I'll stake my life on it!"
"If you complete the quest and don't receive your reward, you can take my life whenever you want!"
Li Haiyun patted his chest and promised.
After hearing him, Ning Rongrong carefully sized up shopkeeper Li Haiyun.
Looking closely, Ning Rongrong thought the boss was quite handsome, with sharp features, a well-defined face, and flawless skin.
Especially those deep, pool-like eyes of his—they were beautiful and captivating!
Compared to the ugly men at Shrek Academy—Tang San, Dai Mubai, Oscar, Hongjun, Zhao Wuji, Flender, Li Yusong, Lu Qibin, and Shao Xin—
Boss Li Haiyun was much more handsome.
Thinking it over, Ning Rongrong felt that hugging a handsome man might not be such a bad deal.
And if she really could turn the Seven Treasures Glazed Pagoda into the Eight Treasures Glazed Pagoda, she'd be making a killing!
As for the rating, Ning Rongrong ignored it.
An SSS rating obviously sounded difficult. The young girl wanted to test whether the Mission Card was genuine first.
Once she'd made up her mind,
Ning Rongrong said, "Boss, my quest is to hug you for thirty breaths. Please cooperate with me!"
After she spoke, a deeper blush spread across Ning Rongrong's pretty face, and even the tips of her ears turned red.
The customers nearby stared at the scene, dumbfounded and disbelieving.
"Did I hear that right? What kind of bizarre quest is this? It wants this pretty, rich young lady to hug... that handsome shopkeeper!"
"Hm!! Could this boss be using Mission Cards as an excuse to grope young girls?"
"Not necessarily. Didn't the eldest son of the City Lord's Mansion shout 'I'm a bastard' three times and get a Spirit Bone?"
"The quest's a little strange, but if the reward's generous, that's what matters!"
"..."
The customers nearby chatted excitedly.
Although Li Haiyun already knew what Ning Rongrong's quest was,
he still pretended to be in the dark and acted surprised for a moment.
A moment later,
"Miss, since your quest is to hug me for thirty breaths,
I'll cooperate and help you complete it!"
"You're my customer, after all. Customers are angels, and I respect angels!"
"Besides, you're so pretty. Forget thirty breaths—you could hug me for three days and three nights!"
Li Haiyun joked, trying to lighten the mood.
"Boss, you're so funny!"
"Then I'm going to hug you!"
Ning Rongrong said.
Since Li Haiyun had given her an easy way out, Ning Rongrong wasn't nearly as shy as before.
Then,
Li Haiyun walked out from behind the counter.
Ning Rongrong took a few steps toward him.
The onlooking customers were considerate enough to clear some space, watching the handsome man and beautiful girl with interest.
When Li Haiyun stood in front of Ning Rongrong,
she realized just how tall the boss was. He wasn't only handsome; he also made her feel safe. He seemed reliable!
Hug!
Without hesitation.