See You Tomorrow

[Option One: The Cold Rejection Route]

"Look at Su Nianxue expressionlessly and say coldly: 'I don't need friends. Only the weak need friends, and I don't need the weak.' Then leave without looking back, leaving her to cry alone where she stands."

"Reward: mental secret art Ice Heart Art. This secret art allows the host to maintain an absolutely calm state of mind under any circumstances, unaffected by external influences or swayed by emotions. Mental power cultivation speed increases by thirty percent."

"Note: The aloof male protagonist script—take it, no need to thank me. Of course, the price is that this little girl named Su Nianxue will cry all night, but who cares? Women only slow down the speed at which you draw your gun."

[Option Two: The Greasy Scumbag Route]

"Put on a smile you think is handsome and say to Su Nianxue: 'Friends? Of course. But being this young master's friend isn't that easy. Why don't you call me Brother Hanche and let me hear it?'"

"Reward: movement technique Roaming Dragon Step. This technique is agile and graceful. When used, it is like a roaming dragon playing in water, granting an absolute speed advantage in battles against opponents of the same level."

"Note: Learning to be a player at six years old? This system salutes you as a real man. But seriously, with your current looks and build, saying something like that will only make people think you deserve a beating. Consider carefully."

[Option Three: The Oblivious Straight Guy Route]

"Scratch your head and say somewhat awkwardly: 'Being friends is fine, but I don't have money to treat you to meals, and I don't have money to buy you gifts either. If you don't mind... then sure.'"

"Reward: Initial Body-Tempering Auxiliary Potion Formula. Used alongside the Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art, it can significantly improve body-tempering efficiency and lessen the pain of cultivation. The ingredients are moderately priced at most, and the host's current financial resources can fully afford them."

"Note: Being single through sheer ability is also a kind of talent. Still, at least this sounds more human than the first two options."

Li Hanche looked at the three options and felt his head ache.

It was not that he could not choose option one, but there was no need to.

Su Nianxue had not offended him. He was not enough of a bastard to make a little girl cry for no reason. Besides, although the Ice Heart Art was good, with the system in hand, he might obtain an even better mental secret art in the future.

The line, "Why don't you call me Brother Hanche and let me hear it?" nearly made him throw up last night's dinner.

A six-year-old brat saying something like that was not being a player. That was asking to be smacked.

If he really dared say it, news of "Li Hanche started flirting with female classmates at six years old" would spread throughout Heaven Dou City by tomorrow. Even the way Xue Qinghe looked at him would probably become strange.

Absolutely not.

Option three... its reward was a body-tempering potion formula, exactly what he needed to assist his cultivation of the Nine-Turn Tyrant Body Art.

This was what he needed most right now. He would start getting whipped to temper his body when he returned tonight. With this formula, he could suffer much less.

As for that painfully oblivious response... and the head-scratching...

Forget it.

It was better than being a cold pervert or a greasy player.

Li Hanche raised a hand and stiffly scratched the back of his head.

He really was a little embarrassed—not because of Su Nianxue, but because what he was about to say was simply too stupid.

"Being friends is fine."

He spoke with a touch of hesitation and awkwardness, as if he was not used to being approached first.

Su Nianxue's eyes lit up.

"But I don't have money to treat you to meals, and I don't have money to buy you gifts."

"If you don't mind... then sure."

After saying that, he turned his face slightly away. The tips of his ears flushed faintly red. This time, it was not an act—he had genuinely embarrassed himself with his own stupidity.

The classroom fell quiet for a moment.

Then someone laughed.

Su Nianxue was stunned for a moment too, then she laughed.

It was not a polite, perfunctory smile. Her eyes curved into crescents, and two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks as she smiled with wholehearted sincerity.

"I don't need you to treat me to meals, and I don't need you to buy me gifts."

She tilted her head, and the little bells on her twin ponytails gave a crisp jingle.

"I just thought what you said on the podium today was especially, especially amazing. I've never seen anyone dare to speak like that."

Her bright eyes held all the sincerity a six-year-old child could possess.

"So I want to be friends with you. Is that okay?"

Li Hanche looked at her and fell silent for a breath.

Then he nodded.

"Okay."

Su Nianxue's face reddened again, and this time her smile became even brighter.

"Then, then let's go shopping now! I know there's a street behind the academy with lots and lots of delicious food. I'll take you there! I'll treat you! You don't have to spend any money!"

As she spoke, she reached for Li Hanche's hand.

Li Hanche instinctively stepped half a pace back. But when he saw her sparkling eyes and slightly pursed lips, his feet stopped again.

Forget it.

It was just a stroll.

"Ding! Congratulations, host, for completing option three. The reward [Initial Body-Tempering Auxiliary Potion Formula] has been issued. Please inspect it yourself."

The system prompt rang in his mind, carrying the relieved satisfaction of at least you still have some humanity.

A phantom prescription sheet glowing with faint green light appeared in his mind. It was densely covered with the names and proportions of more than a dozen medicinal ingredients, along with the brewing method and required heat.

Li Hanche glanced over it and silently memorized it.

Then Su Nianxue tugged him by the sleeve and led him out of the classroom.

There really was a bustling street behind Heaven Dou Imperial Junior Academy.

All kinds of stalls lined both sides of the street—candied hawthorn sellers, grilled flatbread sellers, vendors selling little trinkets. Everything was there.

The vendors' cries rose and fell, while the scents of food mingled in the air, making people swallow uncontrollably.

Su Nianxue seemed to have returned to her home turf. She pulled Li Hanche from one end of the street to the other, buying him a skewer of candied hawthorn, two pieces of osmanthus cake, a bag of roasted chestnuts, and even insisting on buying him a little wooden gun charm, saying, "This looks just like your gun martial soul."

Li Hanche passively accepted everything the entire way. The things in his hands piled up higher and higher, and his expression grew more and more helpless.

But he did not refuse.

It was not because he was too embarrassed to refuse. Rather, every time Su Nianxue handed him something, she looked at him cautiously, as though afraid he would say, "I don't want it."

He accepted every single thing.

Then silently noted down the prices.

He would pay her back later.

After wandering for nearly an hour, the sky gradually darkened, and the lanterns along both sides of the street lit up.

Su Nianxue looked at the sky and stopped reluctantly.

"I should go home. If I don't go back soon, my mother will scold me."

She turned to Li Hanche, hesitated for a moment, then asked softly.

"Will... will you still come to school tomorrow?"

The question caught Li Hanche off guard.

"Of course I will."

"That's good."

Su Nianxue smiled, waved at him, and turned to run toward the street corner. After running a few steps, she turned back and shouted at him.

"Li Hanche! See you tomorrow!"

Then her figure disappeared around the corner.

Li Hanche stood in the twilight, holding a pile of food in his hands as he watched her leave.

Then he lowered his head, looked at the candied hawthorn skewer in his hand, and bit into one.

Sweet and sour.

Not bad.

He turned and headed toward the villa.