Only Cowards Stay Single!

"Last question."

Shen Lang cleared his throat and awkwardly rubbed his nose. "So, if someone's Favorability maxes out, does that mean it can be like those games?"

"Whenever the Favorability of anyone the host interacts with reaches 100, their final attitude will depend on the host's choice."

The system gave an ambiguous answer, but the implication was obvious.

"Oh, oh..."

Shen Lang awkwardly rubbed his nose, feeling that he had asked a rather childish question.

If someone of the opposite sex had maxed-out Favorability toward you but still wasn't willing to play some adult games with you...

Then either she was a lesbian, she was your relative, or there was something wrong with her body.

He checked the time. It was already nearly six.

Shen Lang took his phone and keys, planning to head downstairs and wander around nearby for dinner, get familiar with the area, and see if he could find someone to socialize with and earn a little extra cash.

This residential complex was rather remote. Following his navigation app, Shen Lang wandered around for a while before finding a snack street full of everyday local bustle, lined with vendors shouting to hawk their wares.

After casually having a bowl of fried rice, Shen Lang headed toward a vendor selling sugar-roasted chestnuts, intending to buy some to snack on while gaming that night.

This was the daily life of most single people. They had no real demands when it came to three meals a day.

At home, they ate whatever their parents cooked. Outside, if they had money, they ate something nice; if not, they just made do. They were especially easy to feed.

The chestnut seller was a dark-skinned middle-aged man, vigorously stir-frying the fragrant chestnuts.

Shen Lang stepped forward and struck up a conversation. "Boss, how much are the chestnuts?"

"Twenty yuan a pound. They were picked not long ago. Want some, young man?"

The man enthusiastically peeled a steaming chestnut and handed it to Shen Lang. "Here, young man, have a taste. They're really good."

A little embarrassed, Shen Lang accepted it and popped it into his mouth.

It really did taste good, so Shen Lang nodded. "Then give me twenty yuan's worth."

Actually, even if the chestnuts had tasted bad, Shen Lang would have been too embarrassed to turn down the owner's enthusiasm and would still have bought some to take home.

A lot of socially anxious introverts were like that.

As long as vendors were a little warm and friendly to them, they couldn't bear to reject that friendliness, and would foolishly buy things they weren't particularly satisfied with.

"Alright. We've got sweet, salty, and original flavor. Which one do you want?"

"Salty."

"Sure, I'll bag them up for you."

The owner put down his spatula with a cheerful smile and began bagging chestnuts for Shen Lang.

Ding! The owner's Favorability toward the host has increased by 1 point. Current Favorability: 1 point. Keep up the good work!

Following the system prompt, Shen Lang noticed that there was also a heart above the owner's head.

Only, this heart was blue, and his Favorability was just 1 point.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Lang decisively said, "Boss, give me another twenty yuan's worth of the original flavor too."

"Oh, alright, alright."

The owner smiled in surprise and began bagging original-flavor chestnuts for Shen Lang as well.

His Favorability toward Shen Lang rose by another point.

Only then did Shen Lang understand that it wasn't necessary to rely solely on smooth talk to increase someone's Favorability toward him.

Like this vendor in front of him—if you bought more of his chestnuts and let him make more money, his Favorability toward you could increase too.

"Forty yuan total. Just scan here."

"Okay, sent."

Shen Lang smiled without a care. Spending forty yuan to earn twenty thousand yuan was an incredible bargain!

"Young man, buying so much—you must be taking them back to eat with your girlfriend, right?"

The owner handed Shen Lang the two bags of chestnuts and teased him with a smile. "Ah, I really envy you young people these days. No worries at all."

"Haha..."

Shen Lang accepted the steaming chestnuts with an awkward laugh.

What was with this old guy? I supported your business, and you still had to take a shot at me?

So I can't eat forty yuan's worth of chestnuts by myself?!

"Boss, how much are your chestnuts?"

At that moment, Shen Lang's eyes suddenly lit up.

A slender, exquisitely pretty girl skipped over to Shen Lang's side with lively steps, greeting the owner with a bright smile.

She had a lovely oval face, fair skin, delicate features, and especially a cherry-like little mouth, its pale pink lips soft and alluring.

Even the baggy school uniform she wore could not hide her beautiful figure. Every inch of her radiated youthful girlish charm.

Thump, thump...

Shen Lang felt his heart pounding fiercely as he nervously shifted a step to the side.

This was not the bashfulness of love at first sight. Most socially anxious people were simply like this.

When a girl approached them—especially one their own age, particularly a cheerful and sunny girl—they would instinctively react with rejection.

They looked aloof and disdainful on the surface, but inside, they were nervous beyond belief.

It was like a Goblin living a dark life in a cave encountering a radiant Female Elf outside.

He longed to speak with her, yet worried that his ugly appearance would make the Female Elf despise him.

Shen Lang was now that Goblin, secretly sizing up this sunny, cheerful Female Elf from the corner of his eye.

Unfortunately, the Female Elf paid no attention to Shen Lang beside her. She was chatting enthusiastically with the owner, seemingly hesitating over which flavor of chestnuts to buy.

Shen Lang turned to leave, then secretly glanced at the beautiful Female Elf once more from the corner of his eye.

She was truly beautiful. Her temperament was sunny, cheerful, and sweet, and every smile and frown made the corners of Shen Lang's lips rise unconsciously.

In that instant, Shen Lang, who excelled at wild flights of fancy, began imagining all kinds of ambiguous encounters with this girl.

It was a sad skill possessed by most socially anxious, introverted single people.

They could always imagine a beautiful girl shopping with them, gaming with them, and strolling down the streets with them.

But in reality, where were there any sweet encounters?

It was nothing more than one grand fantasy after another, born from their dissatisfaction with their own lives!

Once the dream ended and they returned to being ordinary, they would suddenly realize that so-called youth was actually nothing at all!

As he walked home, Shen Lang began to regret it.

He had clearly already bound the system, yet he had still not dared to strike up a conversation with that girl.

If this were an urban webnovel, then a cowardly protagonist like him would definitely get cursed out by the readers, wouldn't he?

As long as he had opened his mouth and found a way to start chatting, the system's function would have activated. Even if he was terrible with words, the system would have had his back.

Unfortunately, Shen Lang had still chickened out. Years of living as an Otaku had left him too afraid to even start a conversation with a girl.

It really was just like that saying online: handsome people have partners, ugly people have partners—only cowards stay single!

Shen Lang silently swore to himself, If heaven gives me another chance, I'll definitely go up to her, strike up a conversation, and ask for her contact information!

Just then, Shen Lang suddenly heard a burst of cheerful girlish laughter behind him.