With a thought from Lu Yingheng, the system panel appeared before his eyes.
The screen hovered in midair, its various items, permissions, and product categories neatly arranged.
Lu Yingheng swiped his fingertip, scrolling slowly through the system store's vast selection until he found the novel he was looking for-the one that had stabbed him in the heart countless times during his youth.
"System, you've spent so long reading novels on my phone. Have you ever read one called Dragon Raja?"
The white-haired little fluffball, who had been lying dejectedly on his lap, perked up at once.
"Dragon Raja? I haven't read it. Is it good? Host, host! I want to read it!"
Lu Yingheng fixed his gaze on a special item in the system store.
He had stumbled upon this set of Dragon Raja books while browsing the store for rare items. It was good "stuff."
Looking at the listed price, a sly, wicked smile slowly spread across his lips.
"Dragon Raja? Five thousand Emotion Points? What a bargain! I'll take it!"
The moment he made up his mind, the system panel flashed, and five thousand Emotion Points were deducted in an instant.
"Ding! 5,000 Emotion Points deducted. Remaining Emotion Points: 1.11 billion."
The next moment, the complete set of Dragon Raja books materialized out of thin air and landed in his palm. The pages were brand-new and carried a distinctive scent.
The system stood on tiptoe, settling securely on his shoulder. Her soft voice was full of curiosity.
"Host, what did you buy these books for?"
The wicked smile on Lu Yingheng's face hadn't faded in the slightest. He had already cooked up an evil plan.
"Why, to publish this cheerful, sunny, youth-filled coming-of-age power fantasy for everyone in New Eridu to read, of course! System, do you want to read it?"
Deliberately keeping a straight face, he made up a synopsis, doing his best to fool the unsuspecting system.
"This book is super sweet! The first one is mostly about a loser who can't win the girl he loves and gets saved by a cool senior girl!
"And he discovers that his good bro is actually a Dragon King who's been hiding his true power, just waiting to give a crooked smile!"
"The second one is about the love and hate between a cold, poker-faced senior and a quirky junior girl!
"It's packed with sweet moments! You definitely won't regret reading it!"
"The third one is about a runaway mafia princess eloping with a top American genius!
"They're both absolute powerhouses! You can't go wrong reading it!"
The innocent white-haired fluffball believed every word, her interest thoroughly piqued by his sales pitch.
"Host, host! I want to read it! Give it to me, quick!"
Time slipped quietly by. In a corner of the shop, a girl with long, snow-white hair, standing 1.6 meters tall, sat curled up, her pretty Lolita dress looking exceptionally beautiful.
She was visibly helpless and aggrieved, clutching a thick Dragon Raja book in both hands as she read it carefully, page by page.
The story had brutally shattered the sweet lies Lu Yingheng had spun...
The tragic endings and heartbreaking partings stabbed at her heart with every word, leaving her aggrieved, angry, and sad.
Just then, Lu Yingheng had finished using Fairy to upload every chapter of the first three Dragon Raja books in batches.
He walked slowly out of the back room, his back facing the white-haired girl sulking in the corner.
The girl, who had been stewing in anger, sprang to her feet and leaped lightly onto his shoulders, taking her usual seat.
Once settled securely, the 1.6-meter-tall girl grabbed his black hair on both sides with her little hands, tugging with all her resentment.
"Host! How dare you lie to me? If you'd trick me into reading a tearjerker today, you'll trick me into bed tomorrow!"
She questioned him indignantly, her eyes full of grievance.
"Didn't you say this was a sunny, uplifting, youth-filled power fantasy?
"Why did Chu Zihang kill Xia Mi?! You tricked me into getting stabbed in the heart on purpose, didn't you?"
"Hey, hey, hey!" Lu Yingheng's scalp tightened under her tugging, and he swayed from side to side, barely keeping his balance.
"Actually, the third book is the sweetest! Don't you know what it means for a mafia princess to elope with a top student?"
"Really?" Most of the system's anger vanished at once, though she was still skeptical. Without thinking, she tightened her grip and gave his hair a gentle backward tug.
That sudden pull was enough to make Lu Yingheng, who had been struggling to keep his balance, lose it completely. He fell toward the floor with the white-haired girl on his shoulders.
At that critical moment, Lu Yingheng reacted quickly, instinctively turning sideways and raising a hand to protect the system's head...
Softness pressed against softness, and a jolt shot through both their heads.
The system's eyes flew wide, her clear gaze full of shock as her fair cheeks turned bright red.
In her panic, she shrank from a girl into a snow-white fluffball no bigger than Lu Yingheng's palm. She lay on the floor, her white fur standing slightly on end.
"H-Host? How dare you kiss me?"
The sudden accident left Lu Yingheng completely stunned, his mind blank. He hurriedly said,
"If I told you it was an accident, would you believe me?"
"Ahhh! Host, you perverted lolicon!"
The little fluffball covered her face and screamed, both embarrassed and angry.
Lu Yingheng looked utterly wronged.
"Wait, what? When I kissed you just now, you were still girl-sized! How does that make me a lolicon, huh?!"
Lu Yingheng sighed as he looked at the little white-haired fluffball hiding in the corner, crouched on the floor and drawing circles.
"So are you going to read the third book or not? I told you, I guarantee it's 'sweet.'"
The system was sobbing, tears streaming down her face. "Boohoo... That was my first kiss... Do you know what a first kiss means to a girl?"
"I haven't even had a sweet romance yet... And now my first kiss has been stolen by you, you awful host...
"Waaah! It's all your fault, all your fault, all your fault! Host, you bastard!
"Damn perverted lolicon! I should have seen it when you adopted Vivian!"
Lu Yingheng touched his lips. "That was my first kiss too..."
Before he could finish, the little fluffball tossed a videotape at him.
"Host, cut the crap! Does your first kiss reset every day or something?"
"Never mind that Vivian kissed you when she was little-there was also that fox woman and that chicken-wing woman from before!"
"And now you still dare steal my first kiss? Host, you two-timing jerk!"
Lu Yingheng scratched his head. "Those aren't chicken wings, you know. Good thing she can't see you, or she'd definitely hang you up and whip you."
Lu Yingheng looked at his sulking system and set the third Dragon Raja book in front of her.
"I'll go buy you a cup of milk tea, extra sweet, with pearls. How about it?"
The system snorted, then quickly turned around and motioned for him to hurry off with her eyes.