“Shen Xue, wasn’t that restaurant delicious?”
Exiting a restaurant, Luo Qiu Zhu asked Lin Shen Xue with a cheerful smile.
Lin Shen Xue smiled back, her expression tinged with delight.
“Yeah, it was great. As expected of a place Xu Lin likes.”
Luo Qiu Zhu’s smile froze, but she quickly forced it back.
“Right.”
In truth, it was a place Luo Qiu Zhu liked, but to steer Lin Shen Xue away, she had to lie.
Having to use that guy’s name to avoid him was infuriating.
Luo Qiu Zhu seethed inwardly.
She glanced at Lin Shen Xue, who was once again engrossed in her phone, her face radiating happiness.
“Did he reply?”
Luo Qiu Zhu’s chest tightened, but she couldn’t help asking.
“No.”
Lin Shen Xue’s voice carried a smile, unfazed.
That jerk!
Luo Qiu Zhu recalled Xu Lin with the school’s “Witch” and, seeing her best friend like this, burned with anger.
No, I need to distract Shen Xue.
She turned to speak, but noticed Lin Shen Xue staring at her phone, dazed.
That expression, that state…
Luo Qiu Zhu’s heart sank.
Is the moment finally here?
Block and delete.
How dare that guy!
But maybe it was for the best—Shen Xue could escape her misery sooner.
Still…
“Shen Xue, what’s wrong?”
Luo Qiu Zhu asked cautiously.
“Xu Lin replied!”
Lin Shen Xue’s smile bloomed again.
“And he asked to meet up soon.”
This time, it was Luo Qiu Zhu’s expression that stiffened.
That guy! Flirting with one woman, then turning around to chase Shen Xue!
Luo Qiu Zhu was livid, but she forced a smile.
“That’s… great. Haha, Shen Xue, want me to tag along and keep an eye on him?”
Lin Shen Xue’s cheeks flushed slightly.
“Come on, I’m joking. I’d just ruin things. To guys, I’m your gatekeeper—they’re terrified of me.”
“No way, Qiu Zhu, you’ve helped me so much.”
…
Watching Lin Shen Xue’s retreating figure, a heavy weight of frustration pressed on Luo Qiu Zhu’s chest.
She wanted to save Shen Xue but couldn’t muster the resolve.
She hadn’t found the perfect solution yet.
But for now…
When Lin Shen Xue was far enough but still in sight, Luo Qiu Zhu quietly followed.
※
Xu Lin arrived early at the park where he’d agreed to meet Lin Shen Xue.
He stood by a stone table.
“As expected, Li Zhi Ran is the scariest!”
Only after leaving her side did Xu Lin realize he’d fallen for her trick again.
The [Electrowave] status had just faded.
No wonder he’d boldly spouted such embarrassing things at KFC.
And he’d been swept up by her, leading to this meeting with Lin Shen Xue.
The issue remained: Lin Shen Xue’s threat was overt, while Li Zhi Ran’s was subtle and insidious, impossible to guard against.
“But since I’ve done it, I can’t back out now.”
Though rushed, Xu Lin agreed he’d have to face Lin Shen Xue eventually.
Besides, having asked her out, ghosting her now could lead to unpredictable consequences.
“Let’s check the surroundings again.”
He glanced at a nearby vending machine.
It was fully stocked, including the brand of mineral water Lin Shen Xue had given him.
“Plenty of supplies.”
He scanned the area.
Surrounded by trees—some towering, others waist-high shrubs—it was quiet and secluded, with no one else around.
“Perfect. If anything goes wrong, it won’t affect bystanders.”
What he was about to do carried risks, and Xu Lin didn’t want to cause a scene.
On the way to the park, he’d already made a plan.
He had three main goals:
- See if he could unlock new creatable tags, ideally finding a way to permanently resolve [Heavy Girl’s Love].
- Gather more <Heavy Girl> tag energy. The KFC experiments had consumed a lot, and it was critical—without it, even with tag recipes, he’d be stuck.
- Have Lin Shen Xue drink the Relaxed and Refreshing Mineral Water synthesized from the <Positive Role> tag to see how it affected her tag status. Li Zhi Ran’s case was a reference, but individual differences were possible.
The prerequisite for all this was that Xu Lin had to carefully manage every action and word with Lin Shen Xue to avoid worsening the situation or triggering unpredictable outcomes.
In short, with Lin Shen Xue, he had to be extremely cautious.
“Young hero, how’s the situation?”
Li Zhi Ran’s voice came through, but Xu Lin wasn’t wearing earphones.
Startled, he quickly realized what it was.
He pressed his hand to his right pants pocket, feeling something inside.
It was a thumb-sized owl carving, intricately detailed and resembling Li Zhi Ran’s WeChat avatar.
Xu Lin pressed the owl carving and thought, “Situation’s good.”
“I have a clear view too. Young hero, be careful with the Gravity Witch. If anything unusual happens, I’ll find a way to support you.”
Her voice responded to his thought.
They were communicating through the owl carving.
Before he left, Li Zhi Ran had given him the carving, saying it was for communication and that she’d observe from a suitable spot to provide backup.
Upon receiving it, Xu Lin saw a system prompt: “Witch’s Familiar Avatar.”
To use it, he just needed to press it and think, communicating without speaking aloud.
“With this, why bother with WeChat?”
He’d grumbled after trying it.
But Li Zhi Ran said, “It’s just a familiar’s avatar—it can’t work from too far.”
So she was nearby somewhere.
Thinking this, Xu Lin scanned the area again, looking for her distinctive pointed hat, but saw nothing.
“Young hero, don’t look around—the Gravity Witch is here!”
Xu Lin’s body stiffened.
He turned toward a direction.
He felt a force approaching from there.
Sure enough, in the distance on a tree-lined path, a figure in a light-colored JK uniform appeared.
Seeing her, Xu Lin quickly averted his gaze slightly to avoid staring at the <Heavy Girl> tag beside her.
“If my sanity drops to zero right at the start, it’s game over.”