Chapter 14: Can’t Hold On?

Xu Lin quickly took a sip of mineral water.

Much better.

“Quite a coincidence, indeed.”

He echoed her sentiment aloud.

But is it really just that?

Deep down, he felt things weren’t so simple.

“What’s going on? The Gravity Witch’s magic is reacting even more strongly?”

Li Zhi Ran’s slightly surprised voice came through.

“I’m not sure why…

“She seems in a good mood. I can’t just say something to upset her, right?”

Xu Lin pressed the owl carving.

“True. But, young hero, your conversation just now was a bit stiff. If you keep this up, what else can you talk about? Try something the Gravity Witch is interested in.”

Makes sense.

Xu Lin realized his earlier chat had been awkward.

If they continued like this, they’d probably end up in silence, staring at each other.

Something Lin Shen Xue is interested in…

Pondering, Xu Lin noticed her outfit.

He’d felt it looked familiar this morning, and now, looking closely, he understood why.

Let’s start here.

“Speaking of how we got to know each other, it’s all thanks to Crossed Realms… huh?”

Xu Lin feigned sudden realization.

“Lin, your outfit—it’s cosplaying Yuki Hongye’s new skin, right?”

“Yeah, it is.”

Lin Shen Xue nodded, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.

Her chibi figure immediately burst into a smile.

“But your version feels different from other cosplays…”

Xu Lin wasn’t just making conversation—he genuinely noticed a difference.

“It feels more… normal. Other cosplays look plasticky. Yours feels like something Yuki Hongye would actually wear. It’s incredibly accurate.”

This was a common issue with cosplays.

Most people either wore them once and discarded them or had limited budgets, so they bought mass-produced cosplay outfits online.

These outfits used cheap materials and overly replicated the character’s designs, which was a problem.

Why was replicating the design an issue?

In manga or games, the outfits looked fine, even great.

But in reality, they often felt rough or lacked the right texture.

To truly capture the essence, you had to add details to the original design to enhance its texture.

That required serious skill.

“Mm-hmm!”

Lin Shen Xue nodded enthusiastically, clearly agreeing with Xu Lin.

But such a refined cosplay outfit had another key issue.

Cost.

“It must’ve been expensive, right?”

Materials aside, labor was the priciest part.

This was custom-made territory.

“Not expensive.”

Lin Shen Xue shook her head.

Oh, right.

Xu Lin recalled another thing about her.

At the start of their freshman year, several unfamiliar luxury cars had appeared at the school gate.

The freshman group chat buzzed with shock and curiosity.

When Lin Shen Xue was crowned the department beauty, people recalled seeing her step out of one of those cars, with someone carrying her bags.

Some recognized the car brands and shared the details.

The lead car was worth over ten million, the others in the millions.

That’s when everyone realized she was loaded.

Early on, rumors said she had a female bodyguard.

No one dared confess to her then.

The bodyguard later vanished, and confessions surged.

Then her fierce best friend appeared, and the confessions died down.

So, to her, it probably wasn’t expensive.

“But I made this outfit myself.”

Her next words caught Xu Lin off guard.

Her eyes sparkled as she spoke.

“From designing, sketching, choosing fabric, patterning, to sewing—I did it all myself.”

“No wonder it’s so accurate. You must’ve put a lot of heart into it, right?”

Now Xu Lin understood.

It wasn’t just custom-made—it was infused with her emotions.

Hearing his words, Lin Shen Xue lowered her head slightly.

“No, it’s not that big a deal…”

“It’s not? I’m impressed by people who pour their heart into something. I could never have the patience for that.”

“Actually, Xu Lin, you…”

Her voice trailed off into a mosquito-like whisper, too faint for Xu Lin to catch.

“…Xu Lin, do you like my outfit today?”

Her voice became clear again as she lifted her head, her gaze meeting his.

Her eyes held a trace of nervousness.

“It’s really accurate. I love it.”

Xu Lin wasn’t just flattering—it was genuine.

Even if someone else wore it, the outfit would’ve impressed him.

Worn by Lin Shen Xue, it was like Yuki Hongye had stepped out of the game.

If only the oppressive <Heavy Girl> tag wasn’t there, it’d be perfect.

…

This topic seemed to have opened her up.

Xu Lin felt a surge of excitement at finding a breakthrough.

She’ll be parched soon, right?

He pressed on, his curiosity piqued, asking about the details of making the cosplay.

Lin Shen Xue answered eagerly, growing happier.

As the cosplay topic wound down, Xu Lin smoothly shifted to games.

They discussed new events, plots, and characters.

The vibe felt comfortable, like their WeChat chats before today.

Xu Lin felt he was seeing another side of her.

No, he’d seen this side before but hadn’t fully connected it to the legendary department beauty.

Now, the two merged seamlessly.

He understood why she was the undisputed top beauty.

But…

Xu Lin took another sip of water.

This was Lin Shen Xue’s happiest moment—and when her power was at its peak.

The <Heavy Girl> tag’s gravity pulled at him, threatening to drag him into an unknown abyss.

Without the mineral water, he’d likely be in the same sorry state as when he first faced her tag this morning.

But now, his bottle was nearly empty.

Worse, the water’s effect seemed to be weakening.

Can’t hold on?

No way, we’ve just started, and I haven’t achieved any of my three goals.

Xu Lin opened the system to check his progress.

No new tags, but the question mark tag was now synthesizable.

Right—he was near Lin Shen Xue, meeting one of the conditions.

But was there enough <Heavy Girl> tag energy?

He checked his <Heavy Girl> energy points, and his eyes widened.

Over 2,000 points!

He hadn’t realized it, but he’d gained over 2,000 points?

What had he done?

From handing her tissues and water to talking about cosplay and games—that was about it.

Honestly, Xu Lin still hadn’t fully grasped the tag energy extraction mechanism.

Interacting face-to-face with them clearly extracted energy, but the amount was unpredictable.

His first encounter with Lin Shen Xue, a brief chat, and accepting her water yielded only 100 points.

With Li Zhi Ran, chatting and drinking her cola—similar steps—netted 2,000 points.

Now, after Lin Shen Xue accepted his tissues and water, he gained another 2,000+ points.

Is it because I did something to make them happy?

But that didn’t seem right. During experiments with Li Zhi Ran, she was happy too, but the points varied.

Sometimes more, sometimes less.

It was tricky. The system offered no clear hints.