"Malware?" Bai Chuanxia tapped the icon, intending to delete it, but the next second, his heart gave a sharp jolt.
The pain made him quickly clutch his chest. This sudden palpitation happened over ten times a day. He closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing rhythmically, and calmed down—a heartbreakingly practiced response.
"Xia, are you feeling unwell?" Hashimoto Arina seemed to have been watching him. Seeing his pained expression, she rushed out of the ward, reached out to support his shoulder, her voice anxious.
As she held him up, Bai Chuanxia immediately felt a little better. He forced a smile. "Arina-sis, you're so concerned about me. Are you secretly in love with me?"
"Hmph, you brat." Seeing he was fine, Hashimoto Arina sighed in relief. She raised her hand as if to playfully hit him but stopped. "If you want to win me over, get your body healthy first."
"Tch, you'd never be won over. You just said you wouldn't consider younger guys," Bai Chuanxia shrugged, deflecting the topic with a few words. He knew his body's condition well; honestly telling her about the chest pain would only add to her psychological burden. His congenital organ weakness was not something modern science could solve.
"A kid should act like a kid, no need to pretend to be mature." A look of pity flashed in Hashimoto Arina's eyes, but it was quickly masked by a smile. She took Bai Chuanxia's arm and gently pulled him back toward his bed. "While I'm not great at dealing with younger guys, well-behaved, obedient kids are an exception."
Hashimoto Arina expertly patted the bed, smoothly straightening the sheets and arranging the pillow before letting Bai Chuanxia lie down. She pulled the thin blanket over him, then began tidying his bedside table. When she bent over, her large chest hung free. Even in a white coat, she was inexplicably alluring.
"I can do it myself," Bai Chuanxia turned his face away, feeling a bit awkward and afraid his heart couldn't handle watching.
While tidying, Hashimoto Arina noticed the drawing he had been working on. She picked it up and flipped through a few pages. "A new story?"
"Yes, it's a story about love and miracles," Bai Chuanxia introduced. In the world of the Knights of the Zodiac, the five protagonists overturning defeat after being killed so many times could only be described as a miracle.
Seeing his face light up as he talked about his new work, Hashimoto Arina's eyes suddenly reddened. She quickly turned her head. "Get some rest. I have to check on the next room. Press the call button if you feel unwell."
With that, she put down the manuscript and hurried out of the ward.
"What was that about?" Bai Chuanxia watched her leave quickly. He wanted to draw a few more pages, but when he raised his hand, he felt too weak. He had to put the pen down, lean back on the bed, and unlock his phone with his fingerprint. The strange app he'd seen earlier was immediately visible. The golden-haired Minotaur was impossible to ignore.
Bai Chuanxia's curiosity about the unique app was piqued. He tapped the icon. The phone screen instantly went dark, and a golden-haired Minotaur appeared on the screen, surrounded by beautiful women of various skin tones. In terms of CG production quality, it was top-tier.
"This has some substance." Bai Chuanxia grew serious. With this level of artistry, they could easily make money just by drawing 'waifus' that people would spend a fortune on, instead of making something that looked like malware.
The CG ended and led into the UI interface. The overall interface was surprisingly simple, with the center left blank and four floating options on the right: Hair, Skill, Item, and Status.
Bai Chuanxia clicked on Item, and a prompt immediately appeared in the empty center:
"Please select a target for conquest first."
"Album / Camera."
Bai Chuanxia looked up. He was in a six-person ward. Near the door, an old woman was lying down, and next to her, a muscular guy was also on his phone. Even though it was a game, he really didn't want to use a 'bro' as a target.
He opened the Album. Inside was a photo of Hashimoto Arina, smiling beautifully and making a V-sign at the camera. This was a photo Bai Chuanxia had secretly taken of her when she wore transparent black stockings to the hospital. When she found out, Hashimoto Arina had generously let him keep it.
The moment he confirmed the photo, the empty interface instantly displayed a 3D model of Hashimoto Arina.
"What the f—" Bai Chuanxia was startled, nearly sitting bolt upright on the bed. This instantaneous modeling ability exceeded the level of existing graphics tools. What shocked him more was Hashimoto Arina's outfit—it wasn't the black stockings from the photo, but the white coat, short skirt, and long, pale legs she was wearing today.
Bai Chuanxia pinched his thigh. The pain confirmed he wasn't dreaming. At this moment, he realized this app was not the malware he thought it was.
"Ouch!" Bai Chuanxia clutched his chest. The moment he got excited, his heart acted up again. He took a few deep breaths to calm his emotions.
After confirming that he wouldn't suddenly die of excitement on the first day he got his "cheat ability", Bai Chuanxia seriously examined the UI. He tried to swipe up on Hashimoto Arina's body with his finger, but the character didn't move or change poses, instantly reducing the fun by half.
In the upper right corner of the figure was Affection Level, which showed: Affection Level: 76. Without knowing the total possible score, he couldn't tell if this was high or low.
Next to the Affection Level was a Collect button. Clicking it brought up a prompt asking if he wanted to collect the Affection Level. The collection cooldown was 48 hours. Each target could only be collected twice.
There was no option to change the target. This meant he could only import another woman after he finished conquering the currently selected target. Bai Chuanxia chose No for now, deciding to first find out what the Affection Points were for.
The four buttons on the right were Hair, Skill, Item, and Status.
Bai Chuanxia first clicked on Hair. The interface changed into a game-like Talent Tree. The first option was Carefree Golden Shattered Hair. Clicking further brought up a note: "Married Man Affection +10."
The icon was grayed out. Clicking it again prompted that the exchange required 20 Affection Points.
Bai Chuanxia read it carefully again, confirming he hadn't misunderstood. It was Married Man, which meant it increased the affection of men.
Following the Carefree Golden Shattered Hair were two branches, both requiring 40 Affection Points to exchange:
Flowing Golden Medium Hair, Note: "Based on short hair, increases Married Woman Affection +10."
Sloppy Golden Medium Hair, Note: "Based on short hair, increases Coercion Success Rate for Married Woman +10%."
The talent tree required choosing one of these two paths for advancement. Unlike the short hair, which increased men's affection, the medium hair options affected the woman, with two contrasting effects. Increasing affection was understandable. The latter, increasing the coercion success rate, felt very strange.
The next stage after the medium hair was locked, and the icons were not visible. It seemed he had to unlock the medium hair first.
Bai Chuanxia then moved to Skill, one of the three remaining buttons (Skill, Item, Status). The Skill section was simpler than the Hair section, with only two options: Elementary Photography and Elementary Music, both requiring 10 Affection Points to exchange. Upgrading to Intermediate required 30 Affection Points. Skills beyond that were grayed out and locked.
Compared to the Hair choices—one focused on talent, the other on degeneracy—the skills here were much more normal. Music was a great tool for increasing a woman's affection. Photography was something no woman could refuse: a boyfriend who could take beautiful photos of her.
The Item section was the simplest, with only one item: Stamina Potion, which required 10 Affection Points to exchange.
Effect: 12 hours of constant physical endurance.
Note: "I can do this all day."
Bai Chuanxia shook his head. Up to this point, he hadn't found what he truly wanted. A person only understands the importance of health when they are sick.
He took a deep breath and used a trembling hand to click the last option, Status.
It showed an outline of a male human body, with lines and dots marking various organs: Heart, Kidneys...
Bai Chuanxia's heart, which had just calmed down, began to beat rapidly again. He tremblingly used his finger to click the Heart.
"Do you want to upgrade to a Powerful Minotaur Heart?"
"Note: This is a powerful, explosive, and healthy heart, which will provide you with endless motivation in battle."
"Required exchange points: 100 points."