Shen Xiao was just about to rest his aching body when the dormitory door swung wide open.
Not even ten minutes had passed since his roommate's departure.
Turning his head, he saw Lu Zihao standing there.
Shen Xiao assumed the man had simply forgotten something, but his brows quickly knit together as he spotted two girls tailing closely behind Zihao.
"Gone for a second, and you've already picked up two more?"
Shen Xiao remarked sarcastically.
Then, his gaze froze.
"Wait, isn't that Lu Qingyue?"
The newcomer was indeed Lu Qingyue.
The other girl was slightly less striking than Qingyue but still quite cute.
What stood out was how she gripped Qingyue's arm with familiar intimacy.
She's likely her best friend or roommate, Shen Xiao thought.
Lu Zihao certainly knew how to pick his targets.
He had specifically hunted down someone close to Qingyue to round out the team.
But the speed of it...
"Ten minutes! That includes the time for the round trip!" Shen Xiao muttered in disbelief.
Seeing Lu Zihao standing there with a smug, proud grin, Shen Xiao knew his hunch was right.
Zihao immediately moved to introduce them.
"This is Lu Qingyue, whom you already know. And this is her roommate, and my new girlfriend, Su Qiao."
"Boss, do you think she's a good fit for the mission? It'll be easier since we're all acquainted now."
Shen Xiao was speechless.
Ten minutes!
Getting a Girlfriend as Fast as Breathing?
This man had managed to win Su Qiao's heart and make her his girlfriend in a matter of mere minutes?
"Sure, I don't mind," Shen Xiao finally managed to say.
Su Qiao bowed gratefully.
"Thank you so much, Senior Shen Xiao!"
Ding!
[Gained Lu Qingyue's favorability, Fate Ticket +100]
Ding!
[Gained favorability with Su Qiao, Fate Ticket +0.05]
[Current Status: 731.31 Tickets]
Why don't I feel happy even though my Empress gave me more tickets?
Have I gone numb?
Shen Xiao wondered.
He was genuinely curious about what kind of sorcery Lu Zihao had pulled in such a short window of time.
...
A few moments earlier at the Girls' Dormitory.
Lu Qingyue pushed open the door to her eight-person dorm room.
Her roommates were busy with their own lives, some eating takeout, others sipping milk tea while watching dramas.
They didn't pay any mind to Qingyue's tattered clothes, just as they didn't care about the fact that she was on the verge of expulsion for failing her mission assessments.
Only one long-haired girl, Su Qiao, stepped forward with a worried expression.
"Qingyue, why are you covered in wounds like this? Your clothes are torn to shreds!"
"It's nothing, just finished sparring. I fell a few times," Qingyue replied shortly, beginning to pack her toiletries.
"Sparring? It's obvious she just got thrashed," Zhao Mei, standing nearby, interrupted with a sarcastic tone.
"Maybe she went around begging to join a team and pissed people off. I told you to just give up, but you're stubborn. Now you're feeling the consequences."
"Watch your mouth, Zhao Mei!" Su Qiao snapped.
She quickly gathered her things and followed Qingyue.
"Qingyue, wait, I'll go to the baths with you."
On the way to the bathhouse, Su Qiao whispered,
"Qingyue, have you found teammates yet? If not, let's just go together. I haven't finished my last two missions either, though I'm not sure we can pass."
"I found a teammate today," Qingyue answered.
"Oh? Who? Is he any good?"
"Shen Xiao. I don't know his exact level, but I think he's quite strong."
Su Qiao nearly jumped.
"Shen Xiao? You mean the new top-ranker of our year? You're actually on a team with him? You're so lucky!"
...
Inside the warm, steamy bathhouse.
The two girls sat in a quiet corner.
Su Qiao helped scrub Qingyue's back, but her hands kept hesitating every time she touched her friend's skin.
"Qingyue, I'm checking your wounds. Your clothes were ruined earlier, I thought you'd be badly hurt... but there isn't a single scar on your body!"
Su Qiao was flabbergasted.
"Are you serious? You said you were hurt during sparring and Shen Xiao gave you a bottle of healing potion?"
"Yes, he said it was a common potion," Qingyue murmured.
"Common?! Qingyue, this has to be a high-grade potion. I've tried the low-grade ones, and the effects are never this clean!"
"Is it really that expensive?" Qingyue asked innocently.
Su Qiao let out a long sigh.
"Listen, even a mid-grade potion costs ten thousand coins per bottle. But high-grade? That's a hundred thousand coins! And instant regeneration like you experienced, where your bruised ribs healed immediately, can only be done by high-grade stuff."
Su Qiao continued in a tone of awe, "A hundred thousand coins... my parents would have to work for half a year without eating or drinking to make that much. Even the richest boyfriend I've ever had wouldn't dare give that away for free just because of 'sparring'."
"A hundred thousand..." Lu Qingyue's eyes widened.
She hadn't realized the small bottle Shen Xiao gave her was so precious.
I have to complete this mission and find a way to repay him!
Seeing Qingyue lost in thought, Su Qiao saw an opportunity and suddenly teased her friend.
"Wow, your skin feels so supple and soft! No wonder Shen Xiao pays so much attention to you. If I were a man, I'd be chasing you every night too!"
"Ouch! Ow! Stop pinching me, Su Qiao!" Qingyue cried out, laughing in embarrassment.
"Stop it, it tickles!"