The freshman welcome gala was still ongoing.
But a lot of people's minds weren't really on it anymore.
First, because everything that followed was normal—one program after another, proceeding step by step, performed as usual.
There were no more sudden "surprise" incidents like Wang Mingxuan screaming himself unconscious.
Second, because everyone still felt a bit unsettled about Shen Pan'er's failed confession.
It was like finally returning to the age of eighteen, only for you to personally reject a confession from the school belle—somewhat regretful, wasn't it?
...
[Her confession failed, and it hit the girl hard. She just can't figure out why, as a big star, confessing to you would fail? Could it be that these days, freebies actually count as negative points? Or do you simply dislike her? Boo hoo, you actually dislike her! Complex emotional fluctuation from Shen Pan'er +60. Congratulations, you've earned rewards: [Fortune +50], [Proficiency +10,000], [Plot Fragment *1]!]
[Because you used a special item, rewards are doubled. Congratulations, you've earned: [Fortune +100], [Proficiency +20,000], [Plot Fragment *2]!]
At this moment, only Su Zhirou and Gong Youbai were sitting beside Mu An.
As for Shen Ling'er, after her younger sister Shen Pan'er broke down in tears earlier, she apologized to the man, saying she needed to leave early to comfort her sister.
Mu An had nothing better to do.
While accompanying the two girls to continue watching the welcome gala, he used the two [Plot Fragments] he had just obtained.
[You used [Plot Fragment *1]. This is a small plot about Shen Pan'er!]
[Because she suffered a setback in love today, the girl, rarely, drank a little alcohol.]
[She didn't return to the Shen family tonight but went back to a high-end apartment near Qingchuan University that she had bought, to be alone and drown her sorrows.]
[Coincidentally, the apartment directly opposite hers belongs to a blond-haired protagonist named Cao Han, who has traveled through time.]
[Cao Han has just obtained a system, and because of Shen Pan'er's appearance, he triggered a choice-based system mission!]
[The specific choice of the host can be seen immediately through the [Eye of Appraisal]!]
——————
Blond-haired protagonist?
Mu An couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He had already seen some basic information about this guy from other [Plot Fragments].
He just hadn't expected to encounter him so soon!
And this guy happened to be Shen Pan'er's neighbor?
Sure enough, wherever there's a heroine, a protagonist almost always 'randomly spawns'!
Suppressing his thoughts for the moment, the man looked at the next [Plot Fragment].
[You used [Plot Fragment *1]. This is a story about the minor celebrity Jiang Qiudie!]
[After seeing Shen Pan'er's failed confession to you, Jiang Qiudie—who always regarded her as a rival and learned your true identity—developed some inappropriate little thoughts.]
[She wanted to find an opportunity to proactively approach you to discuss something, like showing you her value and hoping you'd invest in her.]
[To show her sincerity, she parked by your car for a long time, waiting the whole time to show sincerity.]
[During this process, the young girl, overwhelmed by pressures and setbacks from all aspects of life, was on the verge of collapsing, subconsciously wanting a harbor that could comfort her.]
[At this moment, the real young master Wang Zhe happened to call. After a heartfelt conversation with the girl, he successfully increased her favorability.]
[This laid a stronger foundation for his subsequent pursuit of Jiang Qiudie.]
——————
Mu An pondered.
What else could he say?
He could only admit that the protagonist really knew how to pick the right time to call.
Every time, he managed to choose the perfect moment to court the heroine!
But... as for Jiang Qiudie, this soon-to-be-delivered gold mine, Mu An naturally wasn't going to let her slip away.
After all, he wasn't about to give the protagonist any freebies!
As for why he was temporarily 'passing' on Shen Pan'er, who was also a heroine coming to him on a silver platter...
Because the girl's temperament, as things stand, is honestly a bit troublesome (late-stage love-brain, strong possessiveness, and she even wants to fight for the main-wife position), so she needed to be tempered a bit more.
Of course, whether he ultimately accepted her or not wouldn't affect Mu An's ability to farm her emotional rewards.
[I, Mu the Big Villain An, only have emotion rewards in my eyes—no feelings!]
(A cold, merciless cat face wearing sunglasses, jpg.)
…..
In the end, the freshman welcome gala came to an end with a grand chorus.
It was already quite late—past nine, almost ten o'clock at night.
Youbai had played like crazy all evening and was starting to get sleepy now, her upper and lower eyelids constantly dueling each other.
Coincidentally, Su Zhirou was also living in Sunshine Community, so since they were neighbors, it was convenient to look after the little girl on the way back.
Just as Mu An started the engine, preparing to drive the two girls home, the front passenger door suddenly swung open.
"Burp—"
A girl with a faint scent of alcohol plopped down into the seat.
Wearing a baseball cap, a white mask, casual clothes, and a delicate face flushed with the rosy glow of slight intoxication...
Although this outfit looked very familiar, Mu An immediately recognized that this was not Shen Ling'er.
It was her younger sister, Shen Pan'er!
Of course, Mu An had more or less guessed she would come.
Leaving the passenger door unlocked was exactly to deliberately wait for her to deliver herself to his doorstep!
"Mu An, you…"
Shen Pan'er had just started to say something when she was ruthlessly cut off by the man's deliberately lowered voice.
"Don't talk. Youbai's asleep. If there's something, we'll talk later."
"..."
[Emotional fluctuation from Shen Pan'er's frustration +15. Congratulations, you've earned a reward: [Proficiency +2500]!]
[Because you used a special item, the reward is doubled. Congratulations, you've earned a reward: [Proficiency +4000]!]
But no matter what, the fact that the man didn't kick her out immediately meant there was more to discuss.
Shen Pan'er's heart regained a bit of hope.
At the same time, she was a little confused.
[Youbai? Who is she?]
As if sensing something, she subconsciously turned back to look at the rear seats.
Sure enough, she saw one big and one small girl in the seats—especially that little girl who was already asleep—and only then did realization dawn on her.
The man lowered both the front and passenger-side windows a little.
The whistling night wind brought a touch of coolness, and also invisibly carried away some of the unpleasant alcohol smell clinging to the girl.
Outside the window, the night scene shimmered with flowing lights.
But inside, Shen Pan'er felt inexplicably troubled.
Did this mean he hated her again?
But there was no other way—without drinking a little to boost her courage, she wouldn't have dared to sneak out and get into the man's car.
Don't be fooled by how bravely she had just confessed to Mu An in public in front of over a hundred thousand people.
In reality, she was nothing more than a coward who was afraid of being rejected by the person she liked!
[Emotional fluctuation from Shen Pan'er's distress +16. Congratulations, you've earned a reward: [Cultivation Years +2]!]
[Because you used a special item, the reward is doubled. Congratulations, you've earned a reward: [Cultivation Years +4]!]
Mu An casually swept his peripheral vision over the girl in the passenger seat, then swept his eyes over his rearview mirror.
'A new big goldmine has already gotten into the car, and another new big goldmine seems to be following close behind?'
…..
Meanwhile, Jiang Qiudie was sitting in a taxi not far behind Mu An's car.
"I'm a veteran driver with more than ten years behind the wheel—I can absolutely tail that car tight and let you catch your cheating boyfriend red-handed!"
"I hate cheaters more than anything, because my ex-wife ran off with Old Wang next door!"
Under the brim of her baseball cap, the girl's pretty face stiffened into a forced smile.
Earlier, she had seen the car Mu An was driving leave, but she still hadn't gotten into a car herself, so she hurriedly flagged down a taxi by the roadside.
And in order to make sure the driver didn't lose them, she had casually made up a reason.
Looking back now, it really was a bit... embarrassing, wasn't it?