Before leaving the store, Wang Xiaole had always been puzzled: why did clothing stores give customers drinks as gifts, instead of things like pants or hats? And he especially didn't understand Charley's attitude: "Xiaole, here's a glass of orange juice for you." Wang Xiaole took the orange juice, shook the bottom of the cup, and found nothing suspicious in the sediment inside the cup. Since the orange juice was not opened and did not contain any troublesome additives, why did Charley insist on giving it to him? Was he just overthinking it?

After reluctantly coming to this conclusion in his heart, Wang Xiaole inserted the curved straw into the cup and started drinking to quench his thirst. Sip, sip. Personally, he didn't dislike orange juice and actually quite liked this flavor of drink. Sip, sip, sip. After drinking for a while, he noticed something was amiss because there were two similar sounds coming from the cup, and he had never learned the art of cloning in his life.

Feeling the impact of that uneasy premonition, he turned his head to look at the cup in his hand, and then realized in shock: at some point, the number of straws had doubled, and the one using it was Charley. In fact, the situation wasn't that complicated; Wang Xiaole was just drinking the beverage, and Charley was doing the same, perhaps tasting a little something else along the way.

The second time Wang Xiaole looked at the shape of the straws, he made a new discovery. He had been feeling strange and couldn't understand why the store had designed the straws as curved until he saw the second one that Charley had inserted. Connecting the two straws or placing them closely together, they formed a heart shape. The true identity of this glass of orange juice turned out to be a popular "couple cup" that had been in vogue for many years!

The value of such cups lay in the fact that it made no sense for just one person to drink from them; it was because of Charley's own secret that she had promptly offered the orange juice to Wang Xiaole, who had fallen into the trap. "If you like it, I'll give it to you." When Wang Xiaole pushed the cup back to Charley, he silently made a decision: "Alright, I will never drink orange juice again in my life!"

As the saying goes, "Once bitten by a snake, one is afraid of well ropes for ten years." The psychological shadow left by this drink for himself would perhaps take twenty or thirty years to completely fade away. The torment called "date" continued, and this time, Charley led his date to a magical place: a lovers' hotel! Unlike the ordinary hotels where travelers go, guests who could enter this place were usually couples or families of two, or some more formidable groups of three or four people.

The initial purpose of Charley's date request was to come to this kind of place at this moment. Her excitement was especially high, as she was already prepared to go to the front desk to check in.

At this moment, Wang Xiaole showed an unprecedented supportive attitude, shouting in a restrained manner to cheer Charley: "Put in some effort, have fun, and come back!"

Support over, the next thing he had to do, just like his current reflexes, was to turn around, spread his legs in preparation to run.

Swoosh!

Another familiar scene, another whip coming his way;

This time, Wang Xiaole, having learned from this morning's lesson, didn't fall for the same move again and managed to avoid being entangled by the whip in time;

However, due to evading the attack, he unfortunately missed the best opportunity to escape;

Turning back, Charley blocked his path shortly afterwards.

"How do you expect me to have fun alone inside, Xiaole!"

At the moment, Charley's expression was intriguing, neither smiling or frowning, alluring yet dangerous.

To this, Wang Xiaole still maintained a carefree demeanor, shrugging and waving his hand, as simple as breathing to him.

"One can still have fun alone inside, if Charley has enough little toys to play with all afternoon and night, it will be no problem."

"What if I want to bring Xiaole in as well?"

"Then I will have to resort to the last resort."

Saying this, Wang Xiaole placed his finger on the sword handle, readying himself to draw the sword at any moment.

This made Charley laugh joyfully:

"Is Xiaole planning to use this against me?"

At once, a look of determination appeared on Wang Xiaole's face.

"Wrong, this sword is not for use against you..."

Wang Xiaole lifted the sword handle, as if he was going to point it at his own neck, Charley immediately understood his intention, he was ready to go to the extreme.

When the person he loved rejected him to the point of preferring self-harm, and the pained expression he revealed made Charley genuinely feel---

---incredibly sweet!

Yes, this was exactly the expression Charley hoped to see, that kind of helpless look.

Just seeing such a cute reaction, such an interesting expression, was enough for her to outweigh all the unpleasantness in her heart.

In a better mood, she decided to be flexible, so she made a proposal:

"Xiaole, I've made up my mind, today I must take your first time no matter what!

It doesn't have to be anything in that area, but you must give me something, let me have some gain from today's date."

First kiss, first bath together, and so on;

Charley could reluctantly accept such things, just waiting for the person who currently held the decision-making power to propose an alternative.

If it was a casual experience, Charley would definitely not accept it;

Wang Xiaole understood this very well, so he tried hard to find a balance between satisfying the other party and choosing for himself, seeking a middle ground.

Not long after, he thought of something and said it out loud:

"First time living together... can that be acceptable?"

Upon hearing this proposal for the first time, Charley could hardly believe her ears.

Was today her lucky day? Did she just get what she wanted?

While Charley was secretly thrilled, a little fox residing in Wang Xiaole's heart also grinned widely and laughed out loud.

He looked at Charley's face and knew that the other party took the bait completely, completely unaware that he had fallen into a trap.

Living together ≠ sharing a bed!

Although allowing Charley to stay in the same room tonight would pose multiple layers of danger,

as long as he can control the situation well, by the time Charley moves out of the room tomorrow morning,

he can still maintain his purity intact.

Out of the jaws of death and into a new life!

This is a military strategy, but now Wang Xiaole has applied it to a battle of chastity defense.

After confirming their opinions later on, Charley readily agreed to the proposal of "living together" and felt impatient in various senses for the night that was yet to come.

As for now, it is still noon, and the date is not over yet;

so, the two of them continue their stroll on the town streets.

The date is still ongoing, and after suppressing his restless heart, Charley's gaze immediately locks onto a new place.

There are many people gathered there, and unless one is selectively blind, it is impossible to miss.

Pulled by the hand beside him, Wang Xiaole parted the crowd and cut in line, squeezing to the front.

When he reached there, he discovered it was a troupe of acrobats who had come from a big city to perform in a small town, offering a show not seen elsewhere.

Just as the leader shouted:

"Come and see, for a real and excellent archery experience, live target shooting;

Whoever you are, wherever you come from, as long as you hit the corresponding target, the prize is yours!"

If it were just shooting, there would be nothing special about it, and even in smaller towns, it could be seen from time to time.

But the circus's shooting game is different from elsewhere, mainly due to the creative placement of the targets.

In the back of the shooting range, a beastkin boy stands there, targets placed all over his body;

These targets are divided into different prize tiers based on the difficulty of the shots.

There are many eager customers, but only one creature is used as a live target;

Because the other beastkin children have fallen in a pool of blood;

Look at the blurry clumps of flesh on both sides of the blood-soaked ground.

Some people enjoy playing this game because, using the excuse of a stray shot, they can shoot through any part of the live target as their heart desires.

Naturally, whether injuring or shooting to death, compensation is required;

The one to compensate is the circus leader, who from a contractual standpoint, is the sole owner of those beastkin slaves.

A game of gambling for prizes and lives, if one wishes to play, the price naturally is not low.

However, due to the influence of their primal bloodlust, many spectators still reach into their pockets and prepare to pay the fee for one round of shooting.

The scent of blood wafting in the air also invigorates Wang Xiaole;

At this moment, his gaze looks quite different from before, no longer as languid as it was just now.

"Leader, how much does it cost to play once?"

Facing the approach of a new customer, the honest face of the leader immediately brightens up like a flower, and without delay, he gestures a number.

The cost of that money is not insignificant, but since the source of Wang Xiaole's income is different from that of ordinary citizens, it is not difficult for him to come up with it.

After handing out the specified amount of money, he took the bow and arrow passed to him by a fellow member, preparing to nock an arrow on the string.

At this moment, the only surviving beastkin boy's eyes were filled with fear and dread.

Every life is fragile, easily taken away with just a thin iron implement.

The boy didn't know why he had to face this fate.

Nor did he understand why his companions had to die.

Wang Xiaole understood the answer; it could be explained with just one sentence:

Because you are too weak. In this unforgiving world, the weak struggle to survive;

The only reason you will die is simply because you are weak.

This truth, the boy did not grasp for now, perhaps never.

Taking aim, Wang Xiaole drew the bowstring to a full moon's arc, his gaze fixed like a falcon about to strike its prey.

Swish!

The arrow he loosed carried a fierce momentum, its tip gleaming with cold light, feathers flipping like lightning as it flew towards its distant target.

Thwack!

The arrow hit its mark, not a mere target but living flesh and blood.

A scream pierced the air, onlookers gasped in shock, but it wasn't the shivering boy who fell dead.

The nearby members of the group saw it clearly; their leader, upon falling, kept his eyes wide open, as if unwilling to close them in death.

After the target was struck down by the arrow, Wang Xiaole lowered his bow.

The reason the leader had to die was simple.

"Because you are too weak. So, go and die, you worthless weakling!"

His eyes answered with a cold stare as he let go of the bow and arrow.