Ding. The first phase of the guidance quest is complete.

Unlocking phase two: The Insecure Girl.

Quest objective: Hold the girl’s hand and return to the classroom.

Reward: Two points.

Chuyun was about to lead Han Youwei away when the system notification chimed. But holding hands? They’d barely known each other an hour—he’d be labeled a creep! Yet he couldn’t skip the quest. Just thinking of Han Youwei’s future self, broken because of him, twisted his heart. Compared to that, holding hands seemed bearable. At worst, he’d be called a weirdo. He could explain later. Slowly, he convinced himself.

While Chuyun was lost in thought, Han Youwei grew puzzled. Why was he standing still? After minutes of waiting, she gently called out, “Chuyun?”

“Ah—sorry! I was spacing out. Let’s go.”

Chuyun calmly took Han Youwei’s small hand and started walking. Outwardly steady as a rock, inside he was panicking. He’d held Lin Waner’s hand often, but that felt like family. This was different—a girl he’d met less than an hour ago. His palms sweated. His heart pounded wildly.

Han Youwei only realized he was holding her hand after several steps. He… he was holding her hand! Shyness flooded her. His grip felt big, warm, and slightly damp. For the first time since childhood, someone besides her mom held her hand. Unlike her mother’s soft touch, his was rough and firm. A wave of safety washed over her. Her cheeks burned crimson, but she didn’t dislike it. In fact, she liked it. Was she being shameless? Shouldn’t she act more reserved? Her mom had taught her that. Would he get mad?

Lost in this mental battle, Han Youwei didn’t notice Chuyun guiding her to the freshman 443 classroom building. When he released her hand, she sighed in relief—but a tiny pang of disappointment followed.

Ding. Phase two complete.

Unlocking final phase: The Love-Starved Girl.

Quest objective: One intimate physical contact with the girl.

Reward: Two points.

Chuyun had just relaxed, thinking the quest was over. Now this? Each task grew more absurd. Was he saving her or harassing her? Was the system messing with him?

Ding. Master, do not doubt this system. These quests are intelligently generated based on the target’s emotional data. If she disliked or resented such actions, I would not issue them. Everything I do is to help you save them better.

“Is that so…” Chuyun still felt uneasy but couldn’t pinpoint why. First, get Han Youwei to class. He’d figure out the next quest later.

…

Freshman Class 443.

As Chuyun and Han Youwei reached the doorway, a voice from inside made him grit his teeth.

“Xiao Yunzi! Where’ve you been? Late again—off hitting on girls?”

“Screw you. I found a classmate feeling sick and walked her up.” Chuyun shot his best friend Su Minghao a look, then turned to Han Youwei. “Go on in. Where’s your seat?”

“Th-there.” Han Youwei shrank behind Chuyun, pointing with slender fingers toward the back window seat.

Holy crap—that was his own desk! Chuyun nearly cursed aloud. What were the odds? Same class, same seat… did they even live in the same neighborhood?

“Han Youwei, head over. I’ll join you after chatting with my friend.” His voice softened.

“Mm-hmm…”

Inside the classroom, stares from classmates pinned Han Youwei. Nervous, she drew courage from knowing Chuyun was behind her and walked to her seat.

“Whoa, she’s adorable!”

“Aww, my heart just died! Picking class 443 was genius.”

“Mine too. She’s a hundred times cuter than that fake girl next door.”

Han Youwei blushed at the compliments but felt no joy. Why wasn’t she happy? She slumped onto her desk, thinking of Chuyun. He’d covered for her earlier. What luck meeting someone so kind. But what did he mean by “I’ll join you later”? Was he her desk partner? She stared at the empty seat beside her. If so, they’d share every class. Her mind drifted to scenes from her favorite romance novel. Her face grew hotter until she buried it in her hands with a soft whimper. How shameless was she getting? Her cheeks were practically glowing.

Meanwhile, Su Minghao gaped at the stunning girl. He whispered to Chuyun, “Dude, how do you find beauties just walking around? You’ve got two already—are you collecting a third?”

“But stay away from my sister. Friends don’t mess with friends’ sisters. I’m not calling you my brother-in-law.”

“Seriously, who is she? Introduce us!”

“?”

“¿”