Han Youwei’s shyness wasn’t just from Chuyun patting her head. It was more about how she’d let out a soft cry—and that strange, warm flush spreading through her body.

Now, Han Youwei felt like a bad girl. She’d shamelessly told Chuyun how good it felt. What if he thought she was terrible? Ugh, she wanted to vanish into a hole forever.

Chuyun stared, dumbfounded by her bold words. *Good? Seriously?* Only she’d say something so daring in such a timid voice.

But she seemed fine now. Chuyun recalled the system alerts earlier—they’d entered the main quest. Yet what did “make Han Youwei evolve” even mean?

He pondered. She was shy and introverted. So “evolve” must mean making her outgoing and confident. Easy. No one 👌 knew this better than Chuyun 👐. His little sister had been super shy when she first moved in. He’d worked hard to fix that—though now she clung to him nonstop. Still, he was an expert.

Raising her affection to 100? Even simpler. This quest felt like free rewards. After finishing it, he’d just need to make her smarter. Mission accomplished. Plus, gaining a pretty girl as a friend wouldn’t be bad. Honestly, Chuyun’s only female friends were his childhood buddy and sister. Other girls always drifted away. Was he cursed?

Chuyun refocused on Han Youwei. She still hung her head, shoulders trembling slightly. A faint sniffle reached his ears.

He leaned closer—and froze. Was she crying? Because he’d patted her head?

“Sob… sob…”

“Whimper… whimper…”

Han Youwei’s sadness deepened. Her eyes, usually bright as crescent moons, clouded over. Tears gathered, spilling down her cheeks. Her chest ached like she’d swallowed sour grapes. She’d called herself shameless—enjoying his touch, moaning, admitting it to Chuyun. The thought of him seeing her as bad hurt terribly.

“Han Youwei, why are you crying? What happened?” Chuyun asked gently, his heart tightening.

It couldn’t be just from a head pat, right?

“W-well… I’m a bad girl,” she choked out, lifting her tear-streaked face.

Chuyun wiped her tears softly. “You’re not bad at all. Why say that?”

She just sobbed harder, no reply.

Chuyun pieced it together. The head pat. Her bold words. Her shyness made her mortified.

He sighed. “I really don’t think you’re bad, okay?”

“Really?” She peered up, eyes puffy like a kitten’s.

Chuyun dried her cheeks firmly. “Really.”

“Truly not seeing me as bad?”

“Truly.”

“Truly trul—ow!”

Han Youwei tried to press further, but Chuyun flicked her forehead lightly.

“Ouch! That hurts!” She whimpered, clutching her head pitifully.

“Will you stop overthinking?” Chuyun scolded, feigning sternness like a dad.

“No more, hehe.” She rubbed her head, grinning goofily.

“Good. You’re exhausting me.”

Chuyun felt drained. *If I’ve sinned, arrest me—don’t torture me with this airhead.*

“Hehe, Chuyun… can I have another head pat?” Han Youwei blushed, craving that warm, fuzzy feeling again. The weird aftertaste didn’t matter.

*Ding! Side quest triggered!*

*Quest: Han Youwei Wants Head Pats.*

*Goal: Pat Han Youwei’s head for ten minutes.*

*Reward: 1 point, 1 charm.*

“Huh? What?” Chuyun’s brain short-circuited. First Han Youwei’s request, now the system’s nonsense. Why ten minutes? Was everyone conspiring to confuse him? He wanted to crack open her head and check its contents. Without the quest, he’d refuse—this was too intimate. Worse, he feared patting her dumber.

Resigned, he sighed. “After school. Class is starting.”

“Okay!” Her face lit up like a blooming magnolia, dimples flashing sweetly.

*Ding-dong!*

The bell rang. Afternoon classes began.

Time flew. School ended in a blink.

Su Minghao sidled up to Chuyun, grinning like a gossip auntie. “Little Yun, impressive! Snagged a cutie’s heart already? Tsk tsk.”