After three days of rest, Leng Shuang finally replenished his depleted energy. Even his two "sea urchins" had swelled slightly, pulsing with a sensation on the verge of bursting.

He hadn’t stayed idle. Entering Sakura City meant starting a brand-new life—preparations were essential. He sorted his clothes, chatted long with Yu Mo and Lin Mo, finalized post-entry plans, filtered job listings, and secured housing. Now, only one task remained: complete the subsidy application, collect the funds, and be ready for anything inside the city.

"Leng Shuang, I'm here."

Seeing Lin Mo’s message, he offered a faint smile, stepped into the bathroom to tidy up.

White casual wear. A small cap.

Lin Mo had insisted white suited him best—and gifted him this outfit to wear today.

(Not for cosplay or couple antics. Strictly business: the subsidy.)

He smoothed his sleek, jet-black shoulder-length hair, met his clean reflection in the mirror, gave himself a satisfied nod, and headed downstairs with his backpack.

Downstairs, at the residential complex gate.

Lin Mo’s arrival drew stares again—but the earlier jealousy had faded, replaced by a trace of sympathy in the crowd’s eyes.

She noticed nothing. To her, it was still envy.

"Lin Mo."

A figure in white approached gracefully beneath the banyan tree’s shade—slim, striking, unmistakable.

Gasps rippled through the onlookers. They’d never seen this pure-white version of Leng Shuang.

He waved, eyes bright with quiet joy at seeing his girlfriend. A soft smile graced his flawless face. The tailored white outfit hugged his frame perfectly, highlighting sleek lines and radiating clean, pure elegance.

Like a snowfield spirit—

holy and elegant.

Lin Mo’s eyes lit up. She’d thought the clothes would suit him… but this? Tailor-made.

"Leng Shuang."

She smiled, took his hand, lifted her chin just so, and walked away under the crowd’s gaze.

"Ugh, so smug!"

"NTR! Gotta be NTR! Let her feel the sting!"

"Relax—he’s heading into the city. An NTR plot’s inevitable!"

The crowd gnashed their teeth, fantasizing about becoming the very agents of betrayal: crushing Leng Shuang before her eyes while forcing him to confess he was stronger, better than Lin Mo.

---

Jingku Office.

"The male applicants this year are on par with past years. So why so few A ratings? They look handsome to me," a young evaluator murmured, flipping through subsidy files.

"Blame the new Group A lead. Anyone assigned to her barely scrapes a B. An A? Hah. Forget it."

"But some are genuinely good-looking! Slapping a C on them? That’s harsh."

"Merit determines rank. I am fair."

A tall woman in a crisp black OL suit entered, expression neutral, radiating cool professionalism.

"Whoa, Lead Park Seok-min—your standards are sky-high! If these guys only rate B, where are Sakura Nation’s handsome men?" the junior evaluator chuckled weakly.

Park Seok-min strode over on sleek black-stockinged legs, arms crossed. "Define 'handsome'."

"Big eyes, smooth skin, infectious smile—what’s not to like?"

A scornful smirk touched her lips. "Head-to-body ratio? Shoulder width? Limb proportions? Short, slight, bow-legged. How is this A-tier?"

The junior evaluator squinted at the file. Awkward silence followed.

"Lead Park sees details others miss."

"First impressions fade. What feels 'charming' vanishes on closer look."

"Then… what *does* earn an S?"

Park gazed out the window. "Simple. Someone who catches *my* eye."

Silence.

*(Yeah, right.)*

Demanding perfect proportions—tall barefoot, long neck, ideal head ratio, visible collarbones without looking frail, symmetrical legs… plus porcelain skin and flawless features? Even CGI struggles.

"Truth is," Park added calmly, "they’d just need a hint of Miss Kazue Iinoue’s grace."

More strained laughter.

"No wonder your bar’s so high—comparing to *her*? Impossible!"

"Prepare all files by 2 p.m. Bring them to my office."

"All of them?! Stealing Group B’s workload?"

"They wanted a break. I’m borrowing today’s batch."

With a click of heels and a sway of mature elegance, Park left—a sharp, capable silhouette fading down the hall.

"Those boys are doomed."

"Let’s tag along. No voting rights, but better than sitting here."

"Come on. File sorting = eye candy duty."

They gathered the documents and headed toward Park Seok-min’s office.