After getting dressed and leaving the hotel room, Chen Jincheng found that Jiang Xiaobai had naturally taken his arm.
The gesture was a little intimate, like something a couple would do, and it made him frown.
Although what they had done in the room was far more intimate, things were different inside the room versus outside. Some things had to be made clear.
He looked at the game in his mind and opened Jiang Xiaobai's employee file:
Name: Jiang Xiaobai
Loyalty: 100
Status: The Girl has discovered she seems to have developed a slight psychological dependence on a man. She's kind of enjoying the feeling!
"..." Chen Jincheng sighed internally. 'She's catching feelings.'
He felt this was a situation that shouldn't be happening.
At least, it couldn't be allowed on the current Trajectory he and Jiang Xiaobai were on. It didn't fit his Ancestral Master persona, nor was it beneficial for the Girl's future career as an influencer.
While they were hyping up their "ship" and livestreaming a scripted romance, it was fine to get along well, and even act on impulse if the atmosphere was right. But they absolutely could not catch real feelings.
Once feelings were involved, possessiveness would start to grow.
Possessiveness was a troublesome thing. It tortured people, made them suffer, and caused them to act irrationally, throwing all common sense out the window.
He had learned that much in his previous life.
"Let's go get something to eat, and we can stream while we're at it!" Chen Jincheng said, taking the opportunity to remind her, "It's okay to be a little intimate when we're playing up our 'ship' for the scripted romance, but we absolutely cannot catch feelings. That's what we agreed on from the very beginning."
"..." The arm Jiang Xiaobai had linked with his clearly stiffened. A hint of resentment crossed her pretty face, but she immediately retorted, "Can you stop constantly reminding me not to catch feelings? It's like you're terrified I'll cling to you. This young lady is a natural beauty; do you really think I'm worried about being wanted?"
"Let's go." Without showing any expression, Chen Jincheng led Jiang Xiaobai out of the hotel, simultaneously checking her employee file again. The system had just notified him that the Girl's Loyalty had decreased.
Name: Jiang Xiaobai
Loyalty: 90
Status: The Girl's heart suddenly feels a little sour. She understands, she really does, but that hint of dependency is just so addictive.
'It really did drop by 10 points!'
Chen Jincheng sighed softly again. He didn't want Jiang Xiaobai to catch feelings, but he didn't want her Loyalty to drop either.
As a boss, he naturally wanted his employees to be completely loyal.
After leaving the hotel, they drew a lot of attention as they walked. After all, a handsome man and a beautiful woman will turn heads anywhere.
They went into a beef noodle shop and ordered two bowls of noodles, plus two large bowls of seasoned beef. He'd expended his energy twice with Jiang Xiaobai last night and needed to refuel.
Then, he took out his phone and started livestreaming.
He was trending right now, so the moment he went live, a flood of fans poured into the stream. When they saw Jiang Xiaobai next to him, the chat immediately erupted:
"It's Xiaobai again! She's so pretty!"
"Xiaobai's on another date with Cheng."
"Xiaobai is still gorgeous!"
"..."
Jiang Xiaobai's mood brightened when she saw the fans' compliments. What woman doesn't enjoy being showered with praise?
Just a moment after the stream started, two "Tiao Yin No. 1" gifts suddenly popped up in a row, catching everyone's attention.
Chen Jincheng couldn't help but smile when he saw who sent the gift. "Thanks to my man 'Never Simping Again' for the Tiao Yin No. 1s. Looks like you got that few thousand back from your ex."
Never Simping Again: "Cheng, I didn't get the money back. I ran into my ex and her new guy getting a room at the hotel. They were right next door. The guy didn't last as long as I do. Now I suddenly want to get her back. What do I do?"
"..." Chen Jincheng was struck silent.
'That's a lot to unpack.'
'This simp was supposed to be getting his few thousand back from his ex, right? Then he runs into her and her new boyfriend getting a room next door, apparently listens through the wall all night, and now he wants to win her back?'
'What kind of mindset is that?'
'And he drops two Tiao Yin No. 1s just to ask me what to do?'
'How the hell am I supposed to know...'
It wasn't just him; everyone else in the chat was going wild.
"Dude, let me have your username. You don't deserve it!"
"I've never seen a bigger simp in my life!"
"Hahaha, my whole worldview just shattered!"
"..."
Chen Jincheng realized his own skills were limited; he had no good advice for his 'simp' follower. He could only offer some consolation. "My friend, you don't have to be so pessimistic. At least, there's a silver lining for you."
"Your ex-girlfriend has a boyfriend now, which means you only have one competitor. A man's attitude toward a woman often plummets after he gets what he wants. If you show your sincerity now, your ex will subconsciously start comparing you to her new guy. If he doesn't measure up, she'll start remembering all the good things about you."
"So, just keep being sincere."
The moment he said that, 'Never Simping Again' gifted another two Tiao Yin No. 1s. Apparently, that bit of nonsense was enough to give him a moment of clarity.
After that, the topic of ex-girlfriends became the main focus of the chat. All sorts of wild topics started popping up; 'Never Simping Again' had really opened the floodgates.
However, Chen Jincheng didn't dare engage with many of the topics, fearing he'd get flagged for a violation. He carefully selected only the ones he could safely answer.
He had no desire to get temporarily banned for saying something the platform deemed inappropriate.
Fortunately, the tone of the chat soon shifted, and fans started asking about a girl named Zhu Ling.
"Cheng, where does Zhu Ling set up her stall? I want to go support her!"
"There's something so familiar about Zhu Ling."
"Cheng, does your Bai Yueguang really look like Zhu Ling? Or do you have a lot of Bai Yueguangs?"
Jiang Xiaobai had been watching the stream the whole time. When the discussion turned to another girl, she was intrigued. The comments immediately reminded her of the girl whose Tiao Yin profile that scumbag Cheng had been looking at when he woke up.
Seeing the conversation shift to Zhu Ling, Chen Jincheng decided to drive some traffic her way. Livestream followers were more loyal than video fans, and with a stable 15,000 viewers in his stream now, he might as well convert as many as he could.
As her boss, he naturally wanted the Girl to get popular quickly and start earning him money.
So he said, "Guys, seriously. I was just passing by there last night and was suddenly captivated by that girl. She's truly beautiful and has this unique vibe. It felt like my Bai Yueguang had reappeared, like if I had the chance, I'd fall for her so hard. But you know what the most important part is? I don't even have a Bai Yueguang!"
The audience was completely with him for the first part of his speech, but the last sentence left everyone stunned.
Worthy of the name Ancestral Master.
This was his true nature.
But Chen Jincheng's brow furrowed again as he looked at the game in his mind. It was notifying him that the Girl Jiang Xiaobai's Loyalty had dropped again.
Name: Jiang Xiaobai
Loyalty: 85
Status: Suddenly feeling a little lost and empty inside!
The Girl's Loyalty was back to 85, where it had been last night.
'Feeling lost is normal, and that emptiness is a side effect of catching feelings.'
'Besides, she's definitely caught feelings. Otherwise, she wouldn't react like this just because I'm trying to send some followers to another girl.'
A moment later, Chen Jincheng saw another Tiao Yin No. 1 pop up in the chat. He immediately said, "Thanks to 'Discovered I'm a Simp' for the Tiao Yin No. 1. Seems like we've got a lot of 'simp' brethren in the chat today."
Discovered I'm a Simp: I slept with a girl. It was great while it was happening, all sweet talk and affection, but afterward, she completely changed. It's like nothing happened, and she keeps reminding me not to get attached. Why?
Chen Jincheng's brain felt a little fried reading that question.
'Why are all the questions from these 'simps' so bizarre today?'
'Logically, if a woman is whispering sweet nothings but won't commit, it's classic PUA. But she actually slept with this 'simp', which opens up a lot of other possibilities.'
'I just don't know if this 'simp' is loaded, or if he's really good in bed...'
'This is a tough one to answer.'
So, once again, he could only offer consolation. "My friend, all the roses in the world are really the same. But if you invest your energy and time into a single rose, even if it's not one you planted, it becomes unique and special to you."
"At the very least, she slept with you. That means you're special to her, different. Maybe she has other reasons. Maybe she doesn't want a relationship right now, or maybe her career is taking off and dating would interfere with it."
But as he finished speaking, he suddenly glanced at the game in his mind. The system was notifying him that Jiang Xiaobai's Loyalty had increased again.
Name: Jiang Xiaobai
Loyalty: 100
Status: The Girl suddenly feels a sense of relief. She's suddenly addicted to a certain feeling again!
"???" Chen Jincheng looked at Jiang Xiaobai, confused.
'How is she suddenly addicted again?'
'Don't tell me she misunderstood what I said to comfort 'Discovered I'm a Simp'?'
"I'll go pay!" Jiang Xiaobai immediately stood up when she saw him looking at her. She hurried to the counter, silently tapping her phone to switch her Tiao Yin account.