[Ding! Belle's Favorability has increased by 20%. Current Favorability: 30%]
Seeing Belle's condition, Ye Qingfeng thought she might have a fever. He was about to step closer and check her temperature by touching her forehead when she suddenly collapsed backward.
Huh? What's going on?!
"Belle... Miss Belle?"
Almost instinctively, Ye Qingfeng grabbed Belle's wrist with one hand while his other arm slipped behind her back to support her body.
"This... this is? She fainted?"
Looking down at Belle, who lay unconscious in his arms with her eyes closed, and recalling the sudden favorability increase notification, Ye Qingfeng was utterly bewildered.
Before he could think further...
Ye Qingfeng realized their position was somewhat awkward. Since Belle was unconscious, her whole weight rested against him. To an outsider, it might just look like a young couple embracing.
But... Ye Qingfeng had just met Belle!
If Wise saw this...
Would he tell me not to move while he goes to the kitchen to get... some money?
Wow, a girl's body really is soft! And a faint, pleasant fragrance drifted into his nostrils, unsettling his mind.
How was a guy pushing twenty who'd never had a girlfriend supposed to withstand this?!
"Hey! Pervert-Qingfeng! What are you thinking?!" Nicole, seeing Ye Qingfeng's dazed expression, gave him a look of disdain. "Hurry up and take Phaethon back inside! What's on your mind?!"
"Ah! Right, right!"
Snapping back to reality, Ye Qingfeng lifted Belle in a princess carry and slowly walked toward the video store.
Luckily, Belle hadn't gone far from the store, and thanks to the constitution-enhancing potion he'd taken there was no problem for him at all.
Thankfully, Belle wasn't very heavy. If it had been Nicole, he'd have really cursed his luck.
As they neared the entrance, Nicole stepped ahead and pushed the door open for Ye Qingfeng. Rows of shelves filled with videotapes greeted them.
The Bangboo minding the front counter saw Belle unconscious in Ye Qingfeng's arms. It quickly scurried over to his legs, hitting and kicking at him while emitting fierce Bangboo noises.
"Enna! Enna na!"
Seeing this, Ye Qingfeng wasn't sure what to do.
"Where did that guy go?" Nicole glanced around but didn't see Wise. She patted Ye Qingfeng's shoulder and pointed to an open room beside the counter. "First, take Phaethon to the sofa in that room."
She added calmly as a reminder, "Don't even think about doing anything you shouldn't."
"Hey, hey! What kind of person do you take me for?!" Ye Qingfeng was taken aback by Nicole's words. "Do I seem like that kind of guy?!"
"Hard to say..." Nicole crossed her arms, silent for a moment before speaking slowly. "I suddenly realize you have quite a way with women. At the Cunning Hares, there's me and Anby."
"And I remember, ever since you came out of the Public Security Bureau that time, you've often been hugging your phone with a pervy grin while texting. It couldn't be that officer who took you to the bureau, could it?"
"Then there was that Shark Thiren girl you stared for a long time. Plus, right now you're holding a girl. So what more do you have to say for yourself?!"
Ye Qingfeng looked at Nicole in disbelief. Well... she wasn't exactly wrong...
But...
"When have I ever been hugging my phone with a 'pervy grin'?!"
Nicole watched Ye Qingfeng's protest with a sidelong glance, then waved her hand. "Alright, enough nonsense. I'll go find Wise."
With that, Nicole went upstairs alone. Ye Qingfeng sighed helplessly, carried Belle into the room, and gently laid her on the sofa. The Bangboo following them stopped its punching motions upon seeing this, ran to the sofa, and watched him warily.
Ye Qingfeng didn't notice this. He left the room, sat down on the chair behind the front counter, and thought carefully. It seemed Nicole was right. Besides Wise, he didn't really know any other guys. That was indeed a bit strange.
Billy? He barely counted as a guy.
And besides the green-haired little girl he met at the Public Security Bureau and the shark thiren he saw while shopping, he'd had somewhat prolonged contact with the other girls.
While there was nothing wrong with that on the surface, if you thought deeper, it was a bit frightening.
Because these were all designated "Romance Targets" by the system!
'System! Explain. What's going on?'
After all, this was just his speculation. But he still had major doubts, feeling as if he was being led by the system.
[Ding! No access permission! Can only inform the host that everything done is for the host's own good...]
For some reason, Ye Qingfeng felt his system was overly anthropomorphic. Was it possible the system was actually an individual with its own consciousness?
[Don't overthink it... Can only tell the host that I come from the future...]
The future? What did that mean? And this was the first time the system used the pronoun "I"...
Things were getting more and more complicated. What a hassle.
Before Ye Qingfeng could ponder further, the crisp sound of footsteps reached his ears. He looked up to see Wise rushing down the stairs.
He had been in his room watching the videotape, his attention completely absorbed by the documentary. If Nicole hadn't pushed the door open, he wouldn't have known something had happened to his sister.
But Nicole had seized the opportunity to ask for a discount on the commission fee. Only after he agreed did she tell him what happened.
"Let's go, Qingfeng!"
Nicole, in a great mood, called out to Ye Qingfeng with a smile.
"Coming..."
Ye Qingfeng, his mind full of questions, followed Nicole out with a troubled expression.
"Wait! Should we exchange contact info?"
Just as he pushed the shop door open, Wise's voice came from behind. He was holding up his phone, waving it toward Ye Qingfeng.
Ye Qingfeng didn't hesitate to agree to Wise's request. Still lost in thought, he followed Nicole and got into the car.
Wise watched Ye Qingfeng's receding figure with some regret. For some reason, he felt like he wanted to chat with him longer.
On the sofa, Belle slowly opened her eyes. She sat up, looking around somewhat dazedly as if searching for something. After glancing around, she found only a Bangboo standing by the sofa.
For some reason, she felt a bit dejected. How did I faint earlier? And where did Qingfeng go?
Wise, having closed the shop door and suppressing an upward curl of his lips, had just entered the room when he saw Belle awake. He immediately asked with concern, "Belle, you're awake? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
"Oh, it's you, bro..." Belle heard footsteps approaching and looked toward the doorway with hopeful anticipation. Seeing it was Wise, she let out a soft sigh. "I'm perfectly fine. Where's Qingfeng? Where did he go?"
"He went back with Nicole."
Seeing Belle was okay, Wise now just wanted to return to his room to finish the documentary or message Ye Qingfeng to discuss it. His sister always complained that the documentaries he liked were too boring and that no one would share his interest. But Qingfeng would definitely understand!
"Oh, right. I just exchanged contact info with Qingfeng."
Wise stood at the doorway, about to leave, when he suddenly, for some unknown reason, felt like showing off to his sister.
"What?!!!"
Belle sprang to her feet and rushed toward Wise. "How did you get it?! Quick, give me Qingfeng's contact info!!"
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