Nan Yao paused. “Revenge?”
“S-Sister… Sister, I know I’m pushing my luck!” Han Shuo panicked instantly, his handsome peach-blossom eyes turning bright red. He looked at her with a timid, terrified gaze, the very picture of misery.
“I just… I just wanted to thank you for saving me! I—I…”
“You don’t need to be afraid,” Nan Yao soothed softly. “Take your time.”
Han Shuo bit his lower lip hard, so overwhelmed that tears spilled down his cheeks in hot drops.
“Sister, since you saved my life, I’m your lapdog from now on. If you tell me to go east, I’ll never go west!”
Nan Yao said nothing, simply watching him and waiting for him to continue.
“I’m actually a water-element esper. I was betrayed by my teammates and mauled by zombies, but I didn’t die from that. It was a man wearing a mask who killed me. After he took my life, he stashed me inside the freezer. I don’t remember what his face looks like, but if I ever see him again, I’ll definitely recognize him!”
Nan Yao fell silent for a moment, her eyes downcast in deep thought.
“Sister… do you not believe me?” Han Shuo asked nervously, his heart in his throat.
“No, I was just wondering why he stuffed you into the freezer in the first place.”
Han Shuo froze. A moment later, he hung his head, his hands clenching tightly into fists. “I don’t know… All I know is that if the zombie virus hadn’t kept me alive, I would’ve been long dead.”
“Got it.” Nan Yao patted Han Shuo’s head. “Over the next few days, I’ll prioritize healing your wounds. Once you’re healed, I’ll teach you how to control the zombie crystal nucleus that’s formed in your head to keep you from going wild and losing control. I’ll also help you raise the tier of your crystal nucleus to boost your strength.”
“Thank you! Thank you so much!” Overjoyed, Han Shuo cried and laughed at the same time. “Thank you, Sister! Thank you, Master! Thank you, Master! I promise I’ll be the best lapdog I can be.”
Nan Yao shook her head, her gaze suddenly turning sharp and stern as she looked at him. “I only have one requirement: absolute loyalty.”
“I will! I definitely will!”
“Don’t call me Master in front of me, and don’t think of yourself as a dog either,” Nan Yao emphasized. “You need to understand that I never keep weaklings around me.”
“Sister!” Han Shuo declared with utmost seriousness. “I’ll keep that in mind!”
“Then go apply your medicine while I set up a place for you to stay.” As the words left her mouth, Nan Yao vanished from the space along with the bathtub.
After draining the murky water from the bathtub, she took a trip to the back mountain of the resort estate.
The estate covered a vast area. Amusement facilities, hotels, restaurants, and a department store were all built up along the back mountain; you could see the buildings on the hillside just by looking up from the villa where they stayed.
Right now, the area was completely deserted and quiet.
Nan Yao surmised that this was where their dates would take place tomorrow. Since it wasn’t the main venue yet, no NPCs were present.
Which worked out great—it made it convenient for Nan Yao to head straight to the department store, sweep a small mobile prefabricated house into her spatial base, and scoop up everything inside a small clothing plaza into her space while she was at it.
She had originally planned to take a larger one, only to discover she couldn’t fit it inside—her space level was still too low.
After browsing around and collecting some food, restricted bladed weapons, and daily necessities, Nan Yao headed back to the villa.
The next morning.
By the time Nan Yao came downstairs, the other nine guests were already seated in the living room.
“Look at you putting on airs, making a whole group of people wait on you alone.” Jiang Ying wore a punchable smirk, slurring his words sarcastically at Nan Yao. “You used to act like a diva on set, and you still haven’t broken the habit here. Guess a dog really can’t stop eating garbage. Low-tier actors really are built different.”
Nan Yao’s eyes darkened, and she walked straight up to Jiang Ying.
“What are you looking at!” Jiang Ying frowned, shouting irritably. “Get lost! Don’t block my fucking view—holy shit!“
Nan Yao never used words when a kick would do. Jiang Ying just happened to be sitting in an executive swivel chair, and she put her full strength behind the kick, sending Jiang Ying flying so fast he left an afterimage. With a deafening thud, both man and chair flipped upside down.
Jiang Ying lay sprawling with his legs in the air, his face blank with shock as he stared at Nan Yao, who was now upside down in his field of vision.
“…Oh my god,” Su Xiao’ai gasped, thoroughly stunned. “This female guest is way too hardcore.”
“Hmph, destroying her own future,” Peng Xin muttered through gritted teeth.
The entire group stared with wide eyes, completely frozen as they looked at Nan Yao.
Having lost face big time, Jiang Ying’s handsome face flushed dark with rage. He scrambled up savagely and charged toward Nan Yao. “I’ll make you pay for this!”
Lu Jingwang suddenly stepped up, moving swiftly to push Nan Yao behind him while catching Jiang Ying’s incoming fist in a firm grip. “Peace brings wealth.”
“Bullshit!” Jiang Ying cursed angrily. “If Nan Yao hadn’t started it—”
“Your mouth started it,” Nan Yao stated coldly, laying out the plain truth.
“Nan Yao, just you wait… Just you wait!”
Trembling with rage, Jiang Ying yanked his arm out of Lu Jingwang’s grip. He turned around, furiously grabbing Chu Jie. “Move!”
Fueled by anger, he shoved Chu Jie aside and slammed himself down into the seat next to Su Xiao’ai.
“Where are your manners!” Chu Jie couldn’t stomach the treatment, but the moment he caught the murderous look Jiang Ying threw his way, he had to swallow his anger and take it lying down.
“Alright, alright,” Peng Xin stood up, stepping in as a mediator with a pleasant smile. “It was all just in good fun. Let’s not ruin the harmony, everyone. Now that everyone’s here, I’ll act as host and read today’s date card.”
Peng Xin picked up the heart-shaped card from the coffee table and waved it toward the group.
“‘With you by my side, sweet dreams come true. Let us now embark on a first date built on mutual choice…’
“Let’s go.” Lu Jingwang took hold of her wrist, signaling for her to sit with him.
“No.” Nan Yao pulled her hand out of his grip and sat down next to An Feiwan with a cool expression.
An Feiwan pursed her lips, noticeably shifting over a bit to make room with reluctance.
“…’Guests are asked to bring the lucky bracelets they crafted last night and enter the Heart Choice Booths together. The mailboxes inside hold yesterday’s heart-throb choices from the Heartbeat Frequency House. If a male and female guest select each other, they will form a top-match Heartbeat Couple. Otherwise, the match fails. If two male guests, A and B, select female guest C at the same time, a three-way date will be unlocked, and vice versa.’
“‘Once date partners are finalized, male guests will head to their chosen female guest’s door and present their lucky bracelet as a sign of affection. Your lucky bracelet will also grant you one chance to challenge the outcome during the second date matching, giving you a shot to fight for yourself…'”
Nan Yao looked ahead, where nine connected mini-booths were lined up. The male guests’ booths were blue, numbered one through five, while the female guests’ were pink, numbered one through four, arranged side by side in parallel.
“Everyone clear on the rules?” Peng Xin asked thoughtfully. Seeing everyone nod, she gave a smiling reminder: “Remember to bring your bracelets and head into the Heart Choice Booths.”
“Oh, right.” She suddenly turned to look at Nan Yao, putting on a show of mock goodwill. “You left on your own accord yesterday and wouldn’t listen to my explanation, so you probably didn’t know about making the bracelets, right? Did you even go to the Heartbeat Frequency House? Careful now, you might not even get to use the Choice Booth.”
Nan Yao gave her a icy glare, ignoring her nonsense entirely. She stood up and walked straight into the booth bearing her name tag, inside of which sat a single table topped with a mailbox.