“Older Sister, your current body temperature is 38.6°C. Not bad~”
Hearing the System’s report, Mu Jing almost cursed it out.
“What’s the normal temperature for Systems?”
“Under normal circumstances it’s 45–65. Anything above 75 counts as a high fever. But my current temperature is 47, so don’t worry about me.”
“Heh, I wasn’t worried about you.”
Mu Jing took out her phone and sent a message to Xu Ge.
She and the Male Protagonist had a Brother Value of −20, which could still be considered a kind of friendship. Besides, he was more reliable than a doctor. After all, she already owed him several life-saving favors—one more would not make much difference.
Xu Ge replied quickly.
Xu Ge: Can you still go downstairs?
Mu Jing: Even if I can’t, I’ll have to. What, are you going to enter my dormitory directly?
Xu Ge: If it’s convenient, I can.
Mu Jing leaned over the side of the bed and glanced around the dormitory below.
It was still the beginning of the semester, and the hygiene inspections were strict. There was nothing particularly private in the dorm.
She sent Xu Ge the room number. Then she tossed her phone aside and closed her eyes, falling asleep again.
Xu Ge stared at the dorm room number on his phone for quite a while before standing up and disappearing from the classroom as if no one else were present.
The teacher lecturing at the front and the nearby students all turned a blind eye to him. None of them even realized that someone had blatantly skipped class.
And she still claimed she didn’t like him.
She had even given him the dorm number and allowed him to enter directly—yet she still said she didn’t like him.
Xu Ge appeared inside the dormitory room and looked at the lump under the thin summer blanket. He raised his hand and pressed it against Mu Jing’s burning forehead.
Interesting.
He had never expected that after living another life, the ability he used most often would actually be healing.
While thinking this, Xu Ge saw Mu Jing open her eyes.
“You’re awake.”
“Mm.”
Mu Jing nodded. Lying on her side facing Xu Ge, she grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled it against her cheek.
The coolness of his palm stimulated her burning skin. She let out a comfortable hum and rubbed her face against his palm before complaining,
“Too rough.”
Xu Ge widened his eyes, unable to believe what he had heard.
“What?”
“Too rough.”
It was pulling painfully against her skin.
“You… you’re a young girl. Don’t say vulgar words.”
“Huh?”
Mu Jing’s fever had already subsided, and her mind was beginning to clear.
How was “too rough” a vulgar phrase? “Too screwed up” would have been a vulgar phrase.
“I meant your palm is too rough. It’s full of calluses. What were you thinking?”
Xu Ge: …
“If you dislike it, then let go.”
“Now that you’ve said that, I’m definitely not letting go.”
“Let go—…forget it.”
Xu Ge was a mature and steady adult. There was no point arguing with a child like Mu Jing.
He looked at Mu Jing lying with half her face pressed into the pillow. She was obviously already better. Her eyes were bright as she looked at him, her smile radiant.
And she still claimed she didn’t like him?
It was already so obvious.
Xu Ge’s fingers resting against her cheek moved slightly, his thumb almost brushing the edge of her lips.
Unfortunately, he did not want to fall in love.
So Mu Jing would inevitably end up disappointed.
But he had already said it once during their chat the night before. Xu Ge could imagine how sad Mu Jing must have been when she replied to that message.
He should be more tactful in the future.
He could not reject her as bluntly as he did with other women.
What if Mu Jing started crying? Wouldn’t he be the one suffering in the end?
All sorts of thoughts spun through Xu Ge’s mind.
It was not entirely his fault for being overly confident.
First, Xu Ge himself was extremely outstanding. If he wished, he could easily stand at the top of the pyramid.
Second, in his previous life many women had surrounded him. Whenever he rejected them coldly, they cried miserably—and then continued pursuing him even more humbly afterward.
Therefore, based on his past experience, Xu Ge believed Mu Jing would probably cry too.
But Mu Jing was a little cuter than the others. In the future he should reject her more gently and not be so blunt.
Mu Jing had no idea what Xu Ge was thinking.
From the moment she woke up, she had not drunk any water. Feeling thirsty, she licked her lips.
Just as she was about to ask Xu Ge to grab her a bottle of water—
Xu Ge suddenly reacted strongly and said sternly,
“Why are you licking your lips?!”
“Uh… I want to drink some water.”
Mu Jing was startled by his reaction. Even her voice sounded less confident.
“Could you help me get a bottle of mineral water from under the table?”
After a pause, Mu Jing added,
“Thanks.”
In Xu Ge’s eyes, wasn’t that just the guilty reaction of someone whose attempt at seduction had failed?
Kids these days did not learn properly. All they knew was falling in love.
He had to be even colder toward her.
Deciding to adopt a colder attitude so Mu Jing would retreat on her own, Xu Ge unscrewed the bottle cap.
“Drink.”
After drinking water, Mu Jing still lay on the bed.
“Don’t you have class today?”
“I skipped.”
“Oh… then… let’s go eat.”
Xu Ge, who had eaten breakfast and was not hungry yet, replied,
“Mm.”
Brother Value: −25.
Mu Jing felt numb.
Holding a steamed bun in her mouth, she asked the System in her mind,
“Do you think the negative side of the Brother Value might actually be affection points?”
“Maybe… possibly… probably?” the System replied uncertainly. “I skipped that class, Older Sister. That teacher’s lecture was boring.”
Mu Jing: …
“I thought your knowledge was directly printed into your CPU.”
“That used to be the case for older Systems,” the System explained. “Our teachers were like that too—mass-produced. Later, because of the upgrade and iteration of emotional systems, the Main Brain thought Systems with knowledge printed directly into their CPUs lacked flexibility. We’re the newest version.”
“You Systems have such a complicated history too.”
“Of course. The world develops, the times progress, and we must keep up with the times.”
Xu Ge knocked on the table.
“Hurry up and eat.”
Mu Jing responded with an “Oh” and stopped talking to the System.
After eating two steamed buns and drinking a bowl of seaweed egg-drop soup, she leaned back in her chair.
If the negative side of the Brother Value truly represented affection, then Xu Ge’s current affection for her would be 25?
The Male Protagonist’s standards… were not very high.
Mu Jing sighed inwardly.
She had not shown Xu Ge any particular care or affection.
At the beginning she had only approached him to avoid death. After that she threatened him into going on vacation, used him as a shield, and ordered him around.
“Xu Ge, hand me a tissue.”
Mu Jing extended her hand.
The tissue box was right within reach—she could have grabbed it simply by leaning forward.
Xu Ge was finishing the remaining steamed bun Mu Jing had left. Hearing her request, he looked up at her, then glanced at the tissue box that was actually closer to her.
“Can’t reach it?”
“Can’t reach it.”
Xu Ge pulled out a tissue and stuffed it into her hand. To emphasize his cold attitude, he added,
“Long-term servants charge fees.”
Mu Jing wiped her mouth.
“Don’t you have a trial period?”
“The trial period is already over.”
“Everyone else’s trial period is one month.”
“I’m more expensive than all of them combined. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to afford it after using me.”
“Then I just won’t pay.”
Mu Jing could confirm it now.
If the negative Brother Value represented affection, then 25 must represent some level of liking.
But what level exactly?