After Xia Feng settled Su Qingxue down, he returned to his seat and let out a long breath.
There was a lot waiting for him.
The game his team had poured their hearts into for more than a year was about to enter its final internal testing phase. This was a crucial step that would determine the company’s fate. There was no room for mistakes.
Just as he was about to dive back into work, a thought crossed his mind, and he opened the system panel.
[Points: 20]
Looking at the newly added 20 points, Xia Feng’s expression grew complicated.
That was all the result of his hard work last night.
He sighed inwardly. It seemed he had gotten a little too carried away yesterday and exhausted Liu Ruyan quite a bit.
He had already realized that his endurance was 15, while Liu Ruyan’s physical condition was roughly that of an average person, at most around 8 or 9.
It was completely one-sided.
No, tonight he had to take it easy. He would just hold her and sleep, let her rest properly and recover.
After making up his mind, he looked at the 20 points again, and his heart began to itch.
“System, draw!”
[Command received. Initiating beginner draw x2…]
The familiar, dazzling roulette wheel appeared again, spinning rapidly.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained [Attribute Point] x1!]
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You have obtained [Attribute Point] x3!]
The roulette wheel disappeared.
Xia Feng stared at the lonely 4 additional attribute points on the panel and went completely blank.
…
Silence.
Dead silence.
After a few seconds, Xia Feng roared in his mind, “System! Did you skim my points? Huh? Two draws and this is what I get? What about the golden reward you promised?”
[Host, please remain calm. Do not slander this system’s credibility without evidence.]
The system’s voice remained cold and emotionless.
[Golden rewards are extremely rare. During your first draw yesterday, the system automatically triggered the “Beginner’s Luck” bonus, which increased your probability of winning.]
Xia Feng’s lips twitched.
So there was a beginner protection period too?
But those 20 points had been earned through real effort and sweat from him and Liu Ruyan. Not to mention the two boxes that had fallen in glorious battle…
And all he got in exchange were these 4 attribute points?
What a scam.
[If the Host wishes to obtain better items, you may accumulate points and perform higher-tier draws. The probability of rare rewards increases significantly with advanced draws.]
“Oh?” Xia Feng became interested. “How many points does a medium and advanced draw cost?”
[Medium draw: 100 points per attempt.]
[Advanced draw: 1,000 points per attempt.]
[Top-tier draw: points per attempt.]
Xia Feng nearly spat out a mouthful of blood when he heard the prices.
“Are you trying to kill me?”
[The Host may also increase the number of “confidantes” to stack the rate of point acquisition.]
???
Countless question marks instantly popped up in Xia Feng’s mind.
Increase the number of confidantes?
The next second, Xia Feng rejected the idea righteously in his heart.
“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”
“I, Xia Feng, a dignified and upright man! Even if I jump from this twentieth floor and die outside, I will never do anything to betray my wife!”
“Do not bring this up again!”
He stated his position firmly.
He no longer bothered with the unreliable system. As for the 4 attribute points, he had no idea where to allocate them yet, so he left them unused for now.
Closing the panel, he threw himself back into his intense work.
…
Time passed quickly.
In the blink of an eye, it was noon.
Xia Feng stretched and felt his stomach growl. He glanced toward the partition area and noticed that Su Qingxue still had not woken up.
She had slept the entire morning. Was she still not rested enough?
A bit worried, he stood up and walked over.
He gently pushed open the door to the partition.
Su Qingxue was still lying on the bed, almost in the same position as when he left, but her posture made his heart skip a beat.
One hand was covering her eyes, and the other was pressed tightly against her chest.
It looked as if she was in severe discomfort.
Xia Feng’s face changed instantly.
He hurried over, carefully helped her sit up, and let her lean against the wall.
“Qingxue, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”
His voice was filled with tension and concern. “I’ll take you to the hospital this afternoon!”
After all, [God-Level Massage] was still just massage, not [God-Level Medical Skill]. If she really had some illness, massage alone would not cure it. A professional doctor was necessary.
Listening to Xia Feng’s anxious and caring words, feeling the warmth from his arm, Su Qingxue’s heart felt even more bitter.
At the same time, a strange thought surfaced uncontrollably.
As long as the hoe swings well, nothing is impossible to dig up…
But she immediately shook her head hard, driving away that dangerous thought.
No…
That would not do…
She took a deep breath, stood up from the bed, and forced a slight smile at Xia Feng.
“I’m fine. I just woke up and still feel a little groggy.”
“Thank you, Xia Feng. I already feel much better.”
“That’s good.”
Xia Feng was still uneasy. “But I think it would be better to go to the hospital this afternoon for a check-up.”
“No need!”
Su Qingxue’s tone became firm. “I’m fine now. I’m just hungry and want to eat. Let’s go eat. My treat.”
Seeing her so determined, Xia Feng did not press further. He nodded and followed her out of the office.
They went to the small restaurant downstairs where they often had lunch and ordered two simple dishes.
While waiting for the food, Su Qingxue casually brought up Liu Ruyan.
“The beautiful woman who used to come looking for you often during university?”
Xia Feng nodded, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“Yes, that’s her. Actually, we’ve known each other since kindergarten.”
“And Lin Yu, you know him too. He’s the good buddy who used to play basketball with me. The three of us basically grew up together.”
There was a hint of emotion in his voice. “To be honest, I never expected Ruyan to have liked me since we were kids.”
“I’m a bit slow. I always treated her like a buddy before. For a while, I even thought she had gotten together with that kid Lin Yu.”
“Turns out, it was all an act she put on to provoke me.”
“But thankfully, we ended up together in the end. It’s a happy ending.”
He spoke with deep feeling.
Across from him, Su Qingxue listened to him talk about his past with his wife and felt a surge of frustration.
She wished she could go back in time and grab her past self by the collar.
Su Qingxue, Su Qingxue! Why were you so hesitant? So cowardly?
If you had just been braver and gone straight at him, wouldn’t you be the one enjoying Xia Feng’s affection right now?
If Liu Ruyan could do it, why couldn’t you?
After Xia Feng finished speaking, he noticed Su Qingxue lowering her head, poking at the rice in her bowl with her chopsticks, saying nothing. Thinking she might have her own concerns, he did not continue.
Soon, the dishes arrived.
They finished lunch in a somewhat silent atmosphere.
Returning to the company, they resumed their afternoon work.
…
Time ticked by.
Before long, it was time to get off work.
Xia Feng thought about how Liu Ruyan had been exhausted yesterday and probably did not have much appetite today.
He planned to stop by a nearby herbal medicine store to buy some angelica root and goji berries, then stew a chicken soup to nourish her properly.
Just as he packed up and was about to leave, Su Qingxue, who had been working silently, suddenly spoke.
“Xia Feng.”
“Hmm?”
He turned around.
Su Qingxue looked up at him. Her beautiful eyes were filled with complicated emotions.
“In a few days… when you’re free, have a drink with me.”
“…Okay?”
Xia Feng noticed that although her complexion had improved, her mental state still did not seem great. He assumed she just wanted someone to drink with and relax.
Without much thought, he agreed immediately.
“Sure, no problem.”
“Just set the time and place and send it to me. I’ll be there whenever you call.”
“Mm.”
Su Qingxue nodded lightly and lowered her head again. “Then… see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Xia Feng said goodbye and turned to leave the office.
As the office door closed, Su Qingxue, who had been looking down, slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes were swirling with all kinds of emotions.
Struggle, pain, and… determination.
After a long while, she murmured in a voice only she could hear, “Do I really… have to do this…”