Xia Wenbin had intended to grab a bite first to fill his empty stomach, but upon arriving at the cafeteria, he found the doors still shut. Pulling out his phone to check the time, he realized he had arrived way too early.
Since he had nothing better to do, he used his phone to top up his meal card with a thousand yuan. There was no helping it; Xia Wenbin simply wasn't short on cash anymore.
With time to spare, Xia Wenbin called up the System interface to take a look, only to be flooded with system notifications the moment he opened it.
"Lin Yanran gained Affection Emotion +10" ×99+
……
"Lin Yanran gained Jealousy Emotion +10" ×42 entries
……
Looking at the endless stream of emotion points pouring into his account, Xia Wenbin was overjoyed. These could all be converted into cash! Keep them coming, the more the better.
While other people were working hard and struggling, Xia Wenbin only needed the campus belle to farm points for him.
As expected, binding with the campus beauty was definitely the wisest choice. These emotion points were skyrocketing like crazy.
After pacing around the entrance of the cafeteria for a bit, Xia Wenbin finally saw the cafeteria staff open the doors.
He hurriedly took his newly topped-up meal card and ordered a bowl of nutritious, healthy porridge to line his stomach first. No choice! The pretty nurse had instructed him to eat some porridge first thing when he got back, claiming it was easier to digest.
Perhaps because he now possessed the System, Xia Wenbin's mindset had changed dramatically. Normally, eating porridge alone for dinner would feel quite humiliating, but today it tasted exceptionally delicious.
Wasn't eating just about filling your stomach? Who cares what it actually is! Xia Wenbin might be very rich now, but that didn't mean he approved of wealthy people's habits of eating lavish feasts of meat and fish.
Perhaps you could say Xia Wenbin was showing off by pretending to be low-key. Well, excuse him, Xia Wenbin just loved showing off while pretending to be low-key! Otherwise, how was he supposed to earn more emotion points?
……
"Xiaojing, look! Isn't that Xia Wenbin over there? Why is he eating porridge?"
"Yeah! Could he have suffered some kind of blow? It's not like he has no money, and he usually has part-time jobs. Even if he's not eating fancy banquets, ordering takeout and having something decent should be a breeze."
The four girls, who had just walked into the cafeteria to get some food, immediately noticed Xia Wenbin devouring his meal in the corner and looked at Xu Jing with curiosity.
"I don't know either. We haven't been in touch since yesterday."
Xu Jing herself was clueless. After she turned Xia Wenbin down yesterday, the guy had never contacted her again. Even though they said they would still be good friends, everyone knew that once a crack formed in something, it could never go back to the way it was.
The four of them had originally planned to get their food and go eat with Xia Wenbin, taking the opportunity to ask him what was going on. But considering that Xu Jing had rejected him just yesterday, walking over to say hello now would only make things more awkward for both sides.
So they simply found a random table to sit down and eat, planning to check on him and ask how he was doing after he finished his meal. After all, if they couldn't be a couple, they could still be friends.
"Xu Jing, haven't you noticed that Xia Wenbin is acting a bit weird today? Look at him—does he usually eat with that kind of enthusiasm? Today even a bowl of porridge seems to taste extra good!" Wang Xiao'ai said, looking at Xia Wenbin in the corner with a surprised expression as she turned to Xu Jing.
"Maybe he really was starved. Let's keep watching..." Hearing Wang Xiao'ai put it that way, Xu Jing found it rather strange too, but she decided to leave whatever was going on for later.
————
Lin Yanran, who had just stepped into the cafeteria, found the environment a bit unfamiliar.
It had been a long time since she last came to the school cafeteria; the last time she ate here with Xiaoling and the others was back in the previous semester.
It wasn't that she disliked eating in the cafeteria, but rather that back at the start of the term, every time she went there, a bunch of guys would rush over to order food, bring her snacks, and buy drinks to win her favor.
In the end, the cafeteria staff complained directly to the teachers, saying the male students were gathering in the cafeteria without eating, creating a huge mess of waste and setting up stalls everywhere.
Because of that, Lin Yanran grew to dislike crowded places, and naturally, she stopped coming to the cafeteria altogether.
After entering the cafeteria, Lin Yanran looked around in all directions and slowly began searching for her target.
Meanwhile, Xia Wenbin was so hungry his stomach was practically sticking to his spine. How could he possibly spare any attention for how many people had entered the cafeteria? He was practically using both hands and feet to eat.
You have to remember, ever since he fell into the water yesterday and was sent to the hospital, he hadn't eaten a single thing. How could he not be starving? By this point, he had already finished his porridge and ordered a plate of fried rice.
"Holy shit, look who's here! Isn't that Lin Yanran, the campus belle from the Economics and Management Department? Why is she here eating in the cafeteria?" a male student suddenly exclaimed in shock.
"Bro, am I dreaming? Lin Yanran is eating in the cafeteria, would you believe it?" With that, the student slapped the guy next to him to see if it hurt.
"No, no... I need to quickly call my dorm buddies and tell them to come back for another round of lunch." Another student picked up his phone to call his friends.
"Dude, you guys already ate once, why come back for more?" a curious guy at the next table suddenly chimed in.
"None of your business! We just love to eat, got a problem? Worst case, I'll order the food and just sit there staring at it, okay?" The guy on the phone was instantly choked up and snapped right back.
…………
Hearing the waves of chatter and discussion all around him, Xia Wenbin finally began to sense that something was wrong.
He muttered to himself: Lin Yanran? Which Lin Yanran? Could it be that campus belle tool he had bound himself to?
"Holy shit, why would she come to the cafeteria to eat? Can this really be such a coincidence? Didn't they say the campus belle never comes to the cafeteria? What do I do? Will the System recognize me??"
At the critical moment, the System acted just like it had crashed and gave no response. Right now, Xia Wenbin didn't even dare lift his head; he could only shovel food into his mouth frantically.
He was terrified that the moment he looked up, the campus belle would recognize him as the person who had barged into the women's restroom.
If it were any other girl shouting, "Xia Wenbin, you pervert! How dare you run into the women's restroom!", people might just forget about it after a few days.
But if Lin Yanran were to shout something like that right here on campus, Xia Wenbin's reputation might completely collapse. Don't underestimate the influence and popularity of Jiangzhou University's campus belles; it was simply that powerful.
While keeping his head down and shoveling rice, Xia Wenbin glanced out of the corner of his eye toward where the crowd was buzzing.
My goodness, with just that single glance, Xia Wenbin was so startled he almost dropped his chopsticks.
He saw that the girl before him was over 170 centimeters tall, with skin as fair as snow, wearing a white lace-trimmed blouse. Her chest was full and proudly lifted, pressing upward against her shawl. Her hair and accessories were impeccably arranged, looking as though they had been meticulously styled.
Below her neck was a patch of snowy white, while the short white skirt on her lower half not only wrapped tightly around her plump, perky hips but also exposed her fair, heart-stopping legs to the world. Add to that her ethereal, fairy-like face carrying a hint of alluring charm—
This level of looks and figure was truly enough to bring ruin to a nation! It was genuinely hard for her not to attract bees and butterflies, which was why all the boys in school adored her and chased after her as the campus belle.
Seeing that Lin Yanran was about to walk past his table, Xia Wenbin hurriedly pulled his gaze back from the shock, lowered his head to act "dead serious" about eating, and pretended he hadn't seen a thing.
Meanwhile, Lin Yanran, who had been walking straight ahead, suddenly paused as she passed Xia Wenbin's row.
She glanced back at Xia Wenbin, who was burying his head in his food, then shook her head with a triumphant smile playing at the corners of her lips.
The cafeteria boys who caught that smile had their souls instantly snatched away, staring at Lin Yanran in total infatuation as yet another massive batch of emotion points poured into his account.
It wasn't until Lin Yanran walked further and further away to line up and order food that Xia Wenbin slowly raised his head, patted his little chest with a sense of surviving a disaster, and muttered:
"Phew, that scared the hell out of me just now, talk about a close call! System, what are you doing? Where did you go?"
Answering Xia Wenbin wasn't the System, but the chime of a reward notification.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for exceeding expectations in completing the Binding Mission. The rewards are now issued as follows:
① Honghu Bay Hillside Villa #1 in Jiangzhou City, House Number 10
② System Points: 100
③ Special Ability: [Loving Embrace]—an 'embrace' that no one can refuse from the host.
(Using it on females has a high probability of increasing favorability; using it on males may trigger special effects and side effects. Use with caution!)
④ Lin Yanran's favorability +15"
While looking at the System's reward interface, Xia Wenbin pulled a set of villa keys out of his pocket.
"Whoa—System, your reward is way too generous!
"After waiting forever, turns out you were cooking up a surprise for me! Sorry, I misunderstood you! System, you're the best, you're awesome..."
Just as Xia Wenbin couldn't help but lavish some flattery on the System out of pure joy, a wave of curiosity hit him again, and he asked:
"System, what's this about Lin Yanran's favorability +15?"
"The host extended a helping hand when Lin Yanran was at her most helpless, which is why her favorability increased rapidly."
Hearing the System's explanation, Xia Wenbin couldn't hide his wide grin. This reward was simply fantastic—not only did it give him a villa and a boost in favorability, but it also came with a special ability.
With this Loving Embrace, wouldn't that mean Lin Yanran wouldn't be able to refuse his hugs? If he embraced the campus belle in public, wouldn't he be able to farm several more waves of envy and jealousy emotion points, and double at that!
Xia Wenbin suddenly felt that becoming a God-tier Tycoon was just around the corner, and his smile widened even more.
In the distance, Xu Jing and the other three girls, who had been keeping an eye on Xia Wenbin's situation the whole time, were completely dumbfounded. They all wondered if Xia Wenbin had suffered some kind of mental breakdown, standing there grinning like an idiot all by himself.
Just as the four of them planned to get up and go over to check on him, the scene that unfolded next left them utterly shocked!
…………
"Classmate, are you very happy right now?"
A pleasant voice rang out right beside Xia Wenbin's ear.
Thinking some fool was coming over to interrupt his wonderful dream, Xia Wenbin almost blurted out a string of curses.
"Ah... Who is it? You are... Lin—Yanran!"
But when he raised his head and saw that familiar, fairy-like visage, he was so startled he nearly jumped out of his seat. The color drained entirely from his face, turning ashen before instantly flushing bright red.
Never in his wildest dreams had Xia Wenbin expected that campus belle Lin Yanran would appear right across from him.
"What's wrong, classmate? Can't I sit here?"
Lin Yanran asked with a puzzled look as she stared at the blushing, stunned Xia Wenbin right in front of her.