Chapter 6: ugh…so shameful
It’s well known that for introverts, being stared at by a crowd feels anything but pleasant.
Beep~
The sound of a successful Tengxin friend request echoed.
Though the table was laden with nearly ten lavish dishes—spoils from Lin Xue’s takedown of Li Jian—looking appetizing and satisfying, Su Qi wasn’t at ease.
The cafeteria’s piercing gazes stabbed at him like needles.
And beside him, Lin Xue, the third-year campus beauty, kept playfully making teasing, intimate gestures.
“I’m full.”
After eating only half a bowl of rice and settling their discussion, Su Qi stood from the bench.
He gathered his dishes, returned them to the cleaning area, and quickly left the cafeteria.
Lin Xue watched Su Qi flee like a startled rabbit escaping a predator.
Without touching a single dish, she gracefully rose, walked lightly to the cafeteria entrance, and pulled a black parasol from her bag.
Opening it elegantly, she held it overhead to block the scorching sunlight.
Gazing at Su Qi’s retreating figure, a pleased smile curved her lips.
Her pink tongue unconsciously licked the corner of her mouth, as if spotting prey, and her almond eyes sparkled with anticipation.
She murmured to herself, “Tomorrow, huh? I can’t wait!”
Su Qi, already out of the cafeteria, was unaware of Lin Xue’s little actions after he left.
All he knew was that on his way back to the classroom, far more people were staring at him than usual.
He couldn’t help but sigh—ancient wisdom was right: a beautiful woman brings trouble.
Just eating with Lin Xue had drawn so much attention.
If he actually became her boyfriend…
The thought alone made Su Qi, the class nobody, shudder.
He could already imagine the countless guys who’d hold grudges against him.
At the same time, his mind conjured an image.
Himself, as a guy, backed against a wall by Lin Xue’s long leg, her strength pinning him…
‘No, wait—what am I thinking?’
‘How could I have such a close encounter with Senior Lin Xue? It’s just a business deal!’
‘The pressure of her holding my secret must be getting to me. I’m having weird thoughts!’
‘And why am I the one being pushed around?!’
‘It’s because I didn’t sleep well last night. I need a good rest tonight.’
Lost in these strange fantasies, Su Qi unknowingly returned to Class 18, the bottom-tier class.
As soon as he stepped into the classroom, he was swarmed by classmates he barely knew.
“Su Qi, you’re neighbors with Lin Xue? Where do you live?”
“What kind of help did you give her? Can you spill?”
“Hey, I thought something was off about Li Jian this morning.”
Listening to their questions—some from the very classmates who’d been with Li Jian at lunch—Su Qi didn’t know how to respond.
In truth, until last night, he and Lin Xue had just been ordinary senior-junior schoolmates.
Laughing awkwardly, he fumbled through their questions.
Just as he tried to head back to his seat, he felt a resentful gaze.
Ding (o_o)~~~~
Following the sensation, Su Qi quickly spotted the source—none other than his best friend, Mo Yu.
Mo Yu, in his black-and-white school uniform, was slumped over his desk.
But his face, prettier than most girls’, showed no trace of sleepiness.
His cheeks puffed out like an angry kitten, and his glossy eyes glared, brimming with resentment.
Seeing Mo Yu like this, Su Qi, for some reason, felt a pang of guilt, like he’d just snuck off to meet another woman behind his wife’s back.
Before he could figure out how to explain to his best friend, who idolized Lin Xue, a sulky, nasal voice spoke up softly.
“A-Qi, was your ‘business’ at lunch eating with Lin Xue… no, a date? That’s why you ditched me?”
As Mo Yu spoke, his short-haired head turned away, staring out the window.
It was the classic “give me a good explanation, or I’m done with you” attitude of a pouty girl.
Logically, a guy acting this petulant should’ve been a bit off-putting.
But on Mo Yu, in Su Qi’s eyes, it somehow felt… reasonable? Even… cute?
‘No, something’s wrong with me!’
‘Sure, my best friend looks girly, but feeling my heart skip…’
‘What am I thinking?’
‘I really need to sleep well tonight.’
Shaking his head to banish the odd thoughts, Su Qi remembered he’d already lied to Mo Yu about being a novelist.
Maybe because he’d gotten away with it before, this time, he didn’t feel too out of place.
He quickly spun a second lie, claiming he and Lin Xue were neighbors.
To his surprise, though, Mo Yu—who idolized Lin Xue—didn’t react as expected.
Su Qi had braced for a barrage of questions about her, but after their talk, he realized Mo Yu wasn’t as obsessed with his idol as he’d thought.
Instead, Mo Yu was more worried about Su Qi being bullied at lunch.
‘That’s a true bro for you.’
After patting Mo Yu’s soft shoulder, Su Qi, exhausted from a sleepless night and the day’s chaotic events, felt emotionally drained.
Having explained things to Mo Yu, he slumped onto his desk and closed his eyes, still feeling a bit guilty.
But instead of falling asleep, he pulled up his ability interface in his mind.
His Crisp Wife ability was still LV1, with three skills: Crisp Wife’s Sweetness, Crisp Wife’s Bento, and Crisp Wife’s Armor.
The Bento skill was straightforward, so he set it aside.
He focused on the other two skills.
From his cafeteria talk with Lin Xue, he knew the Sacred Ruins were fraught with danger.
No team would accept a liability—everyone needed to contribute.
After reviewing the skill descriptions, Su Qi realized that while making Crisp Wife bentos was valuable, it leaned toward logistics.
To officially join the renowned Cangyou Wildcat Team, he needed two qualities.
First, he had to provide a positive effect during Sacred Ruins exploration.
On this, after studying his skills, Su Qi thought Crisp Wife’s Sweetness might hold some promise.
Crisp Wife’s Sweetness (Passive): As a Crisp Wife, when you successfully transform into female attire, your charisma and appearance are greatly enhanced. Both outwardly and inwardly, you subtly exude a faint, pleasant fragrance. (Note: This skill may trigger certain special events.)
The skill’s note explicitly mentioned its potential.
Plus, when selling bentos on Sundays as a Crisp Wife, Su Qi had noticed that his enhanced appearance didn’t just attract humans.
Even stray cats and dogs at the night market were unusually friendly, their affection boosted.
If it worked on animals, could his transformed self affect spirit beasts born from spiritual energy?
The second requirement was self-preservation.
The Sacred Ruins were like a dungeon in a game.
Though teams usually had scouts, unexpected dangers—like sudden attacks from spirit-infused animals or disguised spirit beast trees—could arise.
This demanded quick reactions and self-defense skills.
Thinking of this, Su Qi, eyes closed, frowned slightly.
Not because he lacked a solution.
In fact, Crisp Wife’s Armor could boost his attributes through clothing.
But what gave him a headache was that since awakening his ability, he’d only secretly worn one outfit—his sister’s, from before her coma.
Worse, that outfit didn’t boost “strength,” “agility,” or “constitution.”
Now, if he was going to the Sacred Ruins tomorrow, he needed to prepare thoroughly tonight.
A key task was finding an outfit that significantly boosted his attributes.
This meant trying on various women’s clothes to find the best fit.
The thought of wearing all sorts of feminine outfits sent a wave of indescribable shame through Su Qi…
‘Ugh…’
‘It feels like something’s slipping away…’