About half an hour later, Ning Ruoxi emerged from the bathroom, her face flushed and rosy from the shower, looking exceptionally fresh and cute.

Seeing the girl before him in a bathrobe, Ye Ling’s heart skipped a beat. He leaned in, planted a loud kiss on her, and reached out to pull her into a hug.

"Hmph! You’re all sweaty. Go take a shower!"

Ning Ruoxi pushed him away in annoyance, pouting.

"I see the passion has faded."

Ye Ling sighed in mock disappointment.

"Faded my foot! Stop messing around and go take your shower."

Ning Ruoxi rolled her eyes at Ye Ling. Ignoring the drama king, she went straight back to her room.

Watching the girl’s retreating back, Ye Ling gritted his teeth in frustration.

’Where’s my status in this household?’

’What happened to my status?’

’Right, it’s not like I ever had any to begin with...’

Ye Ling shook his head helplessly and walked into the bathroom.

Since Ning Ruoxi had just showered, the bathroom was still filled with a faint, steamy mist.

Ye Ling took a deep breath and caught a familiar, fragrant scent. A look of contentment washed over his face, and his earlier annoyance vanished in an instant.

’Ah, whatever. I’m just too magnanimous for my own good.’

’I’ll let the little rascal off the hook just this once!’

Ning Ruoxi had already changed the bathwater for him, so Ye Ling didn’t have to bother. He stepped right into the tub.

’She talks tough, but didn’t she still obediently change the water for me?’

Ye Ling soaked blissfully in the bath, feeling completely relaxed from head to toe.

’Oh right, I don’t think I’ve checked in today.’

At the thought, he immediately said in his mind with a hint of anticipation, ’System, check in.’

For days now, he had checked in on time every day and gotten absolutely nothing.

’Surely it’s gotta drop something good today, right?’

"DING! Congratulations, Host, on a successful check-in. You have triggered ’Unlucky’ fortune. Reward: ten yuan in cash!"

As the notification sound rang in his mind, Ye Ling was momentarily stunned.

’What?’

’I didn’t hear that right, did I? Ten yuan in cash??’

’This? This is it? This is all?’

As if in response to Ye Ling, ten coins materialized out of thin air.

PLOP!

PLOP!

...

One by one, the coins dropped into the tub, splashing water that smacked hard against Ye Ling’s face. It really stung!

At that moment, Ye Ling’s expression was as black as the bottom of a pot.

’Is this son of a bitch system messing with me?’

Ye Ling gritted his teeth.

’Damn it.’

’You’ve got to be kidding me. What the hell is wrong with this system?’

’For so many days, I haven’t gotten a single ’Great Luck’ roll. Is this drop rate some kind of joke?’

’And what the hell is up with ten yuan in cash? Before, I at least got a few cases of yogurt, which would be worth a couple hundred yuan.’

’This time, it’s just straight-up ten yuan?’

’How lazy can you get!’

’I wonder when the system will get its 2.0 update. The reward drop rate for version 1.0 is comparable to some stingy gacha game.’

Ye Ling sighed helplessly and silently fished the ten coins out of the tub, a look of utter humiliation on his face.

Guys tend to shower quickly anyway. But after the system’s prank, Ye Ling was in no mood to soak any longer. He gave himself a quick scrub and stood up.

"That was fast."

Ning Ruoxi said, surprised, as she watched Ye Ling walk out of the bathroom.

The young woman had already changed into the matching couple’s outfit they had bought together the other day. It looked like she had taken some time to get ready while he was in the shower, and she looked exceptionally fresh and lovely.

"Hurry up and get dressed. It’s time to go out for food."

Ning Ruoxi said, handing Ye Ling a folded stack of clothes she had laid out beside her.

"So eager to wear matching outfits with me, huh?"

Ye Ling looked at the layered-look sweatshirt on top of the pile and couldn’t help but grin.

"Are you going to wear it or not?"

Ning Ruoxi shot him a glare.

"I’ll wear it! Of course I’ll wear it! I’ll wear it every day from now on."

Ye Ling said, his survival instincts kicking in. He took the clothes, undid his bathrobe, and started getting dressed.

"Why are you changing out here!?"

Seeing what he was doing, Ning Ruoxi cried out in alarm.

"Er..."

Ye Ling froze. Seeing Ning Ruoxi’s face flush red as she turned her head away, he was a bit exasperated. "Is this really necessary? We’ve touched all over. What’s the big deal with looking?"

"No! Just hurry up and get dressed. And stop talking nonsense."

Ning Ruoxi covered her face, but she couldn’t stop her mind from replaying the scene.

’Even though we cuddle when we sleep, it’s always pitch black. You can’t see anything...’

’How is this the same thing?’

Though Ye Ling felt the girl was being a little dramatic, he still quickly got dressed. "Okay," he said, "you can turn around now. I’m dressed."

Hearing this, Ning Ruoxi tentatively turned her head. She glanced at Ye Ling and, seeing he was fully dressed, finally let out a sigh of relief.

’So embarrassing!’

"Let’s go, let’s go! Time for breakfast."

Ning Ruoxi muttered, and as if afraid Ye Ling would say something else outrageous, she grabbed him and pulled him toward the door.

The two of them picked a random breakfast shop and went inside. It was already almost eight-thirty, and the place was quite crowded.

"Boss, we’ll have five steamers of xiaolongbao and two soy milks," Ye Ling called out, then led Ning Ruoxi to an empty table.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t been out for breakfast in a long time. Ever since returning to the country, he’d always made it himself.

"Jerk."

Meanwhile, Ning Ruoxi was still sulking over what had just happened, her lips formed in a pout.

"Missy, is this really necessary?"

Ye Ling glanced at Ning Ruoxi and rolled his eyes in exasperation.

"How is it not necessary? Who just changes their clothes right in the middle of the living room?"

But Ning Ruoxi’s face was full of reproach. She huffed, "Anyway, if there’s a next time, I’ll break your two-hundred-and-si— Mmmph!"

Before the girl could finish, Ye Ling quickly clamped a hand over her mouth.

By now, several people around them had taken notice. The two of them were quite eye-catching, not only because they were wearing matching outfits, but also because most of the other patrons were middle-aged, making the young couple stand out.

"Don’t say things like that! People can hear you," Ye Ling said, exasperated.

’This girl is getting more and more reckless with her words.’

Ning Ruoxi seemed to notice the knowing looks from the people around them. Her face flushed red, and she lowered her head.

"Well, it’s your fault," she muttered.

"Yes, yes, it’s all my fault."

Ye Ling gave a wry smile and immediately chose to admit fault.

By now, he had come to a profound realization.

Never, ever try to reason with a woman.

It was the most foolish course of action possible.

’She was the little queen he’d chosen for himself, so what could he do?’

’He couldn’t bring himself to return her, so all he could do was apologize and coax her.’