Chapter 3

Yan Qingqiu's face burned with embarrassment. Every time Song Qingre tried to push her away, she pressed right back.

Afraid that Song Qingre would shove her off again, Yan Qingqiu pressed down harder on her shoulders, making it blatantly clear that Song Qingre was being forced to accept her kiss.

Yan Qingqiu had never kissed anyone before. She'd only heard that kissing wasn't actually sweet, that there was no real taste to it, and the strongest sensation was just warmth.

But even with just their lips pressed together, Yan Qingqiu detected something faint and sweet. Song Qingre's coffee must have been loaded with milk and sugar—milky and soft.

The sweetness of the milk candy blended with the scent of citrus.

Actually, a high nose bridge... wasn't the easiest to kiss. She had to tilt her head slightly, making the position even more intimate, as if she were tired and wanted to switch things up.

From an outsider's perspective: they were kissing fervently.

Yan Qingqiu's mind was mush. She didn't want to die, but keeping her lips glued to someone else's like this was too perverted. If it were her, she'd definitely slap herself.

What should she do?

Her hand, resting on Song Qingre's shoulder, slowly moved up. She wanted to pinch Song Qingre's nose, but just as her hand crossed her jawline, Song Qingre struggled slightly, and Yan Qingqiu's hand hooked around her neck.

Too close to notice Song Qingre's expression change, and afraid, Yan Qingqiu even closed her eyes, which made her look like she was snuggling into Song Qingre's arms. Song Qingre's pushing hands seemed more like they were holding her waist.

The beautiful woman really knew how to kiss.

Some people gasped, others held up phones to film. Fu Ye desperately wanted to interrupt, but after taking a step forward, he silently stepped back. He was even more afraid of being caught on camera with his crooked neck in the frame—he'd look like a ridiculous joke. Fu Ye clenched his fist and pounded the table hard.

Yan Qingqiu kept trying to ask the System for a solution: 【Do I have to keep my lips pressed against hers until she's breathless?】

The System's voice was as electronic as ever, devoid of emotion in her mind: 【Please hold on. I'm checking. This is the first time I've encountered a situation like yours.】

A few more seconds passed, and Yan Qingqiu grew more panicked because Song Qingre stopped struggling and reacting, her aura turning cold.

She felt like her life was in danger—progressing further meant sudden death, retreating meant death too. She asked again: 【What happens to people who can't hold on until the end?】

Song Qingre moved, pinching her waist.

"Mm..." Yan Qingqiu let out a muffled groan, her breath trembling.

Song Qingre was about to struggle free.

Yan Qingqiu decisively pulled Song Qingre's neck closer, pressing hard against her. Yan Qingqiu's pulse and heartbeat raced.

She asked the System: 【So did they all die? No other way to survive?】

The System: 【Host, don't worry. It's just that this is also the first time I've encountered someone answering questions so... wildly.】

【...】

Yan Qingqiu had no time to ask more. She bit down hard on Song Qingre's lip, cursing herself fiercely.

I'm sorry, I'm a pervert. I'm sorry, I'm guilty.

But I really don't want to die.

【Just hold on a few more seconds.】

【3, 2...】

In her daze, Yan Qingqiu felt Song Qingre's lashes brush against her eyelids. She tried to open her eyes, but her lips tickled slightly, as if she'd been licked.

Yan Qingqiu instinctively relaxed her grip. So soft.

The moment they separated, she fell into a numb, tingling state. When she came to her senses, she had already pushed back several steps, as if all the air had been sucked out of her. She felt suffocated.

Was she going to die?

【1. Congratulations, Host, you've temporarily completed the task. You currently have 24 hours of survival time.】

Before the System finished speaking, Yan Qingqiu's strength gave out, but the suffocation vanished at the same time. She staggered backward, her back hitting an intricately carved pillar. She gasped for air, lowering her head slightly as her soft hair parted to reveal her neck. Soon, she felt a chill on a certain spot, and she raised her hand to cover her neck. When she looked at the other side, Song Qingre's hair, which had been pressed against her forehead, fell down, just covering her bright left eye. Her lowered gaze turned ominous.

She blinked, and her expression changed again.

Doing something like this in front of everyone, Yan Qingqiu knew that acting too cowardly would seem inexplicable. She straightened up, lifted her chin, and looked at Song Qingre with a defiant expression.

There was a faint blush on the skin under Song Qingre's eyes, and Yan Qingqiu caught it. She spoke: "What's the matter? Can't handle it? Your face is red."

Song Qingre, who had been staring at her, suddenly seemed unable to hold it in. The corners of her mouth twitched, and a smile slipped out. She said, "Miss Yan... when you kiss, do you only bite?"

Yan Qingqiu choked, not knowing how to respond. She had never kissed anyone before. She muttered, "Hmph, I actually know other things."

"Oh? What else can you do?"

"I can..." Yan Qingqiu really didn't know.

If she were in a game, Yan Qingqiu wouldn't be so stifled. She'd follow her nature and casually pinch the other's chin, saying, "Your lips are so sweet. Come with me."

Stop it, stop it, just stop.

If the game twisted that around in some weird way, would she even survive?

"What do I need to tell you?" Yan Qingqiu tried to act haughty, raising her voice. "Your lips are quite sweet."

Song Qingre's eyes were heavy. Her eyes were long and narrow, and when she half-closed them, her eyelids half-covered her pupils. Her sharp jawline lifted slightly, the velvet dress clung to her waist, and the high slit revealed fair skin. She was cold and distant, yet not lacking a hint of allure.

She hissed softly. "But Miss Yan, isn't this going a bit too far?"

With that, she pressed her thumb against her lip and wiped along the moist line. Her lips were naturally thin, and after being bitten twice, they were as red as if she'd just applied a bright lip gloss. Her fingertip became damp, and the lips she pressed against threatened to bleed.

Yan Qingqiu couldn't tell if she was teasing or scolding.

Her guilt made her unable to meet the other's eyes, so she missed the sudden darkening of Song Qingre's gaze and the way she kept closing the distance between them.

Song Qingre walked up to her side, her voice low and a little hoarse. "You'll have to take responsibility for this."

"Huh? What responsibility?" Yan Qingqiu looked up at her. She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but Song Qingre seemed to flash a faint smile.

Song Qingre didn't elaborate. She brushed past Yan Qingqiu and descended the stairs.

Yan Qingqiu quickly caught her breath, her cheeks still burning. She caught a glimpse of herself in the glass door—her entire face was red except for her wet eyes. Then she met the astonished expressions of everyone in the shop.

She straightened up immediately.

"..."

So awkward, so awkward.

She turned her head again to see Song Qingre retrieving her car keys.

Yan Qingqiu snapped back to reality and asked the System: 【So what happens after 24 hours? Did condition ② pass or not?】

The System: 【As it stands, this is a temporary completion of the task—a small bug in the rules. If you'd like, we can fix it right away.】

【No need!】

Yan Qingqiu gritted her teeth. She didn't care about the crooked-neck male lead or the onlookers anymore. Lifting her skirt, she hurried down the steps and chased after Song Qingre, shouting, "Stop right there!"

Song Qingre had just taken out her car keys. She paused and turned to look at Yan Qingqiu, who was rushing over with her skirt in hand.

"Hmm? What else do you want?" Song Qingre asked.

Yan Qingqiu also thought she was being too much—kissing someone and then causing more trouble. But she went ahead and said, "Write down your home..." She paused for a second, then rephrased more cleverly, "Write down every place you're going to next."

Song Qingre looked at her, a hint of confusion in her eyes. "Don't you remember the way home?"

Yan Qingqiu stayed silent, afraid of saying the wrong thing.

But the question was ambiguous.

The way home... Was Song Qingre going to her house?

She dug deeper into the thought. Could it be that she had learned of Song Qingre's return in advance and threatened her? Maybe Song Qingre and she had some indescribable connection.

When they were kissing, Song Qingre hadn't pushed her away forcefully, and afterward, she hadn't slapped her. The relationship seemed quite ambiguous...

Was she a secret lover?

Were they living together now?

Oh my god, that was too thrilling.

No, no, maybe they just lived close by.

But just now, the kiss... She really didn't push me away.

We really are involved.

Yan Qingqiu's mind raced.

Conclusion: I must have transmigrated into some kind of adult game.

Song Qingre extended her hand toward Yan Qingqiu. "Paper and pen."

Yan Qingqiu looked at the butler, who was well-prepared. He deftly produced a fountain pen and a tissue, handing them over respectfully. Song Qingre placed the paper on her palm, wrote briefly, and the butler then passed it to Yan Qingqiu.

Yan Qingqiu unfolded the crumpled tissue to read Song Qingre's handwriting—beautiful slanted script, elegant just like her. After writing, Song Qingre turned around, truly leaving this time. She got into a sleek black car, closed the door, and even changed into flat shoes before driving off.

Only then did Yan Qingqiu realize she was barefoot. One of her high heels had landed on the seat where Fu Ye had been sitting, and the other was lying crooked under the table.

She looked at Fu Ye again—his neck crooked, his angry expression making him look twisted.

Clearly, she had been quite wild and reckless, and her actions had been quite stubborn and willful.

The butler respectfully opened the car door for her, and Yan Qingqiu got in, crossing her pale, slender legs. The butler took out her shoes from the trunk, wiped her feet carefully with white gloves, and then helped her put them on.

The cafe manager came out cautiously, holding the high heel Yan Qingqiu had just worn. Yan Qingqiu said coldly, "I don't want it."

"Please keep it." The manager didn't dare keep it. He hurriedly handed it over to the butler with a bow. The butler calmly advised, "Miss, this is the one you bought at the fashion show last month. It cost a million."

Yan Qingqiu frowned.

"One shoe for a million, limited edition worldwide. You might as well keep it." The butler took it to the trunk, and after getting back in the car, he changed his gloves before driving.

"Fine." Yan Qingqiu tried to stay calm. She had wanted to compose herself after being shocked by the shoe's price—torn between disbelief and the urge to cry—but then she caught sight of Fu Ye with his crooked neck on the phone and couldn't help but snort.

Fu Ye: She's mocking me? Again?

The car started moving, and it was quiet inside. Yan Qingqiu's whole body felt hot.

She didn't dare speak or ask too many questions.

Her hand, resting on the armrest in the back seat, accidentally pressed some button, and the seat slowly reclined. Indeed, lying down was the most comfortable.

The butler glanced at the rearview mirror, and his expression turned knowing again.

Yan Qingqiu was puzzled. What did he understand now?

She felt that her performance just now had been pretty bad—more precisely, embarrassing.

But who would have known? Everyone who starts a story has read the novel and knows the plot of all the characters. She, on the other hand, got those fishing questions, with deliberately absurd animations to confuse her at the start.

Looking at all the transmigration stories, she was probably the only one whose opening task was life-threatening, and about whom she knew nothing—no background, no plot, no character profiles.

In a way, the treatment wasn't bad, though. Song Qingre's lips were sweet.

"What kind of person do you think I am?" Yan Qingqiu's voice was deliberately cold.

The butler said seriously, "Miss, you are naturally gentle, lovely, generous, understanding..."

"Tell the truth." Yan Qingqiu glared. She had to figure out the situation. What if this was a horror scenario, and she had just beaten up the male lead, and something else came after her—would she die instantly?

After a moment of thought, the butler said, "You're usually aloof, sometimes a bit domineering, with a proud temperament... Not entirely bad, just a little bad."

That's fine then. Having a bad temperament was reassuring.

Yan Qingqiu let out a breath. That was the good thing about being a villainess—you could act unreasonable, and any inconsistencies were just you stirring up trouble.

Yan Qingqiu unfolded the tissue. On it was written: 【88 Jinnan Street】

"?"

She looked at the paper again, then thought carefully.

When she had rushed out that morning, she hadn't just panicked. She had taken a careful look at the environment this character lived in, trying to judge the person's identity and personality.

"She" must be the proud, ill-tempered, willful young lady who lived at 88 Jinnan Street.

"It's... exactly the same."

Did Song Qingre know where she lived and wrote it deliberately?

Just now, she had forced a kiss on Song Qingre, and Song Qingre hadn't struggled...

Could it be that Song Qingre really was her secret lover? Had she, the villainess, used some scheme to keep the male lead's lover, forcing the other into a secret affair, sneaking around together?

She admitted that her mind wasn't quite normal and tended to go in inappropriate directions, but this was too much. She was afraid of being exposed...

What if, tonight, Song Qingre wanted to serve her, and they had to engage in deep interactions? Should she refuse or not? How annoying... It was giving her a headache.

Kissing was manageable.

But if it came to sleeping together...

Yan Qingqiu suddenly remembered that when she woke up this morning, she wasn't wearing any clothes.

Once her thoughts strayed, the more she thought, the more she was convinced something was off.

Now, all she could picture was Song Qingre climbing into her bed.

The car stopped, and the butler came around to open the door. Yan Qingqiu didn't want to get out yet because she saw another car parked by the trees.

"Why is she here?" Yan Qingqiu whispered to the butler.

The butler didn't answer. Song Qingre got out of her car, glanced at Yan Qingqiu, and said softly, "I've always lived here, right next door to you." Then she added, "And this time, I'll be living here again."

"!"

So she was the gentle neighbor? They were childhood friends?

Yan Qingqiu quickly thought of something else, something even more overwhelming. Earlier, there had been a question about which 'character setting' she liked, with options followed by (). And the one written was A: Gentle and moving (neighbor sister **). She had assumed it was just the normal usage, describing the character's personality to help newbies understand, and it was giving her simple examples. The only extra thought she'd given it was that there might be some NP plot, and she'd secretly gotten a little excited, thinking she could handle it all, so she chose all of A, B, C, and D.

Song Qingre's voice was confused. "Qiuqiu, we've been neighbors for so long. How could you forget where I live so quickly?"

Qiuqiu?

Yan Qingqiu's toes curled on the ground.

She instinctively snorted.

"Then why did you write down my door number?"

Song Qingre: "I thought you didn't know your own door number."

"I do know!" Yan Qingqiu made a mental note.

That excuse was too flimsy. Song Qingre had clearly written it on purpose.

Was she testing whether Yan Qingqiu knew, or just teasing her?

"Right, right, I didn't know. I was too upset by that jerk." Yan Qingqiu deliberately shifted the blame, then cleverly turned it around: "I think you're the one who doesn't know. You were out meeting him early in the morning. Song Qingre! Do you even know where your own home is?"

"...Mm. You just stole a kiss from me, and now you're this fierce?" Song Qingre said. "My lips have been hurting a little ever since I got in the car."

She pressed her lips together, looking genuinely hurt.

Yan Qingqiu had no comeback. She felt guilty.

Talking to Song Qingre made her brain feel like it was rusted, unable to turn, and when she forced it, it short-circuited, making her cheeks feel warm.

"Alright, a kiss is a kiss. Go on inside. I won't quibble over such small things." Song Qingre's tone was light and gentle. Yan Qingqiu detected a hint of indulgence in it. So it seemed their relationship was pretty good...

Then it must be that jerk's fault.

He forced his way between them, ruining their good sisterly bond.

"Mm... by the way." Song Qingre's tone grew even gentler, so soft it shifted. "Tonight, I'll come to your place to get something."

Her gaze traveled from Yan Qingqiu's neck down to her feet. She averted her eyes and pushed open the iron gate, which let out a screech from having been closed for so long, the sound rising to a piercing pitch.

Yan Qingqiu watched her walk into the yard and saw her silhouette slowly disappear into the darkness, growing cold.

Tonight, she's coming to my place?

Huh?

Yan Qingqiu was flustered. 【System, what's my relationship with her?】

The System: 【I'm not sure either. But I can tell you, all the options were generated based on what you were thinking. We didn't intervene. Please continue exploring the plot, and when you achieve a perfect ending, we'll give you a corresponding reward!】

Yan Qingqiu: 【What good are you?】

The System: 【You might first think about what kind of neighbor sister you prefer. Deep in your heart, in your mind, what kinds of desires are there.】

Yan Qingqiu thought for a moment, then said, "Could it be... a pervert?"

The System was silent and didn't answer her.

It was as if it was saying: You like perverted sisters.

The butler pushed open the door to their own house and also looked back at her. "Miss?"

Yan Qingqiu shook her head, saying it was nothing.

【I have to connect with the scene at the time. If you saw a naked beautiful woman, could you hold back? Thinking that the other might act a little perverted toward you isn't so wrong either.】

The System: 【Sorry, we didn't see any naked beautiful woman. Host, you'd better think about how to clear the level.】

How strange. The System didn't see it?

Yan Qingqiu walked into the yard, her mind racing. She asked herself: what kind of 'gentle neighbor sister' persona could make her reach that level of... perversion? Producing some kind of milk? Being seductive? Scheming? Possessive? Or having some strong... urges?

Oh no, the more she thought, the more she realized she liked all of it, and she couldn't stop. Yan Qingqiu, so you can be this passionate and this perverted.

At your age, you really are something!

Even scarier was discovering that she had no idea just how perverted she could be.

How shameless.