After the taxi had traveled a good distance, Han Lie's tense body suddenly relaxed. He collapsed into the seat, gasping for breath.

Good heavens, the items from the system are seriously potent!

Can't take it, can't take it, too stimulating!

The gum Han Lie had just chewed was a promotional gift he received when buying fruit on his visit to Pan Ge's home.

[Sticky Fruit-Flavored Gum]

[A box of 24 pieces, available in 4 flavors]

[After chewing, ensures long-lasting fresh breath and a persistent sugary sensation on the oral mucosa, extending a good mood.]

[Drawback: Produces a certain stickiness]

[Duration: 2 hours]

[Sweetness +50, Friction +50, Bioelectricity +50, Pleasure +50]

The flavor wasn't the main point, nor did the sweetness matter to Han Lie. He hadn't experienced the bioelectricity either. However, the friction truly maxed out the experience.

Slumped in his chair, silently reciting the Glazed Prayer Scripture, Han Lie took a while to return to normal.

Heh, heh, today wasn't a loss.

I didn't win with intelligence, but I didn't lose when it came to underhanded tactics.

Pan Ge is quite formidable, but I'm not bad myself. A worthy opponent, a talent well-matched—perfect!

As for whether she would be angry... Perhaps she would, perhaps she wouldn't, but that wasn't important.

As long as she still wants to control me, she won't turn hostile so quickly.

She was different from Xi Luting.

Xi Luting is a holy warrior; once she realizes a situation is beyond her abilities, she'll self-destruct, taking everyone down with her.

Pan Ge prefers to control the situation and would never resort to mutually assured destruction.

So, what was there to fear?

Dragging things out is my specialty. If you can't take me down in one go, then prepare to be slowly worn down by this bastard.

There's no woman that two kisses can't handle. If there is, then two more.

With a full set of Rogue Skills and a pile of roguish items... Hehehe, whoever runs into me is out of luck!

...

Pan Ge was dazed for a moment, then silently took out her phone.

Opening the recording app and playing it back, her fingers gradually clenched, her knuckles turning white.

What a dog...

He didn't reveal a single opening, not one useful word!

The recording hadn't achieved the desired effect and couldn't be used to threaten Han Lie, so Pan Ge, dispirited, had to go back upstairs.

Before entering the room, she patted her cheeks, composing herself to restore her usual calm and collected demeanor.

Inside the private room, everyone was still leisurely peeling crayfish, chatting idly to pass the time.

Among them, Little Dongbei was the most active, flattering his bros' girlfriends to amuse them.

Of course, with Brother Lie absent, he wouldn't dare call Xi Luting "Third Sister-in-law" anymore.

This guy's astuteness was inconsistent; today, he was in a rather sharp state.

"...Never mind flirting, my Brother Lie usually doesn't even have time to chat. If he's not reading, he's reviewing his strategies. I rarely see him chatting on QQ or playing games, right, Ding Ding?"

"Yes, Brother Lie is indeed very hardworking."

Ding Ding had secretly sent the photos he'd surreptitiously taken earlier. Now, in a state of atonement, he was praising Han Lie to the heavens.

"Brother Lie's desk is covered in serious books. I often see him reading textbooks for sophomores and juniors; it seems he's almost mastered all his major courses."

"Exactly!" Little Dongbei slapped his thigh. "Otherwise, how could Brother Lie be number one?"

Xi Luting, Yu Yun, and Fang Feifei listened with great interest.

Ever since Han Lie started skipping classes more often, they weren't sure what he did every day.

Other than him appearing on time to 'summon' their meal cards, it was genuinely difficult to get in touch with him.

Hearing Little Dongbei and Ding Ding's praise, the gloom in Pan Ge's heart lessened slightly.

That scoundrel is fundamentally quite outstanding...

No rush. I'll settle the score with him slowly!

She discreetly returned to her seat. Xi Luting casually pulled Pan Ge into her embrace, about to ask what she'd discussed with Han Lie. However, the moment Xi Luting looked down and saw Pan Ge's lips, her own pupils constricted sharply.

Xi Luting's willow-like eyebrows shot up. She forcefully pulled Pan Ge into her embrace and, gritting her teeth, hissed in her ear, "Where's your lipstick?"

Thump!

Pan Ge's heart skipped a beat.

Oh no! This is terrible!

She wasn't an experienced girl. It was her first kiss; she didn't know what to look out for, let alone realize she should reapply lipstick after a clandestine 'snack'!

So, how should she explain now?

Eaten... by a dog?!

No, no! Getting beaten is trivial; losing face is a matter of life and death!

Her mind raced, and the composure she had cultivated over many years played a crucial role.

Pan Ge calmly pursed her lips and replied very casually, "I asked for a piece of gum at the front desk earlier. Maybe I licked it off while chewing the gum."

"Oh…" Xi Luting nodded.

Just as Pan Ge began to relax, the young Queen (Xi Luting) immediately asked, "What kind of lipstick do you use?"

Pan Ge's heart leaped again.

"Even my Revlon doesn't smudge easily. Your lipstick is either Dior or Armani; how could it come off just from chewing gum?"

Facing Xi Luting's cold sneer, Pan Ge's mind raced.

Soon, she found an excuse. "I only went downstairs to buy milk tea. I didn't put on full makeup, just some lip balm."

Pan Ge's expression was so calm, betraying no hint of a flaw.

Honestly, she wanted to applaud herself.

But then Xi Luting suddenly let out a cold laugh, almost biting her ear.

"Really?"

"Yes!"

"Heh, chewing gum makes your lips swell? You're really something else..."

Damn it! My lips are swollen because that bastard gnawed on them?!

Pan Ge nearly leaped up but was firmly pinned down by Xi Luting. An ominous feeling began to spread.

"Th-that... maybe it's from eating spicy food... Hehe..."

"You only ate some steamed scallops and clams. You didn't touch the spicy crayfish at all..."

Xi Luting's voice was chillingly faint, as if drifting from the netherworld.

"Confess now. Don't make me use force!"

You might as well just use force...

Pan Ge couldn't think of any more excuses but was determined to resist to the very end.

Confess what?

I'd rather find a shaman to summon spirits later than confess now!

"I don't know... Are they really swollen? Badly? They shouldn't be..."

After that, Pan Ge began to play dumb.

Xi Luting tried every trick in the book but couldn't pry a single word of truth from her.

However, Xi Luting didn't actually need Pan Ge's confession; she already had her own suspicions.

She might not seem particularly sharp in other areas, but when it came to discussing risqué topics, she was more knowledgeable than anyone.

The only question was... Who initiated it?!

Alright, alright, regardless of who initiated it, my damn man got kissed by that vixen!

Xi Luting's good mood was completely ruined.

Pan Ge remained stubbornly uncooperative, spouting lies, and the holy warrior's eyes began to gleam with a dangerous light.

Damn it, I haven't even tasted it myself!

The thread of 'reason' in Xi Luting's mind suddenly snapped.

Ding Ding quickly lowered his head, trembling all over in fear.

But... how am I supposed to continue the flattery now?

Little Dongbei's flattery attempt fell flat.

Actually, Xi Luting was also just barely holding it together. She soon stood up abruptly and stormed out with a cold face.

"Let's go! Back to the dorm!"

...

Han Lie felt a bit tired.

CrossFit had many foundational prerequisites. Learning the technical movements was quite troublesome, even if the initial intensity wasn't high.

Communication was even more troublesome. The coach didn't understand any Chinese, and Han Lie's English proficiency was insufficient to comprehend the specialized terminology.

It was a big problem.

Han Lie promptly stopped his training and went to the front desk to find the pretty young lady there, initiating his approach with a "Hey."

After a couple of pleasantries and three jokes, by the sixth sentence, he got straight to the point.

"Help me translate, and I'll treat you to chicken this weekend. You get to kill time and hang out with a handsome guy, right?"

The beautiful Lisa was persuaded.

"Okay, I like your confidence. Leave it to me!"

Her Chinese is clearly not very good. What does she mean by 'confidence'?

However, she did confirm Han Lie's earlier thought: as long as you're bold enough, foreign girls aren't actually that intimidating.

Honestly, as long as you're cheerful and confident, you can chat up girls of any ethnicity.

Whether you can actually sleep with them might depend on looks and wealth, but making friends just requires being able to talk.

Thus, Han Lie's workout sessions gradually became more pleasant.

Feeling comfortable after a thorough workout, Han Lie turned his phone off silent mode on his way back to school. He checked WeChat, and his mood improved even further.

The Alliance Hierarch had sent a message.

"Wow! Handling three at once? Tough guy, you're amazing!"

Brother Lie was already prepared.

He'd noticed Little Ding Ding taking photos earlier. No need to ask; he must have ratted me out to Xiang Xiang again.

Brother Lie immediately deflected the blame squarely onto Ding Yu.

"Ding Ding was afraid I'd hit on his sister, so he insisted I not sit next to him, forcibly seating me between Xi Luting and Yu Yun. I thought he just wanted to give me more choices. Turns out he was all set to secretly snitch on me?!"

Pff!

Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang, who were reading the reply at the same time, burst out laughing.

Chen Yanfei gave Ding Xiang a thumbs-up. "Your younger brother is truly dependable!"

Ding Xiang didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "That does sound like the kind of foolish thing he'd do."

It was so plausible that they both believed him without a doubt.

Alliance Hierarch: "Regardless of the reason, you certainly enjoyed yourself, didn't you?"

"Enjoyed myself? What are you talking about?!"

Han Lie quickly sent two photos taken during his workout before explaining.

"It was just a simple meal. I was there for less than 45 minutes before rushing off to the city gym. I didn't dare eat much of the oily food..."

"Oh? That's unusual... Why the sudden urge to work out?"

Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang were both somewhat surprised.

Then, they witnessed a masterclass performance from a top-tier predator.

"What happened last time you two visited really scared me. Honestly, if those three international students had persisted, I truly wouldn't have been able to protect you both.

After giving it a lot of thought, I realized I needed to train in something.

This gym building houses the best boxing gym in Magic Capital. Once I've built up my fitness, I'll go check it out..."

They're moved, right?

Definitely!

Unless a guy means nothing to her, any girl with even a little bit of good feeling towards him would be touched.

Especially the large sweat stains on Han Lie's tank top and his face, with clenched jaw and bulging veins, clearly showed the effort he was putting in.

Most importantly, Han Lie had already put in the effort before casually mentioning the reason.

He wasn't just talking big beforehand and then putting on a sloppy show.

Chen Yanfei and Ding Xiang both fell silent.

Finally, Chen Yanfei replied with mixed emotions, "Well, keep up the good work. I hope you become a true tough guy soon!"

Brother Lie chuckled, immensely pleased, and leaned back, slumping into his chair.

Then, with a rather nonchalant and casual attitude, he invited them both for a meal.

"I received the first-place prize money from the competition. I've already treated my classmates to a meal today. I was just wondering when you two are free... How about this weekend?"

Chen Yanfei instinctively looked at Ding Xiang.

Tugging at a strand of hair by her temple, Ding Xiang avoided Chen Yanfei's gaze and said softly, "Let him treat you alone..."

Chen Yanfei's pupils contracted. She wondered if Ding Xiang meant what she thought she did.

*****

Thanks to Bai Zhou for becoming the third Alliance Hierarch! Confetti~~~

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