Chen Yan had considered that the ultimate test might come quickly, but he really hadn't expected it to be this quick.

There was absolutely no time to react.

He couldn't help but glance at Zhao Ying, trying to glimpse her true thoughts and know what choice he should make.

Therefore, he used his second chance of the year to listen with his "inner headphones."

The sounds around him gradually faded, and Zhao Ying's slow yet firm heartbeat began to echo in Chen Yan's ears.

Alongside the heartbeat, her inner thoughts also reached Chen Yan.

"What's wrong with Chen Yan?"

"What's he hesitating about?"

"Why isn't he talking?"

"Do I... have to beat him first to get in?"

Chen Yan: ??

The sound gradually faded, but he didn't get any useful information.

The only useful thing was that Chen Yan knew: if he didn't make a choice now, he might be in for a beating.

Looking up at Zhao Ying's innocently beautiful face, Chen Yan was a bit troubled for a moment.

What should he choose?

Let her in and give her warmth?

Or refuse her and show his gentlemanly side?

At this point, Zhao Ying took the initiative to make her choice.

Seeing that Chen Yan didn't respond, she walked in directly with her bedding and pillow.

After placing her things on the bed, Zhao Ying began to raise her hands, getting ready to remove her clothes.

Now it was Chen Yan, who hadn't made a choice yet, who was startled. He struck a defensive pose, "What are you doing?"

Zhao Ying looked at him curiously, "Sleeping. What else?"

Chen Yan: .....

Chen Yan was still expecting a beating.

But since the system hadn't given a failure prompt, Chen Yan decided to just play it by ear.

So he nodded and said, "Okay then. Go ahead and sleep. I'm going to use the toilet first."

After speaking, Chen Yan took his phone and stood up, ready to hide in the toilet for a while.

His thought process was simple: since the "inner headphones" couldn't discern Zhao Ying's thoughts, he might as well let Zhao Ying do as she wished.

Going along with her wishes shouldn't go wrong, right?

Plus, Chen Yan could use the toilet to observe any changes in Zhao Ying's mood.

In the bathroom, Chen Yan sat on the toilet and opened the Virtual Girlfriend Simulator, watching Zhao Ying's actions.

At this moment, Zhao Ying's pixelated character was tidying up the bed.

She naturally pushed Chen Yan's pillow to the side and placed her own beside it, then laid her blanket next to Chen Yan's and left the room to shower.

Having watched Zhao Ying's entire routine, Chen Yan roughly understood the girl's thinking.

He nodded silently, deciding to go with the flow for the evening: let Zhao Ying do as she wished without being intrusive or taking the initiative.

Having made up his mind, Chen Yan went out and started to arrange his own bedding and pillow as Zhao Ying had done.

Some time later, Zhao Ying came back from her shower.

She climbed onto the bed quite naturally and then snuggled into her own blankets.

Chen Yan laid in the other bedding.

Now they were in the same bed but under different blankets.

Chen Yan looked at Zhao Ying and asked, "Should we turn off the light?"

Nestled in the blankets with her big eyes glistening, Zhao Ying nodded.

Chen Yan smiled, turned off the light, and then also retreated into his bedding.

Not sure if it was because of the darkness, Zhao Ying wriggled a bit closer to Chen Yan and then placed her hand on him.

Following his original plan, Chen Yan also moved closer and grabbed her hand.

Perhaps feeling supported by Chen Yan, Zhao Ying suddenly felt very secure and closed her eyes, ready to sleep.

Chen Yan patiently waited for Zhao Ying to fall asleep and for a prompt from the system.

But Zhao Ying, who had closed her eyes not two minutes before, suddenly opened them again.

Her eyes still shone in the dark as she asked Chen Yan, "Chen Yan, you haven't practiced martial arts in a while. Would you like to spar?"

A whirlwind of thoughts crossed Chen Yan's mind: to spar or not to spar, that was the question. Which should he choose?

After thinking it over for a long time, Chen Yan felt that since Zhao Ying had brought it up, maybe... he should give it a try?

Only... there was this feeling that sparring with Zhao Ying could be very dangerous.

Yet thinking about the test he was undergoing, Chen Yan still thought he should "be strong."

A man should be tough on himself.

With that thought, Chen Yan grunted in agreement.

Zhao Ying, who either had a secret weapon or learned nefarious tricks online, suddenly flipped over as soon as she heard Chen Yan agree, landing on top of him. Then, reaching forward, she grabbed Chen Yan's right hand and pinned it above his head.

Chen Yan, taken by surprise, tried to fight back.

His right hand captured, his left hand reflexively moved to grab Zhao Ying, but before it could extend, it was pinned down by her other hand.

So, within just three seconds, Chen Yan's hands were rendered useless.

He struggled, writhing and thrusting upwards, trying to flip over, but Zhao Ying sat astride him like a nimble horsewoman, immovable.

Thus, the fight didn't last long before Chen Yan hoisted the white flag and surrendered, "Stop, stop. No more. You're unscrupulous. That was a sneak attack."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Ying nonchalantly replied, "All is fair in war. The enemy won't give you time to react."

Chen Yan thought there was sense in that, but as a man, he still had to put up a tough front—well, at least a tough talk.

So he retorted, "But we're not enemies. We're friends. This is sparring, not real combat."

Chen Yan's words seemed to persuade Zhao Ying.

She hesitated, then said, "That's true." Loosening her grip, she released Chen Yan's hands.

And then she said, "Okay. Let's start over."

But just then, Chen Yan suddenly flipped over, flung the blankets aside, and with one swaddle, pressed Zhao Ying beneath him.

Since he couldn't overpower Zhao Ying, Chen Yan didn't dare to use one hand to control her as she had done. Instead, he pinned her down like a mountain, wrapping his arms tightly around her through the blanket to prevent escape.

Zhao Ying, unexpectedly counterattacked by Chen Yan, panicked and exclaimed, "I didn't say start yet, you're also being unscrupulous."

Chen Yan replied, "You said all is fair in war, right? I was just deceiving you just now."

"Now, I've tricked you."

After processing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Ying pondered and then nodded in acknowledgment, commenting, "You make a fair point. It seems I let my guard down before."

Hearing Zhao Ying's response, Chen Yan's first thought was: This is bad! Trouble's coming!

Indeed, even though they were separated by a thick blanket, Chen Yan suddenly felt a powerful force emanating from his abdomen.

Despite his firm hold, Zhao Ying's kick sent him flying.

For a moment, Chen Yan nearly thought he had taken off into the air.

Just then, Zhao Ying shouted, "Ah!" and, with forceful arms, tore through the blanket, then flipped over, extending her long legs to wrap around Chen Yan's head, pinning him down to the bed in a deadly triangle choke.

Witnessing the terrifying scene, Chen Yan was petrified.

He wondered if this was strength a human could possess.

Could someone please explain the science here!

Lady, haven't you realized your style is a bit unusual compared to us mere mortals? It's off the charts, for heaven's sake!

Fortunately, although Zhao Ying's fighting prowess was extraordinary, she knew her limits; thus, while she used martial arts techniques to immobilize Chen Yan, she didn't apply excessive force, just enough to make him feel immobilized except for his head.

Following the flurry of moves, Zhao Ying asked, "How about it? Do you give up?"

Chen Yan was about to admit defeat, but then... he suddenly remembered the only time he had defeated Zhao Ying.

At that time, Chen Yan had used moves Zhao Ying had never seen before, which she jokingly called magic or inner power, marvelous abilities...

So, Chen Yan thought, why not use it again.

His head was clamped by Zhao Ying's thighs, so he simply stuck out his tongue and licked Zhao Ying's leg...

Zhao Ying had just taken a bath and smelled nice. Chen Yan didn't have any qualms about it.

On the other hand, Zhao Ying shivered for a moment.

She felt goosebumps all over, a sense of power draining from her body, becoming soft and warm...

In the darkness, flashbacks of being overpowered by Chen Yan haunted her once more.

She couldn't help but apply a bit more pressure, then shouted, "Hey, what are you doing! Why are you using magic again!"

Chen Yan didn't respond and licked higher up Zhao Ying's thigh.

As he moved further up, Zhao Ying felt increasingly wrong.

Her movements became involuntarily distorted and weak.

In an instant, she jumped out of bed in fear, saying, "No more, no more, I give up."

Perhaps her legs felt weak, for she nearly fell to the ground upon landing.

Chen Yan, watching her flee like a startled creature, didn't give chase but rather touched his chin, pondering... He suddenly realized that this move was the ultimate trick against Zhao Ying.

With this tactic, no matter how strong Zhao Ying was, she seemed to falter.

So... did he really have nothing to fear from dueling with Zhao Ying in the future?

While Chen Yan was lost in thought, Zhao Ying, who had stepped outside to compose herself, stealthily returned to the doorway.

She cautiously peered in, her big eyes fixed on Chen Yan.

Chen Yan, now with a constitution of +9, was unhampered by the darkness and easily noticed Zhao Ying's presence.

He beckoned to her, "Why hide there? We're done sparring. Come back to bed and sleep."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Ying clearly hesitated for a moment, then slowly moved back toward the bed.

After testing the waters a few times and seeing that Chen Yan didn't use any "magic," Zhao Ying finally climbed cautiously onto the bed.

Back in her own bedding, Zhao Ying wrapped herself tightly, leaving only her eyes exposed.

Then she looked at Chen Yan and asked softly, "Chen Yan, what exactly is that magic you have? Can you teach me?"

Chen Yan, who had been frolicking around earlier, was now a bit tired. So, after yawning, he nonchalantly said, "That? It's my unique secret technique, I can't just teach it to anyone."

Zhao Ying, curious, asked, "What if I were to become your apprentice?"

Chen Yan patted her head and responded, "Even then, no. It's an unspeakable secret."

Hearing Chen Yan's words, Zhao Ying uttered an "oh," saying, "Alright."

However, there was clear reluctance in her gaze as she muttered softly, "You won't teach me, so I'll just have to learn it secretly. I don't believe you won't use it forever."

Chen Yan faintly heard her muttering and asked, "What did you say?"

Zhao Ying shook her head, "Nothing. Nothing at all."

She then said, "Chen Yan, shall we fight again tomorrow?"

Chen Yan was truly tired, but considering the looming ultimate test, he mumbled, "Sure... we'll talk about it tomorrow night."

Content, Zhao Ying snuggled comfortably into Chen Yan's arms and fell asleep.

Holding Zhao Ying, waves of sleepiness swept over Chen Yan.

So it wasn't long before he too gradually fell asleep.

Half asleep, Chen Yan vaguely felt that he had missed something important. But before he could clear his mind, he succumbed to deep sleep...

....

Meanwhile, on Qin Island, at Lu Man's villa.

In Lu Man's room, Yu Qiao Qiao and Lu Man lay side by side on the bed, wearing matching sister's pajamas.

Yu Qiao Qiao, looking innocent and cute, glanced up at Lu Man and asked curiously, "Sister Man, what's wrong? You seem unhappy."

Lu Man held her phone, which displayed the WeChat interface with her conversation with Chen Yan. The last message was from Chen Yan: "Man Man, it seems like your temper is getting bigger, and your personality is getting sharper."

Below that were two grey prompts:

"You have added this friend to the blacklist, you will not be able to receive their messages."

"You have added this friend. Please start chatting."

The prompts were half an hour apart, but Lu Man clearly had waited for much more than half an hour.

Frustrated that Chen Yan hadn't reached out again, Lu Man's face swelled with anger.

Just then Yu Qiao Qiao caught the brunt of Lu Man's irritation, and she responded gruffly, "Nothing. Just feels like Chen Yan is done for."

"Chen Yan is done for?!" Upon hearing Lu Man's words, Yu Qiao Qiao was so startled that she sat bolt upright.

Not sure if it was because the pajamas were too tight or Yu Qiao Qiao's movement too abrupt, but with a "pop," a button burst off....

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