She Took the First Bite—and I Took a Step Closer

A shared choice… He Chengxi felt a secret thrill.

A tingling, numbing sensation spread slowly from the depths of her heart, as if someone had absentmindedly tapped her chest.

“Alright then. Classmate Pei, would you like some late-night snacks? There’s a stall outside the gate selling sticky rice cakes, and they’re really delicious.”

Among the things girls liked most, feeding others was definitely one of them.

For no particular reason, He Chengxi suddenly wanted to share—and feed—Classmate Pei the things she found tasty.

“I don’t eat anything after dinner.”

This was a lie.

Whether it was to replenish energy after exercise or while watching anime during leisure time, he always ate something. This excuse was merely a way to brush off the girl’s invitation.

“Ah, alright then.”

Being gently turned down, He Chengxi wasn’t disappointed—just a little regretful that she couldn’t share the super tasty rice cakes with Classmate Pei.

Her family had only just allowed her to eat street food today.

“However,” Pei Du thought that the spreading rumors were partly his responsibility too. “I can treat you.”

“Huh?”

“The rumors going around… I share some responsibility. You treated me to chocolate, so let me treat you to something you like.”

Pei Du didn’t believe in taking things for free. Since he had accepted her chocolate, he naturally needed to return the favor.

“No, that’s really not necessary!”

He Chengxi always politely declined gifts from others.

She could be generous when treating, giving, and offering, but felt embarrassed accepting kindness in return. Being courteous carried a subtle kind of beauty.

“Do you want brown sugar, or taro paste?”

They had already walked out of the school gate.

A white pushcart was parked not far away. A young, pretty woman wearing a mask was busy preparing food.

On the blackboard beneath the sign, it read:

Today’s Special: Brown Sugar / Taro Paste Sticky Rice Cakes

Thanks to policies supporting small vendors, the school didn’t chase away stalls at the gate, which resulted in many delicious snacks appearing.

“No, really… I can buy it myself.”

“One brown sugar and one taro paste, please.”

While He Chengxi was still awkwardly refusing, Pei Du had already placed the order with the vendor.

“How much?”

“Five each.”

The woman’s voice was gentle and soothing.

Ignoring He Chengxi’s quiet protests, Pei Du paid with his phone.

The payment didn’t come from the debit card he’d opened at sixteen, but from a mysteriously appearing investment balance.

So the romance fund could be used now?

Remaining Balance: 999,990

“Classmate Pei, thank you for spending money on me.” The girl accepted the freshly made rice cakes. “I’ll just eat one.”

“They’re both for you.”

As Pei Du placed the small paper bag containing two bamboo skewers into her arms, she hurriedly reached out to take it.

In her fluster, her fingers brushed against his.

A bit cold. Not dressed warmly enough? Pei Du wondered.

So warm. He Chengxi marveled at the boy’s body temperature.

“Thank you!”

“I’ll head off now.”

Pei Du had no intention of chatting further.

He walked toward the subway, leaving the girl staring at his back.

He Chengxi threw away the bamboo skewer, wrapped the rice cake in paper, and took a bite of the brown sugar one.

Soft and sweet—really delicious.

A black sports car pulled over with its headlights on.

The girl opened the door and got in.

“Xiao Xi, who was that boy just now?” asked a mature, alluring woman in the driver’s seat.

“A friend.”

He Chengxi took another bite of the taro one—it was a bit dry.

“How come you didn’t offer Mom a bite this time?” Wen Hui teased as she drove.

She had clearly seen a handsome young boy buying food for her daughter, his manners gentle and attentive.

But Wen Hui trusted her daughter to know what she was doing and didn’t interfere much.

As long as her daughter was happy.

Of course, snack intake still needed supervision—this child was especially unrestrained when it came to eating.

“Here, have some.”

“Mom’s driving. You can’t eat.”

He Chengxi quickly pulled back the hand she had extended and took another bite herself.

“Is that boy in your class?”

“No.”

For some reason, He Chengxi felt a little shy and didn’t want her mother to ask more.

“Quite handsome,” Wen Hui smiled. “More handsome than your dad.”

“Mom, if I tell Dad, he’ll be sad again.”

“Let him be.”

“…Tell me about that boy.”

He Chengxi took out her phone, clearly not wanting to engage anymore. Her mom was too nosy.

“You’re ignoring Mom again.”

Wen Hui shook her head.

The child had grown up—no longer the little girl who told her everything. Though she was still her little one.

But with Xiao Xi’s intelligence, she probably wouldn’t be easily fooled by boys.

He Chengxi sent Pei Du a message to thank him.

“Classmate Pei, thank you for the rice cakes. I’ll treat you tomorrow.”

Pei Du was on the subway, refreshing novel updates, when her message popped up in the notification window.

Since there was nothing good to read, replying was fine.

“That’s not necessary.”

“Then how about going to the snack street for lunch tomorrow?”

He Chengxi had learned a trick from Pei Du.

If her question was rejected, she wouldn’t follow the other person’s opinion.

She’d do what she planned.

Since Classmate Pei didn’t eat after dinner, then lunch would work.

Pei Du felt that the girl had become a little more assertive.

The pale blue interface automatically appeared before his eyes.

Golden text marked the task as completed.

Invite He Chengxi to your birthday dinner (Completed)

This was a sweet date, a birthday dinner for just the two of you—a perfect private world. Although the host was stingy and only treated her to two rice cakes, it was still a major step forward in relationship progress.

Reward: One free attribute point (Granted)

Acquired: Birthday gift prepared by the girl — Clibk Chocolate

Please choose where to apply the attribute point.

This counted as dinner?

Still, getting the system reward with so little effort was pretty nice.

Pei Du, who had never planned to be dragged into romance, had accidentally completed the task and obtained the reward.

He looked at his panel.

Should he aim for intelligence at nine, becoming a super genius? Or raise stamina to seven and move toward an inexhaustible body?

Of course, it was better to see what a “nine” in appearance would look like.

He placed the attribute point into Appearance.

Appeal: 8 → 9 (Sub-attributes improving)

Estimated completion: one week

Hopefully there’d be a noticeable improvement in a week. Then he’d acknowledge this system.

Pei Du let out a breath, his mood lifting.

After arriving home, he put away his bag but didn’t immediately start reviewing or doing new problems.

He changed clothes and began warming up.

Beyond school activities, Pei Du maintained regular exercise at home and went to the gym during holidays.

With his previous appeal of eight, he was confident that at least one or two points came from the physique he’d built through long-term discipline.

He knew well that if a man didn’t seize adolescence to build a solid physical foundation, it would be even harder to accomplish anything later.

Facing other men, he’d lack confidence; facing women, even more so.

After warming up on the soundproof mat, he jumped rope for a while.

The running he couldn’t do in the morning was made up for now.

Then, using dumbbells at home, he worked out while listening to English news.

He deliberately added two extra sets of squats at the end.

He’d heard they were good for men in all aspects.

After showering, it was nearly ten.

Only then did he take out his test papers and start working.

Grades only needed to be good enough.

Health was a lifelong matter. He wouldn’t forget that.