Qingmei, who was sleeping soundly, woke up

“If I forcibly kissed the Saintess, ranked No. 8 among heroes, what should I do now to earn her forgiveness?”

This was the single most pressing question circling in Yang Yuan’s mind at that moment.

During the mid-event break, Li Yu’an appeared as calm as ever, sitting silently on the bench with a blank expression.

Yang Yuan carefully sat at the farthest end from her, trying his best to make himself invisible.

“Why are you sitting so far away?”

“That… I’m shy.”

Li Yu’an’s mouth twitched, her face clearly showing disbelief.

“Do you really expect me to believe that?”

“Just a while ago, who was it that stripped in front of me and then kissed me so aggressively?”

She patted the empty spot beside her.

“Come. Sit here.”

Yang Yuan had no choice but to obediently scoot over and sit beside her.

“The final round is next.”

Li Yu’an didn’t dwell on what had happened earlier. Instead, she shifted into battle mode.

“If we win this round, we’ll be the overall champions.”

Yang Yuan breathed a quiet sigh of relief. It seemed she wasn’t holding the kiss against him. If a top-ranked hero decided to hold a grudge, his life would become unbearable.

Just as the third round was about to begin, Li Yu’an naturally reached out and took Yang Yuan’s hand, preparing to walk on stage together.

The warm, soft touch made Yang Yuan slightly uncomfortable.

“Isn’t this… a bit too intimate?”

“Couples are supposed to be intimate, aren’t they?” Li Yu’an actually nodded in agreement.

“Even if we’re pretending, we should make it believable.”

Yang Yuan was about to retort, ‘That doesn’t mean we have to go this far,’ when his phone rang at the worst possible time. He checked the screen— it was the nurse.

“Hold on, I need to take this.” He excused himself and hurried to a quiet corner.

“Hello?”

“Mr. Yang, Ms. Su has woken up.”

“After waking, she seemed quite agitated and keeps asking for you.”

Hearing that Su Xiaoyou had woken up sent a jolt through Yang Yuan’s heart.

“Tell her I’m dealing with something important right now, but I’ll be back soon.”

“Have her wait quietly in the room. Tell her not to wander off.”

After hanging up, Yang Yuan quickly returned and rejoined Li Yu’an, ready for the final challenge.

“Final round: Evade the Monster’s Attacks!”

The couple had to navigate a complex obstacle course while dodging soft rubber balls fired at high speed from all directions—representing “monster attacks.”

The moment the game started, Li Yu’an’s entire demeanor changed.

She displayed astonishing reflexes and body control, tightly gripping Yang Yuan’s hand as they weaved through the dense barrage.

Though not a frontline combat hero, years of Alliance training had honed her physical abilities far beyond those of ordinary people.

Add to that her tall, athletic build—long limbs, toned muscles radiating both strength and flexibility—and she moved like a dancer in battle.

“Hehe~ All that training finally paid off.”

After a particularly graceful dodge, she even paused to strike a pose.

“Stop showing off and dodge!” Yang Yuan shouted, snapping her back to reality.

A rubber ball whizzed past Li Yu’an’s cheek. The impact was so strong it sent her disguise mask flying.

Her cold, breathtakingly beautiful face was now seconds away from being fully exposed to the crowd.

The mask landed far away, surrounded by people.

If she covered her face, she’d lose orientation and get hit—eliminated.

If she didn’t, her identity would be revealed.

“Damn it!”

At that critical moment, Yang Yuan stepped in front of her.

Using his own body, he blocked her from the audience and judging panel.

“Turn your back to them!”

Li Yu’an instinctively obeyed, turning away from the crowd.

Yang Yuan became a human shield, positioning her between himself and the obstacles, creating a blind spot where no one could see her.

It worked—but the cost was their bodies pressed tightly together, every contour aligned.

“Let’s move like this—slowly toward where your mask fell!”

Yang Yuan’s warm breath brushed against Li Yu’an’s ear, sending a shiver down her spine.

“O-okay.”

As they moved, Li Yu’an’s soft, resilient body pressed against Yang Yuan’s, making his thoughts drift.

Normally, Li Yu’an dressed so conservatively she might as well have been wrapped in a dumpling wrapper.

Now, pressed so close, Yang Yuan could finally appreciate her physical charm.

Unlike Su Xiaoyou’s youthful, almost cartoonish proportions, Li Yu’an’s waist wasn’t as slender, but carried a healthy, mature fullness.

Every step brought new sensations. As they moved in sync, Yang Yuan could clearly feel the generous weight of Li Yu’an’s chest against him.

Compared to Su Xiaoyou’s exaggerated, age-defying figure, Li Yu’an’s was more balanced—yet, due to proximity, felt even more overwhelming.

Unsurprisingly, Yang Yuan’s body responded in the most primal way.

Li Yu’an could clearly feel what was pressing against her thigh.

At first, she didn’t register it. But a few seconds later, when she realized exactly what it was, she unconsciously pressed back.

‘So even Yang Yuan gets excited this easily… just like me.’

Protected by Yang Yuan, they eventually retrieved the mask and won the final round.

****

“I… I’m completely drained.”

Yang Yuan collapsed onto a chair, feeling utterly spent. Now came the exciting moment—prize presentation.

The host announced with great fanfare: the grand prize of this carnival was the “Stellar Magic Girl: Heartdrop Full Custom Costume Set!”

“Now you, too, can become a real magical girl!”

Since it was custom-made, the organizers presented a beautifully crafted pink cloak as a sample.

Just as Li Yu’an prepared to go on stage, a few defeated participants in the audience sneered.

“At your age, still chasing after this childish stuff?”

“Yeah, and she’s been hiding behind that mask the whole time. Probably some ugly girl afraid to show her face.”

The sharp, mocking words reached Li Yu’an’s ears. Her steps faltered.

They reminded her of her childhood—of her mother throwing away her cute toys, forbidding her from wearing pink hairpins.

“You’re going to be a hero. What kind of hero dresses like that?”

The memory froze her in place. She couldn’t bring herself to accept the prize.

Yang Yuan, ahead of her, noticed she had stopped. He assumed she wanted him, her “fake boyfriend,” to help drape the cloak—showing off their couple act.

So he stepped forward, took the pink cloak, and gently placed it over Li Yu’an’s shoulders.

The soft fur lining made her shiver. Instinctively, she tried to shrug it off.

“I… I don’t suit this.”

“Why not?” Yang Yuan asked, puzzled. He looked her over carefully.

“This pink cloak is pretty cute. It suits you well.”

“It’s the cloak that’s cute, not me…”

“Whatever. I think both are cute.”

Li Yu’an couldn’t believe her ears. This was the first time in her life—ever—that someone had called her cute.

“Really… am I cute?”

“Stop repeating yourself. The organizers are calling you to fill out your details.”

A staff member approached, asking Li Yu’an to provide her contact information so the full set could be custom-tailored.

Reluctantly, she walked away. She had wanted to hear just a little more of Yang Yuan saying she was cute.

As Yang Yuan thought things were finally settling down, he pulled out his phone to call Su Xiaoyou and check on her.

But the moment he unlocked the screen, his entire body froze.

Unread messages: 99+.

Missed calls: 27.

Every single message in his chat app was from Su Xiaoyou.

[16:02] Where did you go?

[16:05] Why aren’t you replying?

[16:14] Is it something important? Can you at least tell me?

[16:23] When are you coming back?

[16:33] Why aren’t you answering me?

[16:38] Are you doing this alone? Or with someone else?

[16:41] I miss you so much.

[17:00] Still not done yet…

[17:30] I’ll keep waiting for you to come back.