Chapter 3: Store

"Not quite the same?" Long Wenxuan's voice carried a hint of coldness compared to Chen Siyan's flat tone, and because Chen Siyan had mentioned someone, it changed slightly—unfortunately, in a negative direction.

"I don't know how to describe it, but the feeling she gives off has changed." Lightly tapping the desk, Chen Siyan couldn't articulate exactly where the difference she sensed lay. The fact that something had changed was the only thing she could confirm.

"Understood." Long Wenxuan picked up a pen and wrote on the document:

"For now, she hasn't done anything harmful, right? If it's like before..."

"I know. I'll handle her." Chen Siyan lightly tapped the sofa, then stood up and left Long Wenxuan's room.

Standing in the hallway, Chen Siyan stared at Ye Kelin's door, momentarily lost in thought. In her mind was the image of Ye Kelin earlier, blushing and anxious. Could it be that she found the other girl somewhat cute?

Rubbing her temples, Chen Siyan felt she must be under some kind of spell. She decided to finish her tasks and rest early.

Unaware that a single question from her had caused Chen Siyan such turmoil, Ye Kelin had just finished her bath and was drying her hair with a hairdryer. Once it felt mostly dry, she put the hairdryer down.

[Ding, female lead Chen Siyan's Favorability +2. Please continue your efforts, Host.]

"Huh?" Ye Kelin blinked, completely confused. Why did the Favorability suddenly increase? Oh right, she had just earned a Lottery Draw!

She quickly called up her Character Panel. On it, the words "Points: 100" now appeared, and below that was "Lottery Draw x1." Unlike the text, the "1" was a button with a shiny appearance.

"System, to draw the lottery, I just press this button, right?" Ye Kelin asked tentatively.

[Yes.]

"Is it okay if I draw now?"

[Yes, but the Host's Points are insufficient to unlock the System Backpack. Therefore, if the item obtained is a physical object, the Host will need to keep it personally.]

Keep it? That's no big deal. It's unlikely she'd draw something huge. After a moment's thought, Ye Kelin pressed the "1."

Swish—a large roulette wheel appeared before Ye Kelin. Its slots were densely packed, making it impossible to see clearly.

The wheel began to spin and, after a while, gradually came to a stop. A glowing screen instantly popped up:

[Congratulations, Host, for obtaining the Ability: Pity-Inducing Aura (Permanent Binding).]

[Automatically activates when the Host is feeling down or in similar emotional states, attracting 30% attention from surroundings. √ May have unexpected effects under special circumstances.]

The ability seemed good, much better than the ones on her Character Panel, but...

Ye Kelin pointed at the note:

"What does 'special circumstances' mean?"

[The Ability requires the Host to explore on their own.]

Patting her head, Ye Kelin gave up on getting more answers from the System. She sat down at her desk, finished all her homework for the day, and went to bed early. Having processed so much today, she felt exhausted.

The next day, Ye Kelin still went to school with Chen Siyan and Long Wenxuan. However, compared to yesterday, she was in much better spirits. Hugging her schoolbag, her eyes gazed out the window, filled with curiosity about everything.

Her gaze couldn't help but drift to the left. She and Chen Siyan were sitting in the back seat, with a considerable distance between them.

It was as if they were keeping to their own territories, with no communication whatsoever, though Chen Siyan didn't seem like the type to engage in conversation anyway.

Looking ahead, she could only catch a glimpse of Long Wenxuan's back, her long hair tied into a high ponytail. Occasionally, Ye Kelin caught sight of the other girl's fair and delicate neck, and just seeing it made her sigh in admiration—truly befitting of a female lead.

She wondered how the other female leads were. It was something to look forward to, but she hoped they wouldn't dislike her as much as Chen Siyan and Long Wenxuan did.

The car stopped at the school gate. Ye Kelin shouldered her backpack and saw that Chen Siyan had already stepped out of the car and was walking briskly toward the school entrance, not waiting for her in the slightest. Shrugging, Ye Kelin didn't mind and gently closed the car door.

The System provided basic information, just as it did now. Any places the original body had seen or walked through were recorded in the System, saving Ye Kelin the trouble of figuring things out.

Familiar with the routine, she entered the classroom. Before class started, the room was noisy and chaotic. Many people greeted Ye Kelin as she walked in, and she responded with a smile and a nod.

"Hey, good morning, Kelin!" Sitting next to Ye Kelin was a cheerful girl named Feng Geya, who also played a significant role in this book.

Unlike Ye Kelin, Feng Geya was a very likable character—sunny, open-minded, and loyal. The only thing readers disliked was that Feng Geya was good friends with Ye Kelin and often had to clean up after her messes.

If this person were friends with the female lead, she'd likely be a close confidante or a capable assistant. Unfortunately, she was with Ye Kelin, which made her position rather awkward.

However, it was clear that she was one of the few people in the story who showed kindness to the original body. Ye Kelin felt she should cherish this friend—even if she couldn't cling to the female lead, at least she had someone by her side!

"Good morning, Geya," Ye Kelin said, flashing Feng Geya a sweet smile that left the latter momentarily stunned. Feng Geya stood up and playfully pinched Ye Kelin's cheeks.

"Oh my, our Kelin is smiling so sweetly today. Did something good happen?"

"N-no... let... let go..." Ye Kelin mumbled, trying to push Feng Geya's hands away. Unfortunately, she was too weak to resist and could only endure the playful torment. Finally, just a second before class ended, she sat down at her desk, cheeks flushed red and eyes brimming with tears.

Ouch... her cheeks hurt so much!

Seeing Ye Kelin's expression, Feng Geya coughed awkwardly, feeling a bit guilty. She pulled a few pieces of chocolate from her pocket and placed them in front of Ye Kelin, patting her head gently.

"Here, have some chocolate. It's premium imported chocolate, really delicious. I just grabbed a few pieces before leaving home. They're for you."

"Thank you," Ye Kelin said, her eyes lighting up at the sight of the treats. Instantly forgetting what had just happened, she smiled at Feng Geya, picked up a chocolate ball, and popped it into her mouth. She chewed happily, her cheeks slightly puffed like a hamster's.

Clutching her chest, Feng Geya thought that Ye Kelin had changed quite a bit over the past two days, becoming even more likable than before. That smile was so sweet—even the boys nearby were staring dreamily. She quickly glanced down at a photo of her boyfriend. Well, at least I'm still straight!

Completely unaware of the inner turmoil of the person beside her, Ye Kelin savored her chocolate while watching the teacher chatter away on the podium.

She didn't catch a single word, thinking that since the apocalypse was coming anyway, there was no need to pay attention. She hadn't even found a job yet, and now it was all going down the drain—might as well not study at all.

So she opened the Store and curiously browsed around. The items were incredibly diverse, even including food, which was mostly cheap, while weapon types were more expensive. Of course, ordinary blades were quite affordable, ranging from about 1 to 50 Points, while guns cost 50 or more. Beyond that, there were many bizarre and unusual weapons.

"System, what's the deal with these weapons?" Ye Kelin whispered.

[The Store combines products from all places. There's nothing the Host can't think of that can't be found here. These weapons have special functions—the Host only needs to click on the image to understand.]

Hearing this, Ye Kelin casually clicked on a whip: Crackling Flame Whip, Strength +150, with additional effects: Tear +10, Burn +20, Required Points: 30000.

Seeing this number, Ye Kelin was stunned. Would she need to complete three S-Rank Missions to afford this?

[Host, there's no need to insist on overly powerful weapons. Given your physique...]

Ye Kelin: Did I just sense sarcasm from the System?

[Host can try the Filter Button above. There are several paths prepared for the Bound Individual for you to choose from.]

"Is that so..." Ye Kelin clicked the button and heard:

[Beginning Host confirmation... Appearance high... combat ability low... combat route not recommended... Based on future events, generating selection menu.]

Swish... Two glowing screens appeared before Ye Kelin. After looking them over, she felt the Farming Path seemed more suitable for her.

Having her own Spatial Farmland to grow desired fruits and vegetables, along with a warehouse to store items, would be incredibly convenient when the apocalypse arrived. It was also equipment most female protagonists in the novels she read had, so she wanted one for herself too. But—

The smallest Nine-Grid Farmland, which came with a Small Warehouse, cost 20,000 Points. Ye Kelin felt as if a mouthful of old blo.od was stuck in her throat. Why was it so hard just to survive properly?

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