120

Just as Gu Ran was getting lost in his thoughts, a familiar system notification rang in his mind:

"Detected 100 points of negative emotions from Anne Hathaway. System bubble generating..."

Sure enough, right next to Anne, a bright red Perfect Talent Bubble appeared.

Gu Ran: …

Huh?

I haven't even stepped inside yet, and I'm already getting talent bubbles?

It seemed that after spending the whole day alone, Anne's negative emotions had slowly accumulated to the point of explosion.

As long as the system detected negative emotions within a 10-meter radius, it would automatically generate bubbles.

So even though Anne hadn't just developed 100 points of negative emotions, as long as the system sensed it, a bubble would drop.

From a pure farming perspective—Anne wasn't just a gold mine; she was a talent point dispenser!

No grinding needed—

Just free handouts!

Of course, that also meant Anne had spent the entire day in an overwhelmingly negative emotional state.

The only silver lining was that she had kept herself busy, preventing a total breakdown.

This at least proved that Gu Ran's PUA techniques and sweet therapy had some effect.

The approach was working—he just needed to stay consistent.

More than anything, daily conversations were crucial to dissolving Anne's pent-up loneliness and overthinking.

If he kept at it, Anne would definitely recover.

She would.

Gu Ran focused his intent, discreetly absorbing the Perfect Talent Bubble near Anne.

With that, he now had four talent points.

Now, he just had to help Anne vent her built-up emotions for the day.

Emotional release… was an art.

Wait—

Wasn't I skilled in… unfastening bra clasps?

Gu Ran suddenly recalled a strangely inappropriate skill in his arsenal.

Damn…

Shaking off the thought, Gu Ran intentionally made his footsteps louder, fully pushed open the door, and stepped inside the villa.

Anne looked up excitedly and smiled.

"Gu! You're back!"

Her smile was so pure, so radiant.

But Gu Ran knew—

The one who needed healing the most was her.

He smiled back at her.

"You worked hard today. Hmm… the cleaning has improved a little from yesterday."

The classic PUA compliment—a technique straight from Master Carter's playbook.

Praise, but leave room for improvement, so the recipient feels there's still more to strive for.

Sure enough, Anne brightened up even more.

"Really? Thank you!"

Gu Ran could literally feel her negative emotions dropping by half just from that validation.

Then he asked,

"What do you want to eat tonight?"

Anne instantly replied,

"I want that sweet and sour, super expensive meat!"

Oh—so you want sweet and sour pork?

Gu Ran chuckled,

"That takes a while to make. How about tomato and egg stir-fry instead?"

At that moment, an image flashed in his mind—

Anne licking the plate. (.gif format, obviously.)

Anne's face instantly turned red all the way to her neck.

She whined cutely, "Gu, you're so mean~ Stop bringing up my embarrassing moments, or I'll get mad~"

Holy. Shit.

She just acted cute at me.

Gu Ran felt his bones go soft.

This is too much.

Too good.

If she kept acting like this, he could play all day without getting bored.

Of course—if he actually played all day, he might end up breaking his goddess.

Better to keep it occasional and thrilling.

Gu Ran quickly composed himself, barely holding onto his cool and aloof persona.

"Alright, alright, I won't bring it up again." He cleared his throat.

"Ahem. Let's make Coca-Cola chicken wings tonight."

Anne blinked, stunned.

"What? You can cook chicken wings… with Coke?"

"Of course."

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

"That's amazing! Can I watch you cook?"

Gu Ran smiled confidently.

"No—you'll help me. We're making it together."

Anne bounced excitedly.

"Ahhh! I can't wait!"

Together, they stepped into the kitchen, chatting and laughing as they started preparing.

Of course, Anne's "help" was barely necessary—

Gu Ran did all the cooking while she just handed him ingredients.

But even so—

She was genuinely happy.

Her accumulated negative emotions dropped by half again.

If Gu Ran hadn't seen her system bubble earlier, he would never believe that someone with such a bright smile was battling depression.

She needed this.

More than anything—

She needed care.

Gu Ran fried the marinated chicken wings, then poured in two full bottles of Coke and turned up the heat.

Just in case it wasn't sweet enough, he added three extra spoonfuls of sugar.

Soon—

A rich, sweet aroma filled the air.

Anne was practically drooling from anticipation.

Of course, as a professional athlete, Gu Ran never drank soda, let alone ate something this sugary.

This dish—

was made exclusively for Anne.

She clasped her hands together like a fangirl.

"Oh my God! I swear, this is the first time I've ever seen Coke and chicken wings made into a dish!"

"Gu, you're a genius!

I feel like you could turn anything into an amazing meal!

It's a crime that you're not a chef!"

Anne, are you the leader of the Compliment Cult?

Please stop—

What if I mess up from the pressure?

I have my pride too, you know…

Trying to keep his cool, Gu Ran plated the Coca-Cola chicken wings and set them on the table.

Then he boiled himself a batch of beef dumplings—

Something more nutritious for his post-training recovery.

Anne gasped again.

"Wow! That smells amazing!

Gu, you know how to make dumplings too?!

You're incredible!"

Gu Ran: …

I literally just boiled frozen dumplings.

Everyone can do this.

Then Anne said,

"Once, I had cheese-onion dumplings with traditional Chinese dipping sauce—chocolate butter! It was amazing!"

Chinese dipping sauce… WHAT?!

CHEESE-ONION DUMPLINGS?!

This is a crime against humanity.

He shook his head.

"Anne, do you want to try my dumplings?"

She beamed.

"Yes, yes! But let me try the chicken wings first!"

Excitedly, she picked up a whole wing, opened her beautiful lips, and took a huge bite.

Gu Ran froze.

Holy…

He gulped instinctively—

Suddenly, the dumplings didn't seem as appetizing anymore.

Anne moaned in delight.

"Mmm! It's amazing! This is the best chicken I've ever had in my life!"

She delicately pulled out the bones with her fingers, and licked them clean.

Gu Ran: …

Why do I feel so weird watching this?

Why am I suddenly feeling… something?

I'm too young for this.

Anne then looked at him with big, eager eyes.

"Gu… can I try your dumplings now?"

Gu Ran swallowed hard.

"…Sure."

She picked one up, popped it into her mouth—

And her eyes went wide.

"OH MY GOD!"

And just like that—

Gu Ran mentally collapsed.

"Someone, just end me now…"

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