Xu Xingbo's current favorability rating: 52.

Huh?

Tang Ning, who had just placed her hand in Mu Sheng's, immediately received a system notification that Xu Xingbai's favorability towards her had increased.

Is this the effect of him already eating the sweet and sour pork that she specially prepared for him?

She remembered that he left right after the second period in the afternoon, so why was he only having dinner now? It must be quite late.

Tang Ning couldn't help but think this way.

At the same time, Xu Xingbo, dressed in a white shirt, a silk vest, and black suit trousers, pushed open the emergency exit in front of him. He was carrying two lunch boxes that had just been heated in the tea room of the karaoke bar where he worked. He casually closed the door, shutting out all the noise and hustle and bustle behind him.

Sitting on the stairs, finally having a ten-minute break, he placed his own lunchbox beside him and Tang Ning's pink lunchbox on his lap. He took a deep breath before carefully opening the box. Seeing the mouthwatering sweet and sour pork inside, the boy couldn't help but smile slightly.

He had barely put a spoonful of sweet and sour pork into his mouth when the walkie-talkie hanging on his shoulder started crackling. Soon, a man's voice began to echo down the empty stairwell.

"Xingbai, Xingbai, can you hear me? Hurry up and come to room 8888. That Sister Lan from last time is here again today. She specifically asked you to serve her room. Come over here quickly."

As he spoke, perhaps because someone was nearby, the man subconsciously lowered his voice.

Upon hearing this, Xu Xingbo frowned slightly, then looked longingly at the sweet and sour pork in the lunchbox before carefully closing the pink lid, picking up the two lunchboxes, and walking inside.

——

"hiss……"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!"

Suddenly, Tang Ning's apologetic voice rang out from the dimly lit and secluded west playground of Jinsheng Boys' High School.

She looked at Mu Sheng in front of her with great guilt. She didn't know how serious the original owner's night blindness was until she jumped. Even though there were streetlights outside the playground, it was still too dark for Tang Ning. She didn't realize it when she jumped alone before, but with Mu Sheng with her, she found that she couldn't even see where his feet were. This was not the first time she had stepped on his feet so precisely.

Looking down at Tang Ning's face full of regret, Mu Sheng suddenly asked softly, "Do you have night blindness? Is that why you can't see very clearly? Why don't we try going to a slightly brighter place?"

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning looked at Mu Sheng with some surprise, then said gratefully, "Is it alright? It's just that the west playground is not like the east playground; it's more remote here, and there aren't many well-lit areas. I... I'm really sorry, I really didn't mean to..."

"It's okay, come on, let's jump here again. Believe in yourself, you can definitely do it."

Mu Sheng gently comforted her.

"Um."

Tang Ning nodded slightly, then kept muttering the dance moves she had memorized.

"Like this, and like this again, turn around..."

Whether it was Mu Sheng's comforting words or the slightly brighter location, Tang Ning, who was overly nervous, was able to perform the entire waltz routine smoothly under Mu Sheng's guidance.

At this moment, Mu Sheng gently embraced Tang Ning's waist, letting her fall down.

The next second, with a slight pull of his arm, he pulled Tang Ning back. Then he saw her looking at him with sparkling eyes, and she immediately hugged his arm with both hands. "School doctor, I did it!"

"Yes, that's great."

Mu Sheng praised him gently.

Upon hearing the praise, Tang Ning immediately smiled at Mu Sheng like a child who had received praise. If her legs hadn't prevented her from doing so, she probably would have jumped up and down on the spot.

The sense of security that Mu Sheng's gentleness provided was precisely what the original owner, who had suffered countless hardships and frights since childhood, lacked most. Tang Qing couldn't provide it because, being precocious and overly sensible, the original owner was unwilling to share her insecurities and fears with her, fearing Tang Qing would worry. Jiang Yao also couldn't provide it. Although he had been very good to Tang Ning since childhood, his mental age was simply too young. Otherwise, Tang Ning wouldn't have worked so hard and endured so much to learn all sorts of courses, regardless of whether she liked them or not, just for him and to gain Jiang's mother's approval.

For the past ten years, on the surface, it was Jiang Yao who had been taking care of Tang Ning, but in reality, it was Tang Ning who had been catering to and accommodating him.

It is precisely this pandering and accommodation that has led to Jiang Yao's current dullness and arrogance.

People can always easily sense the favor others show them, and then squander it recklessly.

For example, Jiang Yao.

In short, all of Yuan Tangning's life had never been filled with someone who gave her the most complete sense of security, allowing her to act spoiled without overthinking, and who tolerated all her good and bad qualities.

Unfortunately, the school doctor played by Mu Sheng is exactly that kind of person to Tang Ning.

This is precisely the biggest reason why she chose him.

It was so easy for her to fall in love with him.

In the original storyline, the original owner never had much interaction with Mu Sheng. If she had spent even a little more time with him, she would probably have fallen for him, even if he was a fake.

Just like Tang Ning now.

However, perhaps not having any contact is the greatest act of mercy towards the original owner.

After her initial joy subsided, Tang Ning realized she had been clinging to Mu Sheng's arm. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she quickly released her grip. "I...I didn't..."

"I know."

Before Tang Ning could even begin to explain, Mu Sheng spoke up first, "You're just too happy."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning looked up, her face still flushed, and stared blankly at Mu Sheng, who was smiling in front of her.

The man's face was half hidden in the darkness and half exposed to the light; the only constant was the overly gentle smile on his lips.

As Tang Ning was looking away, her phone rang in her shirt pocket. She glanced at Mu Sheng in front of her, embarrassed, and with his tacit approval, answered the call.

"Ningning, where are you? Our rehearsal has finished. How's it going on your end? Do you need me to come pick you up?"

Ye Jinyan's concerned voice came through the phone.

"No, no need. I've almost finished practicing. You don't need to pick me up. I'll be right there. Just wait for me in the rehearsal hall, okay? Okay."

Tang Ning hurriedly finished her reply, hung up the phone, and looked at Mu Sheng in front of her again.

"I'm leaving..."

"Okay, do you need me to take you there?"

"No need, no need, nothing will happen at school!"

Tang Ning quickly waved her hand, then looked hesitant, "I..." Can I still practice dancing with you tomorrow?

She had barely uttered a single word when Mu Sheng, standing opposite her, spoke first, "If you still need my help, just come find me here again tomorrow."

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning's eyes widened as she looked at him, quickly revealing a look of utter surprise and delight. "Is it okay? Can I come to you?"

"Of course I can. There's not much work at the school hospital at night, so I'm always available. Besides, you're my patient now, so I should be responsible for you to the end."

He glanced meaningfully at her right foot.

Hearing such a definite answer, Tang Ning could hardly contain her joy. "Thank you, school doctor! I'll come tomorrow. My foot injury hasn't healed yet, and I've been a little worried that if someone accidentally finds out, I'll be in big trouble. It would be so great if you could help me. I'll definitely come tomorrow. Thank you so much!"

Tang Ning was overjoyed.

Then she turned on her phone, checked the time, and immediately waved to Mu Sheng, "It's getting late, I really should go, otherwise my brother will definitely find this place. I'm leaving now, you should go back and rest early too!"

As she spoke, she slowly began to walk away. After walking a distance, she turned back to look at Mu Sheng behind her and asked again, "Then it's settled, okay? See you tomorrow?"

"See you tomorrow."

Mu Sheng nodded.

Having received his affirmative reply, Tang Ning waved to Mu Sheng again, satisfied, and turned to walk towards the rehearsal hall.

When she arrived at the place, she found that everyone had already packed all their things and were just waiting for her.

Seeing this, she quickly stepped forward and apologized, then explained to everyone that she was a little nervous under everyone's gaze because she hadn't practiced dancing for a long time and had a foot injury. However, it was okay, as she had found a great place to practice. If possible, she hoped to practice alone. She wondered what they thought.

To the other boys present, Tang Ning was so beautiful, so cute, and had such a sweet smile, so of course they would agree with whatever she said.

Ye Jinyan frowned slightly. "Are you alright on your own? Do you need me to come with you?"

"Need not!"

Tang Ning refused decisively, but quickly realized that she might have refused too quickly, and hurriedly explained, "There's no need to go to so much trouble. I want to overcome my own problems on my own. After today's attempt, I also feel that I'm more used to practicing alone. Of course, if I encounter any difficulties, I will definitely tell you, brother."

Tang Ning had barely finished speaking when Yin Yuqing's weak voice rang out, "Tang Ning, are you really alright? Your leg injury seemed quite serious when you were dancing today. Don't push yourself too hard; it wouldn't be good if it really affected your leg. Also, given how serious Tang Ning's leg injury is, do we need to prepare a backup plan? The school anniversary celebration is such a big event; if Tang Ning can't dance that day, it might be too late to find someone else..."

At this point, Yin Yuqing noticed that almost everyone present was looking directly at her.

Only then did she belatedly realize that she might have said something wrong, and she quickly explained, "I didn't... I didn't mean that, I meant..."

"It's alright. It's understandable that you're worried, Yin. But I'm sure I won't let everyone down. Otherwise, I'll take full responsibility for messing up the performance. Please, everyone, trust me!"

Tang Ning, whose face paled slightly from Yin Yuqing's words, spoke with unusual firmness to everyone present, making empty promises.

Upon hearing her say that, a large portion of the boys present immediately roared as if they had been injected with adrenaline.

"I believe in you, I believe in you the most!"

"Exactly, I don't want a second Snow White except for you!"

"Goddess, you are the best!"

"Hahaha……"

As they shouted, the group burst into laughter, and Tang Ning's lips curled into a smile as well.

Seeing this, Yin Yuqing, who had become an eyesore because of saying a few extra words, bit her lip hard. The next second, she saw Ye Jinyan glance at her with lightning speed.

That warning glance made Yin Yuqing's face turn pale instantly.

She didn't...that's not what she meant...she was just thinking about "Snow White," so why is everyone treating her like this? Even Brother Jin Yan looks at her like this, even though...she clearly didn't mean it that way...

Ye Jinyan glanced at her once before looking away, but Yin Yuqing felt as if that glance had pierced her heart like a knife. Jinyan had always been so good to her, so gentle, so why… why suddenly…

As expected, compared to Tang Ning, she is nothing to him, right?

Her eyes quickly reddened.

The next day, Tang Ning, who had already made arrangements with the others, greeted them and headed straight for the west playground.

Before leaving, she noticed that Yin Yuqing, one of the seven dwarfs, seemed to be casually memorizing Bai Xue's lines and dance steps, which was quite interesting.

With this intriguing mindset, Tang Ning soon arrived at the west playground.

Then she was stunned by the beautiful scenery before her; she saw—

Wearing a white coat, Mu Sheng stood with his back to her at the place where the two of them had practiced dancing the day before. At his feet were candles of various colors, and the wire mesh on one side was covered with a warm yellow street light.

When she arrived, the other party had just finished wrapping the last colored light around their arm.

Hearing her footsteps, he immediately turned to look at her.

It was then that she realized that Mu Sheng was very different from yesterday. If yesterday he was lazy and sexy, today he had his buttons fastened to the highest position, his tie was neatly tied, and his hair was still as meticulously combed as when he was working. When he turned to look at her, Tang Ning even thought she was at a high-class ball, rather than the dimly lit west playground of Jinsheng High School.

She had to admit that Mu Sheng was gentle and abstinent, but his abstinence was different from Ye Jinyan's. Ye Jinyan's abstinence was coldness, a sense of distance. Mu Sheng was desire, the desire of lust, a mature hormone that rushed towards her, making her even want to unbutton his shirt and do something unspeakable with him.

"you……"

"If it's night blindness, it's too late to treat it now, but I can make our dance practice area brighter. Can you see now?"

Mu Sheng said this with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Tang Ning glanced at the candles at his feet and the colored lights on the side, and burst out laughing.

"Um!"

She nodded vigorously, and then saw Mu Sheng slowly extend his hand towards her.

Seeing this, she pursed her lips, took two steps forward, and placed her hand in his slightly cool palm.

Everything around them was like a dream.

The person in front of her was so beautiful that he seemed unreal; how could she not fall in love with him?

Tang Ning sighed inwardly.

Author's Note: 54088: Tang Bao, you're lying. I saw it all. Your favorability rating has never changed; it's always been 0.

Tang Ning: Hehe.

Mu Sheng: She seems to like me? [One of the three great illusions of life.]