A collection of short, sweet stories, each lasting only two or three chapters. Chen Zixi is the main focus, with others mixed in, updated as inspiration strikes.
Content tags: Wuxia, Strong P...
What is the progress bar of [Young Master Center]
You feel like something is not right today.
Ever since you woke up and came to Aunt Han's for breakfast, she'd been staring at the top of your head. Later, when Uncle Chu arrived, the two of them simply hid aside, whispering to each other and occasionally pointing at the top of your head.
You secretly took a few photos of yourself in the stream outside the door, confirming that your hairstyle was fine. You were completely baffled, so when Uncle Chu came over to clean up the table, you asked him, "Uncle, does my hairstyle look bad today? Why do you keep staring at me?"
Uncle Chu was so overwhelmed by being called your uncle that he blurted out, "What hairstyle? Qingqing and I were looking at the strip on top of your head..."
Strips? What strips? You were confused and subconsciously raised your hand to touch the top of your head. Sure enough, there was nothing but hair. "Strips? Where are the strips?"
"Hey, you can't touch it." Uncle Chu waved his hand and put his hand on the top of your head to feel it. "Qingqing and I compared it and found that the length of your hair is different for each person."
"Aren't they the same length?" You were completely surprised. "So amazing?"
As you were talking, Jiang Yan came in.
He glanced at you, his dark eyes filled with surprise, and then he walked towards you.
Then, he reached out and rubbed the top of your head.
Judging from his actions, everything is obvious. You and Uncle Chu looked at each other and said in unison: "You saw that note too?!"
Jiang Yan was puzzled and nodded.
Uncle Chu immediately leaned in closer with his eyes shining and asked, "How long did you see? Qingqing and I see different lengths!"
Jiang Yan frowned slightly. He looked at the top of your head as if to confirm, and thought for a moment: "...full."
"What Qingqing saw was also full..." Uncle Chu stroked his chin thoughtfully. "What I saw was about 80% as long... What on earth is this?"
You noticed Jiang Yan's expression shift slightly, as if he had thought of something. But he glanced at you and said nothing.
Jiang Yan said to Uncle Chu, "I'm not sure what it is. I'll go ask Chen Zixi."
"Oh, right!" Uncle Chu nodded as if suddenly realizing something. "He's from Qingxi, so he might have seen this strange disease before! Wasn't he the one who cured the little girl of her cat addiction last time?"
Jiang Yan nodded, glanced at you thoughtfully, and then headed out.
Soon, you met Chen Zixi.
This handsome brother in white stood in front of you, fanning himself, a smile that couldn't be hidden on his lips. He reached out and rubbed your head: "It's just like Jiang Yan said, untouchable... interesting."
You're feeling rather bored—you've been patted on the head countless times today! If you keep getting patted like this, you might end up bald before you even figure out what it is!
"Hmm?" Chen Zixi had obviously noticed something. He let out a puzzled sound and then asked Jiang Yan, "Did you see any changes?"
Jiang Yan shook his head.
Chen Zixi nodded and tapped his palm with his fan: "I think I understand."
Jiang Yan looked at him with question marks.
Chen Zixi smiled and moved closer to you, so close that you could almost smell the incense coming from him: "Little girl, it's been so long, did you miss me?"
Too close! Your heart can’t help but beat wildly, and you nod hesitantly.
"...Chen Zixi." Jiang Yan gave him a warning look.
Chen Zixi laughed out loud: "Interesting, interesting. It turns out that there will be some fluctuations after the maximum value is reached... This is the first time I've seen this."
Jiang Yan was visibly stunned for a moment: "What you saw was also full?"
Chen Zixi just smiled and said nothing. He pulled Jiang Yan aside and the two whispered a few words. During this time, Jiang Yan frequently turned back to look at you.
You really can't stand this kind of discussion being kept secret from you, so you simply run over and grab Chen Zixi's hand and act coquettishly: "Brother Zixi, what's going on? What exactly is that article you're talking about?"
Chen Zixi was about to speak when Jiang Yan secretly elbowed her. She had no choice but to keep silent and looked at you with a smile: "Little girl, it's not that I don't want to tell you, it's that someone doesn't allow me to tell you."
...Why are they keeping you in suspense one by one? You hate riddlers the most! You stared at Jiang Yan with a bit of frustration.
Jiang Yan's expression froze, as if he'd seen something. After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his head and whispered in your ear, "Don't be angry. We guess... that's how much you like us."
—Favorability? You realized what he meant, startled, and frantically held your head in your hands. "Huh? That's bad! Wouldn't it be super obvious who I like and who I don't? That would be annoying!"
"Hmm..." Chen Zixi stared at the top of your head, stretching out his words, his smile growing wider. "It's quite obvious, but it's very cute."
...Ah, how come Brother Zixi is so handsome and gentle! You can't help but think so.
Chen Zixi looked at the top of your head, smiled and tapped the tip of your nose: "Look at you, you're even cuter."
"...Chen Zixi." Jiang Yan warned in a deep voice.
"I know, I know. I was just teasing her." Chen Zixi shook his head helplessly.
Then, for some unknown reason, you no longer envy the Immortal Fire. You were already a renowned young master, and now everyone knows you have a strange progress bar above your head.
In addition, many strange sayings appeared, such as "The bar above the young master's head represents the anger value, and he will use a big move when it is full", "The bar above the young master's head represents the progress of the strategy, and you can marry her on the spot when it is full", "The bar above the young master's head represents the blackening value, and he will imprison Pre when it is full". It became common to be surrounded and inspected when you go out.
You are really upset and just find a corner to hide in.
The red thread that knows you still found you. She looked at the top of your head and said happily: "Great! I told you, I am the boss's favorite little heroine!"
She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a handful of pine nut candies, stuffing them into your pockets. "Boss, this is for you! Hong Xian likes you too!"
"Ah, thank you Hongxian!" You are very touched.
"Hey, it turns out it can glow when it's full!" The red line stares at the top of your head with an obsessed look. "How magical!"
...Uh, it can glow when it's full? This is the first time you've heard of that.
You always feel like you have become some kind of animal for sightseeing. After hiding in the corner and being unable to avoid all kinds of visitors, you simply ran to Foguangding.
"Hmm?" Tian Ying looked at the top of your head, then reached out and touched your head. "This is..."
"That's right, that's how I like you!" You've completely given up, shouting in despair. "Leave me alone and stop asking questions, okay? I don't want to do this either. If you're not satisfied with the favorability rating you see, just kick me out! You've kicked me out plenty of times anyway!"
"You—" Tian Ying's expression was rather odd. "You like being kicked? That's a pretty unique hobby of yours."
You were speechless, and your heart skipped a beat. You quickly asked him, "Wait, how much did you see?"
Tian Ying looked at the top of your head and was silent for a moment: "...60%."
——Great, lower than you thought. You breathed a sigh of relief and simply joked to Tian Ying: "Want me to like you more? Give me your mask and I'll make you my fan leader!"
Tian Ying looked at you speechlessly, but he stretched out his hand towards you.
In his hand was his golden mask.
You were caught off guard and stunned for a moment, then felt pleasantly surprised: You thought Tian Ying always treated you as a little bastard who challenged you, but it seems that he is also a very considerate person!
Then Tian Ying seemed to smile: "Not bad, you didn't lie to me."
You couldn't stay in Qinghe anymore, so you simply ran to Kaifeng and sought refuge with the hospitable Brother Zhao.
"Sister, you're here!" Brother Zhao greeted you happily, then fell into deep thought looking at the top of your head.
...No way, you thought this buff only existed in Qinghe, but it turns out you can't escape it even if you hide in Kaifeng! You almost wanted to kneel down on the spot.
"Ayi, come and see!" Brother Zhao immediately turned around and waved. "Am I seeing things? Why does this girl have a strange streak on her head?"
The young man dressed as Jin Zhongyuan glanced at the top of your head, a leisurely smile in his eyes. "Brother, haven't you heard? 'The top of the young man from Qinghe's head will show his favorability towards you', this rumor has been everywhere recently."
"Oh?" Brother Zhao suddenly became excited, rubbing his hands together with joy. "So, sister, you really like me as your big brother. Well, I can't let you like me for nothing. Let's have roast lamb together at Mr. Pu's house tonight. I'll treat you!"
With that, Brother Zhao walked away, leaving only you and Zhao Guangyi there.
Zhao Guangyi's eyes kept lingering on the top of your head, making you a little nervous - this dog official doesn't seem to have a big heart. If he is not satisfied with your favorability, he will not take revenge on you, right?
"Young man, don't break your promise tonight." Zhao Guangyi admired your nervous look, nodded at you with a smile, and left with his hands behind his back.
Is he satisfied or dissatisfied with what he sees? You are at a loss.
It's a rare trip back to Kaifeng, so of course you have to go and see Yingying.
Yingying had been waiting for you at the street corner. When she saw you, her eyes lit up and she came over to hold your hand: "My dear hero, you are here. I thought you would come to see me. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
"Yingying, sorry to have kept you waiting." You felt a little embarrassed.
"Waiting for you, how can it be considered a long wait?" Yingying's eyes swept over your head and she chuckled. "As long as the good hero also has Yingying in his heart, I am willing to wait for you as long as it takes."
Well, you can guess that you still have a good impression of Yingying, and the favorability she sees should not be too low.
When you arrived near Mr. Pu's house, it was just getting dark.
To save energy, you jumped directly from the wall onto the rooftop and ran all the way to the back garden. Before you reached the ground, you suddenly heard the conversation between the Zhao brothers.
"Ayi, so what is the young man's impression of you?"
“…”
"You're making me anxious to death, why don't you say something?"
"...Brother, why are you so anxious? She doesn't hate me anyway. We shouldn't rush into things like this..."
You didn't understand what they were saying, but it didn't matter because you were already hungry. So, you jumped off the eaves: "I'm here, am I not late?"
"Not too late!" Brother Zhao waved at you enthusiastically. "Come and sit down, sister. The lamb is almost ready. You've arrived at the perfect time!"
You subconsciously glanced at Zhao Guangyi and found him staring at the top of your head. Suddenly, he made eye contact with you, his face blushing slightly before he looked away as if nothing had happened.
...Is this official really that thin-skinned? You wonder to yourself. But he does look rather good with his blushing face.
You had a great time in Kaifeng for a few days before returning to Buxianxian.
Jiang Yan happened to be away because he had accepted the reward, but Chen Zixi was there. You didn't expect him to be sitting in the sun at the door of the bamboo hut. You were startled by him: "Brother Zixi?"
"Little girl is back?" Chen Zixi stood up and walked towards you.
He looks like an elegant gentleman, graceful and handsome. As you watch him approach, your heart beats faster.
"Hmm?" Chen Zixi raised his eyes to look at the top of your head, the corners of his mouth curled up. "Miss me so much?"
Since you've already shown your affection, you might as well just go for it, throw yourself at him, and act coquettishly in his arms: "Yes, Brother Zixi, I missed you so much!"
"We've only been apart for a few days, and you're already thinking about me like this?" He smiled and stroked your hair. "Jiang Yan would be jealous if he saw you like this."
You didn't listen at all. Because you were too close, you were staring at Chen Zixi's long eyelashes and his plump lips.
——Such beautiful eyelashes and such plump lips. I kind of want to taste them.
Chen Zixi stopped stroking your hair. He looked at the top of your head again, suddenly pursed his lips, lowered his head and kissed the corner of your lips, and asked you with a smile: "Do you want this? Do you like it?"
You felt a slight warmth in the place where he kissed you, so you subconsciously covered it up, not daring to look at him, your heart beating as fast as a drum.
"I know, you like it." Chen Zixi whispered softly in your ear. He cupped your cheek with his hands and kissed you slowly and softly. In between breaths, he whispered in your ear, "This favorability is quite valuable... If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I really wouldn't have dared to imagine it."
You closed your eyes, not daring to look at him, and couldn't help but mutter in your heart: Brother Zixi is too good! Everyone was just looking at each other, but he actually guessed that you liked him and kissed you directly!
——But what will he do if you don’t like him?
As if hearing your inner voice, Chen Zixi said softly: "If you don't like me, then I have no choice but to work hard to make you like me. Give up, you can't escape."
? But you didn't even want to escape?