The basic skills of a strategist
Yi Yu parked the electric scooter steadily downstairs at the apartment building and went upstairs with Qu Shiyao.
The motion-activated lights in the hallway turned on with the sound of footsteps, casting a bright glow over the two of them.
Reaching her front door, Qu Shiyao took out her keys, ready to open the door.
Suddenly, as if she had remembered something extremely important, she turned around abruptly!
"Yi Yu!" The voice was exceptionally loud in the quiet corridor, even echoing slightly.
As Yi Yu opened the door, she turned around with delight, her long eyelashes fluttering, and a cute, unguarded smile appeared on her face, revealing two sharp little tiger teeth: "What's wrong, Sister Shi Yao?" Her voice was filled with anticipation.
Qu Shiyao didn't speak, but instead stepped forward, narrowed her eyes, and stared at Yi Yu's face!
Yi Yu's breath caught in his throat as she stared at him, and his heart pounded against his chest.
The air in the hallway seemed to freeze, carrying an indescribable tension.
The system instantly sounded an alarm in Qu Shiyao's mind: 【！！！】
Something's off! That look... that distance... could it be?!
Just as the system was conjuring up a dramatic scene, Qu Shiyao finally spoke, asking the question that had troubled her for so long:
"How long have you been using face masks?" The tone was serious, full of curiosity.
Yi Yu: "...?"
The expectant smile froze on my face, and my brain completely shut down.
Applying a face mask?
System: [...] It silently shut down the newly started "sentiment analysis module," with a sense of "just as I thought" relief.
So... what is it afraid of?!
"Huh?" Yi Yu was a little confused, but still answered subconsciously, "I've been using it for... for about a week now, right?"
He glanced shyly at Qu Shiyao, his heart pounding: Does Sister Shiyao think I've gotten fairer? Does she like this cute, puppy-like style?
Qu Shiyao's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this!
She strode up to Yi Yu, eagerly pulled out her phone, and tapped the screen rapidly with her fingers, her voice urgent:
"Which brand is it?! It works so well?! Quick! Please share the link! Store name!!" The way they were acting was like someone who hadn't eaten for three days seeing a Manchu Han Imperial Feast.
Yi Yu blinked, feeling that things were developing in a completely different direction from what he had expected.
But he still honestly gave the name of the skincare brand.
Qu Shiyao acted decisively, accurately searching for the store on her mobile shopping app, quickly following it, and adding it to her cart in one smooth motion!
Having done all this, she breathed a long sigh of relief, feeling satisfied; the knot in her heart had been untied.
Then, she boldly reached out and patted Yi Yu's shoulder forcefully, her tone full of chivalrous spirit:
"Good brother! That's a great deal! I'll remember this favor!" After saying that, he turned around decisively, opened his own door, slipped inside, and slammed the door shut.
Yi Yu was left standing alone in the stairwell, facing the cold door panel, bewildered in the wind.
Yi Yu: "..."
He stood there, stunned, his hand unconsciously reaching for the shoulder where she had just patted him; the warmth of her palm and the force of her blow still seemed to linger there.
Her cheeks, however, slowly and uncontrollably burned, turning a deep crimson.
Sister Shiyao... what exactly do you mean?
Yi Yu returned to her room in a daze, closed the door, leaned against it, and her heart was still pounding erratically.
He raised his hand and touched his cheeks, which were indeed much paler, and then recalled Qu Shiyao's gaze and the way she patted his shoulder without hesitation...
"brother……?"
Yi Yu muttered to himself, his brows slowly furrowing.
Something's not right! Just now, Shiyao's state, the burning look in her eyes, was pure desire for whitening products!
There was absolutely no trace of appreciation or shyness between men and women!
This feedback is completely different from what he expected from the "puppy-like romance route"!
A profound sense of confusion and a faint feeling of loss enveloped him.
He sat down on the sofa, took out his phone, and opened the chat window for 【Henxi (Strategist Version)】.
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Henxi! Are you there? It's extremely urgent! I'm facing a monumental dilemma! I desperately need a strategist's guidance!]
After sending the message, he scratched his hair in frustration, got up, grabbed a change of clothes and a towel, and rushed into the bathroom.
Forget it, I'll take a shower to calm down first. He knows that at this time, Zhao Henxi is most likely still fighting in the canyon.
Zhao Henxi was indeed in a frenzy of killing in the canyon.
His eyes were dark and swollen, his hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and he was leaning forward with his eyes almost touching the phone screen.
His fingers tapped the screen frantically as he muttered, "Go! Cut the backline! Cut him! Holy crap! Support, are you sleepwalking?! Protect me! Protect me—!"
The moment the crystal exploded, Zhao Henxi felt as if all his strength had been drained away. His phone slipped from his hand and fell onto his lap, and he slumped back into his gaming chair.
He stared blankly at the ceiling, his soul seemingly vanishing into thin air along with the crystal.
After a long while, he slowly picked up his phone.
The screen was still stuck on the glaring "Defeat" image.
He numbly switched back to the chat app and saw Yi Yu's message.
[Stay strong this week and don't lose stars: What's up? Is it related to your goddess? (Tell us about it.jpg)]
He replied listlessly, his mind still replaying the absurd turn of events that had just occurred.
At this moment, Yi Yu, wrapped in a bath towel, walked out of the steaming bathroom.
Glistening water droplets rolled across his healthy, wheat-colored skin, slowly sliding down his firm, shapely abs and disappearing into the towel around his waist.
He picked up his buzzing phone from the table, haphazardly wiping his still-dripping hair with a large towel as he opened the message.
Upon seeing Zhao Henxi's reply, he perked up, carefully considered his words, and then posed the core question that had been troubling him:
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Strategist, what do you think should be the first thing a girl notices when she sees a boy's face has become noticeably paler?]
He even stopped drying his hair, letting the water droplets fall onto his shoulders and chest, anxiously awaiting a response to the question.
Zhao Henxi read Yi Yu's question carefully, word by word.
"What's the girl's focus when she notices the boy's face turning pale?" He stroked his chin, lost in thought.
This question was a bit tricky. Based on his limited understanding of Yi Yu's goddess, he felt it wasn't an ordinary reaction.
He immediately opened his browser and started typing furiously: "What's a woman's reaction when she notices her boyfriend's face has become paler?", "Do women pay attention to changes in a guy's face? Especially if it becomes paler?", "Does a guy's paler face increase his attractiveness to women?"...
Zhao Henxi quickly browsed through the various forum posts and answers from relationship experts, extracting the essence and decisively discarding the dross.
Finally, he distilled what he believed to be an impeccable answer and replied with full confidence:
[Staying up this week and not losing stars: Bro! Is that even a question?! Of course it's because I find you even more attractive! More charming! Your popularity has skyrocketed! (Adjusts glasses.jpg)]
Yi Yu frowned even more as he read the reply.
Something doesn’t seem right?
[Fish Falling into the Ocean: What if she notices I've gotten fairer and immediately asks me for the brand and link to my face mask?]
Zhao Henxi: "..."
He raised his hand and rubbed his eyes hard, wondering if he had been playing games for too long and his eyes were getting blurry.
Watch it again.
Are they really asking for the brand and link to the face mask?!
Zhao Henxi's CPU instantly overloaded.
This is beyond his imagination!
He frantically pulled out a handful of his messy hair.
The brain works at high speed, trying to find a reasonable explanation in the chaos.
Suddenly! A flash of inspiration struck him!
"Ah! I get it!" Zhao Henxi slapped his thigh, a confident smile spreading across his face! He excitedly typed:
[Staying strong this week: Bro! You've taken the most important step! She's noticed you! Maybe she's shy and hesitant to compliment you directly, so she used asking about face masks as a pretext to strike up a conversation! Bro, you're in luck!]
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Really???]
Yi Yu looked at the analysis. Although his intuition told him that this was not the case, he couldn't resist the certainty in Hen Xi's words.
To further convince her, Zhao Henxi delivered a crucial blow:
[Staying up this week and not losing stars: Think about it! With your goddess's looks, her skin is already great! Why would she need to ask you about whitening masks?! That doesn't make sense! The only explanation is you, bro!]
This analysis was like a wake-up call, instantly shattering Yi Yu's doubts.
The gloom in Yi Yu's heart vanished instantly, replaced by sunshine! He seemed to see the dawn of victory!
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Okay! Strategist! I understand! No problem!]
He's determined to stick to the "gentle, puppy-like" approach! He'll win over the goddess with his sincerity!
Zhao Henxi nodded in satisfaction as he read Yi Yu's reply, feeling as if he had saved another lost youth, and his merit increased by 1.
[Keep your stars up this week: That's right! Keep it up! Any specific progress you've made this week? Tell me and I'll give you some advice and help you formulate your next strategy!]
Yi Yu dried her hair, carefully recalling her interactions with Qu Shiyao over the past few days: giving her breakfast, eating skewers together, riding on the back of an electric scooter...
There are quite a few scenes, but upon closer inspection...
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Hmm... We can communicate normally, but it seems we're still at the stage of being a helpful neighbor?]
Zhao Henxi stroked his chin, pondering:
[Hold on and don't drop any stars this week: Getting to know each other well in a week is already pretty good! This progress is quite impressive! It proves my strategy is working. Don't rush! Maybe in six months, I'll see your official announcement photo on social media! I believe in you!]
After drinking that bowl of chicken soup, Yi Yu suddenly felt full of energy! The future looked bright!
[Fish Falling into the Sea: Thank you, Strategist Zhao, for your earnest guidance! I will definitely work hard and live up to your expectations!]
Zhao Henxi smiled with satisfaction, keeping his achievements hidden.
[Keep your stars up this week: Go for it! Keep generating energy for love tomorrow! Looking forward to your good news!]
After sending the message, he immediately switched back to the game, gritting his teeth as he started the next ranked match: "I have to win this one! Otherwise, I'll drop a rank!"
Yi Yu put down her phone, feeling a surge of energy.
He got up, walked to the window, and drew back the curtains.
A bright moon hangs high in the night sky, its gentle light casting a soft silver hue over the room.
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