Chapter 33

A man's heart is as deep as the ocean.
Qiao An looked at Gu Ting, who now seemed slightly resentful, with downcast eyes, the faint joy and excitement from earlier completely gone. She scratched her head in confusion.
Lei Xiao also felt a bit awkward, after all, she was a stranger.
But since Qiao An had already explained Gu Ting's situation to her, she didn't try to greet him and focused on leading the way.
They encountered some traffic on the road, and by the time they reached their destination, the sky had darkened slightly, looking as if it might rain. The lights had already been turned on early.
Lei Xiao pointed to the area around a fountain square behind a shopping mall, where stalls were being set up, and said proudly, "This is a food square. I used to come here often, but I've been so busy with studying lately that I haven't been here in a while. Just thinking about it makes me crave it!"
The original host had come from a small town and, dazzled by the Gu family's status, had truly believed she was a young lady from a wealthy family, so she never went to such places.
This was also the reason why it had never been exposed all these years.
Qiao An had just arrived not long ago and had never been to this place before. Seeing such a large square, she was utterly amazed. There were still some subtle differences between the two worlds. In her original world, street vendors didn’t have such a good place to set up their stalls.
Often, small vendors would push their carts and stealthily operate at intersections or street corners, having to hide when city inspectors showed up. If they couldn’t avoid them, they might face punishments, big or small.
But here, around the fountain, there was a nearly 200-meter circle with two rows of vendors facing each other. They sold all kinds of food, as well as small accessories.
Each spot was marked with a designated space, much like a parking lot. Streetlights were placed every three meters, perfectly illuminating the entire area.
"So many!" Qiao An exclaimed as she held Gu Ting’s hand and walked over, astonished by the steadily filling circle of vendors.
Lei Xiao knew that Qiao An had genuinely never been to such places before and said proudly, "Outsiders don’t know about this, but this is the largest and most delicious food square in our city. I’ve heard that these stalls aren’t assigned to fixed people, whoever arrives early gets the spot. When they leave, they’re responsible for cleaning up their area, or they’ll be blacklisted."
Qiao An nodded repeatedly. Even though it wasn’t yet the peak time for the stalls, there were already many people around. Besides the vendors, the square was surrounded by shops, two stories high, neatly enclosing the area.
Behind it stood a commercial building, where people shopped for clothes.
Seeing that there was still time, Qiao An suggested, "Let’s go buy some things and do some shopping first. We can come back in an hour to get food!"
"Sure, sure!" Lei Xiao nodded eagerly.
Qiao An was overjoyed and had another idea in mind: to win Gu Ting’s favor, she would combine delicious food, clothes, and toys.
She had already taken out the original host’s savings.
There was actually quite a bit of money in there, enough to buy a bathroom in the city center. Most of it was New Year’s money given by Grandma Gu and Grandpa Gu.
The money from her parents wasn’t as much, so it was used as her usual pocket money.
Gu Ting usually wore casual clothes, mostly in white.
If you didn’t pay close attention, it was hard to tell that these weren’t the same outfit.
So, Qiao An took him to a men’s clothing store.
Unfortunately, he shook his head at everything, not liking any of them. As he shook his head, his eyes dimmed, as if he had lost all enthusiasm.
Qiao An had no choice but to give up and move on to the next store. She pointed at a pile of children’s toys, Transformers, and asked expectantly, "How about this?"
If he wasn’t interested in clothes, surely toys would work, right?
Sure enough, Gu Ting’s eyes brightened slightly. He pursed his lips shyly, glanced at Qiao An, and then looked back at the toy.
Qiao An smiled knowingly, picked up the toy, and grabbed a few others. "Do you want this one?"
Gu Ting’s eyes grew even brighter.
Qiao An understood and picked up each one, letting Gu Ting hold them himself. She teased, "I’m buying all of these for you. You must be happy now, right?"
Gu Ting nodded, the corners of his beautiful peach-blossom eyes lifting with excitement. "Mm."
The system promptly announced: [Gu Ting’s favorability increased by 2 points. Points increased by 2000.]
Qiao An felt a pang of distress. Earlier, when his favorability dropped by 2 points, she had lost 4,000 points. Now, she had only recovered half. Just as she was about to go pay, she noticed Gu Ting’s eyes fixed on a pure white kitten plush toy.
Lei Xiao wasn't interested in the toys boys usually liked, instead staring longingly at the Barbie doll.
Qiao An tentatively asked, "Do you want this?"
"I want it," Gu Ting's lips moved, his tone resolute, eyes filled with desire.
This was the first time she had heard Gu Ting speak like this.
The sales assistant approached with a smile, "This plush cat is made to a 1:1 scale of a real cat, using the finest materials"
Qiao An waved her hand, "We'll take it!"
Gu Ting, with his long legs, strode over in a few steps and picked up the cat, skillfully cradling the plush toy in a way one would hold a real cat, his slender fingers gently stroking its back.
Qiao An was momentarily stunned. Turning around, she saw Lei Xiao, having noticed they were done, reluctantly leaving the Barbie doll behind.
Although high school students had pocket money, they still couldn't afford to buy it, otherwise, they wouldn't have money for snacks.
Qiao An smiled, walked over, picked up the Barbie doll as well, and headed to the checkout counter together.
Just as she was about to pull out her own card, a pale hand holding a black card reached over.
"Wow!" Lei Xiao gasped softly at the unexpected turn of events.
Qiao An followed the hand and slowly looked up to see its owner smiling at her, clearly in high spirits, his eyes brimming with joy.
Wearing shoes with a bit of a heel, Qiao An barely reached Gu Ting's shoulder. Her gaze lingered on his fair, striking Adam's apple, and as it bobbed, the young man's voice remained as steady as ever: "I'll buy it for An An!"
Qiao An's heart instantly warmed, and she smiled with a touch of maternal affection, "Alright, you pay!"
It was a black card, money was no issue at all!
Qiao An didn't hesitate.
The moment the payment went through, all the toys were handed to Gu Ting. The rest were packed in bags, but the white cat plush remained in his arms, as if he were holding a real cat.
Qiao An heard the system's crisp voice: [Villain Gu Ting's favorability increased by 10, 10,000 points added, and the first clue unlocked.]
Already unlocked?
Her eyes scanned the surroundings and settled on the plush toy: A cat?
And the first clue?
That meant there was more than one clue.
It seemed this outing was the right move.
Qiao An watched the tall, slender young man, his arms laden with a large bag, his eyes practically glued to the plush cat, and felt a wave of confusion.
What exactly was the source of his inner turmoil?
Was there more to the story of how his insistence on going to the amusement park led to his parents' deaths?
Sensing her gaze, Gu Ting suddenly turned his head, in high spirits, and unexpectedly broke into a radiant smile, his peach-blossom eyes crinkling, his brows soft and gentle.
Qiao An's breath hitched, her ears growing warm.
An eleven- or twelve-year-old girl passed by them, her little face flushed with awe at that smile. She tugged excitedly at her mother's sleeve, pointing and saying, "Mom, look at that boy! He's so handsome!"
"Even better-looking than a celebrity!"
The girl's mother glanced over curiously and froze for a moment. His aura was clean and fresh, completely overshadowing most male celebrities. If this young man were placed among stars, even the most handsome would appear greasy in comparison.
But then she noticed the boy gazing intently at a pretty girl beside him, the tenderness in his eyes directed solely at her. The mother couldn't help but smile and shake her head.

Aside from toys, Qiao An bought a few things for herself.
After half an hour of shopping, they found the restroom in the mall. She asked Gu Ting to wait outside, keeping an eye on their purchases while she used the toilet.
Before leaving, Qiao An repeatedly reminded him, "Don't go anywhere with anyone else. Wait right here for me. Don't leave until I come out, understand?"
She repeated it several times, and each time Gu Ting nodded earnestly, his thin lips pressed together as he looked at her seriously to show he understood.
Only then did Qiao An head into the restroom, glancing back every few steps.
Unfortunately, the mall was crowded at this hour, and there was a line for the restroom. She could only wait anxiously.
Although the mall's central air conditioning was on, Qiao An was so anxious she broke into a sweat.
Sadly, the women's restroom never seemed to move quickly.
A girl in a floral-print dress emerged from the restroom, drying her damp hands, when she caught a glimpse of a tall figure out of the corner of her eye. She immediately turned to look.
Leaning against the wall to the right of the women's restroom entrance, with his back to the door, stood a slender, tall young man.
Dressed in a white shirt, gray pants, and white shoes, his exposed skin was fair, his hair short, and he wore no accessories. His clean, fresh aura was evident even from behind.
The girl's eyes lit up instantly, but the next moment, noticing the shopping bags at his feet, her excitement faded.
A short-haired girl who came out after the floral-dress girl hurried over, tapped her shoulder, and asked curiously, "What are you looking at?"
The floral-dress girl winked and gestured, afraid that speaking too loudly would draw his attention.
The short-haired girl followed her gaze and immediately lit up with the same expression, as if she'd stumbled upon a rare gem. She whispered, "Damn, that waist, those hands, that skin, those legs incredible!"
But then she too noticed the shopping bags at his feet, and her eyes dimmed.
The two girls exchanged a look and said in unison, "Sigh, handsome guys always belong to someone else."
Even so, neither could bring themselves to leave. They tried to act natural as they walked past to get a better look at his face, something they'd done many times before. True appearance enthusiasts were just like that.
The floral-dress girl quickened her pace. After passing the boy by a few meters, she heard a loud call from behind: "Zhang Tiantian!"
The girl stopped and turned, complaining, "What took you so long?"
Then the short-haired girl caught up, and the two openly stole glances while pretending to chat quietly, secretly expressing their excitement to each other.
"This guy is so aloof! He doesn't show any expression at all!"
"That face is absolutely perfect! No disappointment here, I'm thrilled! It's such a waste he's not acting. My novel's male lead finally has a face!"
Gu Ting sensed he was being watched and sharply lifted his gaze to scan the surroundings. After confirming there was no ill intent, he lowered his eyes again. Yet, that brief glance alone sent two young girls into a hushed frenzy: "So handsome, wuwu"
While the two were lost in their excitement, the short-haired girl suddenly froze and murmured, "Another top-tier guy is coming over."
They both looked and saw a striking young man with a studded neck accessory and slightly roguish phoenix eyes. Even without smoky makeup, he exuded the edgy vibe of someone who frequented clubs and dance floors. Standing next to the aloof youth, the contrast between them was stark, one dark, one light.
"Handsome guys really do have handsome friends!" the two silently concluded.
Unnoticed by them, Gu Ting’s clean, handsome face was slightly furrowed, and he took a subtle step back, a full centimeter, making his clear rejection obvious.
The boy in the black short sleeves didn’t seem to mind at all. Still smiling, he suddenly reached out and grabbed Gu Ting’s wrist, raising an eyebrow as he said, "What’s the point of staying here? How about I take you out for some fun?"
As he spoke, he tightened his grip, attempting to pull Gu Ting away.
A clear malice flickered in his eyes, one that had only surfaced as he approached Gu Ting.
Gu Ze couldn’t help but want to shove him into the bustling crowd and make him disappear.
Just as Gu Ze made a move, the faint resistance in Gu Ting’s eyes wavered, as if he remembered something. Slowly, it transformed into fear and helplessness. He shook his head slightly, resisting the force pulling him.
He didn’t want to leave, and he couldn’t leave.
An An had told him to wait right here!
Gu Ting’s face tightened, a mix of youthful stubbornness and determination in his voice as he insisted, "I’m not going!"
Qiao An rushed over as fast as she could and was horrified by the scene. She hurried forward, slapped away the hand holding Gu Ting, and said coldly, "What are you doing?"
[Ding! Antagonist Gu Ting’s favorability has increased by 10! 10,000 points have been added! The second clue has been unlocked. Host, keep up the good work!]