Chapter Sixty-Three: Their Love Is Enough for Me

Sheng Ming shook his head. “Even if you don’t want to, I can’t force you. I know you have the ability to leave.”

“In fact, you can tell me what you really want by staying at my side.”

Xu Nuo shook her head as well. “That’s something you can’t give me willingly.”

Sheng Ming frowned, bewildered. “What could I possibly have that I can’t give?”

Xu Nuo merely smiled.

After a long silence, Sheng Ming finally realized something and looked at Xu Nuo with disbelief. “What you want is…”

Xu Nuo interrupted him. “Let’s keep moving. This place isn’t safe.”

From then on, Sheng Ming lapsed into unprecedented silence, torn by agonizing inner conflict.

He couldn’t help but ask, “If I don’t give it to you, does that mean you can’t love me?”

“No. Even if you give it to me, I still won’t love you,” Xu Nuo replied. “I’ve always been honest.”

Sheng Ming laughed at himself. “Then this bargain is a terrible deal.”

.

As they entered deeper into the dense forest, danger lurked at every moment. There was no room for distraction, and their heartbeats quickened unconsciously. The two walked almost arm in arm, and Xu Nuo could clearly feel Sheng Ming’s heartbeat—it seemed to stir her own.

“Be careful,” Sheng Ming said, his expression grim, muscles taut. In a blink, dazzling lightning exploded before their eyes, accompanied by the stench of burned flesh.

Xu Nuo hadn’t managed to reach Blue City, the area with the highest density of zombies and greatest danger, but had stumbled into another perilous zone.

This forest, untouched by humans since the outbreak of the apocalypse, had become a paradise for mutated creatures. They had just stepped into its most dangerous region, where monsters lurked in the shadows, waiting for a chance to strike.

There was barely time to see these creatures clearly—their vision was filled with countless writhing monsters. Sheng Ming shielded Xu Nuo in his arms, forced to fight with just one hand.

Xu Nuo instinctively tried to break free, but 007 hurriedly reminded her, [Host, the hero saving the beauty moment is here! You need to let him show his worth.]

Sheng Ming felt Xu Nuo staying unexpectedly still in his embrace. Alarmed, he quickly checked on her. “Are you alright? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine, just a little scared,” Xu Nuo replied. To make her words more convincing, she squeezed closer into Sheng Ming’s arms. “Young Master Sheng, you have to protect me.”

“Mm.” Sheng Ming nodded, gently ruffling her soft long hair. “Stay by my side, and I’ll keep you safe.”

This time, Xu Nuo held back from acting, watching Sheng Ming tear through the monstrous net alone. Blood drenched him, so much so it was impossible to tell if it was his own or the monsters’.

The ground was littered with severed limbs and fresh blood, as if they had plunged into hell. The surrounding creatures, intimidated, fled in panic; even the mutated plants shrank back, perhaps praying the slaughterer wouldn’t notice them.

Sheng Ming changed clothes and cleaned off the blood, regaining his usual elegance, though the scent of blood still clung to him.

The path ahead was unknown. Sheng Ming said to Xu Nuo, “Miss Xu, we should keep moving.”

For Sheng Ming, this journey had no destination—its purpose was unclear, yet he pressed on without hesitation or retreat.

Danger came upon them endlessly. Sheng Ming fought numbly, moving forward as long as Xu Nuo didn’t call for a halt, always shielding her, never letting her be harmed.

007 was deeply gratified, but suddenly realized something was amiss—why hadn’t those last three points of Heart Value increased?

Xu Nuo said, “You must be tired. Want to rest for a bit?”

Sheng Ming glanced at her. From head to toe, she was spotless, dressed in a pretty white dress, untouched by dust, like a little princess stepping out of a retouched photo. The forest’s ferocity seemed to have nothing to do with her.

Suddenly, Sheng Ming felt a strong sense of crisis. He grabbed Xu Nuo’s wrist, his gaze deep.

“Hmm?” Xu Nuo was holding food and medicine. “What’s wrong?”

Sheng Ming shook his head in a daze. He suddenly wanted to ask her when they would reach their destination—not because he hoped the dangerous journey would end, but because…he didn’t want it to end at all.

Xu Nuo applied medicine for Sheng Ming, then weakly claimed she was tired and needed rest after a long day.

Sheng Ming pitched her tent and took the night watch—he now did these tasks smoothly, no longer as clumsy as when they began.

These days, Xu Nuo had suffered no harm under his care and protection, nor was she ever weary; he carried her as much as possible, fulfilling her every request.

Even though it was obvious Xu Nuo was acting, pretending to be far weaker than she was, she kept up the poor performance, relying on his indulgence.

Sheng Ming laughed at himself, feeling he was engaged in something utterly absurd. Would his efforts make Xu Nuo feel his love?

[Heart Value, +1.]

The prompt made 007 cheer wildly in Xu Nuo’s mind.

Xu Nuo, awakened from sleep by the system, asked, “Little Seven, what is it?”

007: [Host, it’s up! The Heart Value increased again!]

“Oh, it’s just an increase,” Xu Nuo replied, wanting only to return to sleep.

[What do you mean, ‘just an increase’? Do you know how hard it is to raise his Heart Value?] 007 felt energized. [Host, don’t sleep—keep at it! Only two points left!]

“Stop fussing, what’s the hurry…” She was reluctant to leave her warm bed. “I want to sleep, don’t make noise.”

But after days of torment, the increase in Heart Value had 007 fired up, eager to drag Xu Nuo to finish maxing out the points in one go.

Then Xu Nuo found the mute button and silenced the system’s noisy chatter.

007: [***%&$]

Host, how could you treat me like this?!

Xu Nuo offered a perfunctory comfort. “Why rush? Even if I go out and kiss him now, it won’t max out the Heart Value. Better let me sleep…”

007, however, was itching to try: [How do you know if you don’t try?]

The audience in the livestream watched with glee. [Don’t bother, Queen Xu can’t hear you. Shout all you want, she won’t pay attention.]

[I think raising Heart Value is simple. I’ve figured Sheng Ming out—he’s like Lin Qisheng. The more you show affection, the less he cares. You have to play hard to get. Queen Xu, don’t respond; let him move himself.]

007 objected: [That’s not right. This is a romance game livestream.]

[Heh, look at your host—does she look like she wants romance?]

[I say, why not have Xu Nuo take a knife and conquer that ungrateful Sheng Ming physically? If he keeps misbehaving, just exile him to the cold palace.]

[No, no, let’s enjoy Queen Xu acting weak for once. It’s so refreshing; I haven’t had enough yet.]

[How could our Queen Xu do anything so crude and ungraceful? I forbid it. I love watching her act like a delicate little bird.]

[I love it too.]

[+1.]

[+10006.]

What domineering queen, what cold palace for Sheng Ming—the audience’s tastes were truly peculiar. They cared little for the romance plot, but clung to the stream, amusing themselves by digging for bizarre highlights, and even corrupted the once obedient, professional host.

This wretched game was unbearable for even a second. 007 was determined to help the host finish the task quickly, then start a new round. Next time, it would carefully select a game truly suited to the “romance” theme.

Then, all these annoying viewers would be banished!

007 was optimistic, thinking those last two Heart Value points would be easy to earn, and the task would soon be complete, a new round imminent.

But unexpectedly, Xu Nuo and Sheng Ming continued for another five days, without a single increase in Heart Value.

Xu Nuo was unhurried: “It’s bound to happen eventually. No need to rush.”

007: [Are you really not in a hurry? You seemed eager to finish before.]

[Do you know what you’re doing?] 007 asked hopefully.

“No idea,” Xu Nuo replied. “Honestly, I don’t really understand him. He’s harder to handle than Lin Qisheng and Gu Xingze. But sometimes you just get lucky. Rushing won’t help.”

No attempt at comfort—not even a token phrase.

007 was anxious, helpless, aggrieved, and numb.

Xu Nuo had to admit that facing Sheng Ming, she too felt powerless. Sheng Ming was different from Gu Xingze and Lin Qisheng—like a wolf that refuses to let go once it bites, even if only at the hem of a dress, you can never tell if those sharp teeth will tear fragile cloth or follow up with a deadly bite to flesh.

“We mustn’t underestimate our opponent,” Xu Nuo told 007.

[What opponent?] 007 replied, numb. [What opponent do you have?]

“I mean Sheng Ming.”

007: [He’s your target, your lover by design. How can you treat him as an opponent?]

Xu Nuo shook her head. “Little Seven, feelings are a kind of game too.”

007 was baffled: [Do people in love really have to compete?]

The audience chimed in: [Silly AI, your host doesn’t love anyone at all.]

007 replied matter-of-factly: [She can act. The game’s got a role-playing aspect.]

“I can’t act,” Xu Nuo said bluntly. “So I won’t. Saves time and energy.”

007 tried to defend its dignity as a romance game system: [You’re playing a romance game.]

“Is there a rule that I have to love them?” Xu Nuo countered.

007: [……No.]

“So as long as they love me, that’s enough,” Xu Nuo said.

She spoke so logically—an approach 007 had never considered, and it couldn’t refute her.

All it could do was grumble: [You seem awfully heartless. Doesn’t your conscience hurt?] Like a woman toying with feelings.

“This is just a game,” Xu Nuo said, utterly untroubled. “Why should I have a conscience?”