When Qin Luo returned to his dormitory, he placed a bouquet of roses on the table. His three roommates were in the middle of a shady transaction.
The plain-looking Wang Chen pulled out 200 yuan bills, handing one each to the burly Han Yiqun and the sleazy glasses-wearing Li Xuan. The two scoundrels laughed heartily.
“This money is too easy.”
“Thanks to you, Brother Luo, dinner’s on us tonight! Let’s have a feast!”
Betting on Qin Luo’s confessions had somehow become a pastime for some people, and his three roommates were no exception. However, they used these bets as an excuse to have group dinners. Every time a bet was placed, one person would bet that Qin Luo would succeed, and then happily pay for dinner when he lost. The next time, another person would bet on Qin Luo succeeding, and the cycle continued. Once everyone had their turn, it would be Qin Luo’s turn to treat.
Qin Luo smiled and said, “Sure, let’s drink tonight.”
Wang Chen, who had just lost the bet, sighed and said, “Brother Luo, maybe you should give up. This is the 99th time. That woman not only rejects your confessions but doesn’t even come downstairs to see you. Why bother?”
Qin Luo just waved his hand dismissively. “You guys don’t understand.”
Han Yiqun and Li Xuan wanted to say something, but they ended up sighing and staying silent. They had tried to persuade Qin Luo before, but no matter what they said, Qin Luo remained firm in his confessions to Ji Yan. It was as if the rumors were true—Qin Luo was just moved by his own persistence.
However, for Qin Luo, it was as simple as he had said—they didn’t understand. They couldn’t comprehend why he was so determined to win over Ji Yan, seemingly intent on conquering her no matter what. They thought Qin Luo was a hopeless romantic, but he had other reasons. They didn’t know the truth because they were ordinary people without a system. But Qin Luo had one.
The Character Collapsing System appeared in Qin Luo’s mind three months ago. As a young man well-versed in online novels, Qin Luo wasn’t surprised by the system and quickly explored its functions.
Once he understood it, he was full of questions. The system’s abilities were peculiar—it couldn’t make him a famous writer, rich, or allow him to cultivate immortality. Its function was to randomly select a target with a distinctive personality. Each time that target acted out of character toward Qin Luo, he would receive a random reward.
At first, Qin Luo was confused by this function. But when the system gave him his first target Ji Yan, he understood. Ji Yan’s persona was aloof and indifferent. In simple terms, whenever Ji Yan acted out of character and did something uncharacteristically warm or friendly toward Qin Luo, he would get a reward.
Unfortunately, despite being bound to the system for over three months, Qin Luo hadn’t gained any rewards. But he believed his long-term efforts were about to pay off. After three months and 99 confessions, even a stone would be moved, right? He couldn’t believe that Ji Yan, despite being the school’s cold queen, was completely unaffected.
With this thought, Qin Luo began to look forward to the next day.
…
The next day, Qin Luo, who had no classes in the morning, slept in until noon and was finally woken up by his roommates’ chatter.
Wang Chen nudged his arm and said, “Brother Luo, we brought you lunch. Eat up and get ready for your task.”
Qin Luo yawned and asked, “What task?”
Li Xuan laughed, “Confessing to the school beauty, of course. Isn’t that your daily task?”
Han Yiqun added, “We didn’t drink enough last night. Let’s bet again today and drink more tonight!”
Wang Chen and Li Xuan agreed, looking at Qin Luo expectantly. Then they heard him say, “Confess? No way. Not going.”
He then went to the bathroom to freshen up. The three roommates exchanged looks, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, unable to believe what they had heard.
“Did he just say he’s not going to confess?”
“I heard it too. Did I hear wrong?”
“No… it seems we all heard the same thing.”
The three of them looked at each other again and then exclaimed, “What the hell!”
“Brother Qin, you finally came to your senses! Awesome!”
“Enough with the words, we must drink tonight!”
“Although it’s a bit disappointing, we’re happy for you. As your brothers, we’re relieved.”
When Qin Luo came out, he saw his three roommates looking at him with relieved expressions, as if a weight had been lifted off their shoulders.
Qin Luo blinked, “What’s with your expressions?”
“Brother Qin, it’s great that you’re thinking this way. We’re glad.”
“If Ji Yan doesn’t accept you, it’s her loss. There’s no need to feel bad.”
“Exactly. You only lost someone who didn’t love you, but she lost someone who truly loved her!”
His three roommates surrounded him, expressing their feelings. Qin Luo, half-amused, chatted with them cheerfully.
…
At the girls’ dormitory, many people passing by couldn’t help but glance at the entrance, showing puzzled expressions.
“Hey, Qin Luo didn’t come to confess today?”
“Maybe something came up.”
“Impossible. No matter what, Qin Luo always comes to confess at 1 PM during school days, regardless of the weather.”
“True. I remember once it was pouring rain, and he still came to confess. It was so touching.”
“Today would have been the 100th confession, right? Too bad. Ji Yan probably still wouldn’t have agreed.”
“Hey, do you think Qin Luo might have given up and won’t come anymore?”
“No way. There’s still a few minutes until 1 PM. Maybe he’s just running late. Let’s wait a bit longer.”
With that, a group of friends decided to wait, along with a few others who had also gathered. Although many had witnessed Qin Luo’s confessions multiple times, today was special—it was the 100th confession, and they wanted to see it for themselves.
Soon, it became 1 PM.
The people waiting outside the dormitory looked at each other in surprise and disbelief. Qin Luo, who had always come to confess at 1 PM rain or shine, didn’t show up today.