Chapter 82: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

The problem lay in the fact that it was night, and the corridor outside his rented apartment was dimly lit by a sound-activated lamp. Just now, as he stood on the sidelines watching the spectacle, he hadn't immediately recognized the two girls wrestling on the ground. They were none other than his other two romance targets.

Wen Nan first looked to his left, at the schoolgirl. She had just experienced a fierce "battle." Her long hair was messy, obscuring half her face, but her delicate features were clear enough, and her fair, flawless skin marked her as a true beauty in the making. Her uniform was also in disarray. She pressed her lips together, her reddened eyes fixed on Wen Nan like a lop-eared rabbit longing for comfort from its master.

Name: Wang Jialing (Lingling)
Identity: The girl next door you watched grow up
Background: Lingling is the beloved niece of your college roommate—Old Wang, who slept in the bunk next to yours. You and Old Wang became fast friends your freshman year, both hailing from the same hometown. During winter break, you traveled home together, and Old Wang brought you to his house as a guest, where you met Wang Jialing, who was only twelve at the time and had just started middle school.

Though she was only six years your junior, your seniority meant you would often tease her, making her call you "Uncle Jiu." After the first time, she never changed the way she addressed you.

Back then, Wang Jialing was just a quiet, well-behaved little girl with two braids—a sweet junior in your eyes. But in her heart, the young university student before her seemed to radiate light. Every gesture of yours fascinated her, making it impossible for her to look away, though she didn’t dare meet your gaze.

From the moment she first saw you, she secretly planted the seeds of a crush. Year by year, the seeds took root, broke through the earth, and sprouted. By the time she entered high school and you were about to graduate and step into society, she sensed that your lives would soon diverge and intersect less and less. Hearing that your family was urging you to find a girlfriend and settle down, Wang Jialing could no longer hold back. On a sunny summer day, she gathered her courage and confessed.

"Uncle Jiu, if you really must find a girlfriend, could you not choose someone else... I—I can be your girlfriend."

Blushing, she handed you a jar of a thousand paper cranes, each one folded over countless nights and filled with words of love for you.

You accepted her gift, but not her confession. Squatting before her, you looked up sincerely into her eyes, a gentle smile on your face, and said,

"You're still young. You should focus on your studies. Uncle Jiu promises not to date anyone for now. When you're older, when you're an adult, if you still feel this way, come find me again, all right?"

Wang Jialing nodded earnestly.

It was a stalling tactic on your part. You believed her feelings were nothing more than a fleeting infatuation, a phase that would soon pass.

But Wang Jialing, counting on her fingers, waited night after night for the day you promised to come.

Today, just two days after her eighteenth birthday, she arrived at your house full of hope, wanting you to keep your word.

Yet she didn’t find you. Instead, she found another girl waiting at your door, claiming to be your girlfriend.

Strategy Difficulty: ★★★★★

After reading this background, Wen Nan fell into deep thought. It made perfect sense now why the girl he’d watched grow up would suddenly shift from being obedient to acting out. The damn system had chosen this moment, after all her waiting, to throw such a wrench in the works. Who wouldn’t lose their composure under these circumstances? With that, Wen Nan turned his gaze to the girl on his right.

Her short hair stood on end, her tank top was torn, exposing the white underwear beneath, and her shorts had been yanked down to her hipbones, revealing a sliver of matching lace. Yet she showed no embarrassment, tilting her chin with a defiant look, her eyes sharp and proud—a wild kitten just brought home.

Name: Sun Yi (Little Yi)
Identity: The lost girl who clung to you after being saved
Background: You met Sun Yi in a KTV lounge notorious for its hidden services. A friend lured you there under the pretense of a dinner gathering. By the time you realized something was amiss, it was too late to leave discreetly.

Unable to stomach the debauched atmosphere, you found an excuse and left the private room. Passing by another room, you heard the sound of breaking glass and heated argument. Following the noise, you saw Sun Yi.

She had dropped out of high school and drifted between restaurants, bars, and KTVs, working odd jobs to scrape by. When she applied to this venue, she hadn’t known about the hidden services. That night was her first time accompanying a group. Realizing the situation, she wanted to flee, but the high commission promised by the manager made her waver. In the end, she stayed, standing stiffly by the door, refusing to approach the clients.

The customers, dissatisfied, began to berate her and tried to force her to sit with them. Unable to bear it, Sun Yi picked up a bottle and hurled it at the nearest man before he could get within a meter of her.

The men were furious. Several burly figures surrounded her, and the scene threatened to spiral out of control.

At that moment, you pushed open the door and rescued Sun Yi from her predicament. It took considerable effort and time to smooth things over with both the clients and the KTV, but in the end, the trouble abated, and you successfully saved a girl teetering on the edge.

You thought that would be the end of it. Unexpectedly, Sun Yi latched onto you. Every few days, she would show up at your door, claiming she was homeless and begging you to take her in, assuring you she’d do anything for you.

Your attempts to persuade her failed, so you resorted to another delay tactic: you told her that if she could leave behind her aimless lifestyle, find a stable job, or enroll in a proper school, only then would you consider her request.

After that, Sun Yi vanished for a long time.

Tonight, she returned with an acceptance letter from the city’s best technical school, standing at your door, ready for you to fulfill your promise.

But she didn’t find you—instead, she found Wang Jialing, who also claimed to be your girlfriend.

Sun Yi was furious. Without hesitation, she fired back, “Shameless, pretending to be his girlfriend? I’m his girlfriend. You can leave now.”

Soon after, the two girls came to blows.

Strategy Difficulty: ★★★★★★☆

After reading Sun Yi’s introduction, Wen Nan felt the situation becoming even more thorny. It seemed he’d employed two stalling tactics, which, by sheer misfortune, had resulted in a direct clash—a veritable war.

This was a real mess.

Sandwiched between the two, Wen Nan was at a loss for a solution.

The two girls, seeing his indecision, grew anxious and pressed him at once.

“Uncle Jiu, say something.”

“Mister, say something.”

Wen Nan frowned tightly, a thought arising in his heart—

What if he chose both of them?

[If I were you, I wouldn’t dig myself in any deeper.]

A message popped into his mind, sent by [Slave Master—Jun].

Wen Nan looked up and saw Yu Shujun leaning against the wall, arms crossed, her expression clearly spelling out, “This should be good.”

(The chapter ends)