"I got some sleeping pills from a psychiatrist, bought charcoal at the supermarket, and after a wild night in the hotel, I secretly dumped a large amount of the pills into his water. Then I lit the charcoal..."
"Because I’d been taking sleeping pills for a long time, my body developed resistance. So in the end, our ‘lover’s suicide’ ended with only my first love dying."
Anna recounted how she killed her first love—why she did it, she didn’t say.
Later, Anna said she had a few boyfriends in college, but all of them, without exception, were only after her beauty.
One year, she returned to her hometown. A childhood friend invited her out under the pretense of catching up.
But the dinner turned out to be a cover for something sinister.
"That night, he held me at knifepoint and dragged me to a hotel. He forced me to strip and took pictures against my will..."
"That’s when I finally understood—men are all the same. Ugly animals driven by what's between their legs."
"When he threatened me again with those photos, I used powdered apple seeds I had already ground—enough for a thousand seeds—to poison him into paralysis, and then I killed him."
Upon hearing that, Li Ran was shocked to the core.
The woman before him could calmly speak of murder—as if it were a casual anecdote.
She was even scarier than that serial killer Wang Qian.
Li Ran didn’t dare show a trace of fear. On the contrary, he asked with great interest, "And then?"
The three men sitting in the booth all sucked in a sharp breath.
Li Ran was even scarier than the maniac.
One casually described murder; the other casually listened.
This scene—hiss~—made chills creep up their spines.
"Later, my boyfriend from work secretly sold my photos for profit."
"He’s probably got tall grass growing over his grave by now."
Anna lit a cigarette and gently tilted her head. Her wine-red, wavy curls perfectly accentuated her mature feminine charm.
Li Ran poured Anna a glass of wine, cracked his neck a bit, and said, "Your story’s pretty good."
Anna chuckled dismissively. "You've been trying to hide behind that magazine, but I know—you like me, don’t you?"
Li Ran nodded. "Yeah, I like you. So what?"
He admitted it straightforwardly. After all, who doesn’t like beautiful things?
"As expected, you're no different from the others. Still, I can make an exception for you."
"I don’t care how rich you are, or how good-looking. I only ask that you don’t cheat, don’t lie, and don’t play games behind my back."
Li Ran replied, "Are you okay? Why are you telling me this?"
Anna looked confused. "Didn’t you just say you liked me?"
"Yeah, I like you. But I’m not pursuing you."
That one line from Li Ran made Anna choke on her cigarette...
Even the cute bartender girl at the bar looked up in shock, eyes wide.
Xiao Yi, Chen Jiabin, and Lu Zhaohui all sprayed their drinks at the same time.
Was Li Ran out of his mind?
A rich beauty offering herself on a platter, and he’s saying no?
The three of them were utterly dumbfounded by Li Ran’s unexpected move.
Anna's gaze shimmered with disbelief as she stared at Li Ran.
So in the end, she was the one being presumptuous?
"Alright, I admit it—you are a bit different from the other men."
Anna glanced at the clock above the bar, then shot Li Ran a seductive look and said, "Wanna come upstairs with me for a bit?"
A beautiful, mature, and sexy woman extending an invitation—what man could refuse?
"Damn, if I could spend a night with her, I’d die with no regrets," Lu Zhaohui said, swallowing hard.
"Well, Li Ran’s won. He really can skip ten years of hard work now," Chen Jiabin said, full of envy.
Xiao Yi’s face turned stormy again, nearly crushing his wine glass.
On the other side, when Li Ran heard Anna’s invitation, his heart skipped a beat.
As a lifelong single dog, he had fantasized about this scene countless times—a stunning, mature woman...on top...
But he couldn’t give in. His rational mind told him: Do not follow her.
[Warning: Accepting her invitation will make today your death anniversary next year.]
The system’s prompt aligned perfectly with his own judgment. Anna’s offer was yet another test.
Even though Li Ran’s current power was enough to intimidate Anna—or even kill her—what he truly feared was the bartender at the bar.
She was no weaker than the infamous killer Wang Qian.
If a fight broke out, he would die.
Just when everyone thought Li Ran would eagerly accept Anna’s invitation, he casually picked up the fashion magazine on the table and said to her, "I told you—some scenery is enough to see just once."
Anna seemed to have expected this and wasn’t too disappointed.
"Aqing."
"Yes, miss."
Anna asked the bartender to bring over a black gold card.
"Thanks for listening to my story. Here, payment." Anna handed the black gold card to Li Ran.
"Thanks."
Li Ran took the card without hesitation.
That was 100 points of Eerie power and 1,000 points!
She really was a rich lady. One mission was worth ten regular guide tasks.
If he actually managed to conquer her, he really could skip ten years of struggling.
"Oh, right. With that card, you’re entitled to one request from me."
Li Ran asked, "Any request?"
Anna walked up the stairs, leaving him with a stunning and meaningful glance. "As long as you want it..."
As he watched Anna’s graceful figure disappear upstairs, Li Ran finally relaxed the nerves he’d been keeping tense.
A woman both beautiful and dangerous—every move of hers was a deadly temptation.
That last glance lingered in his heart for a long time.
Until the system prompt came again.
[Mission Complete: Anna’s Story]
[Reward: Eerie Power +100, Points +1000]
This one... was a jackpot.
Totally worth the trip.
[Li Ran]
[Eerie Power: 310]
[Agility: 20]
[Strength: 20]
[Points: 1100]
Active Skills: (Shadowstep) (Shadow Assault)
[Passive Skills: Thunder Scar, Focused Mind]
Li Ran could clearly feel another surge of strength rising within him.
"Just need to save up a bit more. Then I’ll grab some top-tier gear from the shop."
"Now that this mission is complete, it’s time to visit the lamb soup shop and find Grandma Mi’s son. If all goes well, I might swing by the beauty salon too. Who knows what other opportunities might be waiting?"
With that thought, Li Ran strode back to the booth.
"I’m heading out first. If you’re still drinking, it’s on me," he said generously.
Xiao Yi walked over with a gloomy face. “Stop pretending to be a good guy. Why is it that you can complete missions again and again, while we’re just clowns?”
“You think we’re a joke, don’t you?”
“I don’t need your pity. I’ll prove my worth with my own strength.”
With that, Xiao Yi stormed off in anger, slamming the door behind him.
Naturally, his bootlicker Chen Jiabin followed close behind.
Lu Zhaohui scratched the back of his head in confusion. “What’s gotten into them?”
“Nothing. Weren’t you saying you wanted food? My treat.”
“Really? Awesome! Where are we going?”
“Hm, the lamb hotpot place nearby.”
“Let’s go then!”
…
…
On the pedestrian street.
Lu Zhaohui had completely transformed into a fangirl, following Li Ran with stars in his eyes.
“Can you teach me how to chase girls?”
A single dog asking another single dog how to chase girls — that’s like the student ranked dead last going to the second-to-last student for tutoring…
But —
Li Ran flashed a mysterious smile. “You’ve come to the right person.”
What does being single have to do with knowing how to chase girls?
His lack of experience didn’t affect his theory score, which was a perfect 100.
“My guidance mission told me to pursue a girl. I already added her on Feixin, but after chatting a bit I had no idea what to say anymore.” Lu Zhaohui pulled out his phone. At the top of his chat list was a well-behaved-looking girl’s profile picture.
Li Ran asked, “Is there a time limit on the mission?”
“Not exactly, but…”
“But if I don’t manage to win her over, the matchmaker shows up at my window every night to nag me.”
A row of black lines appeared on Li Ran’s forehead.
If he remembered correctly, Lu Zhaohui lived on the 11th floor.
A matchmaker hovering outside an 11th-floor window every night, just the image alone was creepy as hell.
“You’re not scared?”
“Scared to death! But after I found out the matchmaker couldn’t get in, I was a lot less scared. Plus, I sleep like the dead. Once I’m out, not even thunder can wake me.”
“Truly enviable sleep… just like mine.”
Lu Zhaohui sighed. “The problem is I can’t handle hunger. There’s nothing at home. If I don’t complete missions, I won’t get points to buy food. And if I can’t buy food, I’ll starve to death.”
“Fair point.”
“Everyone says you’re amazing. Can you help me out? At least help me finish this first guidance mission.”
There was a pleading look in Lu Zhaohui’s eyes.
“We’re teammates. Of course we help each other. Gimme your phone.”
The two found a shady bench beneath a tree and sat down.
“Here, take a look.”
Li Ran stared at the chat history, his brows slowly knitting together.
Lu Zhaohui: Hello, I’m the one Auntie Wang introduced.
Meng Ge: Hello.
One day later…
Lu Zhaohui: Want to go out for a walk sometime?
Meng Ge: I quit my job to take care of my mom. She hurt her leg, so I won’t be going out.
Lu Zhaohui: Oh… okay.
…
Li Ran had thought he was already the king of awkward straight guys, until he saw Lu Zhaohui’s messages. Only then did he understand what it meant to be the nuclear warhead of all straight men.
“You couldn’t come up with a different topic? Or at least ask how her mom’s doing, show some care.”
“I know that! But the words just won’t come out. I want to show concern, but with what status do I have to care? Plus, the info I got from the matchmaker was way too vague. I can only see three days of her Moments, I know nothing about her. How am I supposed to start a conversation?”
“I was actually planning to ask her out again today. If she agreed, great. If not, fine. Worst case, I’ll spend the next ten days gnawing on tree bark.”
Lu Zhaohui’s mindset was actually something Li Ran had once experienced too.
“Just treat it like a mission and you won’t feel so awkward. Think about what you’ll gain once you complete it.” Li Ran sounded like a teacher instructing a student. “Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll draft a guide for you. Follow it step-by-step, and if nothing goes wrong, you’ll have her in three days.”
“Seriously?”
Lu Zhaohui’s eyes lit up like searchlights, as if a golden halo had formed behind Li Ran’s head.
Li Ran took out a notepad and pen from his portable space, and with a few quick strokes, wrote six big characters on the page:
“Goddess Strategy Guide”
(End of Chapter)