Starting Check-in Reward: Tomson Riviera

Relationships are all about initiative and reciprocity.

Some things lose their meaning if you have to ask for them; it’s the spontaneous gestures that are meaningful. But that initiative has to be mutual. If only one person is proactive, it’s just as pointless.

Ye Ling saw this, but he didn’t take the phone. Instead, he wrapped his arm around Ning Ruoxi’s waist. "I don’t need to check."

"Really? You’re not going to check? This offer won’t last forever, you know."

Ning Ruoxi turned her head and gave him a playful blink.

"I’m not checking."

Ye Ling lowered his head slightly and gave the girl a quick kiss.

The fact that Ning Ruoxi had proactively offered her phone to Ye Ling said it all.

As for checking up on her...

It wasn’t necessary.

"Hehe."

Ning Ruoxi gave a silly chuckle and added, "The password is your birthday. You can check it anytime you want."

"Good girl."

Ye Ling gently rubbed Ning Ruoxi’s head.

DING DONG!

Just then, Ye Ling’s phone, which was sitting off to the side, buzzed.

Ye Ling casually picked it up and, without trying to hide it, unlocked the screen right in front of Ning Ruoxi.

It was a new message in the "3222 Demon Lord of Chaos" group.

’He Jian: @Ye Ling, Brother Ling, I just woke up.’

’Yang Yu: I’m awake too. So, um, today was an accident... My stomach hasn’t been feeling great recently.’

’He Jian: What a coincidence. Me too.’

’Yang Yefeng: Forgive my ignorance, but what does an upset stomach have to do with getting drunk?’

’He Jian: Psycho, you don’t know shit!’

’Yang Yu: Brother Ling, hang on a sec. We’ve got something to deal with.’

’Ye Ling: ???’

After he sent that message, the group went silent. Ye Ling was left speechless.

’What are those three goons up to this late at night?’

However, he didn’t dwell on it. He just opened TikTok and started scrolling.

And so, Ye Ling held Ning Ruoxi, playing on his phone, while Ning Ruoxi leaned against his chest, watching him.

For some reason, lying in Ye Ling’s arms gave Ning Ruoxi an incredible sense of peace.

It was a feeling that was hard to put into words. ’Maybe it was like how cats always love to curl up in small, enclosed boxes? It provided a sense of security that came from deep within.’

So, does our dear Ning Xiaoxi have the traits of a lap cat?

After a while, Ning Ruoxi started to feel drowsy and closed her eyes.

Ye Ling seemed to sense that the girl had fallen asleep. He quietly muted his phone, closed TikTok, and found a novel titled *Starting Off by Signing In for Tomson Riviera* to read.

He had recently found this novel on an e-reader app and thought it was pretty good. He especially liked the author, who went by the name ’Drawing a Blade to Save Luoying’—apparently a very handsome guy—so he had been diligently following the updates.

After he’d been reading for a while, a new message notification popped up at the top of his screen. It was from the "3222 Demon Lord of Chaos" group.

’Yang Yefeng: @Ye Ling, Brother Ling, they were just busy beating me up. The tag-team kind of beatdown.’

Ye Ling couldn’t help but laugh when he saw the message.

’A tag-team beatdown? Seriously?’

’Ye Ling: I’ll get them back for you later.’

After sending the reply, Ye Ling tossed his phone aside. He gently scooped up the "little kitten" in his arms and tiptoed toward the bedroom.

Ning Ruoxi was light. Really light. He figured she couldn’t even weigh 110 pounds.

’She’s not exactly small, is she?’ Ye Ling wondered. ’So where did all the weight go?’

Ye Ling gently pulled back the covers, laid the girl down in the bed, and then slipped in himself, wrapping his arms around her soft body.

"Mmm..."

Ning Ruoxi subconsciously snuggled deeper into Ye Ling’s embrace. Her face pressed against his chest, and inhaling his familiar scent, she drifted sweetly off to sleep...

...

「The next morning.」

When Ye Ling woke up, he reached out a hand to the other side of the bed. Ning Ruoxi was already gone.

’Sounds were coming from the kitchen. She must be making breakfast, right?’

"Sigh... This kind of life is truly captivating."

Ye Ling couldn’t help but stretch, a smile touching his lips.

"System, sign in."

"DING! Congratulations, Host, on a successful sign-in. You have triggered a Great Luck fortune and obtained ’God-Tier Piano Skill’."

Even though it had been a while since he’d gotten "Great Luck," he wasn’t particularly interested in this God-Tier Piano Skill.

He’d already received the God-Tier Guitar Skill, and now he had the God-Tier Piano Skill. They were basically the same type of ability—both for musical instruments.

"But I guess there’s nothing wrong with using it to cultivate my artistic tastes when I’m bored."

Ye Ling muttered to himself, wondering if he should get a piano.

’Compared to a guitar, a piano just looks so much more high-end, elegant, and classy, doesn’t it?’

Ye Ling got out of bed, washed up, and headed to the kitchen.

At this moment, Ning Ruoxi was in an apron, preparing breakfast.

Ye Ling’s eyes lit up. He snuck over and wrapped his arms around Ning Ruoxi’s waist from behind.

"Stop it, I’m making breakfast."

Ning Ruoxi jumped, startled by the sudden embrace. But when she recognized his familiar scent, she relaxed and said, a little exasperated.

"You cook, I’ll hug you. There’s no conflict."

But Ye Ling just rested his chin on Ning Ruoxi’s shoulder. As he spoke, he even blew a warm puff of air against her ear.

The warmth sent a shiver through Ning Ruoxi’s entire body, and her little ears instantly turned bright red.

"Don’t you dare tease me in here!"

Ning Ruoxi pushed Ye Ling away, annoyed. She glared at him with puffed-out cheeks. "Go sit outside. I’ll be done in a minute."

"Alrighty then."

Ye Ling chuckled, stole a kiss from Ning Ruoxi’s cheek, and then turned and left the kitchen.

After finishing their "breakfast of love," Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi headed to school, hand in hand.

As the couple walked across campus, they naturally drew the gazes of countless students.

"Is that Ye Ling? He’s so handsome!!"

"What do you mean, ’Ye Ling’? You should call him Ling God."

"Man, Ruoxi is so beautiful. I wish I had a girlfriend like her."

"In your dreams! Only our Ling God is worthy of Ruoxi. Do you think you’re good enough for her?"

...

The crowd discussed them in hushed tones, not daring to speak too loudly for fear of disturbing Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi.

"Ye Ling, Ruoxi, good morning!"

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out from behind them. They turned to see it was Qin Xuan.

Qin Xuan wore a faint smile, giving her a very friendly and easygoing air.

"Good morning, Senior."

"Are you two heading to class?"

Qin Xuan asked, looking at Ye Ling and Ning Ruoxi.

’For a moment, she suddenly felt the urge to find a boyfriend too. Going to class together every day... just the thought of it sounded so romantic, didn’t it?’

"Yeah, we are."

Ye Ling nodded. "Are you heading to class too, Senior?"

"Nope, I don’t have class today," Qin Xuan said. "Our school’s annual arts festival is coming up, and the dance club has a performance, so I’m heading to rehearsal."