The train ride back to campus was silent.
Lin Feng sat alongside Liu Xiaoyu, both of them still enjoying the strange aftermath of what they had just accomplished—visiting that unexpected house, quiet and stocked, as if it were a secret waiting to be spoken.
Neither of them spoke much during the ride. Liu Xiaoyu stared out the window, her chin resting softly in her hand. Her dense eyelashes cast small shadows on her cheek, and her breath fogged the glass occasionally. Lin Feng glanced over at her once or twice, not knowing what to say, not knowing what she was thinking.
He did not know if she believed his explanation.
A relative left it to him. That's what he lied about.
And maybe she hadn't believed it—but she didn't push either. She just looked at him after saying it, with the same soft, impenetrable look. And here they were now, back on the train, with a thin layer of something new between them.
Maybe trust.
Maybe suspicion.
Maybe something else.
The others in the dorm didn't notice anything wrong.
Zhang Kai was eating instant noodles, arguing some football score with their other roommate, while videos blared from his phone at full volume. The air stank of MSG and grease. Lin Feng sat at his desk quietly, booting up his laptop as if the past few hours never happened.
They had.
The house was there. The system had indeed given it to him. And Liu Xiaoyu had seen it now too.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
"Congratulations. Hidden Companion Trust Milestone triggered. Liu Xiaoyu's curiosity has increased. Her perception of the host has shifted. Reward available upon progression."
He didn't immediately open the reward menu. He didn't want to break the moment with a rush of dopamine. He stared at the screen for a while instead, pretending to read something on a news site. His head was spinning with thoughts he couldn't quite catch.
She hadn't judged him.
If anything, she had seemed. impressed. Curious. Maybe even a little confused.
The next morning, campus life settled back into its usual rhythm.
Students filled the pathways with their backpacks and coffee cups, some grumbling about early lectures, others laughing about the night before's gossip. Lin Feng navigated quietly through the crowd, his mind oddly at peace.
When he reached the courtyard near the library, Liu Xiaoyu was already there.
She wasn't alone. A few of her friends were sitting around her, discussing weekend plans, but she looked up when she saw him. Their eyes met, for a moment.
And then she smiled.
Just a small one. The sort only he would notice.
He nodded back. Nothing more.
But the unspoken warmth lingered longer than it ought to have.
At lunch, something strange happened.
Lin Feng was at the other end of the cafeteria as usual, taking his food slowly, quietly. His tray held the most budget-friendly options—rice with fried vegetables, no meat. He did not like to draw attention, even though his funds improved now. The system rewards, the stock surge—he had money now, but habits die hard.
And then he heard someone behind him.
"Yo, Lin Feng."
He turned around.
That was Zhou Ming from the School of Business. The same guy who, one semester back, humiliated him during a student presentation for wearing counterfeit brand shoes and tattered hoods in public.
Lin Feng's mind froze in fear that this guy was going to create a huge public scene again.
But then Zhou Ming never insulted him.
Heard someone spotted you leaving campus yesterday in a taxi with Liu Xiaoyu. True?" The smile had a razor's edge despite the light tone.
A few of the students nearby turned to look. Ears perked up.
Lin Feng did not say anything right away. He just kept eating.
Zhou Ming laughed. "Damn. Not bad. Bro got himself a girl now? Must've hit the jackpot or something, huh?"
Lin Feng just raised his eyes, met his gaze.
"No need to make things up," he said, voice level. "She asked me to help her with something. That's all."
Zhou Ming tilted his head, clearly unsatisfied with the answer.
But before he could press further, Liu Xiaoyu appeared behind him.
"You're blocking the aisle," she said, looking directly at Zhou Ming. Her voice wasn't sharp, but firm.
He blinked, stepped aside quickly. "Ah—my bad."
She didn't look at Lin Feng. Just sat silently next to him, pulling her tray in front of her. Her friends were nowhere to be seen.
Zhou Ming muttered something and took off.
Lin Feng watched her.
"You didn't have to—"
She cut in, gently: "Don't mind him. Drama is more popular than the truth with people."
He nodded. But in his chest, something buzzed.
That night, Lin Feng opened the system reward menu.
[REWARD CLAIMED – Hidden Companion Trust Milestone]
"+¥2,000 cash deposited."
"New Quest Unlocked: Mutual Growth I"
– Develop your relationship with a companion. Build emotional trust. Complete shared experiences.
Reward: Stock Options (Random Tier).
Another quest. And this one wasn't even about money or business.
It was about connection.
He closed the screen, leaned back, and stared at the ceiling.
The house.
The stock bump.
The slight shift in how people looked at him.
And now. this.
He wasn't rich. Not yet. But the ripples were starting. Silently. Naturally.
People were taking notice.
Some were interested.
Some were already getting jealous.
And for the first time, Lin Feng didn't want to hide.