Xie Ran wasn’t actually interested in Cen Chi—he was simply drawn to the challenge. But now? Now he found himself far more curious about trying things out with this Mr. Chi Zhan.
So, he didn’t look away. His gaze remained fixed on Chi Zhan, intently studying him. Just then, he suddenly noticed Cen Chi’s eyes on him.
There was a faint, almost imperceptible sense of oppressive threat behind that look.
“…?”
Chi Zhan didn’t notice the undercurrent of tension in the room. But the moment he realized Cen Chi was a romance target, he instinctively said, “Ah, no, I just remembered something. I’ll come back this afternoon.”
The player’s needs should always come first. Even if he wasn’t one of Cen Chi’s acquaintances, he still had to follow the rules.
Chi Zhan turned on his heel without hesitation and headed straight for the door. But before he could leave, Cen Chi quickly followed and caught his arm.
“This is your scheduled appointment time. Where do you think you’re going?”
“……”
Cen Chi seemed to realize his actions were a little inappropriate. He promptly let go, then turned his gaze back to Xie Ran, his expression once again gentle and refined.
“Mr. Xie,” he said with a soft smile, the kind that instantly leaves a good impression in social situations, though his voice carried a subtle chill, “if you’d like to make an appointment, please do so at the front desk first. Without a booking, I really can’t cancel on someone else. It’s a matter of professional credibility. Don’t you agree?”
***
On the player forum, Cen Chi was infamous for his “scumbag” persona.
Never takes initiative, never refuses, never takes responsibility.
It had been over a month since the public launch, and not a single player had ever managed to get his private contact info—or received a direct invitation from him.
Outside of his hospital hours, he was nowhere to be found. More elusive than a vampire.
Still, plenty of players threw themselves at him, clinging to the belief that maybe he just likes me. And every last one of them ended up crashing and burning.
Then they shifted gears and tried to pursue Cen Chi’s close friend, Zhou Yanxing—only to find out the hard way that these two really were birds of a feather. Cen Chi didn’t refuse; Zhou Yanxing didn’t even bother. Both were masters at keeping their distance and taking zero responsibility. Outside of work, nothing seemed to interest them.
Players who came looking for sweet romance were left bitterly disappointed. But since the other two love interests hadn’t yet appeared in the story progression, all they could do was wait.
So every day, the forums were flooded with wails: Why doesn’t he love me?! Why won’t he love me?! How could he not love me?! Shouldn’t players be treated special?!
And the customer support response was always the same: Hello, thank you for your feedback! Our team is actively monitoring the situation. Everything appears to be functioning as intended—please feel free to try another approach~
At this point, it was safe to say—Cen Chi really was a scumbag.
The silence that followed Xie Ran’s exit made the air noticeably tense. The receptionist quickly stepped in to smooth things over.
“Sir, please come with me to the waiting lounge.”
“No need,” Xie Ran replied. “If Doctor Cen is busy, I won’t intrude.” Then he flashed a sweet smile at Chi Zhan and gave him a wink. “See you next time, handsome.”
Chi Zhan was speechless, experiencing a player’s flirtation for the very first time.
Cen Chi led Chi Zhan back to the consultation room. By now, Chi Zhan was already quite familiar with the check-up routine, but every time he lay face-down on the exam table, he still felt at least a little awkward.
Especially now, realizing far too late that Doctor Cen wasn’t just some NPC like he’d assumed—and having no idea how to interact with him anymore. Thank god he hadn’t said anything too weird, like trying to exchange wingman tips or something…
“The results from these follow-up exams look very good. Nothing to worry about,” Cen Chi’s voice came from behind, accompanied by the familiar scent of medicinal massage oil. “You’ll be fine for work tomorrow.”
“Huh?” Chi Zhan blinked, puzzled. “How do you know…?”
“Zhou Yanxing told me,” Cen Chi replied with a trace of amusement in his tone. “He said you can’t wait to get back to work. That true?”
Chi Zhan hesitated.
“Should I… be honest?”
Apparently, Cen Chi and Zhou Yanxing were even closer than he’d thought. Just yesterday he’d mentioned work, and today Cen Chi already knew.
“You can be honest with me,” Cen Chi said, his gaze lowered slightly, voice soft and gentle—disarmingly so. “I won’t tell anyone. Not even Zhou Yanxing.”
As he said this, a darker shade flickered in the amber eyes hidden behind his glasses.
“Of course I have to go back to work,” Chi Zhan said after a moment, jokingly. “Who else is gonna pay me?”
Cen Chi let out a low laugh.
His massage technique hit that perfect balance—not too light, not too firm—just the way Chi Zhan liked it. Usually, it was enough to make him doze off. But today, he was wide awake.
In a moment of distraction, he noticed a faint floral note mingling with the strong herbal scent—light and hazy like mist. The fragrance was oddly familiar. He tilted his head slightly, trying to locate its source.
In a vase nearby, a single pink rose was tucked among the instruments.
The same kind he’d seen at that restaurant the other day.
Its fragrance was subtle—never overwhelming—but it lingered. Clothes that had brushed against it would hold onto its scent, soft and ghostly, like a whisper.
The massage ended. Chi Zhan sat up and busied himself fixing his clothes. He’d showered right before coming here, so his dark hair was still a little damp, soft and tousled with a few loose curls. As he bowed his head to smooth his fringe, Cen Chi reached out first and gently brushed it aside.
His slender fingers brushed Chi Zhan’s forehead—a feather-light touch, fleeting and unintentional.
A bit ambiguous, but not deliberate.
Chi Zhan decided to cut through the weird tension.
“Doctor Cen, that guy earlier—was he one of your patients too?”
Both Cen Chi and Zhou Yanxing were romance targets. So why had the system only latched onto Zhou Yanxing?
If he could just talk things through with Cen Chi, maybe it’d help him handle Zhou Yanxing. If he could get things back to normal before the system wiped the bug clean… then maybe…
Maybe that future the system warned him about wouldn’t come to pass.
Somehow, he just knew—if the bug got erased, Zhou Yanxing wouldn’t be the same person anymore.
