Affection Points weren't just some romantic stat—they were a game-changer.
Unlike Affection Levels, which passively measured how much someone liked you, Affection Points were active. They could influence people. Doug Feng had tested it: whenever he triggered a romantic or ambiguous event with a woman, he'd earn a few points. And those points? They worked like magic. A little flirtation, and suddenly the woman's attitude toward him would shift—like some fantasy game mechanic come to life.
At the moment, hovering above Ms. Fang's head was a bright red number: 20.
Doug's heart thumped with excitement. "If I can push that to 60… who knows what might happen?" The possibilities made him giddy. This wasn't just a high school crush. This was real-life dating sim territory—except the stakes were even juicier.
Was this the true purpose of his rebirth?
Was he meant to be the protagonist of some twisted love-game storyline?
He glanced at another name on his mental HUD: Linda Feng. Her Affection Level was a whopping 90, but strangely, she didn't have any Affection Points. That was the frustrating part—Affection Level showed loyalty or fondness, but without those active points, it was like being loved platonically.
Too safe. Too stable.
He sighed. "I need a trigger event with her. Something that sets off those points."
So far, the only women who'd racked up real Affection Points were all a bit older: Ms. Fang, Zhu Sis, and that mysterious married woman he'd met before. Age wasn't a problem per se, but let's be real—flirting with mature women was more of a thrill than a long-term plan.
If he could just flip Linda's switch, things would really get interesting.
Just then, Ms. Fang's voice brought him back to reality.
"Alright, class," she said, a little distractedly. "You've all worked hard. Review your notes over the weekend. Don't forget—Monday is the final parent-teacher meeting and the flag-raising ceremony. Full school uniform, no excuses."
She seemed… off. Her voice lacked its usual crisp energy. After giving her instructions, she grabbed her bag and left the room in a hurry. Doug could guess why—citywide exams meant a mountain of grading for teachers. Ms. Fang would be buried in papers all weekend.
As soon as the class broke out into chatter, Howie leaned over and grinned. "Doug, it's been forever since we hit the internet café. Wanna blow off some steam with a couple rounds of CS?"
Doug raised an eyebrow. "And here I thought my mom was overreacting when she said you're a bad influence."
"Come on! We deserve it. The exams are over, and you've been in full-on nerd mode all week."
Doug hesitated for a second, then smiled. "Alright, fine. Let's go."
They packed up and headed out—but just as they reached the hallway, a familiar sneer cut through the air.
"Well, well. Look who it is." Lü Xiqing stepped into their path with a gang of his usual cronies behind him. "Off to the café again, huh? Still chasing those bottom-tier rankings?"
Doug and Howie tried to walk past, but Lü blocked them. "Why don't we make this interesting? You two versus my team. We'll even pay for your sessions if you manage to win."
Doug immediately caught on—Lü had set this up.
He must've noticed they were heading for the café and brought a squad of decent players to humiliate them. That was his style.
"Forget it," Doug whispered to Howie. "It's bait."
But Lü wasn't done. "What's the matter, Howie? You only got guts when your rich daddy's around? Afraid to lose without him backing you up?"
Doug saw the color drain from Howie's face, then flood back in a furious red.
Boom—there it was. The trigger.
Howie clenched his fists and barked, "Fine! You want a match? Let's do it. Lead the way!"
Doug sighed. Welp. Looks like there's no avoiding this one.
The group headed to Dazhong Internet Café, a local favorite with rows of humming machines and the faint smell of instant noodles lingering in the air. Lü slapped a hundred-yuan bill on the counter and barked, "Manager, open this whole row. We're running a private match."
They booted up Counter-Strike 1.5, the king of the FPS world in 2006. Back before CrossFire and Call of Duty took over, CS was the real deal. Every schoolboy knew it. Every net café worshipped it.
Lü's team took six seats near the entrance. Doug and Howie were shoved to the opposite end of the row—2v4.
The trash talk started immediately.
"Dibs on headshotting the short one."
"Bet they won't even get a kill before rage-quitting."
Howie's knuckles turned white on his mouse. "They want a 2v4? Fine. I'll wipe the floor with all of them."
Doug cracked his fingers and smirked. "Let's give 'em a show."