The bad value system is measuring values.

Chapter 182 Lover Chapter 2

Qiao Xiao still listened to her brother and softly hummed in agreement.

Not long after Qiao Xiao left, Zhong Huanli began to feel anxious. He hadn't missed a single detail about her; he knew everything about her social circle and whether she had a crush on anyone.

Zhong Huanli: "System, is it possible that she doesn't like me that much? I mean, is it possible that her affection level has decreased?"

System: "You need to accumulate bad points to view favorability. Host, I need you to..."

Zhong Huanli: "Alright, that's enough. This is my bottom line. You should keep it off."

On the other side, Qiao Xiao waited listlessly by the roadside, hoping to meet a boy who would deliver a love letter to her. Her eyes were cold as she thought, "Finally, I've found an excuse to come out. Being with Zhong Huanli makes it too easy for me to lose control of my emotions."

Unbeknownst to Qiao Xiao, someone was hiding in a corner, following behind her. "Who are you waiting for?" Zhong Huanli asked coldly, biting her lip. "What am I doing? Why are you following Xiao Xiao?"

He despised this behavior the most, but why couldn't he control himself?

"I was just too afraid something would happen to her," he offered a flimsy excuse.

Suddenly, a slender figure approached Qiao Xiao and gently touched her as she was lost in thought with his fingertips.

"Hey." He waved his hand shyly, looking at her nervously.

Qiao Xiao quickly turned to him and said calmly, "Hello."

The moment she saw him, she froze. His face bore a striking resemblance to Zhong Huanli. Her heart sank, and her expression froze.

"Qiao Xiao? What's wrong?" he asked.

“We’re not classmates, are we? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you before,” she replied.

"Yes, my name is Zhang Lingwan, and I'm the class monitor of the class next to yours."

Zhang Lingwan was well-known; as a handsome and gentle young man, he had indeed captured the hearts of many girls. He had originally thought that Qiao Xiao had at least heard of him, but alas, he had miscalculated.

"Where are we going?" Qiao Xiao asked.

Zhang Lingwan blushed and said, "Let's go for a walk in XX Park."

Qiao Xiao thought to herself, "It's the place where Zhong Huanli and I often take walks." A sense of guilt welled up in her heart, but she suppressed it fiercely and slowly uttered a single word: "Mm."

Zhong Huanli couldn't hear any of their conversation. She clenched her fists tightly, her brows furrowed, and stared intently at Qiao Xiao.

"Don't like it! Don't like it!"

The moment he spoke, he was stunned. Why did he say that?

It felt like a long chain with nails stuck in it was tightly wrapped around his heart. His eyes were the switch; when he looked directly at this scene, the chain would spin wildly, the barbs digging deeper and deeper with its rotation, clamping in hard. His heart pounded frantically, as if struggling and crying for help.

He forced back his tears, tears streaming down his face. He feared that those beautiful eyes, which only smiled gently when they were looking at him, would turn away from him and look at someone else.

"No! Xiaoxiao!" When he turned around again, the two had already disappeared from his sight, leaving Zhong Huanli alone, standing there all alone, her heart overwhelmed by boundless pain.

Just then, the system spoke up at an inopportune moment: "Host, we have detected that your emotions are fluctuating too much. Do you need help?"

Zhong Huanli refused; he decided to go find Qiao Xiao, even though he knew it was a very irrational thing to do.

Qiao Xiao and Zhang Lingwan were walking in the park.

Qiao Xiao asked frankly, "Why did you ask me out, Zhang Lingwan?"

Zhang Lingwan: "Because I... I fell in love with you at first sight."

Qiao Xiao looked at him indifferently, "I'm not good-looking."

"It's beautiful!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Qiao Xiao's expression remained unchanged as she whispered, "Liar."

Zhang Lingwan: "Qiao Xiao, you seem to know this place very well."

Qiao Xiao smiled slightly and said, "Yes." Then her expression turned melancholy again.

Zhang Lingwan noticed her absent-mindedness and asked softly. Qiao Xiao gave a few perfunctory answers, but suddenly, she seemed to see Zhong Huanli's figure flash by. Startled, she unconsciously looked around.

Just then, Zhong Huanli appeared before them. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared straight at Qiao Xiao.

When Qiao Xiao saw him like this, her expression froze instantly, and she took a step forward in a panic, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhang Lingwan looked at Zhong Huanli with confusion.

Zhong Huanli stared at Qiao Xiao and said to her, "Xiao Xiao, come home with me, okay?"

Without hesitation, Qiao Xiao turned to Zhang Lingwan and said, "Sorry, that's all for today." After saying that, Zhong Huanli took Qiao Xiao's hand and led her away, leaving Zhang Lingwan looking bewildered.

Zhang Lingwan: "Is that her brother?"

Zhong Huanli pulled Qiao Xiao along as they walked quickly.

Qiao Xiao kept a close eye on his haggard expression and asked with concern, "What's wrong?"

Zhong Huanli frowned, turned to look directly at Qiao Xiao, and asked in a somewhat urgent tone, "Did you come out specifically to see that person?"

Qiao Xiao did not refute, but lowered her head slightly, feeling a pang of guilt, as if she had abandoned Zhong Huanli.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

Hearing her voice, Zhong Huanli's wildly beating heart slowly calmed down. His eyes were focused as he said, "Don't go out alone in the future. Take your brother with you, okay? Your brother won't be a burden to you."

Qiao Xiao's heart stopped, and she suddenly wrapped her arms around Zhong Huanli's neck, choking out, "You're not a burden."

Zhong Huanli instinctively hugged him back.

The two stayed close together until they returned home, their hands still clasped tightly.

Asdor was basking in the sunlight, unaware that they had returned home.

Zhong Huanli led Qiao Xiao to her room. "Today is Valentine's Day, and I've prepared a gift for you."

After saying that, he took out an exquisite gift box from the depths of the drawer, gently opened it, and inside was a shimmering silver necklace with Qiao Xiao's initials "QX" engraved on the heart-shaped pendant.

Qiao Xiao looked at the exquisite necklace with delight in her eyes. "Brother, thank you." Her cheeks flushed slightly.

Zhong Huanli gently picked up the necklace, went around behind Qiao Xiao, and put it on her.

Astor peered through the door and saw the scene. His eyes widened as he thought, "What are they doing?"

But that was none of his business, so he slunk away. In his mind, weren't the two siblings?

Aside from her name, the individual with whom Qiao Xiao had any interaction was completely different from her. That Qiao Xiao displayed an attitude of treating life as worthless and ruthless, while this Qiao Xiao, although she also appeared indifferent, was by no means someone who would easily give up on life. She had someone she cherished deeply, her brother Zhong Huanli, whose identity was complex and I could not yet fathom.