The Story is Just Beginning

"I like you."

After Su Cheng uttered these words, he fixed his gaze on Li Guanqi, eagerly awaiting her reaction. However, she remained expressionless and silent, almost as if she hadn't heard him at all.

Su Cheng couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated, so he asked, "What's wrong?"

"What do you mean, 'what's wrong?'" Li Guanqi replied calmly.

"Uh..." Su Cheng was momentarily at a loss for words. "I said, I like you. Didn't you hear me?"

"I heard you," Li Guanqi shook her head.

"You..." Su Cheng was rendered speechless, unsure of what to say next.

"I'm thinking about how to reject you in a way that you'll be satisfied with. What kind of rejection are you looking for?" Li Guanqi asked, then added, "What personality should I use?"

"Just your usual personality will do," Su Cheng replied.

As he finished speaking, he suddenly noticed Li Guanqi's gaze fixed on his cheek, her tone unusually serious. He was taken aback and asked, "What is it?"

"Are you sure?" Li Guanqi retorted.

"Yes, I'm sure."

"Then..." Before Li Guanqi could finish her sentence, Su Cheng's body tensed up for no reason, and he quickly reached out to cover her mouth, panicked. "This time, I just want a normal rejection!"

Li Guanqi's mouth was covered, and her eyes showed a hint of resentment, but she quickly suppressed it and nodded gently.

Su Cheng breathed a sigh of relief and let go of her, only to find Li Guanqi giving him a strange look. He felt a bit awkward and said, "Go ahead, continue."

"Then please confess again," Li Guanqi said.

Su Cheng looked at her again, but this time he hesitated for a moment before saying, "I... I like you!"

"To 'satisfy you,' I reject you," Li Guanqi said, then added, "I have something to do and need to leave now. Take care of yourself."

"Okay, thank you. I'm already quite satisfied this time. Let's meet again in ten days."

"Will it still be in ten days next time?"

"Not necessarily."

"Alright."

Su Cheng watched as Li Guanqi left, then lowered his gaze to the hand that had covered her mouth, his eyes flickering.

At the same time, the long-awaited system notification rang in his mind.

【Ding——】

【Confession Failed】

………

But he didn't check the reward immediately. Instead, he headed home, needing to bathe and change before looking at the reward.

After all, it wasn't convenient to do so on the street.

…………………………

Li Guanqi walked to a bench and sat down, then took out her phone and made a call.

"Hello, Uncle Chen, I'm at XX Road, in front of the xx bookstore."

Her tone remained as calm and unruffled as ever.

After ending the call, Li Guanqi turned off her phone screen and took out a water bottle. She shook it first, finding there was still some water left, then lifted it and sipped through the straw.

"Hmm........"

Li Guanqi licked her lips with her small tongue and put the empty bottle back into her bag. Then she checked the time on her phone and stood up, looking around for something.

At that moment, a luxurious yet understated business car slowly stopped at the door. Then, the man in the driver's seat got out and started searching for something.

Seeing this, Li Guanqu walked towards him and called out, "Uncle Chen."

“Miss.”

Hearing a familiar voice, Uncle Chen's body paused slightly, then he quickly opened the back seat car door and said respectfully, "Please."

Thank you, Uncle Chen.

Li Guanqi said that and then jumped into the carriage.

The vehicle then continued to drive slowly, heading towards a place slightly further away from the city center.

Soon, the car arrived at Yan Cheng Courtyard.

This large courtyard is a relatively special residential area that is not governed by the local authorities of Yan City, but is directly under the jurisdiction of XX, possessing a high degree of land autonomy.

The residents inside are mainly families of personnel from military and other associated units, and the area is very large.

At the entrance of the courtyard, there were several armed guards on duty. Upon seeing the vehicle approach, they immediately allowed it to pass, and then the car began to drive in.

Soon, the vehicle drove in, and even after entering, there were many checkpoints. It was divided into several areas, basically in a state of alert with five steps a post and three steps a sentry. Without a permit, it was completely impossible to enter.

Soon, the vehicle stopped in front of a house outside the courtyard. The car door slowly opened, and then Li Guanqi stepped out. She took a tube from her bag and handed it to Uncle Chen, saying, "Uncle Chen, could you please take this to the testing department for me and have it checked?"

Okay.

Uncle Chen took the tube and nodded, "I’ll take care of it right away."

After saying that, he turned the car around and left. Then, Li Guanchi looked around at the environment, and soon a white figure caught his eye—it was his cousin, Li Zhaozhao.

At this moment, she was not wearing a mask. She was dressed in a white dress that revealed her fair and slender legs, and her long, smooth black hair flowed behind her, making her look like a princess who had walked out of a fairy tale world.

Her dressing style is completely polarized from Li Zhao Zhao's, one in white and the other in black.

At this moment, Li Zhao Zhao is walking outside, most likely going out to have some fun after finishing her meal. Judging by her appearance, she seems to be in a good mood, as she has been smiling all the time.

Li Guanshi did not disturb her but instead stepped into the Li family mansion.

Li's Grand Residence is the ancestral home of the Li family. Even though it has been renovated, one can still see the traces of its former glory as a royal mansion.

She and her cousin both live here.

After Li Guanchi walked in, he headed straight to his bedroom.

The bedroom is simply furnished, consisting of a bathroom, a bed, a desk, a mirror, a clothes rack, a bookshelf, and a television and computer.

Even the clothes on the hanger are scarce.

As a girl's bedroom, this place is indeed too simple, even appearing shabby.

She placed the items she was holding aside and then started organizing the things she bought today.

Workbook and beret.

Li Guanqi took out the beret, put it on his head, and went to the mirror.

She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but lift the corners of her mouth with her hand, revealing a faint smile.

However, this smile is very stiff and looks quite strange.

Finally, she took off her hat and put it into the wardrobe, then walked over to the bookshelf and organized the exercise books she had bought today.

She picked up the workbook and flipped through it for a while. Then she neatly set the book aside, glanced at the time, and went downstairs to eat.

Her parents are often away from home for long periods, so an elderly woman takes care of her diet.

The old woman is named Wang Shan, around sixty years old, with no children. She is Li Guanchi's wet nurse, having served her mother when she was young. Now, she is responsible for taking care of Li Guanchi's daily needs and treats her as if she were her own granddaughter.

Grandma.

Li Guanchi walked down the stairs and then approached the dining table.

Seeing this, the old woman had a kind smile on her face and then asked, "Young lady, the meal has been heated up for you and is ready to eat."

After dinner, she returned to her room and began to write in her exercise book.

.………………

【Ding——】

【Confession Failed】

【Character Information Loading】

【Target: Li Guanqi】

【Intelligence: 8】

【Charm: 8】

【Stamina: 5】

【Status: Daughter of the Director of a Large Publishing House in Flame City】

【System Description: From a scholarly family, gentle and kind, quiet and simple, with strong empathy, self-respectful and dignified, not weak, arguing logically and calmly, clear-minded, and principled, loving and hating distinctly. Characteristics: Fuzzy, weak presence. Heard before seen. (Suffered facial nerve damage from alcohol poisoning in childhood.) Hobby: Sweets】

【Danger Level: A】

【Can confess once every ten days.】

……………………

【Ding——】

【Confession Failed】

【Reward has been deposited into the system space, please check】

【System Tip: A-level rewards are not random but determined based on the host's current needs.】

"Phew～"

Su Cheng exhaled deeply, then began to check the items he had received as a reward this time.

"Glasses?"

He took out a pair of black-framed glasses from the system space and examined them closely. Upon closer inspection, his eyebrows furrowed into a knot.

"Do I look like I need glasses?!"

He clearly needed something for healing or related to archery, but instead, he was given a pair of glasses.

Thinking about this, he felt a bit annoyed, but he quickly let it go. Because he knew that these glasses must have some magical effect, perhaps they could enhance his vision.

"Detect item effects."

"Ding——"

【Magical Glasses】

【Effect: Facial Expression Management】

【System: Once worn, your facial expressions and complexion will be locked into a fixed, forced state. No matter what expression or complexion you have, it will remain in a fixed, forced state. (Not suitable for long-term wear)】

【System: Wear them, and you will transform from a serious young man into a cold, frosty beauty.】

"Forced state?!"

Upon seeing this effect, his eyebrows shot up.

Serious?

Cold and frosty?

Isn't that just being expressionless?

However, he didn't think much about it and directly put on the glasses.

After adjusting the glasses, he walked towards the bathroom mirror, looking at his reflection. For some reason, he felt a sense of unfamiliarity. He slightly nodded and found that his expression had indeed become icy and cold.

To his surprise, his previously scattered gaze had now refocused, his eyes once again clear and spirited, and there was an aura of wisdom emanating from his entire being, as if he had seen through the vicissitudes of life.

Even his lips, which were once dark, had turned slightly rosy.

"This is exactly what I needed..."

He couldn't help but want to laugh at himself.

His vision didn't change...

But he quickly realized something was wrong. He found that he couldn't control his facial expressions, as if his facial nerves were paralyzed.

He hastily took off the glasses, forced a smile, and his ability to manage facial expressions instantly returned. However, his eyes and lips immediately reverted to a sickly appearance.

He put the glasses back on, and his facial expression management was paralyzed again, with his eyes and lips reverting to a healthy state.

After repeating this several times, he finally clenched his hand and pinched the flesh on his arm. Although it hurt so much that he almost jumped up, his facial expression remained unchanged, as cold as the frost in the depths of winter.

Only the tears in his eyes slowly flowed down.

Now, his coldness could rival even Ji Qingyi.

And once he wore these glasses, no one would ever be able to catch his facial expressions again.

Even Ji Qingyi, the freak, would be no exception.

He carefully observed himself in the black-framed glasses, finding that his appearance had changed quite a bit, exuding an aura of elegance and refinement, which suited him perfectly.

Undoubtedly, because he was a gentle and elegant beauty.

"What's with Su Cheng..."

Seeing his expressionless self, Su Cheng finally couldn't help but complain.

But this serious criticism made him feel even colder.

If next time he stood together with Li Guanqi wearing these glasses, people might mistake them for siblings.

"Truly worthy of the item you gave!"

Su Cheng sighed, still expressionless, though his tone remained the same as before.

The so-called "not suitable for long-term wear" might really make him lose his ability to manage facial expressions in the future.

Su Cheng pondered, but he had no intention of taking off the glasses.

Because he needed to go out, and these glasses were very useful. If he didn't wear them, he would have to put on makeup to go out.

Glancing at the wall clock, he saw it was already 1 p.m.

Since he had nothing to do in the afternoon, he naturally had to go to the club to practice archery. He changed into his sports outfit and headed to school.

...

Li Family Mansion

Gate

An middle-aged man handed a report to Li Guanqi, then respectfully said: "Miss, this is the test result you requested."

"Thank you for your trouble."

After hearing his report, Li Guanqi took the report and carefully glanced at it. Subconsciously, she clenched her hands tightly, her gaze fixed on several data points, her eyes shimmering with disbelief.

Even though she had already expected it in her heart, seeing these real data still made her unable to remain calm.

"Detailed symptoms still need to be combined with ECG and ultrasound."

Uncle Chen noticed Li Guanqi's unusual behavior and softly added.

At this moment, Li Guanqi seemed very quiet. She lifted her head, looked at Uncle Chen, her eyes somewhat confused: "I know, you go busy."

"May I ask, this..."

"My friend."

"I see..."

Upon hearing this, Uncle Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to leave.

After Uncle Chen left, Li Guanqi fell into silence, then she returned to her bedroom, taking a book from the bookshelf.

《Webnovel Male Lead Basic Laws》

On this page, she had ticked almost all the laws, but there were two she hadn't ticked...

Twenty, The Protagonist Never Loses Law: "The protagonist will succeed in anything he sets out to do. Even if an accident occurs, he will ultimately gain something far richer than the expected reward."

Twenty-one, The Protagonist Never Dies Law: "The protagonist is indestructible. Once labeled as 'the protagonist', no matter what kind of ridiculous harm he suffers, for the sake of story development, he will always survive in ways that are unimaginable and unprecedented. Even if the world is destroyed, he will still live well."

If the protagonist dies, there are only three reasons.

One: He is not the true protagonist, just a pseudo-protagonist.

Two: He is not the only protagonist.

Three: The story has reached its conclusion.

"The story has just begun."