Chapter 95

"Ha ha, I know a bit of martial arts, and my eyes are a bit sharper than the average person's. I sensed something was off about them even before they got out of the car. They didn't look like normal people getting out of a car, so I kicked them, and sure enough, they were up to no good." Zhang Qiu noticed Ye Mei's expression and seemed to really not care about his sudden actions earlier, so he relaxed and said.

What he said was half true and half false, and it didn't seem to have any obvious flaws.

In reality, Zhang Qiu was able to spot the problem thanks to his exceptional insight, which allowed him to detect the kidnappers' motives before they even made a move. Just knowing martial arts wouldn't necessarily give him such keen eyesight.

"Really? You're amazing! Even my dad's bodyguards wouldn't have reacted as quickly as you did. I guess only Uncle Te from Nana's family could have done that." Ye Mei said. She was half-believing, half-doubting, but mostly believing.

"Do you know Uncle Te?" Zhang Qiu asked, "You must be close to Lin Lai, right?"

"How could I not know him? Nana and I are best friends, don't you think? So, if you want to pursue Nana, you have to bribe me! Otherwise, I'll tell her about you taking liberties with me!" Ye Mei said.

Zhang Qiu immediately felt a few black lines appear on his forehead. Girl, do you really threaten people like that? It's as if being touched inappropriately is some kind of ultimate weapon. Saying it like that, you're just bullying honest people.

Fortunately, Zhang Qiu could still be considered an honest person, even if he wasn't as pure as before. But most of the time, Zhang Qiu was still easily swayed by such tactics.

Are girls nowadays all so fierce? Zhang Qiu seemed to see another fierce girl emerging. However, her demeanor was different from Xiang Yufei's assertiveness; it was more like a simple and carefree personality.

From the moment she thought of her brother first after being kidnapped, it was clear that her thoughts were relatively pure and simple.

"Alright! Whatever you want for the bribe, I'll agree. But, are you really willing to speak well of me?" Zhang Qiu was a bit skeptical. Could she really not care at all about him taking liberties with her?

Zhang Qiu couldn't help but look at the red aura above his head and noticed a lighter shade of red aura continuously gathering, increasing the total amount of his red aura. Although he couldn't see the red aura above other people's heads anymore, Zhang Qiu was still certain that this was Ye Mei's red aura.

It seemed that his heroic rescue had had some effect.

Although some guides say that rescuing someone in a dire situation is more effective, the best time for a heroic rescue is when the person feels a severe threat, as if the world is about to end. But wouldn't that be too contrived? To really let Zhang Qiu stand by and watch Ye Mei be kidnapped before he acted? That would be too calculating, clearly not Zhang Qiu's character.

So, as soon as he noticed something was wrong, Zhang Qiu immediately took action, eliminating the danger before it even happened. Although the effect of the heroic rescue might theoretically be worse, Zhang Qiu could still feel good about himself.

After the backlash from trying to manipulate Lin Lai's red aura, Zhang Qiu could no longer see the red aura above other people's heads, and the "Entangle" and "Absorb" techniques of the Charm True Art were no longer usable.

However, he could see the red aura above his own head more clearly. Before, he could only see the intertwined parts of mixed red auras. Now, he could see the one-sided parts, the lighter shade of red aura.

This part of the red aura was more ethereal, belonging to the red aura others gave him, more peripheral and not yet integrated into the core. But if there was enough of it, it could still boost his charm.

Such red aura mainly comes from one-sided affection or unrequited love. In a narrower sense, it's "unrequited love" or "secret admiration."

When red auras are intertwined, it means the two people have mutual affection and are in an ambiguous state, or they have already confessed and are in a passionate relationship. At this point, the red aura appears as a solid form, influencing their moods.

But when the red aura appears as a shadow, it represents a one-sided feeling or an unequal feeling. For example, if one person simply likes another, their red aura will attach to the other person's head as a shadow, subtly enhancing their charm.

But if the other person doesn't like them, their red auras can't intertwine, even if they want to. Even if the other person also likes them, if they haven't expressed their feelings or don't know the other person's feelings, they are in a state of mutual secret admiration. In this case, they will only give each other a shadow of red aura. Only when they understand each other's feelings and enter an ambiguous or romantic relationship will their red auras intertwine.

Or if one person's affection or love for the other far exceeds the other's, even if their red auras are intertwined, they will still have a part that remains a shadow due to the unequal affection and love.

Zhang Qiu suddenly remembered the first time he saw the red aura above Wang Quanbin's head, when it tried to entangle with He Qing's red aura, but He Qing's red aura remained unmoved.

If he could still see their red auras now, he would probably see a part of He Qing's red aura as a shadow, coming from Wang Quanbin. But this shadow of red aura, besides enhancing He Qing's charm, wouldn't affect her mood.

Another situation is the affection and admiration fans have for their idols, which is generally one-sided. When a celebrity gains thousands of fans, it significantly increases their charm. The more fans they have, the stronger their charm. Of course, if the number of fans decreases, their charm will also decrease.

Understanding this, Zhang Qiu realized he had gained new insights into the Charm True Art. It seemed that Ye Mei already had some affection for him, while he felt only a little towards her. Unlike with Xiang Yufei, Chen Lan, and Ning Lan, who were already in a small ambiguous stage.

Such things rely on feelings.

Just like the guides online say, the more urgent the situation, the deeper the impression. Although Zhang Qiu had also rescued Ye Mei heroically, it wasn't as urgent as rescuing Xiang Yufei, Ning Lan, and Chen Lan. The feelings it brought were different. At least, Zhang Qiu didn't feel much of a shared hardship this time.

So, while Zhang Qiu's red aura could intertwine with the red auras of the three girls, it couldn't intertwine with Ye Mei's, lacking the shared hardship.

All this thinking about the red aura and many other things happened in an instant. The subtleties of the human heart and the speed of brain function are indeed immeasurable.

Seeing Zhang Qiu's generosity, Ye Mei said with a smile, "You said it! So, you owe me one more! If I need help with anything, you have to help me!"

"I'll help if I can," Zhang Qiu nodded.

Ye Mei said, "Then, I'll consider you a friend. I'll speak well of you to Nana more often, but you can't take liberties with me again, or... hmm! You know what I mean!"

"Of course not!" Zhang Qiu quickly said.

Just as they were talking, a system notification appeared: "Temporary Comprehensive Task for Lin Lai and Ye Mei (Completed). Reward: Ye Mei's Main Task (Acquaintance), Ye Mei's Main Task (Familiarity) automatically completed. Gun Mastery (National Level). Extract?"

This task was finally completed. Zhang Qiu immediately extracted the Gun Mastery (National Level). A stream of clarity flowed through his mind, and he gained a lot of knowledge about firearms and shooting techniques. At this moment, Zhang Qiu felt a sudden surge of confidence, the confidence of a marksman who never misses.

Although he didn't have a gun in hand, Zhang Qiu felt as if he had suddenly gained years of experience with firearms.

Zhang Qiu also took a look at the two titles behind his username on the interface. The积分 for the Embrace Collector had clearly increased by 1 point, from 16 to 17.

At this moment, Zhang Qiu suddenly thought that if he had gotten this title earlier, he would have at least 21 points by now. After all, he had embraced Lin Lai, Xiang Yufei, Ning Lan, and Chen Lan. These girls, without a doubt, were all first-time embraces, and their embraces would be counted as points.

"Thank you, Ye Mei." Zhang Qiu said solemnly. Taking her first embrace, she forgave him so easily, making him feel even more guilty.

"Stupid! Why are you thanking me? I should be thanking you." Ye Mei said, thinking Zhang Qiu was thanking her for agreeing to speak well of him to Lin Lai. "Do you want to go upstairs with me? My dad also wants to meet you and thank you properly!"

"Sure!" Zhang Qiu smiled and agreed.

At this moment, two men in suits, followed by several security guards, came out of the office building and walked towards Ye Mei.

Seeing them, Ye Mei suddenly invited Zhang Qiu.

When those people saw Ye Mei, they quickened their pace, until they reached her and surrounded her and Zhang Qiu, protecting them in the middle.

"Miss, are you okay?" one of the men in suits asked.

"I'm fine, let's go upstairs! This is my friend, and I owe him a lot!" Ye Mei said.

"It's our fault. We should have personally escorted Miss out." The man in the suit apologized.

Ye Mei shook her head and said, "It's not your fault! Who could have known there would be kidnappers? Let's go."

At this moment, Ye Mei's phone rang, and as soon as she answered, her expression changed. She then said, "Dad, don't worry! I'll talk to you when I get upstairs."

After hanging up, she said to Zhang Qiu, "My brother is in trouble!"

She then ran towards the office building, and Zhang Qiu followed without a word. The security guards also ran after them. Their unusual actions immediately drew the attention of passersby, who wondered what company was running a drill. But with such a beautiful girl leading the way, these guys were truly lucky. (To be continued...)