Only when time is short do we regret not having enough points.

After dinner, Chu Qingchan also went to wash up. Seizing the moment before his room was claimed, Xu Lin opened his computer, preparing to upload two chapters from his drafts.

He glanced at the stats—good, four bookmarks! But that was to be expected. For a first-time author, no matter how talented, there was still the process of signing a contract and getting recommendations.

He opened the system and saw that midnight had passed; it was Monday, and the Affection Store had refreshed.

He had a good habit of buying all the affordable items, such as the Tracking Powder for only 300 points, and kept a few Temporary Intelligence Boost cards on hand.

Now his points were quite ample; despite some spending, he still had 33,300 left.

Chu Qingchan, Ji Yun, and Su Qingwan had all reached an affection level of 30, each providing over 10,000 points. Chu Qingchan the most, at 15,000.

After Bai Xiaoxiao returned from her home, her affection reached 18, granting him 300 points. It was only a matter of time before she reached 20.

But hitting 30 seemed like a watershed moment; one-time gestures or emotional shocks were no longer universal solutions.

Now, it required a steady, ongoing cultivation of feelings. This was a bit exhausting, but the superstar was truly impressive, having quietly reached 39, just shy of 40.

At 30, it brought in around 10,000 points. He wondered what 40 would yield. Better check the store for any useful items.

[Choose to upgrade an owned level 1 ability to level 2: 10,000 points]
[Skill: Heart of Enhancement (After use, strengthen any skill or attribute for 33 minutes; cooldown: 12 hours): 20,000 points]
[Spirit Resonance Breathing lv1: 3,000 points]
[Starlit Steps lv1: 3,000 points]

The first item was immediately useful. Last time, upgrading a random level 1 skill to level 2 cost 5,000; now, for 10,000, he could choose which skill to upgrade.

He opened his skill panel. Originally, his level 1 skills were Singing, Archery, Cooking, and Manga Drawing; now Acting had been added.

After muddling through with two people, he'd even picked up a new skill—not bad. But which should he upgrade?

If he wanted to pursue a career in entertainment, Singing and Acting were crucial. However, he hadn’t firmly decided to put himself in the limelight.

Though surrounded by so many outstanding women had motivated him, at heart, he was still a lazy dog.

If writing novels could make him money, he’d never bother with showbiz—too much trouble, too many complications. Unless he became so formidable, he could ignore the industry's rules entirely.

But... he was about to shoot a short film. Even though he’d acquired Acting lv1, he still felt uneasy. Maybe he should spend 10,000 points?

But upgrading Singing would also help with his visit to Teacher Guan tomorrow. What if he embarrassed himself? That would not only cost him face, but also disgrace their superstar at home!

The second item was tempting too; it could enhance any ability or attribute—essentially a supercharged temporary boost card! It cost 20,000 points and had a long cooldown, but was clearly incredibly useful. Not only could it directly enhance physical or mental attributes, but it didn’t restrict the skill level. Upgrading a lv2 skill would make it lv3; with a lv3 skill, boosting it would momentarily make it lv4.

He had learned guitar for two months and could already play simple songs, but hadn’t earned lv1. Badminton and swimming too—he considered himself decent, but the system didn’t recognize it. Level 1 denoted a certain degree of proficiency.

Currently, he had level 2 in Writing and Xu Family Self-Defense. One let him earn a living, the other kept him safe even with average constitution. That’s what it took to reach level 2.

As for level 3, he didn’t have any, but even at level 2, he could sense the weight of the next breakthrough.

The last two items seemed odd, almost out of place with the Affection System—like something from martial arts or fantasy novels. Still, they were cheap, and if the system offered them, they couldn’t be completely useless.

The first was a breathing technique, the second seemed like a footwork or lightness skill—if their effects matched their names, he’d gladly spend 6,000 points.

After all, with his current abilities, if he ran into Chu Qingchan's sister, he’d still get beaten up.

Though it was a law-abiding society, personal strength was still valuable, especially in a country like Huaxia where there were no firearms in circulation. Being agile was an important safeguard—for himself, his family, and his friends.

If he bought everything, he’d need 36,000 points—suddenly, his once-plentiful points didn’t seem like much. In fact, he was short.

"Sigh… Maybe I should upgrade Singing first."

"What’s wrong?" Chu Qingchan, fresh from her shower, walked in, her long legs swinging, making Xu Lin feel a bit flustered.

"Nothing, just checking if my novel passed review."

"You write novels too?"

"Of course! Is there anything I can’t do? Your husband is a man of many talents."

"Shameless as ever." She raised a slender middle finger. "If my fans knew you were taking advantage of me, they’d string you up for a beating."

"You have fans?" Xu Lin feigned incredulity.

"Xu Lin, that’s too much. Even if my acting isn’t the best, I’m professionally trained. It’s just these past few years, I haven’t been able to get into character. My early work was quite good."

"That just means you don’t truly love acting."

Xu Lin looked at her, taking a sip from a cup—only to realize it was hers. He put it down, a little embarrassed.

Chu Qingchan scoffed, "We’ve already kissed, and you’re still fussing over a cup? Men… you don’t blush about using your mouths for other things, do you?"

"Cough! Slow down with that talk..." Xu Lin nearly choked on his water.

"Back then, I just wanted to escape my family, to change my life. I thought I liked performing enough, so I went for it..."

Chu Qingchan’s expression grew nostalgic; she took a deep breath. "Now, I feel like I’ve found what I truly love."

"Singing?"

"Yes. Actually, I’ve liked singing for a long time, but I had friends who sang well but never became popular. I thought I’d be wasting my effort too."

"But after hearing you sing that song, I realized maybe the problem wasn’t me—it was that I didn’t have the right song, my own song."

"So, when I learned Teacher Guan was from my hometown, I felt I had to give it a real try—maybe something good would come of it."

"When I first met her, it was just a casual visit. I hadn’t planned to be so upfront about my intentions."

"But she’s very sharp; she saw right through me. In fact, she was already familiar with me—her granddaughter is a fan of my acting."

"It was a little awkward, but she said she’d heard me sing a short segment on a variety show and thought I had real talent."

"She was about to leave town, so she took me along. In a studio in Qizhou, I sang a demo—your song."

"She praised my voice and your song even more, and decided I could train with her for a while. But whether I can achieve anything depends on building a solid foundation."

"Later, I followed her to Yanjing on business, met many great musicians, and learned a lot."

"Isn’t that a great outcome?" Xu Lin could hear the excitement in her voice, and genuinely felt happy for her.

"But Teacher Guan is coming back tomorrow, so you’ll have to come with me. She wants to see you before making a decision."

"A decision about what? Isn’t she already your mentor?"

"Of course not! She’s a master—she can’t just take on students casually."

"Then why does she need to see me?"

"Because I told her you have a great voice and are a talented songwriter. So she wants to meet you and see if you live up to my… praise."

"If you do, she might let you study with her too. That way, our combined value might be worthy of her name."

"Alright, looks like tomorrow’s going to be a real test then."

"Yes, Xu Lin, prepare yourself."

"Then I need to sleep on the bed. I need to be well-rested to perform my best."

"Sorry, I’m exhausted—off you go, little Lin."

As if she hadn’t heard him, Chu Qingchan dove onto the bed, wrapped herself in the covers, and turned herself into something resembling a caterpillar.

Xu Lin shot the caterpillar a venomous glare, then turned to leave, swearing to himself that one day he’d have his way with her—he’d kiss her legs until she was weak in the knees!