Chapter One: Devotion? Isn't That Just Being a Fool for Love!

"I really can't believe you, man. You skipped class just to make chicken soup for Xu Ke? Can't you go a single day without doing something this ridiculous?"

"For the love of reason, Luo, you've been fawning over her for more than three months and you still haven't won her over. Can't you wake up and see reality? She doesn't even like you!"

"Exactly, Qin. Look at you, running around serving her like you're her personal attendant. Has she ever even looked at you properly?"

At Magic City University, in the men's dormitory 404, three young men gazed at Qin Luo, who was busily making chicken soup. Their words were well-intentioned, but their faces were filled with both exasperation and pity. They had said things like this so many times over the past three months, yet, as the saying goes, good advice can't persuade a man hell-bent on his own path. Ever since Qin Luo fell for Xu Ke three months ago, it was as if he were possessed—his devotion was nothing short of fanatical, and no amount of persuasion could sway him.

For example, on rainy days, he'd give his umbrella to Xu Ke and walk home himself, soaked to the skin. On her birthday, he risked a demerit just to fill the space beneath the girls’ dorm with a sea of roses and light fireworks. When Xu Ke mentioned wanting to try a new dessert from a shop near campus, he stood in line under the blazing sun for two hours just to get it for her. And there were countless other instances—too many to count over the past three months.

His three roommates had witnessed all of this, sighing quietly to themselves. They’d known each other for over two years, since their freshman year, and their friendship had grown sincere. Qin Luo was easy-going and kind-hearted; they genuinely wished him well, not to see him tormented by a woman. So they always tried to talk sense into him.

But no matter what they said, Qin Luo always seemed to enjoy himself, never showing the slightest regret. If only Xu Ke would directly refuse him, or at least respond to his efforts in some way, his friends wouldn't be so upset. They might even cheer him on, cursing and blessing him in the same breath.

But reality was cruel. Xu Ke never gave any response to his affections, yet she didn’t reject him either—she simply accepted his care as a matter of course, summoning him at will like a princess commanding a servant. His friends were both disgusted by her behavior and frustrated with Qin Luo’s refusal to come to his senses, and so they kept trying to talk him out of it.

But after all this time, Qin Luo would either just smile dismissively or, like now, simply say—

"You don't understand."

Qin Luo replied with a smile, still typing away on his phone.

"Xu Ke, I made you some chicken soup. I’ll bring it over soon."

"Don’t want it."

"Come on, have a little. It's good for you."

"I said I don’t want it—don’t you understand?"

"Okay, okay, I get it. Don't be mad. I’ll buy you some milk tea, all right?"

His perfunctory replies made his three roommates suck in a cold breath. Watching him send messages and grin like a fool, even the burly Northeasterner, Li Chengang, clenched his fists, as if itching to punch some sense into Qin Luo.

Wang Chen, the handsome, stylish local from Magic City, quickly intervened. "Forget it, Chengang, it’s not worth it."

Wu Xuan, the scholarly-looking Cantonese, pushed up his glasses and sighed, "You can’t wake someone who’s pretending to sleep."

In other words, Qin Luo knew exactly what he was doing—he just refused to change, even relishing the torment.

Sometimes his friends wondered if love could really turn someone into such an idiot.

"Forget it! I give up!" Li Chengang swore loudly and stormed out of the dorm.

The other two looked at Qin Luo, opened their mouths as if to say something, but ultimately left in silence.

Now, only Qin Luo remained.

He put down his spoon, glanced at the closed door, and said helplessly, "Brothers, you really don’t understand..."

Of course, they didn’t understand.

After all, they didn’t have a system.

Three months ago, Qin Luo had suddenly acquired the "Persona System."

As a modern man of four virtues—fond of lolis, mature women, wealthy women, and married women—Qin Luo was well-read and widely experienced, with a keen knowledge of web novels, especially those involving system plots.

So, after a brief shock, he eagerly explored the system’s functions.

Once bound, the system would randomly assign Qin Luo a "persona." He had to maintain this persona at all times without letting it collapse, and in return, he could check in daily for rewards—the longer he kept up the act, the greater the rewards.

Each persona lasted 100 days, after which a new one would be assigned.

If he failed before the 100 days were up, the rewards would be lost, and a new persona would be assigned immediately, resetting the count.

When he first bound the system, his persona was "Devoted."

It took him ten seconds to process this and he nearly cursed aloud—"Devoted" sounded nice, but in plain terms, it meant being a simp.

Grumbling, he set his sights on the campus belle.

Xu Ke, one of the most beautiful girls at Magic City University—an ethereal beauty with the icy purity of a snow lotus, she had countless admirers since enrollment, but none had broken through her frosty exterior. She was known as the hardest woman to win over on campus.

That made her the perfect candidate—after all, a "devoted" persona needed an unattainable target. If she were easy to win, how could he prove his devotion?

And, if she was hard to get, he wouldn’t end up in a relationship by accident and could mine the "persona" for all its rewards for 100 days, focusing entirely on playing the part.

So, Qin Luo launched a full-on simp offensive against Xu Ke—for over three months.

Unfortunately, money is hard to earn, and being a simp is even harder.

The past three months had been so painful that even his roommates couldn’t stand to watch, let alone Qin Luo himself.

But at last, it was nearly over...

"Congratulations, Host, on successfully completing 100 days of 'Devoted' persona."
"100-day reward: 1 million yuan, +5 to charisma, +5 to charm, Item: Magic Glasses, Skill: Music Mastery."
"New persona bound. Sign-ins begin tomorrow."

Hearing the system’s voice in his mind, Qin Luo was so overjoyed he nearly wept.

"One hundred days! Do you know what I’ve endured these past hundred days? Damn you, system, you’ve ruined me..."

But since the rewards were decent this time, he’d let it go—but only this once!

Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he checked his new persona.

The result nearly made his eyes pop out.

"Playboy"?

His new persona was a playboy?

One second he was a simp, the next he had to become a playboy?

This system was truly deranged.

His expression shifted as he pondered how to embody this new persona.

Just then, his phone beeped. Qin Luo glanced at the contact labeled "Goddess Xu Ke" and paused for a moment.

Since personas were all about appearances, he’d paid attention to every detail—even setting her nickname accordingly.

But now, with his hundred days complete, the first thing he did was delete her nickname—then he checked her message.

"Bring a few more for my roommates. I’m waiting for you at the dorm entrance. Hurry up."

Straightforward and demanding, as usual.

Before, Qin Luo would’ve replied "Okay!" and rushed off to buy milk tea.

This time...

He still replied "Okay," but left at a leisurely pace.

...

"Tsk, no matter how many times you see her, the goddess never gets old."

"If you like her, go for it. Staring won’t get you anywhere."

"Yeah right, spare me. After all, Luo God’s legendary persistence got him nowhere—I’d have no chance."

"You know, that Qin Luo guy isn’t bad looking—almost as good as me. He should have plenty of admirers, so why’s he so hung up on Xu Ke?"

"Maybe that’s just the simp mentality. I’d never have such determination. Xu Ke’s roommates aren’t any less attractive, and their personalities are way better. Why not go for one of them instead?"

"True. Yao Yanyan, Tang Yu, Chu Sijin, Chu Liunian—they’re all on par with Xu Ke, and none as cold as she is. Can’t figure out why Xu Ke’s so popular."

"Maybe it’s because she’s the coldest—people always want what they can’t have."

"You make it sound like the others are easy to get. Still, I respect Luo God—most guys don’t even dare try. One of their roommates even transferred out, but Luo God kept going for a hundred days. Gotta admire that..."

On campus, five striking young women walked together, drawing countless admiring glances.

Their fellow female students looked on with both envy and jealousy, while the men admired the scene and whispered among themselves.

They all lived in the same dorm, so Room 606 was known as the "Goddess Dorm" of Magic City University.

Because there were more women than men at the school, most girls' dorms were six-person rooms. So was theirs, but one girl transferred out, unable to handle the beauty of her five roommates.

No one else wanted to move in and endure the pressure of being the plain one, so 606 remained a five-person room. The story became a campus legend, cementing the dorm’s reputation.

Xu Ke was long used to the stares and whispers as they walked. Ignoring them all, she said to her roommates, "Qin Luo went to get us milk tea. Let’s wait for him downstairs, or we’ll just have to come down again."

Yao Yanyan, with her stylish look and black hair streaked with blue, chuckled, "I feel a bit bad—making him spend money on us again."

Her tone, however, betrayed no real embarrassment.

Xu Ke shrugged, "It’s not much money. I’ll pay him back later."

Yao Yanyan grinned, "No need to worry—he’s pursuing you, after all. Guys are supposed to spend money when they’re chasing a girl. Otherwise, how would you know he cares?"

Tang Yu, every inch the refined lady, sighed, "That’s not the point, Xu Ke. It’s not about the money. You can’t just accept his kindness because he likes you. If you don’t like him, you should just tell him. No need to string him along."

Xu Ke frowned. Tang Yu was the one who liked to lecture most in the dorm, and she’d heard this argument many times. She retorted, "When did I string him along? I never asked him to do any of this. And even if I haven’t told him outright, my attitude’s been obvious. The others who chased me all gave up. He’s just stubborn—how is that my fault?"

Yao Yanyan nodded, "He really is stubborn. But honestly, guys as devoted as him are rare these days. Even I’m a little tempted—if you’re not interested, Xu Ke, why not let me have him?"

Both Tang Yu and Xu Ke frowned—Tang Yu annoyed at Yao Yanyan’s meddling, Xu Ke expressionless as she replied, "Go ahead. I’m not his keeper."

Yao Yanyan teased, "I just don’t want you to be mad if I really do steal him away."

Xu Ke said coolly, "Don’t flatter yourself. I’m not interested."

The twin sisters, Chu Sijin and Chu Liunian, who looked almost identical, had little interest in Xu Ke and Qin Luo’s business. The elder, Chu Sijin, was wondering what to have for dinner; the younger, Chu Liunian, was browsing anime on her phone as she walked.

The five of them slowly made their way back to the girls’ dorm, soaking up the attention as they chatted idly while waiting for Qin Luo to arrive.

It wasn’t until Xu Ke was starting to get impatient that Qin Luo finally appeared, carrying several cups of milk tea.

Those nearby paused, casting mocking, disdainful glances his way.

"Look, the Qin guy’s back simping for the campus belle."

"Tsk, tsk. Playing Tahm Kench is one thing, but the real King Simp is Luo God."

"I saw Xu Ke waiting earlier—she looks annoyed. Luo God’s in trouble."

"I’ll bet a hundred yuan his first words will be an apology—want to bet?"

"You could just take my money, but you still want to bet? You’re killing me!"

Mocking laughter rippled through the crowd, but no one thought anything of it. Over the past three months, Qin Luo’s devotion to Xu Ke had become legendary. At first, people thought he’d give up soon enough, but now they had to admit—he was in a league of his own.

"Simp" didn’t cover it anymore—he was the Simp King. His nickname, "Luo God," sounded impressive but was meant as pure sarcasm.

Seeing him approach with an armful of milk tea, everyone could guess what would happen next: Qin Luo would try to please Xu Ke, she’d get annoyed at being kept waiting, he’d apologize frantically, and then slink away, only to return cheerfully the next day.

King of Simps, indeed.

The onlookers had seen this play out so many times, they were almost bored, but today they still stopped to watch—curious to see how Qin Luo would grovel this time.

Under all those watchful eyes, Qin Luo finally stopped in front of Xu Ke.

Before he could speak, Xu Ke snapped, "What took you so long?"

Just as the onlookers expected, Xu Ke was clearly annoyed at his tardiness.

Qin Luo simply smiled and said nothing, handing over a cup of milk tea.

Xu Ke reached out to take it, but the cup slid past her—landing in front of Tang Yu instead...