I'm a sophomore in college, what the heck is this "male god cultivation system"?

Chapter 156 Malice Perception
Just as Chen Yan was about to call Chocolate to ask her why she had taken leave...

Before his finger could even press the phone button, the system notification sounded first.

As a heartthrob, you've achieved great success in love and made significant strides in your career... However, just when everything seems to be going well, your trusted lieutenant, Chocolate, suddenly shows signs of wanting to quit. How will you respond?

[Option 1: Gently inquire about her reasons for taking a break, letting her feel your tenderness and be captivated by it.]

[Reward: Malice Detection (Special Skill)]

……

[Option Two: As a leader, you should demonstrate a ruthless and decisive side. Use a forceful attitude to make Chocolate give up her illusions and obediently return to work.]

[Reward: Skin Whitening]

……

[Option 3: The Earth won't stop rotating because one less person is missing, and Stellar Media won't be affected by a lack of chocolate. As a male god, you don't need to care about this passerby; just focus on your own development.]

[Reward: Random Master-level Skill]

……

Of the three options, the one that attracted Chen Yan the most was the special skill rewarded by option one—malicious perception.

After all, you can know a person's face but not their heart. Being able to sense someone's malice undoubtedly adds another layer of protection to him.

While the skin whitening reward in option two is also quite good, it's practically unappealing to Chen Yan.

After obtaining the [Pure Yang Body], his skin was already in a near-perfect state—fair yet exuding masculinity. If it were to become even whiter, he might develop into a "pretty boy."

Chen Yan wasn't really interested in the "pretty boy" category.

As for option three, he immediately ruled it out. Based on his understanding of the system, he believed it was best to avoid such random skills that offered no guarantee.

It would be great to draw highly practical skills like master-level communication, public speaking, or foreign languages, but based on his understanding of the system, Chen Yan suspected that the skills he would be drawn for him were likely to be skills with zero practicality, such as fishing, flying saucers, or tank driving.

No, fishing does have some uses.

Just as Chen Yan was about to call Chocolate, another call came into his phone first.

However, judging from the caller ID, it was an unknown number.

Chen Yan didn't take it too seriously, assuming it was some kind of insurance sales call, but considering the low probability of something happening, he still answered the phone.

"Hey, who are you?"

"Mr. Chen, it's me, Song Yang."

Chen Yan then realized that he had given Chocolate a business card before, so Song Yang must have written down the phone number.

At the same time, he had a guess in his mind about why Chocolate suddenly wanted to take a break.

After all, Song Yang had called him, which was all because of chocolate. Obviously, something had happened between the two of them, causing chocolate to suddenly want to "open up".

The things that happen between couples that can exhaust one person to the point of wanting to give up their career are basically "breaking up" and "getting married".

Judging from the anxiety in Song Yang's tone, they must have broken up.

"Song Yang, is there something you need when you call me?"

"Well, Mr. Chen..." Song Yang stammered on the phone for a while, and after five or six seconds he said indistinctly, "I had a little conflict with Chocolate, and I can't get in touch with her now. I don't know where she is. Do you know where she is?"

'So it really is a breakup.' For some reason, Chen Yan suddenly seemed a little listless, but his tone didn't change much as he continued:

"I don't know either. She suddenly messaged me last night saying she wanted to take a break for a while."

"Oh, I see," Song Yang responded softly, followed by a moment of silence.

After about ten seconds of silence, Chen Yan said, "If there's nothing else, I'll hang up now."

“President Chen.” Song Yang’s voice suddenly rose several decibels as he mustered his courage and said, “Um, could you please contact Chocolate? This isn’t good for her career. And if you get in touch with her, could you… could you please let her answer my call first?”

'No, buddy, I'm your girlfriend's boss. Are you treating me like a matchmaker?' Chen Yan thought to himself, but he didn't show his emotions. He just nodded and said:
"Let me try."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Chen. You've really gone to a lot of trouble."

"It's okay, I'll contact Chocolate now."

After saying that, Chen Yan hung up the phone and then called Chocolate.

The call was answered in less than three seconds.

"Hello, boss." Chocolate's voice was tired and tinged with unease; she had probably already guessed why Chen Yan was calling her.

It's simply because she took the day off last night.

To be honest, even Chocolate herself felt that she had gone a bit too far. The filming task was not heavy at all, and could even be said to be quite easy, but she still had to ask for leave under these circumstances.

Yesterday's breakup left her feeling utterly exhausted, both physically and mentally. All she wanted to do was stay home for a while and do absolutely nothing.

After all, actively ending a three-year relationship can easily lead to mental exhaustion.

Chocolate felt that if she were Chen Yan, she would definitely give him a good scolding at this moment... She was also prepared to be scolded by Chen Yan, pursed her lips, and nervously welcomed the upcoming "storm".

However, Chen Yan did not show any anger, and still spoke in his usual gentle tone, asking with concern:

You sound very tired. Didn't you sleep well last night?

Chocolate wasn't afraid of harsh criticism at this point; she had completely given up and was now in a state of "retreating," ready to take a nap wherever she fell.

And criticism is actually not very effective against this kind of person...

But Chen Yan's caring tone was like a sharp needle, easily piercing through the "shell" she had put on.

"Yeah, I didn't sleep very well last night." Chocolate's voice lowered slightly, and her tone became more emotional. "Song Yang just called me." Chen Yan said gently, "Although I don't know what happened between you two, I can tell you're very tired right now."

Logically speaking, I should definitely take a break and get some rest during this time.

When Chocolate heard the phrase "Logically speaking," her heart sank, and she felt that her plan to take a break was about to be ruined.

After all, "in principle" is basically equivalent to "in principle, it is permissible"...

What is permissible in principle is generally not permissible in reality; what is impermissible in principle means there is room for maneuver.

Chocolate already understood that she had to work in "power-saving mode"... Although she was a little reluctant, Chen Yan had been so good to her, so she couldn't be ungrateful and keep haggling.

Just as Chocolate was about to speak, Chen Yan's voice rang out again.

"But this golden age of development for chocolate isn't something that lasts forever, and we don't know when it will end," Chen Yan gently advised.
"You're ahead of the game now, which is a great start, but if you slack off for a while, you might be overtaken by others."

"I may not be able to help you with matters of the heart, but the money I earn is definitely yours. Money may not be everything, but it can solve 99% of the problems around you."

“Taking leave will definitely be detrimental to your career development. How about this, we reduce the workload a bit, just enough to ensure a minimum stable output. This way you will have more time to rest while still having a decent income.”

To be honest, Chen Yan's persuasion skills are not particularly advanced, but he has an undeniable ability to evoke emotional resonance. Even though the two are only communicating via mobile phone and are more than 20 kilometers apart, Chocolate can still feel his thoughts of "I'm doing this for your own good" and "I'm thinking of you."

Chocolate's "idea of ​​rest" was already teetering on the brink, and this extravagant promise completely extinguished any thought of rest.

"Boss, I'll rent a place in the next couple of days when I have some free time, and then I'll go back to work immediately."

Although she got along very well with her previous landlady, Chocolate really didn't want to live in the same neighborhood as Song Yang anymore.

If possible, she hopes to be as far away from the other person as possible.

"Rent a room?" Chen Yan pondered for a moment and said, "The photo studio actually has dormitories, so why don't you make do with it for a while?"

'A photo studio dormitory?' Chocolate subconsciously thought of those employee dormitories. After thinking for a moment, she thought it was feasible, so she nodded and said, 'Then boss, I'll pack my luggage now, and then I'll go to the subway station right away. I can get back to Hangzhou by noon.'

Chocolate is currently staying at her parents' house, which is about 30 kilometers away from the photo studio. If you take the subway, it will take about an hour to get there, even with all the spare time.

"Which stop are you getting off at? I'll come pick you up."

"Oh, no need for that, I can come by myself." Chocolate's tone was somewhat apprehensive.

After all, having her boss pick her up in his car was just too... too much of a flattery for her.

"It's alright, just give me the location. I'm free today, so I'll take you to the studio's dormitory and we can discuss the upcoming shooting schedule."

Seeing that Chen Yan had said that, Chocolate could no longer refuse, so she told Chen Yan the stop where she was getting off.

The conversation between the two ended there.

Just as Chocolate was waiting for Chen Yan to hang up the phone, the other party's voice suddenly rang out again.

"By the way, Song Yang just called me, hoping you could remove him from your blacklist." Chen Yan said calmly, "But I think your own feelings are the most important. If you feel that not contacting him is good for your well-being, then keep him on your blacklist."

You're an internet celebrity I mentored; I only care about your current state.

For some reason, the phrase "I only care about your well-being" made Chocolate's heart suddenly pound, and her mind went blank. For a moment, she couldn't even think rationally.

"Okay, I'll consider it."

After saying those words in a flustered manner, Chocolate quickly hung up the phone, sat blankly on the bed, feeling completely dazed.

'I guess I'm overthinking it. The boss obviously didn't mean it that way...' Chocolate was lost in a mental storm, but her face was getting hotter and hotter, like a boiling teapot.

However, the sudden ringing of the telephone pulled her out of her mental whirlwind.

Chocolate took a deep breath and looked at her phone. The caller ID showed the name "Song Ran".

Chocolate had met Song Ran, Song Yang's younger sister, a few times. She was a very pretty girl with a good personality, which left a very good impression on Chocolate.

However, she was certain that the person on the other end of the phone was not Song Ran.

Although she didn't want to have any more contact with Song Yang, Chocolate felt she should make a clean break.

After all, Song Yang had already called Chen Yan. If he didn't let the other party send a private message, who knew what outrageous things he might do?

As she was thinking this, Chocolate pressed the answer button and whispered, "Hello."

The next second, Song Yang's urgent voice rang out.

"Xiaoyun, you finally answered my call! Listen to me, I really didn't mean to do that yesterday. I promise I won't..."

Song Yang rambled on incoherently, but Qiao Ke was not moved at all; instead, he felt a little irritated.

Chocolate is aware of her own personality. Most of the time, she is attracted to good looks and has a romantic mindset, but she becomes incredibly rational after making crucial decisions.

Before she even considered breaking up with Song Yang, she would maintain a communicative attitude and try her best to resolve any conflicts between them, as long as he didn't commit any fundamental offenses.

But after deciding to break up, she didn't even want to say a single word to Song Yang.

"Song Yang, stop talking." Chocolate interrupted Song Yang, then said, "We've broken up. Do you understand what I mean? If you still want me to have a last bit of goodwill towards you, please don't bother me anymore, and don't bother the people around me."

"Xiaoyun, we don't need to break up over such a small thing," Song Yang pleaded desperately. "You said we should solve problems, not let problems solve us."

"But have you solved the problem?" Chocolate retorted. "I told you to take our dates a little more seriously, but most of the time you don't even want to wash your hair."

“I told you to pay a little more attention to personal hygiene, but every time I walk into your rented apartment, there are always takeout boxes on the table and full garbage bags lying around. I’m the one who has to clean up for you most of the time.”

"Xiaoyun, I know I was wrong, and I will change all of these things."

"No, Song Yang, separating is the best choice for us." Chocolate's voice was calm yet cold as she softly said, "Please don't bother me or the people around me anymore, thank you."

After saying that, she hung up the phone and added the number to her blacklist.

(End of this chapter)