Chapter 2: The Right Hand of Love

In his bedroom, Chen Lin stared at his right hand with a strange expression. Just a minute ago, he had acquired something bizarre—[The Right Hand of Love].

It had started with a strange deity figurine he’d picked up at a flea market, which turned out to be a relic used to seal a demon. By chance, he had broken the seal and unexpectedly earned himself one wish.

Chen Lin’s wish was simple: he hoped that his beloved senior, Meiyue, would fall in love with him too.

The demon, its face hidden within the black mist, sneered and told Chen Lin that this was easy to handle. So it bestowed upon Chen Lin’s right hand a [Curse]—[The Right Hand of Love].

With this hand, touching any woman would make her fall unconditionally in love with him. Of course, there was a price to pay: he would never [die].

Just as Chen Lin was about to ask what that meant, the demon dissolved into a puff of mist and vanished as if it had never existed.

Staring at his own right hand, Chen Lin felt dazed. He muttered to himself, “…What just happened? Wait, let’s not even get into whether I really have [The Right Hand of Love]. Not being able to [die]—is that really a punishment?”

What kind of life do people envy? It’s undoubtedly a life with cheats. But having finally gotten a cheat, Chen Lin still wanted to test it out to see if it really worked.

Leaving his bedroom, he stepped out onto the street. Then it suddenly hit him: who should he test this ability on? Before he knew it, he had wandered over to a community park.

A rubber ball rolled to Chen Lin’s feet, and a crisp, sweet, childish voice called out, “Big brother, can you get the ball for me?”

Following the sound, Chen Lin looked over. Not far in front of him stood an adorable little girl, her big, watery eyes fixed on him.

She had a cute, youthful face, about eleven years old—probably still in elementary school. Her hair was shoulder-length, with a slightly longer braid tied on the left side. Though young, she already had a pure, refined beauty. It was hard to imagine that when she grew up, she would be an absolute knockout.

She was so sweet and lovely that Chen Lin felt an instant connection, as if he wanted to pamper her like a little sister. Almost subconsciously, he moved to help.

He picked up the ball with his right hand and was about to toss it to her. But seeing how cute she was, he changed his mind. He walked over, holding out the ball, and handed it to her.

The girl’s soft fingertips brushed against his fingers—smooth and boneless. As she took the ball, she thanked him, “Thank you, big brother.”

Her voice was so sweet it made Chen Lin’s bones feel like they were melting.

“No problem. It was nothing,” he replied with a fond smile.

But the girl didn’t leave immediately. Instead, she stood frozen, as if struck by lightning. Her cheeks flushed red all the way to her ears, and she stared intently at Chen Lin.

“My name is Ren Yanyan. What’s your name, big brother?” she asked, her voice shy.

“I’m Chen Lin,” he answered without hesitation. Since she had offered her name, there was no reason to hide his.

Upon hearing his name, Ren Yanyan broke into a brilliant smile. It was like a thousand pear trees blossoming at once—the smile of an angel. Chen Lin was stunned. How could a little girl be this cute? No wonder some men had a thing for lolis; he suddenly understood them perfectly.

With an auntie-like grin, Chen Lin realized staying any longer might make him look suspicious. So he said goodbye to Ren Yanyan and left.

After exiting the park, he planned to find another test subject. But then a thought struck him, and he stared blankly at his right hand.

This hand was now cursed with [The Right Hand of Love]. And just now, when he handed the ball to Ren Yanyan, he had completely forgotten! His right hand’s index and middle fingers had accidentally touched hers. That meant his right hand had touched her.

She would fall in love with him!

No way…

A wave of guilt washed over Chen Lin. He stopped in his tracks and looked back at the park.

“No, no, no… This can’t be right,” he muttered, shaking his head, trying to deny it. From any angle, laying hands on a child was downright criminal. Not only did public decency forbid it, but his own moral code wouldn’t allow it. What happened was purely accidental—he had never intended to do anything to her.

She was just a little girl. She probably didn’t even understand romantic love. Maybe she was immune to the curse. It should be fine, he reassured himself. Besides, [The Right Hand of Love] might be a complete scam anyway.

After that mishap, Chen Lin no longer felt like testing the ability. His goal had always been Meiyue-senpai and only her. Ever since he entered high school, he had harbored a crush on her, though it was one-sided—she didn’t even know who he was.

Soon the weekend passed, and Monday arrived. For any ordinary high school student, it meant going back to school.

“Morning, Mu Mu!” A tall boy greeted Chen Lin. This was Chen Lin’s best friend, Jin Jie. They had been friends since elementary school and now attended the same high school. “Mu Mu” was Chen Lin’s nickname, derived from the character “Lin” split into two “Mu” characters. Chen Lin had always protested this nickname, but Jin Jie never listened. Over time, Chen Lin had given up fighting it.

“Morning,” Chen Lin replied, then returned to his seat by the window—second to last row, the so-called protagonist’s spot. Sitting down, he organized his homework while mulling things over.

Today, his one-sided crush would finally end. He had made up his mind: even if he couldn’t truly make Meiyue-senpai love him, as long as he touched her—like with Ren Yanyan—enough to get her to ask his name, then he would die happy. Just thinking about using his right hand to touch Meiyue’s body made him both nervous and a little excited.