Cheat Million Love

After buying quite a lot of snacks, Nic suddenly said, "I'll be right back," and disappeared without any further explanation.

Zestia, who was holding one of the snack boxes, handed it over to the mute girl they had just met. Mira received it with both hands and bowed deeply in gratitude.

Sylvia, Julia, and Selene looked at each other in confusion. "Where did Nic go?" Julia asked, glancing at Zestia, who looked much calmer than the rest of them.

"I don't know," Zestia replied shortly, though she clearly seemed curious too.

Not long after, Nic returned, holding a small notebook and a pen in his hand. He walked up to girl with a casual stride. "You probably need this, right? It'll make it easier to talk," he said as he handed her the notebook and pen.

The girl looked up at him with wide eyes, then slowly nodded and accepted the items. She began writing something, her hand slightly trembling. She turned the first page to show them her writing: "My name is Mira."

Zestia smiled gently. "Oh, so your name is Mira. Nice to meet you! I'm Zestia. This is Sylvia, Julia, Selene, and—yeah, that's Nic."

Mira gave a faint smile, her eyes sparkling. She could feel how kind they all were. After a short pause, she began writing again, this time a longer message: "Can I ask a favor?"

Nic read the words and replied right away, "What kind of favor, Mira?"

Carefully, Mira wrote again: "Some of my pets haven't eaten. I was planning to go out and earn money to feed them, but I couldn't."

Without hesitation, Nic nodded. "Alright, we'll help you." Then he turned to the others. "You guys go on home. The others are probably waiting for the snacks."

"Wait, are you sure it's okay, Nic?" Sylvia asked, looking concerned.

"Yeah, it's fine. Zestia and I are here. Don't worry," Nic said casually.

Even though they were hesitant, Sylvia, Julia, and Selene eventually agreed and headed home.

Now it was just Nic, Zestia, and Mira walking together to her place. When they arrived, they were greeted by a heartwarming sight. Several dogs, cats, rabbits, and even small birds ran up to Mira excitedly. But not all of them looked healthy—some were weak from hunger.

Mira hugged them one by one, a big smile on her face. But her eyes showed worry as she stroked their heads gently.

Seeing that, Nic asked, "Where's the nearest pet store?"

Mira pointed across the street hesitantly. There was a small shop with a sign that read "Pet Care Supplies."

"Stay here. I'll go," Nic said, walking off quickly.

Zestia sat near Mira, who was still busy comforting her animals. Watching her closely, Zestia asked, "Where are your parents?"

Mira looked down and wrote in her notebook: "They're working hard for me. I know I'm a burden with all these animals."

Reading that, Zestia gently patted Mira's head. "You're not a burden, Mira. You just care a lot. It's okay. Nic will definitely help you."

Meanwhile, in the store, Nic went straight to the cashier. "Do you still have pet food in stock?"

The cashier nodded. "Yeah, plenty. What kind do you need?"

"I'll take everything," Nic said without skipping a beat.

The cashier blinked. "Everything? Are you serious? Why do you need so much pet food?"

Nic explained, "I'm helping out a girl who really cares about animals. They haven't eaten yet."

The cashier paused, then asked hesitantly, "The mute girl? Mira?"

Nic nodded. "Yeah. You know her?"

The cashier gave a small smile. "She comes by often. Every time she does, her eyes light up when she sees the animals. But we've had to stop her from taking too many. It's hard to care for them all."

Hearing that, Nic felt even more moved. "Alright then. Ring it all up. I'll pay."

Still in disbelief, the cashier finally pulled out the payment machine. Nic calmly swiped his card and completed the transaction.

When the cashier saw the amount Nic had paid—far more than the total cost—his jaw dropped. But before he could say anything, Nic was already walking out.

He left behind a note on the counter: "Please deliver everything to Mira's house."

The cashier stood speechless for a moment before calling out to the staff to start packing everything Nic had just bought.

"You're kidding, right?" one of the staff said in shock.

"Nope. This is real. Rich kids and their wild hobbies, I swear," the cashier muttered as he shook his head.

Soon, the team was busy packing and preparing the delivery.

Back at Mira's place, Nic returned after making sure the order would be delivered. Mira's face lit up the moment she saw him. She ran up and grabbed his hand, shaking it up and down with a huge smile, overflowing with gratitude.

Nic chuckled at her innocent reaction. "Yeah, yeah, I get it—you're happy."

Mira nodded eagerly, still smiling.

But then Nic noticed something strange in the corner of the room—a black crow perched silently, its glowing red eyes watching them.

He stepped closer, curious. "Hey... why is there a crow in here?"

Mira also looked confused. She quickly took out her notebook and wrote: "I've never owned a crow…"

Nic frowned, now even more intrigued. He stared into the crow's eyes—and suddenly, it let out a loud, echoing cry.

"KRAAAKH!!"

The sound startled both Mira and Zestia.

"Whoa! Why did it screech like that?!" Zestia jumped back.

But the crow didn't flee. Instead, it flew straight to Nic and landed on his shoulder.

Mira and Zestia were stunned. The bird looked totally at ease, as if it had known Nic for years.

Nic smiled and gently stroked its head. "Looks like he likes me."

The crow blinked but didn't move.

As Nic examined it closer, he noticed its pitch-black feathers and piercing red eyes... just like his own hair and eyes.

"Heh, this crow really matches me," he muttered.

Mira quickly wrote something and held it up: "This crow really suits you."

Nic let out a soft laugh. "Maybe I'll keep him."

---

After spending a little more time with the animals, the pet shop staff finally arrived. They brought box after box of pet food—enough to last for months.

Mira's eyes went wide. She blinked several times in disbelief.

She scrambled for her notebook and wrote with trembling hands: "All of this... is really for me?"

Nic nodded casually. "Of course."

Mira scribbled quickly: "Why...?"

Nic smiled and gently patted her head. "Because you take care of all these animals. I want to help because I like how you never give up on them, even when you don't have much yourself."

The moment the word "like" came out of Nic's mouth, the system responded.

[Ding! Mira will soon start to like you!] (Nic didn't hear this notification)

Mira froze, then suddenly covered her face with both hands. Her shoulders began to tremble.

Then, without warning, she started crying quietly—not tears of sadness, but tears of pure joy.

The cashier who had come with the delivery staff gently patted Mira's back. "You're lucky you met him," she said warmly.

---

On the way home, Zestia glanced at Nic with a thoughtful expression. After a while, she asked, "So... how are you feeling right now?"

Nic looked over, puzzled. "What do you mean?"

Zestia just smiled. "Never mind. Forget I asked."

Nic stopped walking.

Zestia noticed and stopped too, turning to him. "What is it?"

Nic stayed silent for a moment, then sighed deeply. "I'm happy I can make people smile. But... sometimes I feel lost."

Zestia looked at him gently, saying nothing, letting him continue.

"I always try to make everyone happy... but it feels like it's never enough."

Zestia watched him quietly. Maybe this was why everyone liked Nic—not just because he was generous or talented, but because he genuinely cared.

After a pause, Nic pulled out his phone and sent a message to the group chat: "Sorry, I can't hang out today."

Zestia glanced at him, but said nothing.

Soon after, they parted ways.

Nic headed home, realizing he hadn't checked his system in a long time. Even the usual notifications hadn't appeared lately.

To be continued...