Chapter 1175: Dating Sim

Wang Shu tucked her pinkening fringe behind her ear and looked up at the sky. “Why must we fight? Wouldn’t it be great to slack until the dawn breaks?”

“I can hear you scheming from here!” Old Seven’s voice came from empty air. “You’re gonna kill us once the Three Double-Hours of Heavenly Tribulation ends, aren’t you?”

“Ah.” Wang Shu stuck out her tongue. “You caught me.”

Old Seven didn’t respond. While invisible, he and his companions quietly move to another spot.

Wang Shu didn’t seem in a hurry. Instead of creating another Domain of Night, she walked out of the crater in human form and headed to a more or less intact building. The first floor was the convenience store she used to frequent.

Two minutes later, Wang Shu re-emerged with a black-and-white lollipop. She tore off the packaging and popped it into her mouth.

Wang Shu asked, “Can we talk now?”

Team Liao Liao appeared on a rooftop fifty meters away. With the medicine injected, Liao Liao quickly regained consciousness. Face still pale, she picked herself up with difficulty, “Sure, let’s talk.”

Wang Shu chewed on the lollipop in her mouth. “Since we can’t slack, we have to work.”

“Yeah. Although I’m a procrastinator, too, I gotta get serious with the deadline approaching.” Liao Liao discreetly tightened her fists, considering their options.

Wang Shu’s early termination of her domain must have struck her a heavy blow. With the Three Double-Hours of Heavenly Way weakening her, she probably had half of her power left.

Liao Liao’s side still had eighty percent of their strength. With the strategies they had prepared, the result of the battle...was still undetermined.

“You’re smart, Liao Liao.” Wang Shu suddenly broke into a smile.

Liao Liao frowned.

We’re gonna fight to our death. Shouldn’t you be trash-talking us? Why are you complimenting me?

“You flatter me,” Liao Liao said, doing her best to maintain a dignified look.

Wang Shu held her gaze seriously. “Since you’re so smart, I’ll ask you a question. Don’t lie to me, please. Tell me your answer.”

“Go on.”

“What do you think is our odds tonight?” Wang Shu asked.

What is this, a trap? Should I talk up our odds? Tell the truth? Stay silent?

Meeting Wang Shu’s earnest eyes, Liao Liao hesitated before deciding on honesty. “Fifty-fifty.”

“Haha, you haven’t lied, I don’t think.” Wang Shu nodded. “That’s what my instinct tells me, too.”

Liao Liao regarded her silently. What was the death monster up to?

“Actually, I have a tentative proposal.” Wang Shu smiled crookedly with her head cocked, taking the lollipop out of her mouth. “Care to hear me out?”

...

Qingyang Bridge.

The world under the white moon consisted of cold, hard black lines and surfaces of white and gray. At the center of the bridge, Lust and all members of Team Vermilion Bird were gone, leaving a colorful domain of Strange hovering quietly like a crystal ball—the only vibrancy in this monochrome world.

—I’m Zhang Wei, Taurus, type B blood, nineteen-year-old, freshman in college.

—I grew up in a mundane yet happy family of three. I’m confident, outgoing, bright. With excitement and anticipation, I started my college life.

—I’ve always wanted to meet my dream girl, seeking a romantic, sweet, and unforgettable love.

—The kind and bookish instructor of an elective course, the elegant and graceful upperclassman from the club, the introverted and shy classmate, and the roommate sleeping on the upper bunk sharing much of my time—who among them will be my true love?

“Fuck, what kind of cringey monologue is that?!” Zhang Wei found himself in a college dorm room. His voice came above his head, monologuing his thoughts, but he hadn’t said those words.

The one lying on the upper bunk was Raven Shark. He rolled to his side and popped his head out, looking down at the lower bunk, where Zhang Wei sat. “Obviously, we’ve entered a dating sim. You’re the MC, and we the love interests you can go after.”

“

Obviously

! But why are you one of the love interests?! Isn’t this game way too progressive?!”

“I’m just here to fill the numbers,” Raven Shark said.

“Wait!” Zhang Wei jumped from the bed in surprise. “Don’t you have trouble speaking? Why are you suddenly so eloquent?”

“I don’t know.” Ravn Shark gave it some thought. “Perhaps it’s because of my Talent.”

Zhang Wei realized, “Pro Gamer?”

“Possibly.” Raven Shark nodded.

“Then why aren’t you the MC?” Zhang Wei questioned.

“Elder Vermilion Bird may not be completely in control over the Strange Realm. It has to be based on the actual circumstances, so your LIs have to be real people. Similarly, there must be a reason you are the MC.”

“Holy shit! You feel like a different person,” Zhang Wei said in surprise. “Is Pro Gamer that good?”

“It’s my first time using it.” Raven Shark smiled bashfully; the usual Raven Shark finally shone through.

“Well, if you’re so good, you should be telling me how to play this game.” Zhang Wei quickly reached the right conclusion.

“In a dating sim, you clear the game by romancing one or multiple characters in a limited time period.”

“Oh, I get it now!” Zhang Wei’s eyes lit up. “I have to romance Zhou Jing in this game, and clearing her route will be akin to killing her?”

Raven Shark nodded. “That should be the case.”

“What did the stupid monologue say again?” Zhang Wei racked his brain for it.

With Pro Gamer enhancing his memory, Raven Shark was able to recite it verbatim:

“The kind and bookish instructor of an elective course, the elegant and graceful upperclassman from the club, the introverted and shy classmate, and the roommate sleeping on the upper bunk—”

“Stop, stop right there,” Zhang Wei interrupted. “Who are the first three LIs?”

Raven Shark thought for a moment. “The kind and bookish instructor is Elder Vermilion Bird.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah!” Raven Shark cracked a fanboying smile. “Elder Vermilion Bird is super kind.”

Zhang Wei followed, “Then the elegant and graceful upperclassman...must be White Dew.”

Raven Shark nodded. “The introverted and shy classmate is Lust, your target.”

“Yeah, makes sense...” Zhang Wei stopped himself. “Wait, what’s introverted and shy about Lust?! Shouldn’t she be described as wild and depraved?”

“

Gap moe

,” Raven Shark said seriously, his aura as a Pro Gamer radiating. “It’s a common trope in games, giving a character two wildly different sides. Not only does it lead to a good twist, it makes the character more attractive. When the player triggers the twist and sees the character’s true self, they will feel a great sense of achievement and feel superior for being the only one privy to the character’s secret, making the route much more enjoyable...”

“Enough, enough. I get it.” Zhang Wei rolled up his sleeves. “Let’s get started already!”

Beep

. Zhang Wei traced the sound to the phone in his pocket. He took it out, and the screen lit up on its own, revealing a typical dating sim interface.

He clicked on the stupid-looking avatar that was supposed to be him. A radar chart popped up.

Charisma: 10

Humor: 10

Physique: 10

Knowledge: 10

Confidence: 100

💰300 yuan

Zhang Wei went through the information before navigating to the schedule next to the avatar. He couldn’t add to or modify the actions today: he would go to class in the morning, go to the club in the afternoon, and then return to his dorm at night.

“What’s this?” Zhang Wei asked.

Raven Shark explained, “On the first day, the MC will meet all the LIs he can go after. In the morning, you’ll meet the instructor and your classmates in class. In the afternoon, you’ll go join the club and meet the upperclassman. At night, you’ll return to your dorm and meet me...”

“Amazing! As expected of the Pro Gamer!”

“Yeah. And this arrow should be the skip button.”

“Oh?” Zhang Wei clicked it out of curiosity.

In an instant, Zhang Wei found himself standing in a classroom packed with college students chatting among themselves. They were all silhouettes, though, like the unimportant background characters in games.

“Hello, don’t just stand here,” a familiar female voice said from behind him.