(Oh no, I just remembered I still have a character design image. The author's level isn't high enough to post images in the main text, so I'll put it in the comments section of this post.)
Su Qi felt he was genuinely sincere in seeking advice.
So why did she get angry?
Who was the one who just solemnly told him she had a boyfriend and that he should mind his boundaries?
What if some 18-year-old hot-blooded guy suddenly popped out of nowhere and tried to pick a fight with him?
Should he fight back or just take the beating?
If he fought back, he’d already be somewhat in the wrong, and winning would just mean having to pay compensation.
But taking the beating?
Could Su Qi endure such humiliation?
From the day he was born until now, even his own father had never laid a hand on him.
It never happened before, and it never would in the future.
Just as Su Qi was about to stand up—
Something bizarre happened.
[Debuff: Energy Drain]
[Equivalent Exchange: Have a cute girl help restore your confidence (In progress, current completion: 33%)]
Hey, hey, hey!
Are you blind or what?
Liu Yuan = cute girl?
But…
He did feel a bit of confidence swelling in his chest.
Su Qi fell into a brief dilemma.
Would this be betraying Little Iris?
Well, maybe not…
It’s not like there was any direct physical contact.
Oh no…
Did he have the makings of a scumbag?
But if Su Qi had to endure months of energy drain, wouldn’t that be…
It’s all this damn talent’s fault.
Borrowing power from "Him" came at too steep a price.
Once he found someone to blame, Su Qi’s guilt instantly lightened.
He started rationalizing to himself: I’ll get up as soon as the task is done!
But soon, a new problem arose.
He’d probably have to get up to complete the task.
Though, the two didn’t necessarily conflict.
……
Meanwhile, on the other side.
"Where’s my reward?"
[It’s been sent?]
"Where?"
[…]
[……]
[Su Qi’s favorability toward Liu Yuan’s identity +1]
[Current favorability: 30/82 (Friendly/Wife Material)]
Wait—
Su Qi’s favorability toward her was already at 30?
Seriously?
And hold on—
You’re just an equipment card, how do you even have this function?
But…
It’s unexpectedly nice?
Let’s put it this way: if you could see favorability levels, what kind of girl couldn’t you charm, dear handsome readers?
Liu Yuan was about to get up when she realized the equipment she was wearing was still clutched in Su Qi’s hand.
Just that slight delay triggered another notification.
[Su Qi’s favorability toward Liu Yuan’s identity +1]
…You can farm favorability like this?
And so, the two fell into an eerie synchronization.
I’m farming favorability, what are you waiting for, bro? Get up already!
I’m waiting for the task, what are you dawdling for, brat? Get up already!
[Delight +666]
……
Finally, after some indescribable twists and turns, Su Qi’s task progress reached 100%.
He was back in action!
[Debuff: Energy Drain (Removed)]
The moment the debuff lifted, Liu Yuan’s expression shifted from confusion to—once again—turning into a blushing mess.
She practically leaped off Su Qi in an instant.
[Delight +666]
"I-I… I’m going to sleep now."
Liu Yuan fled to her hammock like her life depended on it.
Su Qi didn’t dare say a word either.
Silently, he retreated to his own hammock.
This repair fee might have been a bit… excessive.
Inside the tent, an awkward silence settled in.
It almost felt like things were back to how they were before the incident.
The only difference was that this time, Liu Yuan wasn’t facing away from Su Qi.
Su Qi pulled out his phone.
The glow from the screen illuminated his face.
[Sleepyhead: Little Iris, Little Iris, I miss you.]
They say midnight confessions are proof of a guilty conscience.
Liu Yuan felt her phone vibrate and pulled it out as well.
The screen’s light cast a glow on her face too.
There they were, lying barely a meter apart, facing each other, both clutching their phones.
[Iris: What’s wrong, gege? I miss you too.]
[Iris: Cat Ambush Sticker]
[Delight +666]
Su Qi glanced at the time on his phone.
2:30 AM.
He typed again.
[Sleepyhead: Why are you still awake at this hour, Little Iris?]
Wait—
Little Iris was still awake at this hour?!
Some overlooked details began surfacing in his mind.
Why did Delight trigger just now?
Because of post-misdeed guilt?
Shouldn’t it have triggered when he first sent the message?
Come to think of it, some of the earlier notifications didn’t quite add up either.
[Iris: Cat Playing Dumb Sticker]
Su Qi kept typing.
[Sleepyhead: Did something dangerous happen?]
He watched as Liu Yuan, on the opposite hammock, furiously tapped at her phone.
[Iris: Not at all, gege, don’t worry. A-Yuan feels perfectly safe.]
[Sleepyhead: What time is it now?]
[Iris: 2!]
Su Qi’s eyes widened in horror—he had just seen Liu Yuan tap her phone three times before sending that.
So he deliberately stopped messaging.
Sure enough, Liu Yuan just held her phone without typing.
After a minute, Su Qi sent another message.
[Sleepyhead: Let me see…]
[Iris: Legs?]
Su Qi broke out in a cold sweat.
He had just witnessed Liu Yuan tap her phone five times before hitting send.
No…
No way…?
ts me of treason?" "Correct. The host must return to the capital and gradually build up influence." "Wait—I have half a million soldiers, and you want me to go back to the capital to 'build influence'?" "Host, you are currently the Northern Garrison General, loyal to the Great Xia Dynasty." "Of course I am loyal to Great Xia! Absolutely loyal!" "But you keep referring to yourself as 'We'..." "Never mind the details! Summon all the regional commanders and military officers! We suspect treacherous officials are manipulating the court! They shall march with Us to the capital and purge the corrupt!" "......"
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
and couldn't return to the real world. Finally, I gave up and decided to go with the flow, only to discover that writing a diary could make me stronger. Since no one could read it, Su Luo wrote freely, daring to pen anything and everything. Female Lead #1: "Not bad. This diary helped me steal all the protagonist's opportunities. I just want to get stronger." Female Lead #2: "I don’t care about reaching the peak of the cultivation world. Right now, I just want to enjoy the chaos." Female Lead #3: "What? Everyone around me is a spy? I’m the Joker Demon Lord?" ... It’s so strange. Why is the plot completely off track, yet the ending remains the same? Are you all just messing with me?!
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
