Jiang Mo was wearing a pair of red boxing gloves. Lin Shuang didn't even realize what was happening until that flash of red had already closed to within a few centimeters of her face.
For the first time in her life, she experienced the sharp rush of air kicked up by a punch. Her heart nearly jumped into her throat. Then, just as she was bracing herself for impact, the glove lightly bumped against her forehead. The force behind it was perfectly controlled—not painful, but more than enough to remind her that the man standing in front of her could probably knock out most people with a single swing.
"Scared?" Jiang Mo asked calmly.
"Of course I'm scared." Lin Shuang puffed out her cheeks in protest. "What if you start abusing me someday? There's no way I'd be able to fight back."
"Abuse?" Jiang Mo tilted his head, genuinely puzzled by the accusation. "Domestic violence is illegal. Why would I do something like that?"
Lin Shuang immediately felt a headache coming on.
"In a situation like this, you're supposed to say, 'Baby, how could I ever bring myself to hit you?' Not give me a legal lecture."
Naturally, she knew domestic violence was illegal. In her opinion, the scumbags who beat their partners deserved far worse than a few years behind bars. The law was the law, but that didn't stop her from fantasizing about launching them all into the sun.
Jiang Mo chuckled awkwardly. "Fine... ahem."
He cleared his throat and opened his mouth several times as though preparing for battle, yet the affectionate words stubbornly refused to come out.
A whole month had already passed.
Tonight would be Lin Shuang's second game instance, and throughout that entire month Jiang Mo had practically acted like her full-time caretaker. He drove her to training, exercised with her, cooked for her, and took care of her daily routine so thoroughly that she felt like he had somehow achieved twenty-five points on a twenty-four-point boyfriend exam.
And yet, despite all that, their relationship progress remained absurdly slow.
Aside from holding hands and hugging, they hadn't even managed a forehead kiss.
At least one thing had improved. After a month of relentless correction from Lin Shuang, Jiang Mo had finally stopped calling her "Miss Lin" and switched to simply calling her "Lin Shuang."
Still, this was ridiculous.
Even if the male lead was inexperienced when it came to romance, did he really have to be this pure?
"You seriously can't say it?" Lin Shuang narrowed her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. "No. I'm hearing it today."
Jiang Mo stared at her for several seconds before finally surrendering with a sigh. Leaning closer, he lowered his head until his lips were near her ear.
"...Baby, how could I ever have the heart to hit you?"
The deep voice brushed against her ear like warm breath.
Lin Shuang's face exploded into color.
Was the male lead's voice always this attractive?
Before she could recover, a teasing voice suddenly sounded nearby.
"Ooh~ What's this? Flirting in a boxing gym?"
A blond-haired man stood a short distance away, staring at them with the expression of someone suffering severe secondhand embarrassment.
He clicked his tongue dramatically.
"Come on, let me have a look. What kind of woman managed to turn our resident Plague God into a lovestruck fool?"
The moment he spoke, Jiang Mo pulled Lin Shuang closer and shielded her face against his chest.
His expression cooled instantly.
"Song Minghui. Watch your mouth."
Song Minghui immediately raised both hands in surrender.
"My mistake, my mistake. You know I talk before I think."
"This is my fiancée."
Jiang Mo's voice turned noticeably colder.
"She's not someone you get to joke about. There won't be a next time."
Song Minghui?
Hearing the name, Lin Shuang's mind immediately began searching through the original plot.
Song Minghui was also a veteran player. His player ID was "Please Block Me," and his defining characteristics were a poisonous tongue and a personality seemingly designed to irritate everyone around him.
He had crossed paths with the protagonist before, meeting offline during an item trade after clearing a game together.
But had there ever been a scene where he appeared at the boxing gym?
The answer arrived soon enough.
No.
A short while later, the three of them were seated inside a small restaurant near the gym.
Jiang Mo hadn't brought Song Minghui here by coincidence.
Tonight's instance was special.
In the Main God's Game, every five standard instances were followed by an Elite instance. Elite instances were somewhat more dangerous, but they also offered the possibility of obtaining significantly rarer rewards.
If Lin Shuang remembered correctly, this was the exact instance where Jiang Mo would obtain the B-Rank Red Cross Necklace.
The necklace functioned like a portable healer, capable of treating anything from minor wounds to moderately serious injuries. It wasn't much use in truly fatal situations, but among support items it was still extremely valuable.
The reason Jiang Mo had invited Song Minghui wasn't because he needed help himself.
He was worried about her.
Specifically, he was worried that he might not be able to protect Lin Shuang by himself during an Elite instance.
What could she say to that?
Lin Shuang quietly shrank into her seat.
At this point, she was basically a salted fish clinging shamelessly to a top player's thigh.
"Such a pretty girl. It'd be a shame if—"
Song Minghui had barely started another sarcastic comment when a disposable chopstick stabbed into the table directly in front of him.
The chopstick quivered slightly.
Song Minghui stared at it.
Then at Jiang Mo.
Then back at the chopstick.
"...You know, normal people use words."
"You also know how to use words," Jiang Mo replied. "Try using better ones."
Song Minghui rubbed his forehead.
"You're the one who begged me to come help today. Could you at least pretend to respect me?"
"You're not helping for free."
Jiang Mo's tone remained indifferent.
"You're here for the item. If you don't want it, I can always find someone else."
"Fine. Fine."
Song Minghui waved dismissively.
"It's an equal trade."
Even so, the irritation on his face was obvious.
The item Jiang Mo possessed happened to be something he desperately wanted, leaving him with no room to negotiate. After sitting there for a while and grumbling under his breath, he eventually got up and left first.
Once he was gone, Lin Shuang finally asked, "What item are you trading him?"
"A Ring of Lethargy."
Jiang Mo poured her a drink before continuing.
"He already owns two pieces from what appears to be the same set. He's been searching for the last one for a long time."
The plot really had changed.
Lin Shuang unconsciously clenched her hands beneath the table.
"But doesn't that mean you're losing out?" she asked quietly. "Honestly, I'm not completely useless. And besides... people die in those games all the time. I..."
Her conscience was beginning to hurt.
Jiang Mo had altered part of the future plot solely because he wanted to ensure her safety.
Unfortunately, Jiang Mo immediately ruined the atmosphere.
"Moved?"
He glanced at her.
"If you're moved, then cry."
Lin Shuang stared at him.
"...What?"
"If you're not going to cry, hurry up and eat."
He pointed at the dishes covering the table.
"You ordered enough food for three people. If you can't finish it, we'll pack the leftovers and you can eat them tonight or tomorrow."
The warm emotions she had been feeling vanished instantly.
"You really know how to destroy a mood."
Lin Shuang poked resentfully at her food.
"Do you realize what opportunity you just missed?"
"What opportunity?"
"If you had said something even slightly more touching, I would've kissed you while crying."
Jiang Mo fell silent.
After a moment, he calmly picked up a piece of green pepper—a food he didn't particularly enjoy—and put it into his mouth.
"Why would I want that?"
"What?"
"The last time you cried, you got tears all over my clothes."
Lin Shuang froze.
Then she exploded.
"I told you already! Fairies don't produce snot when they cry!"
The glare she shot him could probably have melted steel.
Unfortunately, Jiang Mo appeared completely immune.
Lin Shuang immediately decided she was done feeling guilty.
Done feeling moved.
Done feeling grateful.
Fine.
If he wanted to carry her through the game, then she would let him carry her.
She would happily remain a salted fish attached to a top player's back.
A selfish woman through and through.
If people wanted to call her dead weight, then she would simply embrace the title and become the finest dead weight in existence.
By the time lunch ended, she was still sulking.
Since they had ordered far too much food, Jiang Mo packed the leftovers before leaving the restaurant and handed the bags to her.
"Give me your dinner portion."
Lin Shuang hugged the bags protectively.
"Hmph. You're eating at my place tonight anyway."
"I'll cook my own food."
Jiang Mo looked at her without mercy.
"You don't know how to cook. You'll just microwave something until it dies."
So now he was openly mocking her cooking skills.
Outrageous.
Lin Shuang glanced down at her casual sportswear, then suddenly dropped into a squat right in the middle of the sidewalk.
Looking up at Jiang Mo, she flashed him an utterly shameless smile.
"I'm too full to walk."
She spread her arms.
"Brother Jiang, carry me."
Summary:
Lin Shuang and Jiang Mo share an intimate moment at a boxing gym, which is interrupted by the arrival of Song Minghui. Jiang Mo secures Song's help for an upcoming elite game instance by trading a valuable item, the Ring of Lethargy. Lin Shuang grapples with the guilt of the plot being altered for her protection while maintaining their banter-filled relationship.
Trivia:
Jiang Mo has performed 25/24 filial boyfriend tasks in the last month.
Song Minghui's ID is "Please Block Me."
The Elite Game instance is the fifth instance in the cycle.
Lin Shuang views herself as a "salt-fish" parasite.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A literal translation of "瘟神", a term used in Chinese culture to describe someone who brings misfortune or trouble wherever they go, often used here to tease Jiang Mo for his intense aura or difficulty.
2 ↩ A direct translation of "咸鱼", a popular Chinese internet slang term originating from Cantonese, referring to a person with no ambition or motivation, often used here for someone who acts like "dead weight" or a "tagalong."
Notes:
• Lin Shuang - Lin Shuang is a college student transmigrated as a cannon fodder in an infinite game. To survive its horrors, she adopts a detached persona, clinging to the male lead for security while finding solace in small rewards like cake. Navigating the original owner's complex social ties with anxiety, she hides her true self, focusing solely on comfort and survival within the deadly, surreal game world.
• Jiang Mo - A cold, calculated strategist in the Infinite Stream, he masks a predatory nature with a gentle persona. As a former boxer living a solitary, tidy life, he balances lethal survival skills with a guarded temperament. He acts as a devoted protector to Lin Shuang, navigating the game's dangers with detached pragmatism and a methodical, controlled approach to both combat and his personal life.
• Shuang - Lin Shuang is a delicate-featured college student who transmigrated into a web novel as a doomed side character. Anxious to survive the infinite game, she masks her desperation by playing the opportunist. She clings to the male protagonist, Jiang Mo, monitoring game forums and leveraging their closeness to stay safe, even renting an apartment specifically to remain near him.
• Jiang - Jiang Mo is a 6'3" elite survivalist and formidable leader in the Main God Space. A weary yet fit former athlete, he uses a stoic, cynical exterior to mask his trauma and intense, repressed devotion to his fiancée, Lin Shuang. Driven to uncover his parents' fatal accident, this pragmatic protector balances managing high-stakes combat and logistics with his deeply attentive, budding romance.
• Lin - A resilient university student and transmigrated "salt-fish" player, she navigates a deadly survival game as the POV character. Outwardly, she shifts between a delicate, bang-styled student and a combat-ready survivor in a high ponytail. While feigning helplessness to gain intimacy, she uses her plot knowledge and tactical skills alongside her partner, Jiang Mo, to forge vital alliances.
• Mo - Jiang Mo, or Great God Mo Jiang, is a towering 6’3” martial artist and archer in the Main God’s Game. Formerly a righteous police student, this hyper-vigilant yet calm protector serves as a devoted mentor to Lin Shuang. Their disciplined bond has evolved from rigorous training into a committed, mutual promise of marriage, blending his natural aloofness with deep, unwavering care for her.
• He - A fierce, aggressive man who storms into a private training range to confront Jiang Mo over an alleged emotional deception involving his sister. A woman who speaks with strict, anxious bureaucratic formality over the phone. She is the sister of a man who caused an incident at an archery range.
• Minghui - A given name belonging to Song.
• Song - A male player who investigates the psychiatric hospital and discovers the duty roster. A man who joins the protagonist on the game instance and provides initial supplies like a key. A veteran player in the Main God's Game, known for his caustic tongue, chaotic temperament, and sharp, snide remarks.