By the second day, the Players were already prepared. They had searched for the answers on their phones beforehand and marked them on the edge of their test papers, so their responses were completely correct.
The teacher couldn’t find any mistakes and could only leave with a darkened expression.
The System prompted the end of the Round, and several Players gathered together as if by prior agreement. Seeing this, Jiang Yingxiao also went over, lingering at the edge, leaning next to Xie Yingqi.
The man still showed no expression, indifferent to her approach, not even letting his gaze fall on her face.
[My wife is willing to take the initiative to get close, so stop pretending and deceiving yourself, okay, Xie Yingqi?]
[Yes, my wife is just as warm and cuddly at home, leaning against me like this. She even needs me to feed her when she eats. Usually, when I run her bathwater, I have to test the temperature for her. She never wants to bathe alone, so I have to join her.]
[…So many delusional husband fans of my wife.]
“This is how it is now: either leave the school or survive for seven days. Logically speaking, these two conditions should be of equal difficulty.”
The speaker was a Glasses Man, tall and burly. Even wearing the same academy uniform as everyone else, it looked ill-fitting on him.
“But we already know how to solve the classroom problems, and we can handle the Dorm Supervisor’s nightly checks. If there are no other issues later, we can easily lie low until the seventh day.”
His gaze swept over the remaining few. “So, there will definitely be unexpected developments later.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, and no one raised any objections.
A Tall and Thin Woman nearby picked up the topic: “Earlier, I read the introduction. It seemed to say that we came here for the Recommendation Exam. So, if we find a way to pass the Recommendation Exam, wouldn’t that work? The exam is in three days.”
“Yes, that’s right. If you trust me, you can follow me.”
After speaking, the Glasses Man looked at Jiang Yingxiao, who was staring blankly ahead. “I used to do extreme sports challenges, so I can protect everyone.”
Though he said “everyone,” he was probably only thinking of one person.
The girl in front of him was still lost in thought, her pretty brows furrowed, her canine tooth peeking out at the corner of her lips. She didn’t respond to him.
She had started feeling puzzled the moment she heard the Tall and Thin Woman mention the introduction.
【Why haven’t I seen any introduction?】
She had woken up and found herself in the Locker Room, never having seen anything like that, and assumed it was the same for everyone.
076 didn’t reply to her, probably also puzzled.
Seeing the girl remain silent, the Glasses Man furrowed his brows as well and snapped his fingers in front of her. “Snap out of it, little sister. What are you thinking?”
Jiang Yingxiao was startled by him, blinking stiffly before meeting his gaze. “What can I think? Of course, we can’t go for the Recommendation Exam.”
In her past Games, it was always like this: the initial background introduction never matched the final outcome. There would always be some massive chaos in between that left everyone running in circles.
Everyone present turned to look at her.
The Glasses Man thought she was just speaking out of frustration and didn’t want to argue with her, so he went along with her words. “Alright, alright. Then can you follow me? Wherever you say, we’ll go.”
He bent down to meet Jiang Yingxiao’s eye level, eagerly waiting for her reply.
[?? Who is this, daring to deceive my wife in public?]
[Doesn’t he know Qi Shen? Such audacity.]
[He must be a newcomer. Newcomers can’t see the Bullet Comments.]
[Then how can my wife… see us?]
[……]
076 also noticed the bullet comments, frantically searching for information, then comforted the girl by whispering in her ear.
【It’s okay, baby. The System shows this is the 6600th day since you registered your account, so you have permission to view bullet comments.】
Probably because she was transferred over from Love Game, that’s why this bug occurred.
But for now, it’s better to pretend not to know.
Jiang Yingxiao pretended not to see the bullet comments and looked at Glasses Man. “But I’ve already teamed up with someone else. Although I don’t know him, I can’t just leave with anyone.”
As the girl spoke, she instinctively grabbed the sleeve of the man beside her. The other maintained a cold, expressionless face, but his breathing subtly quickened.
[……Is my wife acting for us?]
[Ahhh, such an adorable, guilty little kitty—mommy wants to kiss you! 【Donation: 10 Points】]
[This kitten is just too cute. My wife doesn’t know me either—can she come with me?]
[How can you all be like this? Do you know how hard my wife is trying not to be discovered by her husbands? Can’t you just pretend to be fooled by her act?]
Bullet comments scrolled through Jiang Yingxiao’s mind, and her face flushed involuntarily.
But to others, it looked like a shy expression, as if the cold man beside her shared a deep connection with her.
Glasses Man stood up and glanced at Xie Yingqi. The other showed no reaction at all to the girl’s dependence on him, only the tips of his ears faintly reddening.
What a faker.
“So, what do you think?” he asked the man with a smile, though his voice had noticeably deepened, as if the gentle tone he’d used with Jiang Yingxiao earlier had been an act.
“I feel the same as her.” Xie Yingqi finally looked down at the girl beside him, his fingers digging into his palms.
Closing his eyes briefly, he took off his jacket and draped it over her, covering the large expanse of pale skin.
The neckline was so wide that her undergarments were visible—who was she trying to show off for?
There were even two red marks on her neck, as if some sleazy man had licked her, like a dog marking its territory. With that innocent, clueless look on her face, she blinked her guileless eyes while deceiving men outside, completely unaware of the marks on her body.
【Congratulations, Player Number 23411, for obtaining 1 S-grade item: Dodge Cloak, which can evade 1 attack.】
Just standing in the classroom casually earned her an item. So, not only was she this lucky in Love Game, but she was also the luckiest person in the entire Horror Game?
【Yes, baby, you’re the luckiest person in the whole world.】
076 echoed in her ear. Watching the girl’s eyes light up, its Central Processor felt as if soaked in sweet soda, its mechanical voice crackling with static.
Glasses Man’s gaze shifted between the two, then he turned to ask the remaining people, “What about you?”
The woman who had spoken earlier naturally agreed with him. The other three weighed their options between the two sides and clearly felt Glasses Man was easier to deal with than Jiang Yingxiao.
Moreover, in a place like this, everyone preferred to stick together, so they all stood behind Glasses Man with apologetic expressions.
Glasses Man gained more confidence, crossing his arms as he looked at the girl. “Since you two want to stick together, we’ll go our separate ways. If you regret it later, come find your big brother.”
Once the man beside her died, the poor, helpless dodder vine would have to find a way to beg others for mercy. No matter what they said, she’d have to tremble and obey to escape this terrifying place.
[? Can that glasses-wearing guy stay away from my wife]
[What a big face, calling her sister this and sister that, does anyone even pay attention to you?]
[Getting a little advantage and acting smug, you’ll never catch my wife’s eye in this lifetime.]
The woman who had been siding with Glasses Man frowned and glanced at him upon hearing this, but said nothing, following the group out the door.
Only two people remained in the classroom. Xie Yingqi stood silent like a wooden figure, and Jiang Yingxiao didn’t want to bother with him either, searching and picking through items in the classroom.
The man followed closely behind her, helping her lift the teacher’s desk or move the blackboard when needed, and standing quietly to the side when not, not uttering a single word.
“What are you doing just standing there like an idiot without saying anything?” Jiang Yingxiao brushed the chalk dust from her hands onto him, leaving a distinct white handprint on his black pants.
“Hmm.” He didn’t rush to wipe his clothes, his gaze meeting hers. “…Where were you last night? Why weren’t you in the dormitory?”
[My wife was obviously with me, where else would she be?]
[Stop bragging. I took these things to ask my wife, and she got angry.]
[Only now that my wife ran off with some random guy do you start panicking. I sentence you to listen under my wife’s bed while I tell her bedtime stories.]
Jiang Yingxiao blinked. “Why do you care where I was? I go wherever I want.”
Her expression was unnatural—clearly lying.
Who knows in which random man’s bed she slept last night, waking up the next day and not even recognizing her roommate. Whatever she did with that man must have required a change of clothes, leaving her mouth unable to close the next day, her lower lip swollen and red.
Xie Yingqi lifted her onto the teacher’s desk, his cool tone tinged with urgency. “Let me check if you’re hurt.”
He sounded genuinely concerned, but his large hand lifted the hem of her clothes, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he eyed her undergarments.
[? Why can’t I see the screen anymore? What is Xie Yingqi doing?!]
[Qi Shen’s livestream room is down too, I’m really fed up, what’s going on?]
[…Can I get to touch my wife in the next instance too?]
The hem of her clothes was instantly pressed down by delicate fingers, and the girl slapped the man across the face.
Red marks appeared on Xie Yingqi’s handsome face. After a stunned pause, he stubbornly tried to press closer again, only to be pushed back forcefully as she lifted her leg against his chest.
The fragrance vanished from his nose. The man sniffed his fingers dejectedly, as if even the spaces between them were imbued with the scent of her clothes.
So sweet, so sweet.
“What are you trying to do? Lifting my clothes like that is so dirty.” Jiang Yingxiao jumped off the desk, her small leather shoes making a sound as they hit the floor.
The air is full of bacteria—what if she gets sick? This Xie Yingqi is so unhygienic.
“Hmm, I was wrong.” The man admitted his fault, taking off the ring from his finger and offering it to her as an apology.
His mouth hadn’t been cleaned yet; he shouldn’t have touched something so delicate. He should have prepared properly.
He was too reckless.
Jiang Yingxiao glared at him, snatching the offering from his hand. Just as she was about to lecture him properly, the System began broadcasting.
【Instance Round Three begins. Please return to Class D of Grade 11 promptly. Time limit: 2 minutes.】
Student NPCs swarmed outside the classroom, pushing to get in. Seeing Jiang Yingxiao inside, they all pretended to be calm and composed gentlemen, quieting down slightly. Only a few in the distance continued whispering among themselves.
“What is the young lady doing with that man in the classroom?”
“Her face is all flushed. I wonder if she needs help washing her little clothes.”
“She’s even wearing that man’s jacket… How dare he let the young lady wear such cheap clothing.”
Several male classmates spoke in hushed tones, but Jiang Yingxiao remained completely unaware, leisurely sitting in her seat and playing with her hands.
Lu Duanzhuo had changed into clean clothes and quietly moved closer to the girl. Even when their chairs bumped together, she didn’t notice.
The boy felt secretly delighted, his nose filled with a dizzying fragrance, and he wished he could hold her during class.
Then he heard her pull her chair farther away.
[Number of individuals not entering Class D of Grade 11: 1. Execution by strangulation initiated.]
[This round of the Game begins. Eye Exercises. All players, please close your eyes.]
As the System’s announcement ended, the broadcast began with the prelude of piano music. Five seconds later, a sharp, piercing voice crackled through the speakers.
“Close your eyes, don’t peek,
Fingers on your cheeks, so meek;
Left a circle, right a round,
—Whose eyes are peeking around?!”
The last line suddenly boomed, startling Jiang Yingxiao into trembling, but her eyelids remained tightly shut.
“Ahhh—” A male voice screamed in agony not far away, followed by the sound of a sharp object piercing flesh. Then the System announced:
[Remaining Player count: 5.]
[Third Death condition updated: Violating Classroom Discipline.]
In other words, they had to follow the actions described in the broadcast.
Jiang Yingxiao gasped, biting her lip until it left a mark. Her delicate, pale fingers rested on her face, not daring to move recklessly.
After a moment of crackling static, a childlike voice resumed from the broadcast:
“The sky is dark, the eyes are dim;
Fingers poke into the black hole grim.
A Black Shadow drifts near,
Who’s blinking behind you, my dear?”
[Countdown: 5 seconds.]
…She wasn’t really supposed to poke her fingers into her eye sockets, was she?
But the instructions only mentioned a “black hole,” not specifically the eye sockets. Would it be okay to put them in another hole instead?
[Baby can put her fingers in her ears]
[Or put them in her little *, darling, try it, it’s very comfortable]
[Can you stop corrupting my wife? It’s because of people like you that my wife won’t sleep with me anymore. She says she can satisfy herself just fine.]
It seemed it was allowed.
The girl trembled as she felt her face, her slender index finger slipping into her ear, her eyelashes fluttering.
A chilling breeze swept past, and someone instantly appeared behind her.
It was the Black Shadow from the broadcast, drifting to her back.
Jiang Yingxiao licked her lips, her breathing unsteady. The figure behind her slowly leaned down, and something cold and slimy, like a tongue, licked the tip of her ear, sucking back and forth.
She felt as though her ear was about to be devoured…
A man’s cold, damp voice whispered beside her, “Baby, they can’t see us. Let your husband do something fun with you. Don’t hate me anymore.”
Nothing could make her happier than him leaving.
Jiang Yingxiao recognized Yu Chi’s voice and opened her mouth to shoo the ghost away. “Go away, go away. Don’t stay near me.”
She whispered in a breathy voice, her lips red as if tempting him.
Yu Chi paused for a few seconds before reaching out to touch the soft flesh of her lips, unable to resist biting her pink-and-white cheek. “Baby, if you bribe your husband, he’ll let you go.”
“Why didn’t you think your husband would catch you when you were sitting in that wild man’s lap? Hmm? Baby.”
[666, you Instance NPCs have even learned to bribe Players now. Reported, waiting for punishment.]
[Just want my baby to kiss you, huh? Ghosts are always so scheming.]
[If you knew my wife was with me last night, you’d be so jealous. What a jealous husband.]
The ghost’s lips sucked on the fair neck, letting out a sigh. The notebook was casually tossed onto the table as his lips continued downward, pushing aside the obstructive jacket.
The collar was wide open, revealing a stretch of pale skin that made him frown.
Who knows which bastard picked out these clothes—they don’t fit at all. Yet she wears them like a treasure.
“Whose clothes are these? Never seen them before. Couldn’t be that stray dog from last night, could it?”
“Baby smells so good. Let your husband check if any bad guys * you last night, okay?”
Jiang Yingxiao’s hand was still covering her ear, unable to slap his face.
With her eyes tightly shut, her vision gone, her other senses became incredibly sharp.
The male ghost’s filthy tongue slid across her face, itchy and uncomfortable. After a while, it went to tug at her jacket, exposing her forearm to the air, chilling her to trembling.
The young child’s voice in the broadcast stopped, leaving only a crackling hum, as if deliberately giving Yu Chi an opportunity to act recklessly in front of the entire class.
Jiang Yingxiao was nudged against the back of her chair by him. The man’s face pressed against her abdomen, sniffing upward until it stopped right by her mouth.
Her crimson lips were about to be tasted by him. The male ghost paused with a sense of ceremony, preparing to slowly take them into his mouth.
“This broadcast… you control it?” the girl asked, voicing her doubt.
The ghost chuckled lowly, opening his mouth to lick her earlobe again, taking her finger into his mouth along the way.
“Baby is so smart. Should your husband reward you?”
Author’s Note:
Third update! Burned out.