Chapter 41: Count Me In
Because of the delay caused by “Xiaowei’s Entanglement” plotline, Wen Nan arrived at the boys’ dormitory just in time.
As he reached the door, he realized that the other three players had already returned.
Shao Ling sat at his desk, still balancing himself on the edge of the chair in a flamboyant, almost effeminate pose. Even Huang Tao, who normally stood tall, was now twisted awkwardly in his seat, unable to maintain his composure. Only the chubby one looked full of energy; the moment Wen Nan walked in, he rushed forward, waving a hand to fan him. “Boss, you’re back?”
Above them, the luminous display flickered with a blinding red light as the main quest countdown began.
[00:00:10—]
[00:00:09—]
[00:00:08—]
Sometimes, it’s not about arriving early but arriving at just the right moment.
The timing was neither too rushed nor too slow—perfectly precise.
[Main quest settlement now commencing]
[All contestants, please take your positions]
Just like last time, a line of text flashed across the screen—
[Contestant Huang Tao, please confirm your identity]
Huang Tao pressed the [Confirm] button with practiced ease, and the results appeared on the screen—
[Contestant Huang Tao, main quest settlement as follows:
Completion status: Completed;
Quest score: 60 points;
Quest rating: Average;
Extra rewards: None;
Chosen target: Buddy who likes singing, dancing, and basketball;
Affection progress: 38%;
Livestream popularity settlement: 364 coins;
Livestream betting settlement: 145 coins;
Livestream gifts settlement: None;
Account balance: 668 coins.]
Huang Tao looked at his task panel, his expression more somber than before.
After two quests, his progress with the target hadn’t even reached 40%. For the final mission, he needed at least 60% affection to clear the stage—he couldn’t afford to waste time like he had this round. What made things worse was his score: he’d gotten 62 points last time, but now he was barely scraping by with 60. At this rate, even if he achieved the required affection in the last round, his rating might still be too low to pass.
Moreover, despite hoarding his coins from last time, hoping to combine them with this round’s earnings to buy a “Safety Bubble,” he still only had a little over six hundred—not nearly enough.
Why was it so hard to make money?
With this thought, Huang Tao looked mournfully at Wen Nan, who had just entered, weighing whether he should do as the chubby one did—call him “Boss” and shamelessly flatter him? Maybe Wen Nan would take pity and spare him a few Safety Bubbles, so he could enjoy playing basketball in the next quest.
But as he opened his mouth, the word “Boss” caught in his throat and refused to come out.
Forget it—groveling wasn’t for everyone, after all.
At that moment, the screen updated—
[Contestant Wang Erxiao, please confirm your identity]
The chubby player strode up and pressed the [Confirm] button with ease.
The results appeared on the display—
[Contestant Wang Erxiao, main quest settlement as follows:
Completion status: Completed;
Quest score: 88 points;
Quest rating: Good;
Extra rewards: None;
Chosen target: Old-fashioned, married homeroom teacher;
Affection progress: 43%;
Livestream popularity settlement: 523 coins;
Livestream betting settlement: 238 coins;
Livestream gifts settlement: 500 coins;
Account balance: 3,122 coins.]
Seeing these results, Huang Tao and Shao Ling looked at the chubby one with unconcealed jealousy, but he just grinned triumphantly.
As expected, with the help of his “Lord Night,” he had soared ahead!
His quest score had skyrocketed from 63 to 88; affection progress, which was only 9% last time, now leapt to 43% in a single round. Although he’d earned slightly fewer coins than before, with the items gifted by Lord Night, he hadn’t needed to spend a cent.
If he could maintain these results, he’d breeze through the final quest.
With this thought, the chubby player gazed at his lucky star with heartfelt gratitude—
Flattering someone might bring momentary joy, but constant flattery brings endless delight.
The screen changed again—
[Contestant Shao Ling, please confirm your identity]
Shao Ling, determined in spirit despite his feeble frame, rose to his feet and pressed the [Confirm] button.
The results appeared—
[Contestant Shao Ling, main quest settlement as follows:
Completion status: Completed;
Quest score: 69 points;
Quest rating: Average;
Extra rewards: None;
Chosen target: Brother with eight-pack abs;
Affection progress: 5%;
Livestream popularity settlement: 3,689 coins;
Livestream betting settlement: 2,163 coins;
Livestream gifts settlement: 5,200 coins;
Account balance: 17,665 coins.]
Staring at his settlement panel, Shao Ling felt like crying.
The only consolation was that his livestream popularity remained high. Even though half his stream was blocked due to sensitive scenes, his gifts had doubled as a result.
Apparently, the “pick up the soap” scenario, though niche, still had a considerable audience.
But this account balance was useless to him. He didn’t need a “Safety Bubble”—if he used one, his eight-pack brother wouldn’t be able to enter, and would go berserk.
His quest scores had remained at 69 for two rounds, totally unchanged. It seemed that as long as he stayed passive enough, his score would remain stable.
But if he kept on like this, he’d never clear the game.
After the last quest, his affection progress was only 3%; now, it had increased by just two points.
This progress—couldn’t it at least budge a little? How could someone lie flatter than he already was?
In truth, Shao Ling knew why his eight-pack brother was dissatisfied. At the beginning of the first quest, he’d boosted his strength stat to 100 and showed up with bulging muscles, causing his affection progress to soar to 30%. But after his trial card wore off and he reverted to his original form, his brother had sneered at him, calling him a “skinny pup,” and had left in disappointment. Since then, his affection progress hadn’t moved at all.
So, to satisfy the eight-pack brother, lying flat wasn’t enough—he needed a sixteen-pack!
But stat trial cards couldn’t be bought with money.
With this in mind, Shao Ling glanced at Wen Nan.
Gritting his teeth, he walked up to Wen Nan, grasped his hands, and said tearfully, “Lord Night, do you need another grandson?”
As soon as he spoke, Huang Tao could no longer sit still—if the other two were already flattering the top dog, that must be the culture of their dorm!
Why hesitate? The only logical choice was to join in.
With that realization, he threw away his pride, rushed over in two strides, and grabbed Wen Nan’s other hand. “Boss, if there’s still a vacancy for a grandson, count me in too.”