Chapter Eighty-Five: The Main Plot Remains Unchanged

"Qingqing," Yan Ningsi searched for Lan Qing's hand, glanced back at Shen Jin, and squinted with a smile. "Come on, let's play rock-paper-scissors."

"Sure," Lan Qing responded openly, her gaze resting on Sang Yijia, then casually glancing at Yan Ningsi, who was holding Sang Yijia's arm. She remarked, "Ningsi and Jiajia seem to have a really good relationship."

"Haha, yes," Yan Ningsi admitted frankly, then added, "You and Shen Jin are always together, so you probably didn't notice that our group of four split up to do activities."

As she spoke, Yan Ningsi moved closer to Sang Yijia. "Now Jiajia and I are the hottest new couple. Qingqing, didn't you know?"

Lan Qing was genuinely baffled. The show had barely started; how could the couples already be shuffled?

"Really?" Lan Qing kept her smile, albeit awkwardly. "I never noticed. When did it happen?"

She looked at their intertwined hands, her brows knitting slightly. If the couples had truly changed, surely the production team would have announced it? Was Yan Ningsi just joking?

"This morning," Yan Ningsi released Sang Yijia's arm and turned to point at the computer behind them. "Jiajia's high school classmate is W."

Duan Yuqing didn't want to use that English name any longer, but hadn't settled on a new one, so Yan Ningsi temporarily called her W.

"She's the world champion in e-sports," Yan Ningsi gestured. "We played games together at lunch."

Sang Yijia gently shook her head. "My deskmate is a professional gamer."

"Oh, I see," Lan Qing replied, not quite understanding but sensing enough.

"Come," Yan Ningsi noticed the conversation drifting and quickly steered it back. "Rock-paper-scissors."

"Three, two, one."

Lan Qing showed scissors, Yan Ningsi chose rock, and Sang Yijia picked paper.

This round was inconclusive; they had to try again.

The second round, Yan Ningsi won.

The third round was a showdown between Lan Qing and Sang Yijia.

The cameras focused almost entirely on the pair.

[Who will win?]

[Of course, our Qingqing!]

[It's just a game of rock-paper-scissors, why are you all so invested?]

Regardless, it was winner-takes-all.

Lan Qing played scissors, Sang Yijia played rock.

[Come on, it's just a game. Winning or losing isn’t a big deal.]

[Some fans weren't saying that just a moment ago.]

[Tsk, it's just rock-paper-scissors. Why take it so seriously?]

Soon, the livestream chat was in a heated debate.

But Sang Yijia, Lan Qing, and the others remained oblivious.

The first round of dice rolling began. Yan Ningsi stood at the front, eyeing the six sides with their six options.

The first was Fire and Ice, the second was Big Fish Eats Small Fish, the third was Gold Miner, the third again was Bomber Hall, the fourth was Twin Wings, the fifth was The Road of Heroes, and the sixth was Flying Chess.

All the game options were laid out.

Viewers in the livestream felt nostalgic for their carefree days, but—

[How do you play Flying Chess?]

[Do both players have to win for it to end?]

[That’s too hard.]

[It takes the most time but gives the least points.]

Yan Ningsi started. The first game was Fire and Ice, with the bonus condition that the duo’s synchronized cooperation had to reach eighty percent.

"How is that possible?" Yan Ningsi's eyes widened as she turned to look at Bian He. "He’s definitely faster than me."

"I haven’t played these games in years."

But the production team insisted on the rules. Yan Ningsi rolled her eyes, then began the next round—the second game was Gold Miner.

"This one’s fine, my score will definitely be the highest!" But the bonus condition was to get scores like 520 or 1314, numbers symbolizing love.

Yan Ningsi almost wanted to throw the dice in frustration, but managed to restrain herself.

[What kind of requirement is that?]

[Is the production team even human?]

[Do you have to calculate this?]

The third round began, and Yan Ningsi’s luck was excellent—she landed on Twin Wings, with the bonus again requiring eighty percent cooperation.

Yan Ningsi rubbed her forehead in exasperation. "I fear I’ll fail before I even start this round."

[Hahahahaha.]

[At least it’s not Flying Chess, or it’d be even worse.]

[How do you get bonus points in Flying Chess? Is it about rolling three sixes?]

[Rolling three sixes sends you back to the start, haven’t you ever played?]

Sang Yijia’s turn came. In the first round, she got The Road of Heroes, with the same bonus—synchronized cooperation at eighty percent.

The second round, she rolled Bomber Hall. The third, Big Fish Eats Small Fish.

[These are all fine, pretty random.]

[Watching this makes me want to boot up my computer and play.]

[How is the cooperation score calculated?]

Finally, it was Lan Qing’s turn. For three consecutive rounds, she rolled the same game—Flying Chess.

Seeing this outcome, Lan Qing’s smile became stiff. If it weren’t for the live broadcast and so many people present, her fans would surely believe the production team was deliberately making things difficult for her.

[Qingqing, touch the dice for luck.]

[Don’t worry, Qingqing, Flying Chess is fun too.]

[Three rounds of Flying Chess, it'll be over soon.]

[What’s the bonus condition for Flying Chess?]

The staff quickly announced the results. For Flying Chess, the bonus was to finish the game in five minutes and twenty seconds, or in thirteen minutes and fourteen seconds.

[????]

[What is this?]

[Are they trying to force feelings to develop?]

[Why does this episode’s romance feel so mentally taxing?]

Sang Yijia took her three options and returned to her seat. She looked at Lu Wenchuan, "Have you played these games?"

"I glanced at the introductions earlier. They’re not hard," Lu Wenchuan answered, then asked, "Should we start now?"

Sang Yijia shook her head. "I need to look at the game introductions too."

After assigning the games, the three camera teams began their work.

Lan Qing returned with a gloomy face, not daring to look at Shen Jin, her eyes downcast as she apologized meekly, "I’m sorry, it’s my fault for not picking better games."

How could Shen Jin bear to see Lan Qing upset? Seeing her like this, he wanted nothing more than to pull her into his arms and comfort her, but in front of the cameras, he had to restrain himself. "It’s okay."

Shen Jin raised a hand to gently rub the crown of Lan Qing’s head, speaking softly, "As long as I'm with you, the games don’t matter."

"What matters is the time spent together."

[Wow wow wow, so sweet!]

[Exactly, the games are just a pretense. What’s real is their time together!]

[He’s so good at comforting her!]

[Envious, I want a boyfriend like him.]

Shen Jin didn’t lower his voice, so everyone present heard his words. Sang Yijia glanced over as she heard him; the main characters’ storylines were still tangled together. Once the plot reached its turning point, she could simply keep her distance.

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(End of chapter)