Once Mo Aini had stepped out, all the noises had died down. There was no one in the auditorium. It felt so cold and empty despite the bright sunny day outside.
He checked his phone. Today was April 1st.
April Fool's Day.
He felt like all his life had been a huge joke, and the one who had been playing with him is hiding behind a holographic screen.
"How did you deal with the She Haoran situation?"
The system took a while to answer, then it spoke in a reprimanding tone.
[We highly advise you not to be a hindrance to our plans again. Please be cooperative, and simply perform your duties as a Cupid so there would be no future issues.]
"Hey, it's Hu Chuntian's idea." Mo Aini can't stop having a smug smirk. "So Ma Jianyu did complicate things after all. Your whole game is falling apart."
[Not if there is something we can do about it. Remember, we still have control over the stats of the people in this world. That was just a minor glitch that was easily fixed. If something like that happens again, we will be forced to eject you from this world too soon.]
Mo Aini gritted his teeth. "Don't you know anything to say other than threaten me?"
[How strange that before, User Mo Aini was pushing us to let him go back to his normal life. Now he thinks what we said is a threat.]
The system's tone was slightly less robotic and monotone, and more condescending.
[Money used to be your sole driving force. How about this..... If we offer you 100, 000 yuan in exchange for returning to your world right now, would you take that offer? Or have you fallen so deeply with a 2D character?]
"Even if Hu Chuntian's 2D and I'm 3D, that doesn't make his existence less valid. How about you just let us be and fuck off?"
[Yes, but your true selves would be out of place with each other. We cannot offer you to be permanently transported here, or transport him into our dimension if that's what you are thinking. If we put Hu Chuntian in our dimension, he would look like an animation that had come to life, therefore you must hide from the public. Do you think he's willing to live a life like that with you?]
[On the other hand, our technology is not that good yet. The avatar you are inhabiting is only temporary, and it is taking all our manpower to let it function. We did not transmigrate you physically here, just your mind. And besides, do you not care about your family anymore? Are you willing to leave them behind just for a man?]
Mo Aini's eyebrows knitted at this rational yet mocking way of reasoning by the system. He clenched his fist at the mention of his family. "What does my family know about this? What did you tell them? Are they even aware that I am missing?"
[Let us just say that... Imagine that this is like a very realistic VR world. When you play VR, does that time you spend in the VR world the same as the one in your real world?]
This caused his sanpaku eyes to widen. "Then.... to them, I've been gone for almost a year?"
[8 months comatose, yes. We're paying the hospital expenses for you. So as we said, your life would be easy for us to cut off.]
"How is my sister playing your stupid game when her gege is in comatose then!?"
[Have you never heard of coping mechanisms? Humans have various ways to deal with trauma and grief. Playing otome is the only thing your sister had ever known, and more than ever, it is the only thing keeping her distracted from her anxiety of her brother still not awake yet.]
[They're waiting for you, User Mo Aini. And you've done us great service up till now, but we aren't so sure anymore because of this... disappointing course of action that you and Hu Chuntian took. So it would be safer for us to have you stop the Cupid Program.]
[That's 100,000 yuan, plus the 30,000 you rightfully earned from obtaining Good Endings at each route. Enough to make your family proud, maybe start a business, or better your chances at earning a high-paying job. Perhaps get another degree that is more professional.]
[No matter what your decision would be, your family would shut their mouth if you wave the money at them anyway. So many possibilities to better your life.]
[And what's stopping you? A delinquent you just met for 8 months who doesn't even exist in the same plane as you? Who does not even remember you now, and may not even have a chance of remembering you anyway without any sort of divine intervention? Are just naively optimistic, or plain stupid---]
"Enough!" Mo Aini shouted and punched the holographic screen. His fist only passed through it, causing it to hit the wall and bleed.
He heaved loudly, his face dark. He gripped the album tighter to his chest.
"Fuck your offer. I will go back when it is time. But as long as the contract is still ongoing, don't play shitty mind games with me or I'll do something that will completely fuck your whole bullshit up."
He wiped his blood off the album with a handkerchief. "Stay away from me and A-Tian. I'll keep on helping my sister for you monstrous freaks that get off from fooling little girls or playing gods on people from another dimension."
He went down the stairs to go back to his dorm, and the holographic screen disappeared.
---------------------
A man sat in front of numerous screens, just swaying side to side from his swivel chair. He hummed a tune to himself as he wiped his glasses gleefully.
Someone came knocking at the door.
"The hook's connection to the bait is 100% already, sir. Your father is asking why you still haven't implemented beta testing yet, and abandoned these particular subjects."
At the mention of 'your father', the man frowned. "Calm down the old man and tell him that there are still many unknown variables that need thorough observation. But do not tell him about the complication."
The assistant with their face hidden in the dark protested. "But the Chief had told us to make him aware of all the developments---"
"I know what I am doing. That man is a businessman, and I am the one who has real control over the technology, the engineer. Do you think he could even make a single valuable input to solve our problems? Anything at all from that shrinking brain of his that had receded along with his hairline?"
The assistant was shocked by this blatant insult to their CEO and Founder, but he could not talk back to a Director as well. He merely said, "I will try to hold back his questions for now, sir."
And left the room.
The man rolled his eyes and went back to his numerous screens. He rewinded a scene of someone punching the wall and walking it off like no one's business.
"You never fail to surprise me, User Mo Aini. Such a shame that you were unlucky enough to be one of our test subjects." He ran his fingers through his slick gelled hair. "You are exactly my type. If circumstances were different, I would have treated you to a nice meal and taken it from there."
He then narrowed his eyes when he caught a glimpse of a shock of blond hair. He made a few taps on the keyboard, and adjusted something with his mouse.
".... Ah. Yes. Let's heighten this one..... Then lower this one. Good." He spoke as warning signs came up when he had pushed a bar to the limit and flashed bright red.
[Caution: This level of aggression, obsession, and irrationality are inhumane and abnormal. Do you wish to proceed?]
He just clicked 'Yes' without hesitation.
As he watched the screen load, he smiled to himself.
"Hmm, let's see if you'll still like Hu Chuntian now."
--------------------
When Mo Aini came to the dorm, Gou Manchu was eating so gloomily at their dining table. He turned around and immediately changed his expression when he saw his roommate come home.
"Hello, Mo-gongzi." He soon noticed the blood dripping on the floor. "What happened to your hand?"
"It's a prank. It's not real." Mo Aini reasoned.
"Oh, ok. Who did you prank?"
"Just some of my friends. I'll go wash it now, sorry for the mess." He excused himself and went to the bathroom with tired eyes.
Gou Manchu lifted his eyebrow and went to get a rag to clean up the floor. He scrutinized the red drops. He could definitely tell that it's real blood.
But Mo-gongzi doesn't want to talk about it, so he'll leave it be for now. Mo-gongzi looked really drained and out of it. As his friend and roommate, he couldn't help but to worry. But he doesn't know what to do.
Should he call Shu Chuanli about it?
Gou Manchu waited until Mo Aini went to bed to do so. His roommate did not eat dinner and moved around at a slow pace, looking so pissed yet also dead inside. The soccer captain had just noticed that he was holding some kind of book all this time, and even in his sleep, he still hold it closely. Like he was afraid someone would steal it from him.
This strange behavior really was the last straw for the worrywart Gou Manchu and he gave his friend a call.
"Hey, Shu Chuanli---er, senpai. Are you still awake?"
He whispered in a hushed tone, careful not to wake his sleeping roommate.
But it's no use since Shu Chuanli immediately yelled on the phone----
"Evacuate! Retreat! Gou Manchu get out of the dorms right now!"
There was also a loud whirring background noise from behind him, and a lot of people screaming.
Gou Manchu's already big puppy eyes widened even more, and Mo Aini had started to stir from the noise. He said to his frantic friend. "Senpai, what's happening?"
"Look outside, baka!!! Can't you hear the demolition machine???? He's coming for your building, looking for Ma Jianyu!!!!" He suddenly heard his senpai tripping and yelling curses. "Kuso! Bakemono uzai!!!"
"Who's looking for Ma Jianyu?" Gou Manchu stood up and pushed away his curtains to look.
"THE TIGER EMPEROR, OF COURSE!!!!!"
At the mention of this, Mo Aini quickly leaped out of his bed and looked through the window.
Sure enough, there really was a large crane with a heavy metal ball at the end, enough to wreck a three-story house to bits. Standing on top of the ball with a megaphone on hand was a familiar figure with a tiger jacket and spiky blond hair.
"TO THE BOYS DORMITORY: GIVE ME THE ONE THEY CALL MA JIANYU AND NO ONE GETS HURT!!!!! TO THE GIRL'S DORMITORY: GIVE ME THE ONE CALLED MO JIAGEI AND I WOULD SHOW YOUR MERCY!!!!" Hu Chuntian yelled. "YOU HAVE TEN SECONDS!!!"
Everyone was scared shitless by these words, except for Mo Aini who's heart soared just from hearing his voice.
"A-Tian." He didn't expect to see him again so soon.
He thought maybe they'll meet tomorrow and it would be a bit awkward since they don't really know each other and he might still be into his sister. But no matter.
He just wanted to see his A-Tian again as soon as possible, and his wish came true.
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~BRIBE ME, PLEASE~
Ok, I'm getting desperate and pathetic so now I'm willing to accept bribes. I get jealous easily of other books that have a huge following and get sad everytime, thinking what's the point of writing if I feel like no one's reading/appreciate it.
1 NEW 5 star review with genuine feedback (emojis and just saying compliments doesn't count) - 1 extra chapter
100 comments in a week (only those with TEXT count) - 1 extra chapter
5 NEW people voting for my other books- (so invite your friends haha) -1 extra chapter dedicated to them
100+ votes in a week in any of my books - 1 extra chapter for all of them
Magic Castle and up - Burst update
If you love my stories and would want to read more of them, please show your support through one of these bribes. Thank you!