Welcome to the Misogyny Game

"So you're not Liu Chaoque?" Wang Qige suddenly realized. Her response seemed a little too bland, making it difficult for Smile to figure out her thoughts.

“Hmm.” Smile said helplessly, “I don’t know how your friend and I swapped souls. One guess is that we both fell from a great height at the same time, one wearing a seatbelt and the other freefalling without protection.” Smile made a joke. Wang Qige looked at her, but thought to herself: It’s one of a kind to describe suicide by jumping off a building in such a refreshing and unconventional way.

"So, since that place was so terrifying, why did you confess to me?" She was dressed in her work attire, a name tag hanging around her neck, arms crossed, her face serious. "Those of you possessed beings would never admit it unless you hid your tracks well, right? Why did you suddenly decide to talk about it just months after you transmigrated?"

When Liu Chaoque woke up from her coma, she was somewhat uneasy. She kept quiet, just wanting to see what the ghost that had entered her body was up to. But she didn't expect the ghost to be so calm and methodically repeat Liu Chaoque's work, only changing the subject and writing about modern business warfare.

Looks like someone with a finance background, writing a female-centric story without a romantic partner, it must be a novel by a female spirit...

Wang Qige thought uncertainly.

"I originally wanted to break free from the influence of my original world and live a good life in this one. Perhaps it was selfish of me to talk about my tragic past, to play the family card, or even to ignore the anomaly of my transmigration here and live as Liu Chaoque. But just yesterday, I couldn't deceive myself into believing that she had been reincarnated instead of being forced to live in that hellish place in my place." Her hand gripping the sofa tightened slightly, stained with bright red blood. She looked directly into Wang Qige's scrutinizing and suspicious gaze, and smiled faintly: "Perhaps, this is the only difference between me and them."

"I want to save her, even if it means going back to hell myself."

"Alright, I'll trust you this time." She crossed her legs and extended her hand: "Pleasure doing business with you."

"Pleasant to work with."

Liu Chaoque and Wang Qige knew beforehand that the game "Starry Sky Promise" was problematic. What kind of company would force you to buy a game that you can't uninstall once you install it? They both thought their phones were infected with a virus, and even after going to the company, they couldn't get a result. Later, they changed their phones, thinking that was the end of it, but they were surprised to find out that they had been tricked into playing the game.

Because they don't know if opening the game "Starry Night Promise" will cause Smile and Liu Chaoque to switch back, or if the people in the game discover Smile's escape and take her away even if she exists in Liu Chaoque's body, then the only connection with that world will be severed, and Liu Chaoque will truly never be able to return.

Therefore, Smile, who had that phone, did not dare to act rashly. She only wanted to find Wang Qige, with whom Liu Chaoque had a very good relationship, and find a solution.

Smile, who came with her suitcase, stayed at Wang Qige's house for the time being.

"Isn't this an otome game? It should be considered a low-risk game for the people in your game, but I feel that your mental state is very poor. There's a kind of sorrowful feeling of wanting to die but not being able to." Wang Qige handed over a glass of water. The two of them were now sitting in the living room, with two cell phones on the coffee table, one belonging to Liu Chaoque and the other to Wang Qige.

“Otome game, huh, it’s an otome game.” Smile tilted her head back, finished her glass of water in one gulp, and said with a self-deprecating smile, “For you outsiders, it really is an otome game. One nameless woman after another, chasing unknown love, showing their best selves to those high-quality men, begging for their affection. But in another side they don’t know, we struggle, hide, and are covered in wounds. Although it’s not like the old-fashioned angst novels where they dig out kidneys and hearts, and those men don’t even hurt us, they are relatively friendly to us, but as long as we face them, we always have to follow the plot and go through fire and water. I searched through Liu Chaoque’s memories and saw that I was almost swallowed up by the fire that broke out in the car accident. To save him, I went to the hospital. The pain was real and it was not erased by my indifference. Then, two days later, my injuries recovered, and I struggled for the male protagonist like a normal person again.”

Hearing Smile's words, Wang Qige couldn't help but sigh.

"Actually, I don't hate myself for wanting to save people, nor do I hate the choices fate made for me. Because I'm the female lead, I'm happy to have saved people. But damn it, isn't this an otome game? Why is there danger wherever the male lead and I go? I'm just an ordinary person. I can't save everyone, nor can I save those who shouldn't have died. I feel my weakness, I feel my powerlessness. I can't stop fate's arrangements for me, but I also can't understand what it's trying to do. Why drag so many innocent people down with me, just to make me, the female lead, look glorious and heroic? Why don't I just die? If I die, this messed-up world should return to normal, right? That's what I thought, and that's what I did. But I can't die. The closest I came to death was when I came to this world, but at the cost of another person." She rubbed her temples wearily. "Consider these peaceful months stolen. I have to go back."

"Is there any way to prevent either of you from going back?" Wang Qige asked.

Smile put down her water glass and shook her head: "I thought it could be like this, but just like the protagonist is indispensable in a complete novel, in this otome game, even if my name is given by the player, I am still the soul of this game. I am an existence that cannot be absent if any of the characters in it are not there. Maybe there is a bug that allows her to have a different soul, but this person must still exist."

“That’s true.” Wang Qige also felt that this matter was a bit serious, but it was too early for them to consider it now. After all, even if there was a living, breathing game character in front of her, she would not be able to contact Liu Chaoque in the game.

“So smile.” Wang Qige thought to herself, what a terrible name Liu Chaoque came up with. She said, “Let’s try to contact Liu Chaoque in the game first.”

"Shall we give it a try first?"

The two looked at the cell phone belonging to Liu Chaoque on the coffee table and suddenly felt a little nervous.

"Shall I open it?" Wang Qige said, looking to the side. She saw Smile run out the door in a huff and poke out a hand, gesturing for her to continue.

A heroine in an otome game? Ha.

Wang Qige was also a little flustered, but she calmly opened Liu Chaoque's phone and then...

"Fingerprint unlock, or do you know her gesture password?"

"With so many files to manage, where do we put the game?"

"I haven't logged in for a long time, why do I need a password again? Do you know your password?"

Finally, Smile, trembling with fear, was forced to sit next to Wang Qige.

After waiting for a gigabyte of update data, they logged into the game, and the first thing they saw was a perfectly normal character interface.

It's this guy...

"Senior Xie Zigui? How did he become one of the four male leads?"

"Do you know this person?" Wang Qige looked at the very refined-looking man with some curiosity.

"Yes, I know him. He's someone who exists outside our game, a background character in your world's terms. He's the student council president at our school. I've seen him occasionally at school ceremonies, but we don't really interact." Smile recounted everything she knew: "And when have I ever seen this person so... warm and charming?"

Just then, Wang Qige accidentally touched the character's shoulder.

A tingling, numbing sensation ran through him as the man said with gentle tenderness and boundless understanding, "How did you get hurt again? You've been naughty~"

"How did you get injured again?" Xu Wangchuan looked helplessly at Liu Chaoque, who was applying safflower oil to her knee. She had been working extremely hard these past few days, not only sparring with the coach but also frequently bumping into things and getting bruises all over her body.

I don't know what triggered it, but he was the one who actively dragged her to the martial arts class, and now he's doing the opposite.

"Come here, let me tell you a secret!" Liu Chaoque beckoned him closer. Xu Wangchuan thought she was going to say something, so he leaned in and heard her whisper, "I am actually the savior of this world."

Xu Wangchuan was speechless for a moment: "You think you're the savior? Have you been watching too many PT videos and gone crazy?"

"Hey, listen to me, haven't there been a lot of cases lately?"

"correct."

"And I was involved in many cases as well?"

"What does that prove?" Xu Wangchuan was still puzzled.

"How can you be so stupid? This just means I'm Conan, no, I'm the main character!"

"Are you trying to say that wherever you go, people will die?" Xu Wangchuan said bluntly, but Liu Chaoque quickly covered his mouth: "Shh, you can't say that, little Chuan Chuan."

Receiving Xu Wangchuan's accusing expression, Liu Chaoque released his hand and carefully straightened his clothes: "Anyway, I'm not Conan, and I haven't caused any deaths everywhere. In fact, many people have been saved because of me. And it's not like I went to a restaurant and a truck crashed into a wall, went to a shopping mall and a fire broke out, or I got robbed while walking at night..."

And if we're talking about the Grim Reaper, what about the male characters? Liu Chaoque didn't say this aloud, mainly because it involved the world's lore.

I'm a little afraid of being struck by lightning.

"Normally, the protagonist's growth process is always filled with hardships. For us students, we either got into romance anime, but I wasn't interested, or we got into action anime, but I just wanted to play martial arts. You were the one who introduced me to this. Maybe we'll have to participate in competitions in the future, which makes sense, but I'm not into action with my laid-back personality."

“That’s true.” Xu Wangchuan nodded. “Hey, don’t overthink it. Even if you really are the protagonist, what kind of savior are you? Being a savior is easy. You’re probably just under too much pressure lately and have encountered too many things. Why don’t you go back to the school for a few days? You can’t possibly encounter the same thing twice.”

Liu Chaoque shook his head in strong resistance, thinking of the neighbor incident at the very beginning of the story.

Xu Wangchuan thought about it for a moment, and when he woke up, he smelled a faint stench of blood coming from next door. He realized that living in the police compound made him feel much safer.

So he stopped saying anything.

“Anyway, I feel I have to do something. I’m not a savior, but just one of the masses. My kind nature makes it impossible for me to turn a blind eye to certain things, like the fire back then. If I had been more capable, faster, and more determined, that woman probably wouldn’t be in the ICU now,” Liu Chaoque said.

"Actually, you did a great job. You're not a firefighter, nor have you been specially trained. The human instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm makes people afraid to go into a fire. You were able to go in to rescue people and come out safely, which is already very impressive. You are very brave, but you also need to protect yourself."

Xu Wangchuan sighed: "Put yourself first, and then help others within your ability. I don't want to see your black and white photo at the memorial service, nor do I want to see your silent body. Savior or Grim Reaper, don't make yourself scarred. You are still a wonderful college student. Many burdens are not on your shoulders, and no one will blame you for anything."

"I know." Liu Chaoque forced a smile. "I know what I'm doing."

"Alright, my great savior, since that's the case, I'll have to work hard from now on and become a top-notch partner. I can't let you beat me to it." Xu Wangchuan clenched his fist and said with a smile, "I'm the one who brought you into the martial arts world, so don't underestimate me."

"Okay, let's work hard together!" Liu Chaoque's eyes narrowed with a smile.

The two bumped fists, their eyes met, and flames burned in their eyes. Perhaps in the future, they would become comrades who could entrust their backs to each other, or perhaps they would be evenly matched and overcome difficulties together. But for now, let's keep trying.

…………

"What's going on? The story has already updated to Chapter 10?" Wang Qige looked at the game progress, which was still stuck at Chapter 4, and couldn't help but feel a little desperate. She looked at Smile, forced a smile, and even felt a little embarrassed: "See if you can pass the level by yourself?"

"Haha, this..." Smile's smile faltered, her hands trembling, filled with self-doubt and uncertainty: "Is it really possible?"

If she plays this game, does it feel like the game character is plotting to seize power?

“Why not? It’s a game where you’re the main character, so you can make your own choices instead of being passively chosen. Although the choices players can make are extremely limited, even if they can only choose one of four options, it’s still a huge improvement for you.” Wang Qige patted her shoulder and said earnestly, “Have fun. If you encounter any difficulties, remember to call me. I’m going to cook now.”

The image of herself was reflected in her smiling pupils, her eyes focused and earnest.

Fifteen minutes later.

"Smile, dinner's ready!"

"Oh, okay." She put down her phone, and the player name on the screen changed to Si Man.

Back to the game.

"What a piece of crap! Who gave me this awful name? I'd rather have called it Smile, at least that's a foreign name. Puns are a no-no!" Liu Chaoque knew that her name was changed during roll call.

Because her name sounds similar to "smile," it doesn't seem strange to others call her that.

I discovered her when the teacher called on her to explain a problem in class. I used to call her Smile, but now I call her Si.

She also found it strange that a foreign name is just a word, and it has a surname and a given name.

After taking out her ID card, she realized that she actually had a name.

This name would be better if it were just called Smile.

After the initial awkwardness subsided, Liu Chaoque started fiddling with things. She hadn't gone to the Civil Affairs Bureau to change her name, so who had secretly taken her ID card and changed it for her? It probably wouldn't pass the facial recognition test.

Furthermore, she produced her high school graduation certificate, and the name on it had been changed, so it wasn't made by someone in the game.

Could it be that the game world and the real world are connected? This game probably didn't develop any toilet function, right? Isn't she just socially dead?

Ahem, I think too much.

Since the real world can still influence this place, could she make a wish for some kind of cheat code? Saving people every day is exhausting.