Welcome to the Misogyny Game

After the two of them had that frank talk, it seemed that their relationship could never go back to what it was before.

Xu Wangchuan mainly felt that although they couldn't be boyfriend and girlfriend anymore, they could still try to be best male friends.

To cultivate this sense of proportion, he even bought many books on psychology and skills.

His labmates noticed that Xu, who loved reading all sorts of math and physics books, had several unusual books on his desk.

"How to Be a Girl's Best Friend in a Month?" Qu Xudong leaned against Xu Wangchuan's chair, looking at Xu Wangchuan who was engrossed in reading with a hesitant expression, a little afraid that he might have become psychologically abnormal: "Brother Xu, listen to me, if you really can't win over Xiaoman, just give up. You really don't need to wrong yourself."

"Yeah, Brother Xu, you're so handsome and dashing. Although Xiaoman is also excellent and beautiful, you don't need to be obsessed with just one flower and give up the whole flower garden."

“They are pure white lilies growing on cliffs. You might go through countless hardships and even risk your life to pick them, but it might not be worth it.” Chang Mao took some water, walked to Xu Wangchuan’s side, and echoed Qu Xudong’s words.

"Why would I pick a lily when it's blooming perfectly fine there?" Xu Wangchuan didn't understand.

“That’s true, it’s not easy for them to grow on cliffs,” Chang Mao agreed.

"I don't know why, but people treat girls like flowers. If you're with a girl, they say you're picking flowers, or even taking the whole thing, as if once a woman is with a man, she belongs only to him." Qu Xudong began to ponder whether these conventional sayings were an insult to women's independent personality.

The two began to discuss this. Seeing that the two were chatting enthusiastically and that he had nothing to do, Xu Wangchuan opened his book again and began to read it seriously. There was also a notebook next to him, which seemed to be prepared for jotting down important sentences at any time.

Qu Xudong nudged Chang Mao, who was about to say something more, and said softly, "Is this guy serious? If they can't be boyfriend and girlfriend, he'll become best friends. Is this how you pursue someone? If they really become best friends, what if Xiaoman finds a boy she likes? He'll have to give her advice."

The thought of that scene made him feel uneasy.

Xu Wangchuan was thoughtful.

"Besides, unless the best friend is gay, very few male compatriots have succeeded in becoming her. Your motives were impure to begin with. Even if Xiaoman is slow to catch on, you've already made it clear. Doesn't she still have to be wary of you?" Chang Mao was talking to Qu Xudong, but his eyes kept glancing at Xu Wangchuan. He didn't dare to raise his voice, for fear that the news that Xu's relationship had turned into a best friend would tarnish his brother's reputation.

If others think that the older brother likes men, and Xiaoman, the junior, doesn't like the older brother anyway, then they'll really become sworn brothers.

After all, Xiaoman is really handsome; she's the kind of guy girls would want to marry, and boys wouldn't even be jealous of.

However… Chang Mao blinked: “Actually, being gay best friends is fine too. Anyway, even if you two get together, it’ll be a female Alpha and male Omega combination. Do you dare to give her the cold shoulder?”

It's really heartbreaking. This guy is so authoritative and imposing outside, but in front of Xiaoman, he's like a husky. Maybe that's a bit inappropriate, since huskies are noisy and like to destroy things. So, how about a golden retriever or a Samoyed?

It's not very intimidating, just simply cute.

Xu Wangchuan shook his head, but he remained clear-headed: "She's a girl, I'm not gay."

He's clear-headed but not very sober. I reckon that if Xiaoman really became a man, Xu Wangchuan, with his love-struck mind, would probably say something like, "I only love your soul. Whether you become a man or a woman, I will still love you."

Or, to put it another way: "I'm not gay, I just happen to like you, and you and I are the same gender."

"Okay, okay, I understand your determination." As a brother, of course I support whatever choice my brother makes. Chang Mao said helplessly, "Just don't cry later, like when the girl you like is holding hands with another guy or something."

It makes me feel heartbroken just thinking about it.

Xu Wangchuan also felt heartbroken: "Why doesn't she like me?"

"Why don't you try pursuing her again? Xiaoman seems to be a very soft-hearted person." Chang Mao still wanted his brother to be happy.

"But I can't take advantage of her weakness and force her to accept me. The sudden confession already put her in a difficult position, and I pressured her so much. I'm already very grateful that she's still willing to be my friend."

Xu Wangchuan sighed, "At first, I was fascinated by her, but it was only because I liked her optimism and her cuteness. If I caused her to look sad, she would be unhappy, and I would be unhappy too."

“I hope she is always happy, even if the reason for her pain is not because of me, I hope I can soothe her pain,” Xu Wangchuan said. He suddenly thought of the aquarium case and Mount Emei, and suddenly realized that his emotional entanglement was not with Liu Chaoque when she was in danger.

How contrary to his original intention!

His original intention was simply to protect her. What blinded him? Was it the desire to gain more, coupled with the fear of loss? Was it the desire for his efforts to be worthwhile while losing more?

Xu Wangchuan finally realized where he went wrong. Most of the dangers in this world surrounded Siman, and she was forced to get involved in all sorts of things. In her world, living and helping others were the main themes, not petty love affairs.

He suddenly put down the book and closed it. "Let nature take its course. Even if she's just an ordinary friend, I should do my best to help her."

He looked at his two friends and said with a relaxed expression, "I suddenly realized I understand."

He realized that Xiaoman was difficult to pursue, so he changed his target, but the help he offered didn't seem to make sense.

"I will always protect Xiaoxiao, but this time not in the name of love," he said.

Oh no, the two exchanged a glance. It seemed the older brother was going to play the devoted second male lead.

"What are you three doing here, all this talk about love?" The door to the break room opened, and Zhang Jundong walked in carrying two boxes of fruit slices. He put the fruit slices back on his workstation and asked, "Do you want some watermelon?"

"Eat." x3

Two minutes later, the door to the lounge was pushed open again. He Rui glanced at the four people huddled together eating fruit slices and shouted, "Zhang Jundong, I want to eat watermelon too!"

"And another one, this plate is for you." He took out the unopened fruit slices, and the other three laughed good-naturedly.

"Have you guys been playing any games lately?" He Rui asked as she sat in Zhang Jundong's seat, eating as she did so.

"Games?" Chang Mao and Qu Xudong exchanged a glance. Chang Mao asked, "What about pesticides?"

“This…” He Rui hesitated, “This game isn’t new, are there any other ones?”

"Then I have nothing else to say." Chang Mao shrugged and patted Xu Wangchuan on the shoulder. "Brother Xu, have you ever played any other games? Never mind, Brother Xu probably hasn't." How could someone as devoted to serving Xiaoman as him possibly have time to think about playing games?

As expected, Xu Wangchuan nodded: "No."

“You four can’t even come up with two games,” He Rui said disappointedly.

"Hey, are you guys talking about games?" Another person pushed the door open and entered. Shen Bing said, "I recently started playing a new one, but I feel like you girls might not like it."

"Tell me, what game is it that we girls don't like?" He Rui put her hands on her hips. She didn't like hearing this, but she listened patiently, hoping he would say something nice.

"Hey, I need your help urgently." Shen Bing said, "It's a combat game, kind of like the old Chu Liuxiang. Didn't you only play it for a few days before saying you couldn't continue?"

Shen Bing felt innocent and told the truth, but it seemed that Shen Bing's words were not so innocent.

"What game? Is it like Chu Liuxiang?" He Rui wasn't interested; she really couldn't play it.

He Rui wasn't interested, but Xu Wangchuan was. He asked where to download it and then downloaded it on his phone.

He then opened the chat window and sent a message to Liu Chaoque.

A constant stream of messages: "Link, do you want to play a game?"

smile: "Why are you suddenly sending this? Do you want to play?"

Liu Chaoque was a little worried that Xu Wangchuan's account had been hacked, so before Xu Wangchuan could say anything more, her phone rang.

Hearing the special ringtone that Xu Wangchuan had set for Si Man, the lounge fell silent, and several pairs of eyes were fixed on his phone.

Xu Wangchuan calmly answered the phone, his voice pure and sweet as soon as he spoke.

Xu Wangchuan: "Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Why did you call me?"

Liu Chaoque didn't reply, but simply asked, "What's the police's phone number?"

"110, Manman, why are you asking this?" Even if she was threatened, she wouldn't say something so pointedly.

Si Man on the other end of the phone breathed a sigh of relief: "No, the game link you just sent me, I thought your account had been hacked, so I didn't dare to click it and called to confirm."

Xu Wangchuan said, "Xiaoxiao is great! She has a very strong awareness of fraud prevention."

Liu Chaoque finally breathed a sigh of relief. Since he had said that, the other party must not be a bot: "What game is this?" Si Man's voice on the other end of the phone also softened.

Xu Wangchuan looked at Shen Bing: "It can fly."

Shen Bing nodded.

“There’s more,” Liu Chaoque exclaimed excitedly.

Xu Wangchuan said, "You can play with your monk."

Shen Bing looked at the introduction and asked, "Are there any Shaolin characters?" She then checked and found that there were indeed. However, she noted that the character with the shield was not a popular one, and she wondered if a girl would like a bald man.

"Anything else?" Liu Chaoque smacked his lips, as if it were quite good.

Xu Wangchuan continued, "I'm good at the game, I can take you through the dungeons."

"Will this require spending real money?" Liu Chaoque hesitated. "If you want to increase your combat power, will you have to spend money? Maybe you should forget about it?" Although she usually doesn't spend money.

Xu Wangchuan said, "No need, there are also pure operation-oriented players."

Xu Wangchuan said, looking aggrieved, "Besides, we haven't even played any games together yet, Xiaoxiao."

Everyone: Huh~

Liu Chaoque had no choice but to say, "Alright, alright, let's play together."

She added, "I'm not very good at it, so please don't look down on me."

Xu Wangchuan: "How could that be? Who said you're bad at the game? I'll beat them up."

Liu Chaoque said, "Then I'll go download it."

Xu Wangchuan: "Okay, remember to tell me which server you want to play on, and the name of your account."

Liu Chaoque: "Understood."

After Xu Wangchuan put down his phone, everyone smiled knowingly.

"I finally believe what they said about Brother Xu having two faces. He's so sweet." He Rui covered her mouth, laughing as she patted Zhang Jundong. Zhang Jundong let her pat him, gazing at her tenderly.

"Oh, so Junior Xiaoman agreed to play games with you? That's great!" Shen Bing said with a smile.

As the campus heartthrob Si Man, who was privately discussed in the School of Finance, he dared not joke about the two of them, after all, the other one had plenty of fists and tricks up his sleeve.

Unaware that she had transformed from a fragile young girl frequently involved in cases into a resilient and strong woman, Liu Chaoque looked at the game's download page and, for some reason, felt an urge to laugh.

"Haha, haha." This must be the first time I've ever played a game within a game.

"What's wrong? Is there something good to hear?" Nan Chu asked, leaning closer.

"Oh, this." Liu Chaoque said with a serious face, "Do you want to play?"

"Oh, so the game is called 'Emergency Rescue'." Nan Chu suddenly realized, "Wen Xia is playing it. I saw her holding her phone after class, just grinning like an idiot. I thought something was wrong with her, but then I saw this on her phone."

Wen Xia recalled the scene when get out of class ended.

She seemed to be really focused on her phone; she didn't even see her greeting earlier.

"No, is she having an internet addiction attack?" Liu Chaoque asked worriedly, "Will this game affect her studies?"

Wen Xia doesn't seem like a teenager addicted to the internet.

So... does she want to get off or not?

"It shouldn't be." Nan Zhu looked around but didn't see Wen Xia. She then sneaked closer to Liu Chaoque and whispered in her ear, "I feel like Wen Xia is in a relationship."

"Ah, online dating?" Just then, the "Emergency Rescue" app finished downloading, and Liu Chaoque randomly found a server with a green symbol and logged in.

Upon entering, there were cutscenes of various martial arts sects. Liu Chaoque saw Shaolin, Wudang, Emei, and what looked like poison.

Is it Wudu? But there's no Wanhua or Xiuxiu either. Liu Chaoque isn't sure if it's from the game he used to play.

After some selection and face-shaping, Liu Chaoque finally chose a human-shaped monk.

Actually, the Taoist priest is quite handsome, but for some reason, she prefers to play with bald little monks, maybe because they look like they don't have any worries.

The young monk in the picture has a face like a peach blossom, a smile on his lips, and a divine quality in his lowered eyes, as if he is capable of saving all living beings.

She named herself "Fan Yin Ru Meng," which is quite fitting for her image as a monk.

Upon entering the game, the character is dressed in a yellow monk's robe. There is a tutorial at the beginning, which Liu Chaoque skips. Because it is a new map and because she is a new player, there is someone leading the way for her.

Upon reaching a location marked with a white symbol, the character controlled by Liu Chaoque is about to engage in battle.