Mini World Game Console-Chapter 727 - 728: The Scoundrel’s Plan

February 28th was the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month, well past the Chinese New Year travel peak. It also wasn't a weekend, so Ren Suo easily bought two second-class tickets for the 9:45 a.m. high-speed train.

Baiyun was not far from Lianjiang. It would only take Qiao Muyi a little over an hour to drive, and the high-speed train was even faster. They would definitely make it home for lunch.

Therefore, after buying the tickets, Ren Suo called. "Mom, are you cooking lunch today?"

"What, you want me to order takeout? A new boneless pickled fish restaurant just opened outside our neighborhood, the nearby barbecue workshop is back in business, and there's even a place serving Japanese rice bowls."

His mother's erratic train of thought and machine-gun-like delivery always made Ren Suo's brain feel like it was crashing and temporarily shutting down. "Dad can't eat spicy food, right? I've tried that Japanese rice bowl place; it's pretty average."

"Then how about the boneless pickled fish? I'd like perch. Order a portion for two, but don't get rice—the rice from outside isn't good. I'll cook a couple of bowls myself."

"Okay... okay, my foot!" Ren Suo almost swore. "Mom, Xingmei and I are coming home for lunch! Will you be home around noon?"

"Yes, yes, I'll be home. I skipped work today; clocked in and left." His mom went 'Ah!' and then said, somewhat embarrassedly, "In that case, buy a four-person portion of the boneless pickled fish."

"We rarely come back. Can't you make something nice for us?" Ren Suo was speechless. "Buy a few pounds of shrimp for oil-braised prawns, make some steamed clams with garlic, get some plain boiled chicken, and stir-fry a vegetable dish. Something simple would be great."

His mother muttered, "Alright..."

"Oh, and for the oil-braised prawns, remember to devein them and slit their backs so they absorb the flavor."

"Deveining shrimp is such a pain. Why are you so demanding? You must have picked that up from your dad," his mother complained. "Isn't today Friday? Don't you and Xingmei have work and school?"

"We took the day off."

"Now, that's not good," his mother said seriously. "Whether it's work or study, you must persevere and strive. That's how you earn your salary and justify your tuition. Labor and study are most glorious!"

At least we took the day off. Does this middle-aged woman who skipped work really have the right to lecture us?

"And why are you suddenly coming back?" his mother continued. "Don't you two usually forget all about your two lonely old parents once you leave? Never mind Xingmei; you're the 'great filial son' who hasn't been home in a year and a half."

And you're the great mother who never cleans her son's room!

But since she was his mother, she always had the monopoly on teasing, and Ren Suo never had a chance to retort. He could only swallow his unspoken comeback and say glumly, "There's something we need to come back and discuss with you."

"Who is it?" His mother suddenly got excited, then hurriedly said, "Wait, let me guess. This is an extremely rare opportunity for a riddle..."

Ren Xingmei, who was eavesdropping nearby, burst out laughing with a snort.

It took Ren Suo's brain doing a 720-degree spin before he understood his mother's underlying meaning. He said, caught between laughter and tears, "Mom, it has nothing to do with them, and I'm not that kind of person!"

"Heh," his mother chuckled ambiguously. "Then what are you coming back for?"

"There are some... um..." Ren Suo glanced at Ren Xingmei beside him. "Very important relationship issues to discuss with you."

Ren's mother blinked.

Relationship issues? But not related to those girls?

Ren's mother's voice suddenly sounded a little dejected. "Oh, so that's how it is. I understand. Your dad and I will be home waiting for you."

"Okay, see you at noon."

After hanging up on her son, Ren's mother checked the time. Seeing it was a break between classes, she called her husband. "Hello, come home early for lunch. Our son and daughter are coming home."

"Alright, I don't have a class during the fifth period," Ren's father replied. "Why are they suddenly coming back?"

"Our son might have... been dumped," Ren's mother said in a somber tone.

"Dumped by whom?" Ren's father suddenly grew excited, then quickly added, "Wait, let me guess. First, we can rule out classmate Lin Xianyu, who hasn't even started anything with him yet—"

Why does this sound oddly familiar?

Impatiently interrupting him, Ren's mother sighed. "It might be all of them."

Considering the context, his relationship problems weren't related to those specific girls. And generally, it wouldn't involve boys either. So, there was only one possibility for Ren Suo's relationship problem: he had been dumped.

And by all three girls at once!

"All of them? (〃'▽'〃) Really!?"

Ren's father's voice rose excitedly. "That makes sense! It was fine before school started. But after school resumed, they would definitely meet and clash. The more they talked, the more heartbroken they'd become. Eventually, they'd feel it wasn't worth it and dump our son together. That's the expected ending!"

Ren's mother was angry. "That's your son! Not some freebie you got with a phone top-up! Your son is in such a miserable state, how can you be so happy?"

Ren's mother was genuinely upset. She really liked those girls. Although, from the perspective of a woman, a mother, or even a middle-aged woman, she neither approved (nor disapproved) of Ren Suo's absurd ideas.

But to not even bring back a single prospective daughter-in-law, and instead come home miserably with his sister to cry to his parents... it was truly, truly...

Then again, it wasn't really that surprising. It was quite normal for her son to end up like this.

However, according to Ren's father, Ren's mother had essentially bet on all three. She had thought that even if she couldn't win the jackpot with all of them, she'd at least back one winner to break even, right?

But she never imagined that Ren Suo, this gambling tool, would actually blow up!

"I'm sad too, but I saw this day coming a mile off; I just didn't expect it so soon," Ren's father said cheerfully. "Moreover, as a teacher, one should uphold righteousness, even if it means disowning one's kin. If the son is not taught, it is the father's failing. Now society has taught my son a good lesson on my behalf. Of course, I'm both sad and happy!"

"Cook a couple more dishes at noon. We need to properly reward... no, console... yes, comfort him!"

Unlike Ren's mother, Ren's father, who had placed his bets elsewhere, wasn't the least bit dejected. He considered Ren Suo's previous philandering a mere prequel. From this day forward, he believed Ren Suo would begin the main story of pure love!

「...」

"Xing Mei, what did you all talk about last night?"

On the high-speed train, once it had silently accelerated and started moving, Ren Suo noticed there were no other passengers nearby. Unable to contain his curiosity, he quietly asked his sister beside him.

Ren Xingmei had been distracted. Ren Suo had to ask her twice before she snapped out of it and said casually, "It's a secret."

Ren Suo blinked. "You can't tell me?"

"If I told you, would it still be a secret?" Ren Xingmei glanced at Ren Suo, thought for a moment, and said, "If you want to ask Luna, that's fine too. I don't know if Luna heard everything clearly last night, so let me warn you first: they said that if you found out last night's secret, you'd definitely be the one to regret it."

Ren Xingmei said earnestly, "If you really want to know, I can tell you, because it would benefit me. Bro, the only reasons I'm not telling you are because I promised them, and... I also don't want you to regret it because of this."

Ren Suo was slightly taken aback. "Is it that serious?"

Ren Xingmei looked at him and smiled faintly, her mind recalling the peace and development agreement established last night, witnessed by all, with no objections.

「...」

After Ren Xingmei exposed Ren Suo's patterns of adventure, troublemaking, and romance, everyone finally regained their composure, suppressing their urge to fight. Dong Chengling's home was thus safely spared a second Calamity of explosions.

After several discussions, they reached a few points of consensus.

The first, most crucial, and instantly approved consensus was to "avoid accidents," meaning Ren Suo was not allowed to continue his reckless ways.

Even Luna, when Ren Suo left Earth and was involved in the epic of the Empire's fall in Didra, had meowed anxiously and could only sleep soundly if Little Jiu held her.

As for the others, who among them hadn't seen Ren Suo court death with their own eyes? Who hadn't personally accompanied him in doing so? Who hadn't waited at home for him to return from one of his death-defying escapades?

Although adventuring and courting death with Ren Suo was thrilling and exhilarating, such extraordinary events were best experienced only occasionally.

They preferred peaceful days and didn't want to see Ren Suo stirring up trouble again—after all, Ren Suo's occasional moments of brilliance couldn't wash away the thick 'Sand Sculpture' aura he exuded.

Even Qiao Muyi, who trusted Ren Suo the most, wasn't comfortable letting him dictate her Destiny. Unless Ren Suo was willing to take her along every time, she didn't want to spend her days at home worrying about him.

Not to mention, whenever Ren Suo participated in these incredible adventures beyond their imagination, side plots often developed, leading to an increase in the number of rivals they had to deal with.

They believed Ren Suo didn't subjectively intend for this to happen, which was why he could now so righteously claim: It really wasn't my fault; love made the first move!

Honestly, both Ren Xingmei and Dong Chengling had a feeling that if they hadn't been present this time, that silver-haired beauty, Lorifes, might also have fallen into his clutches...

If that had been the script, Ren Suo wouldn't have been fighting the Bloodline Great Law while on the run; he would have been facing Los, the hero of Didra.

Therefore, both for Ren Suo's safety and to avoid adding more players to the game, they decided to completely restrict Ren Suo's actions.

Ren Suo, you can help the Fairy Palace World Tree formulate action plans, that's fine, no problem. After all, we can't afford to provoke those Supernatural Organizations.

But if you try to get close to another woman and get entangled in some mysterious incident, then sorry. Student representative Gu Yueyan, teacher representative Dong Chengling, and Qiao Muyi, the Tactical Bureau representative, with their intelligence network, were confident they'd be able to lock Ren Suo in 'Little Black' in time!

They wouldn't interfere with Ren Suo's Daily activities; in fact, they might even proactively participate in them. They believed that with Ren Suo's personality and intellect, he'd be thoroughly managed by them.

On this point, their interests aligned, which formed the basis for their subsequent cooperation.

The second consensus, proposed by Qiao Muyi, was the "Protector's Reward."

"Since no one is willing to give up, and everyone knows that others are equally unwilling, we can only resort to other methods to determine the sole victor."

Ren Xingmei even recalled Qiao Muyi's foxy, teasing expression from last night as she said, "But no matter what, this is something only we can know. We absolutely must not reveal it to Xiao Suo."

Dong Chengling asked, "Why?"

"Because it's a seller's market. We all want to buy the same thing and are constantly competing for it. What would happen if the seller knew our determination?"

Qiao Muyi answered her own question, "He'll hold out indefinitely, until we've exhausted all our resources! And even then, it won't be enough, because he intends to take everything we have from the start!"

"Ladies, if exhausting all resources could get you what you want, I believe you would be willing."

"But if exhausting all resources could only get you a third, a quarter..." At this point, Qiao Muyi glanced at Ren Xingmei, "...or even a fifth, I believe you..."

"Might still be willing."

"However, if we don't reveal our determination, then the possibility of a single victor emerges. Isn't that better?"

Gu Yueyan asked, "But what if it is revealed?"

"Then it means future benefits for everyone will be compromised," Qiao Muyi said languidly. "Moreover, I might choose to withdraw."

Everyone was stunned.

"Participating in a game where complete Victory is impossible is as foolish as waiting for a ship at an airport."

Qiao Muyi stated earnestly, "I hope we can compete fairly. I don't demand that losers graciously accept defeat, but I do hope the winner receives the complete reward."

The third consensus was "Ceasefire and Development."

Ceasefire meant that none of them—Dong Chengling, Qiao Muyi, Gu Yueyan, or Luna with the Moon Chanter's support—were allowed to directly flip the chessboard. They couldn't use any conventional or unconventional means on Ren Suo, such as imprisonment, control, deception, brainwashing, or inducing permanent slumber.

This relied entirely on self-restraint, but everyone understood that if one person made the first move, the others certainly wouldn't hold back. It would then come down to their individual abilities, and the only concern would be Ren Suo potentially getting harmed in the process.

And 'development' naturally meant everyone would use their Divine Skills, echoing the first consensus. Since their free time didn't perfectly align with Ren Suo's—who barely had to work—they would have to take turns and coordinate schedules to restrict his activities.

To put it simply: individual dates.

There were many other rules, such as no staying out overnight, not removing Ren Suo's Spirit Energy Coordinates, not concealing date locations, and so on. The specific details and the "Ren Suo Time Allocation Table" would probably be released in a day or two.

With no one willing to give up and mutual apprehension among them, they all agreed to compete non-violently under these three points of consensus.

Although these consensuses might be overturned in the future... they also had plenty of time.

Yes, Ren Xingmei realized they were simply trying to buy time.

Qiao Muyi was buying time to reach a level of Cultivation where she could flip the chessboard.

Dong Chengling was buying time to reach a level of Cultivation where she could stop Qiao Muyi from flipping the chessboard.

Gu Yueyan was buying time, naturally, because she hadn't graduated yet. Plus, in a few years, her family might boast three members with super combat power!

And Luna was still a cat; she needed to buy time for Cultivation until she could fully Transform into Human.

「...」

Ren Xingmei refused to tell Ren Suo about the agreement made last night, naturally because she also agreed with those points of consensus.

Although adventuring with her brother this time had been wonderful, she was uncertain. If she could go back to the night of the Lantern Festival, she didn't know if she would have wanted Ren Suo to rescue her or not.

Deep down, she didn't want Ren Suo to face danger again, or to face danger and then bring back yet another candidate for sister-in-law.

Moreover, if these points of consensus were revealed, Qiao Muyi might actually leave. Ren Xingmei was willing to see them part ways, but not to force Qiao Muyi out like this.

Though unspoken, they all acknowledged Qiao Muyi's straightforwardness and her pursuit of a Perfect relationship.

Since his sister wouldn't say, Ren Suo didn't press further.

Besides, knowing wouldn't make much difference. After all, Ren Suo didn't rely on schemes to win hearts; he navigated the world with a heart full of pure love.

Ren Suo lowered his head and played on his phone; the high-speed train had Wi-Fi.

Just then, Young Master Mu suddenly sent him a message: "Are you mad?"

This guy's actually slacking off at work.

Ren Suo: "No."

Young Master Mu: "Then, are they mad?"

Ren Suo: "Yes."

Young Master Mu: "Did they lose their temper with you?"

Ren Suo: "No."

Young Master Mu: "That's good. Hey, I'll get you some time off in March. Let's go on a trip to see the cherry blossoms!"

Ren Suo was startled. "That doesn't sound like a good idea... Just you and me?"

Young Master Mu: "Of course, it'll just be you and me. And you don't have to worry about them getting angry. Don't you trust your relationships with them? Besides, I just want to have some fun alone with you. Don't I even deserve that much?"

"If you feel bad about it, you can go on dates with them later. I know you can't let go, but do you really think we'd be willing to do things as a group? Would that be fair to us?"

She actually had a point.

Young Master Mu: "And you don't need to worry about them leaving. They've said they won't give up on you, no matter what, so you can rest assured. Besides, you can't always be worrying about what others think. You should be able to enjoy yourself freely, right?"

"Don't you want to not give up on anyone? Does this so-called 'not giving up on anyone' mean you have to be constrained in everything you do?"

Qiao Muyi's words were like a Demon's whisper, luring Ren Suo step by step into the Abyss.

"Alright."

Qiao Muyi, in the Tactical Bureau office, couldn't help but let a sly smile curve her lips when she saw this reply. Her secretary, Yao Fei, shivered at the sight. Oh dear, someone's in for it now.

"Good. So you agree to go see the cherry blossoms with me in March?"

Qiao Muyi was confident this time, feeling closer than ever to the victor's grand bed.

Fair competition? She'd never expected such a thing from the start. Leaving the choice to Ren Suo himself was the most foolish thing to do! Heaven knew if Ren Suo would suddenly announce, 'I have a new idea!' causing her to lose spectacularly and miserably. The three points of consensus established last night were all for her upcoming plan! She would flaunt her relationship with Ren Suo step by step, letting him become arrogant from being spoiled, thereby making the others angry, impulsive, and even despairing! Others saw Ren Suo as a boss to be conquered; only Qiao Muyi had treated him as the prize of a successful competition from the very beginning. As long as she drove everyone else away, she would naturally obtain the ultimate reward! That's right, Qiao Muyi couldn't control how many pieces Ren Suo's heart was divided into, but after her Victory, she would have enough time and affection to completely mold his heart into her own shape. Others wanted to be a divine, loving couple with Ren Suo; she had no such interest. Qiao Muyi was a Demon King; as long as she and Ren Suo could be a carefree pair of rogues, she'd be content. And a trip for two was the first step of her plan! As long as Ren Suo fell into her trap, his Destiny would unfold in the direction she anticipated—

"No, I'm not going."

Qiao Muyi blinked, carefully re-reading Ren Suo's reply.

Yao Fei suddenly shivered.

"My travel quota was used up during those days in Didra. I really don't feel like going out in March. If Cheng Ling could Teleport us there directly, then I might consider going for a little while."

Outside, Li Dan, who had come to discuss work with Qiao Muyi, was just about to knock when his expression suddenly changed. He turned and walked towards Yu Kuangtu's office, deciding it was better to pass this task on to his old friend.

"But if you want to go on a date nearby, I'm free anytime. Speaking of travel, do you remember Snowy City from 'Annals of the Otherworld Empire's Demise'? I've been there; the snowscapes are incredibly beautiful. I was thinking at the time how nice it would be if you were there too. And Luoyin City! The sky there has both the sun and moon shining at the same time. It's really... oh my, I don't even know how to describe it. It's just stunningly beautiful. You'd definitely get hundreds of likes if you took a photo there..."

Yao Fei blinked, noticing Deputy Director Qiao's stern face slowly melt like spring snow. She couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Getting angry while playing on her phone at work... she really was one of a kind.

Qiao Muyi put down her phone and sighed helplessly. She turned to look out the window and suddenly asked, "What flower is that?"

Yao Fei glanced over. "That's the Redflower Chinese Indigo, from the Cercis Family. It's also known as the Cercis Flower. Quite pretty."

Qiao Muyi picked up her phone, took a photo, and sent it. Then she suddenly laughed to herself. Close enough. I'll just count that as having gone on the trip.