Mini World Game Console-Chapter 817 - 818: Quit the Scumbag Circle

Qiao Muyi rolled over in her sleep, her arm suddenly brushing against soft skin. Accustomed to hugging a doll, she naturally wrapped her arms around it.

The touch was comfortable, the user experience excellent, and the other person exuded a reassuring aura, so Qiao Muyi couldn’t help but hold on tight.

It felt like a girl. Was it Xiao Suo?

Qiao Muyi suddenly snapped awake—This feeling—it wasn’t Xiao Suo!

She opened her eyes abruptly, her Fourth Transformation Qi Cyclone spinning wildly as her morning fury instantly erupted!

Then, an even more formidable aura pressed down on her like Mount Tai!

To her shock, the person she was holding was Dong Chengling!

"EEK..." Qiao Muyi’s large eyes fluttered as she let out a sound filled with both grievance and disgust.

"I’m the victim here, okay?" Dong Chengling looked helplessly at Qiao Muyi. "I was sleeping soundly when someone suddenly hugged me. I opened my eyes and saw you snuggling closer... Xiao Qiao, you weren’t this clingy last night, were you?"

"Sometimes women are like that," Qiao Muyi said nonchalantly, sitting up. The towel draped over her slipped off.

She looked at herself, then at Dong Chengling, sighed helplessly, and said, "I’ll take responsibility."

Even the well-educated and composed Dong Chengling couldn’t help but twitch her lips upon hearing this.

She suppressed the urge to kick Qiao Muyi away and asked with a laugh born of extreme anger, "How do you plan to take responsibility?"

Qiao Muyi shrugged. "How about this? I’ll sleep with you on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and with Xiao Suo on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Sundays off. How’s that?"

She glanced around, noticing her pajamas and underwear neatly folded on a chair. Getting out of bed carelessly, she walked over to change. "But if we do that, you’ll be mine. You have to be loyal to me, adhere to the three obediences and four virtues, and you’re not allowed to see Xiao Suo anymore, okay?"

"Get lost." Dong Chengling uttered the foulest curse she knew, pulling the blanket tighter around herself and grabbing the pillow beside her to hurl directly at Qiao Muyi.

"Spirit Shock Technique!"

The pillow, seemingly harmless but imbued with countless vibrating spiritual particles, would tear through anything it touched, much like a wind-style Rasengan!

Qiao Muyi, having just put on her shirt, casually caught the pillow and tossed it aside with a shrug. "You player. You slept with me and still want other men."

Only Qiao Muyi dared to joke with Dong Chengling like this, and Dong Chengling would only respond to Qiao Muyi’s jokes.

If anyone else had made such a joke, Dong Chengling likely wouldn’t have responded at all. Verbal counterattacks were meaningless to her, and she feared a physical counterattack might kill the other person.

Besides, Dong Chengling’s disposition was inherently transcendent. She paid no mind to others’ gossip. Malicious words were ignored outright, much like a normal person wouldn’t bother with a stray dog barking at them from the roadside.

Qiao Muyi was different. She was one of Dong Chengling’s few friends, a fellow traveler Dong Chengling acknowledged, and also her rival in love. If Ren Suo could awaken all that was good, true, and beautiful in Dong Chengling’s humanity, Qiao Muyi often managed to stir the seven deadly sins within her heart.

With Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling could directly lose her temper or counterattack with spells without hesitation, knowing Qiao Muyi could handle it.

Arguing also required an opponent of equal standing.

Even if things went slightly awry, it didn’t matter; Ren Suo, a Healing Cultivator with ample healing ability, was nearby.

After a bit of quarreling, the two were fully awake.

Dong Chengling thought for a moment. "Did we... fall asleep playing Mahjong?"

"Hmm." Qiao Muyi, wearing only a shirt, combed her hair before the mirror. Feeling a few strands sticking up, she flicked her comb. A flash of electricity emanated from it, straightening her locks with a subtle spark.

"I didn’t realize playing Mahjong was so draining. Shall we try something different next time?"

Dong Chengling paused, then suddenly turned serious. "This was your trick again, wasn’t it?"

"Don’t pin everything on me. Isn’t it perfectly normal for beauties like us to enjoy our beauty sleep?"

"That’s not normal. Our weakest are Second Turn Cultivators, and you and I are both Fourth Transformation Cultivators. We wouldn’t just fall asleep like that, not even if we played mahjong for ten consecutive nights."

Qiao Muyi finished combing her hair and tied it into a ponytail with a hairband. She examined her reflection in the mirror, then opened her makeup case to apply some "buffs," casually remarking, "We were using spells while playing mahjong last night. It’s normal to be exhausted and depleted of Spiritual Energy."

Dong Chengling said earnestly, "Even so, it’s unlikely all four of us would fall asleep together. I remember everyone was fine, then they suddenly got drowsy, and then I did too... But I held on until I saw you had fallen asleep as well."

"What spell is this? If you don’t tell me, I can ask the Tactical Bureau."

Qiao Muyi clicked her tongue, annoyed. "Alright, alright. It’s the Mind Assimilation Technique, a new Fourth Transformation Telekinesis skill from the Tactical Bureau’s Magic System. It uses telekinesis to interfere with an opponent’s thoughts, causing effects like anger, fear, confusion, or sleep. The downside is if the target’s willpower is stronger than the spellcaster’s, the spellcaster suffers a backlash. The upside is it’s traceless and extremely secretive."

Dong Chengling instantly understood. "You were trying to make us fall asleep from the very beginning."

Qiao Muyi spread her hands. "That was just a last resort. Honestly, Cheng Ling, your willpower is stronger than mine; I anticipated that. If you all hadn’t cheated so blatantly, I wouldn’t have risked using this... But I couldn’t win even when I cheated. What was I supposed to do?"

"You should have played by the rules and accepted your loss."

Qiao Muyi stuck her tongue out at Dong Chengling. "If we’re talking about rules, Cheng Ling, you’ve already slept with me so many times. By that logic, aren’t you already my woman?"

Dong Chengling pulled the blanket higher, covering herself more, and said calmly, "We’re both women. That joke isn’t funny."

"Doesn’t Xiao Suo have a spell that can change his body? I could have him... wait a minute! I could turn into a handsome guy, and Xiao Suo could become a cute girl. Cheng Ling, what do you think of that?"

Qiao Muyi suddenly grew excited, her face lighting up with an expression that said, ’Why didn’t I think of this before?’

"Absolutely not!"

"So shallow. You really are a player," Qiao Muyi said dismissively. "I like him for who he is; I’d accept him no matter what. You, on the other hand... Hmph. Just a little hussy obsessed with appearances."

Realizing she couldn’t win an argument against Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling grabbed the second pillow.

Qiao Muyi picked up Dong Chengling’s clothes and walked over, handing them to her with a sigh. "Get dressed. Cheng Ling, a woman should have some self-respect. At least be properly dressed in front of others."

Dong Chengling threw the pillow anyway.

「...」

In the living room, Gu Yueyan sat in Ren Suo’s lap, petting Black Cat, while Ren Suo played a fighting game with Lin Xianyu, Ren Xingmei, and Little Jiu. Besides the automatic mahjong table, the villa also had three video game consoles.

"Xiao Suo~"

Qiao Muyi hugged Ren Suo from behind. Gu Yueyan shot her a displeased look—It’s my turn now!

"Awake?" Ren Suo asked, his eyes still glued to the screen as he played. "Don’t sleep in the living room next time. You won’t catch a cold, but it’s not comfortable."

"Heh heh, were you disappointed I didn’t sneak into your room last night?"

"Sister Qiao—" Gu Yueyan seethed. I should have teamed up with Little Star and Teacher Dong last night to strip Qiao Muyi naked and make her spin around in utter humiliation!

"Hold on, I’ll return your little boyfriend shortly," Qiao Muyi laughed. "Xiao Suo, was it you who carried us to our bedrooms early this morning?"

"Mhm."

"Did you... grope us at all?"

"Yes."

"Anything else?"

Ren Suo thought for a moment. "A goodnight... or good morning kiss?"

"Consider yourself sensible." Qiao Muyi released him, satisfied. She checked the time. "I originally planned to climb Mount Fuji early this morning... Oh well. Let’s go to Yoyogi Park, the Imperial Palace, Tsukiji Hongan-ji, and the Shinjuku-Ikebukuro area today. I hear the seafood at Tsukiji is exceptionally delicious."

「...」

「A day of touring ended.」

Unlike the previous two nights, tonight they finally allowed Ren Suo some peace and let him sleep in the living room.

After all, they had to catch the Shinkansen to Kansai Osaka tomorrow and couldn’t afford another all-nighter playing mahjong.

Moreover, the other three had recognized Qiao Muyi’s devious ambitions and refused to play with her until they found a fairer method.

Upon hearing this, Ren Suo, overjoyed, played happily with Luna for half an hour. Then, he cheerfully saw everyone to their bedrooms on the second floor. This prompted a slightly annoyed Ren Xingmei to say, "Brother, it seems having you accompany us on this trip was quite an inconvenience for you."

"It wasn’t *too* much of an inconvenience..." Ren Suo pondered for a moment before answering seriously.

You actually didn’t deny it!

Gu Yueyan stomped back to the second floor in a huff, Ren Xingmei close behind. Just then, Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi exchanged a thoughtful glance before returning to their rooms.

Seeing no more gossip to be had, Lin Xianyu also slipped away with Little Jiu and Black Cat.

The hallway lights went out, leaving only a single lamp lit in the living room.

Sitting on the living room sofa, Ren Suo watched the lamplight illuminate him, the rest of the room shrouded in dimness. He suddenly felt a long-lost sense of freedom.

It had only been two or three days, but staying up late so carefree already felt like a distant memory.

If he really were to live with them and get married, his biological clock would surely be forced into a fixed schedule.

So, it was true that having girlfriends meant you couldn’t concentrate on gaming. The netizens hadn’t deceived me.

The so-called bond makes one realize that at least half of the saying, "This world is beautiful and worth fighting for," is true.

After sighing a few times over his foreseeable married life, Ren Suo picked up his phone and made an international call.

"It’s 11 PM here and midnight your time. Why are you calling me so late?" Zhao Huo got straight to the point.

"Isn’t it usually noontime for you?"

"Not anymore."

"Living with your girlfriend forced your biological clock back to normal?" Ren Suo stated confidently.

He’d hit the nail on the head.

"What is it? Spit it out. International call rates are expensive."

"I’m not worried about my phone bill, so why are you?" Ren Suo asked. "I suddenly have something to ask you."

"Now that you’re such a huge celebrity, do you get a twenty percent discount when you buy oranges?"

Zhao Huo said, "If you keep this up, I’m going to get angry."

"Alright, alright, Brother Huo, I’ll stop. But this is related to your fame," Ren Suo said. "You’re so famous now, a global celebrity. What would you do if it was exposed that you’re in an ’impure relationship’ with three women simultaneously?"

Zhao Huo replied, "What would I do? Deal with it as it comes. I don’t care anyway."

"But would they be able to not care?"

At this, Zhao Huo on the other end fell into a long silence.

Just as Ren Suo was about to remind him not to waste his call credit, Zhao Huo spoke seriously, "I’ve thought about how to solve this problem before."

"First, neither law nor morality is on my side. Even friends and parents wouldn’t support me. The only ones who would are them... and you. So..."

"Hey, don’t make it sound like I’m one of your women too!"

"I can’t help it. After all, among the people I know, you’re a scumbag too, Brother Suo."

"That ’too’ of yours shows quite a bit of self-awareness."

The two bantered across a thousand kilometers for a while before Zhao Huo continued, "I’ve thought of two methods. First, the ’victim’ narrative: have them publicly state they were deceived and controlled by me, unable to leave. That way, all the pressure and criticism would fall on me, and as ’victims,’ they wouldn’t face any public backlash."

"I doubt they’d agree to that."

"I think so too. So, I have Plan B," Zhao Huo said. "Flaunt it!"

Ren Suo was taken aback. "Flaunt what?"

"Flaunt our love!" Zhao Huo declared. "If it really gets out and we become the center of public attention, then I’ll flaunt our love! Flaunt it until they question their own lives, flaunt it until they’re green with envy, flaunt it until they understand that ’all anger stems from one’s own incompetence’!"

"If the plan succeeds, we could even become internet celebrities, though that’s not my goal. But from my years of anime-watching experience, people are quite tolerant of attractive individuals. Good-looking villains are easier to redeem. As long as we show everyone how happy and joyful we are, and how strong our relationship is, combined with our stunning looks, it’ll be easy to change public perception. They might even end up blessing us!"

Although Ren Suo doubted if Zhao Huo’s "scoundrel" persona could gain public acceptance, he had to admit Zhao Huo’s life experience offered some valid points this time.

Appearance is an amplifier. It can infinitely magnify qualities like talent, wisdom, and character, making these golden traits easier to discover and recognize.

Those popular villains adored by fans—some speak with flair, some have grand ideals and act with panache, others are witty and even charming when they kill—all invariably share one common trait: they are good-looking! Handsome!

Even a Gundam piloted by a villain, if it’s cool enough, is a good Gundam!

Zhao Huo’s Plan B certainly had its merits.

However, just flaunting their love might not be explosive enough. Let Brother Suo devise a Plan C to truly set public opinion ablaze!

His mind made up, Ren Suo said, "Okay, I get it. I’m going to play games now. Bye~"

"Wait, how come you can still play games?" 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"Why shouldn’t I be able to play games? It’s not like my hands were chopped off," Ren Suo asked, puzzled.

"Aren’t Dong Chengling and the others clingy with you?"

"...Not clingy at all." Ren Suo blinked. "We all have our personal space. I can sleep with whoever I want, and if I say I want to play games, I can. They all respect my decisions!"

"Oh, wow, impressive. So cool of you."

"...You don’t believe me, do you."

"Hey, of course I believe you, Brother Suo. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters," Zhao Huo said nonchalantly. "But it’s a bit different for me. My girlfriend is quite clingy."

"Which one?"

"Just... my girlfriend."

"I’m not going to get jealous. Why be so secretive?" Ren Suo shrugged. "How is your girlfriend clingy? Maybe I can give you some ideas."

Zhao Huo stammered, "She’s just... very clingy..."

Ren Suo blinked, recalling Qiao Muyi’s reaction after waking up that morning. He instantly understood Zhao Huo’s problem.

Ren Suo said, "Back in elementary school, did your teacher ever punish you for not doing your homework?"

"Huh? Yes, I was."

Ren Suo said earnestly, "Me too. Every time I didn’t hand in my homework, the teacher made me clean the blackboard. I was punished not because the blackboard was dirty, but because I hadn’t done my homework... Understand?"

Miles away in Lianjiang, Zhao Huo stared at his phone after the call ended. He looked up at his computer screen, at the dozens of visual novel games with beautiful girls, hundreds of gigabytes in folders of adult-themed anime, and gigabytes of doujinshi collections, lost in thought.

"Brother Huo, aren’t you going to take a shower?"

After a long moment of contemplation, Zhao Huo’s eyes snapped open, his expression firm. He had made a decision!

"I need to go out for a bit."

Xiao Meng, who was blow-drying her hair, asked curiously, "Where are you going so late?"

Zhao Huo slowly stood up, his broad, steady back resembling that of a warrior about to embark on a galactic conquest.

"I’m going to the convenience store to buy something."

Meanwhile, Ren Suo, lounging on the sofa and playing on his phone, mused that Zhao Huo should understand ’homework’ was a metaphor for a ’goodnight kiss.’

If he couldn’t even grasp that, then Brother Suo couldn’t help him; he might as well just quit the ’scumbag club’ altogether.