Mini World Game Console

"Xiao Liang, I'm back."

As soon as Tao Wan entered the house, she noticed peeling paint on the living room floor. Looking up, she saw that both the light bulb and the lampshade that should have been there were gone.

While setting down her basket of vegetables, she asked loudly, "Xiao Liang, Xiao Liang, come out."

Her son Huo Liang stuck his head out from the bedroom. "What's wrong?"

"Where are the lampshade and light bulb?"

"Oh, that... The teacher gave us an assignment to bring an electrical appliance or piece of furniture we're interested in to class for a presentation, so I took the lampshade down."

Tao Wan placed the leafy greens into a bowl of water and asked, "Are you interested in lampshades?"

"Mmm... Mmm." Huo Liang nodded.

Tao Wan washed her hands and said, "Son, come here."

Huo Liang hesitated for a moment, then walked out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, and stopped at the kitchen entrance. Tao Wan took a snow pear out of the basket, washed it, and turning to face her son, who was now nearly as tall as she was, said, "You haven't tried it before; it's very dangerous to dismantle a light fixture by yourself. Tell Mom next time, and let me do it. Take this and eat."

Holding the snow pear, Huo Liang hummed a response and hurriedly returned to his bedroom, shutting the door with a loud thud.

Tao Wan, hearing the sound of her son locking the bedroom door, couldn't help but chuckle to herself. My son has reached that age...

——————

'Wen Junjie's hat, transformation successful.'

It took Ren Suo an entire day to figure out how to clear the first red-glow hat trial.

The trials of the red-glow hat were unlike those of the other hats, which required the Truth Seeker to make choices. Instead, the owner of the red-glow hat already knew what to choose but lacked the "Courage" and "Gentleness" to do so. That was when The Mist Girl would appear, using her words to offer justifications for the hat owner's actions, thereby erasing their regrets and remorse.

Although the Truth Seeker could interact with the hat owner (and only the hat owner), they couldn't touch The Mist Girl, rendering Ren Suo's attempts to strike first futile.

Furthermore, even though the Truth Seeker physically disciplined Wen Junjie, forcing him to gain Courage and Gentleness through violence, such methods could only be used in very few circumstances.

The final scene depicted Wen Junjie in high school, falling in love with a classmate. The girl was not only beautiful and passionate about her studies but also a responsible class president. Meanwhile, Wen Junjie was a poor student who loved playing games and spent his days in internet cafes with classmates. Despite harboring affection, he never dared to get close to her.

It was not until one day during physical education class, when the class president suddenly fainted under the sun, that Wen Junjie, without a second thought, picked her up and rushed her to the infirmary. That was when their relationship began to slowly improve.

After the college entrance exam was over, on the last night of the graduation trip, Wen Junjie felt he would never have another chance and wanted to confess his feelings.

However, The Mist Girl appeared. "Is this really a good idea? She will be going back to Sky Capital for university, but you? You didn't get into a university, you don't have a job. Are you going to be an Apprentice or a temp? Even if she agrees, will it result in a happy ending for you? Aren't you just making someone wait in vain for years? And if she doesn't agree, then won't you lose even the chance to be friends with her? You don't actually believe that you can still be friends after confessing, do you?"

Well, although The Mist Girl made sense, Ren Suo didn't think that Wen Junjie, who hadn't learned Gentleness from his family, was suitable to be in a relationship at his age...

But it was clear that to pass the trial, Wen Junjie had to do what he was afraid to do in his memory to allow time to continue flowing; otherwise, the scene would be stuck there forever, unable to proceed.

But The Mist Girl's words were too convincing. No matter whether the Truth Seeker slapped him or lectured him, Wen Junjie didn't dare to make a move.

Ren Suo was stuck here for a long time, until he found an opportunity to clear the level during dinner with Dong Chengling that night.

A girl in the Heavenly Lotus Academy uniform followed Dong Chengling to the cafeteria. Although Heavenly Lotus Academy was still in its early stages, it had everything that was required. The uniforms for middle and high school grades were quickly tailored and looked very aesthetic. The boys wore black and red checkered pants with a white shirt, while the girls wore black and red checkered skirts with a white shirt, designed to be as slim-fitting as possible—though a few overweight students complained and demanded looser uniforms, most were very satisfied.

As soon as she arrived, she started getting food for Dong Chengling and tried to stop her from sitting with Ren Suo, but Dong Chengling ended up pulling her over to Ren Suo's table instead.

"Is she your student?" Ren Suo asked curiously.

"Yes, she's in the same class as Xiaoyu," Dong Chengling said. "Gu Yueyan. She insisted on joining me for the meal."

"I only found out today that Teacher Dong spent all her Points on Cultivation time and had no money for food, so Mr. Ren is picking up the tab," Gu Yueyan said, sitting next to Dong Chengling and staring intently at Ren Suo. "From now on, the students will cover the teacher's meal expenses. There's no need for Teacher Ren to come anymore."

Ren Suo glanced at her. "Do you have money?"

Ren Suo used 'the contempt of a financially secure adult,' which could cause a critical hit effect on those without income.

"More than you," Gu Yueyan flaunted her Bracelet Points.

Gu Yueyan executed a Perfect Block and launched a 'Counterattack,' causing a critical hit on Ren Suo.

Gu Yueyan: Ren Suo, 1:0.

Dong Chengling chuckled. "Xiao Yan is the fastest Cultivator in her grade to open her Qi Cyclone and got first place in the cultural classes in the mock exam three days ago. She earned 20,000 Points the day the results came out."

Ren Suo couldn't help but glance sideways—he himself could only earn 8,000 Points a month!

Although a student's Points may fluctuate with performance, climbing to first in the grade means that the fluctuation wouldn't be significant. Looking at it this way, this Gu Yueyan was earning more than most faculty at the school.

Even though Ren Suo had another source of cash income, its total value still didn't measure up!

Ren Suo said expressionlessly, "Well, impressive, huh. So, are you treating me to a meal as well?"

Gu Yueyan rolled her eyes but didn't continue. However, she stared at Ren Suo throughout the meal, making it difficult for him to eat. He finished his food in a hurry and left early.

But on his way back, Gu Yueyan caught up to him. "Teacher Ren, wait a moment."

Ren Suo looked at her warily, finding a spot to stand under a surveillance camera. Lately, he had heard about beautiful girls faking accidents. In places without surveillance, they would scream "harassment," pressuring passing middle-aged businessmen to give them money to settle the matter. If the businessmen dared to resist, a muscular Great Han would appear to capture the scene. Losing even one's underwear would be the least of their worries then, so it was better to be cautious.

Although Ren Suo considered himself quite handsome, his track record only extended to making his roommate gay; he had no effect on women.

Yet, seeing the familiar face of Gu Yueyan, Ren Suo couldn't help but wonder: I've heard little girls all like handsome older brothers...

But Gu Yueyan's first words were: "Ren Suo, First Aid doctor of Heavenly Lotus Academy, a Spell Awakened of the First Aid System, with average Talent, former Tactical Bureau member, who once prolonged a dying person's life, can use 'Healing' for treatment, transferred to Heavenly Lotus Academy..."

Ren Suo became alert once again—this seemed like a yandere; she had gathered such detailed information in such a short time!?

"...To sum it up, although you have certain abilities, you are not enthusiastic about Cultivation, nor do you have the desire to further improve your Talent," Gu Yueyan continued. "For Teacher Dong's sake, I hope you can keep your distance from her."

"...What does Dong Chengling have to do with this?" Ren Suo was confused.

Gu Yueyan said, "Today, Teacher Dong's mood noticeably improved. Although I knew beforehand that you and Teacher Dong had a meal together, it seemed like you were the one unilaterally pursuing her, so I didn't pay it any mind. However, I didn't expect you to use the opportunity of 'feeding' to get close to Teacher Dong and even manage to win her favor..."

Ren Suo replied, "Did you just use the word 'feeding'...?"

"I highly respect Teacher Dong's philosophy," Gu Yueyan went on. "As Cultivators with Talent and determination, the academy is just a small stage in our lives. As for you, Teacher Ren, this place is probably your finish line."

Gu Yueyan stated, "You really enjoy this lazy lifestyle."

"...You're actually pretty accurate about that," Ren Suo admitted.

"For Teacher Dong's sake, if you truly wish her well, you shouldn't become a stumbling block for her. Instead, you should silently watch her grow and witness her achieve greater success... Do you understand what I'm saying? The one who should be by Teacher Dong's side is someone like me, who shares her aspirations..."

Ren Suo instinctively pulled out his mobile phone and glanced at it. Looking at the student in front of him, who, like Dong Chengling, was serious but clearly scheming, he suddenly asked, "If you liked someone far superior to you, in what scenario would you confess, making sure the confession wouldn't negatively impact both parties?"

"Con-confess?" Gu Yueyan clearly stuttered, caught off guard. "Adults move this fast? Haven't you just met a few days ago...?"

Ren Suo waved his hand dismissively. "Just a question. Can you give me an answer?"

Gu Yueyan looked at Ren Suo intently before replying, "If I liked someone far superior to me, I would definitely try to catch up to them. But if I had to say, this kind of confession that's 'doomed from the start' can only happen at a farewell 'when we no longer wish to see each other.' Because if there's 'no more seeing each other' afterward, then the confession is just a blessing; it wouldn't have a negative impact."

Gu Yueyan intentionally emphasized certain words. Ren Suo, however, had a sudden realization. He grabbed Gu Yueyan's shoulders and shook them, saying, "Modern high school students know so much! Thanks, bye!"

As Ren Suo happily walked away, Gu Yueyan displayed a "???" expression.

I'll ask Xiaoyu later... if there's something wrong with this person's head.

Upon returning home, Ren Suo immediately used Gu Yueyan's rationale to persuade Wen Junjie, replacing 'confession' with 'blessing'. Indeed, he managed to endow Wen Junjie—the young man with a slight conscience who didn't want to harm the good girl—with 20 units of Courage and 13 units of Gentleness to make the confession, smoothly allowing time to keep flowing.

'Wen Junjie's hat, transformation successful.'

'Wen Junjie's hat: Makes it easier to "confess."'

Ren Suo was taken aback as he saw Wen Junjie's hat illuminate with a green glow and its description pop up.

After clearing a red-glow hat, one could not only farm hat resources on autopilot but each session (about 30 minutes) would grant the hat's special effect.

But now it's the 4th day. Seven hats have been cleared, with ten remaining—another hat has appeared since yesterday.

It's time to clear the new hats first; red-glow hats are too exhausting.

'Truth Seeker puts on Li Xuefu's hat.'

——————

When Li Dan left the research institute's room and sat in the waiting area, only two companions showed up by the time the check-up was scheduled.

"Last night, was it Li Xuefu...?" Li Dan quickly identified the missing companion. "It's not my turn yet..."

"You might be the last one, Li Dan," Zhang Xuedao said, snuffing out his cigarette butt in the ashtray. "The one who craves sleep will be the last to sleep."

"Don't worry," Li Dan said calmly. "You guys go down and prepare the drinks and dishes; I will join you punctually."

"I only hope that when the drinks are cold and the dishes chilly, we still haven't arrived for our meeting," Zhang Xuedao remarked.

The usually quiet, burly Liang De said indifferently, "With even 'Ren' incapable of destroying that hat, do we really have a choice? Our only choice is whether to fall asleep smiling or crying."

"Stop with the superstitions; there has to be a way," Zhang Xuedao countered.

"Now I almost wish we had some superstitions," Liang De sighed. "Tomorrow, will it be you, me, or him? There's no progress here at the institute. Our only chance of survival... is for a miracle to occur."