Mini World Game Console

What to do, what to do, what to do, what to do...

Ren Suo's emotions had plummeted from heaven into a septic tank. The slight pleasure he had felt from the attention of the crowd instantly turned into an awkward panic under their scrutinizing gaze.

Initially, watching the Rebel in the game spout flirtatious nonsense, Ren Suo actually felt a bit embarrassed; he belonged to the type of person who would feel embarrassed by the 'awkward atmospheres' in TV dramas, movies, comics, and anime, as if he himself were in that situation. Simply put, he had developed a sense of empathy, imagining himself in the protagonist's situation, and therefore experiencing that same awkwardness.

Normally, in such situations, Ren Suo would pause the show to calm himself before continuing to enjoy it. After all, it was the 'protagonist' separated by a whole dimension who was embarrassed, not the emotionless observer Ren Suo.

But now... Ren Suo looked at Euphy in front of him. She was tilting her head slightly, her green pupils fixed on him, her long, curled eyelashes trembled slightly, and her lips were slightly parted as she listened to his words.

In the corner of Ren Suo's eye, he saw Vice Principal Yuan Chu. Honestly, Ren Suo had only ever seen him from a distance before; this close encounter was a first. He knew Yuan Chu was the de facto leader of Heavenly Lotus Academy; the principal was only responsible for official communications.

He also saw the Dean of Teaching, Huo He. This serious, middle-aged woman now watched him with a satisfied and curious expression, as if Ren Suo chatting with a girl was a joyous event.

More and more people were gathering around, everyone curiously moving closer.

Ren Suo knew this was the result of using 'Suggestion' in the gaming console. Those who crowded around likely did so because a thought had merely crossed their minds, prompting them to step closer, completely unaware that anything was amiss.

Their gazes were fixed on Ren Suo—perhaps because they knew he was a Healing Cultivator, or because he was chatting with Euphy, or because he was handsome, or perhaps because he carried himself with a particular dignity...

But without exception—they all recognized Ren Suo, and those who didn't would ask the person next to them.

He was the center of attention, known by all.

The emotionless observer had become the most flamboyant protagonist on stage, a magnificent performance spanning an entire dimension, and he was about to perform in it firsthand.

Even with a 100% Determination Value buff, Ren Suo still couldn't suppress the complex emotions swelling in his heart!

"Hmm~?" Euphy let out a cute hum, curious why this Cultivator, who had been speaking to her so eloquently and seemed to have researched the Fairy Palace extensively, had suddenly fallen silent.

She rarely communicated with men her own age. She was taught by strict female teachers and dealt in business with middle-aged and elderly people many times her senior. Strangers were normally not allowed to approach her, and she dared not trust any who did. Her greatest comforts in life were bathing and sleeping with her sister, and playfully lifting her high.

This time, her sister had insisted on coming to the Mysterious Country's Lianjiang. Euphy considered it a holiday for herself, completely putting aside work and study. Cultivators from the Mysterious Country couldn't possibly have any connection to her life back home. Since they wouldn't see each other again after departure, Euphy felt at ease and comfortable chatting.

Only after a while did she recognize the man before her. He was on the list of important personnel at Heavenly Lotus Academy, provided by the Tactical Bureau of the Mysterious Country. His name was Suo Ren, reportedly an expert on Ren Naiser.

Indeed, seeing was believing. He clearly knew a great deal about Ren Naiser and possessed much rare intelligence regarding the Fairy Palace. He was witty and humorous, and said to be a Healing Cultivator—surely diligent, studious, and passionate about his work.

Then, Euphy saw a complex emotion flash across Ren Suo's face, and he suddenly leaned in close to her.

He moved quickly. Euphy didn't panic or back away, because Ren Suo only came close to whisper in her ear in a shy tone, "My joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness from the first half of my life, all the past you haven't been part of, I want to tell you about it. And then, I hope to have you join me for the second half of my life."

Then Ren Suo pulled back, acting as if nothing had happened.

Euphy paused for a moment, then couldn't help but burst into laughter, covering her mouth and saying, "In front of everyone, what are you saying?"

Euphy had only encountered such intense and prolonged declarations of love in romance novels. She never imagined she would hear them in reality, nor see a man blushing as he whispered his confession to her.

At that moment, Ren Suo also breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't have much time to think. In the game, he could carefully consider his words, but in reality, conversations had a time limit. When he saw impatience in Euphy's expression, the boundless warm energy within him began to surge, threatening to take over his body and make him blurt out the words.

Hence, Ren Suo made a snap decision, leaned down to whisper to Euphy, and managed to get through this predicament.

Though this act still earned him expressions from the onlookers that screamed, 'You smooth scoundrel!', it was still better than a public declaration of love.

However, before Ren Suo could relax for a few seconds, the next few lines of dialogue emerged in his mind.

Ren Suo's eyes widened—In the game, the Rebel had said several flirtatious lines in a row to advance things! I might have avoided the first hurdle, but not the fifteenth! And unlike the first line, the following few lines came with a condition: he had to speak them aloud, loudly enough for everyone to hear!

In the game, Ren Suo had specifically manipulated many onlookers to gather. He then had the Rebel loudly shout flirtatious lines, creating a 'duel space.' This 'duel space' made it impossible for Her Royal Highness the Princess to evade, compelling her to lead the Rebel away from the onlookers. This, in turn, allowed the Rebel to get closer to the Lady of Light.

In reality, this meant Ren Suo also had to bravely and loudly utter those words that were practically forcing their way up his throat. He had to do this before the large crowd, making it impossible for Euphy to ignore him, thus compelling her to lead him away!

He had managed to find a loophole for the first sentence, but there was no way out for the next three.

This game's feedback is too realistic, isn't it? Couldn't it cut me some slack?

And reality didn't give Ren Suo much time to think either. As Euphy's smile began to fade, the warm energy within him stirred restlessly again. Ren Suo took a deep breath, turned his head slightly, and scanned the onlookers—

If I speak in English, will this crowd understand? If they don't get it, it won't matter much; I just need Euphy to understand. As long as Euphy understands, she'll subconsciously assume that everyone else understands as well, and the game's storyline will proceed as usual.

That was what Ren Suo thought, but he still felt quite anxious. After all, these participants weren't him. They all knew the international guest was a young woman from Britain; their English proficiency might be lacking. But if even a few people understood his words and spread them...

With a thousand thoughts racing through his mind, Ren Suo saw Bai Ji, wearing a tailcoat with a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

He saw Qiao Muyi, clad in Black Body Armor, with a teasing gleam in her eyes.

He saw Dong Chengling, dressed formally, her eyes calm as still waters, staring at him...

It was then that Ren Suo remembered that during this spectator event in the game, he had brazenly disregarded the Rebel's plea and allowed three NPCs to join the onlookers.

But how could he have known then that these three NPCs corresponded to his three bonding partners?

At that moment, Ren Suo's thought had been: Rebel, I've brought your family and friends to watch you spout those flirtatious lines! Aren't you touched!

The Rebel in the game had shown no particular reaction, but Ren Suo could finally understand what must have been going through the Rebel's mind upon seeing that scene—

I dare not move, I cannot move!

However, just like the Rebel, whose 'reluctance was betrayed by his actions,' even if Ren Suo was extremely unwilling now, his 100% Determination Value was practically seizing control of his body, compelling him to faithfully enact a magnificent opera...

DING-DONG.

Perhaps it was the sudden activation of the Comprehension enhancement from his sister's Bond, 'A Thousand Miles in a Day,' or maybe Ren Suo's survival instincts were indeed formidable—he suddenly had a daring idea.

He suddenly began to stride around Euphy, one hand clasped to his chest, the other extended as if taking flight—his movements as theatrical as a stage actor's. Then, gazing in Euphy's direction, yet with a diffused focus that seemed to encompass both her and the crowd behind her, he loudly exclaimed in an exaggerated, passionate tone filled with 100% Determination Value, "If you walk in the darkness, I will tear down my ribs, burn my heart, to be your only Rule fire!"

For the brief instant their eyes met, Bai Ji, standing in the crowd, unconsciously froze the red wine in his glass.

Then Ren Suo started to pace again, turning in a new direction. Amidst the slightly bewildered and curious gazes of Euphy and the crowd, he placed his left hand behind his back, struck his right hand firmly against his left breast, and proclaimed in a calm yet resolute voice, "Even if you are the evil of the world, I am willing to stand by your side, against the world!"

Qiao Muyi, who had been in the crowd enjoying the spectacle, found the amusement in her eyes instantly vanish, replaced by a flicker of complex emotion.

Finally, Ren Suo changed directions once more, moving behind Euphy. He bowed at a 45-degree angle, his eyes fixed intently on Euphy and, beyond her, on the astonished onlookers like Zhao Huo. He solemnly declared, "Your past I was too late to be part of, but your future I will accompany to the very end!"

Zhao Huo suddenly felt the chilling murderous intent that had been enveloping him from behind seem to dissipate.

The moment Ren Suo had leaned in to whisper to Euphy, Zhao Huo had felt a chill run down his spine. He knew, of course, that Ren Suo had brought this upon them. Though he couldn't fathom why Dong Chengling was targeting him as well, Zhao Huo had been ready to abandon this troublesome fool and flee. However, Dong Chengling's sharp command, "Don't move," had thwarted his escape.

To his surprise, Dong Chengling's anger seemed to have vanished. Zhao Huo sighed in relief, yet simultaneously felt a surge of disgruntled indignation. How did Ren Suo manage to escape this unscathed!? It's not fair!

"Is this... an opera performance?"

"I didn't understand; can someone translate?"

"But those lines were delivered with such power, and his movements were so graceful! I never expected Ren Suo to have such talent."

"Is he trying to get Miss Euphy's attention?"

"Perhaps he was just telling Miss Euphy he was going to perform an impromptu opera?"

Euphy, too, came to her senses. Her interpretation was naturally quite different from the onlookers'. Because of Ren Suo's earlier whispered words, even though his subsequent three declarations were as theatrical as an opera, she could discern that the tone of his confession was as earnest as one's dying words.

However, Euphy still couldn't help but laugh, though she quickly composed herself and said, "Suo, you really are an interesting person. Let's go aside and chat."

She respected earnestness and thus intended to give Ren Suo a serious response.

He had finally navigated the scene. It hadn't been too humiliating. No one else seemed to think he was declaring his love; they probably just thought Ren Suo was having some sort of eccentric fit.

Ren Suo glanced at the friends he recognized in the crowd: Bai Ji was covering his mouth, his eyes twinkling brightly. Did he eat wasabi?

Qiao Muyi had turned away to resume her patrol. As long as she's not looking at me like I'm some kind of toy, that's a good sign.

Dong Chengling had wandered off to get some food, her expression unreadable.

Zhao Huo looked disgruntled... He can be ignored.

Seeing that nothing disastrous had occurred, Ren Suo finally felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. He straightened confidently, raised his head proudly, and offered Euphy a smile of pure, post-calamity relief as he said, "Okay."