November 10th, 11:30 PM.

In the girls' dorm, Lin Xianyu was lying on her bed, holding her phone high up, ceaselessly swiping through various shopping pages, her expression alternating between gritting her teeth and reluctance.

Gu Yueyan, who had just finished her shower, was not surprised by this scene and returned to her desk, preparing to gather more sources for her paper—Ren Suo had assigned another paper titled "On the Relationship Between the Great Sage Equalling Heaven's Roaring Heaven Palace from Journey to the West and the Modern Handsome Monkey King's Roaring Heaven Palace" to Ren Naiser's research group.

She initially wanted to decline, but the topic was interesting, and Ren Xingmei stood by her brother's side, clamoring to take it on. Qin Lian didn't express any opinion. Then, when Ren Suo met her during combat training, he earnestly said, "I am entrusting everything to you," "Only you can handle such a paper," and "Save Ren Suo." This is why Gu Yueyan reluctantly took on the topic, thinking of it as gaining experience and earning some pocket money for her future work.

However, to write the paper, Gu Yueyan had to review materials, not just the original Journey to the West, but other versions too, such as A Chinese Odyssey...

Hmph, if it weren't for that jerk, I wouldn't spend time watching movies!

So, Gu Yueyan watched the intimate scenes of the male and female leads in the Moonlight Treasure Box for the fourth time. Right then, Lin Xianyu, lying on the bed, turned to her and called out, "Class—Leader—"

Without even turning her body, her eyes glued to the screen, the line, "I like you so much, would you die if you liked me back?" played through the speakers.

"I'm not eating."

"It's not about whether you eat supper or not." Lin Xianyu was rolling around in bed, just like a salted fish turning over. "I want to buy a lot of stuff on Singles' Day; I might max out my credit and spend all my money."

"Oh." Gu Yueyan's voice was indifferent.

"I'm hesitating, Class Leader..."

"If you're hesitating, then don't buy it," suggested Gu Yueyan.

"It's not about buying or not; it's just hesitating whether to eat dirt or live on air next, because I still definitely need to celebrate the festival, and I definitely need to buy things."

Lin Xianyu asked with hopeful eyes, "So, Class Leader, if I run out of money, could you possibly..."

"Cannot," Gu Yueyan said. "Actually, Singles' Day is not even a shopping festival. It used to be just an ordinary Singles' Day a few years back. Why are you so obsessed with it?"

"With the ability to buy, buy, buy, who cares about being single, Class Leader—"

Feeling that a direct approach wouldn't break through, Gu Yueyan decided to take a roundabout way to protect her wallet and asked unenthusiastically, "At the end of the day, why do you shop online?"

Lin Xianyu blinked. "Because it's convenient."

"Is that the only reason? But why do you even order things like tissues and shower gel, which you can buy in the campus supermarket, online?"

Lin Xianyu thought for a moment, then said uncertainly, "Because… I want to save money?"

Gu Yueyan turned her office chair to face Lin Xianyu, spread her hands and nodded with an expression that said 'exactly.'

But good advice is wasted on the stubborn, and even great compassion cannot save those determined to self-destruct. Lin Xianyu's heart was as hard as iron; she truly wouldn't shed a tear until she saw the coffin. "My money isn't spent; it's just accompanying me in a different form, so it doesn't matter!"

Lin Xianyu glanced at the time, gasped, and hurriedly climbed out of bed and slipped out of the dorm room. Gu Yueyan found this unsurprising—Lin Xianyu always rushed to the cafeteria in the last 15 minutes of supper time because all the food was half-priced then.

Lin Xianyu always spent her remaining wisdom and willpower in some very odd places.

However, she soon came running back, wrapped her arms around Gu Yueyan's neck, and cooed in a sweet, cloying voice, "Class—Leader—"

"What is it now?"

"After eating supper, I won't have enough Bracelet Points to shop... You're not really hungry tonight, are you?"

Gu Yueyan was inclined to refuse, but when she saw Lin Xianyu's clear, transparent big eyes, she softened.

Moreover, she planned to finish the movie tonight, which would likely go on until 1:00 AM... Having just a tiny bit of supper wouldn't hurt, and it shouldn't affect her figure.

Most importantly, she accidentally hurt Lin Xianyu yesterday and wouldn't feel right without compensating her a bit.

"This is an exception."

Lin Xianyu clasped her hands together and said with feigned sincerity, "So sorry! I'll be sure to do it again next time."

After playfully thumping Lin Xianyu a few times, Gu Yueyan slipped on her slippers and made her way to the supper area on the third floor of the cafeteria.

By this time, there weren't many people still dining in the cafeteria, just a few first-year male students scattered around. Each of them seemed to have eaten quite a lot, as if they were enjoying an early festive meal.

However, as she scanned the crowd, she spotted an acquaintance and walked over to sit down.

But Gu Yueyan didn't know what to say for an opener. She looked at the food he was eating and remarked, "Eating so much, didn't you have a proper dinner? Did you take good care of Little Jiu?"

The one having a late-night snack in the cafeteria at 11:50 PM was Ren Suo.

As he was eating a skewer of grilled snail meat, Ren Suo saw Gu Yueyan and wasn't too surprised, casually responding, "Long time no see."

"Long time no see?" Gu Yueyan tilted her head, puzzled. "Didn't we just meet yesterday?"

"Ah... right, at the battle training ground, you accidentally cut Xianyu." Ren Suo rubbed his temples and scrambled for an excuse. "Who says you can't say long time no see after just one day?"

Gu Yueyan opened her mouth, unable to utter a sound. Finally, she turned her head and snorted, feeling too awkward to stay. Somehow, she recalled the line from a movie 'I will love you for ten thousand years,' feeling her cheeks burn as if they were on fire.

I'm not watching those romantic movies anymore!

But at this moment, she couldn't help but check her own appearance—she had just taken a bath, so she wore her bear-patterned pajamas, did not tie up her freshly washed hair, let it drape over her shoulders, and was even wearing slippers...

However, after glancing at her, Ren Suo just continued seriously nibbling on the barbecue, completely oblivious to her appearance, leaving Gu Yueyan unsure if she was relieved or upset.

Gu Yueyan silently went to buy her supper. Ren Suo, meanwhile, leisurely continued eating his barbecue: a dozen beef skewers, a dozen lamb skewers, a dozen grilled snail meat skewers, a dozen grilled chicken kidneys, plus a plate of river snails and grilled eggplant. He was only about halfway through his feast.

But Gu Yueyan quickly returned and sat down again. She placed the packed meal box on the table and asked, "Hey, what did you have for dinner?"

"Saliya, pollock roe cream pasta, hamburger steak, and clam soup."

"What about Little Jiu?"

"Hamburger steak."

"Teacher Dong is in seclusion, so you didn't eat at home?"

"Um."

"If it was just you living alone, that would be one thing, but you are living with Little Jiu now. You should cook for yourself, or eating in the cafeteria would also be fine. Always eating out isn't balanced or healthy, you know."

Gu Yueyan was becoming dissatisfied. If Lin Xianyu were there, she'd definitely mediate to keep Gu Yueyan from going further, but Lin Xianyu wasn't around. Hence, she reverted to her old character, as chilling as moonlight, meticulously dealing with everything.

Gu Yueyan and Dong Chengling had similar personalities. That's why Gu Yueyan always admired Dong Chengling and was attracted to her, though they were still somewhat different.

Dong Chengling had an indifferent nature. She held herself to extremely high standards but didn't impose them on others; she even thought Ren Suo's previous laziness was no big deal. While she might have expectations for others, she wouldn't be disappointed if they weren't met.

Gu Yueyan, however, was different. She also had high demands for herself, but she expected everyone else to give their all in everything they did. She was strict with herself and with others—the epitome of a class monitor. She held higher expectations for all her friends and was willing to support them in achieving them.

While Dong Chengling found it hard to make friends, Gu Yueyan easily offended people. If Lin Xianyu hadn't always acted as a social lubricant in class, Gu Yueyan might have been disliked by her other classmates by now. Indeed, her own roommates had already broken ties with her.

"I can't cook."

Ren Suo knew Gu Yueyan's personality and wasn't angry. He poked at the grilled eggplant with his chopsticks, smilingly muttered, "What, are you going to come to my place and cook?"

Gu Yueyan almost immediately agreed, I can do that myself, but she didn't say it aloud. Instead, she looked seriously at Ren Suo and asked, "What's up? Did something happen?"

"Hm? Why do you ask?" Ren Suo was a bit surprised. Do you also have 'Listening Headphones'?

"You normally don't eat meals in the cafeteria, and even if you do, you take it back home," Gu Yueyan said. "Plus, you came out without your hat, without headphones, and most importantly, your face literally has the words 'I'm not happy' written all over it. It's obvious with one look."

"Ah!?" Ren Suo scratched his face. Is my expression really that obvious?

But he didn't wear a hat because he no longer needed one. What sort of man wears a hat all day? Students might even think he's bald.

The reason he didn't wear headphones was indeed because he was not in a good mood, so he left them at home.

Ren Suo laughed. "Well... it's no big deal, just something minor about a game."

"Does this minor thing make you very unhappy?" Gu Yueyan asked softly, with a gentle voice and focused expression, seemingly genuinely intent on listening to Ren Suo's troubles.

Hearing this, Ren Suo couldn't help but be surprised. He thought Gu Yueyan would criticize him, 'A Cultivator obsessed with playing games all day,' and never expected Gu Yueyan to suddenly become gentle.

"I'm not unhappy, just feeling a bit frustrated... but it's just a game, after all."

Ren Suo couldn't help but say, "I thought you would scold me for being addicted to gaming."

"I'm not that kind of person." Gu Yueyan's face darkened.

"Really? I remember Xianyu often gets scolded by you, doesn't she?"

"That's because she often wastes time not doing anything worthwhile, and she hasn't turned in a satisfactory answer," Gu Yueyan said. "If scrolling through Weibo or Moments could make her happily engage in Cultivation and learning, I would naturally have no objections—but that's not the case. After her fun, she just continues to be lazy."

"So, my gaming, which has helped me reach the third turn, can be forgiven?" Ren Suo followed Gu Yueyan's line of thought.

"Yes, everyone has different interests, but as long as you manage your real life well, there's no problem indulging in your own world afterward," Gu Yueyan said. "Fame, fortune, love, career—everyone cares about different things. As long as interests don't negatively impact others or normal life, they shouldn't be criticized... So what exactly is making you unhappy?"

"I'm not really unhappy... You wouldn't understand if I told you."

"If you don't tell me, of course, I won't understand."

Today's Gu Yueyan was serious yet gentle, which made Ren Suo feel a bit flustered. He scratched his face and finally said, "It's just that a nice NPC in the game died, so I'm feeling a bit bummed out."

Gu Yueyan nodded. "Why did the NPC die? Was it due to an unavoidable plot setting, or was it because your player strength wasn't enough?"

Ren Suo hesitated for a moment. "A bit of both."

"I rarely play games, so I can't offer much advice," Gu Yueyan said. "However, I have heard a saying: 'If you like something, you should strive for it. That way, if you fail in the future, you can wholeheartedly blame the world, rather than resenting yourself'... If you've already done your best, then blame the game's producers, because you've already given your all."

After speaking, Gu Yueyan checked the time and said goodbye to Ren Suo before quickly leaving—Lin Xianyu must have been waiting hungrily.

Ren Suo let out a sigh and quickly finished his barbecue under the stern gaze of the cafeteria staff. He walked home slowly under the dim glow of the street lamps.

Today was Saturday. Ren Suo had spent the day playing with Little Jiu, who had already gone to bed.

Ren Suo sat in front of the computer, turned on the Mini-World Game Console, and entered "Inverted World."

Loading the save file.

The five hundred and twelfth boss fight.

The same Temple Knight Commander Righteous.

The same first form, second form, third form.

The same final strike.

The same death of Xiao Suo.

Over the past few days, Ren Suo had repeated the boss fight hundreds of times, trying numerous methods to keep Xiao Suo alive, and had come up with various hypotheses.

First, does Temple Knight Commander Righteous's final strike require someone to die?

Yes, and Maid Xiao Suo cannot block this strike without embracing Young Master Mu.

Ren Suo had tried retreating quickly when Maid Xiao Suo flew towards him, only to see Temple Knight Commander Righteous's final strike pass through Maid Xiao Suo, directly piercing Young Master Mu, while Maid Xiao Suo remained unscathed.

The mechanism of this 'Fatal Light' wasn't 'physical contact' but 'contacting Young Master Mu himself'.

'Fatal Light' can only kill Young Master Mu, not anyone else.

So Maid Xiao Suo can only give the 'Fatal Light' the illusion by being in physical contact with Young Master Mu—that it must pass through Maid Xiao Suo to reach Young Master Mu effectively. In the moment it takes effect, since the light has already entered Maid Xiao Suo's body, it causes all its power to erupt primarily within Maid Xiao Suo.

It's like an invisible arrow that only materializes when it hits Young Master Mu, but by the time it materializes, it's already inside Maid Xiao Suo.

Second, can Temple Knight Commander Righteous be killed earlier?

Ren Suo had tried to locate the darn Temple Knight Commander Righteous on the seventh day of fleeing in 'Search Mode'.

At first, he (Temple Knight Commander Righteous) wanted to hide his strength and fight with the power of a minor boss against the two of them, but once he was at a disadvantage, he immediately unleashed greater strength.

At that time, members of the other Six Major Factions would also surround them, and Young Master Mu and Maid Xiao Suo, greatly outnumbered, simply could not kill Temple Knight Commander Righteous in advance.

Third, could Maid Xiao Suo use an unexpected move to turn the tables?

When it came to turning the tables, Ren Suo naturally remembered "Struggle Warrior (Damaged)" and "Rippling Spring Sounds."

But after the battle started, Ren Suo suddenly realized a game setting he had always forgotten—the game let him control Young Master Mu, not Maid Xiao Suo.

Other abilities might be negligible, but Maid Xiao Suo, even equipped with "Struggle Warrior (Damaged)" and "Rippling Spring Sounds," did not activate them even once.

She didn't activate them, and Ren Suo had no way to influence Maid Xiao Suo's decisions!

As for "Rippling Spring Sounds," it was one thing; perhaps due to incompatible world rules or some other convoluted reasons, Maid Xiao Suo couldn't summon other game characters.

As for "Struggle Warrior (Damaged)," Ren Suo had initially been desperately loading saves, trying to play a save where Maid Xiao Suo used Cloning.

However, he soon came to terms with it— even if Maid Xiao Suo summoned a clone, it would be meaningless.

Yes, meaningless.

Because the clones could not share the True Form's props.

In the final scene, when Temple Knight Commander Righteous was on the verge of death, he waited for Young Master Mu to be alone before unleashing the "Fatal Light."

At that moment, Maid Xiao Suo had to use "Mage's Death-Defying Feather," moving extremely fast to get there in time to take the hit for Young Master Mu.

As for "Within Reach, Yet Worlds Apart," Maid Xiao Suo directly used the derived ability "Flicker" when Temple Knight Commander Righteous entered his Second Form, conducting unlimited flickers in 10 seconds and brutally shattering Temple Knight Commander Righteous's initial barrage.

"Mage's Death-Defying Feather" was essential—other movement abilities and spells couldn't instantly reach Young Master Mu.

So even if a clone was summoned, as long as Temple Knight Commander Righteous saw an opportunity, Maid Xiao Suo's True Form still had to withstand the blow—Temple Knight Commander Righteous was a boss after all, and cared about his face; it was impossible for Young Master Mu to fight with someone clinging onto him.

After all attempts, Ren Suo finally concluded—Maid Xiao Suo, this NPC, was designed to ultimately take a fatal blow, wasn't she?

Even if they had killed Temple Knight Commander Righteous at the beginning, he could still release "Fatal Light."

Ren Suo had a vague enlightenment: Young Master Mu's eight days of investigations were aimed solely at luring Temple Knight Commander Righteous out and creating an environment for a one-on-one duel.

Moreover, when Young Master Mu killed Temple Knight Commander Righteous, he would gain enormous benefits—

"Successfully killing the behind-the-scenes mastermind, purifying oneself of Filth and Resentment."

"Mission complete!"

"Young Master Mu killed the Archdemon Enemy, completely perfecting his Martial Arts, seizing the memory of the Archdemon Enemy, and in the future could destroy all the setups of the Archdemon Enemy."

Hence, the ultimate goal of the game was: to let Young Master Mu personally kill Temple Knight Commander Righteous, and then somehow avoid Temple Knight Commander Righteous's last "Fatal Light!"

The method to avoid it was Maid Xiao Suo.

If "Rippling Spring Sounds" couldn't be used, even summoning game characters to beat up Temple Knight Commander Righteous would still result in him firing "Fatal Light."

Cloning couldn't be used, and clones also couldn't equip "Mage's Death-Defying Feather."

If you desire something, strive hard for it, so that when you fail in the future, you can fully blame the world rather than resenting yourself… Ren Suo thought, looking at the desolate silhouette of Young Master Mu on the game screen.

If it weren't for the fact that Maid Xiao Suo's role in this game was almost as significant as Young Master Mu's, Ren Suo wouldn't have spent so much effort trying to save an NPC who died moments before clearing the game and whose death didn't affect the outcome.

Xiao Suo, just... fully blame this world.

Ren Suo let go of the knot in his heart and made his final diagnosis:

Maid Xiao Suo was doomed.

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