Chapter 36: The Mysterious Stranger

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Jiang Yanyan’s breathing quickened, and her heart raced.

With the Eye of Truth, she could see Ji Chenling’s true appearance.

He looked slender on the outside, his exquisitely handsome face almost demonic beneath its sickly pallor. The closer she got, the more breathtaking he became.

Jiang Yanyan suddenly felt that only a man like this could truly be worthy of her.

With the halo of her heaven-defying beauty, Jiang Yanyan thought back over Ji Chenling’s words and actions along the way and became increasingly convinced that he was a powerful figure who kept his true abilities hidden.

Whenever a dungeon was successfully cleared, the player rankings would change.

Yet no matter how many dungeons they passed through, Ji Yunxuan, publicly acknowledged as the best player, remained in second place.

The first-place player had no name—only a period.

No one knew who the Period was, and the Period had never taken the initiative to reveal their identity.

The rankings displayed only codenames or names; they did not show the actual number of points.

As a result, players had generated countless suspicions and theories.

No one had ever learned the exact score of that top-ranked powerhouse.

Ji Chenling lowered his eyes and stared at Jiang Yanyan expressionlessly.

The moment their gazes met, the blood throughout Jiang Yanyan’s body began to boil.

He was so handsome…

Everyone was bound to be superficial.

Jiang Yanyan was no exception.

Even in the real world, attractive people and beautiful things were more likely to win people’s affection and admiration.

Having long benefited from her own beauty, Jiang Yanyan understood that principle all too well.

She was glad that she had taken the time to freshen herself up after getting out of bed that morning. There was a makeup bag in the dormitory, and she had used an eyebrow pencil and applied a very light shade of color to her lips.

“What is it?” Ji Chenling asked flatly, without much of a smile on his face.

His attitude was completely different from the way he spoke to Luxi.

Even Luxi, standing nearby, looked stunned.

Had the little green tea taken the wrong medicine today?

Why did he seem like a completely different person?

Was he learning how to act like an aloof male god from the male lead, Ji Yunxuan?

“Then let’s go somewhere else…” Jiang Yanyan’s heart leaped with joy. She paid no attention at all to Ji Yunxuan, whose face behind her had darkened like the bottom of a cooking pot.

“No need.” Ji Chenling cut her off. “Say it here.”

“But…” Jiang Yanyan’s expression stiffened.

“Luxi is not an outsider to me. Is there anything you can’t say in front of her?” Ji Chenling’s voice turned cold.

He treated everyone except Luxi with astonishing double standards.

“I want to talk to you about the points leaderboard. Luxi isn’t on it.” Jiang Yanyan glanced at Luxi, a trace of imperceptible disdain in her voice.

To put it bluntly, in the game world, if a player could not even make it onto the points leaderboard, that meant they were utterly useless.

They had neither strength nor luck and could only cling to powerful teammates, relying entirely on others for protection.

Seeing that Luxi was still standing there like a wooden post, Jiang Yanyan’s clear eyes flashed with impatience.

This girl truly had no sense of propriety.

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In the past, she had shamelessly clung to Brother Yunxuan, and now, when Jiang Yanyan had something to discuss with Ji Chenling in private, did she not even know enough to leave on her own?

“Yanyan, what’s wrong?” Ji Yunxuan walked over and put an arm around her waist. “Is something the matter?”

Luxi raised an eyebrow.

Oh, well.

Now she understood.

So Ji Chenling was the male supporting character in this world.

She had not finished reading the original novel, so she did not know the details of what happened later.

But after thinking about it, this was, after all, a romance novel wearing the outer skin of an infinite-survival horror story. A romance novel naturally needed a second male lead and a second female lead. Otherwise, how could those magnificent scenes of rival women tearing each other’s hair out ever unfold?

Luxi rubbed her fists together and licked her lips, her face brimming with excitement.

After being tormented by grim and terrifying plots for so long, a little change of pace would be a welcome diversion.

A grand romantic rivalry: two men fighting over one woman.

“What are you thinking about, Sis?” At some point, Ji Chenling’s gaze had fallen upon her face. His fingers tightened around her slender, pale wrist, leaving her no chance to slip away.

“Nothing…” She lowered her head guiltily.

Luxi did not dare tell him that she had just been enthusiastically imagining a dramatic scene in which two men fought over one woman while the women tore at each other’s hair.

“Come on. I’ll take you to buy something to eat. You won’t go hungry on the spring outing.” Only then did a scattering of starlike smiles appear in Ji Chenling’s eyes.

Before leaving, he did not forget to glance coldly back at Ji Yunxuan.

“Keep your girlfriend under control. Don’t let her throw herself at every man she sees.”

He showed not the slightest concern for Ji Yunxuan’s dignity.

Ji Yunxuan instantly burned with rage and was just about to speak when—

The man ahead suddenly paused. He turned slightly, and a chilling, oppressive aura swept over them.

The ice that had just formed in Ji Yunxuan’s eyes vanished in an instant.

What the hell?

This was simply unbelievable.

From childhood to adulthood, the only person who had ever made him feel oppressed and afraid was his half-brother.

The man before him looked nothing like that person, apart from having exactly the same name.

Ji Yunxuan had never doubted his identity.

After all, before this escape game appeared, that man had already fallen from a great height and died a horrific death.

That Ji Chenling had not even been given a gravestone after his death.

His ashes had been scattered into the sea, and after a single wave swept over them, nothing remained.

Ji Yunxuan hated that half-brother of his. While the man had been alive, Ji Yunxuan himself had been utterly overshadowed.

No—in his presence, every heir of every wealthy family in the entire Imperial Capital had been reduced to nothing in an instant.

How could someone like that possibly exist in this world?

His appearance was beyond compare, his intelligence was beyond compare, and his ruthless methods had made the entire business world of the Imperial Capital tremble in fear.

He was practically a devil made flesh.

In the end, God was fair. He had given Ji Chenling everything ordinary people could never hope to attain, but He had also given him one fatal flaw.

A heaven-blessed prodigy with a mental illness.

When Ji Chenling’s illness erupted, that was when the true devil emerged.

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The sun sets, yet tomorrow morning it will climb the sky again.

The flowers wither, yet next year they will bloom once more.

The beautiful little bird has flown away without a trace.

The little bird of my youth has flown away and never returned.

The little bird of my youth has flown away and never returned.

Ah…

A beautiful, familiar song drifted into their ears, and the players turned as one toward the sound.

A group of younger students happened to be walking ahead, their schoolbags on their backs as they bounced and skipped along.

The accompaniment was coming from the school loudspeakers.

Sunlight spilled over the children, surrounding them with a dazzling radiance. Bathed in sunlight, they looked vibrant and full of life.

As the children gradually disappeared into the distance, Luxi turned around as well, preparing to head back to the classroom.

She was somewhat bewildered and tugged at Ji Chenling’s sleeve.

“Isn’t this a university? Why are there children here?”

In the game world, every sudden occurrence could lead to unexpected consequences.

With bad luck, one might stumble into a deadly predicament.

But with better luck, an unexpected surprise might be waiting instead.

“Shall we go take a look?” Ji Chenling raised an eyebrow. As though he had suddenly remembered something, he took the girl’s hand and chased after them.

“Hey, hey, hey…” Luxi grew even more confused. “Are we really going over there?”

Please don’t let us drop dead on the other side.

“What are you afraid of?” Ji Chenling glanced at her with a half-smile.

“You’re brave, and you’re not afraid, but I’m a coward.” Luxi was accustomed to being cautious—exceedingly cautious.

The incident with the dormitory door not long ago was proof enough.

Life was like savory or sweet tofu pudding: it did not matter which you chose, because either way, it ended up shattered. Being a little cowardly helped keep you alive.

“Show some courage and ambition, Sis. Don’t you want to become the number-one player on the points leaderboard?” Ji Chenling said with a smile, his gaze so gentle it seemed almost to melt.

“Act normal. You’re making me feel sick.” Luxi strongly suspected that he was deliberately putting on this act for Jiang Yanyan behind them.

Anyone with eyes could tell that Jiang Yanyan’s reaction just now had been strange.

If Luxi had not possessed an all-knowing perspective and known that the heroine could only fall for the male lead, she might have suspected that Jiang Yanyan had developed feelings for Ji Chenling.

But then…

Luxi suddenly thought of something.

She had heard that Jiang Yanyan had acquired a new skill called the Eye of Truth.

Did that mean she could see Ji Chenling’s true appearance clearly?

“I can help you become the number-one player on the points leaderboard, Sis.” The young man’s eyes held a smile, and his gentle voice carried a faintly seductive note.

At once, Luxi felt warmth rise beneath her nose.

Beauty truly led people astray.

This was mortifying.