A palanquin rode leisurely along the road that ran along the hilly plain. The wide wheels often bounced upward because of the small stones, and the thin red curtain covering the entrance to the transport swayed faintly. As he spurred the powerful saddle horse, the charioteer occasionally looked back, anxiously inquiring of the man inside about his condition.
A soft voice came out in response, saying "it's okay," and the man calmed down, turning his attention back to the road ahead.
When the wheel once again collided with a cobblestone, Gou Zhijiang nearly fell out of the carriage, catching on to the seat with his strong, broad arms. He was shaken forward with force, like a rag toy tossed in the air.
The holographic plate that flashed over my head, mewling, anxiously exclaimed:
[Jiqi, be careful!]
Zhijiang, landing back down, brushed the dark long bangs stuck to his forehead away from his face, and in a trembling voice threw:
"It's all right."
From that moment on, he had sworn never to board such palanquins again.
The system grumbled unhappily, like a wild fox:
[Jiqi should have strapped himself to the seat to make the ride more comfortable. I told you!]
Gou Zhijiang, not wanting to dry up unnecessary chatter, concentrated on the upcoming goal.
It was the third world the System had thrust him into. The last thing he remembered from his real life was an unusually warm Christmas, a table decorated with fragrant candles that gave off the smell of fresh tangerines, and a steaming duck from the oven. My parents sat across the table from me: my father scrutinized the chopsticks close to his face, my mother set out the glasses, and my younger sister swayed nonchalantly in her chair, talking embarrassingly about the handsome boy she had met after school.
After that, he went out to the store to get the rest of the groceries, and the next thing was absolute emptiness and a sudden mechanical voice overhead.
[Good evening, Mr. User! Merry Christmas!]
Merry fucking Christmas.
He aggressively hoped it was all a dumb joke, but after a flickering screen appeared in front of his face, Gou Zhijiang, an ardent atheist, suddenly believed in God.
The system informed him that he had disappeared from his world and now, in order to get back, he must go through several scheduled Scenarios as a minor character. His ultimate goal was a hundred points. At first Zhijiang was indignant as to why he should do anything at all if he was simply snatched from his own world and forced to work, but the System quickly cut him off:
[Mr. User, I wasn't the one who threw you in here and forced you into it. I'm just doing my job. If we get all this sorted out as quickly as possible, you will, as soon as possible, be back with your family the moment you left home for Christmas].
Gou Zhijiang, overcome with doubts, nevertheless agreed, though no one was interested in his agreement. The first two worlds flew by almost unnoticed: in one he was a passerby who saved the protagonist's friend in an accident, and in the other he was a teacher who pushed the young lovers together during a school exam. Surprisingly, the body the System placed him in was his own from the real world.
Since childhood, the boy had been quite tall-he was six feet tall by his first year of university and continued to grow until his fourth. Eventually he grew another three centimeters and even joined the basketball club, but he didn't last two months because a falling out with the captain had ruined his desire to play any sport at all, except for his father's weekly boxing trips.
He wasn't without his looks: his black hair, always in a high ponytail below his shoulders, was now carelessly mussed in different directions, because of the humid air. His dark blue eyes were faintly half-covered by lush, soft lashes. Her lip and left ear bore two scars from a bad fall on the ice as a child.
Gou Zhijiang thought he was attractive, so he was glad he didn't have to occupy anyone else's body.
And so he once again begins a new Scenario.
"Show the scoring scale."
The system servilely opened a sign in front of his face. Zhijiang choked on his saliva and almost jumped up with rage, but stopped himself in time from flying out of the palanquin.
"Why didn't it fill up at all!"
The system, startled by him, mumbled weakly:
[The first two worlds were training worlds, Jiqi. Points will certainly be awarded for this Scenario. I'm sorry I didn't warn you.]
"Training? I spent a total of four months there. Why didn't they credit at least a couple of percent?"
A semi-transparent scale came up.
[0.2% points were added.]
He arched an ironic eyebrow.
"What generosity."
The system blushed.
[Embarrassing, Jiqi.]
...
"So what's up with the new Scenario? What's the rating? I don't remember what you told me yesterday. I should have turned it on when I was already asleep."
The system was helpful in reminding me:
[The official confirmed title of the Script is Lotus for Two. Rated 21+ due to scenes of an unflattering nature such as: physical and moral violence. The main position of the user in the proposed Scenario is a secondary love interest and one of the antagonists who dies at the hands of the main characters. The user's role is to play a charismatic character who will add spice to the relationship between the main character, Mai Nari, and the main character, Guan Wai].
"So I'm supposed to participate in a love triangle and then merge?"
The system nodded:
[Yes, Jiqi. Your duty will be to make Mai Nari feel sympathy for you and sic the cold-blooded and secretive Guan Wai on you, who will later kill you for betrayal. Easy, isn't it?]
A silly childish joy was heard in Sistema's voice.
Zhijiang, tweaking his toes, nodded.
The second love interest Zhijiang played this time was the sole heir of the House of Guo, one of the Emperor's side branches. In the script, he was to attract Mai Nari and then cruelly reject her, taking with him an artifact valuable to the girl, the Golden Lotus, which she had personally carved from the body of her dying father. This artifact was capable of subduing even the highest demons. The original Gou Zhijiang contacted the infamous Demonic Sect, who promised him to shake off the scorn of society and achieve heights, but after the demons obtained the artifact, he was ruthlessly thrown to be eaten by the infuriated protagonist, the possessed Mai Nari.
In the end, fighting for his life, he was deprived of his head and his body was thrown into the Sea of Flames, which sealed the souls of those caught there, forbidding passage to Naihe Bridge.
A typical death for a typical secondary villain, created only to show the loyalty and love of the protagonist.
Zhijiang didn't mind such a plot, because he was promised a decent amount of points for it.
If such a primitive Scenario would help him return home - Zhijiang was even willing to humiliate himself, just to please the ego of the main characters.
Now a small palanquin was on its way to one of the main events of the Scenario, the Imperial Tournament, where Mai Nari and the Guan Wai she had picked up along the way met with the heir of Gou.
[You should use all your charisma, Jiqi, and transcend the main character's grim charm. Although I'm sure it would be very difficult to surpass such a type...]
"Such boys are not easy to put in their place," Zhijiang said thoughtfully.
In his real life, he had read many novels with this type of main male characters. They were usually either silent tsundere or obsessive lunatics, ready to hurt not only their enemies but also their love. It was impossible to break them, unless, of course, the confidence of the protagonist's sympathy was shaken.
Yes. Here it is, a sore point.
With a slight smirk, Zhijiang slid his fingers over his lips.
"It's time to strain our glorious Guan Wai's buns, his favorite bird is about to fly the nest..."
The system, after a moment's silence, spoke in a slightly muffled voice:
[You sound like a real villain, Jiqi. I like it!]
Shaking his head, the boy leaned back lazily on the soft back of the seat, lined with a rough, expensive material, and slightly covered his bluish eyes.
[Jiqi, would you like to practice your charisma?]
[Jiqi?]
Slouching on his backrest, Zhijiang quietly snorted sweetly, as if his snide phrases weren't capable of creating an image of a sexy scoundrel.
The system smiled slightly, hushed.
