Day broke.
Xia Xuanfeng stood at the entryway changing his shoes, his backpack already on and his school uniform zipped to the top.
His movements were slow, as if he were intentionally stalling for time.
Yue Shi leaned against the living room doorframe, holding the snow leopard.
The snow leopard hadn't fully woken up yet; its tail hung down, swaying lazily.
Xia Xuanfeng’s hands paused on his shoelaces. He hadn't slept all night, and now he had to continue playing the part of the simp supporting male lead. The thought alone was enough to make him feel despair.
At that moment, a thin script suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
Xia Xuanfeng reached out to catch it. His fingers were trembling as he nervously flipped open the cover.
Then, his eyes lit up with genuine surprise. The corners of his mouth curled up, and his eyebrows rose.
“What is it?” Yue Shi asked.
Xia Xuanfeng quickly flipped through the pages—to the middle, back to the start, then to the end, repeatedly confirming the script's authenticity. With a face full of disbelief, he said, “My original simp script... it’s ended early.”
Yue Shi walked over and glanced at the script in his hand.
The pages were covered in dense text. Xia Xuanfeng pointed to a specific passage.
Yue Shi scanned it. The plot for the simp supporting male lead concluded right there. The humiliation from the male lead, the indifference of the female lead, and the ridicule of his classmates—all these blows stacked together to crush the character.
The script read: 【Xia Xuanfeng is made to feel so ashamed by the male lead that he realizes he truly is a toad trying to eat swan meat. He becomes so insecure that he refuses to go to school, locking himself in his room and hiding like a coward.】
The simp supporting male lead’s role ended there. There was no follow-up; it was a very abrupt exit.
Xia Xuanfeng turned the script over and over, his voice uncontrollable with excitement. “I’m not sure why I’m wrapping up early, but I bet my plan worked! The Audience’s attention has been drawn away by you. They don’t care about a small fry like me anymore; they couldn't even be bothered to give me a proper exit...”
Yue Shi reminded him, “I think your logic is flawed. Even if the Audience is focused on me, you’re too involved with me. You’re the first person I met in this world; they might just arrange an even more outrageous role for you.”
Xia Xuanfeng looked indifferent. “I’ve considered that, but that’s a problem for later. At least for now, I’m free of that high school simp script. I’ll have a period of peace before I get a new one.”
“The future might get better, or it might get worse. But as long as there’s change, there’s a chance for a better tomorrow. It’s much better than things staying exactly the same.”
Thump. A soft sound.
Xia Xuanfeng stopped talking and looked toward the source of the noise.
The finished script was still in his hand, but a new one had appeared beside it. The new script lay side-by-side with the first, having materialized out of thin air.
Thump. Another sound. Yue Shi looked down; he had also received a script, identical to the one in Xia Xuanfeng’s hand.
The script itself wasn't important. The key issue was that Yue Shi hadn't even noticed how it had appeared.
Xia Xuanfeng stared at the new script in his hand, his expression stiffening.
He had thought there would be a buffer period after finishing his role as the simp supporting lead. He hadn't expected to receive a new script in less than two minutes. The Audience was dead set on watching him perform!
He flipped open the new script, and Yue Shi did the same. Their movements were almost perfectly synchronized.
The pages rustled as Xia Xuanfeng’s eyes moved across the lines. His breathing gradually became heavy.
Yue Shi asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xia Xuanfeng gave a bitter smile. “Things just got worse.”
He turned the script around for Yue Shi to see.
Yue Shi scanned it. Their scripts were nearly identical because they were in the next scene together.
【Crushed by the blows he received, the simp supporting male lead, Xia Xuanfeng, refuses to go to school and becomes a shut-in. While surfing the web, he accidentally finds a registration portal for a Live Survival Game. On impulse, he signs up for the competition along with the mysterious man he picked up. The winner will receive a mysterious grand prize.】
Yue Shi flipped forward a few more pages. The content further in became sparse, containing only scattered scene prompts with no specific dialogue or detailed plot points. In the blank space, a line of small text was written: 【Requires improvisation from the actors; the Audience wants to see the most authentic reactions.】
Xia Xuanfeng’s face was quite pale. He sat on the small stool in the entryway, head bowed and motionless, lost in his own emo world.
Yue Shi closed the script. “It looks like your plan failed. The Audience did indeed focus some attention on me, but they didn't let you go.”
Xia Xuanfeng’s fingers gripped the edge of the script. The transition between the two scripts was practically seamless; as soon as one ended, the next began. What could he do?
Tear up the script and wait for death?
Forget it. Better to live a pathetic life than to die a good death. At least the script didn't require him to sell his body.
Xia Xuanfeng quickly adjusted his emotions and began acting according to the script.
He stood up, walked to the computer desk, and pressed the power button.
The screen lit up. After a few random clicks of the mouse, a pop-up appeared in the center of the screen with black text on a white background: 【Live Survival Game, Registration Portal】.
Xia Xuanfeng placed his hand on the mouse. Yue Shi walked up behind him and saw two lines of small text below the pop-up: 【The winner will receive a mysterious grand prize; the loser will lose everything.】
“What do you think ‘lose everything’ means?” Xia Xuanfeng asked.
“I don’t know. Maybe death,” Yue Shi said.
“A painless death is a blessing. I’m just afraid of a fate worse than death,” Xia Xuanfeng sighed softly. He moved the cursor to the registration button, his finger hovering over the left-click.
Without hesitation, he pressed down, signing Yue Shi up in the process.
In the next second, the screen flashed. Xia Xuanfeng’s mind went blank, and he lost consciousness.
...
When Xia Xuanfeng opened his eyes again, he saw a rusted steel dome.
Massive pipes ran overhead, with fluorescent lights embedded in the gaps every few meters, casting a pale, sickly light.
The white light reflected off the corroded metal surfaces, creating a cold, bluish tint.
The air smelled of damp rust, mixed with the scents of disinfectant and mold.
Xia Xuanfeng was lying on the ground, his back against the concrete floor. A chill seeped through his school uniform, crawling up his spine.
He moved his hands and then his feet, confirming his body still responded, before slowly sitting up.
Only then did he notice Yue Shi standing beside him. He seemed to have been standing there for a while, looking up at the crisscrossing pipes above.
“Where are we?” Xia Xuanfeng’s voice echoed in the empty space.
“I don’t know. We were here in the blink of an eye,” Yue Shi replied.
Just as Xia Xuanfeng had clicked the registration button, Yue Shi had felt a force trying to transport him.
He hadn't resisted; he had even actively cooperated with the transfer to this place.
Rate on N.U.
