Kneeling to the Big Shot

The chat exploded:

[Huh?]

[!!!]

[Bro, you're a legend.]

[I salute you, man.]

[Coming to this stream was worth it.]

[Place your bets, place your bets!]

The moment Wen Nan pressed his lips to Qiqi's, the stream's popularity and the betting odds maxed out instantly. Even the notoriously stingy viewers began sending in tips.

[Newbie here, the body's still warm. Can some big-dicked brother explain why she manifested the moment he touched Qiqi?]

[Qiqi is a three-and-a-half-star female ghost. Her rating isn't higher because she relies on skin-to-skin contact to perceive human emotions. Get it?]

[Not really.]

[...]

[Buddy, are you a casual? Did you get wiped before even meeting a ghost?]

[Haha, I guess so.]

[Do you know the essence of clearing every map in this game?]

[Avoid all the ghosts as much as possible?]

[Of course not! That's how newbies play. Once you hit intermediate levels and above, you'll find ghosts everywhere. You'll never clear a stage just by hiding.]

[Then what do you do? Kill them?]

[...]

[Do you know how terrifying a five-star ghost is? You'll find out who kills whom once you actually meet one.]

[So what do I do?]

[Do everything in your power to keep the ghost in a dormant state.]

[Dormant state?]

[Meaning, don't let them manifest.]

[We can control that?!]

[Of course!]

[Before players intervene, the ghosts don't even know they're ghosts. As long as you don't wake them, they won't manifest.]

[It's like a remote-controlled bomb; it won't detonate unless you trigger it.]

[Fear, suspicion, wavering, hesitation—these player emotions are all triggers.]

[Especially fear. Fear of the ghost. The moment they sense even a shred of that emotion, you're gg.]

[When Ye Jiu touched Qiqi's cheek earlier, he must have felt some hesitation. That's the mildest type of trigger, which is why Qiqi only partially manifested instead of showing her full ghostly form.]

[By that logic, if Ye Jiu keeps his emotions stable and doesn't trigger her further, is it actually possible to prevent Qiqi from fully manifesting?]

[Theoretically, yes, but in practice, it's impossible.]

[This Ye Jiu probably isn't a total newbie. He even had the guts to kiss her directly, which shows he's trying to use that proactive approach to mask his inner fear and hesitation.]

[But unfortunately, it's useless.]

[No one can control their subconscious.]

[You saw it too—Qiqi has already started to ghost-ify. A face with blue-purple skin, nothing but whites for eyes, and blood leaking from all seven orifices shoved right in front of you. Can you really keep your heart from racing?]

['She's a ghost,' 'She's going to kill me,' 'She's terrifying'—these thoughts and emotions are absolutely impossible to clear from your mind.]

[Even if you act calm on the surface, as long as that fear remains in your heart, the ghost can sense it clearly.]

[So, is Ye Jiu a dead man walking?]

[He's done for.]

[Dead as a doornail.]

[No way out.]

[It's a guaranteed g.]

[No suspense left.]

[Everything after this is just garbage time. No point in watching.]

[Wait to collect your coins, though with the odds this high, it doesn't look like we'll make much.]

The chat fell into a lull as the viewers entered a "sage mode," all waiting for Wen Nan to kick the bucket.

Meanwhile, on the playground bleachers, Wen Nan was still kissing Qiqi's lips with deep affection.

A drop of blood fell from the corner of Qiqi's eye, landing on the back of Wen Nan's hand.

The icy, cold touch made Wen Nan freeze in his tracks.

A similar scene had just occurred only three hours ago.

Three hours ago, Peach Blossom Mental Hospital.

Wen Nan sat on a soft sofa with his attending physician beside him.

"How have you been feeling lately?"

"Quite well."

"Are you still having nightmares?"

"No."

"During the day, do you still see them?"

"No."

A drop of blood fell from the ceiling, landing on the back of Wen Nan's hand.

Wen Nan raised his hand and rubbed the drop of blood.

It was dark, sticky, and carried a faint scent of rust.

"What's wrong?" Dr. Zhang pointed at the back of Wen Nan's hand.

Wen Nan glanced at Dr. Zhang and smiled. "Dr. Zhang, the ceiling is leaking; it needs to be repaired."

Dr. Zhang looked up and, sure enough, saw a water stain on the ceiling. "It really is time to find someone to fix it."

Wen Nan looked at Dr. Zhang with a faint smile on his face.

However, Dr. Zhang felt that the other man wasn't looking at him at all, but rather looking past his shoulder at someone behind him.

Dr. Zhang turned his head to look, but there was nothing there except for a wall hung with a landscape painting.

"Who is behind me?" Dr. Zhang asked Wen Nan in as calm a tone as he could manage.

Wen Nan shook his head. "No one."

"Then what are you looking at?"

"This new painting. It's quite nice."

Dr. Zhang stared at Wen Nan for a while, eventually nodding and choosing not to pursue the topic further.

He lowered his head to scribble in the notebook in his hands. A moment later, he looked back at Wen Nan, his expression turning serious.

"Wen Nan."

"Yes?"

"We are sitting here to help you treat your perceptual disorder. There is no need to treat me like an enemy to be guarded against. If you are able to clearly distinguish between fantasy and reality, that is a good thing. Just tell me directly; there is no need to deliberately hide it."

"Yes, Dr. Zhang, I understand." Wen Nan nodded heavily, looking very well-behaved. "However, I'm not hiding anything. I really didn't see anything."

Three hours later, Wen Nan was unexpectedly dragged into this game, sitting on the bleachers of a strange school playground, passionately kissing his suddenly-appeared childhood sweetheart.

At first, Qiqi was still immersed in the sorrow of having her subtle confession rejected. She hadn't expected Wen Nan to suddenly take the initiative to kiss her, and she froze, stiff as a wooden stake, unable to move.

As the kiss deepened, Qiqi's body gradually softened, and she began to respond to Wen Nan's kiss.

She wrapped her arms around Wen Nan, her palms gently stroking his arms.

Like a patient with skin hunger, Qiqi seemed extremely keen on physical intimacy. Seeing that Wen Nan didn't resist, her movements grew bolder, reaching toward unspeakable places, trying to maximize the area of contact as much as possible...

Wen Nan chuckled, indulging her little movements, and the two kissed in an inseparable embrace.

[?]

[???]

[???????]

[No, why hasn't Qiqi fully manifested?]

[Not only has she not fully manifested, but the parts that had turned ghostly just a moment ago have even disappeared.]

[What is going on here?!]

[How is this possible?!]

[But five minutes have already passed, and their skin has been in constant contact. Qiqi can't even perceive his fear or wavering emotions.]

[That only leaves one possibility—he really isn't afraid at all.]

[That ghostly face is right in front of him; how can he not see that Qiqi is a ghost?]

[That's a female ghost! Is he blind? How could he possibly do something like that to a ghost?!]

[Why does he still look like he's enjoying it?!]

For a moment, the barrage of comments fell into shock, confusion, and disbelief.

At this moment, a comment drifted across the screen, speaking with a casual air that unraveled everyone's confusion:

[Isn't he one of those nine legendary big shots? Did he switch accounts to start over?]

[Damn, that's actually possible!]

[I've heard there are hidden items in high-level maps that let you switch accounts and identities.]

[So that's it.]

[Which legendary big shot is it?]

[Kneeling before the big shot.]

[Big shot, I was wrong, I shouldn't have doubted you.]

[Big shot, those previous comments were posted by my dog, they have nothing to do with me.]

[Big shot, give us your name, I'll go top up your guild right now.]

[Received a tip, 5 gold coins added to account.]

[Received a tip, 10 gold coins added to account.]

[Received a tip, 50 gold coins added to account.]

[Received a tip, 100 gold coins added to account.]

One tip notification after another flooded Nine Times a Night's livestream.

Wen Nan was completely oblivious to this. While entangled with Qiqi, he called out to his system in his mind: [9527, check the mission progress.]

9527: [Main Mission 1, current completion: 10%.]

Wen Nan: ?

Why is it so low?

The mission stated "go to the appointment." He had come to the appointment, spent a pleasant evening, flirted, kissed, and once he safely walked Qiqi back to her dormitory, wouldn't that be it?

How could the progress be only one-tenth?

Just as he was thinking this, a figure appeared in his peripheral vision.

Wen Nan let go of Qiqi and turned to look at the figure.

He saw a slender girl in a white dress with her long hair draped over her shoulders, standing not far away, staring fixedly at the two of them.

The girl was clutching a pink envelope in her hand.

Earlier that day, she had secretly slipped that pink envelope into Ye Jiu's desk, asking him to meet her at the sports field that night.

But instead of the person she wanted to meet, she saw that person kissing another girl under the cover of night.

The girl pressed her lips together, tears shimmering in her eyes, and said aggrievedly, "It was clearly me who came first..."

Wen Nan was stunned.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

A series of vibration alerts came from his pocket.

Wen Nan took out his phone, and several messages popped up—

[Ye Jiu, 9 PM tonight, back door of the classroom, waiting for you.]

[Little Jiu, I bought late-night snacks, my car is parked at your school gate, can you come out to pick them up?]

[You big idiot! Our school is on break, I'm coming to find you now!]

Wen Nan: ???

No way, this so-called "go to the appointment" mission involves five parallel threads?!

Does that mean he has to date five targets at the same time?!