Count Me In

Because of the delay caused by the "Xiao Wei's Entanglement" plotline, Wen Nan arrived at the boys' dormitory right on the dot.

The moment he reached the doorway, he discovered that the other three players had already returned.

Shao Ling was sitting at his desk, still perched on his chair with his backside in a very effeminate posture; this time, even Huang Tao couldn't stand it anymore and was sitting in his seat with a similarly twisted posture.

Only the fatty looked full of life. Seeing Wen Nan walk in, he immediately rushed forward and raised his hand to fan him, "Grandpa, you're back?"

The light screen above their heads suddenly began to flash with a blinding red light as the main quest countdown started.

[00:00:10--]

[00:00:09--]

[00:00:08--]

Better to arrive at the right time than an early one.

The timing was neither too much nor too little; it was just right.

[Now entering main quest settlement time]

[Please have all contestants take their positions]

Just like during the last settlement, a row of prompts immediately popped up on the light screen—[Please have contestant Huang Tao confirm his identity].

Huang Tao skillfully tapped the [Confirm] button, and the next moment, the results appeared on the light screen—

[Contestant Huang Tao, the settlement for this main quest is as follows:

Completion status: Completed;

Quest score: 60 points;

Quest rating: Average;

Extra rewards: None;

Selected target: Brother Who Likes Singing Dancing and Basketball;

Target affection level: 38%;

Livestream popularity settlement: 364 gold coins;

Livestream betting settlement: 145 gold coins;

Livestream tipping settlement: None;

Account balance: 668 gold coins.]

Huang Tao looked at his quest panel, his expression even more solemn than last time.

With two quests finished, his target affection level hadn't even reached 40%. For the final quest, if he wanted to reach the 60% affection level required to pass, he couldn't just perfunctorily kill time like he did this time.

What was even more difficult was his quest score; he had 62 points last time, but this time he was stuck right at the 60-point passing line. Following this trend, even if he reached the required affection level for the final quest, he probably wouldn't be able to pass the rating.

Furthermore, he hadn't been willing to spend a single gold coin from the last account settlement, thinking that if he pooled them with this one, he would be able to buy a [Safety Bubble]. As it turned out, he only had six hundred-something, which was still not enough.

Why was making money so hard?

Thinking of this, Huang Tao looked resentfully at Wen Nan, who had just entered, and began to calculate in his heart whether he should be like the fatty and call the other party "Grandpa," fawning over him? Perhaps the other party could bestow a few Safety Bubbles upon him so he could happily play basketball in the next quest?

However, he opened his mouth, but that "Grandpa" word swirled in his throat and he couldn't bring himself to say it no matter what.

Forget it; fawning over someone was clearly not a job everyone could do.

At this moment, the light screen display shifted—

[Please have contestant Wang Xiaoer confirm his identity].

The fatty walked up and tapped the [Confirm] button with ease.

The results appeared on the light screen—

[Contestant Wang Xiaoer, the settlement for this main quest is as follows:

Completion status: Completed;

Quest score: 88 points;

Quest rating: Good;

Extra rewards: None;

Selected target: Old-fashioned Married Homeroom Teacher;

Target affection level: 43%;

Livestream popularity settlement: 523 gold coins;

Livestream betting settlement: 238 gold coins;

Livestream tipping settlement: 500 gold coins;

Account balance: 3122 gold coins.]

Seeing this result, Huang Tao and Shao Ling looked at the fatty with faces full of resentment, while the fatty grinned triumphantly.

Sure enough, with the help of his Grandpa Ye, he had taken off!

The mission score had soared from the previous 63 points to 88, and the target affection level, which had been a mere 9%, had jumped straight to 43%. Although he had earned slightly fewer gold coins than last time, he had no need to spend money at all thanks to the items gifted to him by Grandpa God of Wealth, Ye.

As long as he could maintain this current performance, he would easily pass the final mission once it concluded.

Thinking of this, the fatty looked at his Grandpa God of Wealth with deep affection, sighing inwardly—

Sucking up is satisfying for a moment, but sucking up forever is always satisfying.

The light screen shifted once more—

[Please, contestant Shao Ling, confirm your identity.]

Shao Ling stood up, his spirit resilient despite his broken body, and stepped forward to press the [Confirm] button.

The results appeared on the screen—

[Contestant Shao Ling, the settlement for this main mission is as follows:

Completion Status: Completed;

Mission Score: 69 points;

Mission Rating: Average;

Extra Rewards: None;

Selected Target: Brother with Eight-Pack Abs;

Target Affection Level: 5%;

Livestream Popularity Settlement: 3,689 gold coins;

Livestream Betting Settlement: 2,163 gold coins;

Livestream Donation Settlement: 5,200 gold coins;

Account Balance: 17,665 gold coins.]

Looking at his settlement panel, Shao Ling was practically on the verge of tears.

The only silver lining was that his livestream popularity remained consistently high; even though the broadcast had been censored halfway through due to certain sensitive scenes, his donations had actually quadrupled because of it.

It seemed that the soap-dropping act, while seemingly niche, actually had a very large audience.

However, this account balance was completely useless to him.

He didn't need a [Safety Bubble]. If he used a [Safety Bubble], his Brother with Eight-Pack Abs wouldn't be able to get in, and he would go berserk.

His mission score had been 69 points both times, without a single change. It seemed that as long as he laid flat enough, his mission score remained quite stable.

But if he continued to lie flat like this, it would be absolutely impossible for him to clear the game.

After the last mission ended, he only had 3% affection, and after this mission, it had only increased by two points.

Affection level, could you at least move a little! How can you be lying flatter than I am!

In truth, Shao Ling knew exactly why Brother with Eight-Pack Abs was dissatisfied with him—

At the very beginning of the first mission, when he had added his strength attribute to 100 points and gone to the date with a body full of toned muscles, his affection level had once soared to 30%.

But later, when the time for his Attribute Trial Card ran out, he was reverted to his original form. That brother had looked at him with utter disgust, muttered "skinny dog," and left in a huff. Since then, his affection level hadn't budged.

Therefore, to satisfy Brother with Eight-Pack Abs, lying flat wasn't enough; he needed sixteen-pack abs!

However, an Attribute Trial Card wasn't something you could just buy with money.

Thinking of this, Shao Ling looked at Wen Nan.

Gritting his teeth, he walked up to Wen Nan, grasped his hands with both of his own, and said with tears in his eyes, "Grandpa Ye, are you still looking for a grandson?"

As soon as these words were out, Huang Tao was the first one who couldn't sit still—since the other two were already sucking up to the big boss, it could only mean that this was their dormitory culture!

What else was there to hesitate about? Naturally, he chose to blend in.

Thinking of this, Huang Tao threw away the pride he couldn't let go of just a moment ago, rushed forward in two steps, and grabbed Wen Nan's other hand. "Grandpa, if there are any vacancies in the grandson department, count me in too."