As soon as the betting opened, the number of people placing bets surged like a tidal wave.
But unlike last time, when one option completely crushed the other, this time the audience's bets were spread fairly evenly across the four choices—
Option [1. Qiqi] received 19.32% of the bets.
Option [2. Xiao Wei] received 21.19%.
Option [3. Have both in my arms] received 23.69%.
And the final option, [4. Neither. Let me enjoy this wonderful night alone], received a whopping 35.80%.
It seemed that although plenty of people in the livestream chat had sent messages saying [The campus belle is gorgeous], the silent majority had still chosen to wait for Big Bear.
Wen Nan didn't know how the bets were distributed among the options. Once the betting opened, he closed the system.
"Why aren't you saying anything?" Wu Yuwei pressed him. "Her or me? I only want one answer."
Wu Yuwei was so eager to force Wen Nan to make his choice because she was confident that if he had to choose between her and Liu Qi, everyone would pick her.
Liu Qi had reached the same conclusion.
Though she hated to admit it, Liu Qi knew she wasn't as pretty as Wu Yuwei, nor as popular with boys.
She couldn't even pull off the tricks Wu Yuwei had just used: pretending to fall, acting weak, and pinning the blame on her.
She had no chance of winning this contest.
Ye Jiu wouldn't choose her.
Even though she and Ye Jiu had grown up together, even though she had gotten a date with him first, even though they had just kissed beneath the stars...
None of that could compete with a confession from the campus belle, or her taking the initiative to kiss him.
Rather than passively becoming the loser, she'd be better off leaving with her dignity intact.
At the thought, Liu Qi's eyes reddened.
She forced her eyes wide open, trying to keep the tears from falling and her voice from breaking. "Bro, what's so hard about this? Just pick Xiao Wei. If I were you, I'd pick her too."
Wen Nan and Wu Yuwei both turned to look at her.
Liu Qi smiled and waved at them. "Take her to the infirmary."
As she spoke, she glanced at her phone and put on an exaggerated expression. "Oh! My aunt's here. She's waiting for me at the school gate. I've got to hurry over."
With that, she turned and hurried to the edge of the bleachers. Head bowed, she stuffed the "confession drinks" she'd been collecting for months, one bottle at a time, back into her backpack.
Faint footsteps sounded behind her, then gradually faded.
Her brother had left with Wu Yuwei.
That was good.
Wu Yuwei was so pretty. Having a girlfriend like her by his side would surely make her brother look good as he walked around campus.
As for her confession tonight, she could just pretend it was a joke. They'd laugh about it, then move on.
Romance? She didn't care about that at all.
It hadn't even started, and it had already caused a pile of trouble. She didn't want any part of it.
She'd go back to her old life, focused on studying and free of worries.
That would be nice.
But why was the wind so strong today? It had blown a brick into her eye. So annoying.
Tears slid down her cheeks one by one, dripping onto her backpack and leaving a dark patch on the fabric.
Liu Qi rubbed the wet spot hard with her thumb, but no matter how much she scrubbed, she couldn't wipe it dry. In the end, she simply hugged her backpack and crouched on the ground, curled into a ball like a little sparrow.
She raised a hand and wiped her tears away with the back of it, but the more she wiped, the more they flowed.
She tried not to cry out loud.
But her chest felt unbearably tight. Her throat choked up, and her shoulders and chest trembled uncontrollably with each sob.
After who knew how long, a figure slowly approached.
Backlit, the person cast a shadow beneath the streetlamp, covering Liu Qi.
A soft laugh came from above her.
"Weren't you just acting so magnanimous? How come I've been gone for only two minutes and you're hiding here crying all by yourself?"
Wen Nan crouched in front of Liu Qi and reached out to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes.
Liu Qi turned her head away to dodge his hand. Sobbing, she managed to ask, "Didn't you... didn't you leave with her and... and decide you didn't want me anymore? Why did you... come back?"
"How can you be so silly? When did I ever say I didn't want you?" Wen Nan gently rubbed the top of Liu Qi's head. "I just took her to the infirmary. As soon as I dropped her off, I came right back to find you."
Qiqi lifted her head, dazed, and looked at Wen Nan through tear-blurred eyes. "You... you didn't choose her?"
Wen Nan shook his head. "I turned her down."
Qiqi could hardly believe her ears. Her bloodshot eyes opened wide as she stared at Wen Nan like a little deer. "Then... then will you choose me?"
Wen Nan nodded solemnly. "Yes."
"Waaah—"
At last, the sobs she'd been holding back for so long burst out. Qiqi opened her mouth and started bawling.
Wen Nan froze in alarm, then chuckled. "Why are you crying even harder now? You've got snot bubbles coming out. You look like a silly little pig."
"You're the silly little pig!"
Talking back, Qiqi threw both arms around Wen Nan, holding him tight as if she were afraid he'd leave again. She wrapped her arms around his neck so tightly that Wen Nan could hardly breathe.
Wen Nan hugged Qiqi back and gently stroked her hair. "All right, don't cry."
[He actually chose Qiqi?]
[Shit, got it wrong again.]
[This is a disaster. I've lost every last coin in my account tonight.]
[Same here. This livestream is cursed.]
[I seriously suspect the streamer's rigging the bets.]
[Scumbag. Reported.]
[No, seriously, would a streamer really risk his life just to rig the bets? He actually turned down the campus belle? Does he have any idea what happens when you reject her?]
[What happens if you reject the campus belle?]
[You die. Completely and utterly dead!]
[Is it really that bad? When the streamer kissed Qiqi earlier, people said the same thing. I believed them and was already waiting for the funeral banquet, but instead of getting a meal, I got stuffed with dog food.]
[Yeah, this streamer seems to be some hidden powerhouse. He handled a three-and-a-half-star female ghost like Qiqi with ease. A three-star female ghost like Wu Yuwei shouldn't be a problem.]
[No, didn't any of you recognize her? Wu Yuwei is a bodily-fluids-type female ghost.]
[Bodily fluids?! No wonder her description said she was so juicy...]
[What's a bodily-fluids-type female ghost?]
[When this kind of female ghost gets stimulated and releases large amounts of bodily fluids, she spreads a powerful stimulating pheromone into the air around her. If there are any other female ghosts nearby, they'll immediately go berserk, and their aggression toward the target will increase by 300%!]
[So the campus belle has an AOE buff that massively boosts damage?]
[You could put it that way.]
[The campus belle is only three stars because the damage boost from her bodily fluids can't affect herself. And under normal circumstances, a player only chooses one target to pursue, so even if she releases pheromones, it's not a big problem.]
[No, wait... The streamer chose five targets to pursue at the same time!]
[Right... that's the key problem.]
[So when the streamer rejected the campus belle, she might have started secreting a lot of juice?]
[Be confident. Drop the "might." Look at the black mist appearing over the campus. She's already released her pheromones.]
[Holy shit, Nine Times a Night has four female ghosts around him. Are they all about to go berserk at once?]
[Looks like it.]
[There's no escaping this calamity.]
[Praying.]
[Praying.]
[Praying.]
[Candle.]
[Candle.]
[Candle.]
In the livestream chat, the viewers began offering incense for the streamer.
Before you continue