Newbie Scenario: Class Reunion (3)

Although Zhen Liu could not see anything, the moment he signed the contract, his instincts told him that cameras had already locked onto him from every angle, without a single blind spot. Cooperating with them, he flashed a polished, beautiful smile for the cameras, utterly unlike his earlier aloofness.

If he had to describe it, his whole person had come alive. It was the most basic respect a working man could show his boss.

[Ahhhhhh, that face! Mom, I can do this!]

[I've seen plenty of good-looking humans, so why does seeing him smile still make my heart skip a beat?]

[Isn't this my first love? God of Love, bless me, this faithful girl wants to fall in love, boohoo.]

[Can I really see a beauty like this without paying? Really, really, really?]

[He must be smiling at me! It's just a tip, right? Take it!!!]

[Baby, do you know how gorgeous you are?]

Author's note:

Nonsense Mini-Theater:

Zhen Shou: I am always preparing to become an outstanding worker!

Newbie Scenario: Class Reunion (3)

Lucien's avatar looked disdainfully at the lovesick comments constantly flooding the livestream. The sickly sweetness of romance, so thick it was practically overflowing, was one of the smells he found least tolerable. It was like melting tons of chocolate, butter, and sugar cubes together—so sweet it turned bitter. No, thank you.

Every debt had its debtor, and Lucien's avatar immediately called the God of Love and Beauty, a genderless god who could be a male god yesterday and a goddess today.

Lucien's avatar got straight to the point. "Could you ask your followers to restrain themselves a little?"

The moment Lucien saw that human called Zhen Liu, he realized that the God of Love and Beauty's divine attendants and followers would immediately demand a livestream from Zhen Liu's perspective. After all, divine attendants had once been human too. A few hundred years in a temple would not make them any smarter; it would only leave them even more brainwashed by the God of Love and Beauty, and even more lovestruck.

And as the ringleader of that pack of lovestruck fools, the God of Love and Beauty did not seem particularly bright either.

Today, the god had gone for a retro look: red lips, golden hair, big waves. The god's voice was even sweeter and cloying than the aura of those lovestruck fools. "Humanity's pursuit of beauty can never be stopped, baby."

Lucien scoffed. "What do you want?"

The God of Love and Beauty did not stand on ceremony. "I want to know why you care so much about that human."

What a coincidence. Lucien had asked someone that very question not long ago, and the answer he received had been so absurd that, at this moment, he would rather pinch his nose and endure the mutated chocolate smell than answer the God of Love and Beauty's question. "I simply find your followers rather unpleasant to look at. I hope to see some normal people."

But the God of Love and Beauty was already looking at him with the smile of a doting aunt, delivering an accurate prediction based on the god's profession. "You're going to fall in love, baby."

***

Time resumed, and the casting process continued.

When the DM asked the first multiple-choice question, a written version of it appeared on the tabletop before every player as well: [Question One: The person who loves you, or the person you love—which would you choose to spend the rest of your life with?]

Before anyone could react, a player had already rung the bell. The pillar of light around him turned a dazzling red.

Everyone looked in that direction.

The voice giving the answer appeared above every player's head simultaneously. It was low and magnetic, yet Zhen Liu could not shake the feeling that it carried a hint of sarcasm. He had no idea who the man was mocking. "Of course, I'd choose the person I love. That way, the initiative is in my hands. If I want to love him, I can keep loving him. If I want to rest, I can call it off whenever I like."

It was an unconventional angle, but it made sense.

The DM offered no comment, merely assigning him the role of "university professor." His pillar of light turned green, and he would no longer participate in the following questions.

[Question Two: If you were reborn and knew the world was about to be destroyed, but everyone would only think you were crazy if you told them, would you still choose to speak up?]

Before the DM had even finished asking the question, another player impatiently rang the bell ahead of everyone else. He read the text quickly, and his answer was no.

This time, the player received no role and even lost some of the viewers from his livestream. He looked a little flustered, but the DM's questions continued steadily.

[Question Three: ...]

[Question Four: ...]

Xiao Zhao was an experienced player who had played quite a few scenarios. He believed he had long since seen through the essence of these casting Q&A games. The important thing was never what you truly wanted to answer, but what the viewers in the livestream wanted to see. No, they were not viewers at all—they were paying patrons. If he wanted the paying patrons to spend money, naturally he had to cater to them.

Xiao Zhao had his personal AI bring up real-time comments visible only to him. As he watched the viewers' demands, he enthusiastically interacted with them in a voice audible only within his pillar of light. "Who would everyone prefer me to choose? In my experience, characters who are doing poorly in their introductions often have a major twist or a second identity in the script. They're more interesting and more fun to play, and they're also more likely to be the murderer. Shall we give it a try? I think that basketball coach..."

[No. A coach whose career failed sounds like a loser.]

[We still don't know which role each answer gives, but I want to choose A for this one. Fire types are definitely the strongest!]

[BBBBBBBBBB. If you don't choose B, I'm leaving. Water types are forever the best.]

Xiao Zhao's conflicted appearance made him look exactly like a puppet being manipulated by strings on a stage. Players with different personalities attracted the divine attendants and followers of different gods. Xiao Zhao had attracted theorists who loved telling other people what to do.

From beginning to end, Zhen Liu never rang the bell. He merely sat there, memorizing every question and answer, as well as the roles received by the players who made each choice. These questions surely had no direct connection to the script's plot. Remembering them might not prove useful, but neither might it prove useless.