I Should Pretend Not to Notice

Meng Chengcheng's mind went blank.

Xiaohu was dead?

And he had died two days ago!

Then who was the "Liu Xiaohu" who had spent the last two days with them?

Meng Chengcheng hurriedly examined the dead man's memories. Just before Liu Xiaohu died, he had been talking to a young man in a Daoist robe with his hair in a topknot.

It was Lin He.

Lin He said, "Xiaohu, be honest. Do you like Chengcheng?"

Liu Xiaohu scratched his head. "Huh? How did you know?"

Lin He smiled. Instead of answering, he suggested, "Never mind that. I know a way to make Chengcheng happy. Want to hear it?"

"Yes! Tell me! Lin He, if it works, dinner's on me!"

"Sure, sure. You remember what our mission is this time?"

"Collect Game Coins and exchange them for that doll souvenir, right?"

"Exactly! Given Chengcheng's personality, she'll want to be the first to get the souvenir. So if you secretly slip your Game Coins into her bag, won't she be thrilled?"

At this point, Meng Chengcheng's heart lurched.

He was trying to get someone killed!

Liu Xiaohu hesitated. "Lin He, won't it be dangerous if I lose my Game Coins? The rules say they're as precious as life."

Lin He coaxed him. "Think about it, Xiaohu. Game Coins can be exchanged for a doll that gives someone a second life. Isn't the doll what's as precious as life? So the rules mean the souvenir, not the Game Coins. You got it mixed up."

"Oh, I see. Lin He, you've really opened my eyes!"

"Glad to hear it! Don't forget to invite me to your wedding."

"Yeah. Thanks, Lin He!"

After they parted, Liu Xiaohu took out his Game Coins and secretly slipped them into Meng Chengcheng's bag. A little while later, he suddenly felt unwell. The Visitor Guide fell from his hand, and he collapsed, unconscious.

At that moment, the incense stick snapped. Everything was clear.

"Lin He, you selfish, vicious bastard!"

Meng Chengcheng was furious after seeing the memory.

He had shown his true colors that early. If only she had used her psychic ability sooner and exposed him. Maybe the priest and the captain wouldn't have died.

But now there was another problem. Lin He was the one who had caused Liu Xiaohu's death.

Lin He was already dead, though, and Meng Chengcheng still didn't know who the current Liu Xiaohu was.

The world was vast and full of strange things.

Meng Chengcheng had heard that Western necromancers and local corpse herders could both control the dead. But one controlled skeletons and the other controlled corpses. Neither could make Liu Xiaohu breathe, talk, and eat.

This area belonged to a supernatural entity.

Such entities were monsters that killed through rules, and Liu Xiaohu had died after triggering one. It made perfect sense for a monster here to have taken over his body.

That would explain why he handled the attractions so easily. He was a local—no, a local monster!

"And I actually developed feelings for a monster like that."

It felt absurd to Meng Chengcheng. Her first love was a monster.

But there was one thing she couldn't understand:

"Why would a monster save me?"

"What does it want? Is it trying to use me to infiltrate the organization and attack the base?"

"Yes, that must be it!"

The more Meng Chengcheng thought about it, the more certain she became. She soon came up with a plan.

She would play along.

First, she would pretend she knew nothing and cling to the monster to survive. Then, once she returned to the base, she would report to her superiors, gather all the agents, and wipe it out.

Yes, that was it!

A mocking smile curled Meng Chengcheng's lips. "Don't underestimate me, monster."

The next afternoon.

Outside the bumper car attraction.

Chen Feng had a feeling something was off about Meng Chengcheng. She looked uneasy.

Of course, he had no idea his cover was blown. He thought she was grieving for her dead teammates.

So, to play the devoted admirer, Chen Feng got two strawberry ice cream cones from a roadside stand. "When you're feeling down, have something sweet."

To Meng Chengcheng, this attempt to win her over was ridiculous.

First, everything in Horror Amusement Park was free. Giving a girl something free showed no sincerity. Fail!

Second, sweets made it easy to gain weight. Did he have any idea how hard she worked to stay in shape? And he was tempting her with dessert? Major fail!

Finally, he hadn't even asked what flavor she liked. He'd just decided for her. A clueless man! A male chauvinist! The worst fail of all!

Normally, Meng Chengcheng would have refused with a cold look, then complained about it to her best friend.

But then again...

Chen Feng had to play the devoted admirer and win Meng Chengcheng over.

And Meng Chengcheng had to win Chen Feng over just as badly. Whether she escaped now depended entirely on him.

What if he gets angry and decides not to take me out?

I can't give him the cold shoulder!

Meng Chengcheng accepted the cone and put on a sweet, bell-like laugh. "Thank you! How did you know strawberry's my favorite?"

Chen Feng answered honestly. "I like strawberry, so I grabbed one for you too."

Is this guy a fucking idiot?

Meng Chengcheng was speechless, but she forced a smile. "Then I guess we have similar tastes. Ha ha ha."

After laughing awkwardly for ages, Meng Chengcheng saw that Chen Feng wasn't paying attention to her. He was too busy eating his ice cream. She nearly fainted from frustration.

Stop eating and say something!

Do you have no idea how to flirt?

Meng Chengcheng was furious, but she kept smiling and tried another topic. "Did you know we can trade information about the attractions in the dining hall? We won't be able to earn Game Coins if we do, but since our mission has already failed, wouldn't it be better to get some information about the bumper cars?"

At that, Chen Feng's heart tightened.

The system's rules said he couldn't complete check-in without earning Game Coins.

So he couldn't trade information.

But Meng Chengcheng's suggestion was perfectly reasonable. He had no grounds to refuse.

Now he was in trouble.

"Well... um..."

Chen Feng stammered for ages without coming up with an excuse.

Seeing his expression, Meng Chengcheng wanted to slap herself.

I almost forgot. He's a local monster. He knows every secret of these attractions. Of course he doesn't need to trade information.

Why did I have to bring that up?

Meng Chengcheng was even more anxious than Chen Feng about his cover slipping. She immediately supplied an excuse for him. "I get it! You want to rely on your own abilities and clear it fair and square, don't you? Xiaohu, I'm impressed!"

Chen Feng scratched his head. Huh? Was that what I wanted?

Whatever. She'd given him an out, so he took it. "Yeah, exactly."

"You're so manly!"

Meng Chengcheng felt sick saying it, but she still took Chen Feng's arm. "You'll protect me later, right?"

"Of course."

Strange.

Chen Feng was puzzled too.

Why did Meng Chengcheng's affection for me suddenly shoot up so much?

Was it because I saved her yesterday?

Same face, but Liu Xiaohu couldn't win over his goddess after chasing her for ages. Me? I got her in less than three days.

Heh. All that romance anime I watched in my last life—Kaguya-sama: Love Is War, Your Name—wasn't for nothing.

Meng Chengcheng noticed the smug grin spreading across Chen Feng's face. If she could, she would have loved to tear it right off.

But to stay alive, she had to play her part and pretend she hadn't noticed.

Enjoy yourself while you can.