Plot synopsis

Six men in sharp suits entered Xue Mingjie's noodle shop, though their thuggish air made them look more like gangsters.

He was too far away to hear anything, but their body language made it clear a confrontation had broken out. The six men, apparently led by Yao Dawu, seemed to be pressuring Xue Mingjie into doing something.

Without exception, all six had the same fate: [Supporting character: The Dying Man].

And as Xia Xu checked their attribute panels one by one, he made an unexpected discovery, even though he still hadn't found the protagonist.

["The Dying Man": Diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a month to live, Zhang Jianmin sank into despair. Thinking of how he had spent his entire life meekly following the rules, never doing or enjoying anything, he decided to indulge himself before he died.

After drowning his sorrows in alcohol all night, Zhang Jianmin woke with a hangover and went out walking. By chance, he came across Yao Dawu and Xue Mingjie making a wager and joined in without a second thought...]

A passage resembling a plot synopsis had appeared in the supporting character fate's detailed view. Apparently, this was part of the plot of "The Dying Man."

Unfortunately, that was all the text there was. Everything afterward had been glossed over with an ellipsis, limiting its usefulness.

Did encountering enough plot characters unlock a plot clue?

Xia Xu felt torn between hope and anxiety.

Previously, the detailed views of these supporting characters' fates had shown nothing but question marks. Yet after he finished checking the attributes of Yao Dawu and the others, a plot synopsis appeared. The cause and effect wasn't hard to guess.

What troubled him was the ellipsis at the end. Had everything else simply been omitted, leaving him with only this much, or could he view a more complete synopsis after finding more plot characters or the protagonist?

If he could unlock the full synopsis, even a preview-style outline would give him the advantage of foreknowledge, allowing him to make all sorts of plans and preparations like someone who had been reborn.

But if all he got was this cursory bit of background and a plot hook, its usefulness would be very limited. Forget making plans around the plot-he couldn't even determine for certain whether there was any danger.

Of course, this brief synopsis still had some value. If everything followed "movie" conventions, he could even infer quite a few things, though he couldn't be sure of them.

The Dying Man... That title scared me before, but judging by the synopsis, this should actually be a comedy...

Xia Xu read the synopsis of "The Dying Man" over and over, word by word, drawing a few tentative conclusions from his years of "movie-watching experience."

An ordinary nobody discovered he had little time left and began indulging himself, no longer caring about consequences or danger, recklessly charging into everything as though his life meant nothing.

Yet the outcome usually turned that on its head. Coincidences and good luck created miracles and laughs; the less he feared death, the harder he became to kill. It usually ended happily, with his grave illness turning out to be a misdiagnosis-a very clichéd comedy formula.

But that was only a movie formula. Although each supporting character's fate was followed by a title enclosed in title marks, there was no direct evidence that these were necessarily movies or similar works.

Even if it really was a movie, it might subvert those conventions. In fact, plenty of comedies were more dangerous than tragedies, because morality, law, and logic were often ignored for the sake of a joke. There was certainly no shortage of scenes that cheerfully used cruelty to create absurd humor.

Whatever the case, at least I can establish that the protagonist of The Dying Man is someone named Zhang Jianmin, while Xue Mingjie and Yao Dawu appear in the first act...

If it follows the usual formula, Zhang Jianmin decides he has nothing to lose and wants to try gambling, forcing his way into Xue Mingjie and Yao Dawu's wager. Then, instead of losing everything as he should, the reckless fool wins money hand over fist through outrageous luck...

Xia Xu had always been sharp, and he had watched plenty of movies with similar formulas. Using the small fragment of synopsis as a reference, he managed to roughly guess the plot. Whether he was right would have to wait and see.

There are plenty of uncertainties and risks, but that doesn't mean I can't work with it. Making a little money should be no problem.

With the "plot" figured out, Xia Xu made up his mind.

He continued watching for a while. Yao Dawu and the others didn't stay in Xue Mingjie's shop for long. They aggressively intimidated him for a bit, seemingly delivering threats, then kicked over several tables and stools before swaggering away. The whole thing took less than ten minutes.

That also showed that the wager mentioned in the plot wasn't happening today. Yao Dawu had only come to "issue a challenge"; they had probably arranged another time and place.

That was good news for Xia Xu. He needed to make some preparations too, and the next two days happened to be the weekend. If he needed to stake them out and follow them, he wouldn't have to worry about skipping class.

He still wanted to properly enjoy university life. Those would be the truly carefree days, so it was best not to disrupt his schooling if he could help it.

After watching Yao Dawu and his group leave, Xia Xu had only a minute or two left before class. He looked away from the noodle shop's entrance, turned, and joined the stream of students heading back to their classrooms.

There were very few people in the classroom, fewer than ten.

The ten-minute break wasn't long, but it was still a rare chance to relax. Besides, their lunch break had only just ended, so most students had gone out to use the bathroom, buy snacks, or do something similar. They generally wouldn't return until the bell rang.

But as soon as Xia Xu reached the classroom's back door, he spotted a petite figure creeping up to his seat like a thief, crouching down and reaching into the open compartment of his desk.

"What are you sneaking around for?"

Xia Xu caught Tang Youxin by the back of her collar and hauled her from a crouch to her feet. Her timid little face turned toward him too.

Tang Youxin's gaze shifted evasively. "N-nothing."

"Really? Then why were you skulking around my seat just now? I have good reason to suspect you're stealing."

Xia Xu put on a stern face, though the faintest trace of a smile lingered at the corners of his mouth.

Given Tang Youxin's personality, she clearly wasn't the sort to steal. Besides, he had caught a glimpse of what she was doing. She hadn't been taking anything; she had been putting something into his desk.

He had only said that to give this innocent little flower a scare and bluff her into revealing what she was up to.

"No, no! It's not like that. I was just... just..."

Xia Xu's words were clearly very effective.

Someone whose pride was so strong that she refused even the small kindness of being treated to a meal could hardly steal, let alone bear the false accusation of being a "thief."

The moment Tang Youxin heard him suspect her of stealing, she panicked. Hurt and flustered, she tried to explain, only to falter briefly at the end.