After washing up and returning to his room, Shen Yi lay on his bed and picked up his phone to continue playing.
Like many modern people with irregular lifestyles, Shen Yi was no exception - drowsy during the day but wide awake at night.
Usually, even without gaming, he would toss and turn until one or two in the morning before falling asleep. So now, being fully alert, he decided to continue his research while holding his phone.
Yang Nan's profile icon had gone grey, but Shen Yi still had another option. Although this person called Jian Leyi seemed quite open-minded, she just lacked real-world experience. However, being open-minded also meant she would be easier to pursue - this was just a game after all, and he didn't need to be too particular.
Right now, he was just an emotionless game player - successful conquest, character development, and completing the game in one go were his only pursuits.
Opening Jian Leyi's chat window, Shen Yi started with his usual "hi."
The profile icon vibrated, with another instant reply:
"Speak if you have something to say, cut the crap! I'm busy!"
Shen Yi raised an eyebrow seeing this response, thinking she had quite a personality. But he wasn't about to get upset with a game character, so he quickly replied:
"What's wrong? You seem frustrated. Why don't you talk to me about it?"
Agitation was one of Jian Leyi's characteristics, and this response matched her current anxious state of mind. Shen Yi decided to use this as his entry point.
"Who are you? Why should I tell you anything?"
Though still aggressive, the tone wasn't completely unreceptive to communication. Shen Yi continued typing:
"I'm Shen Yi. You could try talking to me - maybe I can help."
The other side replied almost immediately: "Well then, do you have money?"
"Uh... I guess so."
Shen Yi hadn't expected such a direct display of materialism, avoiding discussion of her frustrations and instead asking about his wealth.
Looking at the character assets showing over fifty thousand, he wasn't sure if this was considered a lot or a little in the game.
Since it was the initial asset amount, Shen Yi guessed it probably wasn't much, so his response lacked confidence.
Shortly after the green text was sent, Jian Leyi's reply came through.
"Let's meet and talk."
Shen Yi was stunned - he hadn't even suggested it, yet his target had initiated an invitation. Could the game be played this way?
"Ding!"
"Target character has initiated a date invitation. Please attend promptly."
"Note: Unknown risks may occur for late arrival or standing up the date."
"Ding!"
"Successfully arranged first date with target character. Reward: 1 Strategy Point."
...
"No problem, being asked out is still a date."
A series of notification messages appeared before Shen Yi, the chat window minimized, and a map appeared before him.
Jian Leyi's avatar floated in the center of the map, remaining stationary.
The screen then displayed a series of prompt options:
Please select your date location: A. Cinema, B. Amusement Park, C. Bar, D. Park, E. Home.
'Damn, you can even invite them straight to your home... What's this supposed to mean, my place is quite spacious?'
Shen Yi couldn't help but comment on the obviously out-of-place Option E. Although tempted to choose it just to see what would happen, his rational mind made him exclude that option.
Looking at the other four options, Shen Yi was undecided, but having just received one Strategy Point, he decided to check Jian Leyi's specific trait preferences before making a decision.
"Would you like to spend 1 Strategy Point to unlock trait preferences?"
"Yes, No."
Shen Yi clicked yes on the screen.
Name: Jian Leyi
Trait Preferences: Anxious, Materialistic, Green Tea*, Cleanliness-loving, Affected, Drinking, Movies.
(*Green Tea: Chinese internet slang for a woman who appears pure and innocent but is actually manipulative)
A large number of traits were displayed. Since Shen Yi only spent one Strategy Point, there were no detailed descriptions.
However, this information was enough to help Shen Yi make his choice.
'Geez... an affected green tea girl who's materialistic too, this generated character is really something else.'
'Whatever, since she's both materialistic and likes drinking, the bar it is...'
Thinking this, Shen Yi casually clicked on Option C.
As soon as he made his selection, he saw Jian Leyi's avatar slowly moving toward the bar on the map.
Seeing this, Shen Yi didn't waste any time and also chose to depart.
New options appeared:
Please select your mode of transportation: A. Buy a car, B. Rent a car, C. Take a taxi, D. Walk, E. Teleport.
'There's even a convenient teleport option, are they worried about me being late?'
Unsurprisingly, there were five options again. Shen Yi directly clicked teleport, as being punctual for a date was basic courtesy, so he chose the fastest option.
"Notice: Insufficient balance!"
Shen Yi was startled - it actually cost money. He quickly switched to Option C to take a taxi.
This time the prompt was normal, costing only 50 yuan, and a taxi icon appeared on the map heading toward the bar.
If a taxi only cost fifty yuan but teleporting showed insufficient funds despite his assets, it meant teleporting must cost at least fifty thousand or more - unaffordable even if he spent everything.
Shen Yi had reason to suspect this was an option reserved for paying players, meant for those who didn't care about money.
The taxi wasn't actually slow, and the cartoon icon swayed its way to the bar, arriving before Jian Leyi.
The icon disappeared, the map closed, and a realistic illustration appeared before Shen Yi, with Jian Leyi's avatar shrinking to the upper right corner.
The realistic scene clearly took considerable effort to create. Before he could marvel at it much, Jian Leyi appeared in the scene.
Her appearance matched her photo exactly, except she now wore black stockings on her legs and carried a small bag on her right arm.
Her 78 points in charm weren't for nothing - with careful makeup and styling, she looked radiant, surpassing most girls in everyday life.
Dialog options appeared timely.
"Are you Shen Yi? I'm Jian Leyi."
"Let's go inside and talk."
They entered the bar one after another.
Not only were the character illustrations beautifully animated, but they even came with voice acting. Shen Yi clicked his tongue in amazement, rolling over in bed as he listened to Jian Leyi's sweet voice coming from his phone.
On screen, the perspective shifted, the bar's noise gradually fading as the camera followed Jian Leyi to a secluded booth.
A waiter presented the menu, and options immediately appeared on Shen Yi's screen.
A. Order yourself
B. Ladies first
C. Just get some fruit platters, nothing over eighteen
D. Bring all your most expensive wines
Four options floated on the interface, waiting for Shen Yi's selection.
Shen Yi pondered thoughtfully. The first option was standard - not exactly right, but certainly not wrong. The third option was clearly meant to be humorous.
Given her materialistic trait, if Shen Yi dared to choose that option, the date would surely fail, and the pursuit would end there.
Without much hesitation, Shen Yi placed his selection on "Ladies first."
The scene moved, and the menu was elegantly passed to Jian Leyi.
Jian Leyi was visibly surprised, her tense expression finally softening as she took the menu and looked down at it.
Then Shen Yi's phone vibrated, and pink bubbles with continuously appearing cartoon plus signs floated up from Jian Leyi's avatar in the upper right corner.
"Notice: Jian Leyi's favorability toward you has increased..."
Seeing the notification on his phone, Shen Yi couldn't help but smile at the screen.