Shen Yi didn't dwell on his regrets for long. After a quick mental replay, he refocused his attention on the game.
Due to his intense concentration, time flew by quickly. Before he knew it, it was nearly 1:30 AM. Thanks to the game's unique immersive experience, Shen Yi didn't feel sleepy at all.
"So you're a drink hustler, trying to take me for a fool, huh?" he muttered.
Shen Yi grabbed another pillow to prop up his head, finding a more comfortable position. He placed his phone on the blanket, flexed his fingers, then picked up the phone again with a serious expression.
"Second playthrough, let's go!"
He tapped on Jian Leyi's avatar and selected "Start New Pursuit."
A prompt appeared: "Dating Assistant Friendly Reminder: Starting a new pursuit will overwrite any previous ratings, regardless of the outcome. Are you sure you want to proceed?"
"Yes," Shen Yi confirmed.
As he confirmed, one of Jian Leyi's heart icons faded, leaving only one remaining. This meant that if Shen Yi failed to successfully pursue the same character three times, he might have to discard the card.
'I wonder if there's a way to replenish them later...'
The screen lit up, interrupting Shen Yi's thoughts and reinvigorating his spirit.
Everything proceeded as before up to this point. He still set the date location as the bar, and then came to the options for heading out.
Please choose your mode of transportation: A. Buy a car B. Rent a car C. Take a taxi D. Walk E. Teleport.
Faced with these five options again, Shen Yi glanced at the character's remaining assets and decisively chose to rent a car this time.
The scene immediately switched to the car rental page, with a dizzying array of vehicle descriptions, covering all sorts of models and brands.
Shen Yi smirked and scrolled straight to the bottom of the list. Among the many luxury cars, he randomly selected a Lamborghini. He didn't know much about cars, but that didn't matter – expensive meant good.
The price tag wasn't cheap: 8,500 per day. He rented it without hesitation.
"If I can't afford to buy, I can at least afford to rent," Shen Yi thought, going all out. He was prepared to bombard this gold digger with extravagance, aiming for a high rating on his second playthrough.
After renting the car, his asset balance dropped to 77,693.5. If it weren't for the 50,000 bonus the system had just awarded him, supporting this level of spending would have been quite challenging.
After renting the car, new options appeared that were different from before.
Below the map, there were two choices side by side: head to the bar or pick up Jian Leyi.
Shen Yi had rented the car for a reason – he wanted Jian Leyi to see it. So without hesitation, he chose to pick her up.
The sports car icon on the map immediately sped towards the slowly advancing Jian Leyi. The scene transitioned, switching to a first-person view.
Surprisingly, Shen Yi's perspective was now from the driver's seat. The car's interior and decorations were crystal clear, while Jian Leyi's back could be seen walking on the street to the right.
"Beep beep."
A horn sounded, and the car stopped in front of Jian Leyi as she turned with a puzzled look.
A. (Friendly introduction) Hello, I'm Shen Yi. You must be Miss Jian.
B. (Lean over and open the door) Miss Jian Leyi, your private car has arrived.
C. (Crooked smile) The ten-year appointment has come. Miss, please follow this humble servant home.
D. (Devilishly charming) Good dogs don't block the road!
E. Please enter your own response.
Shen Yi's mouth twitched as he looked at these options, rendered speechless by the game developers' outrageous choices.
At this point in the second playthrough, Jian Leyi still didn't know him. Abruptly saying something outlandish might scare her off and affect his rating for this attempt.
After Shen Yi selected option A, Jian Leyi's expression changed from confusion to disbelief, then quickly blossomed into a radiant smile, and finally even showed a hint of eagerness.
This seamless transition of emotions, devoid of any hint of artificiality, made Shen Yi nod in admiration. He thought this performance deserved to be included in the Beijing Film Academy's teaching materials.
"Jian Leyi's fondness for you has increased..."
Fortunately, nothing went awry after that. After inviting Jian Leyi into the car, the scene gradually progressed towards the bar street.
Along the way, Jian Leyi took out her phone in the passenger seat and kept striking poses, snapping photos incessantly. For the latter half of the journey, she was so engrossed in editing the pictures that she had no time to chat with Shen Yi.
After getting out of the car, Jian Leyi put her phone back in her purse and eagerly sidled up to Shen Yi, walking in with a beaming smile.
Once seated, Shen Yi still followed his previous choice and passed the ordering rights to Jian Leyi.
To his surprise, Jian Leyi, whose true identity was that of a drink hustler, now refused.
"It's my first time here, so I'm not very familiar with the place. Why don't you order?" she said.
"No need to splurge, Mr. Shen. Just order whatever you like."
The saccharine voice came through the phone, matching Jian Leyi's demure posture in her seat, seemingly full of sincerity.
This act nearly made Shen Yi laugh out loud. If he hadn't been through the first playthrough, he might have actually fallen for her trick.
Last time, it was Shen Yi who said to order whatever; now the tables had turned, and it was Jian Leyi saying it.
He couldn't help but admire the gold digger's acting skills, living up to her "affected" label.
'A drink hustler who's studied The Art of War instead of the drink menu,' he thought wryly.
But Shen Yi wasn't about to play along. Instead, he directly chose option D, which he hadn't selected last time. This time, he was determined to overwhelm her with his spending, giving her no chance to manipulate the situation.
A crisp snap of fingers sounded from the screen.
"Waiter, bring us one of everything – your most expensive drinks."
After confirming the selection, the options faded away, replaced by Jian Leyi's face, flushed with excitement and surprise.
"Oh, you shouldn't have! We might waste some if we can't finish it all~"
"Notice: Jian Leyi's fondness for you has greatly increased..."
Shen Yi watched the increasingly coy Jian Leyi on the screen, feeling immensely satisfied. By now, he had forgotten this was just a game. It felt as if Jian Leyi was really sitting across from him, her joy and sorrow at his command with just a casual gesture.
At that moment, a group of bartenders in colorful outfits carrying glowing orbs brought the drinks, circling around their table.
In real life, Shen Yi had rarely been to bars, only a few times for team-building events. But he could tell this setup was no small affair – clearly, the drinks ordered were not cheap.
'Nice visuals,' he thought. 'They even bothered to hire extras for this scene. Pretty thorough.'
Shen Yi hadn't expected such formality. In the previous playthrough, he must have ordered too little to warrant this kind of treatment.
After the servers retreated, Jian Leyi raised her glass to Shen Yi with a radiant smile.
Unlike her boisterous behavior last time, she now only took a shy, tiny sip before setting down her glass and asking:
"Shen Yi, what do you do for a living?"
The same question appeared, along with the same set of options.
But this time, the situation was completely different. Shen Yi smiled slightly and made his choice with a light tap of his finger.
"Me? I'm just a passing Kamen Rider, that's all."
Faced with such a flippant answer, Jian Leyi showed no sign of impatience. Instead, she acted as if she'd just heard the funniest joke in the world, doubling over with laughter in her seat.
"You're so funny! I don't believe that for a second~"
Then Jian Leyi patted her ample chest to catch her breath, suddenly leaning closer to the camera. Her pretty face now occupied most of the screen.
Shen Yi could even make out the fine texture of her skin and the white foundation on her face.
In a hushed, conspiratorial tone, she flattered him: "I can tell from your aura that you're actually a young master from a wealthy family~"
This time it was Shen Yi's turn to burst out laughing, finding the situation ironic.
In the previous playthrough, his desperate attempts to prove his worth were shot down. This time, his efforts to downplay his status were still misunderstood. Life could be so peculiar.
Shen Yi couldn't help but wonder if this was really just a game. Such a masterful grasp of human nature – how had he never heard of a game like this before?
Before Shen Yi could ponder further, he noticed that Jian Leyi had somehow moved closer on the screen, leaning against him at an angle and giggling, feigning intoxication.
Lying on his bed, Shen Yi shook his head at the sight. Where was her earlier restraint? What happened to her alcohol tolerance?
'It's not the alcohol that's intoxicating her, but her own act,' he mused.