Underworld Player

Just from the fact that Mu QianSe was willing to make herself go to a movie theater to watch a horror movie in the dead of night, in the name of training her courage, it was clear that she was a go-getter.

Immediately upon returning to the school from her hospital visit, she wasted no time in making her way to a certain campus belle's dorm room. It was late afternoon, about 5 p.m., and as luck would have it, she bumped into Lin XiaoYi and Xia Wen at the entrance to the dormitories, just as they were heading out for dinner.

While she and Lin XiaoYi did not share a major, they maintained a casual acquaintance through the various social events they attended, so it was not an awkward encounter by any means.

In her mind, Mu QianSe was called to save a lost soul, so after the usual pleasantries, she did not mince her words. "So, I heard you're dating Bai Zhi now?"

It was public knowledge, ever since the photo of Lin XiaoYi in her stunning white dress walking alongside Bai Zhi—taken by some Nosy Parker, no doubt—had made the rounds on the student body's online forum. Bai Zhi had been oblivious to it, occupied as he was with his preparations for the Newbie Run, but the rest of the school had had a field day with it.

There was even a running bet on when, not if, the campus belle and the scumbag would eventually break up. It was said that over a thousand people had put wagers down, and the topic was so hot that it even eclipsed the updates on the fifteen comatose students...

Truly, the masses hold no value in higher esteem than Entertainment.

"...That's right." Lin XiaoYi blushed faintly but gave a clear nod, and even added, "but I'm the one who's pursuing him."

"You must know about his scandalous—wait, did you say you were pursuing him?"

Mu QianSe was flabbergasted.

"Mm, yes. You all may not know this, but Bai Zhi has many qualities, such as—"

She was interrupted by a violent fit of coughing from Xia Wen, who surreptitiously tugged at her sleeve at the same time.

When Lin XiaoYi looked over at her friend, she was met with a twitching glance that said, "Since you're the one in active pursuit, don't make it harder for yourself by inviting competition!"

She was completely nonplussed.

Meanwhile, Mu QianSe facepalmed. "Qualities? Other than his pretty face, I'd say that chump is a walking mess of faults..."

Sighing in exasperation, she continued, "Fine, I get it—you're in love, and a young girl in love is never eager to hear sobering truths. But I was just like you, once, thoroughly seduced by his devilish good looks, until I actually got to know him and realized that the person behind the face was worthless trash."

"No, he's not—" Lin XiaoYi started to protest but was cut off, yet again, by Xia Wen.

Unwilling to see someone she considered a friend get taken advantage of by a player, a resolute Mu QianSe spent the next few minutes expounding on Bai Zhi's shortcomings in detail, from how he had pretty much ghosted her from Day 1 of their relationship to the endless excuses he had made to get out of spending time together, and how, even after jumping through several hoops just to get him to sit down to a meal together, she had ended up being the one paying for it. Not to mention his usual behavior of completely ignoring her as he burrowed himself in some internet café to play video games all night long, but as soon as he needed money, coming out of the woodwork to weasel some cash out of her... et cetera, et cetera.

To Mu QianSe's despair, it seemed that Lin XiaoYi was undeterred. Rather, the more she talked, the more it seemed to strengthen Lin XiaoYi's feelings for the scumbag.

In fact, the campus belle even brought out a notebook, halfway through Mu QianSe's lecture, and began enthusiastically taking notes on Bai Zhi's daily habits as if receiving divine revelation. No detail was too insignificant, down to the foods that Bai Zhi liked or disliked...

This was not in the script!

Mu QianSe was very clearly presenting the douchebag's many faults, but why was the girl before her not the least fazed? Did falling in love really send the intelligence of a young girl plummeting into fathomless depths？

The sight of Lin XiaoYi with pen and paper at the ready, earnestly asking for the scoundrel's number, social media IDs and various contact details, was the last straw.

Mu QianSe had meant to leave Bai Zhi a shred of dignity, but this girl seemed determined to ignore all but the reddest of red flags, so she blurted out, "Nobody knows that scumbag's character better than me!"

Casting off her reservations, Mu QianSe spilled the beans about everything she had witnessed at the hospital earlier today.

"...and there he was, pale as a ghost—obviously, he had just come out from the internet café, gaming all night again and broke as usual! He even snuck into the hospital just to steal food from the gift baskets that the other students had left for their friends! Don't you see how selfish and despicable he is? Believe it or not, I bet that if you give him a little more time, he'll turn around and reach out to you instead, then invent a million and one reasons to borrow money from you! He's nothing but a vile swindler, out to swindle both your money and your affection!"

Mu QianSe had delivered her whole speech in one breath, and it left her wheezing, but she was relieved to see that Lin XiaoYi had stopped writing and was paying attention in silence.

After hearing it laid out so plainly, surely she'll have second thoughts?

After all, Mu QianSe was speaking from her personal experience, not hearsay and blind conjecture. When they had been an item, Bai Zhi had used those very tactics to swindle her out of several hundred yuan, and just when she was looking forward to a movie date and the opportunity to bond with herboyfriend, thinking he might have turned over a new leaf, the bastard ran off to the internet café with her money and stood her up...

To her utmost surprise, even that speech did not have its intended effect on Lin XiaoYi, but instead did the exact opposite.

"He's not as shiftless as you think! What do you even know?"

Lin XiaoYi raised her head proudly, her eyes blazing with indignation.

"I've had it with you! Everything you've been telling me is from your own biased perspective! He's a hero who selflessly protects the world while hiding in the shadows, and you, you know nothing, Mu QianSe!"

"He...ro? HIM?" Mu QianSe was taken aback by Lin XiaoYi's sudden outburst, and she couldn't help wondering if she was hallucinating.

Next to them, Xia Wen rolled her eyes and pressed a hand to her forehead as if to say, "Oh, brother."