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墨書 Inktalez
After dinner, Zhou Bai walked me back to the dormitory. When we reached the entrance, he handed me a card.
He said it was an item obtained in a game, which would allow us to team up and enter the game together.
Before I could figure out what the card was about, I heard a voice in my head.
"The Mysterious Game is about to begin. Please prepare yourself, players."
"Countdown starts: 10, 9, 8..."
I thought, What else is there to prepare for with the countdown already on???
Should I prepare a coffin?
"Bai, I'm going into the game!" I said, pulling on Zhou Bai's arm with tears welling in my eyes.
Give me some strength, boyfriend.
I frowned, looking completely lost about what to do.
Zhou Bai took the team card from my hand and held me tightly. "Don't be afraid, Jiajia. I'm here."
The light of the game’s teleportation enveloped us, and when I opened my eyes again, we found ourselves in an unfamiliar environment.
A magnificent hall filled with golden splendor, enormous crystal chandeliers, staircases covered in red carpets, and ornate vintage decorations all indicated that this was a high-end restaurant.
In one corner of the hall stood a group of about ten people who had already formed small clusters.
The man at the forefront looked at me with an impolite gaze.
Fortunately, Zhou Bai was standing right next to me.
A huge prompt box appeared before my eyes.
[Prompt: Excellent employees should always dress appropriately.]
Zhou Bai could probably see it too.
I turned to look at Zhou Bai; he nodded at me and then took my hand, leading me away from the crowd.
He whispered, "Sometimes, sticking together isn't the safest choice."
I nodded. Not to brag, but I was quite skilled at reading novels, and I was all too familiar with the trope of groups being used as cannon fodder.
"Come on, let's find the employee locker room or changing room. The uniforms should be there."
The employee locker room had a musty smell of mildew, and in the open lockers, there were even some bits of flesh and blood.
What was even more outrageous was that the locker room was unisex.
Zhou Bai frowned. "You change first; I'll keep an eye out. Others will be coming soon."
With that, he walked toward the door.
"Wait, Bai... could you stay with me..." My voice trailed off, losing confidence.
But this environment was truly eerie. Without the Male Protagonist Aura by my side, I was genuinely afraid of a plot twist.
He stopped in his tracks, facing away from me. Although he said nothing, the atmosphere visibly lightened.
As expected, the Male Protagonist Aura was impressive.
After quickly changing clothes, we returned to the hall.
On the way, we ran into a small group, but since it was just the beginning of the game, there was no friction between us.
The clock in the hall struck twelve.
This meant that the restaurant was officially open for business.
The door swung open, and a chilly wind swept in, accompanied by strange murmurs that lingered in the air.
[You have been assigned to Table 4 service. Teammate detected: Zhou Bai has been automatically bound. Please team up to fulfill customer needs and receive three positive evaluations to complete your daily task.]
[Reminder: If the customer is dissatisfied, special compensation will be required.]
Zhou Bai lightly scratched my palm with his fingertips before taking my hand.
Table 4 was located in a corner of the hall, and the customer was a humanoid creature that had been cut into pieces and stitched back together.
It struggled to fit itself into an ill-fitting suit, with a rose pinned at the collar.
It looked like it was preparing for a date.
As I nervously prepared to speak, Zhou Bai beat me to it and asked, "Hello, dear guest. What can we do for you?"
Suit Meat Chunk remained silent, simply pushing the menu over to me, which featured a drawing of "Spicy Human Brain."
"Alright, please wait a moment," Zhou Bai said as he picked up the menu, signaling for me to stay put.
The restaurant had protective measures in place; as long as the staff did nothing wrong, the supernatural beings were not allowed to harm them.
After a while, Zhou Bai naturally brought out the dish. "Sir, here is your meal. Enjoy."
Suit Meat Chunk ate his meal with a certain sadness, leaving behind a few bills.
Probably a tip.
"Congratulations, you have completed the first food delivery task. Customer feedback: Satisfied. Please proceed to Table 6 for your second task."
After collecting the bills, Zhou Bai didn't head straight to Table 6. Instead, he took me to the vending machine at the corner of the stairs.
In the next moment, the vending machine suddenly came to life, its dispensing slot forming a fierce ghostly face with an ingratiating gaze.
"Director Zhou is back? Oh my God, is this Director Zhou's girlfriend? You two are quite the match—"
Zhou Bai lightly kicked the machine. "Cut the chatter. One Spicy Pepper Pork Stir-Fry Rice Bowl and a can of cola."
"Got it, got it! Coming right up." With that, ghostly hands on both sides respectfully held up the food.
"You stay here; if you're bored, let it keep you company. During the day, it's just little ghosts around. With a vending machine to chat with you, I’ll go finish your tasks."
The vending machine was surprisingly chatty and flattering; it almost made me feel like it wasn't a ghost at all.
In the original story, Zhou Bai has a Golden Finger—Eye of Analysis.
There’s also a restaurant plot, but in the end, he only received the Outstanding Employee award and transitioned from intern to full-time, without becoming a supervisor.
I tossed the conversation to the vending machine, hoping for useful information.
"So what did Bai do? Why are you so afraid of him?"
The vending machine fell silent for a moment. "Just know that he is the only human who survived in the restaurant."
!!!
But at that time, during the first Restaurant Dungeon, there were others who survived.
The World Line was disrupted.
My only advantage is clarity.
I am well aware of my own weakness and ignorance, so at the start of this story, I planned to cling tightly to the male lead's golden thigh.
Without Zhou Bai, I am nothing.
So, let’s make sure he can’t do without me.
Even if Zhou Bai has diverged significantly from the original story, even if… the direction of the plot has shifted.
[Congratulations on becoming this game's Outstanding Employee. Here are your rewards...]
This task was completed in a muddled way.
I had originally planned to seek out Zhou Bai to learn some survival skills from him, but the task was finished quickly.
"Jiajia, don't look at them," Zhou Bai covered my eyes.
"I'm not, just daydreaming," I pulled his hand, my mind still a jumble.
I may not understand the game, but I understand Zhou Bai; he has been in a low mood again lately.
He won't let me look at this or that, and even when I chat with the vending machine, he has to be right there.
The emergence of the Mysterious Game has intensified his possessiveness and paranoia.
This is not a good sign.
But after the game, he resumed playing the role of her Twenty-Four Filial Exemplars Good Boyfriend, making it impossible for me to find any faults.
"Jiajia, you're amazing! I heard Restaurant Dungeon is the hardest for newcomers; it's always a total wipe."
I smiled faintly and didn't respond.
When I left, those people were still alive.
And Zhou Bai... Zhou Bai was actually the first one to enter the restaurant...
No, I can't think about it. If I keep thinking, breaking up won't be far off.
Faintly, I heard Zhou Bai's voice, as if he was saying something about not wanting to break up.
It must be an illusion; there's no way the team card I had tied before could let him hear what I was thinking, right?
Wait, could it really be true?!
Tentatively, I thought, "I want to break up," and was met with a flood of "No" and "You can't."
Before long, Zhou Bai slipped into the classroom through the back door.
Wow, this thing even has a tracking feature.
It honestly made me laugh in frustration.
He silently sat down next to me.
After class, Zhou Bai grabbed my hand, looking as if he had nothing to lose.
"Are you done pretending?"
He kept his head down and didn't say anything. After a while, he mumbled, "Don't leave me."
I poked his forehead with my fingertip. "Do you realize your mistake?"
"Yeah."
"Next time, you mustn't do that, do you hear me?"
He fell silent again.
His expression was both dejected and pitiable, with a hint of stubbornness that suggested he didn't quite understand the need to change.
He resembled a friend's mischievous husky, caught in the act—wrong, but unrepentant.
I sighed and wrapped my arms around him. "I want you, I really do. I wouldn't want anyone else."
Zhou Bai's personality had been shaped by my gradual pressure; all his insecurities were a result of my deliberate influence.
Whether it was the kindness of others or the wink from a junior during basketball practice, I had intentionally made sure he noticed them.
By the time I realized the issues with his character, it was already too late.
All I could do was repeatedly express my love for him and guide him little by little.
He was wonderful, but I was a bad woman.
All I wanted was to survive.
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