My Romance Game Updated – Chapter 110

Giving Up

Mu Ning wanted to explain something to Ren Chenxi, but… meeting Ren Chenxi’s guarded eyes, she opened her mouth, yet no words would come.

Suddenly, she recalled how, before the apocalypse, she had always viewed Ren Muhui through colored glasses due to her deep-seated prejudice against him. It was precisely because of those colored glasses that she had failed to realize right away that the once-obnoxious, greasy Ren Muhui had somehow, at some unknown point, been quietly swapped out for Ren Chenxi.

            

Furthermore, because of those colored glasses, she had continued to treat Ren Chenxi with the exact same attitude she once reserved for Ren Muhui. If she had only taken off those colored glasses back then and discovered their identity swap earlier, would…

Would the current Ren Chenxi not be so resistant to her now?

But… even if she had always worn those colored glasses, did she deserve to be kept in the dark by the twins, playing along with their identity-swap game?!

            

For a moment, Mu Ning felt a volatile mix of regret and anger. She stared intently into Ren Chenxi’s eyes, desperately searching for even a fraction of her former warmth. But there was nothing. All that greeted her was Ren Chenxi’s icy resistance.

Was she really the one in the wrong?

Perhaps she never should have clung so tightly to Ren Chenxi, refusing to let go. Hadn’t she tasted what it was like to be relentlessly hounded by Ren Muhui in the past? Being pursued so single-mindedly by someone she had no feelings for was truly annoying and repulsive. Since Ren Chenxi didn’t like her, she must find Mu Ning’s persistence just as annoying and repulsive.

            

Should she… let go? But… she couldn’t bear to! She truly could not bring herself to let go!

Granted, the current Ren Chenxi’s attitude toward her was cold and indifferent, hot and cold; she would get angry, act willfully, and say deeply hurtful things. She was nothing like the Ren Chenxi of the past, who had worn Ren Muhui’s identity like a mask, treating her with nothing but gentleness, consideration, and endless tolerance for her cold rejections. Yet, that past Ren Chenxi had seemed like a robot that only knew how to be good to her, solely responsible for pleasing her while casting all of her own personal emotions aside.

But compared to the Ren Chenxi of the past who unconditionally tolerated her in every way, Mu Ning found that she actually seemed to prefer this version—the one who was more vivid, who had her own emotions. The current Ren Chenxi didn’t hide her emotions anymore. She would laugh heartily without restraint, voice her displeasure directly, play mischievous little pranks, and show ruthless cruelty to her enemies.

            

And when she was teased into embarrassed annoyance, that charm in her gaze as she glared over with bashful anger was the most captivating thing of all.

Recalling the little details of her time spent with Ren Chenxi recently, Mu Ning made a despairing realization: Ren Chenxi’s attitude toward her hadn’t shifted in the slightest, yet she herself had only fallen deeper and deeper.

She truly, deeply liked Ren Chenxi. Her liking for this person was already beyond help. Just the thought of parting ways with Ren Chenxi in the future made her heart ache as if it were being violently torn apart.

            

If it were possible, she really didn’t want to let go like this!

But…

Staring fixedly into Ren Chenxi’s cold, guarded eyes, Mu Ning ultimately suppressed all the reluctance in her heart with bitter resentment.

            

Forget it. No matter how unwilling she was, if she kept pestering her, she would only push the person she liked further away and make her find her more and more annoying.

Then… just give up… like this?

Ren Chenxi’s face darkened as her gaze swept over Mu Ning’s aggrieved and angry eyes, then down to her lower lip, which she was biting so hard that beads of blood were seeping out. Forcing down the sourness and irritation that repeatedly surged in her heart, Ren Chenxi lowered her head, breaking away from Mu Ning’s burning gaze before it could scorch her. She gritted her teeth and spoke in a cold voice, “Fine, let’s not talk about the anti-inflammatory medicine anymore. You’ve come at a good time. It’s about time we split the crystal cores in my inventory.”

            

During this mutated bird attack, even without counting the two high-order mutated birds, there were still thousands upon thousands of low-tier and mid-tier mutated birds. Using Acceleration Cards, Ren Chenxi and Mu Ning had frantically harvested the mutated birds on the rooftop, slaying nearly a hundred of them every minute. Especially Mu Ning, who specifically aimed her attacks at the densest parts of the flock high in the sky; the number of mutated birds she killed was bound to be even higher than Ren Chenxi’s.

The crystal cores from the mutated birds slain by Ren Chenxi’s long blade alone—which had been automatically collected into her inventory—were enough to exchange for over three million crystal stones. As for the rest, which included the bird heads severed with the help of Qi Sheng’s crew and the crystal cores dug out by Chen Gu, Zhang Tongqi, and the others, Ren Chenxi’s rough calculations put them at over four million crystal stones.

With so many crystal stones, she naturally had to settle the split with Mu Ning clearly and cleanly.

            

Mu Ning understood exactly what Ren Chenxi meant. But precisely because she understood, her heart ached once more at Ren Chenxi’s insistence on keeping their accounts so thoroughly separate. Had this person really grown so distant from her?

“Forget it, you can have all those crystal cores!”

Because of her grievance and sadness, Mu Ning knew perfectly well that Ren Chenxi would never agree and would only draw a sharper line by splitting everything down to the last core. Yet, in an act of pure self-sabotage, she insisted on uttering those absurd words just to hear Ren Chenxi’s cold rejection.

            

Sure enough…

“Are you losing your mind again? You’re telling me to take all of these crystal cores? Mu Ning, I don’t care why you’re talking such nonsense. I have hands and feet. I can get the crystal cores I want myself, and I won’t pocket a single one that doesn’t belong to me!”

“So you absolutely must draw such a clear line between us, is that it? Can’t I just store all of my crystal cores with you so we can use them together?” Mu Ning looked at Ren Chenxi, her face etched with hurt.

            

Faced with Mu Ning’s unreasonable fussing, Ren Chenxi was also very helpless. Her own crystal cores had to be exchanged for crystal stones in the system. If they mixed Mu Ning’s cores with hers, how could they pool them for exchanges? If she had to clearly separate the crystal cores in her inventory whenever she needed a certain amount of crystal stones and exchange them over and over again, it would be far too much trouble!

However, since she had already told Mu Ning that her esper ability involved synthesizing cards from crystal cores, she couldn’t easily explain the matter of exchanging them for crystal stones. Thus, she could only brush it off with a half-hearted excuse: “You already know my ability is rather unique. I prefer to use crystal cores to synthesize cards the moment I get them. If you mix your cores with mine like this, it’s hard for me to…”

“I know, I know! I know your ability is unique! In the end, you just want to keep everything completely separate from me!” Heartbroken and chilled to the bone by Ren Chenxi’s distant, indifferent attitude, Mu Ning couldn’t bear to listen to any more of her explanations. Since Ren Chenxi disliked her pestering, and since she was so determined to draw a boundary between them… then so be it, she would grant her wish!

            

“Fine. Tell me, how do you want to split these crystal cores?”

Ren Chenxi didn’t understand why Mu Ning, who usually possessed such a stubborn streak and loved to butt heads with her, had suddenly come to her senses. Still, she was quite glad she didn’t have to keep nagging and bickering endlessly with Mu Ning. Adhering to her original plan for splitting the loot, she spoke directly: “The Level 7 and Level 8 crystal cores go to you. The remaining low-tier and mid-tier cores will go to me.”

“Those two high-tier crystal cores far exceed those low-tier and mid-tier ones. Didn’t you say you wanted to split things cleanly with me? If I recall correctly, those two high-tier mutated birds were killed by you!”

            

If you want to draw such a clear line, why are you favoring me in this split? Ren Chenxi! Since you’re being so cruel as to draw a clear line between us, then I beg you, don’t give me any more false hope!

“This is me splitting things cleanly with you!” Ren Chenxi replied. Although Mu Ning appeared to be arguing with her on the surface, for some reason, she felt as though Mu Ning had completely given up. What on earth was that girl’s head filled with now? Growing irritated, Ren Chenxi’s tone sharpened. “Even though I killed both high-order mutated birds, I never could have slain that 8th-order mutated bird without your vines binding it. In fact… well, without you, I probably would have died under its attack.”

“So, you owe me a life?” Mu Ning stared intently at her.

            

“…” To be precise, it was two lives. Ren Chenxi raised her head to meet Mu Ning’s gaze, replying calmly, “How do you want me to pay you back?”

“How to pay me back? Then… could you…” Mu Ning’s thoroughly despondent heart began to sprout tiny shoots of hope once more at Ren Chenxi’s words. Driven by this fragile glimmer, her initially icy voice softened into a humble, trembling plea toward the end: “Could you give me another chance? Can we… can we start over again… c-can we?”

“Start over?” Hearing Mu Ning’s words, Ren Chenxi’s heart skipped a beat. Meeting Mu Ning’s pleading, hopeful eyes, her cold, hard heart began to soften against her will. Could they really start over? As she recalled every single detail since she had met Mu Ning—especially the several times Mu Ning had risked her own life, forcing herself to save her—Ren Chenxi pursed her lips, finding it incredibly difficult to voice a cruel rejection.

            

Then, could they… truly start over?

Feeling Mu Ning’s gaze burning hot enough to melt her, Ren Chenxi uncomfortably shifted her eyes away. Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a red health bar…

At the sight of that red health bar, Ren Chenxi’s thawing heart instantly froze over once more.

            

How could she have forgotten? What stood between her and Mu Ning was far more than just their past grievances!

“How could we possibly start over…” Ren Chenxi’s voice was slightly dry. She carefully set the sleeping Tantan aside and looked up, looking up at Mu Ning like this, replying coldly word by word: “We didn’t even have any intersection in the past, so what is there to start over?”

“Ren Chenxi, you know perfectly well what I mean! Why must you play dumb with me now?!” Due to Ren Chenxi’s avoidance, Mu Ning took a few swift steps forward, grabbed Ren Chenxi by the collar, lifting her entire body up from the sofa and pulling her fiercely toward herself.

            

Clearly, in that instant just now, she had indeed felt Ren Chenxi’s attitude soften, but why…

Mu Ning’s hands, which were tightly clutching Ren Chenxi’s collar, trembled slightly. She was terrified, utterly unwilling to watch her final, fragile hope vanish before her eyes. The two of them were of similar height. With Mu Ning’s sudden pull, Ren Chenxi was drawn pressed straight against her, only a tiny sliver of a gap remaining between their lips.

In such an intimate posture, their lips practically touching, Ren Chenxi could feel Mu Ning’s warm breath landing on her own lips, bringing a wave of tingling, numbing itchiness. Mu Ning carefully maintained that hairsbreadth of space between their lips. Her hands slowly slid down along Ren Chenxi’s shoulders bit by bit, finally wrapping gently around Ren Chenxi’s waist.

            

“Ren Chenxi, I beg you, just give me one more chance, okay?”

The cold, aloof goddess who was always high above now buried her head in the crook of Ren Chenxi’s neck, as humble as a servant begging for forgiveness.

Yet, Ren Chenxi’s flat, emotionless words once again uprooted the very last shoot of hope in Mu Ning’s heart.

            

“No. Mu Ning, there was originally nothing between us anyway. What kind of chance do you want me to give you? Isn’t it good for us to just be friends like this?!”

“No! Not good at all! Ren Chenxi, you clearly know that what I want isn’t just this!” Mu Ning locked her arms around Ren Chenxi’s waist, pulling their bodies even closer together, the words she spoke carrying a despairing, tearful tone. “Ren Chenxi, you absolutely have to be so cruel to me, don’t you?”

“Am I cruel? But how can I compare to you?” Ren Chenxi’s hands twitched at her sides before she grabbed Mu Ning’s arms with force, striving to tear them away from her body. “Back then, ‘Ren Muhui’ chased you for so long, but did you ever look back at ‘him’ even once? Have you already forgotten how terribly, how cruelly you rejected ‘his’ final confession?”

            

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry, Ren Chenxi! I know I was wrong! I did look at ‘Ren Muhui’ seriously. In the corners where ‘he’ wasn’t looking, I… I was always seriously looking at… you.” Feeling the force landing on her arms, Mu Ning endured the pain in both her shoulders and tightened her grip around Ren Chenxi’s waist, refusing to let her break free.

Yet, no matter how hard Mu Ning tried, the injuries on her shoulders limited her strength. Ultimately, Ren Chenxi seized both of her arms and forcefully flung her back. The force was so great that it sent an agonizing jolt through Mu Ning’s shoulders, the pain cutting straight to her heart.

“The one you looked at was Ren Muhui, not me, Ren Chenxi!” Forcing herself to ignore Mu Ning’s tearful expression, Ren Chenxi hardened her heart and said coldly, “It makes things extremely difficult for me when you keep confusing me with my brother like this. If we keep going like this, I’m afraid we won’t even be able to remain friends! So… so please stop being like this, okay?”

            

The cold rejection in Ren Chenxi’s eyes made Mu Ning’s hands, which were attempting to hug Ren Chenxi again, flinch slightly. Slowly, her arms fell back to her sides. She stared straight at Ren Chenxi, asking cautiously, “So… do I really make things very difficult for you? Ren Chenxi, you… really dislike me, don’t you?”

Ren Chenxi avoided Mu Ning’s gaze. Clenching her fists, she tried to steady her voice, wanting to give Mu Ning a clean and decisive “yes.” But her mouth opened and closed, opened and closed, until ultimately she could only let out a low “Mm” from her throat.

This “Mm,” falling on Mu Ning’s ears, sounded heavy with impatience and annoyance.

            

“Ren Chenxi, I’m sorry. I won’t make things difficult for you anymore. I… will try to stop liking you.”

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The author has something to say:

Author: Aiyaya, this chapter is pretty good, they were just a tiny bit away from kissing~ Sweet to death!~~~

            

Xixi: Is this a matter of almost kissing?! It’s over, my wife is really going to run away!

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