Volume 2: The Days of Playing with Monkeys in the Village
Sudden
She entered the game without any preparation!
Lou Jingmo reminded her: “My next game is in a month. I’ll contact you in advance. If you sense that you’re about to enter a game, give me a call.”
Shen Maomao: “What’s up? We can’t enter together if we’re far apart?”
Lou Jingmo: “I need to screen the props that can be brought into the game.”
Screen…
“Damn it, how many props do you have? Why don’t you use them in the game?”
Lou Jingmo naturally had her reasons: “I won’t use props unless absolutely necessary. Once you become dependent… you understand, right?”
Shen Maomao nodded, indicating that she understood.
If they become dependent, without props, they wouldn’t be able to do anything, wouldn’t amount to anything.
“To be honest, once you’re pulled into the game, who knows when you’ll be able to leave,” Lou Jingmo said seriously. “Real life doesn’t mean much to you right now. Instead of going to class, it’s better to exercise more. You might not outrun ghosts and monsters, but as long as you can run faster than your teammates, you’ll have a better chance of survival.”
Brutally honest.
Shen Maomao remembered a story she had read before—two people encountered a bear from afar. One person prepared to run, while the other bent down to tie their shoelaces. The one about to run asked, “Will tying your shoelaces help you outrun the bear?” The other person replied, “I just need to outrun you.”
This set of rules applies equally in the 《Confession Game》.
Lou Jingmo’s flight was in the afternoon. Shen Maomao accompanied her until noon, then sent her to the airport.
They had only spent a short day together in reality, but in the game, they had never been apart for too long. Today, when they were about to part, she felt a little reluctant.
Lou Jingmo was very willing to leave and even instructed her: “Don’t contact me unless there’s a special situation. Your third game should be in two or three months.”
Shen Maomao was on the verge of tears: “You take off your pants and don’t recognize people anymore?” (A colloquial expression meaning “you’ve gotten what you wanted and now you’re abandoning me”)
Lou Jingmo yawned, pretending not to have heard anything.
Shen Maomao: “…” Scumbag woman.
Before the security check, Lou Jingmo suddenly said: “Spend more time with your family when you can. After all, people like us might suddenly die at any time.”
At that moment, an overwhelming sense of sadness engulfed her.
No matter the reason for entering the game, from the moment they became game players, they were all walking dead.
Her originally high spirits became very low. Shen Maomao responded glumly: “I know…”
Lou Jingmo raised her hand and patted her head: “Don’t be so gloomy. The more games you enter, the higher the difficulty of subsequent games. Maybe I’ll die before you.”
Shen Maomao: “…” You’re talking nonsense. If you die before me, I’ll have to die in your place.
Lou Jingmo patted her shoulder: “Keep going.”
Shen Maomao wanted to cry but couldn’t: “Goddess, you also need to keep going and protect yourself. Don’t you dare die before me!”
Lou Jingmo curled her lips slightly, didn’t say anything more, and turned to go through security.
Shen Maomao watched her figure disappear into the sea of people. For a moment, she almost thought they would miss each other like this, like two perpendicular lines that briefly intersect and then grow farther apart.
In the month since meeting Lou Jingmo, she had experienced two wonderful journeys that were previously unheard of and unseen—or rather, it was because of Lou Jingmo’s presence that the originally eerie and terrifying game world became wonderful.
She belatedly realized that Lou Jingmo’s importance in her life was probably much greater than she had imagined, and irreplaceable…
After leaving the game, Shen Maomao was just an ordinary college student.
It was said that the boy who jumped off the building died on the spot. Teacher Zhao was suspended from work. A swarm of media rushed in like flies smelling blood, creating headlines like 《University Teacher Forces Student to Jump Off Building》, eager to shove microphones in the faces of school leaders. The boy’s parents caused a scene at the school gate, crying that the school’s teachers lacked ethics and drove their son to his death.
Teacher Zhao couldn’t explain himself and was labeled as someone who forced a student to death. Although he had no legal responsibility, social public opinion and morality were all criticizing him. It even extended to current social phenomena, condemning him as a sinner for all time.
Shen Maomao knew the real cause of the boy’s death but couldn’t speak out.
—How could she explain? Should she go tell the police uncles that the boy jumped to his death because he died in a horror game? If she said that, she’d probably be sent to a mental hospital.
Paying more attention to this was quite distressing. Shen Maomao maintained an ostrich mentality—if it didn’t concern her directly, she pretended not to know. However, Ren Yue was very concerned about this matter and would often mention the follow-up to her.
Lou Jingmo was truly a very cold-hearted woman! Since she left, she had never actively spoken to Shen Maomao! Every time Shen Maomao reached out to her, she was indifferent, which angered Shen Maomao so much that she simply stopped trying to warm up to a cold butt (an expression meaning to make efforts that aren’t appreciated)—as a result, Lou Jingmo never spoke to her again!!
Without the game and Lou Jingmo, even though she still spent every day being silly with Ren Yue as usual, she always felt that life was missing something.
It seemed to be passion? Or perhaps—excitement?
Shen Maomao was startled by her own thoughts and didn’t dare to delve deeper.
Boring days passed one by one. As senior year was coming to an end, classmates were either looking for jobs or preparing for graduate school entrance exams. Only Shen Maomao had the least motivation in the whole class.
Ren Yue had originally planned to pursue a master’s degree, but for some reason, she suddenly changed her mind and started attending various job fairs and sending out resumes everywhere.
On this day, Shen Maomao accompanied her back to school from an interview. They sat together in the last row of the bus, with Ren Yue by the window, her arm resting on her knee, supporting her chin as she watched the rapidly passing scenery outside.
The bus swayed forward, the early summer sun bringing a few strands of scorching heat to the air. The road was congested with traffic, and the honking of cars formed a cacophony—very irritating, yet undeniably real.
After watching the road for a while, Ren Yue suddenly turned to look at her and said, “Maomao, I envy you so much.”
Shen Maomao: “Why? Envy that I have such an excellent friend like you?”
“No, not that.” Ren Yue didn’t joke around and said very seriously, “I envy you because you can be happy every day.”
Her friend’s rare moment of sadness made Shen Maomao very uneasy. She hugged Ren Yue’s shoulders and asked, “What’s wrong? Where are you unhappy?”
Ren Yue said gloomily: “Have you seen 《Final Destination》? Human life is so fragile. A slight carelessness can lead to death. Sometimes a small accident can have very serious consequences.”
Shen Maomao was stunned.
Was this a coincidence? Lou Jingmo had just used this movie to give her examples of ways to die, and now Ren Yue was talking about the movie and lamenting the fragility of life?
Whether it was a coincidence or not, her friend’s rare vulnerability needed some comfort. Shen Maomao wracked her brains trying to think of something to say to echo her point of view when she heard Ren Yue suddenly change the subject: “You know about my family situation, right? My parents don’t want me to pursue a master’s degree. They want me to find a job quickly and earn money to support my younger brother…”
Ren Yue had always been excellent, with her test scores always among the top in the class. Their advisor had two spots for recommending students for postgraduate studies, and one of them was originally reserved for her. But she suddenly gave up this opportunity, greatly disappointing the advisor who had been very supportive of her.
Shen Maomao hadn’t thought much about it before, assuming Ren Yue just didn’t want to continue studying. Now hearing her explanation, she immediately became furious: “Does your brother not have hands or feet? Can’t he support himself? Are you sure you weren’t picked up from a garbage bin?”
Ren Yue rested her head on Shen Maomao’s shoulder and said in a muffled voice: “I want to ask too. I’ve already tried so hard, why am I still inferior to my underachieving brother in their eyes?”
Shen Maomao gently stroked her hair: “Do you want to pursue a master’s degree?”
“I do,” Ren Yue couldn’t help but tear up on the bus, “but…”
Shen Maomao said decisively: “No buts! Whether by coaxing, tricking, or confronting, you must pursue that master’s degree!”
Ren Yue sighed: “But it’s already too late. I’ve already told the advisor that I don’t want the recommendation spot.”
The bus arrived at the university town stop. Shen Maomao held her hand as they got off the bus and said with utmost seriousness: “You’re so excellent, even without the recommendation, you can definitely get in through the entrance exam. As for the tuition, don’t worry about it. You focus on studying, and I’ll steal electric bikes to support you!”
Ren Yue looked at her with a complicated expression: “You don’t need to, Maomao…”
Shen Maomao continued on her own: “I’m not supporting your master’s degree for free. I’ll lend you the money first, but I’ll charge interest. When you start working in the future, you’ll have to pay me back double.”
Saying it this way indeed increased Ren Yue’s acceptance. She gratefully held Shen Maomao’s hands and said with great emotion: “Maomao… you’re so good!”
Shen Maomao touched her wallet, which wasn’t flat yet but was about to be, and inwardly shed tears wondering where to earn money.
Although she didn’t have much money either, this decision wasn’t made on impulse.
She had always been financially independent and had been working part-time throughout college. She was also quite frugal in her daily life. After saving for three years, she could now be considered a small wealthy lady—at least enough to cover Ren Yue’s first-year tuition for graduate school.
Graduate students have scholarships, and as long as Ren Yue doesn’t spend recklessly, this debt could be repaid within a year.
As for herself, she probably wouldn’t need much money anyway. Her parents’ salaries were now quite high, and they didn’t need her to supplement the family income. This money sitting in the bank would at most earn a little interest, so it was better to give it to Ren Yue to let her pursue her dreams worry-free.
After returning to the dormitory, Shen Maomao took out her bank card, told Ren Yue the password, and like a domineering CEO, told her to use the money in it as she pleased.
Ren Yue was grateful to tears, crying with joy; Shen Maomao gained happiness through spending money and was also very happy.
Everything was developing in a beautiful and friendly direction until that night. After finishing her evening routine, she sat on the bed, ready to open a bag of chips and watch some variety shows before going to sleep, when suddenly the scene before her eyes began to spin.
She felt as if she had been thrown into a spinning washing machine, her vision completely white. After a few seconds of this, her surroundings suddenly changed, and the clear sound of horse hooves entered her ears…
She had entered the game without any preparation!!
LP: Maomao liking the thrill of the game （・□・；）
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