After Joining the Game, She Came Out as Gay [Infinite] - Chapter 3

The God had vanished.

That joker’s intentional efforts to act cute and coquettish were irritating, but once he was gone, it felt as though the lubricant holding them together had disappeared.

Competition and elimination made everyone a ticking time bomb.

The scene became even more awkward.

The silence was terrifying.

The person who broke this stillness was a man with clean-cut features.

“Miss Xia Lin, how about coming to make a vow with me?”

He suddenly skipped over to Xia Lin’s side. Disregarding her wishes, he draped an arm around hers, seemingly believing this move showcased his masculine charm.

“You really want to be resurrected too, don’t you? Look at how well-matched we are!”

“……”

Although Xia Lin maintained an elegant smile, anyone with eyes could see it was strained.

Though she skillfully pushed him away, the man quickly stuck back to her like a piece of sticky rice cake on a cutting board.

Even though Xia Lin was a celebrity and long since immune to handsome men, this man possessed absolute confidence as long as they were in this space.

Between the only two males present, he was far superior to the other man in terms of looks, physique, and temperament.

Just imagine: between a “piece of trash” who was timid and lacked even a hint of masculinity, and himself—which one would a girl prefer?

Therefore, he concluded he would naturally become the object of the women’s adoration.

And so, compared to those “plain” women, he would obviously choose Xia Lin, who possessed radiant beauty and a graceful aura!

Naturally, someone couldn’t sit still any longer.

“Hey! Aren’t you two being a bit too despicable?” the woman with heavy makeup accused them.

In a pairing of two men and five women, the minority naturally became the “sweet pastry.” No matter which woman the two men threw themselves at, the recipient would surely welcome it with open arms, or so they thought.

As for the female group? Without even thinking, it was obvious who held the absolute advantage among them.

Any woman understood that these two men would definitely fight over the dazzling star, the “Favored Daughter of Heaven,” Xia Lin.

Because as women, they knew better than anyone: when “beauty” and “mediocrity” are placed on a scale, people usually make the same choice.

However, those with a bit of wit would never accuse the clean-cut man of being “despicable” after anticipating this situation.

Because they had given up on pursuing the clean-cut man from the start. Instead, they intended to “capture” the other timid man.

The reason was simple: though that man looked cowardly, once he realized his pursuit of Xia Lin was hopeless, he would be more likely to open his heart to a woman who took the initiative to be kind to him.

In this way, the other women’s opportunity would arrive.

—Of course, this was a calculation made only by women with a bit of cleverness.

Ever since the God left, Qi Cheng had walked over to the sofa the God prepared for them with an air of indifference. She lay down lazily with her legs crossed, closing her eyes to feign sleep.

It was only natural that no one paid particular attention to her actions.

Qi Cheng did not have Xia Lin’s outstanding beauty, nor did she have the curvaceous figure of the heavily made-up woman.

She was as plain as plain could be.

Yet, Xia Lin was watching her.

“Despicable?”

Meanwhile, the argument between the “Advantaged Man” and the “Stupid Woman” continued.

“Please! This is a dating game! Is there something wrong with me pursuing the person I like?”

“‘Dating game’?” The middle-aged noblewoman suddenly snorted in contempt. “Young people are so green; your heads really are simple!”

“Old lady, what did you say?”

The clean-cut man’s face changed color instantly. Letting go of Xia Lin’s shoulder, he walked furiously up to the middle-aged woman and said rudely, “Old lady, don’t think I have to yield to you just because you’re a woman. Everyone is dead anyway; what’s with the haughty attitude?”

“I said your head is simple! Do you think this is some matchmaking show for you to perform on?”

“What…?!”

“This isn’t ‘romance.’ It’s ‘war’!”

She emphasized.

“This game isn’t as simple as just falling in love!”

To those who couldn’t understand the essence of this game, the middle-aged woman’s speech was quite shocking.

Qi Cheng was still feigning sleep.

“Listen well. The so-called ‘partners’ and ‘romantic relationships’ are nothing more than a smokescreen the God set up to confuse us. Its true meaning is for us to select reliable teammates who can conquer the subsequent games together! Building a ‘romantic relationship’ simply means ‘forming a team’!

“Didn’t the God say this is only the first stage? There will surely be many more stages beyond our imagination, and those stages might even come with unexpected dangers. Therefore, building a team that can perfectly overcome various difficulties is of the utmost importance. And for such a team—a team of only two people—what is needed most?”

She looked around at everyone. Without waiting for them to answer, she preempted them: “Naturally, it’s brains, physical strength, mental fortitude, and the ability to take action! It is not a useless vase that only has beauty! Of course, the concepts of ‘male’ and ‘female’ are fundamentally unimportant in this game. Or rather, gender has no meaning here at all.”

Women wouldn’t necessarily lose to men.

The man was clearly taken aback.

The surprise felt by the others, who had been harboring different schemes, was just as great.

This middle-aged noblewoman had reversed the situation in an instant.

The advantage that originally belonged to the men was suddenly turned into a disadvantage.

Moreover, the middle-aged woman used her superior eloquence to transform the deeply rooted “male-female relationship” in everyone’s minds into a “team relationship.”

She also exaggerated the difficulty of the subsequent stages. Even if the women were relatively delicate, they were all female, after all—it was better than teaming up with a strange man.

Although the theme of the game was “romance,” the girls were not so flighty that they could smile and endure a man laying hands on them.

Especially in a situation where they were alone, a woman would definitely be at a disadvantage when paired with a man.

Tension, anxiety… all of these would eventually sublimate into suspicion and distrust.

And such negative emotions were a major taboo when participating in this game.

So, to eliminate that risk, it was better to team up with another woman from the start.

Of course, the bond between women wasn’t unbreakable either.

But as fellow females, it was impossible to treat the other as a tool for physiological needs.

She had fully exploited human psychology.

When an underdog who was originally at a disadvantage and panicking about their situation is suddenly told “the tables have turned” and they have become the advantaged “superior,” that sudden swelling of superiority numbs their ability to think.

Qi Cheng opened her eyes.

She whispered a single word: “—Idiots.”

There is a saying in this world: “Keep a low profile and make a fortune.”

Have you ever seen a gold prospector loudly broadcast the location and techniques of their gold mine to others?

Because of her “excellent lecture” and “deep analysis,” the middle-aged woman had already ascended to the rank of leader among these “lost sheep.”

To find the most perfect way to clear the game, they begged to listen to her voice.

Even the woman with heavy makeup, in order to escape her awkward status as a “vase,” had to follow the words of this “old lady” she had originally despised.

The middle-aged woman looked around at the crowd, smiled with satisfaction, and said, “Then, so that everyone can find a suitable teammate, let’s start by ‘getting to know each other.’ After all, there is no time limit for the first stage. We don’t need to stick to ‘making a vow as soon as possible’—we shouldn’t rush to the next stage while being ill-prepared. Let’s wait until everyone is as familiar with each other as possible before making plans.”

—I’ve been played, Xia Lin thought with a bitter smile.

This big liar. She says there’s no need to rush to vow to clear the stage, but in reality, she just doesn’t want others to form teams quickly.

The suggestion that everyone should deepen their understanding of one another seemed to be for everyone’s good, but it was actually just so she could gather intelligence.

Mastering information, quickly screening her own teammate, hindering others from teaming up; that was the true essence of this “dating game.”

The middle-aged woman clapped her hands and called out, “Then, let’s start with self-introductions.”

Yu Feihang, Male, 30 years old, Sales. Cause of death: Karoshi (Overwork)

Nie Siya, Female, 25 years old, Graduate Student (Psychology). Cause of death: Accident

Kuang Liao, Male, 35 years old, Unemployed. Cause of death: Suicide

Xia Lifang, Female, 45 years old, Corporate Shareholder. Cause of death: Accident

Ni Qian, Female, 27 years old, Internet Streamer. Cause of death: Accident

Xia Lin, Female, 19 years old, A-list Celebrity. Cause of death: Accident

Qi Cheng, Female, 26 years old, University Student (Lied). Cause of death: Accident (Lied, actually Murder).

“No way?! Xia Lin is already an adult! I… I always thought Xia Lin was a high schooler…”

After everyone had grasped the basic information, Ni Qian cried out.

Although Nie Siya had remained silent until now, her expression flickered with a moment of shock upon hearing Xia Lin’s true age.

That shock did not escape the eyes of Qi Cheng and Xia Lin.

Xia Lin possessed an enviable, “devilish” figure. But that face, no matter how you looked at it, looked like that of a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old child.

Regarding this point, Xia Lin had always held complex feelings.

Her agency had hidden the fact of her actual age, promoting her as “underage” as a selling point to the public, and Xia Lin had accepted it for professional reasons.

However, reactions like this that felt a bit belittling (even if the other party meant no harm) still made her feel uncomfortable.

Her pride was as high as the heavens; she didn’t want to be overly pampered or looked down upon because others mistook her for a child.

However, those who weren’t part of the “fanboy/fangirl” circle basically felt indifferent about it.

“…Why ask about the cause of death?” Kuang Liao suddenly asked.

A lack of confidence combined with a failed life made him feel a strong sense of inferiority in front of others.

Coupled with the God’s previous barb about him “not understanding love”—which had unexpectedly struck a nerve—this sense of inferiority had intensified.

Furthermore, the cause of death was indeed a sensitive topic.

The initiator, Xia Lifang, smiled kindly.

—She simply wanted to confirm which people were more valuable.

She hadn’t expected a “suicide” to actually appear.

Thus, confirming the reason for his suicide became particularly important.

This dating game only required one person to be eliminated. In other words, though the remaining six people would be divided into three groups, they wouldn’t necessarily be unable to become allies in the following stages.

Even if this brief “alliance” would eventually fall apart due to the resurrection conditions, as long as she managed things properly, it would be impossible for her to get a “game over.”

Therefore, for the first stage, she only needed to eliminate one piece of “trash.”

Of course, Xia Lifang couldn’t tell the truth.

She said apologetically, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make everyone recall painful memories. Actually… how should I put it… I just wanted to express the frustration in my heart.”

She sighed. “Until now, I still can’t believe I actually died. Clearly… clearly my career was about to reach its peak! I was going to achieve even greater things, and yet… it ended up stopping in this way…! The knot in my heart, my resentment… right, I’m sure Miss Xia Lin can understand me, can’t you?”

Among the seven people, if one were to speak of success, if Xia Lin claimed second place, no one would dare claim first.

Moreover, they were both women.

Xia Lin only gave a polite smile and did not reply.

Yu Feihang changed his previous attitude toward Xia Lifang and said, “If I were a successful person like Ms. Xia, I would be resentful too. After all, after working hard for half a lifetime, I was called by the Lord before I could even enjoy it.” He smiled bitterly and lonely.

In sales, the most important point was: profit above all.

After everyone understood what each person had done in life, Yu Feihang naturally couldn’t continue to speak harshly to Xia Lifang.

In his life, he was just a miserable salesman.

But Xia Lifang had become a titan of the industry.

The experience was different.

Xia Lifang immediately looked at him, not caring about the previous unpleasantness, and smiled. “You can understand me?! Yes, exactly. So, I think that if it’s someone in a similar situation as me, we will definitely have a lot to talk about.”

“I’m full.”

Qi Cheng suddenly pushed back her chair and took her tray to the kitchen the God had conjured, preparing to wash her own dishes.

“Ah, you can just leave them in the sink. I reckon you kids don’t like doing housework.” Ni Qian hurried after her and said.

Seemingly wanting to prove her value immediately before the dating game ended, Ni Qian took the initiative to take on chores like cooking and washing dishes.

She’s been completely manipulated by Xia Lifang’s words, Qi Cheng thought.

Qi Cheng scratched her head and said politely, “That would be too embarrassing…”

Xia Lifang suddenly said, “Qi Cheng, I see your complexion isn’t very good, and you were lying on the sofa just now. Are you feeling unwell?”

Tch, so she was paying attention to me.

Qi Cheng forced a smile and replied, “Ah… after remembering that I was crushed to death by a large truck (a big lie), my body has been feeling a bit uncomfortable… Sorry, I want to go back to my room to rest first.”

Xia Lifang: “It really isn’t a good memory… then hurry and go rest!”

Ni Qian also hurriedly said, “Yeah, go back and rest quickly.”

…If she continued to play this game of hypocrisy with them, her body might actually give out.

So this time, Qi Cheng didn’t stand on ceremony with them and quickly returned to her room.