After Joining the Game, She Came Out as Gay [Infinite] - Chapter 7

Director Xia An.

Even Qi Cheng, who had little interest in film and television, had heard of his great name.

He had won the Academy Award for Best Director multiple times, the Golden Bear at the Berlin International Film Festival, and countless other awards.

But what people were most familiar with were the few films he directed that remained household names to this day.

Qi Cheng’s favorite film of his was The Grieving Browning. It told the story of an orphan adopted and exploited by the Mafia, becoming a killing machine. By chance, she met a young girl, and in the end, she found redemption—a story very much in keeping with the themes of that era.

Qi Cheng always felt a sense of resonance with the protagonist.

At the film’s conclusion, the protagonist died together with the Mafia boss in order to protect the girl.

The smile she revealed to the girl who rushed to her side as she lay dying was deeply engraved in Qi Cheng’s soul even now.

That was also the first time Qi Cheng had truly shed tears.

Xia Lin was Xia An’s only daughter; Qi Cheng should have realized it sooner.

And Xia Lin’s grandfather was also a famous actor, a titan of martial arts cinema. Although he had retired, he was still respected by active performers.

Xia Lin’s mother was a world-class supermodel; Xia Lin’s radiant appearance was largely inherited from her mother.

She not only possessed an exceptionally privileged family background but was also an only child. She had grown up in an environment filled with expectations and affection.

Sigh… Qi Cheng sighed inwardly after hearing this.

Xia Lin’s purpose in telling her was not to show off her background. When she recounted these things, it was as if a primary school student were reciting a textbook without much emotion; there was no intent to flaunt at all.

She simply wanted to convey some information to Qi Cheng by introducing her background in a way that felt like casual conversation between friends.

That is, she was different from those idiotic “rich second-generation” heirs who only knew how to enjoy themselves and squander family wealth. While her family gave her love, they were also very strict with her.

This was reflected in the honing of her acting skills. To play the role of a swordsman in a period drama, her grandfather had trained her in combat techniques for real. Xia Lin was often beaten black and blue in her grandfather’s dojo, but because of this, she had polished an acting style belonging to a “martial artist.”

It was the same in other aspects.

Qi Cheng understood that her birth determined her starting point, her perspective, and her world. Therefore, the things she saw and the “truths” she realized were absolutely different from those of ordinary people.

No wonder she possessed such a clever mind and an open-minded temperament when facing issues. The trials she must have endured before becoming a famous actress were surely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Xia Lifang surely couldn’t imagine this; she could only view others through her own limited perspective, which was why she underestimated Xia Lin’s talent.

Perhaps it was out of a woman’s base and ugly pride—unwilling to admit someone was above her, unable to acknowledge someone stood before her. Thus, she intentionally turned a blind eye and deliberately suppressed her.

However, Qi Cheng was not like Xia Lifang. She would not feel jealousy toward this girl, nor would she harbor hostility.

In fact, after hearing about her past and combining it with the events that had occurred in the Divine Realm, Qi Cheng realized that she actually admired this girl.

But—she could not agree with her.

Qi Cheng had been suppressing the psychological urge to accept her.

Because the two of them were fundamentally different existences.

They lived in different worlds and would have no intersection in the future.

Even if only within this Divine Realm, Qi Cheng did not want this sun-like girl to disturb her.

But…

Ah, she admitted, it would be a pity to let her go.

It had been a long time since Qi Cheng had been so troubled by a thought that yielded no conclusion.

No—

Actually, the conclusion was obvious; it was just that out of a “self-defense” instinct, she refused to accept it.

The skills Xia Lin had honed in her acting career, the eye for judging people she had cultivated, and that sun-like appearance capable of lowering people’s guards were all “cheat codes” to assist in conquering this survival game.

There was no reason not to utilize these “resources.”

But…

She just couldn’t.

Qi Cheng had been silent for a long time.

A conversation can only be established if at least two people participate. If Qi Cheng remained silent the whole time, then Xia Lin was merely talking to herself for her own amusement.

Even if it were a monologue, there was a possibility the other party was listening. But that wasn’t communication; it was forced indoctrination, and it wasn’t the result Xia Lin hoped for.

Continuing to linger here would only cause the other party more distress.

Xia Lin stood up. “Then you should have a good rest…”

“—Give me one night to think about it.”

“…?!”

Just as Xia Lin was about to walk out the door, Qi Cheng looked directly at her from behind and suddenly spoke.

“Give me one night. Tomorrow, I will tell you the result directly.”

—Directly?

Although it wasn’t clear how she would avoid everyone’s eyes to tell her tomorrow… perhaps the situation wasn’t that bad, and they wouldn’t necessarily be watched 24 hours a day.

Moreover, the fact that she was willing to take a night to consider was already a respectful result.

Xia Lin smiled slightly. “Okay. Goodnight…”

“Be careful of the food others give you.”

Before the word “night” could fully escape her lips, she was interrupted by Qi Cheng.

“Especially food that wasn’t made right under your nose; it’s best not to eat it.”

Xia Lin turned back to look at her in surprise, but Qi Cheng averted her gaze.

“There are countless ways to secretly sabotage others in this game. Messing with food is one of them.”

“…Are you suggesting someone might poison the food? But, doesn’t the God refuse to give out drugs that are harmful to humans?”

“Yes, God naturally won’t provide obviously harmful drugs. …But what if it’s therapeutic medicine, or aphrodisiacs?”

“…Eh?”

“All medicine has a side effect; whether it’s Chinese or Western medicine, depending on the combination of ingredients, a healing drug can become a poison. For example, if someone mixes a large amount of cold medicine into alcohol, drinking it can be fatal. Also, a certain type of preventive medicine, if mixed with herbal tea, has the same effect as arsenic. Aphrodisiacs go without saying; excessive consumption can also place an extreme load on the heart, leading to cardiac arrest. The medicine in the Divine Realm is different from the human world; it takes effect instantly. So as long as the dose is sufficient, it can cause rapid death.”

“—’Death’?”

“Yeah. Didn’t you notice? When God kept mentioning ‘prohibiting excessive behavior that forces an opponent into a forced game over,’ it meant you can’t kill the opponent directly.”

“…!”

Qi Cheng’s words brought no small amount of shock to Xia Lin.

“We came to the Divine Realm because we were already dead. But conversely, our appearance in this Divine Realm is proof that we have been granted a second life—which is to say, we are currently living people. That’s why God prepared everything related to living people for us. If we were dead (souls), we wouldn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep, would we?”

“…”

“In other words, the survival game is a game of ‘whether one can protect one’s own life.'”

Xia Lin subconsciously felt her own pulse.

In fact, she had discovered long ago that her pulse was beating like a living person’s. However, at the beginning, she thought God had designed it this way to accommodate them.

After all, her body had been crushed flat; it should have been impossible to use again.

Now it seemed that God had reshaped everyone’s bodies to allow them to move within the Divine Realm.

Being a God, even something like resurrecting the dead could be achieved; reconstructing a body was certainly not a difficult task.

Xia Lin said admiringly, “…It’s impressive that you could discover this.”

“…”

Qi Cheng had also deduced this based on the fact that God refused to provide sleeping pills.

Sleeping pills are the most easily thought-of lethal drug. Even in the human world, pharmacies won’t sell them without a doctor’s order or special channels.

However, there was no need to explain that part.

Furthermore, while Qi Cheng was saying these things, she kept avoiding Xia Lin’s eyes the entire time.

She wasn’t sure why she didn’t want to look at this person’s face while telling her this information.

However, in Xia Lin’s view, she was probably just shy, right? Because Xia Lin had provided all of her own information to her, Qi Cheng felt that giving something back was the only way to show loyalty.

But this “return gift,” given that they hadn’t even formed a team yet, was a bit too significant.

Xia Lin gave a heartwarming smile.

She truly hadn’t misjudged her. Although Qi Cheng always looked cold on the outside, appearing as if she didn’t like contact with others, she was actually a very gentle person at heart.

She was the type who, if someone treated her well, would return that kindness tenfold.

Perhaps she hadn’t even discovered this about herself.

Why would someone like her put up an ice wall against others?

Xia Lin softly whispered goodnight and, carrying this question, left Qi Cheng’s room.

– Divine Realm · Hall of the Gods –

Five figures watched Qi Cheng and Xia Lin as they appeared on the glowing screen.

“In other words, the survival game is a game of ‘whether one can protect one’s own life.'”

The God of Wisdom pushed up his glasses and said with a faint smile, “To be able to see through things to this extent, this person named Qi Cheng is not simple.”

Among the gods, the only one who had not returned to human form but remained in the guise of a panda, the God of Love, showed a cunning smile: “Didn’t I tell you all? My Group C has a ‘genius’ and a ‘monster’~”

The God of Storms snorted: “‘Genius’ and ‘monster’, eh… But for this level of insight, isn’t that evaluation a bit too high?”

The God of Love looked at him: “It seems Little Storm’s Group A also has a trump card~ But my Group C won’t be easily wiped out, you know~?”

The God of Calamity laughed loudly: “So, Little Love has placed his bets on this girl named Qi Cheng? Interesting. If they can make it to the third stage, they’ll run into my Group D. I’m telling you now, my group has someone even I consider a ‘beast’; if they really clash, they’ll be crushed to pieces, okay?”

The God of Order: “It seems you are also full of confidence in your Group D.”

The God of Calamity smiled and said: “That guy is the incarnation of ‘evil’… anyway, your members will know when they meet him. But…” He looked back at the screen, “First, your Groups B, C, and E have to have members pass the first stage.”

The God of Love (the panda) looked back at the screen, staring intently at Qi Cheng with a mysterious smile: “Don’t worry, it looks like my Group C… will have a result tomorrow.”