The General's Love Glitch - Chapter 20

The winter wind was bitingly cold against her face. Jun Jue stood motionless, quietly watching Ruan Wei run toward her, expecting another spontaneous hug.

She rubbed her fingers, still hanging by her side, but before she could lift her hand, Ruan Wei stopped right beside her.

“General, could you teach me more about how to use the neural interface?” Ruan Wei clung to the device like a child with a beloved new toy.

Jun Jue tucked the hand closest to Ruan Wei into her pocket and continued walking.

“Let’s go home first. Uncle Zhang is worried about you.”

…

As soon as Jun Jue brought Ruan Wei home, dinner was served. Uncle Zhang hovered nearby, addressing Ruan Wei as “Madam” with every other breath, fussing over her and urging her to eat more and warm herself with hot soup.

Jun Jue also drank a bowl of hot soup. After the meal, Ruan Wei followed her upstairs. Just as Jun Jue opened her bedroom door and was about to close it, Ruan Wei slipped inside.

“You promised to teach me how to use the neural interface when we got back.”

Jun Jue shut the door behind them and said, “Go take a bath first.”

Assuming this was a prerequisite, Ruan Wei obediently headed to the bathroom. Jun Jue went to the adjacent room to fetch Ruan Wei’s pajamas, only to find the wardrobe empty except for the white sleep robe Ruan Wei had previously taken from her room.

For the past few days, Ruan Wei had been alternating between the robe and a cloak, washing and drying them in the machine each night so they’d be ready to wear again the next day.

Jun Jue carried the white robe back to her room and sat on the bed, waiting for Ruan Wei to finish bathing and call for her. She wondered if she should take advantage of her day off to buy Ruan Wei some new clothes.

…

Ruan Wei was soaking in Jun Jue’s bathtub again, this time in chilled milk. The AI assistant, Xiao Ke, suddenly chimed in, “Madam, are you going to sleep with the General again tonight?”

“No,” Ruan Wei replied, her pale legs gently splashing in the milk.

“Then why are you bathing in the General’s bathroom?”

“Because the General told me to.”

The AI couldn’t quite follow the logic and switched topics instead. “Madam, I’ve gathered some intel on the General’s preferences for you.”

“Really? Tell me, Xiao Ke!”

Xiao Ke rattled off a long list, but Ruan Wei found it odd. “Does the General really have… those kinds of preferences?”

Xiao Ke giggled mischievously.

After her bath, Ruan Wei dried off and realized she had no robe to change into. She walked to the door and called out, “General?”

“I’m here.”

Ruan Wei cracked the door open slightly. Jun Jue didn’t look inside, merely extending the robe toward her. “I brought it from your room.”

“Thank you, General.”

Once Ruan Wei emerged, Jun Jue went in to shower as well.

This time, when Jun Jue came out, Ruan Wei wasn’t asleep on her bed, just sitting on the edge, waiting.

“What’s on your mind?”

“I was thinking about what Xiao Ke said. Xiao Ke mentioned that the General likes… likes…”

Ruan Wei suddenly grew shy, lowering her head and burying her face in her hands.

Jun Jue: “…”

“Do you still want to learn how to use the neural interface?”

“Yes!” Ruan Wei sat up straight. She wasn’t particularly fascinated by the device itself, but mastering its functions would greatly help her adapt to life in the Federation.

Jun Jue started with the basics, explaining each feature while Ruan Wei listened intently, her eyes fixed on Jun Jue’s every move.

“What’s this?” Ruan Wei pointed to a green app on the virtual panel, it seemed to be related to military affairs.

Jun Jue had no idea what it was either. She clicked on it and found it was a strategy game titled “Conquer That General.”

Real-life General Jun Jue: “…” There’s actually a game like this?

“What does ‘conquer’ mean?” Ruan Wei asked curiously. Jun Jue shook her head.

So, Ruan Wei directly used the search function Jun Jue had just taught her and asked via voice input, “What does ‘conquer’ mean?”

The light brain provided several answers. Ruan Wei picked the one that best fit the context: to conquer someone means to win them over, to make them fall for you.

“That sounds fun!” Ruan Wei excitedly moved the game to the first page of her light brain’s app interface.

Jun Jue looked at Ruan Wei in confusion.

What’s so fun about this game? Was Ruan Wei hinting at something by saying this?

Ruan Wei eagerly registered a game account but resisted clicking “Start Game.”

“General, let’s continue,” Ruan Wei obediently exited the game, planning to wait until Jun Jue finished teaching her the other functions before playing.

Jun Jue was happy to keep teaching Ruan Wei because, between the game and her, Ruan Wei had chosen her.

Jun Jue meticulously explained the light brain’s functions, but Ruan Wei started feeling sleepy, covering her mouth as she yawned.

“If you’re tired, sleep first. We can continue tomorrow.”

“Okay.” Ruan Wei stood up from the bed but suddenly stumbled and fell back onto it, too lazy to move.

Jun Jue scooped her up. “Want to sleep here?”

Ruan Wei nodded emphatically. Staying here meant she could snuggle with Jun Jue, of course she wanted to. Besides, Jun Jue clearly wasn’t avoiding physical contact with her anymore.

Ruan Wei scooted over and lay down at the head of the bed. There were two pillows: one for her and one for Jun Jue. There was only one blanket, but she didn’t need it.

Seeing Ruan Wei settled in, Jun Jue turned to her side as if to maintain some distance.

She turned off the room’s lights but noticed a glow from Ruan Wei’s side. As she tucked Ruan Wei in, she glanced over.

Ruan Wei had already started playing that “Conquer That General” game.

Jun Jue: “…”

Jun Jue pulled the blanket over Ruan Wei, who was so absorbed in the game she didn’t even notice.

“Didn’t you say you were sleepy?” Jun Jue asked.

Hearing her voice, Ruan Wei immediately felt guilty. “I wasn’t as tired after that fall.”

Ruan Wei paused the game and turned over, sensing Jun Jue’s displeasure.

Why was Jun Jue unhappy? She shone the light brain’s glow on Jun Jue’s face, making Jun Jue raise a hand to block it. “What are you looking at?”

Ruan Wei thought Jun Jue’s reaction reminded her of a childhood friend who always claimed not to want to play games with everyone else but would get upset when left out.

Now, with just the two of them here, Ruan Wei playing the game must have left Jun Jue feeling bored and unhappy, which made sense.

“General, do you want to play with me?” Ruan Wei extended an invitation.

Jun Jue: “…”

She had no interest in that game. What was the point of trying to conquer herself?

Ruan Wei continued enthusiastically, “How about this, General? Let’s make it a competition. The loser gets a penalty.”

“What kind of penalty?” Jun Jue asked, humoring her.

“The loser has to let the winner take a bite. Do you dare to play with me?” Ruan Wei asked with a bright smile, thinking herself quite the clever little imp. If she won, she could openly bite Jun Jue and maybe even sneak a sip of blood without being noticed.

Jun Jue: “…”

Jun Jue recalled the past, Ruan Wei had stolen two kisses from her before. This time, Ruan Wei was probably using the game as an excuse, with the “bite” punishment as a pretense, just to kiss her again.

She had to admire Ruan Wei’s persistence. The girl couldn’t even remember the way home, yet she’d come up with such a convoluted plan just to get close to her.

If she refused, Ruan Wei would probably be heartbroken.

“Alright, I’ll play with you,” Jun Jue finally agreed, immediately downloading the game on her neural interface.

Ruan Wei said, “Whoever raises the general’s affection level to 10% first wins.”

Jun Jue finished downloading, quickly registered an account, skimmed through the beginner’s guide, and the competition began.

The game was designed based on Jun Jue’s own persona, making it ridiculously easy for her. She just had to follow her instincts when making choices.

Jun Jue breezed through the game without hesitation, swiftly raising the affection level to 20%. She paused to check on Ruan Wei’s progress.

Ruan Wei was staring at the screen, biting her lower lip, looking utterly conflicted.

“Choose option 1,” Jun Jue advised from the side.

Ruan Wei selected option 1, and the affection level immediately rose by 2. She turned her head in surprise. “Thank you! How did you know?”

When she saw it was Jun Jue, she swallowed nervously, both startled and flustered. “General… it’s you?”

“Who else would it be?” Jun Jue shook her head. Ruan Wei’s memory was so bad she couldn’t even remember who was playing the game with her.

“Have you already finished?”

Jun Jue showed her the affection level she’d achieved.

“20%! General, you’re this good at dating sims?”

Jun Jue closed the game panel and leaned closer to Ruan Wei. “Didn’t I already tell you what I like?”

“Oh! Right! You are the general!” Ruan Wei realized belatedly, kicking herself for not connecting the dots sooner.

“I lost, General. Punish me.”

Ruan Wei was a vampire who played by the rules. She’d set the terms, so she had to accept the consequences.

She swept her long hair aside, tilting her head to the left to expose the right side of her neck for Jun Jue to bite.

Jun Jue merely glanced at Ruan Wei’s slender, snow-white neck, her gaze lingering briefly on the faintly translucent gland at the nape before she forced herself to look away.

Instead, she leaned in the direction Ruan Wei had tilted her head and gave her lips a firm but gentle bite.

…

Author’s Note:

Weiwei: The general is even better at games than me (._.)