CH 41

Mu QianSe was not the only girl who had been treated this way.

As Xia Wen looked into the history of Bai Zhi's subsequent ex-girlfriends, she found yet more similarities between them. By piecing together all the clues she had uncovered, the industrious Xia Wen eventually worked out the real story.

Point the first: Bai Zhi was seen casually using a bank card loaded with one million yuan, therefore the claim that he was a playboy who used his good looks to seduce women and mooch off them was invalid.

Would someone with a million yuan resort to such petty scams just to make a few hundred? That must be the lamest joke of all time.

Since this criticism was invalid, logically, the other criticisms also fell apart, because other than scamming his girlfriends for money, Bai Zhi really hadn't done anything morally reprehensible.

Forget about stealing first kisses, that scumbag who seemed to treat the internet cafe like a second home had barely held hands with any of his girlfriends...

In fact, the coldness of his attitude had been another criticism—he was known to blow the girls off on purpose, agree to dates then leave them hanging, or make off with the money in their purses just to spend it on games...

But those who knew about the supernatural entities, like Xia Wen and Lin XiaoYi, could see the logic in all this. After all, that man's mission was always to slay supernatural entities, not woo women.

The way he made a clean break as soon as the entities were defeated, even willing to suffer a bad name rather than give the wrong impression for a second longer—these seemed like the actions of a man with elegance and grace!

As a result of the extensive research Xia Wen conducted about Bai Zhi, she ended up developing a genuine interest in him. He was so handsome, and so mysterious, so elegant in his actions, being careful not to attract attention for his virtuous deeds... Why, he was the perfect gentleman! No wonder her best friend had fallen for him.

Xia Wen suddenly understood how Lin XiaoYi felt.

"Based on the research data and experience I've gathered from my years of study* , if you're serious about getting your man, XiaoYi, you can't rely on your old methods anymore," said Xia Wen.

Extending a stern finger, she intoned, "You say you want to pursue him, but do you really understand what he needs? I can tell you it's neither money nor the womanly charms, so what qualities of yours would attract someone like him?"

"Umm…" Suddenly confronted by Xia Wen's blunt question, Lin XiaoYi found herself at a loss for words.

"See, XiaoYi? if you want to make Bai Zhi your man, you have to fully grasp his preferences from all angles—take this, for example: most students in the school know that Bai Zhi grew up in an orphanage, but do you know which orphanage? How about the little things, like what're his favorite foods, or things he dislikes?"

"I… I don't knoooow!" Lin XiaoYi wailed dejectedly. "I even forgot he was an orphan…"

"That's what I mean, you're only looking at his hidden side, but you're not seeing the hidden side beneath his hidden side! You thought I was on the surface and you were one level deep, but in fact, I'm five levels deep into the lore, and I've seen far more than you have—it's not enough to observe with the eye, we must look beyond and seek the truth!" said Xia Wen righteously, patting her friend on the shoulder.

"I've encountered these kinds of men in my research—they have quirky personalities because a terrible shock happened in their childhood and eventually molded them into who they are. If you're serious about bagging Bai Zhi, you'd best start learning all about his past."

Lin XiaoYi looked helplessly at Xia Wen. "Then what should we do now?"

"Hmph, don't you know who I am?" They call me the best wingwoman that ever winged. You're with me, so don't worry about a thing. I gotchu," said Xia Wen with a mysterious smile.

She reached into a pocket and whipped out two train tickets with a dramatic flourish, then waved them in front of Lin XiaoYi.

"I found the orphanage where Bai Zhi grew up! This weekend, you and I are going on a little field trip to—H-hey, hey! Don't smother me, it's too warm in here!!"

———

Despite the government's best efforts to scrub the internet of any concerning news, rumors had a way of spreading. As footage taken by eyewitnesses at the scene of suspicious incidents circulated on various social platforms and public safety announcements started to show up more frequently, those who were sensitive to such things began to feel like a storm was on the way.

The students involved in the supernatural incident at school were still in the hospital, comatose, and their continued absence gave rise to a restless atmosphere in their respective classes as school continued without them.

Bai Zhi seemed unaffected by the general mood, and having returned from the three-day break he had taken to prepare for the Newbie Run, he dutifully attended his classes on time every day.

It was prudent. If he kept to himself too much, he might miss the signs of another supernatural entity. He needed the experience, and besides, he was no longer the same person who wasted all his time on video games.

His already weak Constitution stat would only be weakened if he kept up that sort of sedentary behavior. In this world, basic stats did not stay constant, and even someone who had achieved a Constitution of 14, nearly the peak of human performance, could expect that number to drop after a month of lying around indoors and not working out.

Thus, it was important to keep the body moving.

At his desk, Bai Zhi looked out the window with his head propped on one hand.

There was no way to tell the difference between a normal person and a Player, and Players did not possess anything like a Player radar either, so unless they revealed their identity, it was impossible for anyone to know how many other Players were students or staff at the school.

However, Bai Zhi was sure that he was not the only Player hidden there.

That aside, I need to make time to visit the hospital... The key to waking up those comatose students may be in the Shadowland Perpetual Deed.

…I need to visit the orphanage, too. There's several traces of sordid history there, if I recall, and I don't want anyone dredging it up... though it's certainly not my story.

…and since I have some money now, I should move to a bigger apartment…

*Referring to hentai doujinshis.