Chapter 5: The House Was Raided

Jiang Luo glanced at Xiao Lin and saw that Xiao Lin's lips were tightly closed and he was staring blankly at the edge of the table, probably pondering and struggling with something.

Based on Jiang Luo's understanding of Xiao Lin, the fact that he didn't immediately refuse meant that he was very interested.

Ultimately, relying on past achievements will eventually lead to their exhaustion.

Grasping at this lifeline is the rational and correct decision.

"I'll take it!"

The indoor lighting was a soft yellow, warm and inviting, and Jiang Luo's response was like a gust of cool air that rose straight to the ceiling.

It was a bombshell.

Lily smiled contentedly.

After that, they chatted for another hour, rambling on about this and that, exchanging some gossip about the industry.

Lily and Xiaolin were doing most of the talking, while Jiang Luo listened.

She simply couldn't get a word in edgewise.

Jiang Luo is a homebody and has almost no contact with people in the entertainment industry. Her only hobby is drawing online under an alias.

She was the quietest and most well-behaved of the artists managed by Kobayashi.

Unfortunately, in the entertainment industry, being quiet and unassuming is not a good thing.

After the dinner party ended and Lily left, Xiaolin got into the car but didn't rush off. He gripped the steering wheel and remained silent for a moment.

When he spoke, his voice was slightly low, "Do you really want to take this opportunity? If not, don't force yourself. I'll think of another way."

"Click," Jiang Luo fastened her seatbelt, glanced at Brother Lin, and laughed heartily.

She signed with Brother Xiaolin right before graduation. Although she hasn't achieved much over the years, Brother Xiaolin has put just as much effort into her as he has into other artists.

Xiao Lin was truly like her own older brother.

The city's glitz and glamour are reflected in the windowpane: bustling traffic, towering buildings, and noisy crowds.

Bathed in the dazzling light, the interior of the car was not dim.

Raising her hand, Jiang Luo solemnly patted Xiao Lin's shoulder: "No way! Brother Xiao Lin, I should be thanking you. If I had another manager, they probably would have run away long ago. How could they be here to share the joys and sorrows with me! Besides..."

She smiled sweetly: "I have a boyfriend to support now! I need to work hard to earn money!"

"Huh? You..." Xiaolin's eyes widened as she looked him up and down. "You've got a gigolo on your hands?"

"Pfft—" Jiang Luo coughed up blood.

After spending a minute explaining to Xiaolin what a "dating game" was, she then gave him a detailed introduction to "Love in the Apocalypse": "...Actually, according to the game's setting, I could have pursued more characters at the same time, but I only chose Yan Zihe because I only like him..."

Jiang Luo spoke more in those two or three minutes than she did in the entire dinner party that night.

As he gained a deeper understanding, Xiao Lin's face revealed an increasingly complex expression.

As the last word faded, Xiaolin confirmed, "You're dating a game character?"

Jiang Luo said seriously, "That's right!"

After a long pause, Xiaolin cast a sympathetic glance and said with difficulty, "In the future... I will try my best to get you more jobs. You... take good care of yourself and don't put too much pressure on yourself."

Jiang Luo: ?

*

"I love taking baths, my skin feels so good, oh oh oh..."

Five months later, Jiang Luo was in a great mood when she had work again. As soon as she got home and closed the door, she started humming a little tune.

Even without the shackles of social interaction, she still retains a childlike innocence and naivety at heart.

She took off her coat and tossed it onto the sofa. Jiang Luo fell to the ground with a thud, like a metal plate hitting the ground.

The worm-like pupa adjusted its position a few times, comfortably resting its head on the sofa armrest, and eagerly opened "Love in the Apocalypse".

Continuing the pursuit of Yan Zihe!

Game loading...

[Dear player, welcome to the apocalypse! Join your ideal partner to save the world!]

"Yan Zihe, let's save the world together!"

Enter the game.

[Favorability-1]

[Favorability-2]

[Favorability-2]

...

[Favorability-34]

...

[Favorability-91]

Jiang Luo: ?

Overwhelmed with surprise, as if struck by lightning.

Jiang Luo stiffly and slowly twisted her neck.

"Uh, uh, uh..."

Shift your gaze upwards, and the favorability bar displays: -1089.

Jiang Luo: ?!

"Thump."

Ouch!

With a quick somersault, Jiang Luo got stuck in the gap between the sofa and the coffee table.

Help.

Was your house robbed?

-【strict】-

brush.

The lights came on.

The room was brightly lit.

Yan Zihe immediately turned around to look.

It was consistent with his guess.

The moment the light source was restored, the cursor on the screen began to flash.

Luo Luo's departure and arrival determined the world's slumber and awakening.

Right now, he needs to further determine whether the space where Luo Luo is located is in time consistent with this place.

"What time is it now?" he asked.

-【ginger】-

What time is it now?

Normally, shouldn't the message upon a player logging in be something like "Welcome back"?

However, judging from the current situation, the design of this game cannot be judged by common sense.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Luo climbed out of the crack and sat cross-legged beside the coffee table.

What time is it now?

Extract the key point from this question: time.

So, is he telling her that her favorability rating plummeted because she was offline for too long?

That simple?

Where is this?

【Earth. 】

[Favorability-1]

...

The past events are still vivid in my mind.

Jiang Luo scratched his head.

Free-flowing text interaction is far more difficult than making choices!

She regretted complaining about how strange the options were.

It's better to make a choice; at least you still have options!

Pulling herself together, she carefully read through the questions in the dialog box again.

What time is it now?

Based on my experience answering questions in school, when I don't know how to answer a short-answer question, I write down all the points I can think of. If all else fails, I copy the question stem over again.

"What time is it now? It's 8:39 PM. Time flies, we've already spent a whole day together... Yan Zihe, I'll spend more time with you from now on. No matter what happens or what difficulties we encounter, I'll do my best to help you complete this adventure. Soon, we'll be back in the lab building."

Answer score: 20:39. Already included.

Other keywords: companionship, laboratory building. Already included.

Jiang Luo wrote 500 words in a long and eloquent manner. If it weren't for the word limit in the dialogue box, she could have continued to make things up.

Well... I should at least give them some goodwill, right?

-【strict】-

The timing is consistent.

He and Luo Luo exist in different spaces within the same time dimension.

Yan Zihe constructed three spaces in his mind.

Luo Luo's location, the CDM laboratory building, this enclosed room.

Inside the room, he and Luo Luo could only communicate through a light screen.

They can appear together in the CDM laboratory building.

Hmm...we need more information.

The text Luo Luo sent filled an entire page.

My gaze swept over the second half.

After a pause of one second, Yan Zihe smiled.

-【ginger】-

[Favorability +1]

[Favorability +1]

Finally... the "+" sign reappeared.

And they gave me two more points of favorability in a row!

See? As long as you take it seriously, you can still succeed!

Jiang Luo was delighted.

But when their eyes fell on the favorability bar, the excitement brought by the "+2" vanished instantly.

-1087

The most urgent task is to improve favorability.

Jiang Luo opened the favorability description.

[Affection level refers to the level of intimacy between the player and their lover, which can be increased through interactions with the lover and completing tasks. Specific features will be unlocked when the affection level reaches certain values...]

He said a lot, but it was as if he said nothing at all.