Chapter 69, Chapter Sixteen: The Fantasy Mansion
My dreams lately have been getting increasingly outrageous.
Wen Ting stared blankly at the mature woman kneeling in front of her.
A stunning woman, holding roses in one hand and a diamond ring in the other, wearing a skirt that barely meets censorship standards, said to her with deep affection, "Marry me, or I'll cut off your hands and feet."
In recent years, ACG has become increasingly pale, young and thin, and mature women have gradually faded from view. The few new mature women are all under 25 years old.
Wen Ting supported the woman's forearm and pulled her up, bending down to brush the dust off her knees. "You're not even wearing pants, and you're wearing 15-centimeter heels. Doesn't it hurt to kneel there?"
The glamorous and mature woman resembled a female college student being nagged by her mother in front of her roommates, her impatience and helplessness revealing a hint of embarrassment.
Although she is only a young woman in age, in the game, she is already the queen of the entire underworld.
"Isn't it because you designed these clothes for me?"
Wen Ting was speechless.
"Marry me now." The Queen presented the flowers and diamond ring. "I will share power and wealth with you. If you like, you can sit on the throne of the Night Queen, and I will be your queen."
...The Queen of the Women's Kingdom with the personality of a pipa spirit.
This was Wen Ting's seventh or eighth dream. The previous ones were all about men, but as the first female character she dreamed of, Wen Ting showed her more tenderness.
“Honey,” she said, pressing down on the blindingly red flowers and the dazzlingly large diamonds, and patiently explained, “Why would you want to marry your mother?”
"Mom?" The woman raised her lips in a playful, teasing smile. "I don't remember you being my mother. Even if you were, that would be even better, since I've never tasted the flavor of being a mother."
"..."
It sounds like a line from the Night Queen, but it's actually completely out of character.
Even the Queen of the Night in this era cannot be older than 25, and must be a virgin.
"What if I refuse?" Wen Ting asked.
"Then I'll cut off your hands and feet," the other person repeated.
"Are you serious?" Wen Ting blinked, trying to salvage the situation. "Maybe you just want to act cute with me?"
The Queen smiled. "How adorable, Mama."
She's not cute at all, you little brat.
Wen Ting took the ring out of the box and put it on her hand.
She doesn't really like this.
Wen Ting doesn't mind dating, but forced marriage is one of the behaviors she hates. For some reason, starting with Ajia Ke, several of her dreams have had the same plot.
As the ring slipped onto Wen Ting's finger, satisfaction shone in the Queen's eyes.
She wrapped her arms around Wen Ting's waist and turned her head to kiss the corner of her lips.
This is probably an attempt to assert dominance, but in the character's backstory, she's just a virgin who gets angry and blushes when she hears dirty jokes, and she doesn't even know how to kiss; she can only touch lips together.
Wen Ting hugged her back, ending her shy and clumsy kiss despite being the queen of the night.
She took her lower lip into her mouth.
The other woman's pupils contracted sharply, and the next moment, Wen Ting pulled out and removed the white rose gun that was hanging on her lap.
She wrapped her arms around the Queen's neck, fired two shots at the head with a gun pointed at her, and kissed her lips.
The beautiful woman's body went limp in her arms.
Wen Ting tried to lift her, but couldn't. She collapsed softly to the ground, her head hitting the throne.
Blood gushed out, and the roses from the proposal were scattered all over the ground.
Wen Ting wiped the saliva from her lips and frowned. The scene was strangely coincidental, exactly the same as the death picture she had submitted yesterday.
The dream has changed.
Before, she only needed to watch the characters die; now she has to do it herself, completing the death drawings she made during the day in her dreams.
The problem is that she has no memory of her dreams during the day, so she can't choose characters with low combat power to draw.
On the contrary, during the day, in order to improve her OA scores, she would specifically choose complex and glamorous roles.
A game character's combat strength is often directly proportional to its level of detail and precision.
Wen Ting had no choice but to pray that she would at least avoid touching Ai Long and his group of ancient gods and demons during the day.
Is there any way to preserve memories from dreams?
The worlds of dreams and reality are not entirely unrelated.
The white butterfly of the palace appears consistently in both my dreams and in real life.
Does he have dream-related abilities? Could he convey the contents of his dreams to her during the day?
As I was thinking this, footsteps approached.
Wen Ting turned around abruptly and gripped the gun tightly in her hand.
A man dressed in a blue scalloped white robe walked in from outside the gate.
His attire was completely out of place here; his black hair was loose, tied up with a jade hairpin, and the rest swayed behind him, gleaming coldly.
"The wife."
Hearing this address, Wen Ting relaxed slightly.
She gestured to the queen on the ground with her eyes, "This is the third one. These dreams are very strange. White Butterfly, I'm getting more and more used to killing people."
These dreams, though from different social backgrounds and featuring different characters, all honed her killing skills and greatly improved her psychological resilience.
Three days ago, Wen Ting never imagined that she could calmly pull out a gun and kill the woman she was kissing.
This doesn't seem like a good thing.
Gong Baidie glanced at the woman lying on the blood-soaked throne and curled the corners of her lips into a smile.
"Is my wife injured?" He asked with a worried expression, handing a handkerchief to Wen Ting.
Wen Ting shook her head.
She was visibly tired and a little frustrated.
Gong Baidie lowered her eyelashes slightly, and after a moment, she spoke, "If my wife cannot bring herself to do it, then wait for me to come."
Wen Ting shook her head: "I don't care about that."
The death of game characters is common and doesn't cause much distress.
"I'm just a little worried. Why does this ghost story have to make me kill off all the characters I've drawn one by one?"
"What exactly does it want to do? These characters are easier to kill than I thought, it doesn't feel like I'm training my superpowers."
"Does He want me to become addicted to killing and degenerate into a callous killing machine? Or is He simply toying with humanity, finding this spectacle of slaughtering 'children' amusing?"
Gong Baidie said worriedly, "Perhaps he wants you to suffer."
"pain?"
Her face was full of confusion, and an indescribable anger and helplessness bound Gong Baidie, making him irritable.
He wanted to destroy everything she cared about, but she didn't care about anything at all.
She had never mentioned Zhaoxia, whom she once adored, in the past two years.
The Zhaoxia merchandise that used to fill her rented apartment was all thrown away as trash when she moved.
Can he really get revenge on her?
He cannot harm her body; if she is seriously injured and dies, he will be freed from the ghost story and return to his original world.
How can a heartless and emotionless woman feel pain without being injured?
The initial excitement of the ghost story gradually faded, and without receiving the desired feedback, Gong Baidie became increasingly silent.
She doesn't care about anything else; she only cares about herself.
"White Butterfly, you really can't remember?"
Gong Baidie snapped out of her daze: "What?"
"It's what you wanted to say to me at the end of the third dream." Wen Ting had already asked this question when they met in the last dream.
She persisted, asking again, "What about tonight? Did you remember tonight?"
Gong Baidie frowned slightly.
That talkative madman, he really shouldn't have let him out.
“I’m sorry,” he replied apologetically, “I really don’t know.”
"Bitch"
A maniacal laugh suddenly echoed in Gong Baidie's ears, haunting her like a curse:
"If I let her take advantage of you, what backbone do you have left?"
He forced himself on him...
Gong Baidie lowered her eyes and looked at the queen lying in a pool of blood before her. She was dead, and her teeth marks were still on her lips.
He couldn't help but laugh at himself.
How could such a cold-blooded and ruthless woman be willing to get entangled with a defective product like him who is unprofitable? She probably wouldn't even find it disgusting to touch him.
He banished the voice from his mind, "White Butterfly is useless. After so many days, she still can't find a way to break the mystery. My wife, have I disappointed you?"
"How could that be?" Wen Ting was indeed extremely disappointed. "It's alright, Bai Die. If you can't remember, that's fine. There must be some kind of restriction here. I will forget what happened in my dream after I wake up."
She completely gave up trying to extract information from Gong Baidie, focused her attention on the present, and smiled at him, "Besides, your very existence is more meaningful than a piece of information whose veracity is unknown."
Gong Baidie's eyes curved into crescents.
Despite clearly thinking he was useless, she could still sweet-talk him without batting an eye.
"Does my wife really think that way?"
"Of course, you're so kind, even more considerate than the Fairy of the Snail. Thanks to you, my quality of life has improved dramatically these past few days." This was the truth. Wen Ting took Gong Baidie's hand, slightly worried. "Butterfly, I don't know if it's just my imagination, but you seem a bit reserved after coming out of the phone. Is it because of the female-dominated setting, or are you not used to the new world?"
Gong Baidie was slightly surprised.
For more than seven years, he was Gong Baidie, and his every move, every smile, and every gesture was fixed in the shape of "Gong Baidie".
Even if he hated her to the core, it wouldn't affect his ability to play the role of Gong Baidie. She even said that he was "a little reserved".
Is there anything that's not natural or not quite right...?
“I just…” He withdrew his hand, displaying the self-restraint and humility typical of husbands of noble families, “fearing that I am not able to help my wife.”
"Oh dear, I must tell you this: your ability to breathe while standing here has been a huge help to me."
Gong Baidie raised her eyes.
“The feeling of being trapped in such a bizarre tale is completely different for one person and two people.” Wen Ting gently held Gong Baidie’s hand. “If the purpose of this tale and these nightmares is to destroy my mind, then with you by my side, I can endure for several times longer. Baidie, I am so glad that the role that manifested is you.”
“You’re joking. Besides me, there are many other people around you.”
After he finished speaking, he noticed her strange expression.
Her expression was very similar to when she mentioned the director; it showed a mixture of indifference and nonchalance.
She paused, then gave an ambiguous answer in the tone she used when explaining divorce to her child, "There are many people... but you are different."
here we go again.
Gong Baidie lowered her eyelids, her gaze falling on her left hand, which was being held by Wen Ting.
She's truly adept at saying one thing to someone's face and another behind their back. Right now, the meaning of her life isn't Qin Mu anymore, but him?
She's putting on that expression, that posture, and saying those ambiguous things—what is she trying to get out of him, this useless reject?
Could it be that she had already deduced that he was the mastermind, and that the trust she showed upon meeting him and the constant sweet talk over the past two days were all just attempts to flatter and ingratiate herself?
Wen Ting suddenly realized what was going on: "You're being so reserved, are you worried that I'll look down on you and abandon you?"
Gong Baidie was still guessing and didn't hear what she said at all, so she just hummed in response.
“I see. The matriarchal system is still restricting you.” Wen Ting smiled. “Don’t worry, Bai Die. Besides being husband and wife, we can also be friends, siblings, or mother and son. Whatever it is, I’m willing to take you with me and will never abandon you.”
With each word she spoke, Gong Baidie became more and more confused.
He couldn't understand why she was so wary and resistant to the new director, who was rich, powerful, and good-looking, yet pretended to be so affectionate towards Gong Baidie, a useless non-human.
Out of the corner of his eye, he glanced at the queen's lower lip lying in a pool of blood.
The left half of the butterfly is swollen with vanity and self-satisfaction;
The right half chuckled, letting it see the queen's death clearly.
The dead woman was exquisite from head to toe, many times more beautiful and magnificent than him.
Look closely at this woman's fate. She portrayed the character so meticulously, but did she hesitate when it came to killing?
Don't forget what she said two years ago when she moved and threw away all of Zhaoxia's merchandise—
"You don't want all these little girls?"
"Yes, landlady, do you have anything you like?"
"I don't like these kinds of things, but these dolls and notebooks are so nice, and so many of them are brand new. Selling them online is better than throwing them away."
"Many of these are internally restricted. It wouldn't be good if I sold them online and someone found out."
"Then take it with you. I'll have my husband deliver it to your new house."
"Oh, you've taken such good care of me, I don't want to leave. But I guess I won't need it. These things take up space and are useless; they'll only cause trouble when I move later."
Honestly, can he compare to Zhaoxia?
The revenue and dividends he generated were less than one-tenth of Zhaoxia's.
Even being a jerk has its limits; with so many precedents before him, he simply cannot forget them.
Wen Ting comforted Gong Baidie for a while, then told him about her troubles with the dream and asked him to recount the dream to her during the day.
Unfortunately, Gong Baidie said that he, like Wen Ting, did not remember his dreams during the day.
Wen Ting was a little worried. Gong Baidie had almost no special abilities, and she didn't know if she could be of any use in a critical moment.
As is customary, the dream ends quickly after the game character dies.
This time was no different. After a brief chat with Gong Baidie, Wen Ting snapped out of her dream.
She opened her eyes and woke up to find someone already under the bed.
Wen Ting turned her head, and the beautiful woman kneeling on the ground gave her a gentle smile.
Since Gong Baidie appeared, he has always treated her like a servant, taking care of her daily life.
He insisted on this, and Wen Ting went along with it.
Her mind was still foggy from just waking up, and Wen Ting looked at the white butterfly on the ground with a vague sense of unease.
He was beautiful, gentle, and considerate. None of her exes could compare to Gong Baidie. Even if he didn't go out to earn money, with his housekeeping skills, she would owe him 20,000 yuan every month.
He was perfect, and it would be nice to keep him by her side, but Wen Ting still felt that Gong Baidie was missing something compared to her previous boyfriends.
Something is missing...
She yawned and stared blankly at Gong Baidie for a while, feeling drowsy.
As Gong Baidie softly asked, "My lady, would you like to sleep a little longer?" Wen Ting suddenly awoke, realizing what was missing—
Love.
Wen Ting recalled each of her relationships, and the beginning was always the sweetest. Even during the thirty seconds of waiting at a traffic light, they would be close and affectionate, and they couldn't help but smile when their eyes met.
Love breeds passion, curiosity, and boundless energy, but these byproducts leave no trace on Gong Baidie.
He was too cold towards her.
Why didn't she notice before?
There is no doubt that she fell into the trap of creator arrogance.
Admittedly, Gong Baidie is different from other characters. She single-handedly created everything about him, from his character design and script to his scenes and actions. She even found the voice actor for him. She knows him inside and out. But in the current environment, is she being too careless, letting her guard down completely just because of a single embroidery?
I have to give it a try.
Wen Ting pulled her hand out from under the covers and reached it out to Gong Baidie.
Gong Baidie was puzzled and moved closer to her hand. Wen Ting hooked her fingertips and made a nasal sound of denial.
Gong Baidie pondered for a moment, then placed her hand on top of it.
Wen Ting pulled him back and pressed his hand against her face.
She smiled and rubbed her cheek against his palm.
The hand beside her face trembled suddenly, and she instinctively tried to pull it back.
Wen Ting obediently let him go.
He clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging into his palm, eager to remove the slimy substance.
"My lady, are you getting up?" Gong Baidie changed the subject after her Adam's apple bobbed.
In the game, after Gong Baidie has intimate contact with the player, there are generally two reactions: either she accepts with a blush, or she shyly avoids him and then blushes again and comes back to him.
This time he neither accepted it nor returned it.
Gong Baidie was not an outgoing person to begin with, so it's not surprising that she was a little reserved when she first met her in this new world.
Let's try again.
Wen Ting scooted up from under the covers, her index finger touching her exposed lips. "I'm cursed by my bed. I need a kiss from a handsome prince to get up."
Her phoenix eyes widened in surprise, not expecting Wen Ting to be so naive.
Staring at her soft lips, Gong Baidie covered her mouth with her sleeve, recalling the scene of her holding the Queen's lower lip in her mouth.
Her action of firing the gun was incredibly ruthless.
Wen Ting asked disappointedly, "It won't work?"
Gong Baidie hesitated for a moment, then sighed helplessly, "You really are..."
The scent of snow orchids drew near, and he covered her body, his lips meeting hers, masking the lingering scent of the queen in her dream.
He quickly stepped back, covering his lips with his sleeve, his face flushed and his heart pounding: "Is it okay now?"
Wen Ting suddenly froze.
No...no, that's not how it works!
Gong Baidie was reserved; the teachings of a matriarchal society were ingrained in his bones. Having frequented brothels, he was more careful about his words and actions than others.
In this situation, he should kiss her forehead and cheeks with a helpless yet tender touch; except at the height of their emotional climax, he would not take the initiative to kiss her lips.
Wen Ting understands that her role may undergo some changes after she awakens to self-awareness.
If Gong Baidie becomes more enthusiastic and bold, then he wouldn't act more reserved during the first attempt than he did in the game;
If he becomes more reserved and shy, or doesn't accept the pre-arranged marital relationship, then he shouldn't kiss her lips.
His behavior not only deviated from the game's settings, but was also contradictory.
This is not her Gong Baidie.
Who exactly is he?
Was it a creation that bewitched her by ghost stories, or a corrupted version of the White Butterfly Palace?
No matter who he is, there's no benefit in rashly breaking off relations before knowing his background.
Wen Ting concealed her chaotic thoughts, feigning ignorance as she followed Gong Baidie as he dressed, washed, and ate the food he had prepared.
Wen Ting picked up the egg pancake and took a bite.
She casually inquired, "Where did you get all these things? Are they from the game too?"
"I got it from the director's office."
“…Cough.” Wen Ting choked unexpectedly, turning her head in surprise, “What?”
Gong Baidie patted her on the back to help, "My lady, why are you so wary of him alone?"
“He’s dangerous,” Wen Ting frowned. “Don’t provoke him.”
Thinking about the new director's overly calm attitude towards the ghost stories, she asked Gong Baidie, "Has he already awakened his skills?" Otherwise, where would he get the confidence to fight against everyone by himself?
"Perhaps."
“The timing of the new director’s appearance is strange, and he himself is strange too. He’s like an SSR standing out among a group of N cards. He’s too conspicuous.” Wen Ting said while observing Gong Baidie’s expression. “He must have his own trump card. I even suspect that this strange tale is related to him.”
He remained expressionless and showed no reaction.
Wen Ting continued, "Don't steal anything from him anymore, it's too dangerous. The cafeteria is still distributing food, which can guarantee basic needs."
“He won’t find out about me,” Gong Baidie smiled. “Even if he does, I won’t implicate you.”
"Bai Die, don't be like this." Wen Ting frowned. "'Wife Master' is just a game setting. Once you have self-awareness, you don't need to abide by it. We can be friends, siblings, mother and son. Let's be casual. I don't want you to live too hard for me."
These words were exactly what she had heard in her dream. Gong Baidie shook her head, "Baidie has no children, which is one of the seven grounds for divorce. If I cannot take good care of my wife, how can I have the face to stay by your side?"
This statement is very similar to the logic of Gong Baidie's character.
trouble.
Is he really Gong Baidie, and why is he staying by her side?
While she was observing Gong Baidie's reaction, he must have been observing her reaction as well.
Wen Ting pondered how she, as the creator of "Gong Bai Die," should respond to these words.
She could comfort him, express her stance, and use sweet words.
If she also had a persona, what reaction should she make at this moment so as not to arouse suspicion from Gong Baidie in front of her?
"Don't be so rule-abiding, Bai Die." In the end, Wen Ting chose to say, "Being honest and dutiful will only make you suffer."
The character Gong Baidie initially attracted a group of players with her female-dominated setting, but her popularity immediately faded after her story ended.
He tried his best to retain the players, humbled himself, and lowered his stance to the lowest possible level.
The more it's like this, the more boring and tedious it becomes.
"Be coquettish, Baidie."
Gong Baidie opened her eyes, having never heard such an absurd command before: "What…"
His neck was hooked.
"Don't apologize to me." Wen Ting wrapped her arms around his neck and swayed gently, pleading, "I like you even more when you're being cute and charming. Please, okay?"
She was like a snow fox shivering on an icy plain, cunning yet pitiful, demonstrating to him the meaning of coquetry through her actions.
He stared at Wen Ting, his eyes like dark stars: "Does my wife think Bai Die is too rigid and boring?"
It was the poise and composure she cultivated.
Her desire for control was so strong that she would even question him if he carried an extra needle.
She should have preferred the version of Gong Baidie that she created.
Wen Ting restrained her intimacy, a hint of regret appearing on her face. "I just feel that... if you make a few changes to your life, it will be much smoother, so I have to tell you this shortcut."
"I'm sorry," she said apologetically, "was it a little too late for me to say this?"
Under her slightly guilty gaze, Gong Baidie slowly broke into a smile.
“It’s not too late,” he said. “It’s never too late to be with my wife.”
"Oh dear, you've learned a little bit." Wen Ting pinched her index finger and thumb together to demonstrate, "Not enough, it's still very stiff."
Gong Baidie humbly replied, "Please teach me, my wife."
"Come closer," Wen Ting beckoned to him.
Gong Baidie bent down and moved closer to her as instructed.
A soft spot appeared at the temple.
She reached out and stroked his cheek, tentatively kissing his temple.
The subordinate's profile suddenly tightened, and Wen Ting stepped back slightly to look into Gong Baidie's eyes.
Their eyes met, and she tilted her head back to kiss those eyes.
There was no tenderness or affection in her eyes when lovers were intimate; her eyelashes trembled incessantly between her lips.
Wen Ting felt a great weight lifted off her shoulders.
All the anime characters in the new era are the same; the Dark Queen is a virgin who blushes at the mention of dirty jokes, and so is Gong Baidie.
Whether he is the real Gong Baidie or some monster from a ghost story, a single kiss can make him stiffen and forget to breathe.
This awkward reaction gave Wen Ting a little more confidence. She thought that perhaps he wasn't so difficult to handle.
But rather than a completely unfamiliar monster, she still prayed that he was the real Gong Baidie—even if he was a corrupted, twisted, and aggressive Gong Baidie. The latter would be more advantageous to her in any case.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
