He carefully looked at it again and was instantly drunk when he found that there really were no specific instructions to choose from.
This game is really too powerful, even giving the player open-ended tasks?
The key is, what should I do?
Could a little noise outside wake up the sleeping little person in the bathroom?
Li Shuoxing tried knocking on the bathroom door, but there was no sound; then he tried breaking the glass that came with the kettle, but it wouldn’t break at all, and, of course, there was no sound either.
He was a little troubled.
It seems that I can only slide the door open and go in to see the situation, and then wait for an opportunity to make a move.
But…
I always feel that this is a trick.
Li Shuoxing thought calmly.
This is the third time I’m facing something like this in the bathroom.
The first two times, I lost 50 favourability points here each time, and I was even called a pervert by the cub the second time; now, it’s the third time… I don’t feel confident that I’ll be able to clear my shame, but rather I’ll be deducted 50 favourability points and called a pervert × 2.
But, Li Shuoxing felt that he had no choice.
If I get favourability deducted, then I get favourability deducted. If I get called a pervert, then I get called a pervert. Anyway, I’m used to it. It’s better than having something bad really happen.
Li Shuoxing mentally prepared himself and directly pulled the door open to calmly welcome the little person’s anger.
But it was quiet all around.
There was no text and no favourability reduction displayed.
Only the sound of water, still flowing.
Li Shuoxing looked over at the sound and saw the little person in the bathtub.
The white porcelain bathtub was placed in the corner and the transparent water was already overflowing from the edge. The little person’s head was tilted over the bathtub, his hair wet and stuck to his puffy cheeks…
It’s kind of cute.
It’s really cute.
It’s too cute!
Li Shuoxing drew in a breath and raised his hand to hold down his pounding heart, but he couldn’t resist sliding his hand across the screen, up and down, left and right, carefully admiring the little person, before he reluctantly raised his hand to poke him awake.
But, right before his fingertip met the little person, Li Shuoxing suddenly noticed a towel hanging next to the bathtub.
Wait.
I remember the last time I went into the bathroom, the cub took a towel to cover his body.
That means…
The towel is an interactive element?
Li Shuoxing tried touching it with his hand, and it could indeed move.
In the same way, is the bathtub also interactive?
He then touched the bathtub with his hand. Not only could he tap it, but an interactive menu popped up. There were two options: [turn off water] and [drain water]. The former was presumably to turn off the tap and the latter should be to drain all the water from the bathtub.
With interactive objects, there were a variety of ways to solve problems.
Li Shuoxing had a completely new idea. He no longer rushed to poke the little person awake. Instead, he first drained the water from the bathtub until it was almost at the bottom, then he picked up the nearby towel and covered the little person’s body.
As soon as the towel touched the little person, it automatically rolled over and wrapped him inside.
Until now.
Li Shuoxing’s smile finally became perverted.
He pressed his hand on the towel and slowly and steadily lifted the little person wrapped in a big white cocoon.
Su Mingqian didn’t wake up. He was sleeping soundly.
Li Shuoxing began to gently sway his finger, giving the little person a shake.
Su Mingqian still didn’t wake up. He just pursed his mouth and frowned.
Li Shuoxing couldn’t resist his squirming heart and finally, at the risk of waking the little person, gently tickled his cheek with his finger.
Su Mingqian still didn’t wake up. But he seemed to feel a little tickle, moving his neck and rubbing his cheek against the towel.
Li Shuoxing finally carefully placed him on the bed, then pulled off the towel and pulled up the covers to cover him.
All done.
Not a single favourability point lost.
An inexplicable but strong sense of pride and satisfaction filled Li Shuoxing’s heart. He rested his cheek on one hand and happily admired the soundly sleeping little person on the screen… until.
-1.
Li Shuoxing: “?!”
He was a bit baffled.
But the favourability didn’t stop being deducted because he was baffled.
After the first negative number floated out, there was another -1, then another -1, and still another -1.
Just as Li Shuoxing was at a loss, the system began the narration.
[Su Mingqian dreams that he is chopping down trees.]
[Su Mingqian dreams that he is clearing stones.]
[Su Mingqian dreams that he is digging a pond.]
[In his dream, Su Mingqian hatefully throws down his tools with a burst of anger.]
Li Shuoxing: “…”
WTF, that’s okay?!
Li Shuoxing was in a trance at the system narration.
He couldn’t help squeezing his phone and shaking it, wanting to pour out all the water that’d entered the game’s head.
But it was useless.
Li Shuoxing had to close the game before he could do anything more drastic under the stimulation of the continuous -1’s. He washed his face, brushed his teeth and lay down in bed to sleep.
Before falling asleep, he thought to himself in a daze:
I’ll get up early tomorrow and go onto the game to see if the little person’s woken up. I’ll also explain to him about how he moved from the bathroom to the bed. Otherwise, the favourability…
Nothing happened all night.
Just from time to time, a -1 jumped out to harass Li Shuoxing, like a soft accusation from the little person.
When Li Shuoxing woke up again, the sky outside the window was still dark.
He turned on his phone and saw that it was just after six, still very early.
But, maybe the little person had already woken up?
Li Shuoxing slid his finger, tapped to open the app and went straight into the game.
The sky outside the game was dark, and the sky inside the game wasn’t bright either.
A thick plume cloud shrouded the courtyard, covering the sky tightly. Only a ray of light from the sun penetrated through the heavy barrier, tinting a few patches of fish scale gold.
The little person was asleep, facing the wall, his back to Li Shuoxing, between the states of drowsiness and waking, only occasionally flicking his eyelashes, not knowing what he was dreaming about.
He still wasn’t awake.
But he was in a different position.
The favourability pool had 187 favourability points. 16 favourability points ended up being deducted yesterday.
It was still okay, not too much.
Li Shuoxing relaxed. His hand wanted to move a little, wanting to pinch the little person’s pouting face, lift him out of the bed and play with him.
For the sake of favourability points, Li Shuoxing kept his evil hand in check.
He calmly closed the game and, after briefly solving his physiological needs, opened the document and prepared to write.
But, Li Shuoxing was a bit frustrated that he hadn’t been unable to communicate with the little person at the first opportunity and finish what he’d been thinking about last night.
So, before he officially started, he set an alarm for half an hour to remind himself to go onto the game to inspect.
While he set it up, he thought in anger:
So how the hell is the stamina calculated in this crap game? Why hasn’t it completely recovered after sleeping all night?
I’m awake, but the cub still isn’t awake!
***
When Su Mingqian slowly woke up from his dream, he was still a little muddle-headed.
He felt as if he was chopping down trees, clearing stones, digging a pond, and as if he was soaking in a bathtub.
But he was neither working nor bathing.
He was lying in bed, his eyes facing the room that he’d grown familiar with over the last few days.
What’s going on?
What happened last night?
Su Mingqian sat up in confusion.
As he did so, the quilt covering his body slipped down and a cool breeze hit his skin.
Su Mingqian looked down and found himself naked.
Before he could do something, the light screen appeared and displayed some text.
“Cub, you’re awake? You fell asleep in the bathtub last night. I was afraid you’d catch a cold, so I went into the bathroom and moved you to the bed.”
Su Mingqian: “…”
The text continued.
“How are you feeling now? Is there any discomfort? Do you need me to get you some medicine?”
Su Mingqian: “…”
Yesterday, I was seen naked by the Watcher again.
She’s concerned if I’m sick.
Su Mingqian thought.
His mood was slightly complicated.
And the system showed it clearly.
-10.
+1.
The little person in the game had finally woken up. Li Shuoxing had already moved from the computer to the sofa with his phone in his hand. He watched the increase and decrease of favourability floating on the screen just for fun.
Adding and subtracting, yesterday’s events had only reduced 25 favourability points in total, which was half of 50 favourability points!
Li Shuoxing was very happy when he finished calculating.
He typed, “Where’d you put your clothes? I couldn’t find them in the bedroom. Do you need me to make you some more? What would you like to eat in the morning? I’ve just checked, there’s soy milk with fried dough sticks and porridge with vegetables today. How about I order both for you?”
Su Mingqian: “My clothes are in the laundry basket in the bathroom. They’re clean. It’s amazing how dirty clothes become clean when I put them in. I’m fine with anything in the morning.”
Li Shuoxing, following the little person’s words, took the clothes first and then bought breakfast.
The breakfast menu popped up from the stove as before, with two items.
Soy Milk with Fried Dough Sticks Set Meal: 5 favourability points
Porridge with Vegetables Set Meal: 5 favourability points
Li Shuoxing, with a big wave of his hand, very generously took both directly.
What am I afraid of? Buy buy buy!
He saved 25 favourability points yesterday. Now when he bought an extra breakfast, he was still better off by 15.
As breakfast was served, Li Shuoxing returned to the bedroom.
As soon as he entered, he saw the blanket on the bed arched high and gently shifting.
The little person was hiding in it, rustling as he changed clothes. While changing clothes, he even had favourability points popping up non-stop.
-1+1-1+1-1+1.
Pulling back and forth in a cycle.
Letting people know.
Whatever he was thinking, he was really torn.
Li Shuoxing: “Cough…”
For some reason, he really wanted to laugh.
Finally, the blanket was lifted.
Properly dressed, Su Mingqian got out of bed.
He calmly walked into the bathroom, brushed his teeth and washed his face, and then sat down at the dining table. Just as he took a sip from the steaming soy milk, the blue screen reappeared, and the Watcher had something to say.
“Cub, do you not like tidying up the courtyard?”
“If you don’t like to, we can just leave it.”
“I think your room’s missing a wardrobe. I’ll buy you one.”
“Once I’ve bought the wardrobe, we’ll go to the production workshop to make clothes. I’ll make you a set of twelve outfits this time, which you won’t be able to completely change in a week.”
Su Mingqian, who was still secretly complicated about last night, put down his bowl.
How chatty.
The Watcher had been off since last night.
He thought for a moment before politely refusing the Watcher. “I want to tidy up the courtyard. It was just too late yesterday. It’s just about the right time to start work today. Are you going to work too?”
Li Shuoxing, who was typing, was once again dumbfounded.
What did I see?
The game’s urging people to work hard and not to slack off?
It’s powerful.
Why hasn’t this game ascended to heaven!
He felt complicated and typed, “I… really should get to work.”
Su Mingqian: “Then I’ll first finish the simple work in the courtyard in the morning. When you come at noon, we’ll tidy it up together.”
What else could Li Shuoxing say? Everything had been said by the little person. He could only answer, “No problem. I’ll come back at noon. Bye.”
Su Mingqian: “See you at noon.”
The light screen disappeared. Su Mingqian continued to eat breakfast.
With no one bothering him, he finished his breakfast and read quietly for a while before getting up and going out to pick up his tools and continue tidying up the courtyard. After about 15 or 16 minutes of tidying up, Su Mingqian suddenly called out, “Are you there?”
No one responded.
The light screen didn’t appear.
Su Mingqian squatted down again, picked up a dead branch, and wrote a line of words on the ground.
“You’re a pervert.”
Still, no one responded.
No words, no movement.
It seems she really isn’t there.
Su Mingqian wiped out the words with his foot and continued to work, moving more briskly.