It's just The Sims, how did it become my ideal love story?

Chapter 2 Life is just a big dream

What is a perfect life?
What simulation system?
Isn't this Oasis Corporation's sleep pod?

Wait, wasn't I just trying to fall asleep? Am I dreaming while asleep?
He should be happy that he could finally fall asleep and even dream, but Gu Huai felt a deep unease as he looked at the unfamiliar words in front of him.

Before his questions could even take root...

[Linking to system user's identity information to verify user identity.]

Link?

Wait, this helmet can connect to other devices?

[Complete the link and verify your identity.]

Gu Huai: 28 years old.

[Confirm attribute value.]

[Intelligence: 54 (within the range of most normal people; not particularly intelligent, but not dull-witted)]

Strength: 32 (Lack of strength due to long-term lack of exercise, a monotonous diet, and unhealthy lifestyle)

Endurance: 30 (Very little endurance; even completing the 1000-meter test was difficult.)

[Charm: 29 (You are an inconspicuous nobody; a person's charm is not just about their appearance.)]

"?"

Is this guy dreaming about playing a game? How come attribute values are showing up?
Or did the helmet explosion send my guy into another world? Also, aren't these stats way too low?!

Gu Huai's questions remained unanswered as a deluge of new information began to emerge.

[The journey to reshape the owner's life, a journey that will soon be inscribed with the owner's most profound memory, an immersive simulation, is about to begin.]

Simulation?
What are we simulating? Memory?

Gu Huai himself had forgotten what he actually remembered most vividly. In his nearly thirty years of life, he had experienced too many things he wanted but could not have. He could get nothing, so he said he didn't want anything, and then he was forced to comfort himself that this was the norm in life.

Make do.

Constantly making do.

Constantly swallowing one's anger and trying to avoid trouble.
A life like a maggot's, filled with unbearable memories when you look back, memories you don't even want to recall.
"Hey."

"I'm talking to you, are you pretending to be an idiot?"

The sound comes first, before the visuals.

The moment it rang, it seemed to touch a memory deep within my mind, even the tone of voice...
The sun was shining brightly, but the air was thick with the spiciness of chili peppers and the sour smell of aged vinegar.

Is the sensation so intense? Am I dreaming or what?
The first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was a tall, thin boy with dyed blond hair standing in front of him.

The T-shirt was worn crookedly, and the belt was tied so tightly it looked like it was going to break his waist, deliberately emphasizing the slenderness of his legs.

Standing here, he looks like a matchstick.

and many more.

Gu Huai couldn't help but look around.

The convenience store with the sign "[Furong Xingsheng]"

The driver honked his horn wildly and shouted insults at the other driver through the car window.

There are also middle-aged men and women who jaywalk, ignore traffic lights, and don't even use crosswalks.

Gu Huai would never forget where this was; it was the road he would always walk on when he was in high school.

The blond-haired man in front of him, with his unfriendly tone and nonchalant demeanor, was someone he didn't even know the name of, but he remembered the face, or rather, the tone and attitude.

That's so profound.

When Gu Huai's gaze focused on the impatient face of the blond-haired man, words flashed through his mind.

[Gu Huai, this is the first time you've experienced bullying.]

On your way to school in your second year of high school, you encountered a local thug who frequented the area and became his target. He successfully extorted a week's worth of living expenses from you. Timid and cowardly, you dared not tell anyone, feeling ashamed and even afraid to tell your parents.

Not only did you feel ashamed in front of your classmates, but you also went hungry for a week, relying on your friends to feed you the cheapest steamed buns and bread. After that, you never dared to walk this route to school again.

[You've fantasized countless times about what you would do if you met him again. You thought about revenge, about contacting your so-called friends to teach him a lesson, about calling the police, about telling your parents, about stabbing him to death like in a novel.] [But in the end, you did nothing. You comforted yourself, thinking that the more obedient and sensible you, the more educated you, would have a bright future, that you would appear before him as a successful person and tell him that you hadn't taken anything from him back then. However, this fantasy never came true; he never appeared before you again, not even a whispered message.]

Is this what they mean by extracting your deepest memories? Shall we start here?

Gu Huai couldn't help but want to laugh.

Is immersion just about reliving those extremely embarrassing scenes? So what if you do? In reality, you still do nothing, and the person you hate the most doesn't die in front of you or apologize for what happened back then.

They might not even remember this trivial matter. In their memory, they were just an insignificant ant back then. They could be bullied and that was that. Even if they were down on their luck, they would never think of this incident and feel remorse or apologize for it.

Even if I do something now, it will be futile and won't change anything; it's just a self-deceptive pleasure.
How could a broken helmet have such a strange function? What exactly am I now?
"I'm asking you a question! Are you laughing at your mother?"

"boom!"

When Gu Huai's chest was shoved hard, he involuntarily took two steps back.

The heaviness in my chest felt so real, so familiar.

Just like the countless times I've compromised in my life, so-called opportunities are naturally given away just because someone pushes me away.

Because from childhood, your parents and teachers have always taught you to be humble and modest, not to be competitive, and not to be eager for any benefit.

He looked at the other person's fierce expression, and the students passing by were just like he remembered.

There was a touch of sympathy, but no one could speak up for them.

Everything is so familiar; I've never forgotten it. The so-called self-comfort has never materialized; it only helps me escape time and time again, yet I repeat the same choices.
What exactly is this?
Why should I relive this memory?
His gaze refocused.

New words appeared in my mind.

[If you were to face this person again, someone whose name you didn't know and whom you'd never run into again, what choice would you make?]

[1: Swallow your anger and silently hand over your living expenses, just like you remember.]

[2: Turn around and run. Anyway, the school is not far behind, and he definitely won't dare to chase me into the school.]

[3: Shout for help to awaken the sense of justice in your classmates and help you get through this difficult time.]

There's another choice? What will happen if I choose one?
This is not a choice; it's merely a suggestion from the Perfect Life System. The actual rewards are awarded based on your actual choices. Please trust the system's judgment; this is advice that will be more helpful for your future experience.

Wait.

It's become so real it's almost unbelievable.

He didn't understand why he had gotten involved in this whole thing when he had only wanted a normal night's sleep and had used a machine that hadn't even been released yet.
If this is true, it's inexplicable unless the helmet malfunctioned and the person actually died in an accident in real life. This is just a fantasy, a recurring experience of the soul.

If this is fake, or something I'm unaware of, then it's an incredible, cutting-edge technology recently developed by Oasis Corporation.
Why is every suggestion so frustrating?

The Perfect Life Simulation System will provide suggestions that best suit the user's personality and experiences.

Because this is something I would do, something I've made before?

This is why I have lived for nearly thirty years but have gained nothing. I seem to be alive, but I am actually like a walking corpse.

The ultimate reason why you feel that life is bullying and exploiting you is because...
I deserve it?
Gu Huai laughed with relief.

At the same time, he shoved his palm into his chest without any politeness.

"What the hell are you muttering about? I'm asking you if you have any money! Don't play dumb with me!"

I was nudged on the shoulder again.

Gu Huai took another step back.

It seems that this frail body was born to be bullied like this.

He looked at the increasingly smug blond man.

He let out a soft sigh of relief, and the resentment that had been brewing in his chest for many years seemed to come alive again.

Like a second heart.