Uneasy daily life

Feng Bin and Hua couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion, raising their elbows to poke Bai Ying's arm: "Hey! Can I enter his dream again? I suddenly have something I want to say to him."

Bai Ying shrugged: "Entering dreams isn't my skill. Besides, isn't it the same if you tell me?"

"Same size!" Feng Bin and Hua rolled their eyes. "Is this really you from your past life? You look completely different!"

Bai Ying fell silent. He climbed over the railing onto the balcony, pressed his forearms against the railing, and quietly gazed at the moon and stars in the sky: "Yes, it's completely different now."

Feng Bin and Hua fell silent. Although they had absolutely no memory of each other, only some superficial understanding, and had no intention of dating a scumbag, but...

If I could go back in time and see myself struggling to gain my mother's approval, feeling frustrated, angry, and powerless in the process, I would probably have some complex and indescribable feelings.

Forget it, just do what you want to do, why think so much?

Feng Bin and Hua stood on tiptoe, reaching their hands towards the top of the white figure's head. Just as they were about to reach it, the top of the head suddenly rose a bit higher.

Her movements froze on the spot. She glanced sideways at the white figure gazing at the starry sky with an indifferent expression, then her gaze shifted downwards and she saw the other person standing on tiptoe.

"Based on the formula for calculating the side length of a triangle, you can shorten the distance between us. Once we're close enough, we can easily reach out and touch each other's heads..."

Hey!

Feng Bin and Hua kicked Bai Ying hard in the shin, making a dull thud.

"Hiss—!" x2!

Feng Bin and Hua seized the opportunity, raising their hands to slam their hats down on Bai Ying's head, accompanied by the girl's fierce, clear voice: "My dad is a coward, a weak man! My mom is a paranoid, sensitive, and neurotic woman! She torments me with her own petty affairs, why doesn't she just get a divorce? Anyway, my dad doesn't really care about me! Who would I live with if I got a divorce? What the hell? I'll just live with my sister! Okay, let's talk bad about Mom and Dad—it's your turn!"

"Your dad is a kind, tolerant man who can't handle you, and your mom is a shrewd, capable woman who always cares about you..."

"#! You're not as cute as you were in your past life!"

"Nonsense! I think you're just overflowing with maternal instincts!"

"Sinai——!!!"

The moon and stars in the sky silently cast their light, flying towards the noisy boy and girl on the balcony.

[When you begin to contemplate right and wrong, you also gain freedom. If God intends to punish you by destroying the world, it will do so only after you have destroyed it.]

Chapter 109 The End of a Dream

"Freedom? Shouldn't a child this age be thinking about their parents?"

Mai Sakurajima failed and is now reviewing her performance: "Hmm... From childhood to adolescence, it is indeed a time of receiving education in society, and parents' discipline will gradually become stricter. Compared to the free and ignorant childhood, this is the age when one gradually becomes aware of things... Moreover, having spent childhood being raised by grandparents, one may not have an unconscious dependence on or closeness to parents... Compared to the worries and confusion about one's relationship with parents, the feeling of losing freedom is indeed more obvious."

The white figure remained silent, feigning composure.

"So, which of your girlfriends solved the problem?"

"Stickman, nicknamed Toyohama Kazuka."

Mai Sakurajima was a little surprised, but then she thought about it and it wasn't so surprising after all.

Compared to the overly obedient Xiao Yun, He Hua is a very rebellious girl who dares to argue, fight, and run away from home... and she is more courageous and decisive than herself. The first person to overcome the feud between the two families' elders was not herself, but He Hua.

She has a unique perspective on freedom, which is commonly known as doing whatever makes her happy.

Bai Ying stroked his chin: "The stick figure thinks you can solve this problem because your parents went through a divorce."

"That was before I was born."

Mai Sakurajima glanced at Xiao Yun, who had just started university, then at Bai Ying. Suddenly, a question arose in her mind. She crossed her arms and asked meaningfully, "Bai Ying, do you really need our help to get out of this predicament?"

"You were the first to discover it."

Bai Ying glanced at her regretfully, then gave a cold, arrogant smile: "I am the Supreme Emperor, and a mere assassin queen is naturally a piece of cake! The reason I managed to let you in was just to find something interesting—as members of my harem, you actually forgot about me! It's simply unforgivable. I'll make you rediscover my shining qualities and like me all over again!"

Mai Sakurajima blinked and gave examples: "Highlights? You mean frying cow dung, soiling your pants because you're too young, stealing money, cutting your hair into sharp angles, Emperor Xiao beating up a middle school student, etc."

Bai Ying: "I've already suppressed elementary school students in my life!"

Mai Sakurajima tilted her head: "And that girl I like, do you remember her name?"

Bai Ying: "You care, you're paying attention, you must like me!"

"Well..." Sakurajima Mai smiled faintly, "Guess."

"The Brave Plus is really vicious. To get revenge for the time he went through so much trouble to pursue me, is he now putting on airs and making me chase after him?" Bai Ying muttered to herself. "He's even learned my sophisticated methods of controlling distance, playing hard to get, not taking the initiative, not rejecting, and not taking responsibility..."

Mai Sakurajima rolled her eyes slightly: "You're just rambling on and changing the subject."

As if he had been exposed, Bai Ying whistled guiltily.

"#!"

Mai Sakurajima has confirmed that, aside from anything else, her 'boyfriend's' acting skills are definitely on point... setting aside those exaggerated lines.

But strangely, when I came in, I did it on a whim without much hesitation, but when I actually saw the other person, I didn't feel that vague, fluttering emotion.

First impression: How others describe your boyfriend.

Second impression: Strange.

It's roughly like...

Someone brought over a frog and told her it was her future boyfriend. She said if she kissed it, it would turn into a prince. At first, she believed it, but just as she was about to kiss it, the frog croaked, making her freeze and shaken.

Mai Sakurajima turned her head and continued watching Xiao Yun's life, saying slowly, "Mr. Bai, although this feeling is quite strange, the thought that he is you makes me wonder if, after I regain my memories, I won't see you as someone I like anymore, but as a child I watched grow up..."

Bai Ying: "Mom!"

Mai Sakurajima: "?"

……

Xiao Yun left home for university. In order to change his image, he followed his parents' advice to become more extroverted and actively and enthusiastically experienced the local customs and unique life of university.

I got a SIM card with the help of an enthusiastic senior student, and then got another SIM card with the help of another enthusiastic senior student.

Surrounded by upperclassmen, they underwent military training.

I was invited to join the club.

I bought the CET-4 (College English Test Band 4) textbooks that a senior student was selling in the dormitory.

Study diligently and make the most of your course selection.

Two months later...

Open up!

Choose your seat freely! Plenty of time every day! Wired internet access for computers, WiFi for phones, five rows of dorm rooms, early to bed is the best policy! Living expenses aren't much, but you can spend money as you please!

Arranging is an attitude that comes naturally without a teacher, a romantic sentiment, and a profound understanding of life!

Xiao Yun is going to start playing all the games he hasn't played before!

University life is absolutely fantastic!

“Your dad’s company was actually struggling before. He wanted to expand the business, but it resulted in debt and losses. The company and the house have already been sold, and you went to university on a student loan…”

"We've moved to another room," Mom explained earnestly yet vaguely.

The sky is falling and the earth is cracking! (×)

I didn't feel anything. (√)

From childhood to now, money has only been important when I don't have enough.

That being said, a strange sense of urgency welled up inside me, that I had student loans and was in debt.

Should I do something?

For example...making money?

Xiao Yun began to ponder, suddenly realizing he felt lost in university life. Aside from attending classes regularly, he had no idea what to do with his free time. He only needed to go home once a month, leaving him with plenty of free time each day, which he spent playing games…

It's as if my parents have suddenly disappeared from my life. Their words and discipline are gone. They came suddenly and they left suddenly. For a moment, I didn't know what to do.

Grandpa and Grandma can only see each other when they go home, and Grandma often talks about planning to go back to their hometown...

Suddenly I became familiar with this unfamiliar world.

Is there anything that can make money?

Xiao Yun pondered for a moment, then slowly looked at the game screen.

He loved playing games. He used to enjoy simple games like collecting tiles. In the city, there were many new and exciting games. The feeling of watching others play for an afternoon and being happy resurfaced, becoming more specific and detailed.

How about trying to make a game?

Try searching online for how to make a game.

But before that, let's watch some videos that can only be watched alone!

……

"My child, I hope that the games you create can be proudly shown to your family."

Mai Sakurajima said earnestly, "Don't put shameless things in there. It should be educational and not lead children astray."

Bai Ying asked in a clear, childlike voice, "Mom! Games should be educational, books should be educational, adults' words should be educational, so what is the point of education?"

Mai Sakurajima hesitated for a moment, unable to respond.

"You lost." Bai Ying instantly reverted to her original voice, clicking her tongue in disdain. "With this level of skill, you call yourself an actor? A professional actor? The stage enhances the brilliance of the strong and deprives the weak of their presence—your lines are poor, your expressions are stiff, your reactions are slow, and your movements are nonexistent. You think you can compete with me on the same stage?"

This aligns with my impression—it overlaps to some extent with the dreams I pursue.

Mai Sakurajima asked with great interest, "When you gradually understand the meaning of money later on, what are your thoughts on your family falling back into poverty?"

Bai Ying said seriously, "I don't love money, I have no interest in money."

Mai Sakurajima raised an eyebrow slightly, her eyes searching: "Truth or lie?"

"still."

"?"

……

Time passed slowly, and after a while, Xiao Yun began to learn how to make games.

Introverted, aloof to people I'm not close to, often silent, always busy with something, and with my parents not asking me to do anything, my university life passed by in a remarkably stable manner.

Aside from his roommates who addressed each other as father and grandson, Xiao Yun had almost no social relationships. He rarely went anywhere else except to the classroom, his favorite cafeteria on campus, and his dormitory. The clubs he had joined naturally disappeared. He couldn't remember all the names of his classmates. He just went through the motions in his studies and prayed that the teachers would be lenient and let him barely pass the final exams.

Every day, all I think about is how to make my game more fun.

The first mini-game was completed quickly.

By drawing inspiration from card game rules, astrological knowledge, and elements learned and refined online, along with a set of self-composed fragmented short stories, a card game was born.

Once upon a time, there was a knight who fell in love with a princess, but the princess had to marry a prince who would become king and the princess queen. The knight always sought opportunities to meet the queen in secret, but the queen always wept and refused to accept his love. The knight, however, persisted, constantly swearing that his love was sincere and eternal. Until one day, the king discovered their affair. At the queen's desperate pleas, he did not execute the knight. Instead, he made a condition: if the knight killed three demons threatening the kingdom, he would give the queen to the knight and make him king.

The knight, spear in hand, resolutely embarked on his journey. He slew the Diamond Demon, which incited desire and chaos; the Club Demon, who plunged people into blissful dreams; and the Heart Demon, who conjured the illusion of the Queen. By this time, he was exhausted, only to discover that he had killed the real Queen. Gnawing at his heart with guilt for killing his beloved, the knight finally raised his Spade Spear and ended his own life.

Second Ending: The knight, now stronger and more experienced, embarks on his journey once more. He possesses more weapons and has discovered the demon's weakness—the spade, symbolizing death, can kill the diamond, symbolizing money; the diamond, symbolizing money, can kill the club, symbolizing happiness; and the club, symbolizing happiness, can save the heart, symbolizing love. By collecting cards of the same suit, he obtains the Little Joker. Enraged, he kills the king who tricked him into killing his beloved. However, the queen chooses to die for the king. The knight is filled with grief and confusion, and finally sits alone on the throne, becoming the king.

Third Ending: Through countless battles, the knight merges into the invincible King and Queen. He vows to escape his fate of being manipulated by the king and rescue his beloved queen. This time, instead of embarking on a campaign, he directly confronts the king, discovering that the three demons are actually clones released by the king. The fully-formed king is extremely powerful, yet he is still defeated by the knight from multiple playthroughs. The knight who kills the king becomes king himself and lives happily ever after with the queen.

Then the knight discovers that the queen is his mother and the king is not his father.

"How about adding another buff? The knight uses his ability to travel back in time, accidentally kills and replaces the original prince, and tries to stop 'himself' from falling in love with the queen. But he finds himself becoming the king in the story, and the person he killed is his own father... How about adding some Greek prophecy elements?"

"Hehehe... It's time to design the combinations and effects between different cards and suits..."

……

This subtle, quirky, and bizarre style.

Mai Sakurajima glanced at him sideways and asked, "In your memory, did I act out the stories you wrote?"

Just as Bai Ying was about to answer, Sakurajima Mai suddenly interrupted her, muttering to herself, "No, you make games, so writing game plots just feels like you're just making do... Maybe it's just because we acted in a movie together?"

Sakurajima Mai turned her head to look, and the white figure smiled and said, "Guess where we are now?"

"I won't guess," Mai Sakurajima said with a complicated expression. "I feel like many things are quite different from what I expected."

Bai Ying patted his face and said strangely, "By average aesthetic standards, I'm definitely one of the most handsome guys."

Mai Sakurajima looked at Xiao Yun, who was working hard in front of the computer, a cigarette between his fingers, and his brows furrowing from time to time: "Reincarnation has a beauty filter effect?"

"It's not just about beauty filters; it can also shove a hand fetish killer into your body."

……