Chapter One: My Romance Simulation Game

Jinling, Nancai Xianlin Campus.

Inside Dorm 404, Cheng Yao lounged in a chair, legs crossed, fiddling with his phone—opening the chat window, closing it, tapping out pinyin, then deleting everything. For a moment, his mind was in turmoil.

Zhang Lei, wearing black-rimmed glasses, glanced at him, “Want to play a game?”

“I’m annoyed. Guys, how do you handle the cold phase with your girlfriend?”

Zhu Huiyang turned his head, “You’re asking single dogs about this? I guess you should coax her, maybe go shopping, get some snacks, do something fun to maintain the relationship?”

“Drink more hot water?”

“What’s hot water got to do with it? You need high concentration Mosilian. By the way, what does your girlfriend look like?”

Wang Wenbo grinned lewdly—the self-proclaimed pro gamer since the first day of school.

Cheng Yao tapped open a photo. Zhang Lei’s eyes widened, “Damn, your girlfriend is that pretty? Which school is she from? Are the girls in her dorm good-looking? Maybe we could organize a mixer…”

“Let me see, let me see—wait, I think I recognize her. Wasn’t she at South Normal High?” Wang Wenbo asked.

Cheng Yao nodded.

Wang Wenbo’s face twisted with jealousy, “I remember her name is Zhang Ya, right? Didn’t she say she wouldn’t date in high school?”

“Aren’t you from No.1 High? How do you know so much?”

“Hah, you don’t know how suave I was in high school. I knew a lot of people. I can’t believe you’re Zhang Ya’s boyfriend!” Wang Wenbo muttered through clenched teeth.

Back in high school, if a girl was pretty, word spread fast. There was a lot of interaction between schools; don’t think good grades meant no drama—they weren’t bookworms. Fights happened every few days; he’d been disciplined several times.

He remembered Zhang Ya. Someone from No.1 High chased her relentlessly, even confessed at graduation, but always got rejected.

He never expected—

Never expected this!

Zhu Huiyang was curious, “Is his girlfriend really famous?”

“School flower of South Normal High, you tell me.”

“Impressive, Cheng Yao—no, Brother Yao. Teach us how to win girls; Zhang Lei and I are still single dogs,” Zhu Huiyang teased.

Cheng Yao pointed to his own face, “First, you need to be as handsome as me. Second, shamelessness is key. With those two, getting a girlfriend is easy.”

“Damn, you really are shameless.”

Cheng Yao just smiled. He wasn’t bragging—when it came to looks, few at Nancai could rival him. The Jinling Daniel Wu? Not a joke.

If he’d been a bit less attractive or a bit less bold, he never would’ve won Zhang Ya.

Wang Yibo laughed, “Invite her out for a late-night snack, book a room to reconnect. By the way, how did you win her over?”

“I used to sit behind her; opportunities were everywhere. Now she’s in Shanghai, at the Conservatory…”

“Then you’d better be careful. I bet she has tons of admirers. Don’t end up getting played. High school and college are worlds apart.”

“Get lost!”

“Damn, I’m dying of envy!” Wang Wenbo howled.

Cheng Yao was thoroughly irritated; his chat history with Zhang Ya hadn’t moved since yesterday. In reality, from graduation to the start of college, relationships are most fragile.

Especially when they’re not in the same school.

One in Jinling,

One in Shanghai,

It was practically a long-distance relationship now—two people in love, four people enjoying it. He wasn’t clueless.

Truthfully, keeping it going till now had worn him out. But he couldn’t deny his desire for her body.

The chances and time to chat grew fewer. Sometimes, opening the chat window, he didn’t know what to say. Beyond “Good morning, have you eaten?” there was nothing fresh.

Sitting on the stool, Cheng Yao opened Steam.

With nothing better to do, he played a game—“My Love Development Game.” As the name suggests, it’s a simulation, very obscure. The graphics are poor, the price high, and there’s neither adult content nor gore. It lacks excitement, and after a while, it feels tedious.

So, the game was almost universally panned.

But it hit his sweet spot—maybe because it fulfilled what he lacked. He pushed the game to extremes: creating “tool people,” “high-end players…”

The game’s rules: nurture a goddess, cultivate a girlfriend. The money spent on her gets returned tenfold. When certain milestones are reached, the player can draw a skill from her.

Affection at eighty, draw once.

At ninety, draw again.

He’d picked it up during summer break and couldn't put it down. In real life he was a loser; in the game, he was a domineering CEO, the urban male deity, lord of the mermaids—a shameful role.

“Does this trash game have no end, like Temple Run?”

Cheng Yao complained, then kept going after the last target.

Half an hour later, he stared at an Easter egg on his computer, stunned. “There’s an Easter egg? Sexy secretary, domineering female CEO, gentle wife, beautiful student, fiery foreign babe—I’ve collected them all…”

The egg burst open, and Cheng Yao’s vision blurred.

Suddenly, a transparent template appeared before his eyes: Welcome to the Love Development Game. Information as follows:

Congratulations on being the first user to complete the game. You will receive ownership of the game. Once bound, you are forbidden to disclose any information about the game to anyone. Game instructions:

1: During development, any amount spent on your girlfriend will be returned tenfold.

2: During development, when affection reaches eighty or ninety, you may randomly draw a life or field skill.

3: There are two types: conquerable and unconquerable. Unconquerable targets do not provide rebate benefits.

4: Rebates are credited at midnight the following day.

5: The Love Support Mall will open for a limited time at the start of next month. Stay tuned.

…

999: …

1000: Final interpretation belongs to the game. Please enjoy to your heart’s content.

Host: Cheng Yao

Attractiveness: 84

Skills: None

Wealth: 34,332

Girlfriend: Zhang Ya (bound)

“This…”

Cheng Yao recognized this template all too clearly—it was exactly the one from the Love Development Game, only the god-level protagonist panel was replaced with his own humble stats.

He knew this routine!

But his attractiveness was only 84? Cheng Yao was dumbfounded, thinking he was at least a 90.

“Cheng Yao, Cheng Yao…”

He looked up, frowning, “What is it?”

“Come on, let's hit the bar. I already made plans with the party girls; a night out will clear your worries. Zhang Lei and Zhu Huiyang are coming too.”

“It's so boring in the dorm.”

“Military training starts in a few days. Wang Wenbo’s treating.”

Leaving the dorm, Cheng Yao wasn’t sure why he agreed.

Never mind,

No point overthinking.

After leaving campus and getting into a taxi, Cheng Yao was still contemplating life.

He knew the game’s routine: play by the script, and you could become a male god—but you’d be a total simp.

Endlessly pleasing the girls, conquering them one by one, dramatic and shameless beyond compare.

He glanced at his savings. This was the last of his money.

After his parents’ car accident, his family had no savings left. Fortunately, his sister Cheng Cheng received a subsidy for special reasons, so they managed to live normally…

The key issue was money!

Cheng Yao felt he desperately needed a tool person.

Zhang Ya was out of the question—she knew his family situation, and from what he understood of her, it wouldn’t work.

So,

Where was his tool person?

Cheng Yao decided to follow the game’s routine, but games are fixed, reality is fluid. He had to adapt his thinking.

You can have trouble with anyone,

But never with money.

…

…