Happy days are always short-lived.

Gu Mian barely rested for a few days before heading back on the road to conquer instances.

Fatty cried, insisting on joining him in the instance, but Gu Mian swatted him away. "What will I eat if the cook dies?"

Fatty felt that Gu Mian valued him, so he puffed out his chest and left to prepare the next meal.

Chu Changge was taken along by Gu Mian this time.

Aside from Chu Changge, Keke also wished to earn some Game Coins.

Hence, the three of them proceeded to the nearby ticket booth and entered the instance under the despairing gaze of the ticket seller.

[Instance Name: My Virtual Girlfriend/Boyfriend]

Pretty nice. It sounds like they're going to assign us partners.

[Number of Players: 5]

[Instance Content: Are you tired from being pestered about marriage by your relatives? Are you frustrated in your search for a partner? You deserve to have this virtual girlfriend/boyfriend. This product comes with six options to choose from. Please select the boyfriend/girlfriend most suitable for you based on their character and appearance!]

This kind of reminds me of the Sweet Lovers instance. I wonder if there are NPCs similar to Teacher Sweet in this one.

[Task: Have a virtual relationship with your chosen character for three days. Task completed at the end of three days.]

After reading the task description, Gu Mian's surroundings changed instantly from a ticket booth into a bedroom.

He was now sitting on a bed holding a cell phone.

Chu Changge and Keke were also there. One sat at a desk not far from the bed, while the other sat on a beanbag on the floor. They both held phones as well.

Gu Mian looked down.

The screen displayed an app called "My Virtual Girlfriend/Boyfriend," which was open and on the character selection screen.

The interface is pink and cutesy. It's obviously a love game.

However, there wouldn't be any real love games in a horror instance.

Gu Mian closely examined the introduction of the five characters on screen.

[Character One: Song Meng]

[Gender: Female]

[A current university student from a poor household who works part-time during holidays to support herself]

This has the vibe of a harem anime.

There was also a picture attached: a girl with short hair, wearing glasses, possessing a very scholarly look.

[Character Two: Zhao Tiankuo]

[Gender: Male]

[A junior high school dropout and delinquent who loiters around the streets and barely makes a living by stealing. He has a serious tendency towards violence. A careless move could see the relationship turn into one between a suspect and a victim.]

He has a scar on his left cheek, possibly from a knife. He looks difficult to deal with.

[Character Three: Ai Zitao]

[Gender: Male]

[A conservative office worker with no initiative who likes to cultivate plants and never starts a conversation. Said to be the type most likely to be a psychopath.]

The attached image is of a bespectacled young man. His emotionless face is somewhat similar to Chu Changge's.

[Character Four: Xia Yutong]

[Gender: Female]

[A social butterfly at school who is on very friendly terms with many people. When in a relationship with her, always be aware of the color of the hat on your head and whether Old Wang is hiding in the closet.]

The picture shows a beautiful woman with long hair. She's the most attractive of the six.

[Character Five: Feng Cheng]

[Gender: Male]

[A high schooler with low self-esteem. Technically, underage dating is prohibited, but it's fine since this is a game.]

Feng Cheng has an ordinary face and sparse hair, likely from staying up late to study.

There's a "Select" button underneath each character's introduction. It looks like we have to use this button to choose our partner.

Keke had already finished reading the introductions of all five characters. She looked up at Gu Mian and Chu Changge. "These five characters… are they ghosts?"

Since dating is the primary task, it's highly probable these five love interests are ghosts.

But what would their murder methods be? Would they crawl out of the phone and kill people?

Gu Mian imagined the scene and found it ridiculous.

Just as Keke asked her question, Chu Changge noticed that the name "Song Meng" had turned gray. Then, a line of text appeared at the bottom of the app: "Character One: Song Meng has been selected by player 'Wind Blows Butt Cool'."

Five characters and five players. It seems two players can't choose the same love interest.

Right after, the name "Feng Cheng" also turned gray, chosen by a player called 'Moonfall Crow Cries'.

Those two players certainly know how to choose. They picked the two who seem most normal.

Now, only three selectable characters are left: the violence-prone Zhao Tiankuo, Xia Yutong, who likes to 'make hats,' and the suspected psychopath Ai Zitao.

This is a bit awkward.

There are two male characters and one female character left. But our group also has two men and one woman.

Keke went silent for a few seconds before sheepishly asking, "You guys want to pick first?"

"You first," Gu Mian looked at her.

After hesitating for a bit, Keke selected the 'reliable' office worker, Ai Zitao. Thankfully, she chose a male. Otherwise, Chu Changge and I would both have ended up in same-sex relationships. 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Gu Mian and Chu Changge were left with a man and a woman to choose from.

One of us is sure to be cuckolded, and the other will end up in a gay relationship. Gu Mian decided to pass this hot potato to Chu Changge, letting him choose first.

Chu Changge didn't feel bothered at all. He adjusted his glasses and accepted the green hat with indifference.

The only one left was the violence-prone Zhao Tiankuo, so Gu Mian took the remaining one.

Zhao Tiankuo has violent tendencies, making him the most dangerous character to select. There's a chance of sudden 'domestic abuse.' Keke thought.

She began to imagine Gu Mian being subjected to domestic abuse—a frail Gu Mian pushed to the ground, clutching his Saw and weeping.

The thought gave Keke chills.

Gu Mian had no idea what Keke was imagining. He focused on the phone.

After selecting a character, the screen switched to a chat interface, similar to WeChat's, except the chat box was pink. The app only showed the character he had selected; no one else was listed.

The top of the chat showed a system notification — "You're now a couple. Start chatting!"

Gu Mian: "..."

It seems this app is for developing relationships through chatting.

He stared at the screen for half a minute. The other person didn't send a message, and Gu Mian had no intention of sending one either. After exploring the app's features, he put the phone in his pocket and looked around.

This was a very ordinary-looking apartment with one bedroom and one living room.

Looking out the window, he could see a road not too far away. The street was bustling with people, and vehicles continuously zipped by.

The people outside had normal skin tones and weren't eyeing each other suspiciously. This confirms it's not Paradise or the Old World.

"Can you tell which world this is?" he asked Chu Changge.

Chu Changge, who had been looking at his phone, glanced out the window. "It's not the Second World."