My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

Behind him, Cheng Ziqi's voice was calm and composed, completely devoid of her previous fear and panic. She asked Zhang Ying as if she were recounting a trivial matter:

Why should we run?

Zhang Ying's back was soaked with cold sweat, and his running legs slowly came to a stop. His two feet stopped one in front of the other on the stairs, and his chin trembled slightly.

He grabbed Cheng Ziqi's left hand, using his own left hand as well, palm facing his own back. Logically, he should have been holding the back of Cheng Ziqi's hand, not her palm.

The fact that their palms are now facing each other, and that his hand is being firmly held by her thumb, can only mean one thing.

Cheng Ziqi turned her shoulders inward or outward, positioning her elbows above her and grasping Zhang Ying's hand with her palms facing outward.

Why would Cheng Ziqi do something so unnecessary in such a critical moment, something that could even break her shoulder?

Zhang Ying didn't know, and didn't want to know.

The scene that appeared before his eyes forced him to accept reality.

[Urgent mission issued!]

[Urgent mission issued!]

[Host detected to be in an emergency; emergency mission issued!]

[Urgent Mission: Escape the Ghostly Dancer]

[Success Reward: "Ghost Eye" Possessed by Ghostly Power]

The simulator panel lit up in front of him, and three urgent mission prompts popped up in a row, making Zhang Ying truly realize the seriousness of the situation.

When he escaped from the vocal studio, the simulator remained silent, but it only started moving after he noticed Cheng Ziqi's unusual behavior.

So, does that mean...?

The Cheng Ziqi behind her was no longer the Cheng Ziqi she once was.

Zhang Ying swallowed hard, trying to loosen his grip on Cheng Ziqi's hand, but Cheng Ziqi held his hand firmly. The strength was far beyond what a petite girl should possess, making his hand ache.

Why should we run?

The repeated words reached his ears once more, and Zhang Ying realized that he couldn't escape, so he slowly turned his head to look behind him.

Cheng Ziqi stood behind him, her head bowed, her long hair obscuring her eyes. Her skin had become exceptionally pale, like that of a corpse, with distinct blue veins appearing on her face and neck.

Her shoulders twisted inward, her upper elbow snapped downward, blood seeping from the inside and staining her school uniform red, emitting a foul stench.

Perhaps sensing Zhang Ying's gaze, she slowly raised her head, her long hair sliding to the sides, revealing a pair of dark, empty eye sockets without eyeballs.

Why should we run?

Answer me.

"Why should we run?"

Cheng Ziqi's chin slowly elongated downwards, revealing no trace of a mouth, only a black abyss!

At that moment, Zhang Ying's mind was filled with many thoughts, from fragments of his earliest memories all the way through elementary, middle, and high school. Various scenes played out like a slideshow; in his mind, this was perhaps the legendary revolving lantern.

Instinctively, he made a hand seal with his right hand, lightly biting the tip of his tongue, as he recited phrases in his mind. Immediately, the fear and panic within him subsided, replaced by a refreshing feeling, like a spring breeze, that soared through his heart.

"The Heart-Cleansing Mantra".

Just as Wang Fangshe said, a talented person can master this technique in a day or two. He had some talent, but not much; he only managed to learn one of the Heart-Cleansing Mantras.

The calming mantra is not very effective; it can only calm people down when they are extremely panicked and fearful. Its effects and manifestations are almost unrelated to magic.

But in this emergency, the Mind-Cleansing Mantra became his lifeline.

His panicked mind calmed down, and his rational thinking reminded him of when he was doing a dating simulation.

I came to the vocal room alone, even though there were already people in the room.

The girl wanted to leave the classroom, but "I" stopped her from leaving.

Because I was afraid to face my own feelings of inferiority, I ran away before the girl.

This is how things should have gone.

But the reality is:

"I" and Cheng Ziqi arrived at the vocal music room together, but there was no one there.

A music box appeared in the classroom, and "I" escaped from the classroom with Cheng Ziqi.

I was trapped between the stairs and grabbed by the girl.

The current situation is completely different from the simulated process and outcome.

I was so focused on finding a way to escape from the answers that I completely forgot about the process.

Based on the current events, Cheng Ziqi is indeed that girl. Therefore, the correct course of action would be to ignore Cheng Ziqi and leave the classroom alone.

Now, his answer is the fourth option that didn't appear in the simulator: [Run away with the girl].

Zhang Ying took a deep breath and looked at Cheng Ziqi's strangely distorted face behind him.

Running away from her is the right answer, but why is it the right one? Figuring this out might offer a glimmer of hope!

According to the background story in the simulator, "I" am the most popular person on campus. After meeting a girl in the vocal music room, I am attracted to her.

However, the girl was not attracted to me and insisted on leaving, which shows that she did not have any good feelings towards me.

My actions of running away because of my inferiority complex attracted the girl's attention and increased her affection for me.

From this, we can conclude that the girl developed feelings for my escapist behavior.

Why do girls develop a liking for escapist behavior?

Zhang Ying could only think of two possibilities.

Possibility 1: The girl likes this type of insecure boy.

Possibility 2: The girl likes the boy's escapist behavior.

Based on the results from the simulator, possibility one is highly probable.

But after experiencing so much, he realized that, given the nature of simulators, if you only follow the superficial answers they provide, you might not even know how you died.

So it might be rejected outright.

If it could be a second possibility, that would be quite intriguing.

The fact that a girl likes to escape can also be interpreted as a girl's desire to escape.

If the girl's true identity is indeed Li Ziqing, then her desire to escape might make sense.

The existing information about Li Ziqing is that, as a former genius, Li Ziqing could never go back to the way things were due to an accident. Under pressure from others, he chose to end his life on the school rooftop.

What she longed for before ending her life was likely to escape the mire of negativity. But she was already deeply mired in it, unable to move an inch. In utter despair, she chose to leap in, drowning herself in the mire in the most powerless way.

What emotions would a girl experience after her death?

Feelings of inferiority, pain, resentment towards those who caused this situation, and anger towards one's own circumstances.

What is it that she longs for in her heart?

She longs for someone to pull her out of the mire when she's stuck in it. She longs for someone to tell her she's not wrong, that she's done a great job! She longs to escape the mire and live a relaxed, stress-free life.

Thinking of all this, Zhang Ying slowly exhaled a breath from his chest, his eyes gradually becoming resolute.

Li Ziqing, who is now holding his hand, could simply kill him instead of repeating himself here.

Li Ziqing, who was attached to Cheng Ziqi, did not kill me immediately. Perhaps he wanted to see how I would react after I chose to escape with the girl and discovered that she was the monster that had trapped him.

If that's really the case, then any move I make now that shows I want to abandon Cheng Ziqi and run away will be killed by her without hesitation!

Therefore, the correct approach for this option should be:

"Don't be afraid! I will definitely take you with me!"