My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

The pain gradually subsided, and the black mist in front of my eyes dissipated.

Zhang Ying leaned against the wall, having lost count of how many times his school uniform had been soaked in cold sweat. Taking a breath, he felt a sharp pain in his lungs.

"Couldn't you have waited until I got back to install it? Why do you have to install it now? Is this emulator deliberately messing with me?"

His pupils were completely black, with bloodshot lines running through the whites of his eyes. The world he saw seemed to be filtered through black and white, appearing exceptionally eerie.

With difficulty, Zhang Ying stood up, leaning against the wall. He looked around the familiar street with his unusual eyes.

Apart from a slight increase in yin energy, the streets were otherwise unchanged, which made him curious about what the other world described on the panel meant.

"I'll wait until we get back to test the effects of this eerie eye. It consumes a bit of my sanity every 20 minutes, and I don't want to encounter a ghost in the middle of the night."

Just as Zhang Ying was about to turn off the eerie eye, the sound of mosquitoes buzzing reached his ears.

hum-

"It's only March, and there are already mosquitoes?"

The annoying noise made him turn around, wanting to slap the mosquito to death, but all he saw was a wall a head taller than him.

The sound came from above the wall. He looked up and his pupils suddenly contracted!

A black umbrella appeared on the other side of the wall at some unknown time, held higher than the wall itself. Beneath the black umbrella were long, jet-black hair and a pale white neck; the owner of the black umbrella appeared to be a woman.

Zhang Ying took two steps back. He didn't think about why this woman was so tall, taller than the wall that was taller than most adults.

His attention was completely drawn to the woman's face, but he couldn't see her face clearly.

The woman's face was covered with mosquitoes, and the sound of their wings flapping and swatting against her face could be heard constantly!

Zhang Ying subconsciously covered his mouth with his hand, averted his gaze, and walked forward with his head down.

This is bizarre! This is absolutely a living, breathing monster!

hum-

Several mosquitoes seemed to sense his unusual behavior and flew to his front, swirling around him.

Zhang Ying gritted his teeth and shut down the Evil Eye.

The mosquitoes are no longer visible, but the sound of their wings fluttering can still be heard.

He held the calming mantra, forcing his mind to forget the horrifying scene just now, suppressing his fear, and walked forward with his head down.

He finally breathed a sigh of relief when he could no longer hear the buzzing of mosquitoes.

He didn't want to stay there a moment longer, so he quickened his pace and hurried home, arriving just as the sun was about to set completely.

"You're back, Xiaoying? Go wash your hands quickly, dinner's ready."

Zhang's mother's voice came from the kitchen. Only then did Zhang Ying, who was standing at the door, feel relieved and changed his shoes to go inside.

Standing by the sink in the bathroom, I reached out and placed my hand under the faucet. The water gushed out and washed over my hands, making my skin feel cool.

Zhang Ying rubbed his hands together to wash them, his forearms and fingers trembling. Everything that had happened today was too dangerous, and even now, just thinking about it made him feel a wave of fear.

Dating a weirdo is truly a painstaking and exhausting task.

He sighed and cast a few calming spells to soothe the restlessness in his heart. He didn't want his mother to see him in this embarrassed state and worry her.

After leaving the restroom, Zhang's mother placed a steaming bowl of lotus root soup on the table. The other three home-style dishes were hot and sour shredded potatoes, scrambled eggs with tomatoes, and stir-fried chicken breast with green peppers.

Sitting at the dining table, I shoveled rice into my mouth with shredded potatoes, and my rumbling stomach and pounding heart warmed up together.

After finishing a bowl of white rice, I grabbed a large bowl and poured half a plate of tomato and egg salad and green pepper chicken breast into it—a bowl so big it couldn't be held in two hands. Then I added several large ladles of white rice and stirred it all together. The oily rice, along with the eggs and chicken breast, were eaten together, and the satisfaction overcame my fatigue, allowing my mind to relax.

After finishing his meal, he had a bowl of lotus root soup. He ate the remaining rice grains along with the savory lotus root soup, then lay back in his chair, feeling completely at ease.

As Zhang's mother cleared away the dishes, she asked in confusion, "What did you do today? You ate so much, aren't you afraid of getting stuffed?"

"It's alright, it's alright." Zhang Ying waved his hand. "I'm still growing, I can't support myself."

"You silly child."

……

After taking a shower and returning to his room, Zhang Ying, still steaming from his body, lay on the bed and looked out the window.

It's completely dark outside the window, and the moon is hidden by clouds. The weather doesn't look good for tomorrow.

He sat up in bed and brought up the simulator.

Name: Zhang Ying

Age: 18

Race: Human

Physical fitness: 1.2

[Cultivation Method: Acquired Peak Supplementation Technique (Heart-Cleansing Mantra)]

【Possessed by Eerie Power: Eerie Eye (Lv1)】

[Sanity Value: 12]

"My sanity is still 12? It seems that the consumption of the Ghost Eye is real and only deducts sanity from one eye after 20 minutes. That's quite humane."

"Currently, I only have the Heart-Cleansing Mantra in the Healing Techniques. In a few more days, I should be able to learn the Cleansing Mantra. After that, I'll find some time to ask Old Wang for a few more of these Healing Techniques. I wonder what kind of existence the Acquired Peak is, possessing such extraordinary techniques," Zhang Ying sighed.

[Dating Strategy Simulator]

[Encounter Handbook]

【The Dating Manual (New)】

Lover's Handbook

Looking at the new words at the back of the Love Manual, Zhang Ying gave a helpless smile. Being involved in a romantic relationship with ghost stories, probably only he and the undead knight Ning Caichen could do it.

I clicked on the dating guide with the mouse, and a string of detailed information popped up.

【Target for Strategy 1: The Dancing Girl's Ghost Story】

[Rank: Current "Groundbound Spirit"]

[Status: Sealed (After full unsealing, it will become a "half-disaster")]

[Favorability: 40%]

[Difficulty Level: ★☆]

[Affection level reached 20%: Special CG 1 unlocked]

[Affection level reached 40%: Special CG 2 unlocked]

[Reach 60% Affection Level: Unlock Special CG 3, Physical Ability +0.2, Sanity +2, Eerie Eye Level +1]

[Special CG 1: The Cage of Expectation]

[Special CG 2: An Unexpected Relaxation]

The special CGs in the Love Manual tell the story of the dancer's life; just click to view them.

Zhang Ying was slightly disappointed. "So this is what the special CG is. I thought... well, this is the special CG I was looking for."

He didn't yet know the exact strength of the Earthbound Spirit and the Half-Calamity, but judging from their sealed state, it was clear that someone had tried to resolve the witch's ghost story before, but most likely failed, otherwise they wouldn't have had to seal them away.

"If you can get so many rewards by reaching 60% favorability, wouldn't you get even more rewards by reaching 80% favorability?"

Gaining favor with Li Ziqing is by no means an easy task. Although she still possesses a sliver of humanity and kindness, her personality dictates that she is not someone whose favor can be cultivated simply through romance.

To find a way to win her over, we need to start with her life story.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ying manipulated the mouse and clicked on the special CG.

The panel screen slowly turned black, and a line of white text appeared.

Who adorned her with feathers that didn't belong to her, trapping her in a cage called expectation as she floated on the lake?