My Strange Tale Love Strategy Simulator

The roller coaster slowly started moving, its wheels grinding against the tracks with a low creak. A thrust pressed against the seatback, gradually pushing the rider deeper into his seat. Zhang Ying felt the pressure building in his chest, his adrenaline surging with the speed of the ride.

Zhang Ying turned to look at Li Ziqing beside her, whose hands were resting on the safety bar. Although she was incorporeal and would not be injured even if she fell from a height of 10,000 meters, her eyes were wide open, her pupils reflecting the track ahead that she was about to plunge into, and her lips were taut, filled with both anticipation and nervousness.

The car picked up speed. The strong wind whipped Zhang Ying's hair back, making his face tremble and his eyes squint into slits. Li Ziqing, standing next to him, held his straw hat tightly with one hand, while the other hand rested on the bar, his knuckles clenched tightly.

She turned her head and saw Zhang Ying's face, his features flying wildly in the wind. She froze for a second, then couldn't help but burst out laughing. The laughter was torn apart by the wind, mingling with the roar of the roller coaster. A tear from the corner of her eye was blown backward by the strong wind and disappeared behind her ear.

A panel popped up, and the strategy training bar rose to 11%.

After the roller coaster had traveled more than halfway through, its speed suddenly slowed down. It wasn't because it had arrived at a station, but because the most leg-shaking section of the entire track appeared ahead: a steep slope that rose dozens of meters uphill.

The wheels rolled over the uphill track section by section, clicking and clattering, each click like a countdown. The roller coaster paused briefly at the top of the hill, hanging in mid-air, allowing everyone to see just how high it was below.

Zhang Ying glanced down; the slope was almost vertical, like a precipice.

He unconsciously swallowed, turning his head to see Li Ziqing's reaction, but after seeing it, he fell silent.

She gripped the safety bar tightly, her teeth chattering softly. Her already fair skin became even paler than before, and her eyes were fixed on the front, but her pupils were unfocused, as if she were looking through the tracks in front of her to see somewhere else.

Yes. Zhang Ying's heart sank.

Li Ziqing died from jumping off the rooftop. This perspective of falling from a height might remind her of that feeling.

He was so focused on following the guide that he overlooked this most important detail.

The roller coaster plunges down the hill.

Screams erupted from the back row, the wind filled their ears, but Zhang Ying didn't shout. He quietly moved his hand half an inch to the side under the bar, and the back of his hand touched Li Ziqing's icy fingertips.

As the roller coaster completed its ride, the safety bars snapped open. Zhang Ying got off his seat, his right leg still a little wobbly. He hung his right hand at his side, fingers spread wide. Li Ziqing reached out, his five fingers slipping between Zhang Ying's and locking them together.

Their fingers are intertwined.

Li Ziqing leaned on his shoulder, her expression somber. A faint smile lingered on her lips, but it was a thin, forced smile, as if borrowed from her face rather than a genuine expression from her heart.

Zhang Ying was also feeling bad. He was so focused on the strategy that he had momentarily forgotten her feelings.

She must be terrified right now; she needs to find a chance to make amends quickly.

The two walked silently along the main avenue of the amusement park. The music of the carousel drifted from one ear to the other, and Li Ziqing's eyes, which had been dim the whole way, suddenly brightened for a moment.

Zhang Ying had been observing her out of the corner of his eye, and this glimmer of light did not escape his notice. He followed her gaze and saw an ice cream truck parked by the roadside.

The car is white, with a red and blue striped awning, and a row of stainless steel basins filled with colorful ice cream scoops in the freezer.

Li Ziqing wants to eat ice cream?

Zhang Ying took her hand and led her to the ice cream cart. The vendor, a middle-aged man with a headscarf, was tapping the edge of the freezer with a spoon, asking him what flavor he wanted.

Zhang Ying turned to look at Li Ziqing.

She didn't speak, her gaze falling on the strawberry-flavored dish, glancing at it before looking away.

"One plain cream, one strawberry cream."

With the two ice cream cones in hand, Zhang Ying sat down on a bench by the roadside. Li Ziqing leaned on his shoulder, her gaze fixed on the strawberry-flavored cone.

The pink ice cream scoop had begun to melt slightly in the sunlight, a small drop trickling down the edge of the cone. Zhang Ying looked at the two cones in his hand and bit his lip.

He forgot something else. Li Ziqing was a soul, unable to taste. The strawberry ice cream she'd been longing for had finally arrived, but she could only watch it; that must have been a terrible feeling.

Thinking of this, Zhang Ying took a deep breath.

"Li Ziqing".

Li Ziqing looked away from the strawberry ice cream cone and looked up at him.

"Why don't you try entering my body?"

Li Ziqing sat bolt upright, shaking his head so fast his straw hat almost flew off. "No, no. With my current strength, if I were to enter your body, it would damage you."

Zhang Ying clenched his fist and pounded his shoulder, laughing as he said, "It's alright, I'm strong and resilient. Use it without worry, just consider it a precaution in case I get possessed by another evil spirit in the future."

"Are you sure everything's okay?"

"Don't worry. I also want to try what it feels like to be on top of someone."

Li Ziqing looked into his eyes and remained silent for a moment. Then she nodded gently.

"Hold my hand tightly, and subconsciously don't resist. I will try my best to go in gently."

Her hand slipped between his fingers and clasped tightly. She leaned closer, her forehead pressed against his. Zhang Ying felt a chill seep in from between his brows.

Immediately afterwards, a chilling, oppressive sensation invaded from my fingertips and palms, traveling up the inside of my arm and heading straight for my brain.

The feeling was extremely uncomfortable, as if someone had gently squeezed his consciousness apart from the middle, pressing it into a tiny corner and burying it deep within his skull. He gritted his teeth and endured it, without resisting. His control over his body gradually slipped away, until only his five senses remained.

"I'm in. How are you feeling? Any discomfort?" Li Ziqing's voice didn't come from beside his ear; it came directly from his mind. Zhang Ying answered in his mind, "I don't feel much. How about you?"

"I feel fine. Your body... feels warm and comfortable."

"I knew I was a sweetheart," Zhang Ying thought to himself, then paused, "Didn't you want to try that? Go ahead and give it a shot."

Li Ziqing, who had taken control of Zhang Ying's body, lowered her head and looked at the strawberry-flavored ice cream cone in her hand. Her movements were extremely careful, as if she were afraid of breaking something fragile.

Her gaze fell on the pink scoop of ice cream, and she stared blankly for a moment, as if trying to recall when she last ate it.

She moved her hand. The ice cream cone was slowly brought to his mouth, and she controlled Zhang Ying's body, making him open his lips and gently lick it. The strawberry flavor was very faint, the milk sweetness was very strong, and it had a slightly rough, icy texture. It wasn't anything fancy; you could even say it was somewhat cheap.

But Li Ziqing ate with extra care. She took small bites of the whole scoop of ice cream, letting it melt in her mouth before swallowing.

Finally, only the crispy cone remained. She stared at the empty tip of the cone for a long time, and a tear rolled down her cheek and landed on the back of her hand.

A little boy on the roadside tugged at his mother's clothes, pointed at Zhang Ying, and shouted, "Mom, look, that big brother is crying while eating ice cream!"

"Hurry up, stay away from that older brother."

Li Ziqing withdrew from Zhang Ying's body. She sat back down on the bench, raised her hand to wipe the tears from her face, her fingertips running through her fair skin, leaving only two clear marks.

Zhang Ying's consciousness returned to his body. A dull, aching pain, accompanied by a dizzying, spinning sensation, swept over him, blurring his vision for a few seconds before it refocused.

His eyes were wet; he raised his hand to touch them and felt the tear from earlier, still clinging to his eyelashes. He felt a pang in his heart, as if someone had gently squeezed it.

"Thank you." Li Ziqing took her hand off her face and looked up at him. Her tears were still wet, but the corners of her mouth were already curved into a smile.

A notification popped up on the panel, indicating that the strategy training bar had risen to 23%.

Zhang Ying did not go to see it.

Everything around him was blurry—the music of the carousel, the crying of children, the roar of the roller coaster—all seemed to be separated by a layer of water. Only her smile, right in the center of his vision, grew clearer and clearer.