“This game is quite impressive.”

Zhu Ming first tried running a couple of steps, then did a few squats, and finally kicked wildly in the air. “This kind of fully immersive interactive experience as well as the complete restoration of bodily functions go beyond what mere coding can achieve.”

“Even as an early stage work, its art style is already very mature.”

Xi Xianqing observed the detailed textures on the streetlights and nodded. “It is indeed a work that deserves the position of representative.”

A crisp “ding-dong” notification sounded in their ears.

“Welcome, both of you, to <Choices>. You will embark on an interesting journey together in the virtual world of District Four.”

A gentle electronic female voice spoke in their ears, “In this game, all you need to do is keep making choices. The only requirement is that you and your partner must make the same choices.”

Zhu Ming processed the words in his mind for a moment. “She seems to have said something critical, but I think I missed the point.”

“No need to worry. Once the game officially begins, you two will understand what I mean.”

As if guessing the players’ concerns, the electronic female voice continued to explain, “This game consists of 30 choices. Completing all of them counts as clearing the game.”

“If the two players struggle to reach a consensus and fail to make the final choice, you can opt to forfeit through the menu and enter the open-world mode as failed participants to enjoy the street scenery of District Four.”

The female voice softly said, “Now, let’s proceed to the first question.”

With a ding-dong, the first question appeared directly in front of them as floating text.

[First Choice]: You are about to go to a restaurant for a meal. Do you choose to [A] Walk or [B] Take a taxi?

Both of them were stunned.

Xi Xianqing frowned. “…This is considered a game?”

As soon as the words fell, a taxi smoothly stopped beside them.

At the same time, a bright yellow highlighted arrow appeared on the ground, guiding the walking route they needed to take.

“Hmm, so far it looks like a simple interactive game.”

Zhu Ming’s interest was piqued. “But the setup is so cryptic. First, it doesn’t say what kind of restaurant it is, and second, it doesn’t mention how far it is from where we are.”

Xi Xianqing gave a rare “en” of approval. “Walk or take the car?”

“Let’s choose walking. Try a few steps first.”

Zhu Ming lifted his leg, eager to give it a go. “It’s mainly because it’s been too long since I’ve experienced what it’s like to have my feet on the ground, so let me experience this precious time a little more.”

Xi Xianqing had no objections.

Following the highlighted guide, they walked for ten minutes.

At first, they had fun taking in the street scenery, but as they walked from the main road to an alley and then back to another busy street, the so-called restaurant was nowhere in sight.

“Wait… are we even playing this game right ah?”

The novelty of walking on solid ground had completely worn off. Zhu Ming was slightly out of breath. “The highlight hasn’t disappeared this whole time. Are we just supposed to keep walking endlessly?”

Before he could finish, his legs suddenly felt like they were trapped in quicksand, and his knees became weak.

Zhu Ming initially thought that it was because his legs hadn’t been used for too long, so he hadn’t adapted to it.

Then a blinding white light flashed before him, forcing his eyes shut. In the next moment, an intense sensation of free fall swept over his body.

When he reopened his eyes, the surroundings had changed entirely.

The weightlessness left Zhu Ming momentarily dizzy, but when he finally came to, he looked down and realized… he was sitting on a small wooden stool.

Bewildered, he raised his eyes and realized that Xi Xianqing was sitting across from him and seemed to have just recovered as well.

Surveying their surroundings, Zhu Ming noted that they were in a small restaurant—though it wasn’t one of those tiny yet tidy stores like Ji Rong’s place. Instead, the tables and floors were so greasy they could almost serve as mirrors, giving the place an unmistakable aura of filth and poor hygiene.

Xi Xianqing immediately frowned. He moved his arms off the table, inspected his sleeves to ensure they hadn’t been stained with oil, and only then did his expression relax slightly.

“It seems we’ve cleared the first stage,” he said to Zhu Ming.

Zhu Ming nodded. “The tutorial stage seems pretty simple.”

No sooner had he spoken than an NPC waitress with braided pigtails approached, carrying a tray.

She wore a bright, cheerful smile as she briskly placed two plates of food on the table. “Here are the extra-spicy stinky tofu and the braised intestine in brown sauce you two ordered. Enjoy.”

With a ding-dong sound, the second question promptly popped up: “[Second Choice]: You are in a restaurant. Choose: [A] Eat an entire serving of Braised Intestines in Brown Sauce or [B] Eat an entire serving of Extra-Spicy Stinky Tofu.”

“[Reminder]: Neither player may eat the dish alone. Both players must agree and finish it together for the stage to be cleared.”

Xi Xianqing: “…?”

Zhu Ming: “…Okay, I may have spoken too soon.”

“Don’t rush first.”

Zhu Ming picked up his chopsticks, dipped them into the sauce of the extra-spicy stinky tofu, and tentatively stuck out his tongue to taste it. “Maybe we don’t have taste receptors in this game… Cough, cough, cough. My god. What kind of joke is this spiciness?”

Xi Xianqing crossed his arms and watched coldly.

Zhu Ming tried to communicate with the NPC waitress. “Uh, do you have any other dishes?”

The waitress stared at him in silence for a few seconds before turning and walking back to the kitchen.

A few minutes later, she returned with identical plates of food, wearing the same smile as before, and repeated the same line verbatim: “Here are the extra-spicy stinky tofu and the braised intestine in brown sauce you two ordered. Enjoy.”

Xi Xianqing: “…”

Zhu Ming stared at the four identical plates on the table, as if copy-pasted. “Hmm, seems like a very basic NPC with a simple underlying code.”

While Zhu Ming was hesitating which dish might be slightly easier to swallow, when he raised his eyes, he noticed Xi Xianqing lifting his hand, navigating through the floating game menu.

He was very curious. “What are you doing?”

Xi Xianqing replied flatly, “Looking for the exit button.”

“Mr. Xiao Xi, are you giving up so easily? Where’s your bottom line? Where’s your gaming spirit?”

Zhu Ming was at a loss for words. “Alright, let’s go with the spicy stinky tofu. There are four pieces… I’ll take three, you just need to eat one. I can even remove the chili on top for you. Is that enough?”

Xi Xianqing lifted his chin. “I don’t eat spicy food.”

Zhu Ming turned his chopsticks toward the other plate. “Then let’s try the braised intestine in brown sauce. Just one bite, and we win—”

With his arms crossed, Xi Xianqing responded even more concisely this time: “Dirty.”

“I don’t think this game will provide any meaningful assessment,” he remarked coldly as he scrolled through the menu. “I’m going to sleep.”

Just as Xi Xianqing’s fingertip hovered over the “Exit Game” button, he heard the person across from him let out a faint sigh.

“It’s just that… I rarely get the chance to walk like this.”

Looking up, he saw the other person’s eyelashes tremble slightly, and the corners of Zhu Ming’s mouth curved into a wistful smile. “Even if it’s only in a virtual world, I’m already very content.”

“I just really want to see the later stages, to walk… even just a little while longer,” he murmured.

Xi Xianqing’s expression flickered and opened his mouth.

Zhu Ming rested his chin in one hand, while the pointed chin of the white fox on his lap pitifully leaned against the edge of the table, its tail faintly brushing against Xi Xianqing’s arm.

“Think rationally. Everything in the game is just lines of code; it won’t really end up in your stomach,” Zhu Ming blinked. “Life is about experiences, isn’t it?”

Xi Xianqing didn’t say anything.

Zhu Ming let out a soft sigh. “Fine, forcing someone to eat something they dislike is indeed immoral. I’ll just ask Nova later if I can take this game disk home. I—”

Xi Xianqing, with a darkened expression, snapped, “Enough, I’ll eat, alright?”

Zhu Ming immediately performed a face change.

Smiling brightly, he quickly ate two pieces of tofu. Then, with one piece still in his mouth, he scr4p3d the chili pepper off the last remaining piece on the plate, pushed it in front of Xi Xianqing, and mumbled, “…Enjoy.”

Xi Xianqing expressionlessly exhaled a breath, held the chopsticks, picked it up, and examined it.

–Finally, he hesitantly took a bite.

The bizarre combination of stinky odor, spiciness, and the aroma of tofu exploded in his mouth. His pupils dilated.

By his feet, Dish Soap’s eyes widened into little beads as its neck recoiled from the spice, its body trembling slightly before slowly curling up into a ball by the corner of the table.

Fortunately, in the next instant, a white halo slowly lit up inside the room, and the familiar sensation of weightlessness swept over them once more—

They had arrived at the third stage.

Without giving them any time to recover, the question popped up abruptly: [Third Choice]: You are vacationing at a resort in District Two. You want to try one of the featured activities: [A] Bungee jumping in the mountains or [B] Diving by the sea.

Zhu Ming silently stared at the bungee jumping platform before him, then shifted his gaze to the distant beach.

He appeared calm, but the white fox at his feet was trembling silently. “I think you were absolutely right earlier. This game is pointless. Let’s quit now.”

Xi Xianqing, with a composed expression, grabbed his arm. “It’s just a string of code. Life is about experiences, isn’t it?”

Zhu Ming: “…”

Half an hour later, Xi Xianqing, still composed as ever, helped a nearly lifeless Zhu Ming down from the bungee platform.

[Fourth Choice]: You are spending the weekend at a mall. Would you choose: [A] To claw ten identical plush toys or [B] To sing the same song ten times at a KTV?

An enthusiastic Zhu Ming dragged a black-faced Xi Xianqing along as they clawed ten identical blue jellyfish plushies.

[Fifth Choice]: You are on a date at an amusement park. Would you choose the: [A] Roller Coaster or [B] Haunted House?

20 minutes later, an unruffled Xi Xianqing and a pale-faced Zhu Ming emerged from the roller coaster exit.

Absurd teleports and ridiculous choices—if the two players happened to share similar personalities and interests, things would’ve been easier.

-However, they were the type of players whose personalities differed greatly, who had no tacit understanding, and who were used to going against each other’s wishes.

Thus, every decision was preceded by a lengthy period of arguments and compromises.

But they have to admit: this game was really fun.

The further they progressed, the higher the sunk costs of their efforts, making them increasingly reluctant to quit.

Even as the choices grew more challenging, they couldn’t help gritting their teeth and pushing forward.

It was both thrilling and torturous. But since absolute safety was guaranteed within the game, they tried activities that pushed their physical limits, making choices they would never dare to in real life.

By the sixteenth stage, they found themselves inside a stark white room.

There is only a table with two black boxes on it. As expected, the task was a blind box selection. One of them has to decide which one of them will reach into a box and then choose: [A]. Reach into the left box or [B]. Reach into the right box.

Rock-paper-scissors, Xi Xianqing lost and had to choose the one on the right.

—Only to feel something slimy and sticky, with an unsettlingly ambiguous yellowish consistency.

Zhu Ming first let out a shocking burst of laughter.

But before Xi Xianqing could explode in anger, Zhu Ming swiftly adjusted his expression and changed the subject. “Wait, this stinky smell mixed with sweetness… isn’t this durian jam?”

Xi Xianqing stared blankly at his palm for a few seconds, then raised his hand and directly smeared the jam onto Zhu Ming’s face.

Zhu Ming incredulously wiped his face, “How old are you?”

Turning his face away with a cold snort, Xi Xianqing pinched his fingers together. “It’s just code.”

Zhu Ming stayed silent for a moment before suddenly grabbing Xi Xianqing’s left hand, attempting to wipe the durian jam from his face onto his sleeve.

Xi Xianqing was startled, his palm against Zhu Ming’s face to stop him but he relentlessly tried to get closer,. As they tussled in disarray, their eyes met, and their hearts seemed to skip a beat at the same time.

For a brief moment, they both froze. Zhu Ming was the first to step back, and after a pause, Xi Xianqing let go as well. The white light flashed, and the familiar weightless sensation returned—

They arrived at the seventeenth stage.

Stumbling their way through, they were now halfway through the game.

This time, they were transported to a serene lounge bar.

The ambiance and design of this stage were dialed to perfection: the bar was softly lit, the window revealed a drizzly twilight, and the rhythmic patter of the rain blended harmoniously with soothing jazz music and the crisp clink of glasses by the bar counter—a scene so cozy and gentle, it made even their spirits relax.

Looking down, they realized they had been transported to high stools by the bar counter.

A handsome young waiter approached them.

His eyes were as blue as seawater, and the tray in his hands was filled with a full plate of shots and a small dish of lemon wedges. “The drinks you ordered. Please enjoy.”

The two, who felt a sense of familiarity with this script: “…”

Before they could react, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, gentle woman NPC in a backless floor-length gown also approached. She gracefully sat down beside Zhu Ming, exuding charm.

She held a silver engraved lighter and lit the full tray of shots. The blue and orange flames flickered gently, creating an ambiguous and soft glow.

Having grown accustomed to the routines of this game, Xi Xianqing and Zhu Ming increasingly felt that something was off: “…”

After eating a plate of extra-spicy stinky tofu and then being faced with a row of shots, it seemed like this game was deliberately challenging people’s stomachs.

Zhu Ming stared at the NPC for a moment, muttering, “Don’t you think that, compared to the previous NPCs we encountered, these two… are unusually attractive?”

Xi Xianqing didn’t speak but didn’t deny it either.

Because the facial models of these two NPCs were indeed excessively refined. Even the fine hair and capillaries on their skin were visible, and their features were exquisitely designed to fit public’s aesthetics.

The two said nothing, only smiling and quietly standing beside them.

A strange and ominous feeling loomed over their hearts. Xi Xianqing stared at the row of burning shots. “Let’s wait for the question refresh and see what the choices are.”

“Maybe it’s a diversion tactic.”

Zhu Ming analyzed logically. “They want us to assume we have to pick one of the shots to drink, but maybe the ultimate task is just to eat two pieces of popcorn…”

Ding-dong, the sound of the question refresh notification rang out.

They looked up together at the floating text illuminated in front of them.

[Seventeenth Choice]: You decide to play a little dangerous game. You choose—

[A.] Both players drink all the alcohol in front of you.

[B.] At least one player kisses anyone present (can include any NPC in the room).

Author’s note:

Who will it be? How are you going to choose?