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Chapter 078 The Confidence of an Old Virgin

Ling Mo admitted that he played a little trick.

He had indeed acted very cowardly in this relationship that couldn’t really be called love, which was a huge contradiction to his inherently strong personality, but it stemmed from his insecurity, brought on by the vast gap between him and Xia Xinyan.

The more insecure he felt, the more cautious he became, even fearing making any small mistake or oversight.

But after all, he was just an ordinary person, a coward so afraid even ghosts.

So at that moment, when he embarrassed himself in front of Xia Xinyan, his insecurity pushed him to an extreme.

He made a mistake in front of Xia Xinyan, which almost shattered the self-esteem he had built up in her presence.

For someone like him, this was a fatal blow.

The difference was that some people would choose to retreat proactively after something like this, closing themselves off and ceasing to contact anyone relevant, maintaining their sad little pride, while others… would rise from the ashes.

That might sound a bit exaggerated, but to put it simply, it was a question of overcoming that psychological hurdle; when it stands in front of you, it’s really hard to have the courage and determination to leap over it, because no one knows what will happen once they do. Compared to that risk, turning around and walking away seems like a safer choice—essentially, it’s escapism.

Ling Mo had never thought he’d reach such a moment, so he was caught off guard and forced into a dead end he had created for himself, with only a few seconds to choose left or right—no time for procrastination.

But he didn’t want to give up.

He was unwilling to lose this hard-won warmth, unwilling to push away Xia Xinyan, his ideal girlfriend.

It may also have been the adrenaline from his shock that kicked in. At that moment, he finally made a decision and took that step.

After that… everything became much simpler.

Human mentality is strange that way; before taking action, it’s filled with infinite fear, but after actually taking that step, those previous fears seem trivial—like how many people are scared to give a speech on stage in elementary school, thinking they’ll mess up and be laughed at by their classmates. But once they step on the stage and say the first sentence, they realize… it’s not that big of a deal.

Once you’re up there, being laughed at is just that—it’s not like a piece of meat is going to fall off.

So, Ling Mo was in this state now.

He realized that he wanted Xia Xinyan to be his girlfriend.

No one else would do.

So he would work hard to compensate for all his shortcomings, at least in the game, to become a strong guy worthy of Xia Xinyan.

But as Xia Xinyan said, blindly giving is also selfish, so… shouldn’t he ask for a little return?

At the same time… wasn’t this returning something to Xia Xinyan? After all, she was acting like a girl chasing after him now, so his kiss could count as a return for her effort.

Ling Mo felt that his scheming was not problematic.

Unfortunately, that kiss seemed a bit too shallow.

He should have lingered a little longer.

Tsk, still too thin-skinned.

However, while Ling Mo was lost in his memories, next door, Xia Xinyan was having insomnia.

She was still tangled up over the issue of that kiss… or rather, the issues that stemmed from it.

She didn’t know what was going on with her. Clearly, her memories from over twenty years before her rebirth were still intact, yet she felt no disgust or aversion to Ling Mo’s actions; the only negative emotions she could decipher were confusion and annoyance. Perhaps Tianji’s theory about a genderless soul had some truth to it, but that wasn’t her main concern.

What she was concerned about was whether Ling Mo really thought of her as a girlfriend.

She might be able to accept that she had been assimilated by this body, but she absolutely wouldn’t sell herself to Ling Mo; she had said from the start that she would at most just help pick someone out for him.

She couldn’t imagine what memories she would have if something really happened and she turned back into Ling Mo.

[The host doesn’t need to think about such distant issues, really.]

“…What do you mean?”

[This system…]

“You won’t fail to turn back, right?”

[Of course not, this system never lies.]

“Really?”

[It only produces bugs.]

“…I don’t care what you can do,” Xia Xinyan lay in bed, her tone a little dangerous. “If you can’t turn me back later, I’d rather go down with you.”

[This system can transfer the data to the original system and overwrite it.]

“I’ll just pull him down with me.”

[? Why doesn’t the host try experiencing it? Is it really that important whether you’re male or female? It’s just an objective influencing factor in the process.]

“Okay, you can shut up now.”

Xia Xinyan didn’t want to talk to this guy any further.

She felt like the more she spoke, the darker the future became.

But there was one thing she was sure of: if Ling Mo really treated her as a girlfriend and crossed that line to get a little frisky, then she would have to find a way to change the dynamics of their relationship.

After all, she had been with that guy a little longer. It wouldn’t make sense to let him ride high over her.

That would be a waste.

Just then, Ling Mo’s voice suddenly came from outside the door: “Xinyan, are you asleep?”

Xia Xinyan paused: “No, is there something?”

“Can I come in?”

“…Okay.”

Turning on the room light, Xia Xinyan looked curiously at the door.

What was this guy doing coming over now?

—Then she watched as Ling Mo wobbled in carrying a blanket and a pillow.

“…?”

Xia Xinyan’s eyebrows twitched.

She really couldn’t understand Ling Mo’s actions: “You…”

“I thought you might be scared and unable to sleep because of that dungeon earlier, so I came over to keep you company while you sleep.” Ling Mo smiled foolishly—maybe it was an act, but he skillfully laid out the bedding on the floor and lay down, “Don’t worry, I won’t do anything.”

Xia Xinyan: “…”

He must have been scared, right?

Absolutely, right?

Using this excuse to crash her room? Wouldn’t he be ashamed?

How could he have thicker skin than her?

So he was definitely possessed, right?

[……]

Tianji only let out a barely audible sound, perhaps too lazy to explain further.

Ling Mo was still smiling.

Xia Xinyan guessed correctly; he was indeed a bit scared. After all, he was still a normal person, and such psychological weaknesses couldn’t be completely overcome with just one decision, but he didn’t come over just because of that.

After all, they were adults; it was a bit exaggerated to think a horror movie could scare someone into not sleeping. Whether he was scared himself or thought Xia Xinyan was, it was all just an excuse; the most important thing was that he could use this excuse to draw closer their feelings.

Sharing a bed for the first time—this was a completely different meaning compared to the few times in the game, even if they weren’t sharing a bed, it was still a significant step.

Once that hurdle was crossed, Ling Mo’s inherent dominance began to gradually surface.

He had to take the initiative.

Only then could he gradually wrap Xia Xinyan into his world, and by that time, even if she wanted to run, she probably wouldn’t be able to escape.

He didn’t know where his confidence came from, but he just had confidence.

Maybe this was what it meant for a naïve old virgin to be fearless in the face of challenges.

 

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