“That’s simple enough.”
Yang Haoran already had a plan in mind and spoke without hesitation: “Yaoyao is my sister, as you know. I’ll just tell her about this matter and have her take some similar explicit photos herself to send to you, Professor. This way, you won’t have to worry about me threatening you anymore.”
Gu Qingying looked astonished, still somewhat unable to believe it: “You want Yaoyao to take such photos? Would she be willing?”
“You don’t need to worry about that, Professor. I have ways to persuade Yaoyao,” Yang Haoran said.
“What exactly is your relationship with your sister?” Gu Qingying eyed Yang Haoran suspiciously. It wasn’t that she couldn’t imagine those shocking possibilities, but if Yaoyao would agree to such an exchange of leverage, the nature of the siblings’ relationship was inevitably suspect.
“Professor… you are a teacher, after all,” Yang Haoran said in an accusatory tone. “Having Yaoyao take the photos herself to send to you is entirely different from me taking them of her. What are you thinking? She’s my own biological sister. If you weren’t afraid of me threatening you, Professor, would I be suggesting such a terrible idea?”
Gu Qingying pondered for a moment. It was true: if Yang Haoran held her explicit photos, and she held Yaoyao’s, both parties would have reason to be cautious of each other. It was a form of insurance.
“Fine. What is your second condition?” After agreeing, Gu Qingying felt a wave of shame for betraying her professional ethics as an educator. On the surface, however, she maintained a calm composure, treating Yang Haoran as if he were merely a child.
“I haven’t thought of the second condition yet,” Yang Haoran replied truthfully. “I’ll tell you later, Professor, once I’ve decided.”
Proposing the second condition now would be foolish. If his demands were too excessive, the professor would never agree. If they were too simple, he would be selling himself short. Once the first condition was underway to a certain extent, and he had accumulated numerous explicit photos of Professor Gu, her boundaries would inevitably loosen. After all, once those shameful explicit photos were taken, she would be more likely to agree to even more outrageous demands later on. It was a gradual process, like boiling a frog in warm water.
Hearing Yang Haoran’s words, Gu Qingying secretly breathed a sigh of relief. This little pervert was truly difficult to deal with, but the current situation was still within her limits of acceptance.
“When will you speak to your grandmother?” Having settled Yang Haoran’s conditions, Gu Qingying turned her attention to the matter at hand.
“Is the matter with the principal urgent?”
“Probably not. It’s regarding the investigation into that engineering company. Gathering evidence will take two or three months. But it’s best if your grandmother says something within two months.”
Hearing that it wasn’t urgent, Yang Haoran relaxed. His grandmother hadn’t even returned from Beijing yet!
“Oh, right, Professor, there’s one more small thing.” Yang Haoran’s words immediately made Gu Qingying tense up again, but the latter part of his sentence made her nod in agreement.
“The day after tomorrow, I’d like to ask for leave, and for Yaoyao as well. Just don’t notify my mother, Professor.”
“Fine. If there’s nothing else, you may go.” Gu Qingying waved her hand, dismissing Yang Haoran. Yang Haoran thought for a moment, decided there was no hurry, and left the office. But after taking only a few steps, he saw Ji Youxi standing leisurely by the corridor railing, gazing at the campus scenery.
“Youxi, why haven’t you left?” Yang Haoran walked over, looking puzzled.
“Waiting for you!” Ji Youxi replied with a blossoming smile.
Meanwhile, having just seen Yang Haoran out, Gu Qingying felt a sense of relief, believing she had done her duty by her father. She picked up her water cup, about to take a drink, when a mysterious, mechanically synthesized voice sounded in her mind.
“Player Gu Qingying, you are invited to participate in the Fallen Angel game. Do you accept?”
At first, Gu Qingying thought she was hearing things. But after the mysterious voice repeated itself three times in her mind, she looked around in confusion. The office was empty except for her.
She touched her earsβshe wasn’t wearing earphones.
Moreover, she could clearly sense that the voice was emanating from within her own mind. Instantly, her face turned pale with fear, and her entire body trembled.
“No!”
Whether it was a ghost or some supernatural event, Gu Qingying wanted no part of it. Especially not something called the “Fallen Angel game”βthe name alone suggested it was nothing good. That she didn’t flee the office in terror was a testament to her composure as an adult.
Sure enough, after Gu Qingying said “No,” the voice in her mind announced that the game had failed to load, then fell silent.
Just as Gu Qingying raised her cup to take a drink and calm her nerves, the mysterious mechanically synthesized voice sounded in her mind once again.
“Player Gu Qingying, you are invited to participate in the Fallen Angel game. Do you accept?”
“No!”
“Player Gu Qingying, you are invited to participate in the Fallen Angel game. Do you accept?”
“No!”
“Player Gu Qingying, you are invited to participate in the Fallen Angel game. Do you accept?”
“Aren’t you annoying? Are you a god or a ghost?” Gu Qingying shouted into the empty office, like a tigress unleashing her fury.
Yet, after her outburst, the only response was silence. Gu Qingying instantly felt a chill run down her spine. What was she doing? Was she going mad?
As a teacher, she had never believed in gods or ghosts and had taught her students not to believe in feudal superstitions. But now that she was truly facing something supernatural, her legs felt weak.
The voice, like a lingering spirit, sounded again. This time, Gu Qingying ignored it. However, every minute, the voice would repeat the prompt three times, clearly waiting for her response.
After a while, Gu Qingying calmed down and carefully considered the information. First: “Player Gu Qingying.” It seemed that a player of the Fallen Angel game was inviting her to join, though for some reason, the name wasn’t visible. Second: the “Fallen Angel game.” Judging by the name, sheι’ζ it was nothing good. Third: this was undoubtedly a supernatural event. Fourth: curiosity stirred within her. If she didn’t respond, the voice would continue to sound in her mind every minute without end. She felt she would be driven to mental collapse.
With a mix of unease and curiosity, when the voice in her mind sounded again, Gu Qingying’s full, red lips parted to utter a single word.
“Yes!”
“The game has finished loading. Welcome to the most thrilling and exciting game, [Fallen Angel].”
“Localization detected damage to the main program… Localization failed.”
“Automatic search program initiated… Search completed… Game system localization startup completed.”
“Startup completed!”
“Connecting to intelligent life…”
“Code name Barbarossa successfully connected…”