June 28, 2023 by Wyrd
The desk blocked Ruan Qing, as well as Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi, who were sitting on the same side.
Li Shuyang sat too close to the inside and was blocked by Xia Baiyi, not having any chance to catch the white candle.
The only hope lay with Xia Baiyi.
But Ruan Qing knew she would never go to catch it because it was intentional.
Intentionally provoking him, intentionally bumping into the table, all to extinguish his candle.
Ruan Qing gazed downward, seemingly lost in thought as his white candle fell.
Was it necessary for her to kill him in this way in order to obtain something?
Regardless of her motives, she must be somehow connected to the blessings of midnight.
This connection must be significant, and perhaps an opportunity to understand the monster in the mirror and the nature of the blessings at midnight.
Therefore, Ruan Qing’s actions were intentional. He deliberately placed the white candle on the table, deliberately giving Xia Baiyi a chance to extinguish it.
After all, whether receiving blessings from deities or not, neither had a good outcome. It was better to maximize benefits and let Xia Baiyi extinguish his candle.
That’s why he created an opportunity for Xia Baiyi. After all, she didn’t seem very clever, and if he didn’t create an opportunity for her, she probably wouldn’t be able to find one on her own.
As long as she extinguished his white candle, he could take the opportunity to break up with Xia Baiyi and understand the connection between her and the blessings at midnight.
After all, the location of receiving blessings at midnight twelve was in this locked Class 1-1. Ruan Qing never believed in coincidences. There must be a significant connection to the core of the instance in this place.
Moreover, the most important thing was that seven classmates in front of him had already violated the rules, three of whom were players.
He had just noticed that two players were looking at their phones, and another player inexplicably turned around, although he wasn’t sure why.
In any case, Ruan Qing was definitely the eighth or ninth person who broke the rules. Even if he had to die, it wouldn’t be his turn yet.
No, he could also be the tenth one because the player named Pei Yan sat in the last row of players and he didn’t light the white candle from beginning to end.
Furthermore, Ruan Qing had system props, and a talisman given by other players, so nothing should happen to him so quickly.
Although Ruan Qing comforted himself in this way, he tightly gripped his phone, pressed his lips together, and watched the white candle slowly descend, once again hypnotizing himself.
System: “...” To use hypnosis to this extent, this person was truly ruthless.
As soon as Xia Baiyi knocked Ruan Qing’s white candle off, the livestreams of the players exploded.
[Ah! Help! My wife’s white candle is about to go out! Can someone catch the candle?!]
[Damn Xia Baiyi! Is she crazy!? It’s not enough that her own candle went out. She even wants to harm my wife!? Streamer, go and kill her! I’ll give you points!]
[God Pei, don’t just watch, hurry and save my wife’s candle! It’s over, it’s over, there’s no time to save it anymore, my wife is done for.]
Regardless of the lamentations in the livestreams, the sound of the white candle falling to the ground rang out the next second.
...It sounded twice.
Two white candles were extinguished in response, but neither of the extinguished ones belonged to Ruan Qing. It was Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi’s.
Meanwhile, Ruan Qing’s white candle was in Xiao Shiyi’s hand and hadn’t gone out...
Ruan Qing looked blankly at the white candle in Xiao Shiyi’s hand, still processing what had happened.
Not only him, even the viewers in the livestream were a bit slow to react.
A few seconds ago, when Ruan Qing’s white candle fell, Mo Ran, who was sitting next to him, smoothly slid down his seat, reached under the table, and without hesitation, kicked the falling white candle back up.
The white candle was instantly kicked higher than the desk by him, and then Xiao Shiyi, next to Ruan Qing, quickly supported the table with his hand and successfully caught the white candle.
The actions of the two flowed seamlessly, as if they had rehearsed it for a long time, one kicking and the other catching, displaying perfect coordination.
And Mo Ran clearly intentionally avoided the flames while kicking, so after Xiao Shiyi caught the white candle, the flame only flickered slightly but did not extinguish.
Ruan Qing: “...Ah, this...”
They could even catch that? Were their skills a bit too good?
The actions of the two individuals shattered the plans of Ruan Qing and Xia Baiyi, leaving the people in the classroom somewhat bewildered.
Ruan Qing superficially glanced at the two with a sense of relief, but deep down, there was a sense of unease. The two people’s movements were surprisingly fast, almost moving the moment Xia Baiyi’s white candle was extinguished.
It was as if they knew Xia Baiyi would knock off his white candle. Clearly, their attention was focused on his white candle and Xia Baiyi all along.
Moreover, these two people could have picked up the white candle before Xia Baiyi collided. Even if they were a step slower, they could have stabilized the candle when the table hit their side.
But neither of them managed to stabilize the white candle at the first moment; they only started their actions after Xia Baiyi collided with the table.
Obviously, they were waiting for Xia Baiyi to make an irreparable mistake and then let Ruan Qing leave her behind.
Although he managed to save his own white candle, their own white candles fell to the ground due to their excessive movements and were extinguished immediately.
Ruan Qing looked at the white candle in Xiao Shiyi’s hand and fell into silence.
At least... the purpose of distancing himself from Xia Baiyi should have been achieved.
After kicking the white candle high, Mo Ran grabbed the edge of the table and stood up, looking at Xia Baiyi with a smile that was cold and terrifying. “Classmate Xia, you should be more careful. If there’s another time...”
Although Mo Ran didn’t finish his sentence, everyone in the classroom knew what he wanted to say. After all, his tone and expression had already indicated it.
When Xia Baiyi saw the white candle being caught steady, her eyes darkened for a moment. In the next second, she looked at Ruan Qing with a face on the verge of tears and spoke incoherently, her voice trembling, “Brother Su Qing, I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
“I was just... just too scared, sniffle...”
Xia Baiyi kept talking, but soon burst into tears. Her tears fell like pear blossoms in the rain, and her body trembled slightly, resembling a delicate white flower swaying in the air. She appeared incredibly pitiful and helpless.
However, it was apparent that nobody present appreciated her tears or offered any consolation. They even watched Xia Baiyi as if they were watching a play, especially Li Shuyang, who was the most obvious.
Li Shuyang sat next to Xia Baiyi, almost showing the words “reveling in other’s misfortune” on his face. He even questioned her, “How could you knock over Brother Su Qing’s white candle? Did you do it on purpose!?”
“Yes, exactly,” Mo Ran immediately chimed in, speaking with great fervor. He even smiled at Ruan Qing in an attempt to please him. “If I were you, even if I fell, I couldn’t possibly knock over Brother Su’s white candle. Don’t you think you’re harming Brother Su?”
Xiao Shiyi also agreed and looked at Xia Baiyi disapprovingly. “Even if the legend is false, it’s still inauspicious for the white candle to be extinguished.”
The three of them cast condemning glances at Xia Baiyi, displaying an unexpectedly united front.
Tears streaming down her face, Xia Baiyi shook her head pitifully. “No, it’s not like that. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was just too scared.”
She looked at Ruan Qing and explained urgently, afraid of being misunderstood. “Brother Su Qing, please believe me. I didn’t mean to harm you, wuwuwu...”
As she spoke, she reached out, wanting to hold on to Ruan Qing.
“Don’t touch me,” Ruan Qing directly shook off her hand and spoke coldly. “Don’t call me Brother Su Qing anymore. From now on, we have no relationship.”
“No, Brother Su Qing, what do you mean? Are you breaking up with me? No, I don’t want to break up.” Xia Baiyi shook her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She even wanted to reach out and hold on to Ruan Qing again. “Brother Su Qing, please don’t break up with me. I know I was wrong...”
However, the moment Xia Baiyi reached out, she was pulled away by Mo Ran.
And Ruan Qing didn’t even spare a glance at Xia Baiyi.
Seeing this, Mo Ran’s delight in his eyes grew even stronger. Completely ignoring Xia Baiyi’s tears, he heartlessly pushed her away. “Classmate Xia, you and Brother Su have no relationship anymore. Please don’t approach us casually. Otherwise, I won’t be polite.”
Although Mo Ran looked at Xia Baiyi expressionlessly, seemingly angry at Xia Baiyi’s actions, in reality, the delight in his eyes had long betrayed his true emotions.
Xia Baiyi looked at Ruan Qing, whose face was cold and indifferent. She knew there was no way to salvage their relationship. She cried in despair, slowly turned around, and walked to the other side. Her figure appeared deeply saddened.
The group of players saw Xia Baiyi approaching them but didn’t drive her away. After all, only their two groups remained in the classroom.
Moreover, the other ordinary NPCs had left the classroom as soon as their white candles went out. They were curious to see what consequences would follow the extinguishing of the white candles, so they stayed behind to observe the situation.
However, when Xia Baiyi approached, the players glanced at her warily, not allowing her to come near their own white candles, fearing a repetition of the life-threatening event that had just occurred.
After Xia Baiyi left, Xiao Shiyi handed the white candle to Ruan Qing and solemnly advised, “Brother Su, be careful.”
Ruan Qing responded with an “Hmm,” took the white candle, and the three of them sat down again.
This time, they still had two white candles remaining, Ruan Qing’s and Li Shuyang’s.
The classroom once again fell into silence, with only the sound of Xia Baiyi sobbing, irritating the players who were bothered by her tears.
A tall player glared coldly at Xia Baiyi and said, “Stop crying.”
The tall player had a commanding presence and a stern face that was quite intimidating. Xia Baiyi seemed frightened by him and stopped making any sound, silently shedding tears.
None of the players had the leisure to comfort her; they were all focused on protecting their own white candles as if facing a formidable enemy.
Only fifteen minutes remained until 1 AM, and they just had to endure these last fifteen minutes.
One player stared intently at their white candle, their expression full of nervousness, fearing any mishap.
However, in the next second, they seemed to be possessed, their pupils dilating slightly. Suddenly, the flame in front of them changed and transformed into an extremely venomous snake, which swiftly lunged towards them.
“Ah!” The player let out a piercing scream, widening their eyes, and instinctively dropped the white candle they were holding.
T/N: Whenever ‘they’ is used to describe one person, it’s because it was not mentioned if the POV belonged to a girl or a boy.
June 28, 2023 by Wyrd
The desk blocked Ruan Qing, as well as Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi, who were sitting on the same side.
Li Shuyang sat too close to the inside and was blocked by Xia Baiyi, not having any chance to catch the white candle.
The only hope lay with Xia Baiyi.
But Ruan Qing knew she would never go to catch it because it was intentional.
Intentionally provoking him, intentionally bumping into the table, all to extinguish his candle.
Ruan Qing gazed downward, seemingly lost in thought as his white candle fell.
Was it necessary for her to kill him in this way in order to obtain something?
Regardless of her motives, she must be somehow connected to the blessings of midnight.
This connection must be significant, and perhaps an opportunity to understand the monster in the mirror and the nature of the blessings at midnight.
Therefore, Ruan Qing’s actions were intentional. He deliberately placed the white candle on the table, deliberately giving Xia Baiyi a chance to extinguish it.
After all, whether receiving blessings from deities or not, neither had a good outcome. It was better to maximize benefits and let Xia Baiyi extinguish his candle.
That’s why he created an opportunity for Xia Baiyi. After all, she didn’t seem very clever, and if he didn’t create an opportunity for her, she probably wouldn’t be able to find one on her own.
As long as she extinguished his white candle, he could take the opportunity to break up with Xia Baiyi and understand the connection between her and the blessings at midnight.
After all, the location of receiving blessings at midnight twelve was in this locked Class 1-1. Ruan Qing never believed in coincidences. There must be a significant connection to the core of the instance in this place.
Moreover, the most important thing was that seven classmates in front of him had already violated the rules, three of whom were players.
He had just noticed that two players were looking at their phones, and another player inexplicably turned around, although he wasn’t sure why.
In any case, Ruan Qing was definitely the eighth or ninth person who broke the rules. Even if he had to die, it wouldn’t be his turn yet.
No, he could also be the tenth one because the player named Pei Yan sat in the last row of players and he didn’t light the white candle from beginning to end.
Furthermore, Ruan Qing had system props, and a talisman given by other players, so nothing should happen to him so quickly.
Although Ruan Qing comforted himself in this way, he tightly gripped his phone, pressed his lips together, and watched the white candle slowly descend, once again hypnotizing himself.
System: “...” To use hypnosis to this extent, this person was truly ruthless.
As soon as Xia Baiyi knocked Ruan Qing’s white candle off, the livestreams of the players exploded.
[Ah! Help! My wife’s white candle is about to go out! Can someone catch the candle?!]
[Damn Xia Baiyi! Is she crazy!? It’s not enough that her own candle went out. She even wants to harm my wife!? Streamer, go and kill her! I’ll give you points!]
[God Pei, don’t just watch, hurry and save my wife’s candle! It’s over, it’s over, there’s no time to save it anymore, my wife is done for.]
Regardless of the lamentations in the livestreams, the sound of the white candle falling to the ground rang out the next second.
...It sounded twice.
Two white candles were extinguished in response, but neither of the extinguished ones belonged to Ruan Qing. It was Mo Ran and Xiao Shiyi’s.
Meanwhile, Ruan Qing’s white candle was in Xiao Shiyi’s hand and hadn’t gone out...
Ruan Qing looked blankly at the white candle in Xiao Shiyi’s hand, still processing what had happened.
Not only him, even the viewers in the livestream were a bit slow to react.
A few seconds ago, when Ruan Qing’s white candle fell, Mo Ran, who was sitting next to him, smoothly slid down his seat, reached under the table, and without hesitation, kicked the falling white candle back up.
The white candle was instantly kicked higher than the desk by him, and then Xiao Shiyi, next to Ruan Qing, quickly supported the table with his hand and successfully caught the white candle.
The actions of the two flowed seamlessly, as if they had rehearsed it for a long time, one kicking and the other catching, displaying perfect coordination.
And Mo Ran clearly intentionally avoided the flames while kicking, so after Xiao Shiyi caught the white candle, the flame only flickered slightly but did not extinguish.
Ruan Qing: “...Ah, this...”
They could even catch that? Were their skills a bit too good?
The actions of the two individuals shattered the plans of Ruan Qing and Xia Baiyi, leaving the people in the classroom somewhat bewildered.
Ruan Qing superficially glanced at the two with a sense of relief, but deep down, there was a sense of unease. The two people’s movements were surprisingly fast, almost moving the moment Xia Baiyi’s white candle was extinguished.
It was as if they knew Xia Baiyi would knock off his white candle. Clearly, their attention was focused on his white candle and Xia Baiyi all along.
Moreover, these two people could have picked up the white candle before Xia Baiyi collided. Even if they were a step slower, they could have stabilized the candle when the table hit their side.
But neither of them managed to stabilize the white candle at the first moment; they only started their actions after Xia Baiyi collided with the table.
Obviously, they were waiting for Xia Baiyi to make an irreparable mistake and then let Ruan Qing leave her behind.
Although he managed to save his own white candle, their own white candles fell to the ground due to their excessive movements and were extinguished immediately.
Ruan Qing looked at the white candle in Xiao Shiyi’s hand and fell into silence.
At least... the purpose of distancing himself from Xia Baiyi should have been achieved.
After kicking the white candle high, Mo Ran grabbed the edge of the table and stood up, looking at Xia Baiyi with a smile that was cold and terrifying. “Classmate Xia, you should be more careful. If there’s another time...”
Although Mo Ran didn’t finish his sentence, everyone in the classroom knew what he wanted to say. After all, his tone and expression had already indicated it.
When Xia Baiyi saw the white candle being caught steady, her eyes darkened for a moment. In the next second, she looked at Ruan Qing with a face on the verge of tears and spoke incoherently, her voice trembling, “Brother Su Qing, I... I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to...”
“I was just... just too scared, sniffle...”
Xia Baiyi kept talking, but soon burst into tears. Her tears fell like pear blossoms in the rain, and her body trembled slightly, resembling a delicate white flower swaying in the air. She appeared incredibly pitiful and helpless.
However, it was apparent that nobody present appreciated her tears or offered any consolation. They even watched Xia Baiyi as if they were watching a play, especially Li Shuyang, who was the most obvious.
Li Shuyang sat next to Xia Baiyi, almost showing the words “reveling in other’s misfortune” on his face. He even questioned her, “How could you knock over Brother Su Qing’s white candle? Did you do it on purpose!?”
“Yes, exactly,” Mo Ran immediately chimed in, speaking with great fervor. He even smiled at Ruan Qing in an attempt to please him. “If I were you, even if I fell, I couldn’t possibly knock over Brother Su’s white candle. Don’t you think you’re harming Brother Su?”
Xiao Shiyi also agreed and looked at Xia Baiyi disapprovingly. “Even if the legend is false, it’s still inauspicious for the white candle to be extinguished.”
The three of them cast condemning glances at Xia Baiyi, displaying an unexpectedly united front.
Tears streaming down her face, Xia Baiyi shook her head pitifully. “No, it’s not like that. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was just too scared.”
She looked at Ruan Qing and explained urgently, afraid of being misunderstood. “Brother Su Qing, please believe me. I didn’t mean to harm you, wuwuwu...”
As she spoke, she reached out, wanting to hold on to Ruan Qing.
“Don’t touch me,” Ruan Qing directly shook off her hand and spoke coldly. “Don’t call me Brother Su Qing anymore. From now on, we have no relationship.”
“No, Brother Su Qing, what do you mean? Are you breaking up with me? No, I don’t want to break up.” Xia Baiyi shook her head in disbelief, tears streaming down her face. She even wanted to reach out and hold on to Ruan Qing again. “Brother Su Qing, please don’t break up with me. I know I was wrong...”
However, the moment Xia Baiyi reached out, she was pulled away by Mo Ran.
And Ruan Qing didn’t even spare a glance at Xia Baiyi.
Seeing this, Mo Ran’s delight in his eyes grew even stronger. Completely ignoring Xia Baiyi’s tears, he heartlessly pushed her away. “Classmate Xia, you and Brother Su have no relationship anymore. Please don’t approach us casually. Otherwise, I won’t be polite.”
Although Mo Ran looked at Xia Baiyi expressionlessly, seemingly angry at Xia Baiyi’s actions, in reality, the delight in his eyes had long betrayed his true emotions.
Xia Baiyi looked at Ruan Qing, whose face was cold and indifferent. She knew there was no way to salvage their relationship. She cried in despair, slowly turned around, and walked to the other side. Her figure appeared deeply saddened.
The group of players saw Xia Baiyi approaching them but didn’t drive her away. After all, only their two groups remained in the classroom.
Moreover, the other ordinary NPCs had left the classroom as soon as their white candles went out. They were curious to see what consequences would follow the extinguishing of the white candles, so they stayed behind to observe the situation.
However, when Xia Baiyi approached, the players glanced at her warily, not allowing her to come near their own white candles, fearing a repetition of the life-threatening event that had just occurred.
After Xia Baiyi left, Xiao Shiyi handed the white candle to Ruan Qing and solemnly advised, “Brother Su, be careful.”
Ruan Qing responded with an “Hmm,” took the white candle, and the three of them sat down again.
This time, they still had two white candles remaining, Ruan Qing’s and Li Shuyang’s.
The classroom once again fell into silence, with only the sound of Xia Baiyi sobbing, irritating the players who were bothered by her tears.
A tall player glared coldly at Xia Baiyi and said, “Stop crying.”
The tall player had a commanding presence and a stern face that was quite intimidating. Xia Baiyi seemed frightened by him and stopped making any sound, silently shedding tears.
None of the players had the leisure to comfort her; they were all focused on protecting their own white candles as if facing a formidable enemy.
Only fifteen minutes remained until 1 AM, and they just had to endure these last fifteen minutes.
One player stared intently at their white candle, their expression full of nervousness, fearing any mishap.
However, in the next second, they seemed to be possessed, their pupils dilating slightly. Suddenly, the flame in front of them changed and transformed into an extremely venomous snake, which swiftly lunged towards them.
“Ah!” The player let out a piercing scream, widening their eyes, and instinctively dropped the white candle they were holding.
T/N: Whenever ‘they’ is used to describe one person, it’s because it was not mentioned if the POV belonged to a girl or a boy.
