The Story of Love Obstacle Corridor Academy

Promotional animations for Love Obstacle Corridor Academy Season 2 flashed incessantly all across the Golden Bee Amusement Park. The clamorous electronic music surged once more like a rising tide, washing over the nighttime sky of the entire park in a haze of psychedelic illumination. Along the path leading to the central courtyard stage, the spotlight beams burned brighter, focusing with ever-greater intensity. Minier had already led Lanqi through the turnstiles of Love Obstacle Corridor Academy. Without keeping the audience waiting long, the event administrator and emcee—dressed in a golden bumblebee mascot costume—adroitly pulled out an activation key and slotted it into the core terminal of the artificial Shadow World. Accompanied by a crisp mechanical click, the Void Gate slowly swung open. A faint blue luminescence swirled within its frame, forming a vortex that opened into an unknown dimension. "In this artificial entertainment-type Shadow World, there will be a brief rest period between each question, during which both participants may decide whether to concede and exit!" The little bee emcee's voice carried clearly across the entire courtyard stage. She was solemnly laying out the rules during the warm-up phase. Not only the spectators gathered around the open-air theater, but even tourists lined up outside distant amusement rides found their gazes involuntarily drawn toward the colossal screen hanging above the stage. The display abruptly erupted in dazzling brilliance. In the center of the screen, a rainbow-colored spacetime tunnel stretched open, with countless streaking stars shooting rapidly across it. Then the visual snapped shut, plunging into a brief void of pure white. In that split second, brisk, bubbly synthpop exploded across the night sky like popping corn. "♫ Badump, meow~ ♫ Just like a roller coaster~ ♫ Why is my heart beating badump-badump~ ♫ Turned into a timid little cat~" Amid this upbeat, slightly off-kilter background music, an invisible hand drew back the pitch-black curtain. What greeted everyone's eyes was a brand-new scene: [Shadow World: Love Obstacle Corridor Academy II]. It was a dreamlike space assembled from blocks of hyper-saturated color. It resembled a music classroom, yet also felt like a stage stacked together from giant toy blocks. The light and sky outside the windows no longer adhered to the laws of physics, shifting freely at will—now a gentle dawn, now a fiery dusk, draped in an ethereal aesthetic found only in paradises. Lanqi and Minier materialized in the center of the classroom. They sat side by side, one on the left and one on the right. Each held a small chalkboard, facing directly toward the camera. By now, their attire had already shifted. In place of their earlier garments were youthful, vibrant summer school uniforms in white and green. Well-tailored shirts, neatly tied bows at their collars, and crisp trousers and a pleated skirt below radiated the spirited vitality unique to a campus. "Lanqi, don't we look like we're going to school together?" Minier adapted to her new role with absolute ease. "No matter when, no matter where, and no matter what I wear, I am the Dean." Lanqi tilted his head slightly and answered. "...Your obsession is bordering on terrifying. No wonder you're so handsome, yet barely any girls ever approach you at Ikerite Academy." Minier sighed, unimpressed. They chatted idly inside this artificial Shadow World, testing out its special features. A simple wave of a hand or a light tap of a fingertip against the little chalkboard caused exaggerated visual icons—stars, hearts, exclamation marks—to pop into the air with playful "pling-pling" sound effects, making the Shadow World feel even more lighthearted and carefree. "Oho! Are you two ready?" A cartoon bee sprite suddenly popped out of thin air. It spiraled twice above their heads, trailing pixelated afterimages, before leveling its honey-dripping baton at them. As the administrator bridging the outside venue and the Shadow World, the virtual little bee emcee not only controlled the pacing within, but could also project every single frame from this music classroom onto the giant screen outside in real time. Were it not for the overwhelming fantasy atmosphere of the Shadow World, peeling back that virtual filter would leave the two sitting side by side looking extraordinarily like an older sister and younger brother attending school together, staging a comical pantomime during recess. Meanwhile, the Golden Bee Amusement Park's professional broadcast director showcased top-tier framing and capture skills, wielding cinematic language to perfection. The feed on the giant screen was crisply divided, alternating between close-ups of subtle expressions on the two inside the classroom, panning across the bustling crowds outside the theater, and even sweeping over spectators who were covering their mouths in giggles of pleasant surprise, stoking the festive, sitcom-like atmosphere to a fever pitch. "I'm ready." Minier elegantly adjusted her posture, resting her chin on one hand. Her dark eyes sparkled with amusement. "Oho, will you be able to teach me a lesson today, our supremely confident Mr. Lanqi?" Looking at the youth sitting bolt upright beside her, the smile at the corners of her lips deepened, tinged with a hint of provocation. Having endured an entire afternoon of trash talk, Lanqi took a deep breath and chose not to strike back. "I don't run romance cram schools over here, Miss Minier." He tilted his head slightly, maintaining his polite demeanor as he answered. "..." "..." Emerald eyes met dark crimson. The air between them froze, then instantly ignited. Though both wore gentle smiles on their faces, right where their gazes collided—amplified by the special-effects-laden Shadow World—crackling cocoons of electricity and bursting sparks manifested midair. This explosive pre-game banter, amplified through the public loudspeakers, successfully detonated the enthusiasm of the crowd below, drawing a continuous roar from spectators who had just taken their seats in the stands. "Let's begin." Inside the music classroom, both Lanqi and Minier agreed to start. The pixel particles floating in the air rearranged themselves, flowing smoothly together into the concise rules of this Shadow World, which hovered line by line before their eyes: [The small chalkboard magic tools held by the male and female participants will display their true, real-time heart rates.] [In this classroom of love, you will take turns reciting the lines written by the other party.] [Anyone unable to read their lines will be considered to have forfeited.] "..." The moment Lanqi saw those three lines, his heart gave a slight jolt, flooded with a feeling both familiar and strange. These rules were completely different from last time. In Season 1 of Love Obstacle Corridor Academy, the rules involved taking turns answering questions, after which the Shadow World would determine whether the answer was true or false; failing to answer or lying was deemed a forfeiture. Season 2, however, had shifted to making the other person read what you wrote. It was vastly more aggressive, more proactive, and far more unpredictable. From the corner of his eye, Lanqi glanced at his neighbor. Minier was engrossed in reading the remaining rules, her eager expression suggesting she was already plotting how to play. The rules continued to emerge: [If both choose to read, the winner will be determined by total score.] [The other party's highest heart rate in that round will become your score.] [Note: Please do your utmost to make your opponent's heart soar!] [Note: For example, if A writes a line, and B's heart rate reaches 100 after reading it, A will earn 100 points for that round.] [Note: Reaching the seventh round will grant an Animal Forest limited-edition chocolate gift box, regardless of who wins.] Reading up to this point, Lanqi had grasped the core logic of the game. It was very simple. It still consisted of fourteen sub-rounds across seven full rounds. Yet the key to victory was no longer honest answers, but driving the other's heart rate through the roof. That was precisely why this season of Love Obstacle Corridor Academy bore that thematic title: "Operation Heartbeat." "This is quite intriguing, Lanqi. We should have played this a long time ago." Minier rested her chin on one hand. Holding the small chalkboard emblazoned with a pixel heart, she gave it a light wave toward Lanqi. The front of the slate was a script for indulging mischievous impulses, meant for penning lines they wished to force the other to speak aloud before the world; the back was an honest mirror, its red digits shamelessly betraying the exact frequency at which the heart in one's chest was beating. "Both participants will have one minute of prep time to compose the lines they wish the other to recite!" "During this time, both slates will be shrouded in mist, so neither can see what the other is writing!" "Only when the recitation phase officially begins will the words reveal themselves, character by character, before the speaker's eyes!" "A coin toss will determine who reads first in each round!" The emcee's commentary explained the key procedural points to the crowd outside. "Indeed. At least this time there's no gray-haired girl to cause trouble." Lanqi glanced at the back of his own small chalkboard. The digits there were pulsing at an exceptionally steady rhythm. Around 70. Minier's side showed a similar number. This was a contest of strategy, as well as a duel of psychological composure. "It seems our challengers are brimming with confidence! Then let us wait and see what dazzling performance they bring to Love Obstacle Corridor Academy!" Midair, the golden-tinted little bee emcee fluttered her wings. Amid energetic synth music and playful chimes, having finished explaining the rules, she refocused her attention on Lanqi and Minier. "The purpose of this Operation Heartbeat is to share entertaining couple's banter—you could say it's practically a wholesome exchange of amusing anecdotes!" The honey microphone in the host's hand sprayed colorful pixel particles. "It will absolutely not ruin anyone's summer, nor anyone's career, and no one will get hurt or publicly condemned because of it..." She rattled off the friendly pre-game disclaimer. Lanqi and Minier listened quietly. They each already had their lines for the first round fully planned. Because too few visitors had signed up for Love Obstacle Corridor Academy Season 2, the organizers of the Golden Bee Amusement Park had simply scrapped the couples-only restriction to liven things up. The gates were thrown wide open, and the event's nature had completely drifted from a "test of love" into a "psychological sport." As long as two people were willing to play together, no matter their relationship, persevering until the seventh round would allow them to walk away with the rewards and limited-edition prizes. Of course... It had likely still ruined quite a few people's summers. Otherwise, the emcee wouldn't have gone out of her way to put up such elaborate verbal shields. Yet for Lanqi and Minier, seated at opposite ends of the desks, those so-called rewards were mere worldly trivialities. Neither of them was doing this purely for a box of limited-edition sweets, nor for a heap of Golden Bee coins. After waiting a moment, the emcee officially announced the start of round one. "Round One, begin!" The little bee host flew a full, excited loop in the air before striking a classic referee pose. "You have one minute to write your content!" she announced. Without rushing, both Lanqi and Minier put pen to slate, stopping several dozen seconds later. A giant gold coin was tossed high, tumbling in the air with flashes of golden light before landing heavily. The side bearing Minier's pixel avatar landed face-up. That meant Lanqi had lost the coin toss. According to the rules, the loser read first. In this round, Lanqi would have to recite the line Minier had meticulously concocted for him. A crisp chime sounded from the slate in his hands. Across the previously blank surface, elegant calligraphy slowly surfaced as if written by an unseen hand. [Before...] Lanqi's gaze swept over the words, and he read them in his customary public-speaking cadence: "Before everything begins, I would first like to extend my greetings to the big boss of our chamber of commerce, my most respected Duke Micah Aransal..." Reaching this point, his expression twitched ever so slightly, as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of green tea spiked with wasabi. Yet that strange look vanished in a flash, and he calmly carried on reading to the end: "What I truly wish to say is—retire already, you old geezer! Hand over your ducal mansion to me, and surrender your younger sister to me as well!" At a time like this, even when reading such lines, one had to remain unruffled. As the final syllable fell, despite the invisible barrier separating the Shadow World from the outside, the gasps of shock from the audience stands came through loud and clear via the broadcast feed. "Whoa!" "Not only does he want the family estate, he wants the Duke's sister too? That's not a confession, that's an insult to the Duke and a declaration of war!" "Hold on, if she dared to let him write that, she must have considered the issue of offending noble prestige. Could it be..." "Is the one sitting next to him the Duke's sister?!" Listening to these voices, Minier, seated opposite him, seemed thoroughly delighted with the result. "Oho~" She parted her lips in mock astonishment. "Starting off with a bang, are we, Lanqi?" Minier gloated, yet she didn't look at Lanqi's face. Her eyes were fixed squarely on the back of the slate in Lanqi's hand—where the digits were shifting in response to his proclamation. ... On a bustling main thoroughfare on the other side of the Golden Bee Amusement Park. "Boss Cat, can we do more team-building like this in the future?" Antanas currently had the sacred beast of the Creti Empire perched steadily atop her head. "Sure, meow." Boss Cat had also had a wonderful time today. It walked in front alongside Antanas, with Sinora beside them, while Talia and Iphatia trailed behind, eating as they strolled. Because roadside snack shops constantly lured them away, they had ended up lagging behind without even realizing it. Just as they were planning where to eat dinner, the projection crystal screens positioned every few paces throughout the amusement park suddenly stopped their cycle of notices and advertisements, switching over to broadcast the lively limited-time night event in the central courtyard. [Love Obstacle Corridor Academy Season 2 Has Begun!] "Wow, our luck is great tonight—we actually ran into the limited event!" Antanas tilted her head up, watching the countdown on the screen. With events like this, one might visit without ever catching them, or they might open without any players stepping forward. "At a time like this, there are actually brave souls daring enough to challenge it?" Sinora chimed in with excitement. "I wonder which bold, foolish couple it is." "I hope they last a few rounds. Otherwise, there probably won't be a second pair willing to go up tonight." Back during the first season that had ruined so many couples, they had completely missed the live spectacle due to work, only catching edited highlight reels on the Hutton Times Broadcasting Company's program later on. Yet everyone knew highlights and live broadcasts were two entirely different beasts. For a show driven by psychological emergencies, the true flavor lay in witnessing that unpredictable stage of fate and the real-time reactions! How could an edited recap ever replicate that suffocating, laugh-out-loud tension? "Quick, we need to grab good seats!" Excited as a child, Iphatia had already caught on. Sandwiched between Antanas and Sinora, she raised her hands happily and spun a light pirouette, her dress blooming outward like a flower. If they arrived late, they would be stuck on the outer perimeter staring at the backs of people's heads. Seats in an open-air theater like that were bound to be snatched up in no time! "All right, whatever you say. We'll eat later and head to the courtyard theater first." Talia watched her sister's carefree display and agreed without hesitation. As long as her sister was happy, enduring a little hunger for a while was of no consequence. "The courtyard, meow..." Perched atop Antanas's head, Boss Cat swept its gaze across the packed crowd around them, its ears twitching. "Pranay went off to buy ice cream just now. Will he be able to find us later, meow?" "Boss Cat, are you really asking if an eighth-tier Prophet will lose track of us in an amusement park?" Antanas knew full well that Pranay was an authentic divination prodigy. Foreseeing the future and tracing pathways were easier for him than breathing. "Don't worry. No matter where you leave my brother, he can always find us," Sinora added. As they talked, the white light on the projection screen finally dispersed. It clearly revealed the faces of the male and female protagonists seated inside the doodled music classroom. There was a dark-haired, green-eyed youth in a youthful school uniform, and beside him sat a noble lady wearing a playful smile, her presence exuding elegance and cunning. "Wait?" Talia stopped dead in her tracks almost instantly. She tapped her sister's shoulder, motioning for Iphatia to look at the screen. "What is it? Huh? Ah?!" Iphatia looked up, and the moment she saw those two all-too-familiar faces on the display, she let out single-syllable exclamations of sheer bewilderment and shock. Antanas and Sinora, who had been chattering a second ago, also fell abruptly silent. "How could it be the two of them?" Antanas instinctively glanced back at Talia and Iphatia, her mind spinning rapidly as she tried to come up with a plausible explanation. "Ahem, well... that Shadow World effect is really well-made, meow!" Boss Cat also sensed that disaster was brewing, waving its paws frantically as it tried to smooth things over with dry banter. "Should we... should we find seats first, meow?" "Right, let's get to the theater first," Sinora agreed firmly. Now, regardless of the reason, they had to go. No matter who was up there, the show was bound to be spectacular! "Fine. We can go find them anyway, and have dinner together when it's over." Though confusion and disbelief flashed through Talia's and Iphatia's eyes, they swiftly regained their composure from the initial shock. The group reached a consensus and set off toward the courtyard theater. Fortunately, it wasn't far; they would arrive soon. Along the way, the screens they passed from time to time continued to display the ongoing Shadow World event. Inside the music classroom, the background melody lingered. Lanqi had just concluded his proclamation. It was Minier's turn. Her gaze settled on the slate where new text had just refreshed. "Even though I already have a family of my own, it does not diminish the uneasy fluttering of my heart on the day you took my hand..." Minier read aloud, slightly adjusting her posture. Then she raised her head, letting her gaze drift lightly over the desk to land on Lanqi. Her red lips parted slightly, her voice as steady as if recounting an established truth: "If faced with the same situation again, my answer remains unchanged: it does not matter; let us begin, you and I, even if it is on Valentine's Day." Her dark eyes reflected the script, yet showed no other emotional fluctuation, as though she were simply skimming an inconsequential morning paper. Even if she sounded and looked entirely unfazed, the slight flutter in her heart rate betrayed her. The jeers and cheers of the audience below surged into their ears like ocean waves through the broadcast feed. "Neither of their heart rates changed much!" "Even after reading lines that suffocating, the numbers on the back of their slates only hovered around 80!" "With lines like that, shouldn't their hearts be exploding?" "Even normal friends would probably feel flustered hearing the other say something like that..." "Just how intimate of lovers must they be to be this accustomed to each other?!" Some spectators even began to wonder if this was the pinnacle of tacit, unspoken flirtation—pushing and pulling with supreme subtlety. These discussions carried clearly into their ears, leaving both Lanqi and Minier feeling a pang of awkwardness as they sat in the classroom. They were merely experts keeping their cool. Why was it that neither being flustered somehow led to an even bigger misunderstanding? Meanwhile, along the path to the courtyard theater in the Golden Bee Amusement Park: "Whoa, Mikhail!" Iphatia stared at the screen, a look of disappointment and disbelief on her face. She seemed thoroughly displeased by Minier's lack of reaction. Antanas and Sinora stole glances at the sisters. Yet Talia, walking beside Iphatia, remained extraordinarily calm. "Ipha, those two clowns are just up there fooling around for laughs. Don't let it get to you." Talia reached out and gently patted her sister's shoulder, like comforting a little girl who had gotten too invested in a soap opera. Her golden eyes gazed placidly at the two on screen, carrying the magnanimity of a mature elder. "If you take it seriously, you lose," she made sure to remind her sister with earnest gravity. At this moment, her poised, carefree demeanor was the very picture of a mature, steady princess who had seen through it all. Everything happening on that screen was nothing more than children playing house; it couldn't stir the slightest ripple in her heart. "Ugh." Iphatia still couldn't manage to be as dignified as her sister. ... Back inside the Shadow World, the first round of clashes had drawn to a close. "Fine, you're good," Minier muttered under her breath, turning her head aside. The content Lanqi wrote for the first round had seemed plain at first glance, even somewhat bluntly stated, but delivered with his distinctive cadence and phrasing, those simple words had transformed into something rife with scandalous undertones. After round one, although the heart rate on the back of Minier's slate had stayed around eighty—well within normal fluctuation—it had indeed crept one or two beats higher than Lanqi's. On that ruthless scoreboard, Lanqi had taken a 2-point lead. "You didn't show any mercy either," Lanqi said from across the desk, completely indifferent to Minier's pouting, feigned-cute expression. He knew this woman's true nature all too well. Never mind that she had worn a nun's habit earlier, packaging herself like an unworldly angel—that opening line she had made him recite dabbled in insulting nobility, declarations of war, and all sorts of peril. No decent human being could have written such lines. "My deepest apologies! Seeing you two hesitate earlier, I presumed to invite you up to prove your status as a couple—how presumptuous of me!" "To think that after exchanging such forbidden sweet nothings, neither of your hearts would even flinch!" The little bee host trembled with excitement midair, her oversized cartoon eyes blinking so fast they almost turned into headlights. She bowed profusely toward the camera in exaggerated apology, immediately triggering a wave of laughter from the crowd outside. Ever since Love Obstacle Corridor Academy Season 2 launched, the more controversial the participants were, the better the showmanship, and the more frenzied the atmosphere in the Golden Bee Amusement Park became. The number of people tuning in to this limited event was likely skyrocketing. At this twilight dinner hour where dusk met nightfall, visitors' enthusiasm for rides would normally experience a brief slump. Yet this brand-new, gossip-laden program served as a potent shot of dopamine, striking people's nerves with pinpoint precision and smoothly bridging their mood toward the dazzling, firework-filled night carnival of the Golden Bee Amusement Park. "You two may now choose to exit Love Obstacle Corridor, or proceed to the second round. What is your choice?" "A friendly reminder: completing only one round yields no rewards whatsoever—not even a single Golden Bee coin as a participation prize!" The host waved her baton, asking the pair. "I certainly won't surrender," Minier said haughtily, turning her head away. "Then we continue," Lanqi answered crisply. He currently held the advantage; there was no reason to pull out while riding the wind. "Splendid! Both participants are brimming with fighting spirit! Then please begin writing your lines. One-minute countdown starts now!" Amid the little bee host's spirited declaration, the game's sound effects and the ticking countdown sounded simultaneously. Without hesitation, both picked up their pens at once, writing the lines they intended the other to recite for round two upon their small slates. The one-minute countdown flew by amid the audience's passionate debates. The floating pixel numbers finally hit zero, dissipating into countless colorful shards. "Round Two: Recitation Phase!" At the emcee's command, the coin of destiny representing turn order was tossed high once more, flashing brilliant gold beneath the spotlights. This time, the coin settled with Lanqi's pixel portrait facing up. Lanqi had won. Minier had to read first. "..." Minier lowered her eyelashes slightly, her gaze falling upon the slate in her hand. There, Lanqi's handwriting was beginning to surface. Under these game rules, hesitation meant defeat. Pausing for longer than three seconds would be judged a forfeiture. Thus, players often had to commit to reading or not before they even had time to see the end of the sentence—a rule steeped in the designer's pure malice. She slowly read the line aloud: "Let me let you in on a secret: hidden inside the basement of the Aransal Ducal Mansion are many treasures unknown to the world." As the final syllable fell, Minier's pupils contracted slightly. She snapped her head up, staring across at Lanqi in sheer disbelief. That momentary shock was impossible to fake. The red digits on the back of her slate finally jumped, surging briefly and crossing the 90 mark with ease. However, it lasted only an instant. "Careful, or I'll sue you for sexual harassment and invasion of privacy." Though she had never let Lanqi visit the basement level, Lanqi had evidently pieced together through various clues that beneath the mansion lay Minier's walk-in closet and private quarters. "Surely the Duke wouldn't have a guilty conscience?" Lanqi countered. "If I were using life alchemy magic, you'd be finished, you idiot," Minier poked him. "..." Lanqi pondered briefly. At times like this, he couldn't tell whether Minier was bluffing or telling the truth. She lied with effortless mastery. "Hehe, enough nonsense. Your turn." Minier quickly steadied her breathing, the surprise in her eyes fading until only aloof pride remained. She narrowed her eyes slightly, gazing at Lanqi like a predator sizing up prey that didn't know its own doom. He shouldn't think he had gained the upper hand this round. She clearly knew what sort of lethal blow she had prepared for him next. The one who truly had reason to fear this round was Lanqi. [Talia...] Lanqi looked down at the slate in his hands. The writing materialized. With no way out, he recited: "Talia, Hyperion, Sigrid—out of the three of you, my favorite is." His voice stopped abruptly. The line ended right there. Minier had only written that much; she hadn't provided an answer for him. Lanqi's expression froze, and his throat felt as though it were being throttled. He felt the soothing atmosphere of the music classroom instantly transform into a scorching execution ground. "Mm-hmm?" Minier let out a delighted hum, the satisfaction of a hunter watching prey blunder into her snare. She couldn't resist reaching out, lightly prodding Lanqi's cheek with her fingertip, urging him to hurry up and speak. "Why don't you dare finish it?" she asked softly, her tone as gentle as a mother doting on a child. ... Golden Bee Amusement Park, Central Courtyard. Across from the open-air theater stage, the audience stands turned into a boiling pot of oil, and that unfinished line was a drop of cold water splashed into it, detonating the entire scene in an instant. "Wait, there are other women?!" "Then what's his relationship with the dark-haired beauty on stage?" "Could it be that the dark-haired beauty only ranks fourth or fifth in his heart?!" Unlike the gossip-hungry spectators, "Who is it?! Why don't you dare say it! Whose name belongs in that blank!" Talia shot to her feet like a cat whose tail had been stepped on. Entirely oblivious to her surroundings, her golden eyes blazed with tangible fury, looking as though she might storm into the Shadow World at any second, barge into that wretched classroom, grab Lanqi by the collar, and demand an answer. "Sister, Sister! Calm down!" Iphatia wrapped her arms tightly around Talia's slender waist. With all her might, she dragged her sister—whom she had never seen so enraged—back toward her seat. "Those two clowns are just up there fooling around for laughs! Don't let it get to you! If you take it seriously, you lose!" she shouted into her sister's ear, trying to drown out the tsunami of jeers around them, terrified that her sister might genuinely go berserk and tear the amusement park apart in broad daylight. "Meow..." Boss Cat let out a feeble whimper, curling into a ball of fur. At this moment, even Antanas and Sinora, who usually seemed relatively composed, had been completely infected by the atmosphere, their eyes gleaming with pure schadenfreude. Looking at the blank left unwritten on the screen, Boss Cat couldn't help but feel a chill of dread toward Minier. This wasn't mercy; it was a poison-tipped velvet dagger. If Minier had casually filled in a name just now—even Sigrid or Hyperion—Lanqi could easily have explained afterward that Minier had framed him for game theatrics, brushing it off and turning the page. Yet Minier had intentionally left it blank. She had dumped the burden of explanation and the boundless room for imagination entirely onto Lanqi. And onto Talia, who was watching from outside the screen. Once the game ended, Lanqi would still have to face this question, subjected to Talia's relentless cross-examination and suspicion. Compared to the grade-school antics between Lanqi and Talia last time, this psychological contest between Lanqi and Minier was a true war of romance waged with their very souls on the line. Boss Cat shifted its gaze back to the music classroom on the screen. On the back of the slate Lanqi held, the red heart rate numbers were rapidly approaching the 100 mark. In Round Two, Minier had scored an overwhelming victory. "Congratulations, you two have completed two rounds! You may now claim a single Golden Bee coin as a participation prize!" The little bee emcee fluttered her wings in midair, asking as a matter of routine, "Now then, will you choose to take this coin and cash out, or proceed to the heart-pounding third round?" "I can continue," Minier leaned against the back of her chair, crossing her legs, wearing the magnanimous smile characteristic of a victor. It was as though she were saying she could accept Lanqi's surrender, or wait to enjoy even more amusing spectacles. "Let's continue," Lanqi glanced at the scoreboard, where the total gap was currently near 10 points, and nodded. A seven-round game had only just begun. He had plenty of margin for error to turn the tables. "Wonderful! Both participants are brimming with morale! Then I won't waste words on the procedure." "Round Three, please begin writing your lines. Countdown starts now!" At the emcee's command, the stopwatch began ticking again. This time, both set their pens down with caution. Approaching the midpoint of the match, both needed to tread carefully; this round could very well lay the foundation for the ultimate victor. "Three, two, one—time's up!" The moment the countdown hit zero, the coin of destiny rose again in the center of the screen, spun, and fell. *Clink.* This time, Minier's avatar landed face-up. She had won the coin toss. Lanqi had to read the line Minier had prepared first. [My...] His slate vibrated faintly, the calligraphy rising to the surface. Lanqi's gaze briefly swept over the coming words, and his previously tight lips twitched uncontrollably. "My fiancées are wonderful in every way, except that their combined age is... over eight hundred and forty years old...?" His voice carried a tremor akin to walking a tightrope. That noticeable pause was not merely hesitation; it sounded far more like someone desperately stifling laughter. "...We're practically running out of birthday candles for next year." Having read the final word, Lanqi pressed his lips tightly together, his brow furrowing as he even covered his face with one hand. The true difficulty of this line wasn't anything else—it was holding back his laughter. ... Outside the venue. In the open-air theater's audience stands outside Love Obstacle Corridor Academy. A single sentence from the male participant had ignited the atmosphere, triggering a chain chemical reaction. To ordinary spectators who were out of the loop, that statement sounded like an utterly jaw-dropping, explosive confession! "His fiancées' combined age is over eight hundred years?!" A simple math problem made the men in the audience draw sharp breaths. "Just how many fiancées does this guy have to reach that number?!" "And where does the dark-haired beauty on stage rank among them?!" "..." Just like the crowd around her, "Two times two is four, two times four is eight... Does Big Brother really have more than forty fiancées?" Iphatia was instinctively counting on her fingers, doing multiplication and division with genuine curiosity and shock over the number. However, she felt a scorching heat beside her. She instantly realized where the problem lay. Beside her, Talia's face was terrifyingly dark, the atmospheric pressure around her plunging several degrees. "Ah, haha, I miscalculated." Iphatia hurriedly stopped her math, pulled her hands back, and sat bolt upright like an elementary schooler who had done something wrong. "I'm not angry." Talia took a deep breath, her chest rising and falling slightly. "..." Iphatia didn't dare make a peep beside her. Although she had felt a bit uncomfortable after hearing the first round's lines, seeing her sister in this state now somehow brought her a sudden sense of relief. She even felt a faint sense of emotional balance. "Perhaps Minier is deliberately messing around," Antanas observed with a sharp eye, clutching a handful of popcorn. She had slipped away to buy some snacks just now. The line Minier wrote for Lanqi this round hadn't actually been very malicious; it was practically teasing Lanqi to make him laugh. Perhaps she was letting Lanqi off easy. Or perhaps she was blatantly signaling to Lanqi that her margin for error was so massive she could crush him while playing casually. "That's exactly how she mocked Tenth Progenitor Ulysses in Blood Moon City, meow," Boss Cat recalled the past. It leaned toward believing Minier was taunting him mid-game. Back then, following strike team commander Abigail, it had witnessed firsthand how that Night Cardinal humiliated Tenth Progenitor Ulysses. Such a spiteful personality couldn't be hidden, even in a different setting. "Still, Lanqi! After that unfinished fill-in-the-blank question from last round, he's probably going to retaliate," Sinora recalled the abruptly halted confession Minier had forced Lanqi to read earlier, still struggling to hold back a smirk. Lanqi's vengeance would likely reach its zenith in this third round. "By the way, where's Pranay?" Antanas suddenly remembered something and looked around. She had originally used Boss Cat to save a seat, planning to scoop Boss Cat into her lap to let that slowpoke sit down once Pranay arrived. "My brother said the line at the ice cream parlor is very long. He's still waiting," Sinora explained, checking a message she had just received on her communicator. At that moment, the meter on the screen flickered slightly. Lanqi's heart rate hadn't fluctuated much this round. Boss Cat stared intently at the display. An ominous premonition welled up in its chest. These two were liable to get increasingly carried away, hurting each other more and more. On the massive projection screen, it was Minier's turn to read this round's line. "..." Looking at the handwriting emerging on the slate, the smile that had been hanging on her lips froze for an instant. Because the text was very short, seeing just the initial characters gave her a general idea of the content. Finally, "I am very faithful, and my lover is very happy." She ground her teeth and read it aloud. Her voice remained melodious, yet her pitch wavered. Immediately after, she bit her lower lip with a complicated expression, a flash of annoyance and embarrassment flickering across her clear, deep-crimson eyes. "Lanqi..." Minier glared at Lanqi. Lanqi merely smiled back at her. That smile was written all over with: *right back at you.* The two stared at each other in silence once more. Though not a single line was spoken, a tsunami of cheers erupted across the spectator stands. "What did that mean just now? Is she having an affair with this youth?!" "One has a horde of fiancées, the other is married..." "Never mind that, look at the way their eyes are practically tangling together!" "What kind of relationship is this even?!" "That's genuine emotion pouring out!" At this moment, heart rates no longer mattered, nor did the scandalous words they had uttered. Just that complex spark passing between their eyes—as if carrying a decade's worth of love and hate—along with their mutual destruction, was undeniably the exact drama the audience had come to see tonight. ... Inside the Shadow World's music classroom, the bizarre sea of morning clouds continued to churn outside the window. Lanqi and Minier sat poised in the room like two fated travelers who had wandered into this place by mistake. "Before you knew it, you two have already completed three rounds of challenges!" The hyperactive cartoon bee emcee hovering in midair drew their attention. "Before Round Four begins, we will enter a brief halftime break!" "In addition, Round Four is a special round!" The little bee host traced a heart shape in the air, speaking to the two with excitement. "What is it?" Minier asked, puzzled. "At the end of the first half, the participant with the leading score will receive a special Item Card as a reward!" "May I ask, do you choose to proceed to the second half?" As her words fell, a translucent, shimmering Item Card slowly materialized midair inside the classroom, spinning to display a doodled question mark. "I can continue," Lanqi replied after hearing the rules. "Continue," Minier answered without the slightest hesitation, her aura imposing. A look of absolute determination gleamed in her dark eyes. "The Duke actually chose not to avoid battle," Lanqi murmured to himself, noting Minier's high spirits. "Hehe, this game has only just begun to get interesting," Minier said. "Great! We will take a short break, and the tense, thrilling second half will begin shortly!" "At the same time, this intermission will allow you two to relax your minds and prepare yourselves!" The little bee host announced loudly, waving her small hand to signal the director to cut the live feed and roll the advertisements. Meanwhile, the shimmering Item Card flashed repeatedly before finally drawing a specific event card with a fixed effect. Then, it drifted down before Minier. Because the unfinished line in Round Two had packed too much destructive power, the lead Minier established in that round had been substantial. Even though Lanqi had clawed back some points in Round Three, Minier still held a slight edge in total score. "Assistance Card?" Minier extended a slender finger, lightly pinching the Item Card as her eyes swept over the rules inscribed upon it. [Assistance Card: Allows you to invite one outside assistant into the Shadow World to observe the game up close for two rounds.] The moment she finished reading the rules, "Emcee, may I use this card right now?" Minier turned her head, asking the little bee who was sorting out the event schedule. "Of course you may, but... aren't you going to save it for the crucial final two rounds? It's only halftime, you know?" The little bee blinked in confusion. "I'll use it now," Minier confirmed. Next, leaning in close, she told the little bee the name of the assistant she wished to invite, along with their registration details from their Golden Bee Amusement Park admission pass. "Mm, got it!" Though somewhat surprised, the host immediately used the internal communication system to instruct the staff to locate and escort that guest from within the Golden Bee Amusement Park. "Lanqi, if you're scared, you can still back out, you know," Minier leaned to the side during the wait, resting her chin on one hand. "According to the rules, once Round Four officially begins, either party may choose to forfeit and exit at any time." She looked leisurely at Lanqi beside her. "Granting you an outside assistant makes no difference to me." Lanqi shrugged, unfazed by her trash talk. Even if Minier brought Talia up here, Lanqi wouldn't be perturbed in the slightest.