Chapter 22: Tears of a Beauty

Coincidentally, the exit of the passageway faced exactly where Xiao Ningxue and her two companions were standing. Xiao Ningxue saw the female the moment she emerged.

The female inside was beautiful. Her skin was delicate and glowing with a healthy flush; her almond-shaped eyes were liquid and expressive, framed by long, dense lashes that fluttered like tiny fans. Her nose was petite and refined, and her lips were full. In short, "exquisite and delicate" was the only way to describe her. She stood there like a breathtaking piece of scenery, making it no wonder that the males nearby could not take their eyes off her.

Duan Yilin was growing impatient with the throng of males circling her. After her partners finally cleared a path, she looked up and saw a youth of unparalleled elegance. He had fair, flawless skin, with brows that seemed permanently relaxed in a pleasant expression. His eyes were bright and gentle, as if hiding a spring breeze within them, and his lips were naturally red, curled into a warm, refined smile that made one feel comforted just by looking at him. Duan Yilin had to admit, he was the most appealing beastman she had ever seen.

Tang Chengjun and Jiang Zhiyi had just finished dispersing the crowd when they noticed the alluring youth standing at the exit. Both immediately regretted clearing the path in the wrong direction. As the female's intimate partners, how could they not know the type of man she favored? But it was already too late to herd the crowd back.

Seeing the look of awe in the female's eyes, Xiao Ningxue, sensing trouble, thought to herself: *I'm done for.*

Duan Yilin pushed past her two partners and walked straight toward Xiao Ningxue. "What is your name?"

Xiao Ningxue’s scalp tingled; she wanted to run. Feeling the predatory, murderous glares from the two partners behind the female, she wanted to run even more. But she couldn't. If she fled, she wouldn't even need until tomorrow; she’d be the headline by tonight. She could already imagine the title: *Shocking! The First Person to Reject a Female—Who Exactly Is He...*

So, Xiao Ningxue steeled herself.

"Howdy there, sister!" A thick, rustic rural accent spilled from Xiao Ningxue's mouth. She flashed a grin revealing eight white teeth, looking overly enthusiastic. "My name is Tiezhu, and I am—"

Silence descended upon the entire area.

Duan Yilin could no longer hear what the youth was saying; she could only hear the sound of her own heart shattering. "Stop talking!" she couldn't help but raise her voice, cutting off Xiao Ningxue’s endless self-introduction.

"Huh? Why, sister? I..." Xiao Ningxue looked anxious, as if trying to explain.

Duan Yilin snapped, "Shut up!"

Xiao Ningxue immediately looked aggrieved and dared not utter another sound. The youth’s obedient look was incredibly captivating, but every time Duan Yilin looked at her, that voice replayed in her mind like a curse—endless and grating. Duan Yilin closed her eyes in agony.

A perfectly fine youth, why did he have to be like that?

Xiao Ningxue looked at her, opening her mouth to speak, but Jiang Zhiyi stopped her. "Shut up."

Xiao Ningxue: "..."

Behind Xiao Ningxue, Feng Jingxuan and Zang Zexin had been staring intently at the female, but the moment Xiao Ningxue spoke, their attention snapped back to her.

Tang Chengjun caught the expressions of the two little ones out of the corner of his eye, his eyelids drooping slightly as he scrutinized Xiao Ningxue. Xiao Ningxue naturally noticed his reaction and cursed inwardly. She hadn't coordinated with her roommates beforehand; she was bound to be exposed. She just didn't know if this beastman would blow her cover.

While Xiao Ningxue pretended to be "at a loss" while watching the disillusioned Duan Yilin, most of her focus was actually on Tang Chengjun, terrified he would reveal her. Fortunately, it seemed Tang Chengjun didn't want an unknown male entering their circle either; aside from observing her, he did nothing.

Duan Yilin had been lost in thought for quite a while, leaving Xiao Ningxue standing there in awkward silence. She didn't dare leave for fear of being exposed, so she had to remain there, enduring the "death glares" coming from all directions. If looks could kill, she would have been minced meat by now. If her identity wasn't exposed, she felt she might end up dying from sheer injustice.

*Hello? Is it possible that the appearances you chose simply don't align with the female's aesthetic?*

When given the choice, why would anyone choose to look like a half-human, half-beast hybrid? It wasn't that Xiao Ningxue was narcissistic, but the beastmen had chosen appearances that resembled the monsters from the 1986 *Journey to the West*, only much more terrifying. Unless a female had a very unique taste, few would be attracted to such looks. They had thought this was a place to unleash their inner nature and choose their preferred images, only to run into a female who decided to play this game on a whim. The males present were practically beating their chests and stomping their feet in regret—they had let that male steal the spotlight in front of the female!

Duan Yilin really was just on a whim. The game marketed itself under the banner of Ancient Blue Star and claimed everyone could participate, so she had dragged her two partners along to experience this legendary game. Who knew she would forget to hide her own appearance and get surrounded the moment she entered? And just as she found a male she liked, he turned out to be... that.

The more Duan Yilin thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with tears, looking utterly pitiful.

Xiao Ningxue turned to stone. *It's over. I should have just run away earlier!*

Seeing the beauty weeping, the surrounding males grew agitated, wishing they could take her place. "Kid! You actually made the female cry!" Without waiting for Duan Yilin’s partners to speak, the surrounding beastmen took it upon themselves to stand up for the little female.

"I... what did I do? Honorable female, you..." Xiao Ningxue wanted to comfort her but didn't dare. As a fellow female—oops, a fellow woman—Xiao Ningxue could roughly guess what Duan Yilin was feeling. But... she couldn't take responsibility for that! She could only continue to act as if she were oblivious.

Jiang Zhiyi and Tang Chengjun already disliked this pretty boy, and seeing Duan Yilin cry only added fuel to the fire. "Damn male! You're asking for a beating!"

Just as the two were about to strike, a voice boomed: [Please prepare yourselves, game countdown: 3, 2, 1, start!]

As the game start signal echoed, everyone froze. *Ah! That’s right! We are in a game.* Thinking of the nature of this game, everyone present turned to look at Xiao Ningxue, a strange, knowing smile appearing on their faces.

Xiao Ningxue felt as though the world had gone dark. The environment around her dissolved into a blur of code, and she suddenly found herself... on an airplane? Looking at this familiar mode of transport, Xiao Ningxue felt that if she were in a cartoon, black lines would be sliding down her forehead. *Did they really have to be this accurate?*

Only Zang Zexin and Feng Jingxuan were on the plane with her.

"Just now, why did you..." Zang Zexin looked puzzled. It had been such a perfect opportunity to get close to the female!

Xiao Ningxue had already anticipated this interrogation. She sighed. "I have my reasons."

She actually liked the female and really wanted to be friends with her, but her current identity made it impossible.