Wu Dahai stared at Qing Ling, the arcade's chaotic neon lights flickering across her beautiful, indifferent face. There was no coy resistance, no simmering humiliation—just utter nonchalance.
This woman… is something else!
His gaze slowly trailed downward, from her face to her pale neck, then to the curves barely concealed beneath her white school uniform. The second button strained slightly, revealing a hint of the bra's outline beneath the fabric.
This… this is the real deal! The chest of an actual human girl—no, a well-developed, eighteen-year-old beauty!
Wu Dahai swallowed hard, his mouth embarrassingly dry. This isn't a dream!
The two men beside him wore expressions of open disgust. He knew they were judging him, despising him, probably even secretly jealous. And he knew he was just a lecherous old pervert. But in this moment, he was proud to be that pervert!
With trembling, reverent hands, Wu Dahai reached out…
Soon… soon I will ascend to heaven and know true bliss…
A merciless fist smashed into his nose.
"Ack—!"
Staggering back, Wu Dahai barely had time to register the pain before Qing Ling's long leg lashed out, driving her foot into his stomach. His guts twisted in agony, and his knees buckled, sending him crashing to the floor.
Still unsatisfied, Qing Ling grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked his head up. "You little shit. You got a death wish? What the hell were you trying to do just now?"
Wu Dahai was utterly bewildered. "Wait! You said I could touch—"
"Touch what?" Qing Ling demanded.
Gao Yang suddenly realized—this wasn't Qing Ling. It was her alternate personality, Qing Ling'er. And Qing Ling'er had a deep-seated hatred of men. There was no way she'd let Wu Dahai lay a finger on her.
Wu Dahai, oblivious, stammered, "Y-your… chest?"
"You maggot! Go eat shit!" Qing Ling'er snarled before slamming her knee into his face.
THUD.
Wu Dahai flew backward, crashing into several chairs.
Gao Yang had initially been amused, but now things were getting out of hand. He quickly stepped in to pull Qing Ling'er back before she actually killed the guy.
"Qing Ling'er, that's enough."
"Don't touch me!" She swung a backhanded slap at him, but Gao Yang dodged just in time.
"You disgusting worms! What the hell did you bring me here for?!" Qing Ling'er shrieked—then suddenly froze. Her eyes cleared, the fury fading into icy calm.
She glanced at Gao Yang, then at Wu Dahai groaning on the floor. "What just happened?"
"Qing Ling'er came out," Gao Yang explained.
Qing Ling frowned slightly. "It's fine. Let's continue."
"Continue my ass!" Wu Dahai, now propped up by Officer Huang, clutched his bleeding nose, furious. "Women really do change their minds faster than flipping a book!"
"There was an accident earlier," Qing Ling said flatly.
"If you didn't want me to touch you, you could've just said so! I wasn't forcing you!" Wu Dahai was still fuming. "Don't think being pretty means you can do whatever you want! Hit me again and I'll fight back!"
Qing Ling considered this. "One more round. If you win this time, I'll let them tie me up. That way, there won't be any… accidents."
Gao Yang was stunned. You're really going all-in, huh? You're the real gambler here!
Still, he figured Qing Ling'er would probably "renege" again if they lost. Over the years, Qing Ling had protected the fragile Qing Ling'er in matters of survival. But in moments like this, Qing Ling'er likely did the same for the extreme, unyielding Qing Ling.
After all, they were two sides of the same coin.
Exchanging a glance with Officer Huang, Gao Yang decided not to intervene just yet. Let's see how this plays out.
Wu Dahai's anger faded into wary curiosity. He weighed his options—he'd already gotten beaten up. What were a few more hits if there was even a chance of success? To die beneath a beauty's skirt is to die a romantic ghost!
He looked at Qing Ling. "You serious?"
Qing Ling nodded.
"Then let's go!" Wu Dahai wiped the blood from his nose and plopped back down in front of the arcade cabinet.
This time, Qing Ling moved with practiced ease—sitting, inserting a coin, selecting her character—all in one smooth motion.
Once again: Haohmaru vs. Ukyo.
Wu Dahai's Ukyo launched a furious assault from the start. But Qing Ling stuck to her four moves: standing guard, crouching guard, A for light slash, B for medium slash.
This time, she made zero mistakes. Her reaction speed was inhuman, like a machine calculating in microseconds.
No matter what Wu Dahai tried, he faced an emotionless wall. Every attack was blocked, countered, or traded.
He couldn't gain an inch. Soon, his health was lower than Qing Ling's.
When time ran out, neither had died—but Qing Ling had more health left. Victory.
Wu Dahai finally understood her strategy.
Second round. He stopped attacking, trying to play defensively too. But Qing Ling didn't budge. Wu Dahai had already lost one round—if this one ended in a draw, he'd still lose.
Panicking as the timer ticked down, he finally struck. The moment he did, he fell right back into Qing Ling's rhythm.
Another time-out. Another win for Qing Ling.
Best two out of three. She'd won.
Gao Yang expected Wu Dahai to throw a tantrum—after all, he'd gotten beaten up and lost the bet. But Wu Dahai just stood there for a second before dramatically smoothing his mohawk.
"You won."
Qing Ling nodded, satisfied. "This game is interesting."
"Does the chest-touching offer still stand?"
"You didn't win," she said flatly.
"Fair enough. A bet's a bet."
Wu Dahai shrugged it off like it was nothing, then turned to Gao Yang. "Last challenge. Your turn, right?"
Gao Yang glanced at Officer Huang, who gave him a helpless look. Then at Qing Ling, who simply said, "I'm going outside to calm Qing Ling'er down," before walking out.
Of course. I'm the protagonist here—naturally, I get the grand finale.
He scanned the remaining arcade cabinets: The King of Fighters '97, Cadillacs and Dinosaurs, Denjin Makai II, Three Kingdoms: Battle of Red Cliffs, Dynasty Wars, Metal Slug, Hook, Snow Bros.
He'd played them all as a kid, but wasn't particularly good at any. After some thought, he pointed to a slot machine in the corner.
"Can we play this?"
Wu Dahai blinked, then stared at him in disbelief. "Seriously?"
"Seriously." Gao Yang nodded.
If he couldn't win on skill, he'd bet on luck.
"Oh no…" Officer Huang paled, as if recalling some traumatic memory.
Wu Dahai smirked and patted Gao Yang's shoulder with mock sympathy.
"Buddy… you've chosen a narrow path."