Chapter 66: The Beloved Selection Process Returns

As the darkness lifted, Wen Nan’s vision cleared and he glanced around, finding himself in a small apartment. The space was modest, perhaps sixty or seventy square meters, with three bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom. Judging by the minimalist decor, this was not a private residence, but likely a company dormitory.

In the living room, besides Wen Nan, five other players had been teleported into this map at almost the same moment. Wen Nan’s gaze quickly landed on the most conspicuous blond-haired youth. “Huang Yan?”

Huang Yan saw Wen Nan and was delighted. “President! What luck—you’re here too?”

He cheerfully stepped over to Wen Nan, about to exchange greetings when the overhead display began to show game prompts. All six present immediately paused and turned to the screen.

“Congratulations, contestants, on passing the trial, and welcome!”
“This map is a beginner-level dungeon, difficulty: LV.5.”

As the second line rolled out, exclamations erupted. The other players, aside from Wen Nan, all looked grim.

“What’s wrong?” Wen Nan asked Huang Yan.

Huang Yan leaned in, speaking quietly. “President, don’t you know? In this game, LV.1 to LV.5 are beginner dungeons…”

All six had just emerged from the trial zone; as newcomers, they were supposed to be assigned only to beginner maps. Yet their first time in a beginner dungeon, they were sent straight to the highest difficulty. It was enough to shake their confidence.

Wen Nan, however, wasn’t bothered. After all, romance simulations were more interesting with a challenge.

Just as he thought this, the overhead display rolled out another prompt:

“Please select your romance target:”
“A. The fresh-faced junior sister, delicate as spring water”
“B. The fierce young wife next door”
“C. The fallen girl who clings to you after being saved”
“D. The wealthy woman seeking an heir”
“E. The incredibly imposing, cold-yet-soft CEO”
“F. The neighbor’s little sister you’ve watched grow up”

Wen Nan propped his chin with his hand, savoring the options. This time, the choices seemed refreshingly straightforward, without any confusing elements. It made choosing harder.

But… wait, why only six options?

“Each romance target may be chosen by only one contestant; likewise, each player may select only one target.”

What? A single-choice question? For someone like him, who wanted them all, this was decidedly unfriendly.

“Options are currently locked and will be available for selection after 100 seconds of preparation time.”
“Preparation begins now:”
“99—”
“98—”

As the countdown started, Huang Yan sidled up, whispering:

“President, don’t fret! Sure, this map’s level is high and tough on us newbies, but I have an item that’ll solve our immediate problem—and cure your indecisiveness!”

Wen Nan’s curiosity was piqued. “What item?”

Huang Yan opened his system inventory and shared an item with Wen Nan—“Romance Target Star-Rating Detector.”

It was indeed handy. Wen Nan tapped through the six options, quickly determining their difficulty ratings: from top to bottom, they were five and a half stars, six stars, six and a half stars, seven stars, ten stars, and five stars.

The results were clear.

“The CEO has ten stars?” Wen Nan raised an eyebrow.

Huang Yan nodded vigorously. “Yes, President, I know what you’re thinking!”

They exchanged a knowing smile and spoke in unison—

Huang Yan: “Definitely avoid her!”
Wen Nan: “Alright, she’s the one!”

Huang Yan: ?

Was his president out of his mind? Some kind of mental affliction?

In a blink, only a few seconds remained on the countdown. Red warning lights flashed in the room, raising everyone’s tension. This wasn’t like the trial map, where some easy targets were mixed in. Here, all were high-difficulty, and only one could be chosen. The time for quick reflexes had come.

“3—”
“2—”
“1—”

As the count hit zero, a well-dressed man in a suit lunged forward. Huang Yan, unwilling to fall behind, chased after him, both reaching for the last option—“The neighbor’s little sister”—almost simultaneously.

But the suited man, with his height advantage, snatched the romance rights to “The neighbor’s little sister” by a margin of 0.1 seconds. Huang Yan, forced to switch targets, found “Junior Sister” already taken as well. Reluctantly, he settled for “Young Wife.”

Wen Nan watched the scramble, inwardly amused. It was just a romance simulation game—every option seemed appealing. Was it really necessary to fight over them like an Olympic sprint?

Returning from his reverie, Wen Nan looked up and saw only one option left on the display—the one he most desired, and the hardest: “The CEO.” He couldn’t have asked for more. He strode forward and tapped the final choice.

Huang Yan returned to Wen Nan’s side, unwilling to admit that a level 4 player had lost in agility to a rookie, so he bluffed:

“It’s fine! The young wife was the character I wanted most anyway.”

Wen Nan glanced at his blond hair with meaning. “Yes, suits your style…”

As they spoke, another prompt appeared overhead:

“Romance target selections complete. Players will now receive their character soul dolls.”

Soul dolls? What were those?

As Wen Nan pondered, a palm-sized female doll dropped into his hand. It was exquisitely crafted, lifelike, dressed in an expensive custom business suit. The skin was pale, as smooth and soft as a real person’s, and the open collar revealed a strikingly voluptuous figure.

As Wen Nan’s gaze fixed on the doll, a line of system text appeared above its head:

“Soul Doll: The incredibly imposing, cold-yet-soft CEO”
“Number of Soul Threads Activated: 0/5”

Was this… a figurine of his romance target? So meticulously made?

The game was surprisingly thoughtful.

Just then, the display shifted again:

“Soul dolls have been distributed. Please ensure your soul doll is within one meter during nighttime rest, so it may fulfill its function.”

Fulfill its function?

A beautifully crafted romance target doll, kept nearby at night—what function could it possibly serve?

For… nocturnal relief?

Wen Nan was puzzled. Looking up, he saw the other five players staring at their dolls with expressions of terror.

What on earth was going on?