Chapter 593 Taking Sides

Chapter 593: Taking Sides

"Let's say the starting points are zero," Su Bai said, slumped on the sofa, eyes half-lidded, his voice still weak but with a lazy edge.

"Over two months, working 22 days, doing the bare-minimum C-level jobs every day, working all eight overtime days and using every vacation day for work, plus the base salary, that's exactly 5000 points." Su Bai's fingers moved slightly, as if doing mental calculations. "That's just enough to hit the small guarantee on the blind box machine. With a little luck... you might even gamble your way to an S-grade."

"But that's assuming you don't spend a single point in those two months." A faint, almost invisible smile tugged at his lips, like he was mocking himself. "So with my points, I'd have to starve myself and work like a dog. Given how I am right now, that kind of grind is way too much."

"For newbies starting with only a few dozen points, they can just barely afford food, but there's no wiggle room at all." Su Bai's eyes moved to Zhou Shirong and Bai Qi, who started with 10 points, and Chu Qianren, who had 30.

"And even the easiest jobs are a total unknown for new players."

Su Bai hadn't talked this much in ages. Talking for so long made his chest feel tight, forcing him to pause occasionally to ease the discomfort.

He wasn't some genius.

Most of what he said were conclusions anyone could figure out with a little math, but speaking up at this moment was enough to show where he stood.

He couldn't let the other players see him as just a "puppet" being carried everywhere.

Even if lying around was more comfortable.

"If you pull off 44 B-grade jobs, with overtime and base pay, you'd make 7200 points in two months," Su Bai continued his analysis.

"22 B-grade and 22 A-grade jobs, plus overtime and salary, would get you 9400 points. For players with enough starting points, that's enough to save for the big guarantee, but there's not much room for error."

"And if you've got the skill and guts, finishing 11 A-grade and 10 S-grade jobs, with overtime and salary, would net you 9000 points. Throw in a few easy jobs, and you'd not only hit the big guarantee but also live better than everyone else these two months."

Su Bai slowly shut his eyes to rest.

He leaned against Wu Hang, his long lashes falling, then opened his eyes again a moment later. "So the big question now is what kind of work that manager gives us. And whether A-grade and S-grade jobs are even doable for us."

"You young people sure do the math fast," Shen Guanlan said, looking at Su Bai like he was a promising kid she liked. "What's your name?"

"Su Bai." His lips were still pale. "Ms. Shen, would it be okay if I called you Aunt Shen?"

"I like that." Shen Guanlan gently opened a sandalwood fan, covering her mouth as she laughed softly, her movements elegant and slow. "Aunt Shen will get you some medicine to help you bounce back."

"Thank you, Aunt Shen." Su Bai smirked slightly, his tone warm. He'd always been a likable kid, and sometimes even likable to "people."

"If I, as an old-school relationship player, can say something," Shen Guanlan turned to the others, changing her tone, "going solo might not be the best move in this game. Sure, tasks are given to individuals, but there's no rule saying you have to do them alone, right?"

"In other words, if a few people work together, the tasks become easier to complete?" A guy's voice suddenly cut in, sounding a little excited.

Su Bai didn't even notice the player named Lu Jinyan until he heard his voice.

He knew this player existed, but he kept subconsciously ignoring him, probably because of some ability.

What Lu Jinyan said was right, but under all those heavy stares, his excitement quickly faded, and he shrank back.

Clearly, a lot of people didn't like this "teamwork approach."

"The old-school relationship player can dole out favors herself," Pei Zhan said coldly, his tone dripping with indifference. "Don't drag everyone else down with you."

He glanced at Su Bai and Wu Hang on the sofa, his words cutting like knives. "This is the Nightmare World, not some video game where you come back after dying. No one needs to risk their neck for someone else's benefit. And I only care about swords. Even if a goddess showed up in front of me, I wouldn't be tempted, let alone grovel and wait on them hand and foot."

Su Bai let out a soft laugh. Pei Zhan's words were way too pointed.

Luckily, Wu Hang couldn't care less—or rather, he just couldn't be bothered to respond. Otherwise, this expert from the Candlelight Association might have kicked the bucket here.

"I support Mr. Pei," Bai Qi said, standing beside Pei Zhan with a sweet tone and unwavering smile. "While I'd love to pull an S-grade blind box, I know I'm just a newbie and shouldn't aim too high. Even with just low-grade boxes, encountering this game and Mr. Pei makes me luckier than most new players."

"Self-awareness is a good thing." Pei Zhan's gaze landed on Bai Qi, not rejecting her alignment.

"Boss Pei Zhan, I won't hold you back either!" Xiong Yi patted his chest. "I'm just aiming for the small guarantee, so it should be fine."

"Mr. Pei is indeed impressive, getting people to serve him without lifting a finger," said Wen Ya, who had the third-highest starting points among the players present. Her tone was unreadable, but the content carried a hint of sarcasm.

Xiong Yi clearly didn't catch the jab, instead grinning as he approached her. "Miss Wen isn't planning to join the relationship faction either, right? I remember you were the first to question the old lady's idea. We should be on the same page..."

"No, we're not the same." Wen Ya immediately waved her hand, her meticulously made-up face feigning panic. "I'm just a stuck-up celebrity, not worthy of climbing into the Candlelight Association's high circles."

"Miss Wen jokes too much. I've always thought you were prettier than that Su Ye," Xiong Yi said, his outward simplicity betrayed by his tactless words. "Miss Wen is a famous second-generation star with a family background. That Su Ye seems to come from some shoddy troupe. Who knows what dirty tricks she used to climb up..."

"Slap—!"

A sharp, crisp slap rang out.

Everyone turned to look. Su Bai raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wen Ya stood frozen in place, her expression icy, her hand still raised in the striking pose. She glared at Xiong Yi with barely contained fury, speaking almost word by word—

"You are not worthy to speak her name."

Xiong Yi's face flushed red as he stood there, stunned, clearly not realizing what he had said wrong. After all, Wen Ya and Su Ye were famously "rivals" in the entertainment world, clashing on the trending topics almost every month.

But considering the other party's strength might surpass his, Xiong Yi gritted his teeth and held back.

Su Bai's eyes flickered. He observed Wen Ya again, his gaze darkening.

"Creak—"

As the tension hung in the air, the glass door was pushed open from outside.

Everyone looked toward the entrance to see a headless humanoid figure in a dark suit, tall and imposing, holding a black folder in its hand.

Its voice was low and cold, emanating from the neck—

"New employees, come to my office one by one to receive your work."

The Headless Manager stopped at the door, its neck slightly twisting, the severed edge of the stump facing the crowd as if "scanning" everyone in the room.

Its movements were slow but carried a sense of pressure.

Finally, its "gaze" fixed on the sofa in the office area, precisely targeting Su Bai and Wu Hang sitting together.

"This company prohibits office romance."

Its voice was flat, cold as if reciting a default rule.

"..."

A moment of silence spread.

Just as Su Bai was thinking about how to respond, he saw Wu Hang pull out a well-preserved piece of paper from somewhere, bearing the format of a contract and Su Bai's personally signed name.

It was the marriage contract from the previous life that had vanished after being signed?!

"We are a married couple." From under the cloak, Wu Hang's tone was unwavering and indisputable.

Su Bai just wanted to hide behind Wu Hang a bit more. Is this really the time for that? And why did his tone sound a bit boastful?

The Headless Manager actually paused for two seconds, then turned its head back, pivoting with crisp movements and walking straight back to its office.

No follow-up questions, no objections.

"?"

Dating is forbidden, but being married is okay?!