Gacha’s Cruel Hand and a Friend’s Sharp Eye

“Evidently, this problem can be solved in this manner…”

“By the same logic, the answer is…”

*No, I thought, how exactly is it “evident” or “by the same logic”? Was everyone around me truly nodding with such confidence, indicating their understanding?*

What was happening? It felt as though I was the only one completely lost.

This was utterly agonizing. Why must I endure such torture so early in the morning? Missing just a few days of class had made everything sound like an alien language. Had it not been for Ling Chen’s notes allowing me to preview the material, the blackboard full of formulas would have convinced me they were tackling the existence and smoothness of Navier-Stokes equation solutions.

My brain cells felt like they were rapidly depleting, and I found myself growing drowsy. However, as everyone knew, I was an excellent student and would never disrespect a teacher’s hard work by dozing off in class.

Therefore, to keep myself awake, I discreetly pulled out my phone for a quick gaming session.

What had I stumbled upon? A new gacha banner?

Alright, let’s go for a ten-pull first…

Hm, as expected, nothing? It sank without a trace?

No matter, I’ll keep pulling.

Damn it, I’ve spent everything, yet still no new character! I refuse to believe my luck is this terrible!

Time to top up! A limited-time pack, 328 yuan, here we go!

Then, a few more ten-pulls…

All of them. All sank. How could it be this toxic?

Staring at the debt accumulating on my payment app, I fell into a profound contemplation.

How did I get so carried away?

Hadn’t I promised myself I’d only play for free?

Was this impulsive spending?

If I ever become a whale again, I’m a complete idiot.

Since it all sank, I’d better check the forums for some psychological comfort…

Lin Chong, the Leopard Head, got a pull?

Hold on, you’re still showing off here?

Do you even have family?

Some people are alive, but they are already dead.

WDNMD, my lungs are about to explode from rage! I’m topping up one more time!

Come out for me!

Blue sky and white clouds?

“…”

I’m sorry, I’m an idiot.

I should just uninstall this rotten game. Without the power of money, I don’t deserve to play it.

“…”

*Superpower?*

I opened the system, seeing that my skill ‘Lucky Moment’ was now available. My face instantly darkened, like Island City’s Old Ba having a PTSD attack.

Why did I do this to myself?

Wasn’t this simply reaping what I sowed?

Such sorrow was truly indescribable.

Tears welled up, then flowed freely.

I knew that my next pull would surely yield something good, but everything I had lost would not return. Even if I got a rare item, I wouldn’t find joy in it.

The more I thought, the more I regretted. With this money for gacha pulls, why didn’t I buy stocks instead?

Or perhaps even try fixed investment funds?

Why did I overdraw my future just to pull cards?

I was completely awake now. Forget sleeping, I swore I could string up this game’s scumbag developers and operators and beat them for three days and three nights without breaking a sweat.

I lifted my head, looking back at the blackboard. Ah, studying truly felt wonderful.

If I had been good at math, capable of calculating how toxic this gacha’s probability was, would I have fallen for this trick?

I must study hard. After all, knowledge changes destiny!

As an ‘African,’ I must get into Sandong University and reach the pinnacle of life!

But why was the blackboard becoming blurry?

Ah, it must be because my glasses were fogged up.

I absolutely wasn’t crying because I felt bad about my money!

****

“Ah Jiu, what’s wrong?”

After class, my close friend, Sun Xiaochuan, came over to chat. Seeing my ashen face, he couldn’t help but frown.

“Did your new gacha pulls sink? Didn’t you get any of the new characters?”

“What new characters? I don’t know any children by that name.”

“It’s alright, I spent 648 yuan and only then did I get one… Why are you covering your ears?”

“I’m not listening! Die for me! My first day back in class and it’s an opening thunderstrike! I can’t live like this!”

The refined and easygoing, yet perpetually stone-faced, fatty, settled heavily into the seat beside me, sighing.

“Ai, Ah Jiu, your mentality really isn’t up to par. I spent several thousand yuan on the last event and got nothing, yet do you see me losing heart?”

I rolled my eyes at him. “My family doesn’t own a mine!”

“Ni Ge didn’t get anything either.”

That sentence instantly comforted me.

Ni Ge was in the next class, one of my few friends. He was a sports student, full name Ni Ge, a tall, slender, dark-skinned muscular man. However, due to his very dark complexion, he was often mistaken for an international student from Africa, though he was actually a native-born Han Chinese.

Although it was impolite, I sometimes suspected his ancestors were Kunlun slaves from the Tang Dynasty. Could a Han Chinese truly be that dark? If his surname wasn’t Ni, I might have thought he was a descendant of Judge Bao.

‘Ni Ge’ was our affectionate nickname for him. Although many girls inexplicably liked him, he was a shut-in just like us.

Among the three of us, I was the brains, Xiaochuan was the financier, and he was the brawn. We three were like sworn brothers, not wishing to get rare pulls on the same day, month, or year, but rather to suffer the same gacha shipwreck.

This fat bastard had betrayed us. It seemed only Ni Ge could bring me warmth.

“How much did he spend?”

“230 pulls, all wiped out.”

“…”

*Though I knew deriving joy from others’ suffering was a base human flaw, and utterly wrong, I still found myself feeling much better.*

Ni Ge, I’m so sorry!

*How about we team up and beat up this fat bastard to vent our anger?*

“…At a time like this, I don’t know what expression I should make.”

That fat bastard still wore his stone-face. “Just smile.”

“Smile my head! You smile for me first.”

“Do you want me to keep smiling? Sorry, I can’t do that.”

The fat bastard forced a smile, and I immediately covered my eyes. His smile was truly uglier than crying, even more horrifying than a corpse.

“Tch, Ah Jiu, can’t you just smile?”

“Why should I smile?”

“I just want to see what you look like when you smile now.”

He seriously scrutinized me for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, “I heard you took leave because you were sick, but why do I feel like you’ve become a different person?”

*I immediately became alert. Had this fat bastard discovered something amiss? Everyone else seemed oblivious to my transformation into a girl, yet only this fat bastard noticed something was wrong. Could it be that he and I shared a true love connection?*

[Puke]!

I asked expectantly, “What changes?”

“Don’t you think you’ve become much cuter? Before, you were truly indescribable, like a gloomy, terrifying woman who’d lost her daughter, wasting a perfectly good face.”

He rubbed his hands together excitedly, his gaze fixed on my chest. “But now, I’m actually a little smitten. Ah Jiu, have you developed? Let me take a look?”

My mouth twitched. I lowered my head, beginning to gather my strength.

“Lin Youde’s Chunni Correction Punch!”

“Ow!”

The fat bastard, punched by me, looked at me aggrievedly. His thick layer of fat meant he hadn’t actually been hurt much.

“Even my dad never hit me!”

I hammered on the table, somewhat enraged. “Are you even human? We’re close friends! You want to lay hands on me?”

He stated matter-of-factly, “Who told you to become so cute?”

“Then I truly thank you for the compliment. What difference is there between that statement and those who say women who are sexually assaulted deserve it because they dress too provocatively?”

“Calm down, I was just joking,” the fat bastard apologized. “Seeing you so sad, I just wanted to lighten the mood. What kind of relationship do we have? We’re soulmates! If I were to lay hands on you, would I still be human? But now it seems you’re full of life, so your illness must have completely healed.”

“Hmph!”

When I was still a man, this guy and I often exchanged such jokes. We even called each other ‘baby’ to gross each other out. But if he dared to call me ‘baby’ now, I’d have to celebrate the New Year early and slaughter a pig.

“By the way, there’s something I wanted to tell you.”

Sun Xiaochuan looked at me with sympathetic eyes.

“Old Zhang called you to his office.”