Chapter 2: Popping Champagne

"Scumbag, go die!"

A beam of light flashed, and Kiana returned to her bed in her own bedroom.

The time was 7:47 in the morning.

Since she was forcibly sucked into that strange space just a few seconds ago, in other words, everything that had just happened did not affect real-world time.

"Scumbag! Hmph! He makes me so angry, where did that scumbag come from!!"

Thinking about everything she had just witnessed in the space, Kiana couldn't calm down. She used both hands to fiercely punch the blanket that was pressing on her body, and her two braided hair behind her swayed with her movements.

Just moments ago, she was pulled into a peculiar space and then became a spectator, witnessing the life of another "[Kiana]."

At first, Kiana was quite happy watching the other version of herself living happily with her parents when she was young. She even felt a bit envious.

Then she saw the other version of herself being captured and taken to a research institute, where she fell from heaven to hell, living a life akin to purgatory every day.

Until the year when the other Kiana was thirteen, she was saved by a little boy.

"Great, finally escaped from the research institute."

At that moment, the watching Kiana thought the other version of herself had finally escaped from her tragic life. However, she didn't expect that the days to come would be the beginning of her nightmare.

That boy who saved the other version of herself was also a scumbag!

He took away the hard-earned money she worked so hard for and only cared about his own enjoyment. Even though the other version of herself trusted him so much, seeing him as her spiritual support and wanting to devote everything to him...

And the result? A scumbag!

Not only did he take her money, but he also had to flirt with some rich girl from a conglomerate?

And then he got beaten up and thrown into the river?

What did she do wrong? They could have continued living happily together. Wasn't supporting each other good enough?

So, after watching the entire story, when a voice told Kiana that she could send the other version of herself a gift, she immediately chose to grab the stinky socks she had worn during training yesterday and threw them at the screen.

The other version of herself liked him so much! Yet, this is what happened! Where did this scumbag come from? Go die, go die!

Such a man deserves to be fish food!

"..."

Suddenly, Kiana thought of something. She got up from the bed and walked to the floor mirror in the room. She carefully examined her reflection in the mirror.

At the end of the story, Kiana remembered it clearly. After learning about the man's death, the other version of herself seemed to change.

Those golden irises, that queen-like demeanor, and the disdainful eyes, was that really her...?

"Stupid Kiana, it's almost eight o'clock, are you still sleeping? Get up and start training!"

Outside the room, Bronya's voice came through. Kiana shook her head and calmed down.

"Hmph, what I saw just now couldn't have been me!"

"5 points, what can I exchange for?"

[Based on your current points and your current situation, I suggest you exchange for some banknotes and a talent refresh card.]

"Then let's exchange for these."

[Exchange successful, current points are 0, a small stack of banknotes and one talent refresh card have been issued, please check.]

[Small stack of banknotes: Banknotes with a denomination of five thousand.]

[Talent Refresh Card (Inferior): Simulates previous use, allowing you to randomly transform one talent into another. The refreshed talent's level is forced to increase by one star, with a maximum of three stars.]

"When is the next simulation?"

[Under normal circumstances, the simulator can be activated once every twenty-four hours, with the refresh time based on the previous usage time.]

"Okay, now that I have money, let's find a place to settle down."

Lu Yu didn't have a city identity card, so he tried several hotels but couldn't check in. In the end, he tearfully chose a shabby little inn.

The next day, as the system prompt sounded, Lu Yu immediately entered the simulator.

"Let's start the simulation!"

[Simulation begins]

[Talent selection phase: Each simulation will randomly present 1-6 talents of varying qualities, and the host can choose 1-3 of them.]

[1 Scumbag (1 star): You have no bottom line in your actions.]

[2 Silver Tongue (2 stars): You are a liar.]

[3 Business Acumen (3 stars): You are good at making money.]

[4 Two-faced (1 star): You may look respectable, but in reality, you are a beast.]

"Can I choose? Give me talents 2, 3, and 4, then use the Talent Refresh Card to replace talent 4!"

[Talent Refresh Card (Inferior) has been used, Talent 4 has been refreshed.]

[4 Sanctimonious (2 stars): You may look like a gentleman, but gentlemen always have some peculiar hobbies.]

Lu Yu: "????"

"Alright, I knew your nature yesterday, let's continue."

[Since the host did not achieve any of the previous simulation's outcomes yesterday, this simulation's script is forcibly locked as yesterday's script. Please carefully select key options based on your talents and face death (for fun) reasonably.]

[Simulation officially begins.]

[Age 1: You were born into an ordinary family.]

The starting point is exactly the same as yesterday.

[Age 3: You are particularly interested in numbers, and your parents are pleased about it. They believe you will become a mathematician, but little do they know that you are interested in banknotes with numbers.]

The Business Acumen talent starts to take effect. Indeed, it's a 3-star talent. Just like being strong and healthy yesterday, you can change the course of life from an early age.

[Age 7: Your home is attacked by Honkai Beasts and Deadwalkers. Your parents protect you, but you lose your right leg in the chaos.]

[There is a kind middle-aged woman who sees your pitiful state and decides to adopt you. What will you do?]

[Promise the woman: From now on, you will be my mother!]

[Refuse the woman: Auntie, I'm not interested.]

"I see, there should be a physical fitness assessment here. If I don't meet the standard, I might still survive, but I'll suffer some injuries. But if my fitness is too high, I might be caught and sent to the research institute. It's hard to decide."

As for the choice, he didn't need to think about it. Lu Yu directly chose to refuse. Come on, it's clear that the simulator has its own style. If he chose to promise, he'd probably end up with the Happy Ball ending.

[Age 8: With the help of your parents' inheritance, you manage to get by. Despite losing one leg, you remain confident in life. You believe that with money, the physical defect of having one leg is not a problem at all.]

[Age 10: You are clever and start to fabricate some ridiculous lies about your experience to gain sympathy from others. Everyone chooses to believe you, as no one thinks a ten-year-old boy would lie.]

[Age 12: By chance, you come across virtual currency and, being money-savvy, you immediately spot the business opportunity and start making money from it.]

[Age 12: You make a lot of money.]

[Age 13: You make even more money.]

[Age 14: You invest the money in physical industries, and your experiences and gentlemanly appearance attract the attention of capitalists. You make even more money! But gradually, you realize that what you desire is not money itself; money is merely a tool.]

[Age 16: You have successfully accumulated capital and become a capitalist. You establish an orphanage and take in many homeless orphans, earning you acclaim.]

[Age 17: In your own orphanage, you encounter a white-haired girl who appears slightly younger than you. Her beautiful face captures your attention, and you bring her home.]

"No need to guess, this should be Kiana, right? Based on the plot development, I'm afraid I didn't do anything good again?"

[Age 18: Your adoption of the girl receives widespread praise, and everyone thinks you're a good person. The girl also thinks the same.]

[Age 20: Under your care, the white-haired girl grows up to be elegant and lively, resembling a snow princess. However, you receive news that shocks you - the technology available cannot treat your leg, which has been gone for too long, and you are destined to spend your life in a wheelchair.]

"System, I understand, continue."

[Age 21: Your hidden dark side erupts... You start to indulge in gambling.]

????

What's going on? Why did I become a gambling addict?

[Age 23: You participate in the Duelist Grand Tournament in a wheelchair!]

[Age 24: You feel that your wife should not be a woman but the Blue-Eyes White Dragon.]

????

No, why am I competing with the president for a wife?

[Age 25: You believe there's nothing in this world more fun than gambling. In order to express your love for the Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you decide...]

[Option 1: As a qualified duelist, this world no longer interests you. You're going to the anime world, and you'll participate in duels ♂]

[Option 2: Duels are the essence of this world. You decide to change the world and make dueling rampant throughout the Honkai!]

"Damn, the style has shifted! I'll choose Option 2."

[Age 26: You hold a Duelist Master Championship, and you become the runner-up. You are intrigued by the champion, Hayama Rehito, and see him as your goal.]

[Age 28: You start playing cards with your adopted daughter, the white-haired girl, but she seems to care more about you than the cards.]

[Age 30: You continue to indulge in gambling.]

[Age 32: You host another Duelist Master Championship, and you and Hayama Rehito meet again in the finals!]

[Age 32: In the final round, Honkai strikes, and an Emperor-level Honkai Beast appears on your duel field. You and Hayama Rehito refuse to leave the duel field and face death together. Nothing can stop your sacred duel!]

[In the end, neither of you wins; you die.]

[Age of death: 32]

[Cause of death: Added a meal to the Honkai Beast alongside the compassionate duelist.]

[Simulation ends.]

[This simulation ends. The audience begins to rate; please wait.]

[Rating complete, this simulation scores 100, the host scores 14, receiving system evaluation, waves of bad reviews as usual.]

[Received audience evaluation: Didn't live as well as in the previous life, it's suggested not to come again next time.]

[This time, 5 points of reward have been issued; please check.]

[Please note that an audience member has sent you an exquisite gift as a thank you for the wonderful life you dedicated to him.]

[Item: Stinky socks have been issued; please check.]

"Oh?!"

Lu Yu probably already guessed the result of the simulation, but at this moment, his attention was not on the result. He found something interesting.

Firstly, the audience's evaluation. From the perspective of the simulator, he should have scored higher this time since he lived longer than the previous simulation. However, the 14 points proved that the score depends entirely on the audience.

Secondly, the stinky socks. Lu Yu picked up the socks that the system had just given him. Coincidentally, these white socks perfectly matched the ones from yesterday, making a pair.

The socks were short women's socks, and despite being called "stinky socks," they weren't too offensive, merely a pair of used women's short socks.

This means that today's audience is the same as yesterday's audience?