HP - Chapter 3

Sweetheart Simulation 3

Zhong Xu wasn’t afraid of death, but that didn’t mean she was willing to die in vain at the hands of a lunatic.

Lu Hengze reached into the box with his slender hand and pulled out a sharp knife.

Just as the knife was about to touch Zhong Xu’s chest, she seized the opportunity, twisted to the side, rolled across the ground, and staggered to her feet.

Lu Hengze was taken aback by her reaction. Frowning, he said in a low voice, “Has your power already awakened?”

What power? Zhong Xu was utterly confused by his words.

In the real world, Zhong Xu had no home and had always drifted from place to place. Eventually, riding the wave of the times, she became a travel blogger to scrape by.

She preferred exploring remote mountains and wilderness over city life, though the risk was naturally much higher. To avoid becoming a victim of foul play in the wild, she had also learned some self-defense.

That talk of “awakening power” was so chuunibyou—it probably came from some game setting.

(Chuunibyou: a term for teenagers with delusions of grandeur, often acting like they’re in a fantasy story.)

Zhong Xu quickly pieced things together.

It was true that Lu Hengze and Min Xintu were trying to “win her over,” but their goal was that so-called “power.”

For some reason still unknown, Min Xintu was at most a deranged creep, while Lu Hengze seemed intent on becoming a full-fledged maniacal killer.

“If you want power, I can give it to you—but not now.”

Having just survived a car accident, Zhong Xu knew better than to confront Lu Hengze head-on.

“Power requires voluntary sacrifice to unleash its strongest effects.”

Lu Hengze nodded. “I know that… But aren’t you willing to sacrifice yourself now? I can marry you. After you die, I’ll give you the most lavish funeral in the city. I won’t bury you underground—I’ll let you rest forever in our bridal chamber, and I’ll kiss you every day.”

Even someone as bold as Zhong Xu was stunned by his declaration.

If given a knife, she’d gladly play the psychotic killer herself and bury this arrogant lunatic six feet under.

“I’ve seen our future—you were very happy like this.” The psycho was still lost in his delusion.

Zhong Xu immediately seized the keyword. “Where did you see our future?”

But Lu Hengze stopped reminiscing, showing no intention of answering. Instead, he pressed, “Xiao Lian, you’re willing to be a sacrifice, aren’t you?”

“I refuse,” Zhong Xu answered bluntly.

Lu Hengze seemed shocked, shaking his head. “Impossible. You clearly said in the future that you loved me and willingly sacrificed your power for me. We were supposed to be sweet lovers, even if separated by life and death.”

"Psycho." Zhong Xu couldn't hold back the remark.

Lu Hengze asked, "Xiao Lian, when will you be willing to sacrifice yourself for me?"

"After I recover from my injuries..." Zhong Xu wanted to buy time. "I'll think about it then."

"I'll take you to the hospital right away." Lu Hengze stepped forward.

The mention of the hospital snapped Zhong Xu into high alert—absolutely not. With all the equipment there, who knew what this lunatic might do? In a lawless world like this, he could easily drag her into an operating room and send her straight to the grave.

"No need. Just stay right there. Since I have this 'power,' I’ll heal myself."

Zhong Xu backed toward a three-wheeled cart by the roadside.

[Vehicle: Tricycle]

 A scrap collector's tricycle—this old man's lifeline. Riding it allows one to reach a destination where recyclables are found. Truly, the ultimate scrap-collecting tool!

Injured or not, Zhong Xu didn’t care—she jumped on the tricycle and pedaled away.

A flash of white light. In the blink of an eye, she was no longer at the crash site, but somewhere else entirely.

The first thing she noticed was the sweet scent of fruit. As the light faded, she realized her tricycle had stopped in front of a fruit shop. The shopkeeper was bringing in the outdoor displays, clearly getting ready to close for the night.

"Xiao Ding, the scrap collector’s here. Bring out the cardboard boxes to sell."

Zhong Xu: "..."

She didn’t have time to slip away before a boy carrying a cardboard box stepped out of the shop.

In a gentle voice, he said, “Hello, these are the boxes we’d like to recycle.”

The boy set the box down, froze for a moment when he saw the person on the tricycle, then lit up with surprise and joy.

 “Xiao Lian!”

Uh-oh?

[Game Notification: Encountered male lead Chu Ding. Current Affinity: 0%]

“I work part-time at this fruit shop. Are you doing work-study too? I didn’t expect Xiao Lian—who always seemed so delicate—to be tougher than I thought.” Chu Ding said warmly. “Scrap collecting must be tough, huh?”

Zhong Xu: “…”

Not tough work—just tough luck.

“Xiao Ding, is she a classmate of yours?” the shop owner looked up.

“Xiao Lian and I were neighbors back in elementary school. We grew up together, and now we go to the same school. I'm a year ahead—her senior.”

“Haha!” the shop owner laughed heartily. “So you’re childhood sweethearts! What a lovely bond. We’re closed now, so I’ll leave you two to chat.”

After the owner left, Chu Ding took an apple from the shop and handed it to Zhong Xu.

 “It’s really sweet.”

Still not sure how to play this character yet, Zhong Xu slowly accepted the apple—but didn’t eat it.

Chu Ding continued, clearly worried, “You look really tired… Wait, what’s that on your neck?”

He reached out, but froze when Zhong Xu instinctively flinched away.

Zhong Xu touched her neck—her fingers came away bloody. Probably an injury from the crash earlier.

In the real world, she’d need emergency treatment.

But since this was most likely an otome game focused on romance, the injury system had probably been nerfed. Aside from some blood loss and a bit of dizziness, she could still manage—for now.

Chu Ding, however, looked shocked and furious. He insisted on taking her to the hospital and even talked about calling the police.

“It’s fine,” she said quickly. “I just fell while trying to grab a water bottle from the side of the road during scrap collection.”

She made it up on the spot. Chu Ding was momentarily speechless.

“Then I’ll help you collect bottles from now on,” he said anxiously. “Anyway, that wound needs to be treated. Wait here—I’m going to the pharmacy to get you some medicine… It’s just next door. Don’t move, I’ll be right back!”

Chu Ding kept looking back every few steps as he left, repeating his reminders again and again.

But the moment he disappeared into the pharmacy and was out of sight, Zhong Xu turned and walked off without hesitation.

After the first two guys turned out to be total creeps, she wasn’t about to trust the third one—no matter how normal he seemed.

The next day at school, Zhong Xu ran into Chu Ding at the classroom door.

He was clearly waiting for her. When he saw her, he let out a visible sigh of relief and handed her a small bag of medicine.

“I’m just glad you’re okay… Be sure to treat the wound properly—it’ll be trouble if it gets infected.”

He never asked why she left the night before. Just handed her the medicine, said goodbye, and left—polite to a fault.

His brief appearance caused a stir among the girls in their class. Several looked at Zhong Xu with wide eyes and whispered enviously.

“Xiao Lian, you know Senior Chu? I’m so jealous! He might not come from money, but he’s top of the class, super well-mannered, and so handsome. Not to mention how gentle he is… I’d die to be his girlfriend!”

“Xiao Lian, how did you even meet him? I really want to get to know him too!”

Zhong Xu replied coolly,

“We met while collecting recyclables. You all know he does part-time jobs to cover living expenses, right? So if you’ve got any empty bottles or cardboard boxes, feel free to give them to Senior Chu.”

“...Makes sense.”

The next day, Zhong Xu got a message from Chu Ding:

“Xiao Lian, I’ve been getting tons of plastic bottles lately. I heard it’s because of you. Honestly, I’m not that strapped for cash... but thank you anyway.

Let me treat you to dinner tonight—how about fried noodles from that shop near school? Don’t stand me up.”

Zhong Xu began seriously considering whether spending the night at school was a viable option.

After classes ended, she started exploring the school grounds, hoping to scavenge some useful items in case of emergencies.

[Teacher’s Chalk]

Magical chalk imbued with the wrath of teachers. Never misses when thrown! Anyone hit will be dazed for 10 seconds.

(Use those 10 seconds wisely… or wickedly.)

[Lost Glasses]

Xiao Ming’s lost specs! Xiao Ming was a diligent student with a thirst for knowledge. Put them on to see what happened in the last 10 minutes.

Know your enemy, know yourself, and you’ll win every time. Use these to unlock the hearts of others~

[Love Alarm]

A pink alarm clock filled with romantic mischief. When it rings, anyone within 3 meters will see you as their one and only sweetheart!

(Warning: Make sure it’s just you and your crush in range—or chaos may ensue. You’ve been warned.)

Zhong Xu instinctively reached for the trash can to chuck the cringey alarm.

But then she thought about how pitifully few items she had. Might as well keep it—it could be useful for throwing enemies off in a pinch.

After finishing her sweep of the school map, Zhong Xu found a quiet corner in the classroom to spend the night.

 In the blink of an eye, it was morning again.

Sunlight streamed through the windows, warm and golden. Everything felt so...

...peaceful.

Zhong Xu was just about to stretch when she saw a boy standing at the door. A closer look confirmed it—Chu Ding, wearing his usual gentle smile.

Damn. This guy just wouldn't quit.

Chu Ding held up a thermal bag and smiled.

 “Since we didn’t get to have dinner, how about breakfast instead? It’s still early—we can eat right here in the classroom.”

Of the three male leads so far, Zhong Xu found Chu Ding the most unnerving.

 His words and actions seemed normal—but too normal. Off in a subtle way. No matter how she acted—distant, strange, evasive—he never got upset. He didn’t press, didn’t question, just forgave everything effortlessly and stayed as thoughtful as ever.

Was he really that into Xiao Lian?

Nope.

His affection level was still stuck at a glaring red zero.

Chu Ding opened the thermal bag on a desk, revealing sandwiches, boiled eggs, and hot milk. The smell was warm and inviting.

“These are all homemade,” he said. “Try some.”

Zhong Xu narrowed her eyes and pulled out the [Lost Glasses] item.

The scene from ten minutes ago appeared: Chu Ding stood calmly by the school water fountain, warming up the milk. Then, without hesitation, he pulled out a syringe and injected an unknown liquid into it. He sealed it up, put it back in the thermal bag, and strolled toward the classroom.

Zhong Xu: “......”

I knew it. They're all creeps. Not a single one of them is normal.

Chu Ding had already stuck a straw into the milk and was holding it out to her.

 “Here—have some hot milk, it’s good for your stomach.”

“I’m allergic to milk,” Zhong Xu replied smoothly. “You have it.”

“I’m sorry—I didn’t know.” Chu Ding blinked, then gave a remorseful smile. He picked up a sandwich.

 “Then don’t drink the milk. Try the sandwich instead.”

The glasses hadn’t shown how the sandwiches were made. But after witnessing the milk incident, there was no way she’d eat anything this guy had touched.

“I don’t like sandwiches.”

Chu Ding brought the milk to his own lips and took a sip, sighing.

 “I never knew Xiao Lian was so picky.”

He drank the spiked milk himself.

Zhong Xu was stunned—and even more unsettled.

 What the hell was in that milk? Was it only meant to affect her?

“Then… at least eat a boiled egg?” Chu Ding set the sandwich down and picked up the egg, his tone still gentle and free of annoyance.

 “Don’t waste my efforts, Xiao Lian.”

[Game Notification: Chu Ding's Affection: -30%]

Hah. So he was secretly keeping score.

Zhong Xu slowly reached out to take the egg with one hand… and with the other, she grabbed the [Teacher’s Chalk] and hurled it straight at Chu Ding’s head.

A flurry of pink sparkles burst in the air as a system prompt popped up:

 Dizzy for 10 seconds! Teehee~ Time for some unmentionable activities!

Expressionless, Zhong Xu shoved the entire boiled egg—shell and all—into Chu Ding’s mouth.

1. 小恋 (Xiǎo Liàn) - Pet name for the protagonist meaning Little Love/Lover

2. 亲密度 (Qīnmìdù) - Affinity level, a game mechanic tracking relationship progress 

3. 变态 (Biàntài) - Creep/pervert, used repeatedly to describe the male characters’ disturbing behavior.

4. 道具 (Dàojù) - Game props/items, each with quirky descriptions (e.g., 老师的粉笔/Teacher’s Chalk).

5. 不可描述 (Bùkě Miáoshù) - Unmentionable/indescribable, a cheeky euphemism for romantic/risqué actions.

6. 青梅竹马 (Qīngméi Zhúmǎ) - Childhood sweethearts, a trope implying deep, long-standing bonds.

7. 品学兼优 (Pǐn Xué Jiān Yōu) - Excellent in character and studies, praising Chu Ding’s perfect student facade.

8. 阴魂不散 (Yīn Hún Bú Sàn) - Haunting relentlessly, humorously describing Chu Ding’s persistence.

9. 羞羞羞 (Xiū Xiū Xiū) - Onomatopoeic teasing (teehee), mocking the game’s flirtatious tone.

10. 记仇 (Jì Chóu) - Holding a grudge, noting Chu Ding’s hidden resentment despite his smile.

Sevyn here ~~~

LOL, the summary didn't lie, she really is unhinged. Same goes for those 3 😂

Enjoy~