HP - Chapter 4

Sweetheart Simulation 4

Chu Ding regained consciousness with a pale face—having nearly choked on the egg.

He didn't know what had happened during those ten seconds—to him it was just an instant.

But he felt something was off, and when he looked at Zhong Xu again, he found her expression calm, with the egg mysteriously gone from her hand.

"I finished eating."

Chu Ding's expression relaxed as he smiled: "Xiao Lian..."

As soon as he spoke, he felt a sharp pain in his throat, as if he'd swallowed razor blades.

Fortunately, he didn't suspect Zhong Xu, but instead looked at the milk in his hand, wondering if he'd tripped over his own spiked ingredients.

He threw away the milk, cleared his throat, and continued: "Xiao Lian, where would you like to go now? Let me accompany you, okay?"

His tone had subtly changed, becoming as gentle as a lover's.

Zhong Xu believed his changed attitude came from thinking she'd eaten that boiled egg.

She decided to play along: "Let's take a walk."

"Then let's walk by the lake—the weather is lovely today."

The morning light shimmered on the lake as a gentle breeze stirred its sparkling surface.

Along the way, Chu Ding kept trying to feed her various spiked foods.

Zhong Xu repeated her trick—a whole box of chalk was emptied, and Chu Ding ended up stuffed.

Chu Ding looked at Zhong Xu as if she were a work he was satisfied with. “Xiao Lian, you've been very polite today—that’s good.”

Seeing he had finally stopped trying to feed her, Zhong Xu knew the time was right and began probing: “Was I impolite before?”

“You used to be like a wild girl. But I’ve given you my jade essence—our souls will soon be connected. My qualities will begin to show in you, and your power…”

Chu Ding’s breathing grew heavy, his gaze burning like a wolf about to bare its fangs.

That wolf slowly drew back its fangs and changed his tone: “We can share power.”

[Game Prompt: Date with Chu Ding completed]

[Game Prompt: Chu Ding's intimacy level: 30%]

Chu Ding was deeply calculating. Even though he believed the food had been eaten and that "Xiao Lian" was now soul-bound to him, he still hadn’t fully revealed his true nature. The intimacy level only rose gradually.

This stupid game wasn’t worth staying in for even another minute.

Turns out she was the Tang Monk—while three demons all watched her with hungry eyes.

​​She hated the feeling of being watched like prey.

Beat the game—then find out who put her in it. She was seething with anger and had no intention of letting that person off easy.

"Xiao Lian, where do you want to go?"

As Zhong Xu turned to leave, Chu Ding grabbed her arm with lightning speed, his expression taut—like he might do something unhinged if she dared to walk away.

His gaze was suspicious, and he muttered, “Since we’re soul-bound, you should be obeying me completely. Why would you want to leave?”

“…” Zhong Xu barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes. “Class is about to start. Senior is a model student who never skips—and neither do I.”

“True.” The suspicion in Chu Ding’s eyes gradually faded. “Wait for me after class. From now on, we’ll be inseparable. Our power mustn’t be tainted by anyone else.”

Having finally shaken off Chu Ding, Zhong Xu naturally didn’t go to class—she was heading to find Min Xingtu.

Min Xingtu’s intimacy level was already at 80%—just one step away from clearing the game.

Lu Hengze was also at 80%, but since he wanted to rip out her heart, she obviously had to steer clear of him.

Yet before she could even find Min Xingtu, Lu Hengze showed up at the school unannounced.

“Xiao Lian, when will you finally give me your heart?”

"After you've been dead for a hundred years." With that, Zhong Xu turned and ran.

Two figures darted through the school, one chasing closely behind the other.

Passing students gasped. "Isn’t that President Lu of the Lu Corporation? Why is he chasing Xiao Lian?"

"Duh! Isn’t it obvious? He’s totally chasing her for love! Ahhh, it really is the season of romance~"

As if to confirm those words, the pink bubbles falling from the sky intensified, coating the campus in a shimmering sea of pink.

Zhong Xu: "..."

Too angry for words—love-crazed fools were a menace!

After circling the school without shaking off Lu Hengze, Zhong Xu, out of options, leapt onto the podium and scrambled into the ceiling tiles.

When her phone flashlight flicked on, she was met with a pair of eyes staring back at her in the dark.

"Xiao Lian!"

"…"

Min Xingtu’s delighted face was inches from hers.

Zhong Xu’s lips twitched. “What are you doing up here?”

“Isn’t your next class in this room?” Min Xingtu said shyly. “I missed you so much—I wanted to see you.”

Freaking pervert, what are you blushing for?!

The thought of having to raise this damn pervert’s intimacy level to 90% made Zhong Xu want to slam into a door again—maybe this time she'd die properly and be done with it.

Min Xingtu asked curiously, “Then, Xiao Lian, what are you doing here?”

Zhong Xu didn’t miss a beat. “I wanted to see you too.”

Min Xingtu lit up with excitement. “Does that mean… you’re finally ready to accept my heart?”

Zhong Xu couldn’t stand hearing another word about hearts. She cut him off immediately: “Stop saying such bloody things.”

“Xiao Lian, I knew it! You were bound to see my sincerity. In the end, our true hearts will be exchanged…”

[Game Prompt: Min Xingtu’s intimacy level: 82%]

[Game Prompt: Min Xingtu’s intimacy level: 83%]

[Game Prompt: Min Xingtu’s intimacy level: 85%]

A rapid series of notification pings made Zhong Xu hold her breath.

Could it be? Was the intimacy about to hit 90%? Was victory finally within reach?

Suddenly, a voice echoed from below the ceiling:

 “Xiao Lian, I know you’re up there!”

The soaring intimacy level came to an abrupt halt.

Damn lawless lunatic Lu Hengze!

Min Xingtu’s expression darkened instantly. “Someone’s looking for you, Xiao Lian. A man.”

Zhong Xu stayed calm. “No, you must have misheard.”

Lu Hengze said, “Xiao Lian, give me your heart. I promise you’ll be my one and only wife.”

Before Zhong Xu could stop him, Min Xingtu pushed aside a ceiling tile and jumped down.

“President Lu, I advise you to watch your words and stop deluding yourself,” Min Xingtu said coldly. “Xiao Lian’s heart already belongs to me.”

Lu Hengze exploded with rage. “What?! Impossible! She promised me her heart!”

“Absolutely not! We’ve sworn our hearts to each other!”

“Nonsense! Unless you carve out her heart and show it to me!”

Zhong Xu: “…”

She had never missed the real world more than she did right now.

What did I do to deserve this? Being dragged here to listen to two maniacs argue—this is the cruelest punishment in existence.

[Game Prompt: Min Xingtu’s intimacy level dropping…75%…30%]

[Game Prompt: Lu Hengze's intimacy level dropping…60%…30%]

Good. Great.

Perish. All of you—just perish.

Beep beep—

Just then, her phone buzzed with a text—from Chu Ding:

“Xiao Lian, your classmates said you skipped class today. Where are you? I’m at your next classroom—you have one minute to get here.”

Perfect timing. Let’s all go down together.

Zhong Xu moved quickly—jumping down from the ceiling, dragging Chu Ding inside, locking the doors and windows—all in under a minute.

The three male leads barely had time to react.

Lu Hengze brightened. “Xiao Lian, your heart is still mine!”

Min Xingtu frowned. “Xiao Lian, tell him your heart belongs only to me!”

Chu Ding looked confused. “Xiao Lian, who are they?”

Zhong Xu said nothing. Instead, she quickly activated the [Love Bell] item.

Simultaneously, frantic red-alert pop-ups with exclamation marks flooded her vision:

Three targets detected within range! Use Love Bell with extreme caution!

Zhong Xu dismissed the warnings and confirmed activation.

[Love Bell activated! Three targets affected—thrilling yet perilous!]

A sweet, melodic chime echoed through the classroom.

The three men instantly changed—most noticeably in their eyes, shifting from calculating to lovestruck.

“I am your sweet lover. As lovers, shouldn’t we share everything honestly?” Zhong Xu stepped forward, speaking as if individually to each of them.

“Xiao Lian, ask whatever you want—I’ll tell you everything.”

“Xiao Lian, my heart belongs entirely to you.”

“Xiao Lian, I’ll give you all my wealth, and of course, my sincerity.”

Zhong Xu nodded. “I want to know what our future holds.”

Chu Ding’s expression turned anxious as he stepped forward, but she stopped him: “Stay where you are. Only honesty earns closeness.”

“Line up. You’ll listen to me now.” Her cold tone silenced them immediately.

“Min Xingtu, you go first.”

Min Xingtu’s gaze flickered when his name was called.

He was clearly reluctant and hesitated for a long moment before speaking.

“Our future… has always been full of obstacles, with many people interfering in our relationship.”

“I never meant to doubt your love or hurt you—I was just insecure.”

“The time we spent together was sweet. Even after we parted, I still loved you.”

“Our love was so strong that your affection turned into the power of a goddess. My unfortunate past was somehow healed because of your strength…”

“Xiao Lian, I really need you. We truly loved each other.”

Min Xingtu revealed the truth, though he polished the story to cast himself in a better light, desperately trying to prove their love was mutual.

Zhong Xu scoffed softly and cut him off: “Lu Hengze, your turn.”

Lu Hengze fixed his gaze on her.

“Our future… we loved each other deeply. More than anyone else.”

“When I faced disaster and was near death, you were even willing to sacrifice your heart and give me all your power.”

“You said your heart would beat forever in my chest. Just thinking about it made you happy.”

“Chu Ding, your turn.” Zhong Xu ignored Lu Hengze’s story and shifted her gaze.

Chu Ding struggled for a long moment but finally spilled the truth under the Love Bell’s influence.

“The future world was doomed. You called me the savior… so you kissed me.”

“Our souls bonded. Your power gradually faded as it flowed into me.”

“I saved the world. Although your body weakened, we lived happily. We were in love.”

The story gradually became clear.

This was the original game plot.

In Min Xingtu’s route, the heroine Xiao Lian encounters Min Xingtu, who carries a tragic past. Because of those scars, Min Xingtu wavers in love until Xiao Lian’s awakened goddess power heals his pain, and they become sweet lovers.

In Lu Hengze’s route, the heroine meets President Lu Hengze. When they are at their deepest love, he faces death. Xiao Lian awakens goddess power and sacrifices herself to save him. Their love is tragic, forever separated by life and death.

In Chu Ding’s route, amid a world-ending disaster, the heroine discovers her childhood friend is the savior. Through a cliché kiss, she transfers her power to him. He saves the world, and they end up together.

But for some unknown reason, the world glitched.

All three leads caught glimpses of their futures early and coveted Xiao Lian’s power, believing that by reenacting the known future, they could claim it.

That’s why Min Xingtu, the obsessive pervert, demands her heart belong only to him.

That’s why Lu Hengze, the lunatic, wants to carve out her heart early.

That’s why Chu Ding, the weirdo, tries to feed her his saliva to forge a soul bond.

Mystery solved.

And these guys still have the nerve to call it “love.”

1. 甜蜜戀人 (tiánmì liànrén) — Sweet Lovers, the game’s title emphasizing a sugary romantic fantasy.

2. 玉津 (yùjīn) — Jade Essence, an esoteric term for spiritually significant bodily fluids in Chu Ding’s story.

3. 靈魂聯結 (línghún liánjié) — Soul Bond,  mystical bond connecting souls in the game’s narrative.

4. 親密度 (qīnmìdù) — Intimacy Level: A gameplay stat measuring relationship progress with each love interest.

5. 攻略線 (gōnglüè xiàn) — Route: Character-specific story paths in a visual novel format.

6. 女神力量 (nǚshén lìliàng) — Goddess Power, the protagonist’s hidden goddess power central to all storylines.

7. 戀愛響鈴 (liàn’ài xiǎnglíng) — Love Bell, an item that forces romantic honesty among characters.

8. 救世主 (jiùshìzhǔ) — Savior, the destined savior role held by Chu Ding in his apocalyptic plot.

9. 法外狂徒 (fǎwài kuángtú) — Lawless Lunatic, Zhong Xu’s sarcastic nickname for Lu Hengze.

10. 青梅竹馬 (qīngméi zhúmǎ) — Childhood Friends, the trope describing Chu Ding’s relationship with the protagonist since childhood.

Sevyn here ~~~

As seen in the translation notes, this arc could have been named Sweet Lovers, but I like Sweetheart Simulation more to reminisce about the Otome Game-esque feeling. 

Enjoy!