CHAPTER 56: CHAPTER 56: FURIOUSLY CLASHING WITH THE BOOTLICKER

[Ding—Congratulations to the Host for activating the hidden task: The Bootlicker’s Counterattack.

Task Description: This is a man who has experienced great trials and tribulations. For the sake of love, he has humbled himself to the absolute extreme. Please persuade Tian Gou to voluntarily give up the marriage.

Task Difficulty: S-level!

Task Reward: 1 S-level Lucky Draw Ticket, 10 buildings in the Qingyun City Lanyuan Property, and 1,000 Work Points.]

Indeed, just as I expected, the System issued the task. And this reward...

Xia Liang’s heart raced uncontrollably.

Ten buildings? I’ll ignore those for now. But damn, 1,000 Work Points! Holy shit! And an S-level lucky draw... that sounds incredibly powerful. Fuck! But then there’s the mission difficulty. Just like the System described, he’s a man who has been through hell and back. What method can I possibly use to get him to walk away from this?

The barrage of comments was filled with people ridiculing Tian Gou.

[Bro! I’m begging you, break up with her! I’ll introduce you to my cousin! You don’t have to put up with this!]

[As a man, just hearing about this is unbearable, let alone actually experiencing it.]

[I’m at a loss for words. Anchor, please, scold him until he wakes up!]

[Anchor, this is the first time I’ve ever hoped you would break a couple up!]

[They say it’s better to demolish ten temples than to ruin one marriage, but come on! This kid is just naive! Save him, please!]

[Don’t let that bitch succeed! If she does, she’ll brag about it, and even more good guys will suffer in the future!]

However, seeing these comments, the man in question, Tian Gou, was not the least bit embarrassed. He even looked a little smug.

"Hmph, you’re all just jealous! You’re jealous that I won over my goddess and am going to marry her! A bunch of aimless losers! Go on, just watch as the people you like marry someone else!"

This statement infuriated everyone. They offered well-meaning advice only to be met with such a response!

Xia Liang frowned. Truthfully, Tian Gou understands everything. You can never wake someone who’s pretending to be asleep. He’s gotten this far through sheer obsession, an obsession far more intense than any I’ve seen before. You could say he has nothing left to lose. Along the way, he’s lost his dignity, ignored his friends’ advice, and even turned on his brothers over a few instigating words from his so-called ’goddess.’ The pain has already numbed him. He’s finally about to bring this relationship to fruition. Even if he can’t win her heart, winning her hand is enough. There’s no way he’ll give up.

However, for the sake of the mission... and for the sake of reawakening a man’s dignity... I have to at least try.

With that thought, Xia Liang looked at the smug Tian Gou on the screen.

"Sigh."

Xia Liang’s sigh immediately drew everyone’s attention.

[Why are you sighing, Anchor? Hurry up and pull him back to reality!]

[His thinking is too far gone. There’s no pulling him back.]

[The Anchor sighed. It seems he’s a lost cause.]

[As a woman, I feel sad for a man like this.]

[Give up, Anchor!]

[Yeah, just give it up!]

Seeing everyone in the barrage urging him to give up, Xia Liang pondered for a moment.

"I’ll still give it a try."

After he finished speaking, he looked at Tian Gou on the screen. His statement had clearly stunned the man, who never expected Xia Liang to still try to persuade him at this stage.

His earlier claim of being one of Xia Liang’s die-hard fans wasn’t a lie. And just as Xia Liang had surmised, Tian Gou knew his situation all too well; he had simply lost too much to care anymore. He was actually curious to see how the Anchor was going to persuade him.

Xia Liang looked right at him, his voice laced with emotion.

"You can never wake a person who’s pretending to be asleep. And please, stop indulging in this self-pity that just disgusts everyone else. Don’t kneel there, moved to tears by your own ’sacrifice.’ It’s all in your head. Do you really think you ’moved’ her? No, no, no. She was just tired. Tired of playing games and ready to find some sucker to marry. And you actually believe your sincerity won her over. Look at you, you’re practically drowning in your own manufactured sentiment!"

At these words, Tian Gou’s expression faltered, his face turning ugly.

"What do you know? ’Drowning in my own sentiment’? She was moved! That’s why she agreed to marry me. Do you have any idea how much I’ve done for her? Do you?"

Tian Gou’s chest began to heave violently. He had thought he was immune to any insult by now, but Xia Liang’s words had enraged him. You can say I have no dignity, but you cannot question my love for her!

"Hah! Do you know how completely obedient I am to her? When it was ten degrees below zero, I traveled for an hour by car just to buy her a cup of milk tea because she casually said she wanted one! Just because of her offhand joke, I ran to her apartment building in the pouring rain and waited all afternoon! And even when she never came out, telling me later that she was just playing Truth or Dare, I forgave her! You can say I have no dignity! But you cannot deny that it’s because of these things that she ultimately chose me over everyone else!"

Watching the roaring Tian Gou, the hundreds of thousands of viewers in the livestream fell silent. Every pitiful person has their own detestable side.

[Forget it. Whatever. I’ve given up on this guy.]

[Plus one. Not even a team of ten bulls could drag him back now.]

[Anchor, just stop. The more you say, the more depressing this gets.]

[Just end the call and let him go get married!]

"Hmph!"

Seeing the comments, Tian Gou snorted coldly and stared at Xia Liang, waiting to hear what he would say next. To his surprise, Xia Liang suddenly burst out laughing.

"Hahahahaha! That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard! Bravo!"

Laughing, Xia Liang began to clap his hands sarcastically.

"What are you laughing at?"

Tian Gou was completely baffled, but Xia Liang didn’t keep him in suspense.

"I’m laughing at your pathetic denial! She chose you because she was ’moved’? You really know how to pat yourself on the back. Are you worthy? I’m asking you, are you worthy?"

As he spoke, Xia Liang’s voice rose, and Tian Gou’s face went pale, his hands clenching into tight fists.

"You think anything you did actually moved her? No, no, no. She just sees you as a toy. Something to play with when she feels like it and toss aside when she’s bored. The only reason she chose you is that you’re obedient. The moment she finds someone else more interesting, she will kick you to the curb without a second thought."

The livestream viewers expected Tian Gou to fly into a rage, but he didn’t. Instead, he quickly composed himself.

"So what? I can just wait for her to come back to me."

"So what?"

A mocking smile curled at the corners of Xia Liang’s lips.

"Yes, you can keep waiting for her. But please, stop claiming she chose you because she was ’moved’! You’re nothing more than her toy! You need to recognize your place!"