Middle-aged Love Patch

"How could you just push me down and stand up like that?" Shi Yue was practically sprawled across the office desk. As she sat up, she pulled her disheveled blouse back over her shoulders—several buttons had been torn off.

She rubbed her chest, wincing in pain.

"I... I didn’t realize earlier... Sorry." Xu Youyuan had imagined countless dangerous scenarios, but never expected things to take such a risqué turn instead.

"It hurts everywhere." Shi Yue’s lipstick was smudged, her delicate face still flawlessly made-up, clearly the work of someone meticulous. Her long hair, usually silky smooth, was now tousled from the commotion.

At this point, it was obvious—this wasn’t a misunderstanding. It was exactly what Xu Youyuan had feared.

They were in a high-rise office, the door tightly shut.

Shi Yue’s black stockings were ripped, her slender legs crossed in a way that was far too provocative. Xu Youyuan couldn’t take it, turning her flushed face away. "Hurry up and fix yourself."

"You’re the one who did this to me, and now you’re telling me to clean up? Xu Youyuan, I never took you for such a scoundrel."

"What does this have to do with me? It was already like this when I got here!"

Shi Yue pointed at her chest. "Your hand was right here when you arrived."

"I—" Xu Youyuan was about to argue when she caught sight of herself in the mirror.

All ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‍virtual indicators were hidden. If not for the player IDs and status bars floating above their heads, it would be easy to mistake this for reality rather than a game.

Xu Youyuan was also dressed in professional attire—a beige blazer that looked expensive, her shoulder-length hair neatly styled. At nearly fifty, she seemed to be a high-ranking executive.

Seriously? A middle-aged female executive coercing a young subordinate in the office? What kind of trashy movie was this? She had no memory of it whatsoever.

"Did you deliberately pick this scenario?" Xu Youyuan shot Shi Yue a sidelong glance, not daring to look directly, afraid her involuntary gulp would give her away.

Without her vampire avatar, Shi Yue looked even more like her real-life self—as if she’d actually dressed like this and perched on the desk.

"That’s unfair," Shi Yue protested. "From Phase Two onward, the scenarios alternate between ones I choose and ones the system generates. This one’s definitely from the system."

That made sense.

Xu Youyuan had read the rules. Players were randomly assigned roles—main or supporting—with slight appearance adjustments while retaining core facial features. That was precisely why she felt so awkward.

Right now, she looked much older than her original avatar, though this executive clearly took good care of herself, with only faint wrinkles. From earrings to watches, clothes to shoes, her outfit probably cost a fortune.

And yet, she still had to harass a subordinate in the office? If it was consensual, couldn’t they at least find somewhere more comfortable? That desk looked painfully hard.

What a beast.

"You, come here." Xu Youyuan kept her gaze fixed out the window as she spoke.

Shi Yue obediently approached.

Xu Youyuan took off her blazer and draped it over Shi Yue’s shoulders.

Shi Yue’s eyes sparkled, a sweet smile playing on her lips as she stared at Xu Youyuan.

Xu Youyuan turned her face away—right, then left—but Shi Yue kept following her gaze.

"Hey, enough," Xu Youyuan finally said, holding her at arm’s length.

"I always thought you couldn’t stand me. I didn’t expect you to be so kind."

"I’m not being kind. I just can’t leave you like this—" Before she could finish, an eerie sound cut her off.

Buzz… buzz…

Both turned toward the desk. A water glass at the edge trembled, inching closer to the brink.

The overhead lights flickered. Xu Youyuan tensed—finally, the real challenge!

She lunged for the fruit knife on the desk, but the building suddenly lurched violently. Staggering, she barely kept her balance.

"Look!" Shi Yue pointed outside.

Skyscrapers swayed as the earth convulsed. Elevated highways encircling the city snapped under the violent shifts, collapsing layer by layer. Cars speeding along the bridges were crushed like ants beneath the falling debris, vanishing into clouds of dust.

Even the 300-meter-tall Tokyo Tower wobbled precariously, like a tiny ice cream cone in the midst of the earth’s fury.

This had to be at least a magnitude 9 quake.

Xu Youyuan’s heart sank.

So it wasn’t monsters—it was a natural disaster.

Trapped on what had to be the 60th floor or higher, how could they possibly escape?

Wait—the vampire wings!

"Shi Yue!"

The room tilted into a steep slope. The desk screeched as it slammed into the wall beside Xu Youyuan, sparks flying from the shattered computer screen, forcing her to shield her eyes.

Shi Yue tried to reach her, but the floor between them split open. Half the office plunged six stories down.

"Shi Yue!" Xu Youyuan clung to the edge of the fissure, coughing through the dust. Chunks of concrete pummeled her, but Shi Yue was already lost in the wreckage below.

[System Alert: Your teammate "Plasma-Frosted Cream Cake" has been eliminated.]

Xu Youyuan: "What?!"

The world turned gray. The word "FAILURE" loomed across the sky...

Back in her private room, Xu Youyuan was stunned.

So they’d died at the very beginning?

Just like that?

She sent Shi Yue a party invite and entered her room.

"What just happened?"

Shi Yue massaged her sore shoulders. "I underestimated that scenario. No worries—let’s try again."

Xu Youyuan: "..."

They re-entered the scene. Same opening: middle-aged executive Xu Youyuan once again harassing her young subordinate, her hand resting somewhere Xu Youyuan couldn’t bear to look.

Shi Yue whimpered, tears in her eyes. "It hurts..."

This time, Xu Youyuan immediately pulled away, her aging back protesting the abrupt movement. She tossed her blazer over Shi Yue.

"Get dressed! Before the quake hits, we need supplies! There’s no way down from this height in time—we’ll have to find shelter first and escape later!"

"Got it."

Outside the window, Tokyo was eerily calm. Xu Youyuan scavenged the office for anything useful.

According to Shi Yue, this scenario would last at least an hour. High-rise survival was likely just the first phase—the real test would come once they reached the ground. She had to be prepared.

There was a shoulder bag hanging on the coat rack. Xu Youyuan yanked it down, rummaged inside, and found a thermos. She quickly filled it with water, screwed the lid back on, and tossed it in.

Gripping the shoulder bag, Xu Youyuan continued her search.

Was there a toolbox? She wasn’t sure about this character’s habits, but in the past, she always kept a toolbox and emergency rations in her office drawer. She firmly believed that disasters were inevitable in the face of worsening climate conditions, and preparedness was key.

Xu Youyuan searched frantically when the ominous "buzzing" sound returned. The water cup tilted again—another earthquake!

"Are your buttons done up?!" Xu Youyuan shouted at Shi Yue.

"Done!" Shi Yue jumped off the desk and rushed toward her.

"Wait—!"

Xu Youyuan’s cry came too late. The collapsing office floor dragged Shi Yue down again.

The violent tremors sent Xu Youyuan sprawling, her vision obscured by dust.

She expected to see the word "FAILURE" when she opened her eyes, but this time, they hadn’t failed.

Shi Yue was alive!

Half the office was already gone, leaving Xu Youyuan exposed. People plummeted from the floors above, their screams sending her heart racing.

This was way too realistic.

But also… kind of thrilling!

The building swayed violently, the office tilting at precarious angles. Lowering her center of gravity, Xu Youyuan crawled toward the edge of the broken floor, desperate to find Shi Yue.

A gust of wind rushed overhead—Shi Yue hovered midair, grinning at her. The vampire’s wings billowed in the wind as she stretched out a hand. "Come on, I’ll get you out of here!"

That vampire design was ridiculously overpowered!

Xu Youyuan barely raised her hand when a massive billboard careened toward Shi Yue. Before she could even shout "Watch out!", the wings were severed, and Shi Yue plummeted again.

FAILURE.

…

"You seem especially slow today."

Back in the room, Xu Youyuan pinched Shi Yue’s cat ears and dragged her close, scowling. "Are you doing this on purpose?"

Shi Yue hurriedly defended herself. "No, no! Why would I? What do I gain from that, sis? Phase Two is just hard, okay? Don’t accuse me unfairly!"

"Really? I thought you were enjoying the opening scene so much you wanted to replay it five or six more times."

Shi Yue looked ready to swear a hundred oaths.

Xu Youyuan narrowed her eyes. "I think I heard you say, 'Five or six times? That’s not enough.'"

"You’re wearing Phoenix Wings for agility and strength, not a mind-reading buff. How could you possibly hear that?" Shi Yue grabbed her wrist, freeing her ears. "Oh, right—this is a movie. 'Tokyo Earthquake,' released in 2033. And I swear, I didn’t import it. We’re probably not the protagonists—just the early-death side characters."

"I am taking this seriously. But this phase is brutal. You can die at any moment, and there’s no manual save. The system only auto-saves after clearing a sub-scene."

Shi Yue seemed to be telling the truth this time. Xu Youyuan vaguely remembered the movie and let go of the cat ears.

"Don’t rush back in. We need a plan," Xu Youyuan said. "I timed it—from entry to office collapse, we have less than a minute. Short, but enough to scavenge supplies and find cover. If we’re doomed side characters, our conditions are way worse than the protagonists’. In movies, the leads always have plot armor. Side characters? Not so much. But there’s a way to make this easier."

Shi Yue caught on immediately. "Stick with the protagonist?"

"Exactly. Remember who that is?"

"Section Chief Morita, I think."

"And the office location?"

"Twenty meters left after exiting!"

"…Sure you didn’t pick this movie?"

"You asked me! I just have a good memory. Don’t accuse me!"

"Enough chatter. Let’s go. If you die on purpose again, I’m smacking your ass."

Shi Yue refused to take the bait. "Never on purpose. Never, never."

As the scene loaded, Xu Youyuan laid out the plan: gear up immediately, split up to scavenge—Shi Yue would check the file cabinets while she handled the drawers and water supply.

"No matter what you find, be back at the door by the time I count to 40. Or you’ll fall again. Understood?"

"Copy that!"

58 seconds before the Tokyo Earthquake.

Back in the damned scene, Shi Yue was once again beneath her.

Shi Yue groaned. "Ow…"

Xu Youyuan cut her off before the usual whining could start. "No crying!"

Shi Yue: "…"

Pulling away, Xu Youyuan felt like the scum of the earth. She shed her jacket, counting silently, then snatched a hair tie from the desk clutter to pull her hair back. Sleeves rolled up, she worked while filling the thermos.

Shi Yue unearthed a box cutter and a coil of rope, sneaking glances at Xu Youyuan.

Without the jacket, Xu Youyuan’s crisp white shirt clung neatly, her rolled sleeves revealing toned forearms. A vintage leather watch wrapped around her slender wrist, and the ponytail only sharpened her striking charm. Shi Yue couldn’t look away.

"29… Stop staring. Focus. 32…" Xu Youyuan warned without pausing.

"Roger!" Shi Yue nearly ripped the cabinet door off in her haste. Her demon tail peeked out, wagging gleefully, scattering invisible hearts everywhere.