Chapter 1: I’m Your Sugar Daddy

Su Jinshi finally breathed a sigh of relief when she received the editor’s approval for the final episode of her short drama script. She stretched lazily, closing the Word document while vowing through gritted teeth, “I won’t open you again for the rest of this month or next!”

As she walked out of her study, Su Jinshi opened WeChat, which she hadn’t checked in over a month, and posted a status update: 「Hermit mode over, time to party.」

She then started scrolling through her feed to see what her friends had posted during her offline retreat.

Her attention was soon caught by an ad for a new high-freedom 3D dating simulation game: «Record of Raising a Powerful Minister.»

The game video showed a handsome man in an ancient costume with a high ponytail and a stray lock of hair on his forehead, leaning against a wall and covered in blood. Through the blood, one could faintly see his well-defined chest and abdominal muscles.

Su Jinshi had never seen such a lifelike and captivating 3D game before. Even the pores on his face and the texture of his skin were as detailed as a real person’s.

With each painful movement and gasp, his hair swayed gently.

A flashing circle appeared on the man’s chest, with a system prompt: “Click to wipe the blood off Shen Shilang.”

Su Jinshi admitted she couldn’t resist a bit of eye candy, especially when he was breathing so enticingly.

She clicked, and the screen immediately showed a download dialog box with a line of text: “Congratulations on obtaining beta access.“

…Well, she might as well give it a try.

After the game finished downloading, Su Jinshi logged in and entered her player nickname: Jinshi.

During the loading process, text on the screen explained the game’s background:

The male lead, Shen Shilang, was the son of former Prime Minister Shen Liangyu. Fifteen years ago, Shen Liangyu was framed and committed suicide in prison, leading to the massacre of the Shen family overnight. The young Shen Shilang was escorted away by loyal guards and secretly taken in by Wei Zhaoxian, the Great General of Guiding Virtue, who claimed Shen Shilang was a distant relative.

To avenge his family, Shen Shilang endured humiliation and hardship.

After the introduction, the screen returned to the scene from the game ad.

“Wow, the actual game graphics are this realistic too? I thought the ad was exaggerating,” Su Jinshi muttered, hearing Shen Shilang’s heavy breathing as he leaned against the wall.

“Oh my, that breathing… it’s so seductive and sounds so good!” Su Jinshi even considered falling asleep to this sound. “No, no, I can’t be so heartless. He’s in pain right now.”

“As she said this, she clicked on the flashing circle on Shen Shilang’s chest.

[System: Buy clean water and cotton cloth to clean Shen Shilang’s wounds.]

Su Jinshi skillfully entered the game store where water and cloth were sold as a set for 100 gold coins.

The game initially gifted her 100 gold coins, and she complained, “What kind of game only gives 100 gold coins at the beginning!”

She bought the items but received no further prompts upon returning to the main screen.

Remembering the game’s claim of “high freedom,” Su Jinshi tried dragging the cloth into the water. Once soaked, she dragged it onto Shen Shilang’s body to wipe off the blood.

To her surprise, as soon as she touched Shen Shilang’s chest, his muscles slightly contracted from her touch.

Shen Shilang seemed to be in pain, his brows furrowing as he let out a soft groan.

Su Jinshi’s eyes widened: “This game even has touch feedback? It’s too realistic! Even the handsome guy’s frown is so attractive, it makes me want to comfort him!”

While exclaiming, Su Jinshi continued to wipe the blood off Shen Shilang.

Shen Shilang frowned, his eyes closed in pain, wanting to move but unable to do so.

At this moment, he felt as if a hand was wiping his body with a cloth.

Shen Shilang struggled to open his eyes and saw that the blood on his body had been cleaned off, leaving only fresh wounds.

But in the small room, there was clearly only him.

“Who’s there!” Shen Shilang questioned through the pain.

At this time, Su Jinshi’s phone screen displayed:

[System: Cleaned Shen Shilang’s wounds, XP+1000]

[System: Shen Shilang’s Favorability +0]

[System: Congratulations on reaching Level 2, Level reward: +150 gold coins]

Su Jinshi angrily poked Shen Shilang’s cheek, “You’re tough to please, aren’t you? How come you don’t increase your favoribility even after this?”

His cheek was poked several times, but no matter how carefully Shen Shilang looked, he couldn’t see anyone else in the room, not even a hand.

“Who are you!” Shen Shilang said sternly, “Stop hiding and show yourself!”

Shen Shilang hated talk of ghosts and spirits the most, and he hated people who pretend to have supernatural powers even more.

It’s all because when his father Shen Liangyu was imprisoned, it was due to the current Emperor Jiacheng deeply believing the words of a sorcerer, who said that the person who would end the current emperor’s reign would come from the Shen family.

And who was the most outstanding person in the Shen family if not Shen Liangyu?

Shen Liangyu had a good reputation among the common people and could rally support with a single call.

Emperor Jiacheng feared that Shen Liangyu might pose a threat to his throne, so he found an excuse to throw him into the imperial prison.

Unexpectedly, not long after, news came that Shen Liangyu had committed suicide in prison.

It was ridiculous. In the prison cell, apart from the shackles on his body, what could Shen Liangyu have used to commit suicide?

He was clearly murdered.

And on that very night of Shen Liangyu’s death, the entire Shen family was massacred.

It was the Shen family’s old madam who arranged for loyal guards to send Shen Shilang away. Along the way, all the guards died.

One of the guards, severely wounded, barely managed to hold on until delivering him into the hands of the Great General of Guiding Virtue, Wei Zhaoxian, who came to receive him, before taking his last breath.

Su Jinshi: “…I see, so it’s a setting where the character doesn’t trust the player. How unique—I’ve never played a game like this before. Well done, you’ve successfully caught my attention.”

[System: communication box purchase permission unlocked]

“communication box?” Su Jinshi knew the system wouldn’t give useless prompts. She entered the game store and saw that a previously grayed-out item had indeed lit up.

Su Jinshi spent 10 gold coins to buy a communication box.

When she clicked to use it, a countdown timer appeared below the communication box.

59 minutes, 59 seconds.

59 minutes, 52 seconds.

“What? Only one hour of usage time?” Su Jinshi scoffed, “This game really is pay-to-win!”

“Oh well, considering how handsome and well-made the male lead is, I’ll put up with it!”

As she said this, Su Jinshi clicked on the communication box and said to Shen Shilang: “You’re the ghost, your whole family are ghosts!”

Shen Shilang’s face turned black as ink.

Indeed, his family members were all gone.

If ghosts existed, they would be wandering spirits.

Did this person know his identity?

To speak so bluntly about his pain...

“Who are you really!” Shen Shilang said, “If you have the guts, show yourself. Don’t be a coward hiding in the shadows.”

“Hmph! I am your sugar daddy,” Su Jinshi said. This game looked like it required a lot of in-game purchases. If she was going to spend money on him, wouldn’t that make her his sugar daddy?

“What daddy? What sugar?” What strange words were these? Shen Shilang frowned, having never heard such terms before.