【 Welcome to the Paradise game. I am your guide, Tao Tao. 】

Shen Xin opened his eyes, seeing the usual log-in screen of the UOL game.

A small peach blossom with a cute art style extended four limbs like black wires and greeted him.

【 Hello, player! Have you adapted to the full-fidelity equipment? 】

“I have.”

【 Scanned and recorded player’s facial information. Recorded player’s name… Please select your profession. 】

A row of options appeared before Shen Xin.

Singer (1/1) [Rare]

Dancer (1/2) [Rare]

Hairdresser (0/2) [Rare]

Carpenter (0/5)

Blacksmith (0/5)

Farmer (0/5)

The “rare” professions at the top of the list were all selected within a blink, so Shen Xin had to scroll down. After some thought, she pressed “select” behind “Farmer.”

Didn’t the required middle school textbook Peach Blossom Springs say things like, “There were fields and orchards,” and, “Men went out to work in the fields, women gathered berries”? Farming seemed like a suitable profession.

【 Congratulations! The player has acquired: [Stone Hoe Blueprint × 1], [Straw Hat Blueprint × 1], [White Radish Seeds × 30]. 】

【 You will now be teleported into the game. This may cause slight discomfort; please prepare yourself. 】

After the countdown, Shen Xin’s vision dissolved and reassembled within five seconds. The scenery around her swiftly panned upward, and she plummeted downward, landing on a ship.

Twenty players stood on the deck, and Shen Xin recognized hardly a face among them.

She’d been secretly mingling in the gaming community for years, so she knew most of the big shots and their various alts. At a glance, Shen Xin could tell there weren’t many experienced gamers among these designated members.

“It’s Zhou Yi!” someone cried out in surprise.

“Mingyue is here too!”

The participating players hadn’t known exactly who else would be competing, and the sight of these famous faces under the wraps left many in a state of shock and delight.

Shen Xin spent most of her time gaming, but even she knew of Mingyue and Zhou Yi. One was apparently an incredible actor, while the other had a beautiful singing voice. If even she knew of their names, they must have been quite famous.

The thought made Shen Xin feel a slight regret. Even though she had ranked first in the game’s scoring, these celebrities’ fan bases would surely dwarf her own.

Just as some players were trying to strike up conversations with the celebrities, an NPC resembling the ship’s captain emerged from the cabin. He walked among the players and gestured for everyone to quiet down.

“Dear passengers, we are about to arrive at the legendary Utopia Island. Before disembarking, I must remind you all—”

So this is where the backstory begins.

“A hundred years ago, Utopia Island was a famous tourist destination. However, due to a volcanic eruption, earthquake, tsunami, economic crisis, plague, and demonic invasion, it was reduced to the deserted state we see today.”

Everyone stared in shock.

Wait, was this island cursed? That sounded way too unfortunate. And what the heck was up with demonic invasion? What kind of fantastical backstory was this?

Amidst the commotion, the captain continued his explanation. “But don’t worry, after all the various factions joined forces, the demons were sealed away. The island is now in ruins, but the native residents have come together to seek aid from the outside world to rebuild their homes, and you are among the volunteers arriving from all corners of the globe…”

So that was their backstory.

After gathering the general gist, they heard the captain raise his voice in encouragement. “Thank you for your contributions, and may your journey be smooth sailing! May your efforts in rebuilding our island be successful!”

Just as he finished speaking, the wooden ship seemed to have struck something, and the hull split in two with a loud crack. Curses echoed throughout the ship. Then a giant wave rolled by, swallowing everyone whole.

Upon waking, Shen Xin discovered she had been washed ashore by the sea.

“What a stock opening.”

Roasting it briefly, she opened her status window and read a string of messages:

【 Player name: Shen Xin

Class: Farmer

Level: 1

Health: 100/100

Stamina: 100/100

Cleanliness: 50/100 】

Below were a whole list of other affiliated attributes, such as fishing, gathering, cooking, and crafting levels.

Shen Xin immediately sensed something was off. Were these things supposed to be in a dating sim?

As soon as the others woke, they too realized that something strange was going on.

This definitely wasn’t a dating sim!

At UOL, Zhong Suwen watched the viewership numbers rise in real time, his mood soaring along with the digits.

“Director, the title has been changed,” a staff member reported.

Zhong Suwen took a peek at the new title.

【Click to Watch】 Paradise: A Survival-Oriented Love Game That Exceeds Your Expectations!

“Good, send it out.” Zhong Suwen picked up a cup of coffee, grinning happily.

“Director, won’t changing the title anger our fans?” a staff member asked cautiously.

“Of course there will be some backlash,” Zhong Suwen said, taking the report from his assistant’s hand, “but curiosity and interest will be even greater. Look, the moment of the twist is when interest is highest. Besides, we haven’t lied about the game; Paradise is indeed a love game—just not right away.”

Indeed, while there were many romanceable NPCs within the game, the most urgent task for players upon arrival was surviving on the island.

“No wonder the qualifying exam tested gaming skills and combat abilities; I thought it was some kind of wedding-planning drama…” Shen Xin looked around the beach he was lying on; it was deserted save for a few items scattered nearby.

The first item was a backpack, which, upon opening, revealed ten storage cubbies. The two in front contained an electronic manual and a packet of seeds.

“The survival manual… So this is a survival game?”

Shen Xin opened the manual and began to read.

“Welcome to Utopia Island! This island is located in the Northern Hemisphere and has only thirty days per season. It is now the first day of spring at 9 A.M. Please take note of the following guidelines:

“To maintain your health and well-being, please ensure that your hunger and cleanliness levels remain above thirty at all times, as failure to do so may subject you to various maladies.

“You can craft tools using this manual, including [Stone Hoe] and [Straw Hat].

“Here are your missions:

Main Quest:

Find Utopia Town (0/1)

Side Quests:

Craft one Stone Hoe (0/1)

Collect ten Wooden Sticks (0/10)

“Daily side quests refresh at midnight. Lastly, here’s a map of Utopia Island—survive!”

The final page of the manual was a map of an island shaped like a peach blossom, featuring only a blank outline and a red dot.

That dot was Shen Xin.

Having played her fair share of hardcore and casual survival games, Shen Xin held the manual in one hand, marking “Spawn Point” on her location, then swiftly set about completing her quests.

Quest 2 was a piece of cake; the System congratulated her on obtaining one [Bonfire Blueprint] after she picked up ten branches.

A bonfire required ten branches to craft, and Shen Xin had picked up a few extra on her way. After gathering two stones and a length of vine, she spent ten stamina points to craft a crude stone hoe, earning [Water Purifier × 1] and [Bread × 1] as rewards.

“Lunch is guaranteed.”

Shen Xin opened the map and began exploring along the island’s perimeter.

Her plan was clear: judging by the tall mountains in the distance, she could confirm that this was an island with high ground in the middle and lower ground around it. She only needed to follow the beach to find flatter ground or river mouths, as residential areas were highly likely to appear near these locations.

Her analysis was correct, but now it was all up to luck.

For example, if she traveled around the island in clockwise order, she might find the village right where she started…

Shen Xin began searching along the island, picking up any seashells, rocks, or branches she found along the way. Her inventory space didn’t weigh anything, so survival games always gave players extra hope for survival when they stocked up on items.

Two hours into the game, the bad news was that Shen Xin hadn’t found any sign of the small town, but the good news was that she’d found a beehive.

When Shen Xin saw the giant beehive hanging from a tree, her little heart nearly jumped out of her chest.

In the next second, she picked up a rock, aimed, and threw it at the beehive. After hitting her target, she ran like the wind toward the beach, then lay on the ground and allowed the incoming tide to sweep her into the water, leaving the bees dumbfounded.

After holding her breath underwater for a while, the bees that had flown out of the beehive transformed into data and disappeared. Shen Xin climbed ashore, having gained a free beehive and a queen bee.

【 Congratulations, player! Obtained [Beehive Blueprint × 1]. 】

“Unlocking blueprints just for interacting with new things?” This newfound development piqued Shen Xin’s interest, and she began picking up and touching everything she saw along the way, unlocking a whole bunch of blueprints for items she’d never heard of. They weren’t particularly useful, but they were fun—and that was what mattered most when playing a game.

Knowing that so many celebrities were participating in the competition, Shen Xin realized that winning wouldn’t be easy. But since it wasn’t so simple, she figured she might as well enjoy herself while playing; having fun should always come first.

Shen Xin had finally let loose, while on the other side of the island, two people cursed as they walked through the mountains.

To be exact, the tall, thin young man behind him was doing the cursing, and the burly middle-aged man in front hummed in agreement.

Yun Yuhui said through gritted teeth, “This shitty game is such a scam! Who would’ve known it’d be so painful?!”

Yun Yuhui was the player who’d complained about the game pod earlier.

Upon hearing that UOL was hosting a tournament, Yun Yuhui had bet with his friends, “I, Yun Yuhui, am a master of seduction. A dating sim? I’ll win first place in my sleep.”

Then Yun Yuhui begged his dad to invest in Paradise and reserve a spot for him within UOL.

As an extra precaution, Yun Yuhui had even hired a highly skilled player online, and it seemed that prudence truly did pay off in the long run.

Qin Chengyue reminded him, “Boss, your dad’s the one who invested in this game. Isn’t this comment a bit inappropriate…”

“That’s exactly why I’m mad! Nobody told me before I signed up—I thought I’d actually be able to fall in love!” Yun Yuhui grew more disgruntled. “And these job options are so out of touch with reality!”

“Boss, what did you choose?”

“Performers, huh?”

“Oh…you mean actors? Sure, they can be a bit too ‘out of touch’ for my taste.”

“That’s right,” Yun Yuhui agreed. “Why not have roles like ‘son of the company’s CEO’ or something? Isn’t the trope of a playboy president falling in love with his secretary a classic?”

Qin Chengyue remained silent. You’re the boss, so whatever you say goes.

As he ventured into the unknown, Yun Yuhui followed behind, rambling incessantly, until Qin Chengyue began regretting taking up this job. However, he couldn’t afford to offend the Yun family, so he had no choice but to continue acting as the noise machine’s nanny.

“Rustle, rustle.”

Suddenly, Qin Chengyue caught a sound coming from the bushes and quickly stopped in his tracks, shielding Yun Yuhui behind him.

“What is it?! What’s happening?!”

Yun Yuhui jumped from fright, but in the next second, a green slime hopped out from the bushes.

“Gu!” Its jelly-like texture made it almost cute.

“Ha ha? That’s it?” Yun Yuhui was charmed by the slime and patted Qin Chengyue on the shoulder. “Mate, you’re way too tense.”

The very next second, the green slime pummeled into his stomach like a lead ball, and Yun Yuhui sat down on the ground with a “wah.”

HP -30

“Fuck?! Are you kidding me?!”