The Silly Beauty Is Everyone's Favorite in Infinite Flow

- A face-blind, silly, beautiful, universally adored shou x a powerful gong who spends every day as a background character

Jing Nian's first move after landing in a dungeon is to cry, then run while crying.

As Marcel Proust once said, long legs are meaningless if you don't use them to run away.

"Where is this?" Jing Nian's tears won't stop falling. He really can't control them. He's genuinely afraid of ghosts, big sisters and big brothers.

He's been scared of ghosts since he was little. He'd finally come to believe that ghosts didn't exist, only to be sent into a dungeon.

Everyone thinks he won't survive his first dungeon. They've even started a betting pool. But Jing Nian not only survives, he comes out completely unharmed.

A public service announcement against gambling.

"Huh? How did I survive? I just did. Someone wanted my body and asked me to marry him. I said yes, and then I got out just fine." Jing Nian says this with complete confidence.

Everyone: ?

"Is there a problem?"

It doesn't seem like there's a problem, but then again, no, this is completely ridiculous.

Another person from the dungeon appears just then, looking lazily at Jing Nian.

"I just got myself a wife. Was it you?"

"Probably not." Jing Nian remembers that the person he agreed to marry had a red string tied around his wrist.

"I see." The powerhouse nods, then leaves.

Everyone: But you two are the only ones who came out of that dungeon.

"Oh, is that so...?" Jing Nian's brain freezes.

"?"

"Tsk..."

Rong Qi actually hasn't gone far. He comes back and watches his wife jot things down in his little notebook.

Jing Nian looks up, sees Rong Qi, and blinks at him.

So handsome.

Too bad he's already got a husband. His husband is pretty handsome too.

Jing Nian knows his brain has been chewed on by zombies, and figures he probably won't survive many dungeons. So he tries to find some reliable teammates. In a world of dungeons, how could anyone be a sincere teammate?

Well, believe it or not, he really does find some. As long as he's sincere, doesn't that mean everyone he meets is sincere too?

So when his teammate Zhao Yuan runs off, Jing Nian says, "He must have left because he didn't want to hold us back."

Ling drags Zhao Yuan back and says with a smile, "How clever of you."

Zhao Yuan: What does he have besides a pretty face? Why are you helping him so much? Did he save your life?

Ling smiles and nods.

Zhao Yuan: ?

Ling slowly replies, "Seeing him puts me at ease, body and soul. How is that not saving my life?"

Zhao Yuan: ? Is he seriously the only normal person in this group?

The three-person team is now (forcibly) complete.

Rong Qi grabs Jing Nian by the shoulder with a smile and points to himself. "What about me?"

After a long pause, Jing Nian says, "Honorary member?"

He definitely didn't forget him.

Zhao Yuan: What, did he save your life too?

Rong Qi nods along.

Zhao Yuan: ?

Ling really was saved by Jing Nian. Rong Qi wasn't.

But Jing Nian doesn't remember that.

Bonus scene:

Zhao Yuan asks Jing Nian why he's crying so hard.

"Because I'm scared!" Jing Nian declares, entirely unashamed. He's only just stopped himself from clinging to the girl with them and crying.

"..."

It's hard to believe those words came out of Jing Nian's mouth.

Sure. If you hadn't beaten up that person just now, I might believe you.

"That was a person! This is a ghost! How are they the same?!"

"This is a ghost!"

The girl with them falls silent.

Looking at Jing Nian's face, she feels a surge of maternal affection, even though she has no idea where it came from. She rubs his head.

"It's okay. Don't be afraid. How about tapping a wooden fish?"

Jing Nian nods and writes in his notebook: When you're scared, tap a wooden fish. A romance unique to Ling.

?

Good news: He's a heartthrob who is especially popular with women.

Bad news: It's maternal affection.

In the dungeons, Jing Nian calls for help from every teammate without playing favorites.

To the girls, Jing Nian: "Sister Ling, help!"

To his husband, Jing Nian: "Rong Qi, help!"

Ling takes out a wooden fish. She wonders if this dungeon is somehow not Journey to the West.

There's someone else with them too. Zhao Yuan points at himself, then at Rong Qi. "Don't you think someone's missing? The three of you have a stable triangular formation. I'm wondering who the honorary member is supposed to be."

Ling: "You're useless, so you got kicked out. Any questions?"

Zhao Yuan: "You monsters."

Jing Nian tries to turn invisible.

Jing Nian looks at Zhao Yuan. "Brother Yuan, um, never mind. Heaven, please save me."

Brother Yuan: "What do you mean, never mind? I shouldn't have come. I should've stayed in that lousy dungeon."

Zhao Yuan looks completely numb. "You've got the wrong person."

Jing Nian believes him. "Sorry, I mistook you for someone else. Could you still help me? I can give you an item later."

Zhao Yuan: "You son of a..."

Jing Nian takes Zhao Yuan to find Sister Ling. "Sister Ling, I met a kind person."

The two of them exchange a look. Sister Ling struggles not to laugh, then plays along. "That's great. Nian really is lucky."

Jing Nian: "Right?"

Zhao Yuan tries to use profanity to make Jing Nian see sense, but Sister Ling threatens him.

Zhao Yuan uses the little notebook Jing Nian gave him to write down a reminder: I'll take you all out sooner or later.

After Jing Nian manages to survive a dungeon on his own, Ling says, "Our little Nian did great." Then she turns to Zhao Yuan. "Jing Nian can clear a dungeon by himself now. What's your excuse for not working harder?"

Jing Nian: "Sister Ling, are you praising me? You're such a good person."

Zhao Yuan: "Bullshit. She's mocking you."

Jing Nian: "I don't believe you."

Zhao Yuan rolls his eyes.

When Jing Nian hears that her husband has died, he cries his eyes out in front of Rong Qi's grave.

"Why are you crying? I'm not dead yet."

Jing Nian looks at the grave, then at Rong Qi.

He's come back from the dead?!

Jing Nian is instantly terrified and tries to run away, but his legs have gone weak. Rong Qi reaches out and grabs him.

The touch is warm, as if he's alive.

As if?

Jing Nian, upset that his feelings have been wasted, pouts. What a shame. I didn't become a widow after all.

"Move. You're in my way."

"Nian Nian, I'm really sorry." He only meant to tease Jing Nian, never thinking he'd cry this much, though... it was kind of cute.

Jing Nian scoffs and shakes Rong Qi's hand off.

But he hasn't gone far before he sees a ghost and nearly jumps into Rong Qi's arms.

What kind of lousy dungeon is this?!

He turns around, grabs Rong Qi's hand, and runs. Rong Qi wants to laugh but doesn't dare. He quietly puts away the item he'd planned to use and lets Jing Nian drag him along.

: The shou is face-blind in the sense that he can tell people apart but can't remember their faces.

: The story will mention things like the shou losing his memory and the powerhouse. They're not foreshadowing. The shou is just a pure and simple idiot.

: As for character growth, after going through enough dungeons, he'll grow a little. Do enough practice problems and eventually you'll understand them.

: The gong has already been through many dungeons and can get through them by relying on a pile of items.

: Ling isn't entirely human. Zhao Yuan is an ordinary person.

: I personally don't think it's scary.

: The shou should count as the group's beloved darling.

Zhao Yuan: Don't believe rumors or spread them.

Theme: Survive adversity and keep striving