Chapter 7 - Your Smile Is Worth Gold

This was Zhe Chouhen's plan since had been cornered on all sides by this fickle author/system's rules:

He will act scummy to raise the Satisfaction Meter high enough so that when he acts OOC to fill the Love Meter and reduce the Scum Meter, he won't reach a 0 or a negative on Satisfaction.

The main idea is to balance his interactions with these three meters. He will act scummy sometimes then redeem himself in the final moments of the story.

[Good plan.]

(.... You're going to come up with some bullcrap rule to ruin that plan, won't you?)

[No. I think this makes the bet equal now. You finally took this seriously and think about the challenge.]

(I had been taking it seriously, I just wanted to win this by being purely myself. I don't like being stuck on a role somebody has assigned for me, my family had already been doing that for so many years.)

[.... And I'm trying to show you that that's not possible. One must always play one or more roles in this life to get what they want. It's harsh, but it's true. You really think I don't want my MLs to be white knights and good saviors like you?]

(That's..... I didn't know that.)

Zhe Chouhen knitted his eyebrows, very baffled. (You really make me so confused, Panda-laoshi. It's like your personality changes like the wind.)

(First, you were just an annoying triggered author, then you were kinda cute, and then you suddenly went all psycho on me. Now, you're being deep and philosophical. Do you have some kind of mental illness like split personality or something?)

The panda in his head did not answer and just left him hanging.

(Great, that just proves my point more.)

He rolled his eyes and focused on the road to the fourth circle with Daniele.

They saw a bearded man counting coins at the side, whispering to himself maniacally. His voice fluctuates from high, low, loud, or soft, but in the end, he was just repeating one thing over and over again.

"Pape Satan, pape Satan aleppe!"

Daniele only understood the word 'Satan' and hid behind 'Leandro' fearfully. "What is he saying, brother?"

"No one knows to this day. This is Plutus, deity of wealth but different from Pluto or Dis. He is harmless, so let us leave him be." 'Leandro pointed to the golden light ahead. "He merely marks the Circle of Greed. Let us move forward."

When they reach the circle, they saw people pushing large bags of gold almost as big as a person with their chests up at low hills.

They are then met with sinners from the other side who also pushes these bags of gold, and then they joust with each other until one falls off and gets crushed by their own bag of gold. Even if they fall, they still continue to push with great torment.

One side yells, "Why do you hoard!?"

The other yells, "Why do you waste!?".

"All we have to do is walk around that slope and avoid the falling people." 'Leandro' said. "These are those who hoard and waste money in their lives, both misers and the wastrels alike. I personally am not guilty of this sin, I do not understand to the temptation of it. Money can buy you several things, but real love is rarely one of them."

"I too, brother. But I still pity their torment, many people value money because they were once in poverty and had less before, and when they had more they became obsessed. You once told me this." Daniele watched them and flinched whenever he see someone falls.

(Have I? That must be before the novel itself. Leandro was only trying to earn your sympathy and get pampered by you like a whiny baby.) Zhe Chouhen scoffed internally.

He guided Daniele through the valley, but then Daniele slipped out of his grasp!

"Daniele!" 'Leandro' turned back to search for Daniele, and he found him, helping an old man sinner to stand up.

"Thank you, my child... But you cannot take my money for this." The old man said.

Daniele smiled. "I never wanted money, mister. I only wanted to help."

Daniele helped several more fallen people and even pushed the bag of gold that crushed them. Once, he saved a wastrel, who went: "I will give you all my money if you would just smile like that for me again!"

Daniele was touched. "My smile is free for all of you, if it would console you on your torment."

More and more, people stopped pushing bags of gold and marveled at the good young man who helped them without anything in exchange.

'Leandro' grabbed Daniele by the wrist and said. "What are you doing!? We must leave this circle at once!"

"Only for a moment, brother. I wanted to help these poor people." Daniele said.

"You can't help everyone forever! They'll just keep falling backwards over and over again. And now they're greedy for your affection!"

'Leandro' pointed as two men that Daniele had helped out started to brawl by pushing their bags of gold against each other under the small hill!

"That child must only smile for me! I will give him all the wealth I collected to buy that smile, and no one else can have it!" One man said, pushing furiously.

"My accumulated wealth is bigger than yours! His smile belongs to me!" The other one responded.

Everyone that was helped by Daniele was arguing and pushing their bag of wealth on each other. "Let's see who has more wealth now! The one who topples over has lesser wealth than the other! The winner is the one who deserves the smile!"

The jousting using bags of gold continued all over again, this time for a different reason than hoarders and wastrels arguing with each other.

Daniele covered his mouth in shock. "What is happening? Why do they continue to hurt each other when I showed them kindness?"

"Sometimes kindness and good intentions lead to evil, Daniele." 'Leandro' clasped his shoulder. "You cannot save them from their desires, especially if the one they desire is you. Showing them more of your kindness would just be as sinful as insinuating a crime."

This was part of the original, manipulative dialogue again courtesy of Leandro Virgilio. Zhe Chouhen still cringed when he hears it, it was really too obvious yet sadly works for someone as gullible as Daniele.

Daniele saw all the war and chaos he had caused, and choke in a sob. "I am sorry.... I did not mean to be 'desired'. I really must be sinful for hurting so many in just a short amount of time."

Leandro hugged him from the back at the original, and so Zhe Chouhen did the same. "Shh... Do not cry, my dear. At least now you know how tempting you are and how much sin you have caused. If only you would keep yourself desired by only one person, you wouldn't cause so much strife....."

(Blegh! You're not even trying to be subtle now, are you?) Zhe Chouhen had acted his lines well but retched in his mind.

[Scum Meter raised to 30%]

[Love Meter raised to 47%]

[Satisfaction Meter raised to 50%]

'Leandro' twirled Daniele's hair creepily, and cups both hands on his face. "Let us go now, alright? Think about what I said well. Hell has already brought much torment on these people, would you like to make the afterlife harder for them?"

Daniele wiped his tears away and shook his head. "No.... I will consider your words, brother."

"Good boy." 'Leandro' patted him lightly. "Do not care for anyone else, just follow me. Your kindness will just bring them more pain."

Daniele nodded slowly and accepted 'Leandro's' hand as he was guided outside of the 4th Circle. He was now starting to get brainwashed by his yandere stepbrother that being good equals bad.

(What even inspired you to write a shitty bastard like Leandro anyway?) Zhe Chouhen asked as he walked.

[..... Classified.]

(C'mon! If it's another book or story, you don't have to see it as plagiarism. You were just inspired by it like you were with the concept of Inferno.)

[Why are you suddenly interested in my writing process?]

(More like your psychology. You really won't tell me anything about yourself.)

[How about I ask you about your own psychology first? I ask you a question and then you ask me so it will be fair.]

Zhe Chouhen chuckled in his mind. (Pfft, does everything has to have conditions with you?)

[Yes, so I have control of the narrative. I do not want to be taken advantaged of.]

(So you're a control freak, eh? Alright, then. Go ask your question.)

[Have you really not shared the same sentiments as my MLs? You never related to them just a single bit? Why do you always think you're better than them, like some kind of superiority complex?]

(Whoah, that's not really one question now, is it?)

[They're all asking for the same answer. Come on, speak.]

(Geez, okay. So bossy.)

Zhe Chouhen breathed deeply, and sighed. (My answer would be yeah, I never related nor share the same views as your MLs. I don't think I'm the most perfect guy out there, but I do know that I am better than them because of my empathy and my decent moral compass. Sure, I get intrusive thoughts sometimes, but who doesn't?)

( Unlike them, I don't act selfish or insensitive to the feelings of the one I love.)

Then he added: (Also, an average guy would be superior to a freaking murderer or rapist, don't you think? So I think I deserve to feel a little superior to these characters. I'm hella sweet, loving and very protective!)

(I don't know why I haven't got a boyfriend all these years, they keep going for bad guys when I could be the best lover they ever had!)

[I see. You have a Messiah complex like I thought. Or just petty.]

(What about you? You've been fairly petty with me too, you keep pushing me to see the perspective and act like your ML. Where did you base them from?)

Panda hesitates a bit, but kept his end of the deal. [You answered my question honestly, so I guess I should answer yours. Though don't be disappointed if it's simpler than you thought.]

He breathed deeply, and said:

[I based my MLs.... from real life.]

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