[Key to Guan Jiayue’s Home]: A small, delicate key capable of unlocking the front door to Guan Jiayue’s residence. Attached to it is a label bearing the address: “Unit 302, Building 6, Wenxin Jiayuan Residential Community.”
[Character Unlocked – Guan Jizhong]
○ Pink Heart (20%): [Guan Jizhong] cannot tell whether you are a devil or an angel.
○ Brown Wooden House (20%): [Guan Jizhong] has placed a portion of his trust in you.
○ Purple Triangle (0%): *** (Hidden)
○ Gray Gift Box (15%): Requires completion of the quest [Have a Good Dream].
Perfect.
Bai Fuling’s gaze swept across the text that popped up on the screen and a look of deep satisfaction surfaced in his mind. At last, he had obtained the quest item and unlocked a new character!
After receiving the mission and quest item from the NPC, Bai Fuling decisively controlled his character to stand up.
A player would never stay idle for even a moment while playing a game. Holding hands with an NPC and just waiting for the ambulance to arrive? That was absolutely impossible, how would that be any different from idling?
Anyway, this part of the storyline had already been completed and the ambulance had already been called. Soon, the tall male NPC would respawn at the hospital.
There was no need for him to keep watching the system’s scripted animation process unfold any longer.
Thus, Bai Fuling directed his character toward the riverbank.
He intended to take advantage of the nearby water source to wash the raincoat he had previously stained with blood when he jumped from a building. After cleaning it, he would be able to wear it again.
The initial shirt and pants were certainly convenient, but they were not as eye-catching as the raincoat. Bai Fuling preferred making his character more visually distinctive so that he could easily spot it within various pixelated backgrounds and avoid getting dizzy while running around.
As Bai Fuling ran off, Guan Jizhong had not yet fully lost consciousness.
He stared at her, originally suppressing a complicated and indescribable emotion within him. However, the moment Bai Fuling suddenly stood up straight in front of him, that emotion seemed to freeze in place.
He watched as the black haired youth took the key, decisively released his hand and then turned away without even looking back.
Guan Jizhong: ?
The aftereffects of the concussion surged in, leaving him no time to think further. Before he could even make sense of what Bai Fuling intended to do, his vision went dark and he fell unconscious.
Liao Zhiqiu showed no surprise at Bai Fuling’s instant change of direction and sprint toward the river. After all, cats were always impatient little creatures with short attention spans.
It was only when he noticed that Bai Fuling’s outfit suddenly changed into a bright yellow raincoat cloak that his body paused slightly and his brows furrowed faintly.
Bai Fuling clicked “Equip,” switching back into his original eye-catching fluorescent yellow raincoat.
At that moment, he noticed a black haired, dark circled pixel NPC beside him whose head was emitting a tangled black line.
Changing clothes in front of an NPC, would the NPC actually react with confusion and disorientation? It seemed this AI system had quite a detailed behavioral simulation. He had originally thought NPCs only reacted when players rummaged through trash cans.
Thinking of Liao Zhiqiu’s beast lover trait, Bai Fuling casually replied, “Just Hedding my coat.”
“Oh.” Upon hearing this, Liao Zhiqiu’s brows relaxed again. He recalled that he had seen this yellow outfit before.
Bai Fuling nonchalantly noticed a small pink increase in favorability floating above his head.
After rescuing the person and washing his clothes, it was time to return to school. Bai Fuling thought.
Although he had recovered his HP, since the agreement was set for tomorrow, it meant that the “Cat’s Secret” quest would only trigger in-game the next day. There was nothing more to interact with in front of Liao Zhiqiu at the moment.
Staying in place and interacting with NPCs would yield no further rewards. It was better to return to school and farm instead, this had been his original purpose.
Multi tasking gameplay meant neither quests nor daily farming could be neglected!
With his plan set, Bai Fuling did not waste any more time. He ignored the NPCs Guan Jizhong and Liao Zhiqiu and immediately left.
In the distance, the pixel ambulance finally arrived. A group of white coated pixel figures ruHed forward with a stretcher.
Bai Fuling originally considered intercepting the ambulance and driving it back to school, but worried that doing so might trigger bugs and prevent the tall male NPC from being successfully transported to the hospital, which would in turn break future quest progression.
Thus, he reluctantly abandoned the fastest option and instead whistled again to summon his mount.
The player’s mount always responded instantly. The gray wolf had recovered some of its stamina and could now carry him back to school.
Riding the “big dog,” Bai Fuling crossed bridges and streets, slipping through the back gate of the campus through his usual hidden route before dismounting.
It was still daytime. The sunset skybox was beautifully rendered in pixels. Against this scenic backdrop, Bai Fuling finally began farming in the area where he had cleared weeds the night before.
He wielded a hoe taken from his backpack and dug neat square plots into the ground.
At this time, it seemed to be after school hours in the game and more student NPCs were passing by.
Upon seeing Bai Fuling diligently working and the tilled soil beneath her, they all displayed large exclamation marks above their heads.
Bai Fuling calmly ignored the passersby NPCs.
“…Bai classmate? Bai Cai classmate?”
A dialogue box popped up on the screen. Bai Fuling paused and saw a familiar blond pixel character standing nearby, it was Pang Chengyu.
Pang Chengyu looked at his in surprise.
Since Bai Fuling had once again climbed out of the window that morning, he had not seen him all day. It was only now, on his way to the cafeteria, that he finally spotted his familiar figure.
From afar, he had seen a bright yellow raincoat waving around. It fluttered like a skirt in motion.
Only when he got closer did he truly understand what he was doing.
…What was the transfer student waving around here? Oh, he was farming. Wait, why was he farming in school?!
“You’ve been doing this all day?” Pang Chengyu asked in astonishment.
“No, I just came back,” Bai Fuling replied immediately. “Is farming against school rules?”
“Uh.” Pang Chengyu hesitated. “No.”
There really was no rule in the school regulations about farming on campus… after all, who would normally do such a thing?
Then it was fine. Bai Fuling calmly relaxed.
Then he casually asked, “Can you help me?”
He remembered that Pang Chengyu’s character panel had a stat related to assistance. So asking NPCs for help had a chance of triggering cooperation.
If he could outsource labor, a player naturally would not refuse. Everything should be optimized for efficiency.
Pang Chengyu froze for a moment, then his heart began to beat faster.
The act of casually crossing the line of school rules excited him a little.
He was not a well behaved student and he had always wanted to resist the old fashioned, rigid rules of this school. But resistance alone was meaningless, others would only see it as a joke and every time he broke the rules he ended up caught and thrown into detention.
Detention was not pleasant.
He had even thought about leaving Perland Academy and never returning. But his family refused to let him transfer and this was the only high school in the town.
So he had nowhere else to go. Pang Chengyu was not impulsive enough to ignore consequences; he knew he had no independence yet and the only place he could stay was this academy.
Thus, he had gradually stopped struggling as fiercely as before, though he still occasionally skipped class or arrived late, just to breathe beyond the constraints.
The transfer student was the only variable he had ever seen, someone completely free yet able to perfectly avoid all school rules. He was almost everything he had ever dreamed of.
“…Me?” Pang Chengyu asked somewhat nervously, a hint of excitement in his voice. “You’re inviting me to join you?”
“Mm.” Bai Fuling glanced at him, noticing the continuous pink hearts floating above his head.
…He’s actually gaining affection just from working?
He had never realized that Pang Chengyu was such a hardworking and considerate classmate.
Pang Chengyu eagerly took the hoe from her. “What do I do?”
“Just dig along this row and this column,” He instructed. Although He wasn’t a perfectionist, neat square plots were easier to manage and looked better.
He then took out seeds and a broken watering can from his bag, ready to plant and irrigate the soil. The watering can had already been filled at the river earlier.
Coming from a wealthy background, Pang Chengyu had never done farm work before. He began digging with raw enthusiasm and strength, smashing the soil forcefully.
When he finished and looked back, he noticed that Bai Fuling’s plots were perfectly square, as if drawn with a ruler, while his own were irregular pits.
He felt slightly guilty, worried he might not ask him to help again.
So he coughed and quickly suggested, “Um… sorry, sorry… I’ll treat you to dinner tonight?”
Bai Fuling, busy planting behind him, did not care about the shapes at all. In his pixel view, every hole looked the same. As long as it could be planted, it was fine.
Hearing this, he was once again slightly surprised.
Was this NPC really that kind hearted? Helping with work and even treating him to dinner?
As expected of an early stage guidance NPC, he probably noticed his inventory was empty and was trying to help refill his resources for free.
“Okay, let’s go,” Bai Fuling said, putting away his tools and following him. He was already preparing to take full advantage of this cafeteria trip.
Preferably, every dish would be stacked to maximum quantity, 99, 999, or even 9999 units! That way he would not need to worry about HP recovery for a long time.
Pang Chengyu led him toward the cafeteria, still feeling guilty about his uneven farming.
So he spoke again: “You can order whatever you want. I have plenty of money on my meal card, but remember, school rules say you can’t waste food. Everything you order must be finished.”
“Don’t worry,” Bai Fuling nodded seriously. “I’ll take everything without leaving a single item behind.”
Author’s Note:
Bai Fuling: Time to stock up, everyone.
✦ ✧ ✦
Vynellia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
This is your completely normal and non-suspicious request to buy coffee.
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
← PreviousNext →
ChaptersChapter 1 · Escape game freezesChapter 2 · Players aren’t allowed to use the main entranceChapter 3 · Players have created a medical miracle!Chapter 4 · If I hit the NPC more, will the NPC drop gold coins?Chapter 5 · Players earn the title of “bus weirdo”Chapter 6 · Players get a prison experienceChapter 7 · So the red bar isn’t for favorability, it’s for anger!Chapter 8 · The player is a nimble catChapter 9 · The player is a “law-abiding” good studentChapter 10 · Players have no morals and are fearlessChapter 11 · Player: What’s wrong? It’s called “Cai Cai Shui Ling LingChapter 12 · The player is the famous Farmer Detective!Chapter 13 · The player raised a new petChapter 14 · The player is a genius dog-riding boyChapter 15 · The player is a sticky, helpful, and kind comradeChapter 16 · It turns out that players aren’t considered human by NPCsChapter 17 · Players are like angels descending upon my side!Chapter 18 · Player: There’s only one truth!Chapter 19 · Why are players farming at the school?!Chapter 20 · Players came to the cafeteria to buy suppliesChapter 21 · Are NPCs model workers?Chapter 22 · If you’re a gay manChapter 23 · Player: Wheelchairs are a useful mode of transportation!Chapter 24 · So the player is actually part of Cat Returns (?)Chapter 25 · Liao Zhi Qiu, a large pet belonging to the playerChapter 26 · Player: Hello, I picked up this corpse.Chapter 27 · Bai Fuling: Players will never dieChapter 28 · Has the murderer been caught?Chapter 29 · Player: Visiting the mental hospital felt as familiar as coming homeChapter 30 · Players’ Adventure in the Mental Hospital: Round 1Chapter 31 · Player: Kid, fly!Chapter 32 · The player who does good deeds every day is truly a good personChapter 33 · The kitten brought back some local specialtiesChapter 34 · Let this adorable kitten stay forever?Chapter 35 · Players, don’t give up on being human!Chapter 36 · A kitten is just a kitten, isn’t it?Chapter 37 · Players want it, players get itChapter 38 · Angel Player and Unlucky Bear NPCChapter 39 · In short, players choose to throw at NPCsChapter 40 · The player just flew away!Chapter 41 · Player: You need to thoroughly understand the bookChapter 42 · Players love to tease honest NPCs.Chapter 43 · He said he was a little hungry.Chapter 44 · Even if cotton essence mutatesChapter 45 · Pure Love TentaclesChapter 46 · Choose to be a kitten?Chapter 47 · Players’ tears are weaponsChapter 48 · Players do not need to breatheChapter 49 · It’s on fire!Chapter 50 · The player is a top-tier rescue masterChapter 51 · How did the player manage to resurrect after killing themselves?!Chapter 52 · Call the player “Little Cat King”!Chapter 53 · What are the consequences of raising the cat-like alienation