When Xi Yu logged back into the game, it was already four in the morning. He had so many things to handle that day, and only at this hour did he finally have some free time. His complexion revealed deep exhaustion, but fortunately, matters had been resolved smoothly.
“Xi Yu!” Those amber eyes were undeniably much clearer at night. He seemed very happy. “I’ve been waiting for you.”
Xi Yu patted his head, and the little avatar seemed to enjoy it immensely. Rather than saying Xi Yu touched his hair, it was more like the avatar was affectionately rubbing his own head against Xi Yu’s palm.
“I took care of the matter we discussed. It took some effort, but fortunately, I finally managed to contact the website manager.”
The little avatar blinked his bewildered eyes, rolling them around like cartwheels.
Xi Yu felt somewhat helpless. He always wondered if it was because the boy was trapped in the game, but his memory seemed rather poor. Some things he had just been told during the day would be forgotten by night.
Fortunately, Xi Yu had always been a patient person.
Thus, he repeated what he had said during the day to Ye Weifeng once more. Yet compared to his daytime reaction, his current reaction was worlds apart. Xi Yu had a vague feeling, as if the other person was hearing about this for the very first time.
But how could that be?
Before Xi Yu could voice his confusion, the avatar’s eyes were already brimming with tears. He gave Xi Yu a fierce embrace—an embrace that felt far too real, almost making Xi Yu forget that the other was merely a string of code.
“Xi Yu, no one in this world could treat me better than you do.”
It sounded far more heartfelt and genuine than during the day.
“Alright, haven’t we already thanked each other earlier?” Xi Yu tightened his hold around the other slightly, growing increasingly certain that what he was doing was worthwhile.
However, the avatar pushed Xi Yu’s embrace away, as if having made a resolute decision.
“But Xi Yu, I don’t want my troubles to force you into doing something you don’t want to do,” the avatar said.
Xi Yu was surprised by his sensitivity, especially since he had never mentioned his relationship with his adoptive parents in front of the other.
“After all, when you mention them, your brow unconsciously furrows quite tightly. I figured you probably don’t want to return to their side, so you don’t have to go through all this trouble for my sake.”
Xi Yu suddenly felt a part of his heart soften, like a light feather drifting down to land upon it.
“Alright, it’s nothing major. You won’t be trapped here much longer,” Xi Yu said gently to him. “There are many beautiful sceneries in my world, along with plenty of delicious food you’ve never tasted before, and you’ll never have to suffer beatings again. Isn’t that wonderful?”
The avatar nodded, then immediately shook his head. “Everything you describe is wonderful and constantly draws me in. My heart yearns for it even more, longing to witness it all with my own eyes. But Xi Yu…”
Xi Yu heard the other pause. Then, when he raised his head to look at him once more, those amber eyes were so clear and intoxicating. He heard the other speak to him in a choking voice.
“But Xi Yu, no matter how wonderful all of this is, it cannot compare to the weight you hold in my heart. Compared to all that, I care much more about your well-being.”
A tiny pebble sinking into a lake probably wouldn’t attract much attention, but when the pebble was heavy enough, that was a different story.
“I must rescue you.” The more the avatar urged him otherwise, the more Xi Yu solidified his certainty in the correctness of what he intended to do.
The avatar seemed about to say something else, but in an instant, he froze in place like a malfunctioning program. Xi Yu felt somewhat puzzled, until a dazzling light leaked through the poorly drawn curtains.
Xi Yu stood up and pulled the curtains all the way open, only to discover that, unconsciously, dawn had already broken. Time had flown by so quickly.
“Ye Weifeng…” Xi Yu turned his head to call out to him.
Yet the other’s gaze made him feel somewhat unfamiliar and dangerous.
“Xi Yu, you’re willing to do anything for me, right?” Ye Weifeng looked at him.
Xi Yu nodded, assuming the other was thinking about the money to buy his freedom that they had just discussed.
“Then press that button on the interface.”
Xi Yu hadn’t slept all night and felt rather tired, yet he had never noticed a button there before. “What is this for? Weeding, feeding, or repairing the house?”
Ye Weifeng’s expression was both anxious and impatient. “Just press it first.”
Yet the moment Xi Yu pressed it, a dazzling light erupted all around, making it impossible for Xi Yu to see Ye Weifeng’s expression clearly, or perhaps Ye Weifeng was avoiding Xi Yu’s gaze, keeping his head lowered the entire time.
Then, their worlds flipped. Ye Weifeng moved his limbs and earnestly began examining the rental apartment before him.
Previously, he could only view things from a fixed perspective, but now he could not only view them from all angles, but also walk around and touch them.
He touched this and patted that; this world was so fresh, filling him with boundless curiosity.
Right, what about that check? The check Xi Yu had intended to use to buy his freedom—where had he put it?
Ye Weifeng rummaged through Xi Yu’s rental apartment, finally recalling that it was in the second-layer drawer of the cabinet.
Ye Weifeng pulled open the drawer, and that check was indeed resting there. With this money, at least he wouldn’t have to worry about finances for quite a while. Yet as Ye Weifeng stared at the check, he felt a lingering blankness, feeling as though his heart lacked the joy he had imagined.
The check was pressed beneath a book, and that book happened to be Songs of the Chu, specifically the volume containing the lines that inspired Xi Yu’s name.
The embroidered mat and the jade pendant, come, let us hold the fragrant blossoms.
Clearly, he hadn’t listened attentively when Xi Yu explained it back then, but why on earth did he remember this verse so familiarly, along with the title of the book? Ye Weifeng suddenly felt a profound sense of loss in his heart.
He turned his head and looked at the person trapped in the game in his place. Xi Yu…
When Xi Yu woke up again, he discovered that the place he was stuck in was none other than the thatched cottage where Ye Weifeng used to be.
A bizarre and unbelievable thought flooded into Xi Yu’s mind. Until a player appeared before him and began controlling his avatar to whip him, he was forced to believe it.
Recalling that button, Xi Yu finally came to his understanding. He had been used by Ye Weifeng. The price of saving the boy was that he himself became trapped here.
Ye Weifeng embraced a brand-new, real world, while he was left imprisoned in the game for all eternity.
To be stabbed in the back by someone he trusted, especially when he had provided the very knife himself—Xi Yu felt the wound in his heart hurt far more than the lashes on his body.
Clearly, he had poured money into Ye Weifeng without reservation, repaired his house, exhausted every possible means just to make his life a little better, and even prepared to return to his adoptive parents solely to take him away. But what about Ye Weifeng?
It was deception and concealment from start to finish. His purpose from the very beginning was to make him a scapegoat.
How could such a person be worth his sincere devotion? Xi Yu no longer felt sorrow; anger replaced it entirely. If Ye Weifeng ever dared appear before him again, he would never show mercy.
More importantly, however, was how to escape this place. Xi Yu stared at the wounds on his arms, lowering his head in powerlessness. What should he do?
He endured the torment without interruption, unable even to fall asleep. In just a few days, Xi Yu lost a significant amount of weight.
He even thought he would remain like this forever, until one day, a voice sounded by his ear.
“Do you want to leave this place? I can help you leave.”
Ever since he fell for Ye Weifeng’s trick, Xi Yu found it very difficult to trust others. Yet this was the first time since entering this world that he encountered a turning point where escape might be possible; he couldn’t ignore it.
“What is the condition?”
The system shook its head. “Someone has already paid the price for your freedom in advance.”
It was someone even more foolish than Xi Yu. He negotiated under the condition of bearing double the pain himself, solely to grant Xi Yu a chance to change his destiny.
“It’s just that our world has rules we must abide by. You can only gain a new life and freedom by completing this mission,” the system said.
“How?” Xi Yu cut straight to the point.
“You need to travel across various worlds and become the wealthy, foolishly devoted tops in those worlds. They all harbor people they love with their very lives, yet those objects of affection treat their genuine devotion as a game to be trampled upon. Your mission is to successfully reform these scumbag bottoms. If they truly fall in love with you and are willing to lay down their lives for you, then your mission will be considered a success, and you will earn a chance to leave this place,” the system explained in detail.
It didn’t sound particularly difficult, but Xi Yu couldn’t help recalling the reason he was trapped here. In the eyes of outsiders, he must have looked like such a foolish, devoted sucker.
“Alright, I accept. Begin the transmission.” Xi Yu nodded.
The moment he nodded in agreement, Xi Yu saw a beam of light wrap around his wrist before gradually fading away, like a binding contract line.
“Congratulations to the host for binding with the system. Transmission starting now. Please ensure you complete the mission successfully, otherwise…”
Xi Yu didn’t hear the second half of the sentence. A fierce blinding light appeared before his eyes, forcing him to close them. When he opened them once more, he had already arrived in an unfamiliar world.
The system shook its head, letting out a long sigh inwardly before turning around as if speaking to someone. “Is such sacrifice worth it? From the moment Xi Yu leaves this world onwards, you will bear double the pain in his stead—not just at night, but now even during the day you will have to endure these abusive players. You will suffer even more abuse and whipping.”
The little paper doll smiled slightly. “He was the first person who wanted to save me from this place. Because he is Xi Yu, I think it’s worth it.”
The system asked again, “Even though he doesn’t even know who you are?”
The little paper doll nodded. “I will not regret it. As long as he can successfully complete the mission and gain his freedom, that is enough.”
How he wished he could let Xi Yu leave directly. After all, his power was limited; he could only help him up to this point.
The system glanced at the other person, feeling that the delicate and fragile doll before them was remarkably stubborn at this moment, possessing a seemingly inexhaustible vitality.
Right, he forgot to mention—his name wasn’t Ye Weifeng. He was…