Chapter 166: Awkward for a Moment
Bai Cha had naturally heard of this claim.
In fact, she had originally intended to chat with Shen Qingchen about it as well.
Rather than asking others, it was better to ask an actual S9 player: was this claim true?
“In truth, when you reach S Rank, you’ll learn that S9 indeed receives an opportunity to clear the game—to clear the game forever.”
Bai Cha noticed that Shen Qingchen used the phrase “clear the game.”
“So you still need to play one final game?”
“Something like that… When I upgraded to S9, the time left for me became limited. It’s hard for me to describe it to you… Truth be told, I can still continue entering other instances right now, and I can choose for myself when to enter that final game.”
A flicker of anxiety edged Shen Qingchen’s brows. She wore no makeup today, appearing several degrees less aggressive and considerably more gentle than usual.
Yet against the backdrop of that subtle anxiety, it suddenly made one realize that she was indeed already in her thirties.
“Dragging it out brings no benefits, though.”
Bai Cha listened quietly.
She suddenly asked, “Why do you seem to harbor such a strong liking for me?”
“It’s not that I harbor a strong liking for you… I just think you’re quite interesting. It’s a feeling, really. When people interact with one another, having an initial spark of rapport is essential to begin with.”
Pausing briefly, Shen Qingchen added, “I watched your previous game.”
Bai Cha wasn’t surprised.
Shen Qingchen’s message had been timed exceptionally well, even leaving her some spare time to spend in the Game Town.
Spot-on timing like that could hardly be written off as mere coincidence.
“Your skills are pretty good, but… I hope you truly understand your own abilities. You’re ranking up far too quickly.”
Up ahead, the hospital came into view.
Shen Qingchen had booked a private hospital, where the crowd was relatively sparse.
“Let’s get off first.”
Stepping out of the car, Bai Cha asked along the way, “Upgrading too quickly—are there any side effects?”
“Mhm… hard to say, really. Though among those who rank up quickly, few live long. Personally, I feel it’s tied to one’s own capabilities. Pay a bit more attention to caring for yourself; it’s best to find an anchor. Ranking up too fast makes it exceptionally easy to lose oneself.”
Bai Cha looked thoughtful.
The health checkup package was quite comprehensive, taking up the entire morning before all the items were completed.
Certain results required a waiting period, though others were available right away.
“For now, there are no major issues. Just one thing to keep an eye on: you have a minor physiological ovarian cyst. It’s not severe, so just keep it under observation. There’s also a tiny breast cyst—both are fine, likely tied to your emotional state. Young girl, don’t carry such heavy burdens on your mind; maintain a healthy emotional state, and you can disregard these issues entirely.”
“Another thing is your heart, which might need a little attention. Your ST segment is slightly on the lower side. Have you been sleeping poorly for a long time, or staying up late? In any case, pay attention to your sleep, though overall things are still alright.”
“The main culprit is still emotional stress. The heart aspect might be related to your emotions as well.”
The nurse in charge of guiding their checkups handed them the report forms that already had results printed out.
Shen Qingchen casually accepted them, swept her eyes over the pages, and handed them to Bai Cha.
“You can find a traditional Chinese medicine doctor to regulate your body later.”
The nurse nodded in agreement as well.
“Indeed. For sub-health issues like these, traditional Chinese medicine might be a bit better suited.”
Bai Cha couldn’t quite pinpoint her mood, merely nodding.
Her past medical checkups had always yielded similar results.
A collection of minor ailments, yet none severe enough to warrant actual treatment.
At most, when these issues flared up—such as when her stomach pain acted up—she would drop by to get some medicine prescribed.
She had consumed plenty of Chinese herbal medicine before as well, to little effect.
Perhaps because she had never undergone a more detailed, thorough checkup in the past, however, the cyst issue was something she was learning about for the very first time today.
The remaining results would have to wait until the afternoon. The hospital could mail the completed reports to the company then, so the two prepared to head back first.
“Let’s get some food. What do you feel like eating? Did you skip breakfast this morning?” Sitting in the driver’s seat, Shen Qingchen unlocked her phone and scrolled through nearby restaurants.
“I don’t have much of an appetite. Just pick a place for yourself.”
Shen Qingchen shot a side-glance at her.
“Kids always carry so many heavy thoughts. The nurse wasn’t wrong at all—what are you feeling awkward about?”
Bai Cha pressed her lips together, a slight flicker of displeasure crossing her face.
She didn’t know why either. Perhaps she simply disliked places like hospitals to begin with, leaving her in a foul mood after every single checkup.
Because the doctors’ repeated remarks always boiled down to those same few phrases: Don’t overthink things, don’t carry heavy burdens on your mind, it’s nothing.
Even when she fell sick frequently, suffering excruciating bodily pain, those few lines were all she ever received.
As if it were somehow her fault.
In truth, she used to control herself exceptionally well in the past, rarely letting it show before outsiders.
Today, however, her mood was undeniably more irritable than usual.
Her personality was inherently terrible; the negative thoughts lurking in her mind were far too numerous to count. She loved putting on an act of being understanding, gentle, and generous on the surface, while secretly harboring petty, vengeful grudges in the dark.
Yet perhaps because she was far too exhausted inside the game, she no longer felt like putting on an act in reality now.
Which was why she allowed herself to display such a slightly unseemly state right now.
Holding this thought, she hesitated over whether to put her facade back on to deal with Shen Qingchen.
Over on the driver’s side, Shen Qingchen let out a soft laugh, leaning closer to tweak a strand of her hair, teasingly saying, “Alright, alright, Big Sister apologizes to you. I shouldn’t have nagged you. Let me take you out for a meal—what does the beautiful girl want to eat? Big Sister’s treating~”
She looked at Bai Cha with affectionate, tender eyes, leaving Bai Cha feeling stiff and uncomfortable all over.
“I wasn’t… Fine, let me get some soup.”
“Great, let’s go!”
Shen Qingchen started the car, turning on some light music along the way.
Bai Cha let out a soft breath of relief. Inexplicably, her foul mood didn’t feel quite so terrible anymore.
“Sister Shen…”
“Hmm?” Shen Qingchen cast a puzzled glance at her.
“Have you been in the game for nearly ten years?”
“Yeah. I entered back when I was still an awkward little girl like you, and now I’ve turned into a shameless old woman. Tsk tsk.”
Bai Cha fell silent briefly before asking as if casually, “I heard from other players that the longest-surviving player they’ve seen was in the game for fifteen years. Have you met them?”
“No. But that guy—the one ranked second, Meng Ling-ze—his time is longer than mine. He’s been in for eleven years! I managed to negotiate with the game when I got pregnant to delay for a year, but he can’t give birth to children—where did he get so much time?”
Shen Qingchen shook her head with a sigh of emotion.
“Oh, by the way… you’d better not get involved with him. That guy is creepy as hell. People dubbed him the ‘Buddha Child,’ but unfortunately, every single time, Buddha Child is the only one who walks out alive!”
Bai Cha froze.
“Buddha Child?”
“Uh-huh. His skill seems to be somewhat related to Buddhism—heard it stems from a deep family lineage… But anything connected to the Buddha inside the game…”
Shen Qingchen cast her a “you know what I mean” look.
Bai Cha looked thoughtful.
“Then do you know about the Voodoo Guild?”
“Why? Did you provoke them?”
“Not really. I don’t think I’ve crossed paths with them yet; I just wanted to ask. I heard their guild leader uses stand-ins or something.”
“The Corpse Master technique—it’s a skill obtained from inside the game that was developed to feature a stand-in function. The Voodoo Guild’s leader is named Yin Hai-meng, and he’s brothers with Yin Qing-ping, the leader of the Puppet Guild. But the two of them seemingly fell out due to conflicting ideals. In any case, neither of them is good news. I actually have a guild of my own; if you’re interested in joining a guild, you can come to my place.”
“What about you, Sister Shen? What is your skill? Is it convenient to say?”
