Chapter 208: Moments of Tenderness
Upon entering the room, Bai Cha activated soundproof mode.
One of the biggest differences between the game town and the outside world was that the power here was a blend of metaphysics and science.
Take this soundproof mode, for instance: according to the game, once turned on, people outside could not hear a single sound from within. Likewise, absolute quiet could be achieved inside, providing an ideal environment for sleep.
Bai Cha felt a slight chill after turning it on, suspecting it involved a domain opened by ghosts or utilized ghost powers.
After all, this kind of absolute silence was typically encountered in the game when meeting ghosts right before an incoming attack.
If it was as she suspected, then the game truly was the ultimate capitalist.
“Alright, there’s no one else here. If you’re feeling miserable, just let it all out.”
Bai Cha gently patted her head.
Xu Shengsheng immediately burst into tears, wailing out of sheer grievance.
Truth be told, she had been living on edge for the past month.
After the excitement from the thrill of her first game faded, all that remained was panic and unease.
She had buried herself in her studies to distract her mind, but those emotions were merely suppressed.
Right up until the week before she was due to enter the game.
She had been anxious every single day.
To her aunt, Xu Shengsheng’s state was simply due to academic stress, so she stopped sending her to tutoring classes. Since summer break had just started, her aunt told her to take a good rest for the summer.
Yet Xu Shengsheng knew full well it had nothing to do with studying. In fact, she felt studying was quite nice right now; at least it was her comfort zone.
After entering the game, she hadn’t turned off the bullet chat at first.
A lot of what the chat said was genuinely vile. They lacked all logic and needed no reasons—did idiots ever need a reason to act like idiots?
Xu Shengsheng didn’t want to be a drag on Bai Cha, either.
She had always known Bai Cha was in poor health, and since she had to enter the game herself, Xu Shengsheng feared that performing poorly would disappoint her sister. She was equally terrified that lacking capability would make her sister worry.
As for using that ability on the principal, it stemmed far more from fear of that unknown, mysterious power than actual regret; faced with the choice again, she would still do the exact same thing.
She was simply scared.
Xu Shengsheng cried for a long time, so hard that she started hiccuping.
Bai Cha pulled her over to sit on the edge of the bed, hugging her gently, continuously tapping her back or stroking her hair.
Only when the crying subsided did Bai Cha finally speak.
“You did an amazing job.”
Xu Shengsheng, who had just stopped crying, couldn’t help letting out another sob.
Bai Cha chuckled softly, pulling out tissues from the nightstand to wipe her tears.
“We can’t change the outside world, but I’ll watch every single one of your games from now on. Even if there’s a conflict with my own games and I can’t watch, I’ll contact you at the first available moment.”
“During your next game, turn off the bullet chat right away. Don’t open it unless absolutely necessary. Protecting yourself doesn’t just apply inside the instance.”
Hiccuping, Xu Shengsheng nodded, taking the tissue to messily wipe her face.
“Then my… that pen of mine…”
“Isn’t it great? I actually thought you went too easy on him.” If it were Bai Cha, she would have made him suffer far more agony.
Naturally, that wasn’t what Xu Shengsheng needed to hear.
“The rules in the game differ from those in the outside world. I genuinely don’t want you to develop a skewed understanding of real-world laws just because of the game’s influence, especially since you really are still young.”
Bai Cha gently took her hand and placed it over her heart.
“So let me ask you: do you regret taking action?”
Xu Shengsheng hesitated for a second, then shook her head.
“Then that’s all that matters. Follow your heart and keep a clear conscience. As for those mysterious, terrifying powers, you’ll encounter far more of them down the road. You can only adapt to them gradually, because they’re impossible to avoid.”
Xu Shengsheng took a deep breath, followed by a loud hiccup.
Bai Cha couldn’t help laughing, and Xu Shengsheng herself burst into laughter too, which accidentally blew a snot bubble.
Squeezing her eyes shut, Xu Shengsheng pulled out a tissue and quickly cleaned herself up.
Having vented her emotions, she felt immensely better. Being naturally carefree, she fully regained her energy once she received ample comfort and reassurance.
As for any lingering effects, she could take her time adjusting.
“Sis, you’re the best!” Xu Shengsheng threw her arms around Bai Cha, nuzzling her head against her neck.
Amused, Bai Cha gave her a pat.
“Keep it up!”
She refrained from saying empty platitudes like one day we’ll escape the game.
Xu Shengsheng hadn’t realized it yet, or perhaps she was instinctively avoiding the question.
After all… that was a question no one could answer.
“By the way, is the ink for that pen of yours unlimited?” Bai Cha recalled Xu Shengsheng’s item. Xu Shengsheng had mentioned before that the fountain pen she got was a B-rank item.
She had wanted to ask back then, but Xu Shengsheng had been too busy with her studies and turned in her phone right after sending the message.
“No, it says it requires special ink, and there’s only a little bit left inside.”
Xu Shengsheng raised her head and pulled the fountain pen out of her inventory.
Items could be retrieved inside the game town, but they couldn’t be used.
“The special ink is sold in the shop, but it’s really expensive—five hundred points a bottle.”
“Still, it’s quite useful; you just have to make sure you’re protected.”
Bai Cha bought a bottle for her. Seeing Xu Shengsheng look guilty about accepting it, she said, “I’m giving you these now because your rank is still low. Down the line, I might need your help with something. Points are easy to handle, but certain items are quite unique.”
“Take it and protect yourself first. It’s rare for family members to enter this game together. Since that’s the case, helping each other is always better than walking alone, isn’t it?”
Even though… she actually preferred walking alone.
After hearing this, Xu Shengsheng accepted it with peace of mind.
When the hour came to an end, both returned to reality.
It was already 5:00 AM.
The moment Bai Cha returned, fatigue washed over her. While inside the game, her body was healthy, so her mental state remained quite good.
Once back outside, however, it was a completely different story.
She rubbed her temples, her head throbbing with a sharp, pounding pain.
A message from Xu Shengsheng popped up.
“Sis, thank you! I’m totally fine now! Get some rest!”
“Mm, you too. Get some sleep.” After replying, Bai Cha indeed lay down and closed her eyes.
Sleeping even for a little while was better than nothing; at least it might ease her headache.
Yet she fell into a dream once more.
Still at the hospital.
This time, several people gathered around her, seemingly drawing her blood, or perhaps injecting something into her veins.
Bai Cha felt a shuddering, excruciating pain that vibrated from her very soul, yet she remained utterly immobile, unable to even open her eyes properly.
Until the alarm forcibly jolted her awake.
Bai Cha sat up while turning off the alarm.
Not only had her headache failed to subside, but it felt even worse because of the dream.
Patting her cheeks, Bai Cha forced herself up to go to work.
Today, she happened to run into Shen Qingchen downstairs at the company building, a rare occurrence.
Shen Qingchen sized her up.
“Did you take your medicine?”
