“Sister?!”
Qi Xiaokui was so shocked that her body stiffened; she could hardly believe her ears!
“Xiaokui, it’s me.” A gentle female voice laughed. “Can’t even recognize your sister’s voice? Well, it’s been fifteen years since we last met, and now my little Xiaokui has grown into a young lady.”
“Sister, you, you’re not…” Qi Xiaokui, for once, felt like a helpless little girl, stammering and unable to speak. The person she had just been missing had suddenly appeared beside her. Was she dreaming?
“After I died, I somehow entered this game,” the woman’s voice was soft and soothing, clearly belonging to a gentle character. “I became one of the NPCs in the game, always on this bus, watching the players come and go. I never expected to meet you this time.”
“Sister…” Qi Xiaokui couldn’t help but tear up, the blindfold quickly showing two wet spots. She reached out to the side and was grasped by a soft, smooth hand.
After hearing her sister’s words, Qi Xiaokui was deeply shaken. So that’s how it was; her sister had actually become an NPC in this game! And she had entered this game fifteen years later—was this fate?
“Sister! Sister!” Qi Xiaokui could say nothing else, just continuously calling out to her sister Qi Xiaorou, who responded with a gentle smile.
Ever since their parents divorced, and her sick sister was abandoned by both sides and ultimately died due to lack of money for treatment, Qi Xiaokui’s world had been black and white. She had never thought she would see the only sister who had ever treated her well in her lifetime again. With tears in her eyes, she heard Qi Xiaorou say, “Xiaokui, don’t you want to see your sister?”
Without thinking, Qi Xiaokui placed her hand on the blindfold, preparing to pull it off.
“Genzi, Genzi?” An aged voice rang in Li Yougen’s ear.
“Mother?” Li Yougen, curled up tightly, trying to completely isolate himself from his surroundings, also heard the familiar voice and gasped in disbelief.
“It’s your mother, Genzi. Where is this place?” Li Yougen’s mother, Zhao Chunhua, asked, her voice trembling. “I was just sleeping at home, how did I end up here? What is this place? Am I dreaming?”
Li Yougen remembered that his mother had spent her whole life in the village, had never been to the city, and had seen very few cars, never having taken a bus even once.
However, he felt a bit suspicious. Could this be an illusion or a trap? So he slightly turned his head and asked his mother, “Mother, when is my birthday?”
“March 21,” Zhao Chunhua said without thinking, “three days after your cousin. What’s wrong?”
Li Yougen paused for a moment and immediately asked, “Is my father doing well at home?”
Zhao Chunhua slapped his arm hard, “Have you gone stupid from school? Your father died over ten years ago, why are you bringing him up?”
“Do you still remember when I was ten and almost got swept away while swimming in the small river behind the village?”
“I remember, but it wasn’t when you were ten; it was when you were eight, swimming with the neighbor’s Zhuzi. You scared me to tears.”
“…” Li Yougen fell silent.
“Genzi, what’s wrong with you? Where is this place?” Zhao Chunhua suddenly found herself in a strange place and felt a bit scared. She grabbed Li Yougen’s arm, shaking him, “Genzi, why are you covering your eyes with cloth? What’s wrong with your eyes? Did you get hurt? Let me see!”
“No, Mother, I’m covering them on purpose. You should close your eyes quickly and absolutely must not open them!” Li Yougen couldn’t understand how his mother had also been dragged into the game. This was simply too terrible. Thinking of what he had experienced, if she had to endure it even once, she would probably have a heart attack and wouldn’t survive!
“Why…” Zhao Chunhua only managed to say half a sentence before letting out a scream. Li Yougen felt the hand gripping his arm stiffen like a tree root, then soften again. Zhao Chunhua gasped, “What’s happening… such big eyes… Genzi, am I dreaming?”
“No!” Li Yougen was also anxious, “Mother, quickly close your eyes, don’t open them, absolutely don’t open them!”
“Okay, I’ll close them…” Zhao Chunhua said, “But why are there numbers on my head? It was 5 just now, and now it’s 4… Hey, something bit my eyelid! Ah! It hurts! Ah ah—”
Hearing the commotion, it seemed Zhao Chunhua couldn’t withstand the pain on her eyelid and opened her eyes, only to die once more.
“Mother, cover your eyes with your hand, quickly! Hurry!” Li Yougen was anxiously urging from the side.
“Someone is pulling my hand!” Zhao Chunhua screamed, “What’s pulling my eyelid! It hurts! It’s killing me! Oh! My eyes! Such scary eyes! I can’t move!”
Li Yougen was frantic, unknowingly calculating his mother Zhao Chunhua’s death count in his heart: 5, 4, 3, 2…
Two lives left…
Zhao Chunhua was still screaming, “Genzi, save me, please save me!”
Li Yougen couldn’t help but touch the cloth over his eyes. If he could just remove the cloth and cover Zhao Chunhua’s eyes with it, he could save his mother, but… but what about himself…
He thought of the number “1” above his head, like a ticking time bomb, and remembered how his mother had raised him alone through hardships, even selling pots and scrap iron to send him to the city for school. His fingers trembled, and he found it hard to choose.
His life or his mother’s life, which was more important?
“Ah ah ah—” Zhao Chunhua let out another scream, her voice piercing and sorrowful, tearing at her son’s heart, and the number above her head turned to “1”.
“Genzi—Genzi—” Zhao Chunhua’s pleas grew weaker, and finally, “1” turned to “0”.
Li Yougen’s hand remained pressed on the blindfold until the last second, only his pinky moved slightly, and then there was no other action.
Zhao Chunhua’s voice disappeared.
Xiong Jiabao sat obediently in his seat, his back tense and straight, looking serious, which was completely at odds with his non-mainstream outfit.
Soon, he felt someone sit down beside him, bringing a waft of fragrance; it should be a woman.
“This woman’s perfume smells so familiar, just like the one Xiaoping uses,” Xiong Jiabao thought to himself.
“Brother Jiabao?” A surprised female voice came from beside him.
It really was Bai Ping?!
“Xiaoping, what are you doing here?” Xiong Jiabao exclaimed.
Bai Ping covered her mouth and giggled, “Why are you still so silly? I’m taking the bus home.”
“But… but this bus… you shouldn’t be on it…” Xiong Jiabao was a bit anxious.
“This bus is a bit strange,” Bai Ping seemed a bit puzzled too, “Why are there only children on the bus? Did I get on the wrong school bus? But you’re here too, so it should be fine, right? Why are you covering your eyes with cloth? Are you playing hide and seek with the kids?”
“It’s not that, I’m…” Xiong Jiabao was shocked and at a loss for words, unable to explain clearly, “How did you end up here? You shouldn’t be here! Do you know about the horror game system?”
“Horror game? I’ve never played it,” Bai Ping looked at him, her face serious, and said in a slightly stern tone, “You’ve always liked playing games, and now you’re dressing up in this flashy, rural non-mainstream style. I really can’t appreciate it. Your aunt’s hair is almost turning gray from worry. Can’t you be a bit more mature? I’m about to get married; you wouldn’t want to show up at my wedding with this colorful hair, would you?”
Xiong Jiabao was stunned. Hearing that she was getting married, he immediately forgot all about the game and the system, his face filled with shock, “W-what? You’re getting married?!”
“Yeah!” Bai Ping’s tone became cheerful again, “The wedding is set for next week. I remember I already sent an invitation to your family; didn’t you see it?”
“No…” Xiong Jiabao muttered in despair, then unwillingly asked, “When did you start dating? How come I didn’t know at all?”
“Hehe, we fell in love at first sight. We just met last month, and this month we decided to have a flash wedding,” Bai Ping playfully stuck out her tongue, “What do you think? Isn’t it quite trendy?”
Xiong Jiabao felt bitter. He had grown up with Bai Ping, had liked her for many years, and had planned to confess to her as soon as he got out of the game. But… how could it be that in the blink of an eye, she was about to become someone else’s bride?!
“Flash marriages are unreliable, really,” Xiong Jiabao tried to persuade her, “Out of ten flash marriages, nine end in divorce. You should think it over, Xiaoping! You don’t know him well enough; what if he turns out to be a scumbag? What will you do?!”
Bai Ping looked a bit unhappy, “You haven’t even met him yet, and you’re already saying bad things about him. Brother Jiabao, how have you changed?”
“I…” Xiong Jiabao found it hard to express himself.
“Let’s do this: you can see him for yourself; he’s right next to me!” Bai Ping said, “I’ve always regarded you as my brother, and of course, I hope to get your blessing for my marriage. Come help me take a look at him, and then we can talk about it, okay?”
Bai Ping’s voice was filled with confidence, as if she had truly found a husband who made her proud and happy. Meanwhile, a somewhat thin and vague voice came from the other side, “You’re Xiaoping’s brother, right? I’m definitely not a scumbag, so you can rest assured to hand Xiaoping over to me.”
Xiong Jiabao felt a rush of blood to his head, his hair standing on end like a hedgehog. He had no good feelings for this guy who had stolen his woman. He shouted angrily, “Rest assured? How can I rest assured? I think you’re a scumbag!”
“Brother Jiabao! If you say that again, I’m going to get angry!” Bai Ping said angrily.
Xiong Jiabao was extremely upset and vaguely felt that the man had come closer to him, whispering in a strange, somewhat feminine voice, “You like her, don’t you? I can see that, but it’s useless; she’s already mine. You coward, just live your life relying on your own hands!”
Unlike before, taking advantage of Bai Ping not being able to hear clearly, the man tore off his polite facade, speaking with malice and mockery, which made Xiong Jiabao’s eyes nearly turn red. He swung a punch in the direction of the voice, shouting, “Bastard! I will never let Xiaoping marry you!”
However, due to the obstruction of his line of sight, his punch naturally missed. The man stepped back a few paces, laughing mockingly.
Xiong Jiabao was so furious that he couldn’t care about anything else and yanked the blindfold off.
A pair of enormous, mocking stone eyes looked at him, slightly curved into a crescent shape.
Xiong Jiabao’s body stiffened.
“3” turned into “2”…
