Holographic World
In the bustling central district, a popular dessert shop decorated with pastel blue ribbons in every corner exuded a sweet, sugary aroma.
A boy with fiery red hair sat sulking, his delicate features clouded with annoyance. He poked at his mangled slice of cake with a fork, occasionally shooting a resentful glance at the stunning young man across from him.
“You’re late.”
Xia Yan’s face showed a trace of embarrassment.
He was just a few points shy of leveling up to the ninth tier, so he decided to wrap up one last match quickly before meeting the protagonist shou.
Who would’ve thought that his final opponent would be particularly crafty—not because of superior skills, but because they were annoyingly evasive, constantly using the terrain to hide and avoid direct confrontation? It had taken him four or five minutes just to hunt them down.
Still, apologizing was entirely out of character for the original host. Xia Yan glanced at the ruined blueberry cake on the table and promptly changed the subject. “Looks like that one’s inedible now. Let me order you a new one.”
Avoiding the boy’s aggrieved gaze, he lowered his head and tapped on the virtual menu to place an order.
Within seconds, a panda-shaped robot dressed in an adorable pink skirt waddled over, carrying the dessert with exaggerated cuteness.
“Here’s your blueberry cake, dear customer!”
Xia Yan was momentarily stunned. A panda? An Earth treasure?!
“Thank you.”
Internally screaming about its cuteness, Xia Yan’s eyes softened with warmth. However, his expression remained calm as he reached out and ruffled the panda’s fuzzy head. The warm, fluffy texture was incredibly satisfying.
Cough cough… Who could resist the charm of a panda?
The mechanical panda seemed accustomed to guests petting it, its programming making it especially endearing. Instead of shying away, it nuzzled against Xia Yan’s hand affectionately.
Xia Yan: “!!!” He was officially out of words to describe how adorable this was.
While Xia Yan was busy enjoying himself, Ian was growing increasingly irritated.
Ian hadn’t initially thought much of “Xu Yan,” the online friend he was meeting. Their interactions were mostly to pass the time during the monotonous interstellar voyage.
But after spending time together the day before, Ian had found himself softening toward this manipulative man—yes, he’d already labeled “Xu Yan” as someone with ulterior motives. Still, he’d decided to indulge him a little, even throwing him some scraps of goodwill.
And yet!!!
The man dared to be late!
Not only was he late, but he was also now fawning over a mere robot—a purchasable hunk of metal, no less—without sparing Ian a single glance. If this man was going to manipulate people, could he at least try harder?!
Ian glared at the innocent panda robot, vowing that one day he’d dismantle it piece by piece and shove its tangled wires in front of Xia Yan to remind him it was nothing but scrap metal.
The oblivious panda tilted its head. “?”
Ian: “…” It even dared to mock him?!
Unable to stand being ignored, Ian opted to grab Xia Yan’s attention. Taking a delicate sip of his rose milk tea, he casually complained, “I’ve been working on so many blueprints lately that my wrist’s starting to hurt.”
A direct hit—Xia Yan’s greatest interest had been struck. His head shot up instantly, eyes sparkling with curiosity. The panda robot was forgotten as he fixed an eager gaze on Ian, though he tried to mask his excitement nonchalantly. “What kind of blueprints?”
“Mecha designs,” Ian said, his voice soft yet tinged with pride. His avatar, a slender and youthful figure with a doll-like face, looked fragile yet oddly convincing. “I hadn’t mentioned it before, but I’m a mecha designer.”
After speaking, Ian sneaked a glance at Xia Yan.
Seeing that all of Xia Yan’s attention was now on him, Ian felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Yes, that’s it! Keep looking at me! Only me!
When it came to those who could provide him with emotional value, Ian had no problem being generous. He didn’t mind dangling a bit of bait to hook this attractive “fish.”
Of course, he didn’t share his most precious, complete mecha designs. Instead, he offered Xia Yan a glimpse of a new mecha weapon he’d recently conceptualized.
Ian was confident that he was second to none in terms of his craft.
“This mechanism—if the axis is adjusted slightly and this section modified to incorporate cloud ironstone—it can double the firepower without increasing the mecha’s overall weight,” Ian explained, a hint of pride in his voice.
Xia Yan didn’t fully understand most of the technical jargon, but it was clear to him that this design significantly enhanced mecha performance.
And that was enough to amaze him.
To know that after thousands of years of development, the Empire’s technology had mostly hit a bottleneck—every small improvement was extremely precious, let alone an enhancement that doubled firepower in one go.
Was this it?
The blueprint the system wanted?
Xia Yan secretly opened the task panel in his mind:
[Task Three: Deceive Ian Hyde, the star pirate, to obtain his mecha design blueprint. (Incomplete)]
“…”
Right, this was just a weapon modification—not a full “mecha design.”
Suppressing a pang of disappointment, Xia Yan reminded himself not to rush. He’d only transmigrated for a day and a half, and this was just his second meeting with the protagonist shou, during which he had already acquired a new weapon design.
With twenty-eight days until his showdown with Huo Ruihe, he still had plenty of time to prepare.
Ian, who had a sharp sense for emotions, frowned slightly. “???”
What the heck! He’d just given away a weapon blueprint for free—something that could fetch billions of interstellar credits on the black market—so why was this young man disappointed? Did Ian seem that mediocre?
Frustrated, Ian closed his virtual interface with a huff and fell into a silent sulk.
“???” Xia Yan looked confused. “Why’d you close it?”
Ian glanced up, cast a pitiful gaze at him, then lowered his head again. A dark aura emanated from him, making him resemble a pitiful man whose attempts to please his wife had backfired.
“It doesn’t matter. My insignificant skills clearly don’t interest you,” he muttered dejectedly.
Xia Yan, who hadn’t said a word of criticism: “???”
Although Ian felt thoroughly wronged and disheartened, he didn’t log off. Every few seconds, he’d peek up at Xia Yan, only to look down again, creating an endless cycle of pouting.
This behavior was strikingly similar to a sulking child waiting for their friend to offer a way to make peace.
Xia Yan found the scene both amusing and endearing. Resting his chin in his hand, he suddenly sighed and said with a touch of insinuation, “I’ve got a match coming up in a few days. I was hoping to use your blueprint on my mecha after seeing it.”
Ian perked up his ears.
“But since you took it back…”
Before Xia Yan could finish his sentence, Ian hurriedly interrupted, “Ahem, since you want it, I’ll give it to you.”
“Really?” Xia Yan feigned surprise. “That blueprint must be worth a lot, right?”
Ian raised his chin proudly. “It’s not worth much.”
Ever since Ian killed his hypocritical foster father and took control of the star pirates’ wealth, his net worth has skyrocketed to the level of a small nation’s GDP.
But his most valuable asset was his mind—a seemingly endless source of groundbreaking designs. Each blueprint was worth anywhere from a few billion to hundreds of billions of interstellar credits.
In fact, Ian designed the most popular agile-style mecha on the market. The design was widely adopted in the military’s reconnaissance corps, and its nimble structure reduced scout fatalities by thirty percent.
In his excitement, Ian completely forgot the “poor and backward teenager” persona he’d been carefully maintaining around “Xu Yan.”
Xia Yan’s lips curled into a smile. His slightly muted yet attractive features in the virtual space suddenly became vibrant and captivating with that one curve, exuding an irresistible charm.
“Thank you,” Xia Yan said, his clear, pleasant voice carrying a hint of genuine delight. His gaze reflected Ian’s silhouette, as if he were the center of his entire world.
Damn it!
Ian cursed inwardly, his mind reeling as though drunk, a slight warmth creeping over him.
He finally understood why some people became so infatuated with beauty that they’d do foolish, unimaginable things. At this moment, Ian felt an urge:
If this young man asked, he’d give him everything.
Having secured a free blueprint for a new weapon, Xia Yan decided he’d pushed things far enough for today. He didn’t want to overplay his hand and risk arousing suspicion.
What he didn’t realize was that Ian had long seen through the original owner and, by extension, deemed Xia Yan, the transmigrator, as equally suspicious.
To be fair, Ian wasn’t entirely wrong in his assumptions.
When Ian finally snapped out of his daze, he awkwardly coughed and asked, “Do you have someone who can modify your mecha?”
Xia Yan replied, “I’ve got classmates in the mecha department.”
“Oh.” Ian nodded, then circled back to the original topic. “What kind of match is it in a few days? Is it dangerous?”
Knowing that Ian was unaware of the school he attended, Xia Yan gave a half-truth. He said it was a school exam with no real danger involved.
Their conversation drifted into awkward silence.
Although Xia Yan wasn’t socially anxious anymore, he hadn’t transformed into a social butterfly either. Casual small talk and building friendships were still skills he had yet to master.
He thought for a moment to find a shared topic of interest before looking earnestly at Ian. “How about a match?” Who could resist the thrill of piloting mechas? Xia Yan certainly couldn’t.
Ian: “What??!!”
An hour and a half later
Xia Yan climbed out of the mecha, thoroughly satisfied. The intense activity had left a light blush on his cheeks, his damp bangs sticking to his forehead as he panted slightly.
“I had a great time,” he said.
His ranking in the mecha exhibition matches was still too low. The low-level matches ended too quickly and didn’t satisfy him at all. Battling Ian, however, was a completely different experience.
Initially trained as a warrior due to his S-rank mental strength, Ian later transitioned to mecha design after discovering his talent.
That didn’t mean his combat skills were weak, though. His intimate knowledge of every inch of a mecha allowed him to switch weapons and maneuver with exceptional precision.
“Ah… Oh.”
Ian still seemed dazed, as though he hadn’t fully processed what had just happened.
After Xia Yan left, Ian was left wondering:
He had planned to spoil the “little beauty” with attention and enjoy a date. How had it turned into an entirely unromantic mecha training session?
This was the very thing he was sick of doing every day in real life!
Frustrated, Ian logged off and mulled over his situation. Unable to contain himself, he posted online under a fake identity, vaguely describing the scenario and seeking advice from the internet’s wisdom.
【Confirmed: OP, you’re being PUA1In Chinese internet slang, “PUA” is an acronym that has a broader meaning than its original American English phrase “pick-up artist.” It refers to being “brainwashed” or “deceived” in the context of relationships, family, or work’d.】
【A blueprint worth billions, and yet you act like you’re drunk on peanuts.】
【Virtual world romance? LMAO, OP, are you nuts? Everyone customizes avatars nowadays. Aren’t you afraid of falling for a troll?】
【Clearly, he’s just using you for your money and treating you as a free trainer.】
Ian read through the comments, growing increasingly annoyed. Finally, he replied:
【He’s well-off and doesn’t need money. Stop assuming the worst about him.】
Sure, Xia Yan “admired” his talents, but there was no way Ian would let anyone say he was only after his money.
【[Um… OP, you posted this. What exactly do you want us to say?】
Ian pondered for a moment before typing:
【I want him to pursue me wholeheartedly, to like only me, to not be distracted by irrelevant things, and to take me seriously】
The internet’s collective response:
【???】
【Are you okay, OP?】
【Another love-struck fool. Somebody take him away.】
【This post ruined my account. Thanks a lot, OP.】
As the replies became increasingly ridiculous, painting him as a lovesick fool, Ian angrily logged off.
What did these people know about love? Was it so wrong to want to be deceived willingly?
Clearly, romance was something he’d have to handle on his own.
