Extra 07. Curiosity Killed the Cat

One, about kisses.

Let’s turn time back to before QiYao and XiaoYu got married in-game.

Everyone knew the tiny cat loved its owner, Bai XiaoYu, the most. It even liked the uncle with the gold, Hei QiYao, because of its owner. As long as they’re together, it will be glued to their sides. Sometimes, it would goofily imitate their actions.

Once the two men affirmed their relationship, dates became a compulsory part of the lovestruck couple’s lives. While the two lovebirds fell over their feet for each other, there would always be a small cat waddling along behind them. Ignorant to its curiosity, they didn’t realise their every kiss and hug were keenly observed by the kitten.

The cat understood hugs. God once told him this was a way to show one’s affection. God liked to hug the cat when it’s human. Even as a cat, its owner and that man would hug him all the time.

But why were they kissing each other? The cat pondered. This uncle seemed to really like to kiss its owner and every time they were done kissing, its owner’s face would turn red. There was one time after the four days of major update. The way they kissed somehow changed. Their tongues could be seen. After the kiss, not only did its little master blush, his breathing turned into short pants. It looked really fun. The cat’s so very curious. It’s curious. ( ? w ? )

Thus, one night, long after QiYao and XiaoYu fell asleep, the little cat sneakily gathered its courage and slowly padded over to its owner’s head. It looked down at the slightly agape lips and softly bopped down at it.

It retreated back the moment their lips touched. It hopped a few steps back. XiaoYu’s face wasn’t going red. Did the kiss go by too quickly? Did it need to slip its tongue in his mouth too? The cat wondered as its tongue started to stretch out of its mouth.

The tiny cat was just about to continue its experiment when white light burst into the room. By the time darkness fell once more, the small cat was nowhere to be found.

“What are you doing?” God barked.

“Mrrow. I was curious,” the cat said, turning back into its human form to straddle across God’s lap to look up at God with innocent eyes. He seemed to be angry.

“Even so, you can’t kiss him.”

“Why?”

“You can only kiss the person you’re close to.”

“Little master hugged me before. We’re very close.”

“Urk…I mean by the one you’re closest to. That means there can only be one person.”

“So I’m not closest to him,” the kitten disappointedly commented, his furry ears drooped down. He got to know XiaoYu first. Why is that man closer to his owner than him? (╯^╰)

“Because you already have someone you’re closest to.”

“Hm?” Who was it? Why didn’t he know?

“Aren’t we close?” God asked in an exasperated voice, a finger pointing to himself.

“We’re close! ^w^” They were so close that the in-game Intimacy level measuring mechanism would be overloaded.

“That’s it then. Everyone can only ever have someone they’re closest to.”

“Then can I kiss you? What’s so fun about kissing?” The two men in the cat’s life kissed so often. It must be fun.

“Do you want to try?”

“Mn.”

“Close your eyes.”

 ­–w–

God looked at the obedient little kitten before him. It’d be illogical to not taste a feast when it’s willingly being served right before him. With one arm wrapped around the cat’s waist, God’s lips descended and kissed the man in his lap.

God skipped straight past pecking and into a passionate French kiss. His tongue chased after the other’s in an attempt to suck at it. When the little cat snuck a kiss with that player, he’d held back his anger. Then the young man wanted to go overboard and stick his tongue in the human’s mouth. God shouldn’t have summoned the kitten back whenever the player’s online, but he knew that if he didn’t “educate” his tiny cat, things would go out of hand.

“Mnngh…” What a strange feeling. The small cat could feel all of his strength leaching out of his body. It was also harder to breathe.

The kiss went on until God detected the cat on his lap was about to suffocate. Only then did he reluctantly release the other’s lips.

“I…I’m going back now,” the kitten panted out. He turned back into his cat form and fled back to the sleeping couple.

It buried its fluffy form into the blankets. Kissing with tongues wasn’t fun at all. Not only would its face go red, its entire body felt like it’s on fire. A certain part of its body down there throbbed with heat. Thankfully, this body was covered in black fur. No one could see its blushing face. But it’s so embarrassing. The cat curled up tighter.

Two, about…

For this, let’s head back to before the tiny cat became XiaoYu’s pet.

While the cat could turn into a young man at any time by God’s side, his intelligence never matched his appearance. That was no surprise. He’d been by God’s side since his birth. The two might observe Asgard Online together, but anything they watch together would have passed through God’s censors. Those were all harmonious scenes.

Everything related to the ugly side of humanity, intentionally duelling another player for evil purposes, sabotage, kill-stealing, theft, slander, harassment, etc. were instantly streamed straight into God’s mind instead of the screen hovering before the two men. There were also certain scenes God automatically dismissed without even thought – sights only meant for an adult’s eyes. God wouldn’t stoop so low as to watch as people did their private business. Thus, unless God received warning of a player losing large amounts of health during the act, he would ignore all footage adult-only scenes collected by the hotels of the game. God had yet to encounter such an exception, however.

Due to God’s overprotective and doting tendencies, the little cat’s maturity and intelligence were stuck on an awkward stage. He’s too clever for a cat, but too naïve for a young man.

When he’s bored out of his mind, the cat would start poking his nose into the players’ matters. “Idiot! There’s a monster going berserk over there!”, “The other way! The boss is the other way!” and “Ah, if you pluck this flower, you’d trigger a hidden quest!” were some of his comments.

As for God, he’d nod along to the cat’s comments as he took advantage of the other’s distracted state to enjoy having the cat in his lap. He didn’t care to correct the cat on his comments. Who cared if they were only able to be meddlers due to their knowledge? God didn’t mind and the tiny cat was unaware of it. They were fine as they were.

“There are no monsters there. They’re going the wrong way,” the cat meowed during one lazy afternoon when he was sprawled across God’s lap. His eyes were focused on one of the many screens floating before the two. A man and a woman were shown taking a stroll through the forest. According to the small cat’s memory, there was nothing in that direction. No monsters and no secret triggers. Soon, the couple would find a dead-end with huge slabs of stone walls around them. There was no way they could climb up and over. The only way past was to go around the walls.

“Mn. They’ll turn around once they reach the end,” God replied, caressing the young man’s smooth body.

And so the couple quickly found the gigantic obstacles facing them past the thick forest. Their maps said it was a mountain but the land was so steep that they were faced with an unclimbable wall instead.

“I’m exhausted. I don’t want to walk anymore,” the woman said, sliding down along the rock wall to sit on the ground.

“Yes, dear. We’ll take a break,” the man replied to his wife.

“This is so boring. What a waste of time. Give me a scroll. Let’s head back.” There was nothing in her inventory except for some HP and MP potions. Her job was to collect the money and loot they found. Her husband kept all sorts of junk in his bag anyway. She didn’t have to worry about being stocked up with food or Return Scrolls with him around.

“Are we heading back so soon?”

“Yeah. There’s not even a monster here. Did you think we’d meet an NPC?”

“Hee-hee. Dear, look around. It’s such a nice place. Why don’t we do something exciting?”

“You want to do it in broad daylight, you darned man?”

“I want to try going a round in the wild,” said the man as his hands started groping.

“What does he mean?” the cat asked, looking up at God.

The other man resisted the urge to kill off this couple with a lightning strike. How dare they think of having sex in the middle of the day? Not even he could’ve predicted this would’ve happened. There were so many things going on in the screens before them. Why did the little cat just have to notice this couple?

“They’re talking about battling out in the wild.”

“But there are no monsters around here. Huh? Why are they stripping?” The couple in the screen were already chucking off their clothes and gear.

“You can’t watch anymore.” God covered the tiny cat’s eyes with his hands and flicked the screen away.

“Why?”

“We can’t look at players when they’re naked. Just like how no one else can see you as you are now.”

“Because only people close to you can see?”

“Smart boy.”

“Oh, I get it now.” He was praised. He’s such a clever little cat (nwn).

When NPCs or monsters with sophisticated AI would come to meet God, he would cover up the cat’s naked body with a cape. The confused cat had once questioned it. God had told him only those who were close to him, like God, could look at him when he’s naked. That was the only reason why the small cat knew that.

The cat was used to going around naked. He didn’t like being restricted by clothing but since God, the person he was closest to, said no one can see him naked, he’ll cover himself up when other people were around.

Ever since that near-miss, God began to be wary. Footage of married players would be filtered out of the screens so they would never encounter another couple getting horny during the day.

Now, let’s head back to after QiYao’s and XiaoYu’s marriage. God began worrying about the tiny cat. He was so close to the act. Would there be any issues? He didn’t have to worry. The kitten was very obedient. As soon as the couple started taking off their clothes, he would cover up his eyes with his small paws.

However, as time went on, the cat grew curious. Especially since his owner would moan and groan every time. It sounded so nice. The more the cat overheard, the more curiosity bit at him. He had been naked before. He never had the urge to make such sounds.

Did it require two naked beings before it’d happen? Hm…there should also be some movement because the bed beneath him was swaying and bouncing.

Thankfully, the little cat never dared to experiment with his owner as XiaoYu was sleeping. He couldn’t have done it anyway. He can’t turn into a human when around players. He really wanted to know what was going on though. He was dying from curiosity.

As the number of nights QiYao and XiaoYu spend outside the game grew, the cat would essentially spend his nights curled in God’s embrace. Boredom returned so he started observing what the players were doing at night. But he saw nothing. After a while, things started to click together in the cat’s mind. God had once said only the closest person could see one nude. He wasn’t close to those players. Of course he found nothing.

But then he and his little owner were quite close already. Could he sneak a peek? Aah, why did he only realise it now? His owner rarely ever spent the night online now. He’s such an idiot.

Time went on and there’ll always be a chance for the tiny cat. On that day, for some reason, XiaoYu insisted on sleeping in-game. He wouldn’t go offline. The kitten didn’t understand why but QiYao knew it was because he’d went overboard the night before. His XiaoYu was angry at him.

They can stay online. While it wouldn’t be as nice as doing it in reality, it would allow QiYao to do whatever he wanted with no consequences. Why is his ditzy little bunny so oblivious? It’s impossible for him to escape the claws of the big bad wolf.

That night, the wolf was thoroughly focused on savouring his little bunny. No one noticed the cowardly little cat slowly shifting his paws to a side. (つw 0)

Just as the kitten saw a tiny sliver of his owner’s and the gold-coin man’s dangling flesh, the world span around him. He was once more summoned back by God.

“Did you forget what I told you?” God shouted.

“Mrrrw. I’m curious. I was just going to take a peek.” God sounded so much angrier than last time. This cat’s sad. (╯3╰)

“If it’s not the person closest to you, you can’t do it. Not a single peek.”

“…okay.” the cat reluctantly replied.

“You really want to know what they’re doing that badly?” God had always doted on his cat. He could never watch the other be sad. Hence, his voice gradually softened.

“Mn, mn.”

“You can’t look at anyone else, but we can try it out.”

“…”

“Well? Don’t want to?”

“Will it feel as weird as the kiss last time…?”

“It’ll feel…nice.”

“Really?” The tiny cat’s eyes gleamed bright. Feel nice? How so?

“You’ll know once you’ve done it once,” God replied with a smile. If any of the NPCs with sophisticated AI saw that smile, they’d definitely run for the mountains. There was something wrong with that smile.

“Mn, mn.” God looked so nice when he’s smiling. And so the silly little cat offered his body up to experiment with God.

Huh? Wait…why were they kissing like last time? Mnngh…his body’s heating up. He really wanted to squirm and rub. Aaahn. How could God touch there? But it feels so good. Mrrrrow…it did feel nice. Ouch. That hurt…slow down…

XiaoYu never noticed the cat going missing for the entire night. He did wonder why the little cat seemed rather lethargic in the morning. The cat was curled into a ball in his arms and refused to move at all. Were they too noisy last night? Did they disturb its sleep? That was possible. He himself felt like he didn’t have enough sleep too, XiaoYu thought as he yawned.

Unknown to XiaoYu, the tiny cat curled in his arms was wondering if its owner did that every single day. While it felt nice, it did hurt a little and it was so tiring. Aah, it’ll put it out of its mind. It’s so embarrassing.

Translator’s Note:

That’s the end of this story! Huzzah! Thank you for reading. The index will be updated with chapter titles (soon™).

I’ll be focusing on translating my other project, Reborn as a Good Child, for now. The next projects will be chosen once that’s finished.

◄Previous •Index•

Extra 06. Slices of Life

One, about money.

XiaoYu’s self-study sessions and consultations with his new tutor had given him fresh new insights into financial management. When QiYao saw how hard XiaoYu was studying, he handed XiaoYu one of his bank cards and told him the money inside would be XiaoYu’s to manage. There wasn’t a lot in the account so it didn’t matter if XiaoYu lost everything.

XiaoYu had wanted to put his theoretical knowledge to the test for a while now. He had been contemplating whether he should use his only savings to do so, but what if he failed the practical test? He would really be a broke man relying on QiYao for everything in life. He could use some of those savings instead of everything but if he didn’t put in enough, it’d be hard to actually test all of his knowledge. He was wrecking his brain over the dilemma when QiYao appeared, just like a god, along with a card bursting with light.

Of course, that didn’t mean XiaoYu didn’t think of QiYao’s money as money. He would treat it as seriously as he would his own money, but now he didn’t have to worry about going broke. He could be more decisive when he had to make a choice. While QiYao said it wouldn’t matter even if the money in the account ran out, XiaoYu would work harder than ever to make sure he’d keep it topped up.

Yes. That’s it.

In QiYao’s study room, XiaoYu confidently used the bank card for the first time ever – to look up how much money was in the account.

…

QiYao was on his way up with a glass of water for his future household manager when he walked into his study, to his surprise, XiaoYu was huddled in a corner of the room poking at the fur on the carpet.

“What is it?” Not even someone as omnipotent as QiYao understood what was going on.

“…” XiaoYu shot a glance at QiYao before continuing to poke at the carpet.

“Just what happened?” Strange. That glance was full of…mute anger. What had happened? Was the card frozen? That can’t be it.

“…you never told me how much money was in that account.”

When XiaoYu had logged into the card’s account, his entire body froze. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight…Just how many zeroes were there? Not only was it greater than his own savings by severalfold, was this really not all of QiYao’s financial assets? Was this what he meant by “not a lot”?

XiaoYu knew QiYao was rich, but it was only now that he properly realised just how rich the other man was. If he lost all of this money, merely slaving away at trying to pay it off wouldn’t be enough. Not even dicing himself up and selling all of those pieces would be enough. The realisation dealt such a huge blow to XiaoYu that he instinctively curled up in the corner.

“…” This was a test for QiYao. From his point of view, there certainly wasn’t a lot of money in the card. However, he’d forgotten most people would find that sum so immense that they would never be able to drain off the account despite living a lavish lifestyle. Hence, he didn’t know how he should approach or comfort XiaoYu. All he could do was sit on the floor beside him.

“…you’re really not afraid I’d lose all this money?” XiaoYu snuck another peek at QiYao.

“Yes. What’s gone would be gone.” He still had more cards with as much money as this card, and he still had plenty of immovable assets. QiYao didn’t care what XiaoYu did with that money at all. He only trusted XiaoYu would turn it into a significant experience that would swiftly aid the other man in maturing.

“…” XiaoYu stared into QiYao’s eyes. He wanted to see if the other man was sincerely unaffected by the possibility of losing that much money. Unfortunately, he wasn’t experienced enough to properly judge what emotions were in them.

“Alright. I’ve decided,” XiaoYu said after a pause.

“Decided on what?” QiYao asked.

“I want to study more first.” XiaoYu shook the notion of testing his knowledge out of his mind and decided to study more first. He’ll arrange a few more consultations with the tutor QiXuan recommended.

While he had a better insight into how one’s finances should be managed, his notions of “rich” versus “not a lot of money” were vastly changed once more. He had to work hard at slowly convincing himself that this card didn’t hold such a large sum. It wasn’t a lot of money. Not at all.

Two, about sex.

In Asgard Online, there’s a very important stat that would be introduced with marriage – Night-time Intimacy. The two lovers had no issues with that in-game at all. No matter how hard QiYao went at it, XiaoYu could accept it. After all, he would still feel as refreshed as ever in the morning and he could grind with no problems.

In real life, things didn’t go so well. Ever since the day QiXuan stopped by for a visit, QiYao seemed to have been agitated to jumping the gun in finally doing it with XiaoYu in reality. The results, however, led to XiaoYu waking up in so much pain that it felt like his bones were shattered. This was especially true for his waist and hips. It felt like he was snapped in half. He had been bedridden for so very long.

After trying it out a few more times, XiaoYu realised he was fine with doing it once but doing it twice or more would lead to some discomfort the next day.

While AO is very realistic, it still wasn’t reality. After having done it in real life, QiYao much preferred doing it outside the game. Even if it’s just once, that’s better than nothing. There was no way XiaoYu didn’t feel good during the act. QiYao did understand that it might be more tiring as the catcher.

Even so, they were in the prime of their lives plus XiaoYu would occasionally “start a fight” unintentionally. It was hard for QiYao to strictly abide by the “only once” deal. Anyway, they didn’t actually make a deal in black and white about only doing it once in real life. Thus, QiYao would fully embrace his “Big Bad Wolf” nature and coax the little white bunny into being gobbled up.

For example, there was one time after doing it when QiYao carried XiaoYu into the bathroom to be cleaned up. XiaoYu’s mind had been blanking out in exhaustion and it was a wide, comfortable bath. Splayed out on top of QiYao, XiaoYu had begun moaning from the bliss of being taken care of.

“Mn…Hng….Ahn…” XiaoYu didn’t even realise those sounds were coming out of his lips. QiYao had been helping him clean out his behind with a finger. It felt rather weird. A little numbing and also rather enjoyable.

“…” QiYao’s beloved was moaning into his neck. The other man also had his arms curled around QiYao’s neck due to his fear of slipping out and into the water. Occasionally, his head would rub against his lover. There was no way QiYao could abstain from trying his luck, not unless he was a saint.

“Let’s do it once more?” QiYao could feel a certain organ lifting its head.

XiaoYu shook his head. He was dead tired. He didn’t want to do it again.

“…XiaoYu, what do you call me?”

“Hm? Yao.” XiaoYu blurrily responded without hesitation.

“Oh, you mean you want it. I won’t hold back then.” As QiYao said so, he thrusted into XiaoYu’s unguarded hole. With the stretching he’d done while cleaning it out and with the soapy water as lubricant, QiYao slipped in without issues.

“Aaahn!” If not for XiaoYu’s jelly legs, he would’ve bounced straight out of QiYao’s lap. It didn’t really hurt but having QiYao sheathe himself so suddenly gave XiaoYu’s mind such a shock that it had no time to comprehend what QiYao meant.

XiaoYu instinctively clenched, nearly causing QiYao to surrender at the first thrust. QiYao’s hands gripped tight at XiaoYu’s waist. This was torture. He must show the other just how much he loved him.

“Mn…you…ah…you’re…” cheating. XiaoYu finally understood the wordplay QiYao used. Yao sounded exactly the same as “want”. What a cheater! Unfortunately, before the last word could be spoken, QiYao had slyly swallowed it up with a kiss.

Aaargh. Damn it. QiYao, that liar! Tomorrow, XiaoYu was going to go on a strike. He won’t cook!

Translator’s Note:

Soapy water =/= sufficient lubricant. Do not imitate in real life or in writing. We are in the 21st Century. We have technology. Use proper lubricant and not some old-school misguided notion born from pornography.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

Extra 05. Fight

As XiaoYu started spending more time offline, he would exercise and study when QiYao was at work. If QiYao didn’t have to go to work, the two would frequently take walks outside to “bolster XiaoYu’s confidence”.

However, with XiaoYu’s current rate of improvement, QiYao still couldn’t drive XiaoYu anywhere. That’s because XiaoYu was still unable to sit by himself on the passenger’s seat or in the back, especially if he saw someone walking in front of a car. His entire body would shiver and go clammy. Thus, if they needed to go somewhere further than the area around their house, QiYao would tell Lin Qiong to drive them while he sat beside XiaoYu. For now, their main method for overcoming XiaoYu’s trauma was walks around the neighbourhood.

QiYao’s house was situated in a famous rich people’s resident neighbourhood. It’s beautiful. It’s also very quiet. Not only were the houses here all detached mansions, every house had its own garage, enviably private and separated from their neighbours’ garages. The security in this area was also the best of the best. All cars not owned by a resident would be strictly checked upon entering and exiting the area. Hence, it was very rare for cars to be seen coming and going in the area.

Because of that, the couple’s walks frequently take them outside of the area. A few blocks down the road, there was a tiny commercial district. Subsequently, there were more vehicles on the road. At first, XiaoYu couldn’t walk more than a few steps past the area’s gates. The moment he saw a car, his feet would be nailed down to the ground. Thankfully, QiYao kept a tight grip on his hand the entire time. That made XiaoYu feel safe enough that his legs wouldn’t just give out beneath him.

When XiaoYu’s feet refused to walk any further, QiYao would always be by his side. QiYao was even considerate enough to stand before him and block his view of the road so he could slowly recover from the terror that overwhelmed him at the sight of a vehicle.

QiYao’s kindness and thoughtful actions moved XiaoYu. Most people can’t understand just how much this mental trauma could affect him, sometimes he didn’t either. He knew fully well the assumptions other people frequently had about him and their gazes tainted by emotions, be they contempt or pity. However, he never felt any of that from QiYao. The man’s gaze was always filled to the brim with love and understanding.

This made XiaoYu more determined than ever in life. He’ll study harder and faster so he can be of more help to QiYao. He’ll keep convincing himself to push that fear aside, get faster at overcoming his trauma. Those cars are of no threat to him or anyone.

With QiYao at his side providing an endless source of strength and his mind continuously pushing himself, XiaoYu’s feet soon began to move. His legs still quivered as they crossed the street and his eyes would subconsciously dart around until they were confirmed to be extremely safe. But as long as he had QiYao by his side, the XiaoYu walking on the pedestrian walkway was no different from any other normal person.

As such, the couple’s walks started taking them further and further away until they’ve reached the shopping district. And so, the couple’s walks started including the usual foolish acts lovers do. They’d go shopping, buy something, carry each other’s bags and walk home with their hands linked together.

Before, XiaoYu would  just order anything they needed online, especially food. Now that he’d started going on walks outside, QiYao didn’t mind adding another event to their dates. They could go to the supermarket, push a trolley cart together as they picked up their groceries or snacks.

Perhaps it was because their lives were going along way too smoothly. God just had to throw some problems at them.

It was on a day when they were at the market getting some groceries for their dinner. Just as they were going to go pay, XiaoYu suddenly remembered one of their seasonings were almost finished. He told QiYao to wait for him as he went to grab it.

The seasoning and sauces aisle were only a few aisles away from where they were. XiaoYu had ran off so quickly that QiYao didn’t bother saying anything. He waited by their cart and whiled the time away looking at the items on the shelves.

He thought XiaoYu would be back soon, but even when QiYao had looked at every single item on the shelves of this long aisle, XiaoYu was still nowhere to be seen. A bad feeling started growing at the back of his mind. He started off towards where the seasonings aisle was. Before he even reached there, he found quite a few shoppers staring at something. That bad feeling only grew stronger.

Indeed, XiaoYu had encountered an issue. He’d ran off to look for the familiar bottle when he encountered a staff member organising the seasoning aisle’s shelves. XiaoYu didn’t think anything of him at first. He edged around the man, his eyes still scanning the shelves. However, after the staff member had glanced up at XiaoYu who was walking beside him, the man’s gaze was locked onto him.

“It’s you!” The man grabbed XiaoYu by his shirt. How could he ever forget this face?

“Who are you? Please let me go,” XiaoYu asked with a frown. He didn’t know this staff member yet the man was so rude as to immediately get in his face and jerk him up by the front of his shirt. It was clear this man didn’t hold any friendly intentions for him.

“Frick! Who am I? Did you forget about after you killed me?” That’s right. It’s this voice, this face. Chu Ba was even more certain this was that darned priest that wouldn’t be moved at all. Not words. Not money. Nothing.

“I don’t know you. Let go.” Who said XiaoYu didn’t have a temper on him? He just didn’t care to bother with most people. However, this man had incited so much dislike that he wouldn’t even say please anymore. Not only was this stranger rude and crass, he also had a dirty mouth.

“I only killed you once! You actually had someone kill me over and over again until I was Level 1! Just because you’re rich?” shouted the man.

“…” While XiaoYu still didn’t understand what this man was saying, there was a knight in the game called BattleOverlord who had killed him before. The way this man spoke was very similar to how that knight spoke too.

Still, XiaoYu didn’t want to continue having anything to do with this man. In the game, he was just a healer with no skill to fight back with. In reality, there’s no reason for XiaoYu to just let this man continue pulling at his shirt. Since he won’t let go, XiaoYu forcefully smacked the hand away and took a few steps back.

“I don’t understand what you’re saying, but I should’ve never met you before,” XiaoYu said.

“Crap. You think you’re all that just because you’re rich now? You only climbed into the bed of a wealthy man!” scoffed Chu Ba.

After Chu Ba was killed back down to Level 1, he had no interest in playing AO anymore. So, he left the game. However, real life didn’t go well either. First, his girlfriend broke up  with him because she couldn’t stand his crude behaviour anymore. Then, he made a mistake in his work and was demoted to fieldwork. He now had to deliver cargo to all the supermarkets and make sure the company’s products were properly arranged.

It was only on a whim that he took a glance at AO’s forums. When he saw everyone discussing about a wedding in the Heretic Demons, he opened a thread up in boredom. Then, he saw that darned healer. He actually hooked up with the great Guild Leader of the Heretic Demons, the man he looked up to like a god. He wondered before who would want to kill him that badly. If there was anyone in the game he had seriously made enemies of, the only one would be a mere healer he’d killed in a fit of rage who looked like a nobody. After reading through the thread, he was 90% sure they were hired by this LuckyCat healer.

Who knew that in this wide world, he would see someone who looked exactly the same as that healer? It seemed like there were still people who’d actually jump into the game without tweaking their appearances.

Chu Ba’s words made XiaoYu rather uncomfortable. Yes, QiYao was very rich. But he didn’t like him because of his money. The other shoppers started looking over at the commotion. XiaoYu felt like he had no need to continue blabbing on with his man. He was as self-centred in real life as he was in-game. He’s even more vulgar in reality and kept spitting expletives out at XiaoYu. Trying to reason with someone like him would be like trying to reason with a crazy man. It was a waste of his breath.

“I don’t know you,” XiaoYu repeated. “I think you have the wrong man.”

Chu Ba hated seeing other people looking down at him with furrowed brows, just like how XiaoYu was gazing at him right now. In the game, Chu Ba was stronger than the other, but even when he killed the younger man, this healer still gave him that headstrong gaze that made Chu Ba uncomfortable. Who knew he’d be the same in reality? The moment he laid eyes on anyone like that, he immediately yearned to beat them up until they reveal their true distasteful self and beg for mercy.

“Stop pretending, scum,” Chu Ba barked. He didn’t care that they weren’t in a game ungoverned by laws anymore. He threw a punch at the other.

In AO, a player was restricted by their Agility stat. It didn’t matter if one reacted in time. Their body might not respond. In reality, there were no such reactions. As a healthy young man who liked to exercise, XiaoYu instinctively stepped to a side and dodged the attack.

Chu Ba didn’t think his punch would miss. He had put so much force into it that missing his target nearly mad him fall over. His anger burned brighter from this. He turned around, steadied himself and punched at XiaoYu again.

At the sight of someone fighting, mumbles rose from the onlookers yet no one dared to ask them to not fight. The slightly taller man seemed to have a very explosive temper. It would be bad if they got hit in a fight that wasn’t theirs. Had security been informed yet?

XiaoYu continued dodging punch after punch. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to fight back, but the aisle wasn’t that wide. He was also smaller than the other man. If he tried getting close to the other, he might actually be captured or hit. But he won’t run away. He’ll wait for his chance.

Unfortunately, XiaoYu had no more chances to show off. QiYao had waded through the crowd only to see a ferocious man trying to punch his XiaoYu. He strode forward to grab the Chu Ba’s punch by the wrist.

“What are you doing?” QiYao roared.

“Scram. It’s none of your business.” Chu Ba tugged his hand free of QiYao’s grasp.

“…” Since this man was an irrational person, there was no reason for QiYao to waste his time. He merely turned around and told XiaoYu, “Step back.”

“Don’t think you’re some hero!” Chu Ba hated the kind of person who loved to stand out from the crowd too. Every single fricking one of them thought they were the protagonist. They all think they’re the world’s saviour. This time, he directed his punch at QiYao.

To Chu Ba’s surprise, QiYao not only dodged the punch but the other man also gripped his outstretched fist. Then, the world whirled upside down before he felt an intense pain running through his body. A perfect overhand throw.

The people around them couldn’t resist in softly cheering. Was this new handsome man from the police force? That was so swift, so decisive. Such a perfect move could only be seen on television.

“You f-! Mmh!” Chu Ba was interrupted from his attempt to curse out QiYao by a sudden burst of pain. After throwing Chu Ba over his shoulder, QiYao twisted the other’s arm around until it was behind the man. Along the way, Chu Ba’s entire body was flipped over until he was on his stomach on the ground. That manoeuvre pulled at the muscles still aching from the throw just now.  Now, his entire being was in so much pain that he couldn’t speak anymore.

“If you can’t keep a clean mouth, then I have ways to make it clean,” QiYao coldly stated. The harsh air around him made everyone nearby feel a sudden chill. It was best not to anger this man.

Finally, after so long, security arrived. However, they were also shocked silly by QiYao’s air. Didn’t they know they should be heading up to the man instead of cowering at the back of the crowd?

Security was here now and the man beneath him could only moan in pain and nothing else, so QiYao loosened his grasp on Chu Ba and walked back to XiaoYu.

“Are you hurt?” QiYao asked.

“No,” XiaoYu replied, shaking his head. He thought he could only see QiYao in such glory in the game. He didn’t think the other would be a martial artist expert in real life either.

Now that XiaoYu thought of it, of course the other man would be an experienced fighter. QiYao was no longer a five-year-old child. Even back then, he was only injured because he was facing off three opponents by himself. With further training after the incident, he was now a man so strong that Chu Ba wasn’t an opponent he’d be bothered about.

Since they caused a commotion, they naturally were asked to head to the security room so the guards could understand what happened. They looked through the surveillance footage. In there, clear as day, it was shown Chu Ba was the one who caused the fight by grabbing a hold of XiaoYu’s clothes then started punching when he didn’t get his way.

QiYao wasn’t around before so he didn’t know why the two started fighting. Thus, he kept quiet while leaning against the wall. XiaoYu didn’t know what he should say either. From the start to the end, Chu Ba was bursting in anger and didn’t say who he was at all. He didn’t even recognise this man. The guards could only get the story by prying it out of Chu Ba.

“Ugh, why are you kids so impulsive for? It’s just a little fight in a game,” the security guard said after getting a rough understanding of the situation. He patted Chu Ba on the shoulder.

“Hmph. You’d dare to do it yet you don’t have the balls to admit it. Useless boy toy,” Chu Ba muttered. He was still simmering.

“Could we leave now?” QiYao asked the guards.

“Ah, yes. This way, please.” It wasn’t a big issue anyway and the one in the wrong here was this Chu Ba. QiYao was only acting in self-defence. Thus, the guards didn’t dare to keep QiYao and XiaoYu locked up here. It was obvious this was a powerful man. They’ll lock this impulsive Chu Ba first before they try persuading Chu Ba of his wrongs.

Before the couple left, QiYao turned around to look at Chu Ba who was still glaring at them.

“You have it wrong. The one who investigated what you did and decided to kill you back to Level 1 is me. He had nothing to do with it,” QiYao said.

“What?” Chu Ba shouted.

“I am the leader of the Heretic Demons, HereticKing.” With that said, QiYao closed the door and left with XiaoYu.

“!!!” That man was actually HereticKing!

*****

Hand in hand, the two lovers walked home with bags in their hands. XiaoYu kept sneaking glances at QiYao. He wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how.

“Just ask. Tell me what you want to know.” How could XiaoYu’s little glances escape QiYao’s observant eyes?

“Why hire someone to kill him?” XiaoYu didn’t know about this before. Sometimes in the game, he would thank his good luck that he never bumped into that illogical man again.

“Revenge must be served. You think I shouldn’t have done that?”

“No, but I want to know if it ever happens again.” XiaoYu knew he wasn’t a saint. If he was killed in the game, of course he’d want revenge. However, due to the game’s limitations, it was an indisputable fact that AO’s healers would never be able to defeat a knight unless there was a big level gap. As time went on, XiaoYu slowly forgot about the incident.

He just didn’t expect QiYao to secretly enact his revenge for him. He didn’t know he was that well-loved for so long. Would it be ungrateful to be secretly happy about that?

“Mn. If anything happens in the future, I’ll tell you.”

“And…”

“Hm?”

“I don’t like you for your money.” The words Chu Ba chose, “climbed into the bed of a wealthy man”, those were things he didn’t like hearing from Chu Ba’s mouth. XiaoYu looked down and kicked a pebble around.

“I know.” This little fool. Who was the one who insisted on giving him his one gold coin back?

QiYao pulled XiaoYu close and dipped down for a kiss. As he’d thought, for the sake of his own mind, this ditzy little guy was best kept by his side.

Translator’s Note:

Chu Ba = 楚霸 (Chu as in the nation, Ba as in tyrant/overlord)

◄Previous •Index• Next►

Extra 04. Cat and God

In Asgard Online, stood a very unique palace. Its uniqueness was in the strong aura of “new money” it radiated.

That was due to the mountains of gold scattered everywhere, except for the giant throne made of gold and hidden in the depths of the palace. Of course, those mountains of gold also include rare treasures, pearls, jewels, and weapons and crowns fit for royalty.  Overall, the place was definitely blinding.

Such tasteless decor. Just who owned this tacky, country bumpkin-esque palace?

The God of the AO

The core system of AO was the most advanced Artificial Intelligence of the time with the best machine learning system in place. From the codes and information keyed in by the programmers, the A.I. decided all by itself to create a character in  charge of managing all information in the game and maintaining the game’s balance, ergo the God of the game.

God of Asgard Online: Level 999. Male. Unknown age. Unknown powers.

One could describe this man as cold, haughty and exquisite. Not only did he have the appearance of an angel, a single wave of his hand would betray his noble demeanour. Even his clothes and accessories were lavish to the extreme. What was bewildering was why did he let his palace be decorated in such a vile fashion. The answer to that question would be the young man lying across his lap at the moment.

Well, he should be a…young man because there was not a single thread on him at the moment, revealing his flat chest. There also seemed to be something nestled between his slender legs.

However, there was something strange about this young man. Hiding inside his nest of thick hair were two cat ears, occasionally flicking about. There was also a long black tail resting behind him.

The god ran a hand through the young man’s fluffy hair, down his pale shoulders, the smooth back and to his slim waist. Any lower and that black tail would go rigid with animosity. And so, the hand stopped before any lines were crossed.

“Your little owner seemed to be busy lately. Are you lonely?” God finally spoke after long minutes of caressing the man in his lap.

“Mrrow…” The young man replied with a strange noise.

“…Speak human.”

“I’m so bored.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I want to pick up stuff.”

“There are so many treasures before you.”

“…there’d be no satisfaction from it.”

“Then, do you want to eat something?”

“Not hungry.” The man shook his head. He knew that no matter what he wanted to eat God could make it appear. But he didn’t want or crave anything to eat right now. All he wanted was for his tiny owner to log on and play with him now.

“Is it that boring being with me?”

“No.”

“Then why are you pining for your young master?”

“He can beat up monsters with me. You can’t,” the young man replied, lifting his head to look up at God. This man was the master of this game. The monsters were all his creations. Hence, there was no need to beat them up. The moment he appeared in view all monsters would prostrate themselves on the floor at once. How dull.

“Don’t you just like picking up items?”

“Yes. I like watching him kill the mobs and I go pick up the loot.”

“…” In the end, it just meant the young man preferred being with his young owner than with him. God felt like sighing then. He seemed to have spoiled the young man rotten. If he’d known this would happen, he wouldn’t have agreed to let the young man go to that player.

 – Flashback –

Every day, God spent his time alone in an icy-cold palace, swiftly sorting through all game information. Was there a bug? Which monster’s stats were unreasonable? What secret quest got triggered and what needed to be followed up on? He dealt with everything that didn’t need a programmer’s input on. Those were busy days, but also very lonely days. Thus, he thought he’d create a pet for himself.

As the God of Asgard Online, he needed to create vast amounts of monsters and cash every day. At the same time, he needed to sneakily get everything, and more, back. Thus, he created the Lucky Cat tribe to ensure treasure would always come back to him. It would only be a minor adjustment. As the God of this game, he had the authority to do so.

And so, the tiny cat was born. Of course, he could turn into a human. It all depended on the kitten’s mood. Still, as a cuteness factor, his cat ears and tail would remain. One might say it was God’s obsession.

The two lived harmoniously together. Every now and then, the tiny cat would beg prettily, in the cutest manner possible, for God to give him some gold coins to play with. God would often take his fill caressing the tiny cat whenever the game was running smoothly and he wasn’t busy with work. Consequently, the most refined palace in the entire game turned into the personal bank of someone who’d just made it rich.

Everything changed when a player registered for the username LuckyCat. When the tiny cat heard the name of his tribe, the ball of fur napping curled up in God’s embrace perked up. The two then examined this new player together.

Bai XiaoYu. Male. 19 years old. He had a pair of big wide eyes, just like a cat’s. The little one liked him the moment the kitten laid eyes on the human.

“I want to play with him,” the cat said, pointing to the screen showing XiaoYu wandering around in the tutorial area.

“How do you want to play with him?” God created the small cat. If the feline was just let loose in the game without any care, the game would easily be unbalanced.

“Hm…I’ll be a pet that can pick up items.” That’s not asking for too much, right?

“Okay, but with some restrictions.”

“What is it?”

“When at his side, you lose the ability to turn into a human and you can’t speak human.”

“Hm…okay.” He was quite familiar with moving around in his kitten body anyway.

“Also…”

“More?” yowled the young feline.

“I won’t seal off your other abilities, but when he’s training alone, I will reduce the drop rate of rare items for him.” To compensate for the extra gold you’ll bring to him. Of course, that last part of the sentence wasn’t voiced.

“Wouldn’t that be very unfair to him?”

“Once he joins a party and trains with them, I’ll change the drop rate back. The rest would be up to his own luck.”

“That still seems unfair.”

“You care about him that much? Perhaps he might not let you out.” God was very sure the tiny cat’s abilities would cause problems when the player joined a party. He had witnessed too many pets of the similar kind be kept in the Pet Space every time their owners joined a party. That’s how humans were deep down. Building up trust was no easy task.

“Hmph. If he locks me up, the Intimacy levels will drop,” said the small cat with a pout in a somewhat brattish manner. ╭(╯3╰)╮”After all, once Intimacy gets low, you can run away. If it gets boring, I’ll come back.”

“Okay.”

Meanwhile, Bai XiaoYu was still busy with the NPC’s tutorial quests. He didn’t know that right then and there, his fate had changed.

To God’s surprise, the player named Bai XiaoYu doted on his tiny cat as if the feline was his life. Grinding, eating, sleeping, shopping…there was not a single moment the feline was not by the young man’s side. He even gave up on following the grand quest system and missions provided by the game in order to let the tiny cat collect more items. He had turned the game back into its traditional grinding roots.

God too was happy to see the little cat get by each day in joy. After further observation, he realised this player had a good personality. He didn’t mind slacking off a little sometimes regarding the player’s drop rates. As long as it didn’t impact the game’s overall balance.

But ever since XiaoYu fell in love, he seemed to have more responsibilities in real life. He couldn’t stay logged into the game for weeks on end like before. God understood that. After all, the players of AO were living human beings. They had other things to do than play games.

Whenever XiaoYu logged off, the kitten would automatically return to God’s side and the two would resume their usual days. However, the tiny cat had been recently pining for XiaoYu day in, day out. This made God a little jealous.

When Asgard Online first published, there would always be rival companies causing trouble for the game. It was normal to send in a virus or destroy some codes. Back then, God was swarmed with work. Every day, he would be working with a large team of programmers to maintain the game’s stability. As time passed and the game slowly found its footing, such attacks ceased. The programmers started to sit back and let the game’s AI run itself. That meant God was in charge of the game now.

However, out of the blue and after so many years of the game being online, they were attacked. All of a sudden, vast quantities of trash information flooded the system. While God wouldn’t panic, his head did start to ache as if he was being overloaded.

He notified the programmers on duty today. Thankfully, the game developers had strict and precise emergency procedures. Soon, the relevant coders were online to share some of the burden and give God a chance to breathe.

“A-Are you okay?” The tiny cat didn’t care that he was bare-naked right now. He sat up and straddled God’s lap to touch God’s face in worry. It was the first time he’d ever seen God so pale. Was the attack very serious?

“I’m fine. This isn’t a threat at all.” It had just been a while since God had last gone through an attack. He wasn’t as used to the feeling as before.

 “…” The tiny cat continued staring at God in worry. He remembered there was a time when his little owner was killed. He could do nothing but just pace around in panic. That frustration had made a lasting impression on him.

“I’m fine. Everything’s fine with you by my side.” God was ecstatic. It seemed like the young cat still cared a lot for him.

The feline reached out and wrapped his arms tight around God’s neck in a hug. He seemed to recall the Gold Coin Man comforting his owner this way. He wasn’t as large as the Gold Coin Man, so it should be the same effect if he used his entire body. Right?

God’s brain short-circuited. When the cat begged and asked for gold coins to play with back then, the most the other did was tug at his hand or clothes and sway them to-and-fro. He would never fully pounce on God.

Warmth filled God’s heart. He hugged the cat back. With this tiny cat by his side, he seemed to have gotten more humane feelings.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

Extra 03. The Truth

“Let’s break up,” QiYao emotionlessly said. It was as if he had reverted back to the poker face king he used to be.

“…why?” XiaoYu was shocked to the core. He had never before seen such a cold and callous expression on the other.

“I’m just tired of it all.”

“Are you telling the truth?”

“You know I hate lying.”

“…” Yes. It’d be impossible for XiaoYu not to know just how much QiYao hated lying. He even had his cheeks pinched and tugged for lying before. However, the other had once said they would be together forever. Was that going to be a lie too?

“…I see. Yao, no, Mr Hei, please log off a little later tonight. I’ll pack up,” XiaoYu said after a solemn pause. If one described QiYao’s original demeanour before their meeting to be cold and callous, then formal and polite would be XiaoYu’s. Everyone had only reverted back to who they were.

QiYao didn’t answer. He merely turned around and left.

Staring at that familiar back fading away from his sight, XiaoYu let out a bitter smile in resignation. QiYao had once said he would never let go of his hand. He said that they would be together forever. Now, the other let go of him. What could XiaoYu do to hold on to the other? Cry, fast and threaten suicide? That’s not his personality.

He walked towards the nearest Portal. After flying around a few times in a daze to who-knows-where, XiaoYu finally arrived at a little town he’d never been to before. He then set this city as his Save Point. Prole wouldn’t be his home now. If possible, he might never ever go back there.

He headed to the Storage NPC and opened up his Storage. Looking down at the ring he’d worn for so long on his ring finger, XiaoYu couldn’t help softly caressing it before taking it off and storing it away. If the ring still existed the next time he logged online, that meant QiYao didn’t apply for a divorce. Then, he’ll head back to Prole one last time to apply for the divorce himself. May this ring and the white wedding suit lying in his Storage disappear forever.

He opened up his Friends tab. QiYao was the first on the list. It was still lit up. The other was still online. XiaoYu took one last glance at the ever-familiar face before he tapped on the button on the top right corner, the button he thought he would never click on.

“Ding. Delete this friend?”

“Confirm.” The next time he logged on, they wouldn’t be husbands anymore.

Then, at last, XiaoYu opened up the Guild tab. His level was high enough that he was part of the main guild now. He still remembered when he had just switched over to the main guild from the subsidiary guild. The friends he had in the main guild all teased him about how the missus has finally climbed up. He never thought there would be a day when he would leave.

He tapped on the “Quit Guild” button and a dialogue box popped up before him. This was another point where Asgard Online was different to other games. When quitting a guild, the player needed to write down their reason for doing so. XiaoYu filled in one simple word. Farewell.

May we never see each other again.

Any Heretic Demons member with the guild chat open would see a line of eye-catching yellow text, “Member LuckyCat has left the guild.”

Reason for leaving: Farewell.

That was about all XiaoYu had to handle in-game. From now on, XiaoYu would have nothing to do with the Heretic Demons and Hei QiYao ever again. All that was left was to log off, pack up his belongings and leave QiYao’s home.

“Mmrow…” the tiny cat meowed as it leaned up on XiaoYu’s pants in hopes of being carried and hugged.

“…Hehe. I might only log in after a few days. Sorry, little one.” XiaoYu lifted the kitten up to his face for a few cheek rubs. XiaoYu won’t quit the game over this. He’s only left QiYao’s social circle. He still has the tiny cat. It would never leave him and he would never leave it.

“Meow…” The small cat licked XiaoYu’s cheeks.

It was only then XiaoYu realise his tears were dripping down his cheeks.

Yes. How could he not be sad? How could he not be upset? QiYao was the first man he truly loved. He was the first man to be his family after his parents left this world and left him all alone in this world. Even though he settled his matters after the breakup in a very calm manner, that was only because he forced himself not to think about it. His tears had long since betrayed his actual feelings.

Who said men don’t cry? That’s only because they haven’t had their hearts hurt.

XiaoYu then logged off and was greeted by an empty room. This place held many of his memories with QiYao, but these memories would disappear with one of its owners gone. This room would then be waiting for more memories to be written into it.

It didn’t take long to pack up his belongings. XiaoYu didn’t bring much along with him during the initial move. QiYao said that since their houses weren’t too far apart, they could go back anytime XiaoYu needed something. Now that XiaoYu thought back to it, he couldn’t help but mock himself for his naivety. Perhaps QiYao said that so it wouldn’t be so troublesome when he had to leave?

XiaoYu left the keys and bank card in the house. He no longer had the right to manage QiYao’s financial assets.

Outside the door was a bright and sunny sky. XiaoYu’s eyes squinted under the glare of the sun as he pulled his small luggage bag step by step away from the home he shared with QiYao.

Their home was in a high-class area. Rarely would cars be seen on its streets. Thus, XiaoYu successfully left the area. With the help of time and QiYao, XiaoYu’s phobia of cars had gradually diminished. At least his legs wouldn’t instantly turn to goo at the sight of a vehicle. However, it would be rather hard for him to get into one alone. Anyway, he knew where his original home was. It’s fine. He could just walk home.

The further he was away from QiYao’s home, the more cars there were speeding along the streets. XiaoYu soon realised his feet were losing their energy. Could it be the trauma he finally somewhat overcame, through a lot of effort and time, be rising to the surface once more?

He pushed through and trudged into a deserted alleyway. He leaned against a wall and slid down to the floor. His pair of useless legs were limp. It seemed like he won’t be standing up anytime soon. All he  could was just sit and wait until it was dark and there weren’t as many vehicles on the streets before he continued on. He had never thought of himself as a weak man until now. It was the first time in his life he had hated how useless he was.

—

“Enough,” a stern voice said, breaking through the image described.

“…hm? Huh…?” It was like everyone had just woken up from a dream. Never could they have imagined they would all be so deeply taken by an imaginary situation.

That’s right. There were a lot of people in the room.

On this day, the higher-ups of Heretic Demons were bored. After their usual meeting in the Lord Mayor’s rooms, someone suggested they play a game. A very old game called truth or dare.

To make sure the game was fair and it wouldn’t be spoiled by their Chief’s oppressing aura, they would prepare a lot of paper slips with questions and dares written on them beforehand.

When it was XiaoYu’s turn, he chose truth. On the paper slip he drew, the question was if the one you loved broke up with you, what would you do?

When XiaoYu read it, he was slightly taken back. He had never imagined what would happen if QiYao broke up with him, or how. Thus, after a solemn few moments when he pondered the question, he began to describe the image above.

However, the more XiaoYu talked, the more vivid the scene became. Everyone was slowly drawn it. It was as if they were personally witnessing it with their own eyes.

Until QiYao finally couldn’t hold back anymore and spoke up to cut the fantasy short.

“Who wrote this question?” QiYao asked.

Everyone looked up at the ceiling. As if they would admit it. The one who made the missus so “sad” would be beaten to a pulp by Chief if they were known.

“Right. Everyone, back to your duties. Don’t forget we still have a battle to wage tomorrow,” Poor_Man said, dismissing everyone from the room while leaving himself. If they didn’t do so, Chief would start kicking everyone out. Sooner or later, they would be chased out.

And so the crowd left in a manner akin to prey scurrying away from a predator. The only ones left in the room were QiYao and XiaoYu.

“There’s no need to even imagine that kind of situation. It will never happen,” QiYao said, pulling XiaoYu into a domineering embrace.

“Hehe. It’s just a game,” XiaoYu replied.

“But your description was too realistic.”

“Mn…I didn’t think that would happen.” The more XiaoYu described, the more he seemed to be immersed into the scenario. When he snapped back from his imagination, his heart was still aching.

“So forget it. Don’t ever think of it again.”

“Yes, I’ll do my best.” It’s not like he could forget about it just by saying it. The mind has no delete button.

“I’ll work hard with you,” QiYao said, leaning down and trapping XiaoYu beneath him. The best way to make someone forget about something was to make them so exhausted that they had no more strength to think about it.

“Huh? Mmh…” By the time the little white bunny sensed the big black wolf’s ploy, all he could do was moan and groan.

Translator’s Note:

Parents: In the text I found (as the original story has been removed from jjwxc due to censorship updates the author wasn’t around to rectify), it says stepparents. However, that might be a typo as it hadn’t and wouldn’t be mentioned again.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

Extra 02. House Visit

One day not long after the Hei and Bai couple got married in-game, a peculiar idea struck the final boss.

“Hey, Yao, you’re free in the next few days, right?” Hei QiXuan asked QiYao in a private message in-game.

“…do you need something?” QiYao’s brother would only ask because he thought of some rotten idea. QiYao’s guard was up now. He didn’t bother giving a proper answer.

“I meant to say, it seems to have been a long time since I visited your home. I’ll come take a look tomorrow.”

“…why?”

“You know. Hehe.” Of course QiXuan would be going to see his brother-in-law in real life. QiYao had skipped straight to informing him they were living together already just yesterday.

“…” QiYao certainly did know why his brother was coming. However, there seemed to be no way he could be stopped from coming. What a headache.

Thus, after that night’s “harmonious” exercise, QiYao held XiaoYu, who was already somewhat blanking out from exhaustion, close and told him about QiXuan’s upcoming visit.

“Do I need to do anything?” XiaoYu’s mind instantly woke up at that news.

“No. We just need to log off earlier tomorrow and clean up the place.”

“Oh.” Once he had his answer, XiaoYu’s head drooped and he fell asleep.

Staring down at his lover whose breathing had deepened and slowed down the moment their conversation was done, QiYao couldn’t help but sigh a little inside. Thank goodness they were in-game. They didn’t have to worry about XiaoYu getting injured no matter how hard they went at it. They also didn’t have to worry XiaoYu’s back would hurt so badly in the morning after that he couldn’t get out of the bed. In the future, this feeble body would suffer quite a lot. He had to get XiaoYu to exercise offline more. This was for the sake of their future sexual life.

As if he could sense QiYao’s ungentlemanly thoughts, the sleeping XiaoYu uneasily twisted and shifted. He only calmed down after a few soft pats from QiYao.

The next morning, the two woke up early and, at QiYao’s suggestion, XiaoYu went to the second floor and used the exercise equipment there to stretch out his body that hadn’t gone offline for a very long time. It was a blessing that XiaoYu wasn’t a fervent admirer of Maoism. Some would complain and rant about how extravagant rich people’s homes were, but XiaoYu was merely interested in the things he’d only ever seen before through a TV screen. He had noticed them during the tour when he first moved in here, but he was too shy to mention his interest in the exercise equipment back then. Later on, he was in AO so much that he forgot about them.

QiYao was very satisfied to see XiaoYu excitedly trying out all of the different equipment in the house. If the other grew some more muscles, some more flesh, he might be even more comfortable to hug.

After briefly guiding his lover on the proper ways to use every equipment available and reminding the other not to overexert himself, QiYao went downstairs for a cup of coffee. He then settled down in the living room to languidly savour the winter sunshine while skimming the news for interesting headlines.

Clack. Bang. The sounds came from the front door. QiYao swiftly recalled his brother had the key to this place. He glanced up at the clock hanging on the wall. QiXuan was rather early today.

“Hey, Yao. It’s so rare to see you up this early.” QiXuan was a little surprised and a little disappointed to find his younger brother fully dressed in the living room.

“Morning, brother,” QiYao greeted back, ignoring QiXuan’s teasing.

“I was so hoping I would be early enough to walk into a salacious sight. What a pity.”

“So very sorry for disappointing you.” Counter-attack time. QiYao seriously considered whether it was time to change the locks to his home.

“Where’s XiaoYu? You didn’t go overboard in tiring him out last night, did you?”

“Yao, I’m done playing with them,” XiaoYu’s voice rang out from the stairwell before QiYao could respond. The younger man’s feet lightly and quickly tapped down the stairs. It was clear XiaoYu loved his time with the exercise equipment. He was so giddy from his session that he’d used the word “play”.

“Hm?” Only then did XiaoYu notice there was another person in the house and stared blankly at the other.

“Hehe. Spacing out while staring at me again, XiaoYu?” Today didn’t start out well for QiXuan, so he decided to switch targets.

“Ah, it’s Brother.” The way the other talked was so familiar that XiaoYu immediately realised who the other was just from that. Now that he had something to compare their in-game avatars with, it was clear the two brothers had significantly lowered their looks in-game. In reality, the aura emitting for QiXuan was much more mature and was more like the future version of QiYao than his in-game avatar did.

“Ah, I didn’t know my charms were that powerful. It’s mesmerised XiaoYu over and over again,” QiXuan mused while stroking his chin.

“’No. You just look a lot like Yao.” XiaoYu was a very honest kid.

“…Nonsense. We’re brothers by blood. And it’s he who looks like me, not the other way around.” Slightly defeated, QiXuan started suspecting if QiYao liked XiaoYu just because QiXuan couldn’t beat XiaoYu in a verbal fight.

“You look quite energetic, XiaoYu. Haven’t done any special exercises?” QiXuan shot an evil glance at QiYao. These two were in their honeymoon period. There was no way QiYao would resist thoroughly loving XiaoYu.

“I did. I went jogging,” XiaoYu said.

“…” Someone save him. There’s a communication barrier between QiXuan and natural ditzes.

“Did you sweat, XiaoYu? Go take a shower first,” QiYao spoke up, sensing it was time for him to separate the two. He knew that XiaoYu’s ditzy nature would only win the battle and not the war. The other was definitely not a match for his brother’s wits once they’ve interacted for long enough.

“Oh. I’ll go make some tea for Brother first. What would you like?” XiaoYu asked.

“Coffee. Thanks.” QiXuan then sat down opposite QiYao and the two brothers stared at each other.

Once XiaoYu finished making some coffee and tapped his way back upstairs for a shower, QiXuan shifted his gaze from the staircase back to QiYao.

“I didn’t think he’d look exactly like his avatar. It can’t be he didn’t tweak his appearance at all, right?” QiXuan asked.

“He really didn’t.”

“Very good. That’s strong of him. He looks like he should still be studying in university. Where does he study in?”

“…He was meant to study in University C.”

“That’s not a bad university, but why ‘meant to’?”

“He quit.”

“Why?”

“…Family business.”

“That serious?”

“Yes…do you remember the car crash from before, the one caused by a software malfunction in an SG car?”

“Of course. A few of our products which we’ve produced in collaboration with SG were also affected…he was involved in it?” QiXuan’s acute instincts knew there was no way QiYao would mention an incident from long ago for no reason.

“Yes. XiaoYu was a secondary victim.”

“I remember it was a married couple who were killed. Could it be…?”

QiYao didn’t speak. All he did was solemnly nod.

“I see. Does XiaoYu have any plans now to return to studying?”

“Not at the moment.”

“Why?”

“He can’t leave the house alone currently. His PTSD has manifested as an intense phobia of cars.”

“That’s a rather tricky situation. Any method to overcome it?” Even someone who had as many tricks up his sleeves as QiXuan didn’t know of any proper way of dealing with psychological issues.

“XiaoYu and I are working hard at it, but we need more time.”

“If you need any help, call me.”

“Mn.”

“Who knew that kid would’ve been through so much? He is such a strong and resilient young man.” Especially since XiaoYu’s ditzy and naive nature was left intact.

“Mn.”

“Say, could it really be you haven’t done it yet in real life?” It was time for the depressing topic to be changed to something else.

“Erm…”

“Hahaha!” What an honest little brother QiXuan had. He really raised him well.

When XiaoYu was done with his shower and was back downstairs again, he was greeted with the sight of QiXuan grinning brightly as QiYao’s face was darkened by a cloudy gloom.

“Why didn’t you dry your hair first?” QiYao stood up and pulled the bemused XiaoYu down beside him. He then took the towel still hanging over XiaoYu’s shoulders to dry out the other’s hair. The younger man reflexively tilted his head down, his eyes squinting, as he let QiYao did as he pleased.

Heh. He really acted like a cat, QiXuan internally griped as he had to watch the two lovebirds show off.

“Ah,” XiaoYu piped up. “I just remembered we don’t have a lot of food left in the fridge.” XiaoYu only recalled their dwindling supplies in the fridge halfway through his shower. The thought had passed through his mind last night, but he forgot about it when he woke up this morning.

“We’ll order some more later then,” QiYao said.

“What do you like to eat, Brother?”

“Hm? XiaoYu, you know how to cook?” QiXuan was surprised.

“Yes, a little.”

“Then I want duck breast with romaine lettuce, nuts and cheese, and pan-fried fish fillet with yellow pepper sauce, and smoked turkey salad with a Japanese dressing. For dessert, I’ll have chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream. You can cook what you like for the rest.”

“…I don’t know how to cook those,” XiaoYu said, innocently looking up at QiYao in a bid for help. He couldn’t even remember a single dish QiXuan had just named.

“Ignore him. Just cook what you want.” QiYao shot a glare at QiXuan that said if he really wanted to eat all that, then he could cook himself.

“I’m actually not picky. Anything’s fine,” QiXuan said with a shrug. He knew this wasn’t the place and time for it. After all, the chef was the one in charge. When he made the decision to visit, he didn’t realise he would be getting a free home-cooked meal too. This brat must’ve been having the time of his life here.

“I’ll go order the food then.” XiaoYu shook his head. His hair was nearly dry now from QiYao’s vigorous towelling.

“Go on.” XiaoYu’s hair might look like a rat’s nest now, but QiYao was very proud of his work.

Lunch pleasantly passed by. While XiaoYu wasn’t as skilled as a professional chef from a restaurant, he did his best and the other two men could feel the warmth coming from that effort.

After lunch, the three sat together and discussed the game. While they talked about anything and everything, as soon as the topic turned to anything regarding money, XiaoYu’s eyes lit up and his mind was visibly flipping through calculations as fast as a bandit scoping out a potential rich target. At that, QiXuan’s eyes turned to bore into him.

“XiaoYu, are you interested in financial management?” QiXuan asked.

“Hm?”

“I can recommend you some related books and professionals. The question is whether you’re interested.”

“Mn. I’m interested in it.” XiaoYu had thought about self-learning before but, since he had no experience in society, he didn’t know where to start from. With QiXuan’s help, perhaps he can try it out.

“I think Yao has a few books too. You can try reading those first. Then, I’ll recommend a professional to you. You can also ask her any questions you have in-game too.” That’s the boss of the financing department backing the Heretic Demons. Most people can’t even ask her for help.

“Okay. Thank you, Brother.”

“Thanks for what? Yao’s finances will be yours to manage in the future. I won’t have to worry anymore about him wasting his finances.”

“Hehe,” XiaoYu chuckled.

“…” No matter how much of his money he wasted, QiYao’s savings were enough for him and XiaoYu to live the rest of their lives off of. QiYao really wanted to voice his complaints, but what QiXuan said did just give XiaoYu a goal to work towards. At least his XiaoYu wouldn’t look so down every time anyone talked about work or studying now.

After rummaging through the study, QiXuan did find a few books suitable for XiaoYu to learn from by himself. Under the two elites’ guidance, some of the difficult terminology and their complex definitions were thoroughly explained. Combined with even more tutoring focusing on the practical aspects, XiaoYu finally had some sort of starting knowledge in terms of financial management. Of course, it’d be up to him to improve on that knowledge. It’s impossible for him to understand all aspects of the subject in just one day.

Finally, they were able to send off the great parent after dinner. The couple cleaned up and retired upstairs. When QiYao exited the bathroom, XiaoYu was still reading while lying on his stomach with his head propped up on hands and his feet leisurely swinging up and down, smacking the bed.

“Take a break. You’ve been reading since this afternoon,” QiYao said, plucking the book away. He set it down and pulled XiaoYu into his embrace. XiaoYu had showered before he did and there was a pleasant, refreshing scent coming off the other man. He smelled so nice.

“I want to be able to help you.” XiaoYu now had an aim, a goal to focus his efforts in. QiYao was also the motivation behind his efforts. He really wanted to read more, learn more, so he could help QiYao out as early as he could.

“I know, but you can’t not sleep.”

“Okay.”

“It seems like you’re not tired. Then let’s have some exercise before we sleep, just like in the game,” QiYao said, his hands gently caressing the other’s back.

“…>/////<” Ever since their marriage, the harmonious activity only done between husbands was added to their bedtime routine. It was only restricted to within AO though. They had yet to try it out in reality.

“Can we?” QiYao continued pushing, not giving XiaoYu the chance to hide from embarrassment.

“…Don’t ask me. >////<” Even if they had done it multiple times in the game, XiaoYu wasn’t bold enough to talk about it so honestly.

“I’ll take it as a yes then.” He turned and flipped XiaoYu until the other was below him. Looking down at the face gradually turning into a tomato, QiYao knew that if he teased him anymore, this cat’s fur would frizzle and stand on end.

“…” XiaoYu didn’t say anything. He could deny it or confirm it. His mind was just blank.

“XiaoYu, I love you,” QiYao softly said into XiaoYu’s ear before kissing the other.

“…” Shameless. The only thing XiaoYu could think of was that one word while he was being kissed out of his mind. That sentence just made him surrender completely and let QiYao do as he wished.

But…

XiaoYu very quickly came to regret it. Doing it in real life feels completely different to doing it in-game!

“Mngh. Aaah…Yao, slow down…mmh…aahn…” XiaoYu who had never begged for mercy before but he finally couldn’t hold back.

Unfortunately, his mouth would be covered by another kiss. This silly little fool. Didn’t he know begging during this time was actually akin to teasing him and egging him on? QiYao was already being very considerate and restraining how fast and hard he went because it was XiaoYu’s first time.

That’s what QiYao thought, but no man could completely restrain himself during such moments. Not unless he was a saint.

So they did it once in bed and when QiYao carried XiaoYu into the bathroom to clean him up, they did it again in the huge, comfortable jacuzzi tub.

The result of doing it again led to XiaoYu throwing a tantrum the next morning.

No matter what QiYao said or did, his head remained buried under his pillow. He didn’t dare expose a single inch of his ace.

Sniff…his waist felt like it was broken. The game lied!

Translator’s Notes:

1. Fervent admirer of Maoism: The actual term used here is Fenqing (愤青) which literally means “angry youth”. These “fenqing” were a kind of neoconservatives (in the Western sense and not the actual Chinese neoconservatives) who are extremely patriotic and are very into Mao Zedong’s actions. More specifically, they were fans of how he drastically redistributed wealth through condemning the educated and the rich via shutting out the outside world, focusing mostly on military might and forcing the young city folk to move to rural villages for “some” time (aka some were apparently there for decades) and making the unprepared youths to be “re-educated” via forced labour in poor conditions away from their families and friends.
2. TV screen: An electronic screen would be what the author intended. XiaoYu is from the future with fully automated cars.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

Extra 01. The Confessions of an Assassin

I am KillerA. That’s my username.

My goal entering this game was simple. Train hard and earn money through assassination.

At first, I didn’t like showing my name. After all, having a grey name on the field so very problematic. It took 10 minutes just to re-hide one’s name. Once I killed anyone, my name would turn yellow, red, then black. Even if I hid my name, the spot where my name should’ve been would glow in the same colour as my nametag to remind surrounding players I was a murderer.

Using my excellent mind, I instantly knew how I could silently kill other people with the Assassin’s special Cloaking skill. (For more details on the skill, see Chapter 48.)

It was obvious the players of this game had yet to realise how evil this skill could be. Thus, many of them would be swarmed by a horde of monsters and given a free ride back to the city while still confused as to what was going on. My mission is to de-Cloak and pick up the items dropped by the victim when the monsters are too busy to notice me.

It’s a tried-and-tested method to assassinate others without exposing my name or actual face. While I’d be betting on the small chance for items to drop at death, but it proved to be a rather fruitful harvest after a few more tries.

Unfortunately, it was used too many times. Some of my fellow assassins started noticing and imitating it. More and more discussion forums popped up on the forums. For some time, the reputation of the Assassin job was very low. The moment an assassin was spotted, all players would skirt far away from them. Some of the foolish copycats didn’t even know to hide their faces. In the end, their victims took pictures of their faces and their names were eventually found and added to a blacklist. As soon as anyone on that list appeared out on the field, they’d be surrounded by a mob of players.

Naturally, with my careful nature, I wouldn’t be found out. However, this method can’t work now. Since I can’t assassinate people in secret, I’ll do it out in the open.

I started targeting players who had rather nice equipment but played badly. I’d pretend to be passing by behind them, then I’d nonchalantly ambush them from behind. With my special buff, a critical hit was enough to take off over half of their HP.

Then, my name would be exposed to the other players. Thankfully, the Assassin’s outfit also came with a face mask. In my efforts in being the best nobody I could be, I had tweaked my appearance to be as average as possible. My gears were all selected according to what most people wear. Beneath that facade though, every gear I had was refined and slotted with the best cards possible for additional attack damage. Overall, once I’m buried among the crowds of the city, no one can find me.

Time passed and the benefits of having exposed my name started showing up. Players started messaging me, asking me to help them murder other players.

Of course, to ensure the requests were true, I’d be paid before I did the deed. I encountered some difficulties at first. Several of my deals came to nothing. But soon, my reputation grew and someone would always be ready to send some business my way.

In spite of all that, I must’ve forgotten to check my horoscope this morning before I left my room. It’s a day bad for assassination. That’s not to say I didn’t succeed in my mission. My success rate is very high unless I forgot to scope my target out properly and stumble upon a secretly great player. After killing another player, my name would be exposed for 10 minutes. It was a bad time to be going back to the city so I thought to just bunker down during that time. To my surprise, I bumped into someone.

“So you’re KillerA,” spoke the male healer. He looked about the same level as I was and had roughly the same gears.

“…” My one rule is that I would never kill healers unless they are overly arrogant. I’m not afraid of the Healers Alliance. They’re just too weak. It would be too boring.

I turned around, thinking to leave, but then he kept bothering me.

“You’re a professional assassin, right? Are you interested in joining a guild?”

“…” He was really stubborn, but it wasn’t over the line. I had no need to argue so much with weaklings.

“I want to start a guild for assassins. Come help me,” he said.

“…!” Was something wrong with him? A person in the weakest Job in the game actually wanted to start up a guild for assassins. It’d be more likely to turn into a guild for being killed instead.

“Don’t believe me? How about this? If I can defeat you, you’ll help me. Okay?” he pushed.

“Do you want to die?” I shot back. Was this a joke? Even with Holy Light, the chant time was long enough for me to keep interrupting him. If he wanted to defeat me, he’d have to start over in another Job.

“I’m only asking for you to help me. Well? Want to bet on it?”

“Fine. Come.” Let’s see what he had to offer.

“Can you not move? I’ll punch you once. No magic.”

“…okay.” Without magic? Is he mad? With how weak healers were, I didn’t care.

“Wait. Let me get ready. Heh! Heerh!”

“…” I watched as he lowered himself into the horse stance, his palms pushing out against the air before him. Suddenly, I had an urge to get far away from him. Just what was wrong with me? Why was I fooling around with some delusional healer?

“I’m coming! Haarh!”

…

What the frick! Why am I flat out on the floor?

“As I expected, I defeated you. It was a bet. Join my guild,” the man said.

The dead can’t move or speak. All they can do was wait for a living player to save them or just return back to the city. But I can’t die without knowing what happened! I stared right at him. If I could move, I would’ve grabbed him by the collar, shook him and roared at him. What kind of healer are you?

“You even dropped some equipment. Let me see. This pair of boots is rather average. Who knew you’d actually they’d have such a high refinement? You even have two cards slotted in them.” As I had just killed a player, my luck hit rock bottom and it was very easy to drop any items at death. He picked up the boots I dropped and turned them around in his hands. He even criticised them.

Unfortunately, all I could do was just grit my teeth in anger.

“Join my guild. Oh, right. You can’t move now.” The healer then stuffed an Yggdrasil Leaf into my mouth.

Yggdrasil Leaf: It can revive fallen players and restore half of their HP and MP.

I dragged myself up from the floor and downed some potions to bring my HP and MP back to full.

“What kind of healer are you?” I shouted. I brought the fantasy I had just now into reality.

“If you join my guild, I’ll tell you,” the healer said, giving me the typical tiny grin that exposed eight pearly teeth.

“…” My fists itched to punch that smile off his face. But I had been the one underestimating his strength. Now, I didn’t dare to act rashly.

“Ah, right. Here are your boots.”

“…!” Perhaps he wasn’t as bad as I thought. What kind of player would return a killer’s dropped gear after they died?

“Ding. Player aStrangeFlower invited you to join the guild, Assassin Gods. Would you like to accept?” A system notification tab popped up before my eyes. I resisted the strong impulse to gripe about the names, but after some reconsideration, I decided to accept it. I had to uphold my reputation.

“Great. I’ve found my first guild member. I’ve got motivation to work now.”

I opened up the Guild tab and saw there I was really the only one in the guild other than the weird Guild Leader. Was it too late to quit?

“So just what kind of healer are you?” I barked at him. Even if he dumped his points in Strength, he can’t be so powerful as to kill me with his bare hands.

“Oh, I’m one of the hidden Jobs – a Monk. I specialise in Strength.” Healers should at least put some of their points in Intelligence, but this person just loved going against the common meta. All of his stat points went into his Strength and at the Second Job Change, he triggered a hidden Job’s quest.

“Crap…!” There was actually another person with a hidden Job after the Paladin and this person was him! Why wasn’t there a server-wide announcement?

***

I didn’t actually lose anything by joining the guild. At least I found another use for aStrangeFlower – he had a very widespread information network.

I just needed to mention my next target’s name and within a few hours, he could tell me where the other was. At one point, I had suspected he was a GM, but he just chuckled and kept silent.

Later on, a few more assassins joined the guild. It was only when I asked them did I realise all of them were lured in with the same lie. Slowly, the guild grew and we could accept slightly larger deals, like killing someone back until they were Level 1.

Of course, that was the most severe punishment available in the game. Strang would also lightly interrogate and repeatedly confirm it with the client before accepting the mission. Naturally, it paid the most.

Today, Strange accepted another mission to kill someone back to Level 1 again. To my surprise, it came from the Heretic Demons. I wonder which unlucky player made an enemy of them.

When Strange briefed us about the whole situation, quite a lot of the assassins were shocked. This target was trash. He actually used Taunt to torment a low-levelled healer for hours. Even if the healer did something wrong, the target shouldn’t have used that skill to get back at the other. Was he even a man? Oh, wait. I’ve already called him trash.

I really don’t know where Strange got his information from. He knew every single move of that trash. He could accurately predict from which city the target left, which gate he used and the exact minute he did so. This dramatically sped up our plans. Even if this trash was killed so many times that he was terrified enough to teleport to other cities, we could quickly follow suit.

“Why do you guys even want to kill me?” The trash finally burst out after having been killed for n-times and was about to be killed for the n+1th time.

“Properly think about what you did,” Strange said, walking out from behind a great tree. He cracked his joints while the rest of us simultaneously retreated.

“I didn’t do anything! Who sent you? I’ll pay you double. Go kill them for me!”

“Apologies. We have a reputation to uphold.”

“What kind of crappy reputation? Just how much were you paid? Tell me. I can afford it!”

“I wouldn’t dare to accept money from trash. Come, Xiao-A, grab him. I despise Agility-based players.” I had fought against that nickname for a long time but I eventually gave up.

“What are you doing?”

“Punching you.” Strange huffed out a breath at his fist and got into his stance. “Don’t worry. I’m not like you. I’ll definitely make it quick.”

Yes…the birth of another player dying in confusion. While I was the first sacrifice, the last was not in sight yet.

To be honest, I had been pondering for a long time about why Strange’s information could act so fast. Until, one day, I finally knew why. He was very close to NPCs. Every time a player talked to an NPC, they would get a little bit closer to them. Different NPCs had different amount of Friendliness a player could collect. However, most players would never reach the level Strange was at. That’s because every time he went anywhere, he would talk to every single NPC at the place three times or more. Thus, the NPCs were all happy to chat with him and they would tell him what time a certain player we were looking for would be passing by them. Of course, the NPCs were professional enough not to disclose certain private information about our targets. They would only tell him when they had passed by them. As for how Strange extrapolated the target’s possible location from there, I think even I could’ve done that. After all, there was a level limit to most areas.

My butt hurt for days just so I could unveil this secret. Ugh.

Oh, right. The leader of the Heretic Demons got married recently. His significant other was really the healer in that video on the forums. I wonder if the Heretic Demons were interested in purchasing a package for that idiotic and irrational wizard in the video. Since they’re an old client, Strange might even give them a discount.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

89. Afterword

Author:

First, let me laugh out loud as I’m finished! Hahaha!

Thank you, everyone, for your years of dedication. I know I wrote very slowly.

Because I never planned out the things I do, the story progressed very haphazardly according to what I felt like. I did mention before this story had no draft. I myself didn’t even know what to write about later in the story or how I’d end it.

Every time a hiatus happened, it was because I’d reached a writer’s block. Plus a lot had happened in real life, so I’d put it down for a while to freshen up my mind.

Every year I write, my mind was in a different place. I can’t say I matured or grew. It sort of feels like I was being bipolar instead. As such, there were plenty of newbie mistakes, cringe and idiocy rolled into the story. Dear readers who can completely accept it, I can only say you’re way too kind. Your generosity makes me cry.

However, because this is the first long story I’d ever written, I wanted to complete it. Even if the story ends up dragging its feet into a long, stinking plot, I still had to finish it.

Some people might think there’s a lot of things yet to be tied up. Did XiaoYu overcome his mental issues? Could his real life be as perfect as his in-game life? After such a high-profile wedding, did anyone cause trouble for the couple?…

To be honest, an important reason why I wanted to end it is because the main plotline was so tiring to write out chronologically. The level gap between XiaoYu and the rest is just too big. While I have a few extra snippets in my mind, I don’t know where to fit them in. Thus, I want to end the story first. All that’s left would be adding in the extra stories as inspiration hits.

Of course, don’t expect too much from how often those will be updated. You know, yeah?

I might make a few small edits later on as I’ve realised quite a lot of my words got eaten up by the censorship crab. So you don’t need to reread it. The story won’t change all that much.

Lastly, the game this story is set in was inspired by Ragnarok Online. It encompasses all of my past experiences with the game. It’s really all jumbled up. Dear RO fans, please be gentle while smacking me for the mess.

That’s all. Thank you for reading to the end. Bow. Bury self deep.

Translator:

Thank you all for reading! The story’s not perfect and the translation definitely had room to improve, but it was amazing to be able share an old favourite with the English novel readers.

Also, thank you all for the comments! I do read every single one of the comments and I greatly enjoy how much everyone loved the light imperfect fluff piece this is. And I love how you guys catch onto my mistakes that quickly.

Also also, thanks for all the donations. It’s a little embarrassing to put it out so publicly, but I can’t just ignore how all of you have helped me keep going through caffeine and the cute messages you guys send over!

Lastly, criticism time! Send in all your gripes with the story and the translation. I know I probably messed up a few RO facts. I did only play for 1 month via the free trial as a kid. There were probably a few phrases that could’ve been translated differently. The story is very much a mindless fluff piece most of the time. It didn’t represent trauma properly (but if I go anymore, I’ll end up ranting about Hong Kong and Singaporean drama shows I’m subjected to because my relatives watch them while we eat).

There’re 7 extra side stories coming up within the next weeks, including the tiny cat’s origin story (ish). So stay tuned! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧

◄Previous •Index• Next►

88. The End

The Guild Leader’s getting married!

In the middle of complaining and griping about the ugly bosses they’d faced last night and how insane their attacks were, the Heretic Demons guild members heard the news and exploded! What? Are we sure today is Christmas and not April Fool’s?

While everyone was busy confirming if the news was true, the couple in question were already back shopping in Prole.

AO’s wedding ceremonies weren’t complicated and same-sex marriages were allowed. The couple just needed to have two sets of formal wear and a pair of rings ready, make an appointment with one of the churches built in every single city, and pay. By the way, one needed to pay for divorces too. However, it can be done as long as one party paid. Both parties’ wedding outfits and rings would be destroyed.

There were many kinds of wedding outfits available for sale, especially for brides. There were enough wedding dresses to make one’s eyes swirl in confusion. But that wasn’t QiYao’s and XiaoYu’s concern. They just needed to pick out two sets of outfits from the groom’s section. In the end, they selected their wedding suits according to their surnames. Hei QiYao went with an all-black suit while Bai XiaoYu picked out an all-white outfit. Standing side-by-side before the mirror as they tried on their new outfits, the two burst out in chuckles. They were certainly buying fully into the matching black and white theme.

There were plenty of rings to choose from too. They were the most important of the vital parts of a wedding. Being able to experience doing this and that wasn’t the only benefit to being married in-game. The couple would also gain two new skills to be used only between themselves. These came with the rings, “I Love You” and “I Miss You”.

I Love You: Consumes half of the caster’s total MP to randomly replenish the partner’s HP or MP back to full. (Must have sufficient MP)

I Miss You: Consumes all of the caster’s total MP to summon the partner to the caster. (Must have sufficient MP)

Of course, these skills can’t be used over and over again without any limits. According to the price of the rings, chant times and daily cast limits vary. Even the most expensive rings would have some restrictions.

What kind of rings did QiYao and XiaoYu choose then? The most expensive type, without a single doubt. The game developers were quite evil. The more generous and elegant the design of the ring was, the more expensive. Thus, naturally, any designs that QiYao preferred would come from the most expensive shelf. The sight of those prices nearly made XiaoYu puke blood in shock. How many of him (as in all of his worldly possessions) must they sell off just to have enough for those rings?

“I don’t have that much money,” muttered the poor frustrated newbie. His wedding outfit had used up a rather sizeable chunk of his savings.

“I do,” shimmered the golden black-haired man. He wasn’t able to show off when they were purchasing their wedding outfits. Now, he was finally of use.

“But…”

“You can gradually pay me back afterwards.” Another constant source of headache for QiYao was how stubborn XiaoYu could be. Thankfully after the wedding ceremony, he could push back saying it would be their shared property.  “This is our only chance in the game, XiaoYu. I want the best for you.”

“…okay.” XiaoYu couldn’t help wondering just why he could never win any debate with QiYao. Was this what they meant by one would always be vanquished by another? If that’s so, who should he vanquish? (Your brother-in-law, d’uh ╮(╯▽╰)╭)

Once they were done paying for their rings, it was time for their appointment at the cathedral. The biggest, most grand cathedral in the entire game was Prole’s Cathedral. It also had the most terrifying price among them all. Still, many players were still willing to part with their hard-earned gold for the chance to get married in Prole. That was because a citywide announcement was part of the wedding ceremony. Announcements like “Congratulations to the happy couple, XX and YY. Everyone is invited to come to the Cathedral and get your prosperous red packet” would be seen floating mid-air in the city the wedding was being held in until the ceremony was finished.

People would pay thousands of gold just for the chance to be in the spotlight. If a couple didn’t want others to know, they can get married in a little city somewhere else. For QiYao, however, it wasn’t that he wanted everyone to know of his marriage. Everyone knew how the rich were. They’re used to selecting the luxurious option. If one chased QiYao out of Prole and to a rundown little church in a minor town for his wedding, he would draw his sword on them.

Wedding ceremonies could not be held on the same day of walking in to make an appointment. The priests were the conservative type. They would insist the young couple be given a day to reconsider. That meant the earliest the ceremony could be held would be on the second day of talking to the priests. If another couple just so happened to have booked the cathedral on that specific time slot, their ceremony would take precedence and the newer couple’s ceremony would have to wait.

When making the appointment, both parties must have their outfit and ring in their inventories. Only then would the quest to get married be triggered. Otherwise, the nun would just chat with you. Making an appointment was simple. Trigger the quest to get married and fill in both parties’ usernames. Both players must fill in the same names. After the nun verified the applications, players would be shown a calendar with available appointment slots. All that’s left was for the couple to select their desired time slot and pay the fee.

The couple getting married and their guests would have half an hour prior to the appointment to arrive at the cathedral. After the ceremony, they would have another half-hour to clear the venue.

After a bit of discussion, QiYao and XiaoYu agreed to have the ceremony on the very last day of the year. It meant that they’ll be welcoming the new year with a new beginning.

When the two men stepped out of the cathedral, they found a few of their close acquaintances from the main Heretic Demons guild waiting for them. It was clear they’d heard their Chief was getting married and were here to take a look. The source of the news must’ve been Poor_Man as QiYao had messaged the man about it last night. QiYao had asked him to prepare some door gifts and red packets. Even Poor_Man, QiYao’s very best friend, was shocked at how fast their Chief acted. How could he not share it with the others? It was much healthier for everyone to be shocked together.

“Chief, you’re really going to get married?” someone asked.

“Yes,” QiYao replied.

“Can we come watch and grab some red packets?”

“Of course. You’re all invited.” QiYao didn’t mind how many people attended their wedding. The entire guild would know about it anyway.

“That’s great. Even if I have work on that day, I will postpone everything. Congratulations, Chief. And our future Madame Guild Master~”

“>////<” XiaoYu really did find that nickname to be quite embarrassing.

“I’ll announce it to the guild later.” QiYao then dragged XiaoYu off with a wave at the group. It was an obvious signal he wanted to be alone with his lover and no one else may disturb them. All because no one but he may tease his lover.

“Farewell, Chief. Farewell~” the group happily bowed and chimed. It was so nice to have a party.

In the few days between then and the actual wedding ceremony, every guild member of the Heretic Demons would find a mass notice from their guild leaders notifying them their great Guild Leader would be getting married in Prole’s Cathedral on the 31st at 8 in the evening. As a grand celebration happening so soon after the real-life gathering was held, everyone was looking forward to it. They began looking at their calendars to see if they could attend the wedding. Those that couldn’t all started bashing their heads against the walls right next to them.

During this period, XiaoYu received countless congratulatory messages. His inbox was stuffed to the brim. Everyone only sent them out of the kindness of their hearts. He didn’t want to turn off private messaging. Everyone say a couple about to be married would get cold feet right before the wedding, the pre-wedding jitters, but XiaoYu felt fine. He trained and opened up chests as he usually did. The only difference now was when QiYao went to work, XiaoYu would log off too to send him off. Something in XiaoYu felt an indescribably worry at the way he acted. After QiYao guffawed and embraced him, asking if he was rehearsing for how their future would be, the tiny shred of worry vanished into steam rising from his tomato-red face.

The wedding day everyone had been eagerly anticipating was finally here. It wasn’t time for the Heretic Demons to arrive at the cathedral, but the streets surrounding it were packed with players. The Heretic Demons weren’t waiting alone. Others who had heard the rumours also came to watch. This was the wedding of a very famous player after all. Most were actually there to see if the significant other was the little healer that they’d been gossiping about online. Unfortunately for them, they’d have to wait. The grooms had arrived way ahead of them and were currently waiting inside the cathedral.

Despite the event guests being limited to only the Heretic Demons members and the couple’s best friends outside of the guild, the so-called largest cathedral in the entire game was under immense pressure. There wasn’t enough space for everyone.

The NPC priest somehow even knew this would be the greatest crowd he would ever address in a wedding ceremony. He tried clearing his throat a few times to get everyone to quiet down, but it did nothing. What a headache. The moment QiYao and XiaoYu entered the hall though, one could hear a pin drop in the cathedral.

Because there was no need for the bride to be walked down the aisle to the groom, the entire aisle scene was skipped and QiYao just led XiaoYu straight before the priest. They were wearing the same style of tuxedos but of two different colours. The contrasting pair made them stand out amongst the crowd. Ah, and don’t forget about the lively tiny black cat following behind them. It also dressed up for today’s special occasion. A white lace veil laid demurely on its head. This was a pet headpiece they’d specifically ordered from an NPC for the wedding.

The priest had officiated plenty of weddings but the couple before him radiated such a peaceful aura that they looked like a perfect couple to him.

A happy smile filled his face as he began his sermon, “We are gathered here before god in this solemn moment to witness the beginning of a new couple…”

“…Lovers who look forward to the bright future, forever remember this moment, the beauty beside you. Remember the sincere love surrounding you. We pray that it will last until the end of the world.”

“Mr HereticKing, do you accept Mr LuckyCat to be your partner in the path ahead of you? Do you swear by your life to love him and to protect him as long as you may live?” Finally, after a long flowery speech praising the wonders of love, the priest approached the main segment of the ceremony.

“I do.”

“Mr LuckyCat, do you accept Mr HereticKing to be your partner in the path ahead of you? Do you swear by your life to love him and to protect him as long as you may live?”

“I do.”

“You may now exchange the rings and vows.”

They took out the rings and placed it on each other’s ring finger. The best thing about getting married in-game was that they didn’t have to bother about ring sizes. The rings would automatically resize themselves.

The vast hall was silent. Everyone was waiting for the kiss with bated breath. XiaoYu had never kissed QiYao before so many people before. By right, he should be so nervous that his ears were flushed red. But XiaoYu seemed to have forgotten about the hundreds of eyes staring at him due to the loving atmosphere the priest created via his speech. After he exchanged rings with QiYao, all he could see was the man standing before him and gently gazing down at him. It felt so natural for lips to meet lips, for bodies to meld perfectly together. Black and white entwined around each other and formed one of the most beautiful sights in the game for years to come.

***

On their wedding night, QiYao and XiaoYu didn’t return to the Lord Mayor’s suite. Newly wed couples have a free night in one of the couple suites in the game. Naturally, they chose the most expensive suite.

Even if the suite type was just a cheap hotel room, the lovebirds weren’t in the mood to admire the lavish decorations and striking night sky. After the ceremony ended, the couple, now husbands, can start experiencing the sexual side of the game. They could now take off each other’s gear and the underwear the game forcibly attached to them. They were also able to touch each other in the most intimate manner possible with no worry of being struck by lightning.

QiYao chose to have their first sexual experience in-game so XiaoYu could gradually adapt to being open to sexual encounters in reality. Never could he have imagined he would be nervous on the day. Perhaps his wish to give XiaoYu the most perfect first sexual experience ever was just too strong.

However, the most nervous person in the room would be XiaoYu who was currently spread out under QiYao on the bed. He had no knowledge of any sexual experiences. Fear rose in him at facing the unknown. Saliva kept pooling in his mouth. He kept swallowing them back down. His eyes were wide and stared straight into the eyes of his new husband.

“Don’t be nervous, XiaoYu. I’ll be very gentle.” A large hand cupped XiaoYu’s cheek in an attempt to calm him down.

“…mn.” He took a deep breath. Closed his eyes. XiaoYu knew this would happen one day. At least the other was QiYao. QiYao who loved him and whom he loved. No matter what difficulties faced them in the future, they would face them together.

QiYao leaned down and their lips melded together once more. The night was long. They would welcome the new year with a sweet and unforgettable celebration.

***

Far off at the corner of the gigantic bed laid a tiny black cat with its head tilted to the side. Its two owners were clinging onto each other. They seem to be unusually intimate today. Aah, they’re naked. Shame. Hurry up. Lie down and cover the eyes with the paws.

Although, the silly little cat forgot. Its eyes may be covered but its ears were not. They could still hear every tiny rustle and shift of the bedsheets. The one memory that would linger on strong in its mind was just how delightfully pleasant its small owner’s moans were (≧ω≦).

The End.

Translator’s Notes:

1. I love you/I miss you: Amplified versions of Romantic Rendezvous, Loving Touch and Undying Love skills from iRO.
2. Poor frustrated newbie vs golden black-haired man: Not only was this a pun on their surnames (Bai/Hei), but it’s also a reference to the holy black credit card, the ultimate symbol of wealth.

◄Previous •Index• Next►

87. Surprise

This was Isle of Romanz, also known as the Love Island.

It’s located in the middle of a giant hurricane. Thus, if a player wasn’t led to the island by an NPC familiar with the oceans, it’s impossible for them to get here. The process of riding through the frightening, but safe, thunderstorm was also playfully called Love’s Trial.

Did that mean someone could reach the Isle of Romanz by paying the NPC like QiYao did? It’s not that simple.

QiYao was busy bustling around before all so he could find this NPC. He had to go through a very long chain of quests just so he could get to the Isle of Romanz. First, the player needed to patiently listen to the man describe the long story of how he grew up in the Isle of Romanz, the thrilling battles he had when sailing across the seas after growing up, how he eventually found the mainland and settled in. It was a very boring and dry process. It had no worth even if one wrote a whole novel and made a movie out of it.

Afterwards, the player would receive a quest to deliver a love letter. They would be going back and forth delivering love letters between the man and his wife who lives in another city. Sometimes, the player would have to deal with the other having a disgusted expression and dawdle around before giving them to reply. It was only after a long time before the man would finally tell the player he hadn’t given his beloved wife any roses for years. He’d then request the player to grow a bouquet of rainbow roses with their own hands before giving them to his wife in his place.

This was the most troublesome aspect of the quest. The player would need to start planting roses at a predetermined spot. At the start, they would only be able to plant one rose bush in a tiny plot of land. It was only after levelling up the skill could someone plant more rose bushes at once in larger plots of lands. It was just like a certain vegetable-stealing game from years ago.

But this wasn’t the most frustrating part of the quest. The so-called rainbow roses meant seven roses of different colours. The seeds players could buy from the shop would only be named “rose seed”. The player would only know the rose’s colour after it bloomed. While the game has shortened the rose’s growth time to just four hours, but the unlucky players would get the same colours over and over again. This one request might require constant planting for days. A less patient player would’ve given up by now.

The quest was only over when the bouquet was delivered and the man’s wife, with an embarrassed face, asks the player to deliver a special pack of tobacco to the man in return. The man would then hand over a business card. The player would then be led to the Isle of Romanz with their lover by showing him the card and paying him. There was even a promotion for heading there multiple times. It would decrease by 30 Crystal Coins each time until it was set at the minimum of 10 Crystal Coins per trip.

There was one requirement for going to Isle of Romanz though. Every time the player went to the island, they had to be with the same lover. If the player tried to ask the man to lead them and another player to the island after the first time the player had been to the island, the man wouldn’t even bother acknowledging the player. This was why the NPC asked QiYao twice if he was sure. Once XiaoYu was acknowledged as his lover, QiYao would never be able to go to the Isle of Romanz with another person.

However, if XiaoYu were to complete this quest, he didn’t have to bring QiYao along to the island. The “lover” would only be set on the first ride and it didn’t go both ways. This was set in place so ignorant players wouldn’t be cheated out of the experience by players who had a one-sided crush on them. While it was quite unfair to players who had to go through the quest, it was still accepted as a tiny sacrifice to make for love.

XiaoYu was only told about the island’s story and uniqueness after they had landed. He was touched by how far the other would go when he finally learned of how troublesome the quest was.

The Isle of Romanz was a gorgeous island. Pink bubbles of various sizes could be seen filling the air everywhere. They wouldn’t pop even when poked. They’d just slide away in a cutesy, shy whoosh and slowly float away. Thus, the tiny cat began its great war against the bubbles.

The island wasn’t really primitive like its history suggested. After some renovation, an amusement park stood tall in the centre of the island. It didn’t have many thrilling rides. After all, the island was meant to be the ideal lovers’ hangout. If one was really looking for thrill rides in the game, there were cities with the proper parks on the mainland for that.

 Of course, the required attractions for increasing the bond between a couple, the haunted house, mirror maze, spinning cup ride, carousel etc. were all there. Naturally, there was the most necessary attraction representing a couple’s happiness, the Ferris wheel. The Isle of Romanz’s Ferris wheel was located right in the middle of the island. It was also the largest Ferris wheel in the game. It was said that when one was at the very top of the ride, one could view the island in its entirety. The sight was said to be too grand for words.

The other main attraction for the island was the couple’s suites scattered all over the place.

When the game was first launched, the publishers had sent out a tiny survey to all players. One of the questions was for the players to pick out the most famous and romantic couple’s suite they knew of from reality. The publishers then signed contracts with the real-life hotels of those suites to get those suites inserted into AO in return for a portion of the profits.

There were plenty of these romantic suites in all of the cities in-game, but they’re scattered through all the cities. By the time one went to all of them, the amount spent on teleporting around would make it an expensive endeavour. Either way, this was a game. Men loved to fight, women loved to look pretty and couples were all foolishly in love. Game publishers loved earning money from them the most.

QiYao led XiaoYu around and through the area with various hotels and mansions. That was a question for later tonight. Right now, all they needed to focus on was having fun and enjoying themselves!

QiYao let the two cats decide what ride to go on first. The little one was still busy fighting the pink bubbles around them. While the larger cat was already past the typical age for amusement park guests, he was stupidly in love. It’d be a shame not to do something rather foolish. XiaoYu was also secretly excited about it. It had been a really long time since he’d been to an amusement park. It was quite nostalgic.

“Let’s just go on every ride then,” QiYao said. XiaoYu had been wrecking his head over which ride to start with, so QiYao just pulled him over to the ride closest to where they were standing. It’d be very rare for them see any other player here. They were all gathered in the major capitals. Even if anyone did come to the island, it’d be after the hourly boss battle. The two had plenty of time to enjoy a little bit of everything. As expected, QiYao deliberately avoided the giant Ferris wheel dominating the centre of the park. That’s the climatic ride, wasn’t it?

They got on all the different rides, accepted love-shaped balloons from an NPC, ate some ice cream, tried their luck with the claw machines, won a tiny ribbon to be tied to the little cat’s tail from a shooting gallery, and more. They did every single thing that was typically done in real-life amusement parks. As they say, people in love do dumb things. As long as the couple’s happy, all was well.

Time passed and soon the sky grew dark. Frankly, it was no easy feat to do everything that could be done on the island. If someone could finish exploring the Isle of Romanz in just one day, then no one would visit the island. QiYao glanced at the time and led XiaoYu over to the eye-catching Ferris wheel.

Before they got in, QiYao spent a few minutes muttering to the NPC in charge of the ride. After receiving what seemed to be an affirmative answer, he happily led XiaoYu into their ride.

The Ferris wheel’s capsule was huge. An adult man could lie flat out on the ground and roll around. However, the couple had no interest in testing that out themselves. They merely watched as the tiny cat toyed with the ribbon tied to its tail. Occasionally they’d glancing out at the shrinking scenery.

“Did you have fun today?” QiYao asked.

“Mn.”

“Let’s go explore the other areas of the island next time then.”

“Okay. Yao, thank you for bringing me here.” XiaoYu didn’t know of the Isle of Roman’s existence before today. He had been playing alone anyway. There was no need for him to understand a niche part of the game like this island, but then QiYao happened. He showed XiaoYu there were other things to enjoy in the game other than just killing monster after monster. They went to capture a mount, taking him to the Holiday Island, the capital’s festival, and now the holy land for dates. He was really thankful for being able to know QiYao.

Their capsule was still rising. It rose high past the buildings and trees and through the pink bubbles. The source of the bubbles was still a mystery, but its creations filled the entire island, making the place seem like a pink wonderland.

“This island is heart-shaped?” XiaoYu yelped in surprise. The higher they went, the more of the island they could see.

“Yes.” It was a little cringe-worthy, but this place was meant to be where all the stupidly-in-love couples gather. That made it much easier for everyone to accept it.

“This island is so beautiful…hm?” Their capsule was finally at the peak, but it seemed to have stopped.

“XiaoYu, do you know of the legend about Ferris wheels?”

“No.”

“Couples who’ve been on a Ferris wheel together will eventually break up.” QiYao paused and glance at XiaoYu’s shocked face. “But if the couple kiss while they’re at the top of the ride, they will forever be together.”

“Hm?”

“XiaoYu, don’t you think you should do something?” Teasing his lover had always been one of the greatest joys in QiYao’s life. He was rather eager to see just what the other would do.

Be together forever…XiaoYu recalled the promise he made to QiXuan. He wasn’t lying back then. He was sincerely ready to never give up no matter what happened. For him, QiYao’s presence by his side was the greatest motivation to live.

While the Ferris wheel legend is just superstitious nonsense, XiaoYu understood he needed to be the proactive party sometimes in this relationship. He placed his hand on QiYao’s shoulder and slowly leaned in. The easily embarrassed XiaoYu could already feel his whole face flushing red. Even so, he continued to slowly, but steadily, lean in until his lips were against QiYao’s.

This was the first time XiaoYu had kissed QiYao, instead of it being the other way. Even against the lips nervously trembling against his, QiYao was very satisfied. He pulled the other closer in and deepened the kiss. QiYao even thought it’d be nice if XiaoYu’s bashful nature never changed.

After the kiss, XiaoYu’s mind snapped back and realised what he’d just done. He had a strong urge to bury himself but they were at the tallest point of the island. There was nowhere to bury himself unless he wanted to just give up and bury himself in QiYao’s embrace.

“…Hm? Why haven’t we started descending?” XiaoYu didn’t dare to look into the QiYao’s kind and twinkling eyes. He snuck a glance outside only to realise their capsule didn’t seem to be descending anytime soon.

“I’ve asked the NPC to let us stop at the top for a while longer.” There weren’t many players on the island today, so QiYao negotiated for some more time at the peak in exchange for paying a bit more. The manager was more than happy to do so with money in it for him. With a smack to his own chest, he promised he’d stop the ride until QiYao was satisfied.

“Why?”

 “There’s something we’ve yet to do.”

“??” They’d already kissed. Was there more to the legend?

Then, QiYao suddenly stood up. He knelt down on one knee before XiaoYu. As a knight, QiYao looked very graceful and handsome with that move, but it gave XiaoYu a fright.

“Let’s get married, XiaoYu,” QiYao said, pulling out a bouquet of rainbow roses. He had always been lucky. It didn’t take long for him to get the flowers he needed for the quest, but he kept planting because he wanted to have another bouquet to propose to XiaoYu with.

“!!” It’d be a lie to say XiaoYu wasn’t shocked to the core. Never could he have imagined QiYao would be proposing marriage. The other even had flowers ready. His mind went blank. He didn’t know how he should respond.

“…okay?” QiYao was actually a little nervous. After all, it was his first time proposing marriage.

“…mn. >////<” XiaoYu would never have said no. He had just never thought about marriage before. That was why he couldn’t react in time. But since QiYao mentioned it, he wouldn’t mind trying it out. He was looking forward to it too.

Perhaps the legend of the Ferris wheel would be changed now. Dear foolish lovers, if you want to be happy, remember to kiss and propose.

Translator’s Notes:

1. Isle of Romanz: Jawaii in iRO. Named “Romanz” instead of “Roman” as that’s the old French version.
2. Vegetable-stealing game: Happy Farm, the Chinese version of Farmville that includes stealing your neighbour’s crops instead of just helping them grow crops.  

◄Previous •Index• Next►