Chapter One Hundred and Eight: The Unfilial Son

Shortly after Xu Nuo woke, the local police came to question her.

By the time they arrived, everyone aboard the ship had already been subdued. They lay sprawled helplessly on the floor, still unconscious even now, so the only person they could ask about what had happened was the victim herself.

The problem was that Xu Nuo herself had no idea what happened after she passed out. She hesitated, then said honestly, “All I remember is that, before I blacked out, I saw the character from my game come out and take a hit for me.”

The police: “???”

A few faces went blank.

Xu Nuo described everything she had experienced on the ship exactly as it had happened. “Maybe it was a hallucination. I’m not sure.”

The officer swallowed hard. “Nothing else? No other explanation besides a hallucination?”

“No.” Xu Nuo took out her phone, unlocked it, and opened the game. The hospital’s internet was especially terrible; the loading screen froze, and on it was a dynamic poster of Gu Qianyan. “This is what he looks like. Haven’t you seen him before?”

If they had, that would have been a ghost story.

“No, no, that’s not the point.” The officer wiped sweat from his forehead. This was truly a troublesome case: the victim seemed to have been badly shaken and her mental state was questionable, making it impossible for her to describe the scene normally, while those criminals somehow remained unconscious the whole time.

Who, exactly, had saved the victim? And that person seemed not to exist at all, leaving behind not a single trace.

Seeing that they could get no more information from Xu Nuo about the mysterious rescuer, the police asked a few other questions and then left.

Watching them go with such easy confidence, Xu Nuo could not relax at all, even though she was in the hospital. Even if the organization’s leader and most of its members had been arrested, there were still a few fish that slipped through the net. Given their vindictive nature, they would never let her off lightly.

“Host, don’t worry. You’ll definitely be fine. We’re here.” 007’s voice suddenly rang out.

Xu Nuo blinked. “Little Seven? I can still hear you now?”

007 sounded perfectly natural. “Mm, yes.”

So she was hallucinating again, but there did not seem to be any harm in it for the moment. Xu Nuo rubbed her head. “When you say ‘we,’ do you mean Gu Qianyan too?”

“Yes. He’s been by your side protecting you all along.”

Xu Nuo looked around. Aside from the nurse, there was no one else. What, the hallucinations and auditory delusions could not even be coordinated, appearing together at the same time?

007 kept chattering on. It sounded especially cheerful now, like a bird freed from its cage, every word brimming with delight.

“That was really dangerous just now. Luckily Lord Gu appeared in time, though I thought you could handle it yourself.”

For some reason, these hallucinations made Xu Nuo feel inexplicably at ease. Under Little Seven’s constant mumbling, she made an overseas call home to report that she was safe.

At the same time, she received a message from the game’s official account.

The bug had been fixed.

She stared at the message for a long time. Beside her ear, the assistant’s voice and 007’s voice mingled together—one anxious and worried, the other bright and excited. Those two completely different emotions seemed to have nothing to do with her, and Xu Nuo felt an intense sense of unreality.

Only one thought remained in her mind: the bug had been fixed. The story that belonged only to her and Gu Qianyan had disappeared.

She picked up her phone and typed for a long time, carefully choosing her words before sending an inquiry about the holographic game.

Ever since waking from the game pod, she had never asked about it again. Aside from the money the company had transferred to her, it seemed there was no proof left that she had once been bound to a romantic-game livestream system and entered two hyper-realistic holographic worlds.

While waiting for the company’s reply, and because Xu Nuo insisted on it, the painfully slow internet still managed to log into the game. She hurriedly opened Gu Qianyan’s storyline, and sure enough, there was no longer any image of her in it; it was the same version of the plot seen by all the other players.

Xu Nuo looked at the screen, at the elegantly handsome man with a long sword in his hand, reciting the same set lines countless players had heard before. She suddenly felt as though she could not breathe.

Then the official reply arrived.

The wording was very formal. The general meaning was that the two holographic games still had many issues and would not be launched for the time being. The tone made it clear that the problems were serious, though the official side did not specify what had gone wrong.

“Miss Xu, it’s time for your medicine.” The nurse gently brought in the medication and today’s dinner.

007 said matter-of-factly, “Human medicine takes effect so slowly. Don’t take that. Isn’t there spiritual medicine in the system bag?”

Xu Nuo: “...Haha, thanks.”

If you’re saying thanks, then at least don’t still take the nurse’s medicine. 007 did not understand what kind of operation its host was pulling, so it could only help her dig out the medicine itself.

Xu Nuo was drinking a sweet, syrupy dose when, all of a sudden, a small antique jade bottle appeared on the bed.

007 urged, “I know. You must be afraid of bitterness, which is why you don’t want to take the medicine, right? That won’t do. You have to take it. This was personally refined for you by Lord Gu.”

“Pfft—” Xu Nuo sprayed it straight out.

“Miss Nurse, can you see this thing?” Xu Nuo pointed at the little jade bottle on her bed.

“What?” The nurse looked at the white blanket in confusion. “Is there a stain on the bedding?”

She could not even see such a white jade bottle. Xu Nuo suspected herself... Wait, the nurse was the one who could not see it, right? This was another hallucination.

Seeing Xu Nuo’s reaction, the nurse also understood. “Do you see something?”

“Mm, I see a bottle.” Xu Nuo said that as she opened the cap. A medicinal fragrance, mixed with a hint of sweetness, drifted out.

The bottle did not seem aggressive, and the patient’s reaction was calm enough. What the nurse did not notice was the turbulence in Xu Nuo’s eyes.

After asking a few concerned questions, the nurse left.

Looking at that familiar jade bottle, Xu Nuo’s mood was extremely complicated, while 007 kept pressing her.

“Eat it quickly. Lord Gu anticipated that you would think medicine was bitter, so he specially added flower honey. His skill in refining medicine was taught by you.”

“Fine, fine.” Xu Nuo sighed helplessly and poured out a pill, putting it into her mouth. What a strange feeling it was. Even when hallucinating, taste could be this real.

She accidentally bit down on the pill, and bitterness instantly flooded her entire mouth.

“Holy—!!”

No wonder it needed flower honey. That taste was like a biochemical weapon; one word, bitter, could not even begin to describe it. One bite and she felt as if she might ascend to heaven.

This is the level of your medicine-refining skill?

“Cough, cough, cough...” Xu Nuo coughed so hard it felt like her lungs were being torn apart, but she still could not spit the medicine out.

And yet 007 said innocently, “Take it slowly. There’s still plenty. Lord Gu told me to supervise you taking one a day.”

“Where is he?” Just thinking of having to swallow one of these biochemical pills every day filled Xu Nuo with resentment toward that unfortunate disciple of hers.

“He said he was going to gather herbs for you,” 007 answered truthfully. “Your body in this world is far too weak—internally deficient and externally frail. You need to be properly nourished.”

Xu Nuo’s fist immediately hardened. “He dared say I’m deficient?”

She had somehow managed to draw Gu Qianyan’s hatred for him, and 007 carefully changed the subject. “That’s not the point. Lord Gu really does care about you. He specifically drew up a health plan for you.”

Xu Nuo frowned. “What health plan?”

“Cough, cough.” 007 cleared its throat and recited, “After you recover and are discharged, you must rest at nine-thirty every night on the dot and get up at six-thirty every morning. You must also strictly control your diet. The following foods are forbidden: unsanitary roadside stalls... snacks from Brand XX...”

The more Xu Nuo listened, the higher her blood pressure climbed. “Stop right there.”

What kind of hallucination was this? It was so infuriating, and now it was even trying to manage her life.

007: “You don’t want to follow it?”

Xu Nuo rolled over and pulled up the blanket. “Am I an idiot?”

If she lived according to the contents of her hallucinations, then she really would be beyond saving.

007 had long expected this reaction from Xu Nuo. “Actually, you don’t have to follow it that strictly.”

There was a thing called the broken-window effect: when you wanted to open a window in a room, everyone would first oppose it unanimously, but once you wanted to tear off the roof, they would begin discussing whether opening the window might be acceptable after all.

007 sighed. “You only need a regular schedule each day, not eating recklessly, and getting a reasonable amount of exercise.”

What the host did not know was that Lord Gu’s original health plan had been far stricter. This was already the result of 007’s revisions.

Xu Nuo flatly refused. “You don’t need to manage me.”

As it turned out, no trick worked on a stubborn, proud person like Xu Nuo.

Since it could not manage her, there was nothing to be done. 007 knew its own limits; it was just a messenger. So it earnestly urged Xu Nuo to behave and take care of her body.

Xu Nuo’s head ached. She banged it with her fist. She did not know if it was because the bug had been fixed, but on some subconscious level she still could not bear to let go. Gu Qianyan’s presence in the hallucinations was far too strong; even when his image was not appearing before her eyes, he was still present in 007’s voice.

“Can you please shut up?” Xu Nuo was being driven insane by 007 and instinctively tried to find the mute button. And surprisingly, she really did find one.

One-touch silencing, and the world was peaceful again.

Xu Nuo comforted herself. “Gu Qianyan is indeed handsome, but you can’t like him so much that you start hallucinating.”

“Hm?”

A low, pleasant voice sounded by her ear. Xu Nuo stiffened instantly and turned her head, only to meet Gu Qianyan’s eyes.

“Ah, it’s back again!” Xu Nuo clutched her head in despair.

“How do you feel? Better?” Gu Qianyan took her pulse. Her body had recovered fairly well overall, only catching a bit of wind chill.

“Not really.” Xu Nuo felt a pain in her chest. “The moment I see you, I know my illness isn’t that bad.”

Gu Qianyan frowned at that. “You don’t want to see me?”

“It’s not that. I actually quite want to see you.” Xu Nuo hesitated. The point was that if she could see him, it meant she really was sick. There were still occasional auditory hallucinations, and now she had to follow some ridiculous health plan. It was a little disruptive to her rhythm of life.

“Then what are you dissatisfied about?” Gu Qianyan leaned down.

The two were very close, their breaths entwining. Thump, thump, thump—Xu Nuo’s heartbeat grew faster and faster. Looking at that flawless face so close to her own, she did not know what to do.

“Close your eyes.” Gu Qianyan sounded resigned. He reached out to cradle the back of Xu Nuo’s head, then lowered his own gently, pressing forehead to forehead.

“Huh!” Xu Nuo had already covered her mouth, but the touch landed on her forehead instead.

“You have a slight fever.” Gu Qianyan said, “Take this medicine.”

A bottle of liquid medicine, thick with the smell of bitterness, was handed to Xu Nuo.

Xu Nuo clamped her mouth even tighter.

“Hm?” Gu Qianyan covered her hand with his. “If you’re sick, you have to take medicine.”

No, she did not want to drink that stuff. She had refined medicine in the last game world; one sniff was enough to know how unbearably foul it tasted. And this was liquid medicine, too—flowing fluid cruelly grinding against the taste buds on her tongue.

Xu Nuo, who feared nothing, actually feared bitterness.

Gu Qianyan coaxed patiently, “How can you get better if you don’t take medicine? Take it first, and I’ll give you candied fruit afterward.”

“Do you think I’m three years old?” Xu Nuo muttered to herself, “This is my hallucination, and I control it,” while covering her mouth and hiding under the blanket.

But the next second, the blanket was lifted straight off.

Xu Nuo was exposed before Gu Qianyan’s gaze with nowhere to hide.

Xu Nuo: “...You sure are something. Dressed so neatly, looking so refined and handsome, and yet I never thought you’d be this rude.” The clothes were even bought for him with her money.

Yet Gu Qianyan had never been some well-read, courteous, reasonable nobleman in the first place. He said as if it were perfectly natural, “Come on and take the medicine.”

Xu Nuo refused to give in, even unto death. This was her hallucination—how could she let a hallucination boss her around? “I’m not taking medicine. I’m not sick!” It was just a little cold; she would be fine after sleeping it off.

The medical staff who had just come in happened to hear that sentence. They watched Xu Nuo with solemn expressions as she fought the air with all her might. At first she had only been sparring with the air from her bed, but then she had moved from the bed to the floor, and was really at it now.

Xu Nuo’s skills were not weak, but against Gu Qianyan she was nothing more than a little ant that could be kneaded however he pleased.

A dazzling one-man fight played out before their eyes, and for a moment none of the medical staff dared step forward. Thankfully it did not last long. Before long, the patient was “defeated” and unwillingly returned to the hospital bed.

“Gu Qianyan, you eat my food and wear my clothes, and this is how you treat me?” Xu Nuo, having been forced to swallow a mouthful of bitter medicine, was indignant. Fury blazed in her chest. She was, after all, the one who paid for his food and clothing.

“You ungrateful son!”

That rebuke, packed with emotion, shocked everyone present.

The patient was visibly furious and impatient, cursing at the air, “I already said I’m not taking medicine. I’m perfectly fine. Can you stop being such a pest?”

The medical staff: this is clearly more than a little unwell.

The staff who came with the test results became even more serious. It seemed they had underestimated the severity of this patient’s condition.

“Sorry about that.” Xu Nuo finally found the spare attention to notice them.

“It’s fine.” The medical staff stepped back a few paces, remaining on guard against any possible violent behavior. But Xu Nuo soon proved their worries unnecessary through her actual behavior.

She was lucid and rational, practically indistinguishable from a normal person, once one set aside the contents of her hallucinations.

The doctors carefully learned more about her condition. “You’re saying you were just talking to a game character?”

Xu Nuo: “Yes.”

The doctor asked her to describe the process in more detail, but Xu Nuo was somewhat resistant and only gave the rough outline.

The doctor could sense that the patient was withholding some things from them, but such matters could not be forced. To open a patient’s guarded heart and earn their trust took time.

Xu Nuo had not suffered any major injuries. After sleeping for a few days, her body had actually recovered quite well. It was the mental issue that was a bit troublesome.

Doctor: “You believe he has a very strong desire to control you, and wants to manipulate you?”

Xu Nuo: “Something like that.”

Doctor: “Are you afraid? Do you feel fear?”

Xu Nuo: “No.” What a joke. Would she be afraid?

After the conversation, the doctor understood Xu Nuo’s situation more clearly. The character she had imagined did not seem aggressive toward her and posed little danger. She herself was also fairly rational and would not do anything out of control to harm others or herself.

For this reason, the hospital’s recommendation was transfer.

Xu Nuo was not a citizen of Country K, and she could not stay there too long. Besides, Country K’s medical level was not high enough for her to remain there until she fully recovered.

The only reason Xu Nuo had stayed in Country K was because of her entanglement with that criminal organization. The good news was that they had all come to their senses as well, confessed to their crimes, and even voluntarily admitted that they had turned on one another that day.

At this point, the matter seemed ready to draw to a close.

Xu Nuo also felt that she was basically fine, so she completed the discharge procedures.

“I’ll play around for a few more days and then head back home.” Xu Nuo lay in the rented apartment and said this to her assistant.

Unlike Xu Nuo, who looked relaxed, her assistant had been frantic these past few days. She did not have a visa and could not go to Country K, so all she could do from home was ask Xu Nuo to report in every day. By now, she looked far more haggard than before.

Xu Nuo said, “I’m really fine. Aren’t I perfectly well now? Don’t worry.”

Right now, she truly was doing very well. She had hired a temporary live-in helper to deal with 007’s nagging and Gu Qianyan’s habit of meddling in her affairs. They were both far too annoying, and Xu Nuo did not want to keep arguing with her own hallucinations, so she chose to meet them halfway and live in peace.

Xu Nuo felt that she was truly gifted. The health plan she had invented within her own hallucinations was surprisingly comfortable and reasonable to follow. Of course, this plan was a heavily cut-down version, after repeated bargaining with Gu Qianyan and 007.

Originally, the helper had been hired to take care of Xu Nuo’s daily life, prepare three meals a day strictly according to the diet chart, and supervise her exercise every day.

It was just that the eating habits of Country K differed from those back home, and even with recipes to follow, the food could not be made to the ideal taste.

Xu Nuo did not mind, though, because she had discovered a perfect private world: the system bag. It was packed full of snacks, and she often slipped over to binge on them when Gu Qianyan was not paying attention. Since it was all a hallucination, she got to satisfy her cravings without actually eating that many snacks. It could not have been better. Xu Nuo even felt as though she were still inside a romantic game, just without the livestream.

However, this good life did not last many days before 007 tattled to Gu Qianyan.

The helper was dismissed.

Xu Nuo felt her easy days were over too, because Gu Qianyan said he would personally take care of her daily life.

“You cook?” Xu Nuo looked at Gu Qianyan in his luxurious, legendary-grade outfit and was highly skeptical.

“Mm.” Gu Qianyan said, “Wasn’t I responsible for cooking before?”

With practiced ease, he tied on an apron. The unearthly, ancient-style robe he had been wearing was transformed into a simple, crisp T-shirt and trousers. His long hair was casually gathered into a high ponytail, and when he turned his head, his profile was exactly the same as Gu Xingze’s.

The idea of letting her hallucination cook was absurd enough. Even more absurd were the dishes steadily being brought to the table.

“Try it. This is a new dish I’ve been working on.” Gu Qianyan夹了一块肉 and held it to Xu Nuo’s lips.

“Delicious!” Xu Nuo’s eyes lit up instantly.

She had spoken too soon. Gu Qianyan was not some ungrateful brat at all—he was a good son who could keep the hall and master the kitchen.

Gu Qianyan’s expression was gentle as he quietly watched Xu Nuo finish eating.

Her phone rang.

Xu Nuo glanced at it casually. “Xiao Huan?”

In the video call, her assistant Xiaohuan was dragging a suitcase behind her. The background behind her looked very familiar as she said, “I’m here. Which floor do you live on? Come down and pick me up.”