Chapter 110: How About Trying It First?

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Xu Nuo shook her head. “I don’t want this reward.”

The robbers grinned even more arrogantly. “Is that even your choice?”

“Let them go, or I’ll detonate the bomb immediately!”

Two robbers flaunted the detonators in their hands.

The newly lit spark of hope was immediately crushed, the atmosphere heavy and suffocating, leaving no room to breathe.

Xiao Huan’s eyes welled with tears as she looked at her. Xu Nuo helplessly rubbed her forehead—this was truly the worst luck. She wished it were all just an illusion; she still hadn’t lived enough.

She had spent so much money on the game, and she hadn’t even gotten her fill of Gu Qianyan’s beauty. If only she had looked at Gu Qianyan more, every glance would have been a gain.

“Hm?” Gu Qianyan’s tone carried a hint of confusion.

Xu Nuo sensed a flash of white light beside her; Gu Qianyan appeared right next to her. Speak of the devil.

“Sorry, my magical energy isn’t enough to stay in this world for long. I didn’t notice the danger here and scared you just now.”

Even on the brink of death, she could still see Gu Qianyan a few more times. She realized just how deeply she liked him.

“Leave it to me, Sister Xu.”

Gu Qianyan stepped forward and raised a hand to cover Xu Nuo’s eyes.

“Are you the ones planning to kill her?”

The robbers stared wide-eyed as a young man covered in golden light, dressed in strange yet magnificent clothes, suddenly appeared inside the cabin. The other passengers seemed unaware of his presence, but the long sword in his hand was very real, pointing directly at them.

“You…” Before they could finish, the robbers’ eyes bulged with rage and terror, their expressions frozen in a moment of horror before they collapsed one after another like lifeless bodies, utterly unresponsive.

The passengers were stunned. To them, the robbers seemed suddenly and mysteriously frozen, then inexplicably fell, their expressions unsettling.

No one dared to touch the robbers for a long while. Eventually, someone relaxed and burst into tears of relief.

“That’s great!” Xiao Huan didn’t know what had happened, but like the others, her only thought was that they had survived—they didn’t have to die.

“That scared me to death. I thought we were doomed—boohoo…”

Xu Nuo gently patted Xiao Huan’s back, her gaze landing on Gu Qianyan nearby.

“Are you okay?” Gu Qianyan examined her from head to toe and only relaxed after confirming she was unharmed.

Gu Qianyan wore an apologetic expression. “Sorry, I came too late.”

“No, you came at just the right time.” Xu Nuo grasped Gu Qianyan’s hand firmly.

Amid Xiao Huan’s sobbing, it seemed she heard Sister Xu say something.

“Sister Xu?” Gu Qianyan’s earlobes flushed red within seconds. This was the first time Xu Nuo had touched him voluntarily in this world.

The sensation was so real—the fabric of his sleeve, the warm skin of a living person, the pulsing veins beneath, and the faint golden glow enveloping his face. Everything Xu Nuo felt blurred the line between reality and illusion.

“Gu Qianyan, did you really come out of the game?”

“More precisely,” Gu Qianyan replied, “that’s my gateway to this world.”

Before, Xu Nuo didn’t ask and Gu Qianyan didn’t elaborate. Now that Xu Nuo wanted to know, Gu Qianyan was happy to share. It wasn’t that he bore no resentment toward Xu Nuo at all, but it was only a little. Seeing her made him so happy all his anger vanished quickly.

Moreover, Xu Nuo didn’t treat him as an anomaly but accepted him warmly, always giving him the best—new clothes, new weapons—he couldn’t keep up with the changes.

She realized she had misunderstood things badly. Xu Nuo struggled to speak. “So, the first time I drew Gu—you, and your skin and gear, it was all because of you?”

“Yes.” Gu Qianyan smiled and nodded. Knowing Xu Nuo was controlling things, he gladly accepted and gave her the best.

Xu Nuo asked, “Did you also change the original character’s story?”

“Yes.” Gu Qianyan’s voice softened. Back then, he was resentful that Xu Nuo abandoned him. He incorporated their past into the game not only to remind her but also to present this memory in his own way.

“Sorry.” Xu Nuo didn’t know what else to say but felt she should apologize.

“It’s okay. Isn’t it all in the past now?” Gu Qianyan’s heart and eyes were full of Xu Nuo, just as he believed she was full of him.

When he first arrived in this world to find her, he thought Xu Nuo would resist, so he slowed his approach, not wanting to rush or push too hard, hoping she would slowly accept him.

But all his worries were in vain. She accepted his presence quickly, didn’t drive him away or avoid him. Xu Nuo treated him so well—that was obviously love, wanting to be together.

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It was just a pity that every time he appeared in this world, he couldn’t stay long or appear at will. He had to save his time for when Xu Nuo was awake, to accompany her.

Looking at Gu Qianyan’s face, filled with innocence, lightness, and happiness, Xu Nuo felt her worldview and future collapsing.

“I want to be alone for a while…” Xu Nuo closed her eyes tightly, curling back into her seat and wrapping herself tightly in a blanket.

“Okay.” Gu Qianyan gently adjusted the blanket around her, tucking her in even more securely.

The plane landed safely. Xu Nuo was lost in thought, not even knowing how she got home.

The house had been empty for some time and was dusty, but Gu Qianyan didn’t let Xu Nuo lift a finger. With a wave of his sleeve, he cleaned the house spotless.

Xu Nuo’s throat tightened. She remembered how she used to be lazy about cleaning—Lu Ciyuan would do it instead, though he never really let her help.

After such a crisis, Gu Qianyan felt their relationship had deepened. The books said that loving someone means not only caring for the loved one but also their friends and family, so they can fully accept you.

The idea of loving someone by imprisoning her beside you, allowing only yourself to see and love her, was utterly wrong.

Considering he was not from this world and had many different thoughts, Gu Qianyan had read many books online to get closer to Xu Nuo.

Now that Xu Nuo had accepted him, he had to work harder to be accepted by her friends and family.

“Xu Jie, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?”

He had been watching her closely since the plane. She seemed off, probably shaken by the hijacking.

“Let me check your pulse.” Gu Qianyan gently took her wrist.

“I’m fine.” Xu Nuo yanked her hand away like she’d been shocked, then dashed into her room, locking the door. She added, “I’m changing clothes. I want to rest.”

She was probably exhausted. Gu Qianyan didn’t disturb her; he had things to do too.

Xu Nuo had no sleepiness at all. As soon as she closed her eyes, recent memories flashed uncontrollably—the first time Gu Qianyan appeared in reality, rescuing her on the ship; calling her “Sister Xu” in dreams; flawlessly achieving a pentakill under her control...

These images filled her mind, impossible to shake off.

What had she done lately?

She had thought Gu Qianyan was just a game character, buying him everything, showing off his skills, changing outfits like a dress-up game, even shamelessly critiquing his looks and figure. Had he heard all those reckless words?

Half of her felt dead inside.

She once thought Gu Qianyan was just a hallucination, accepting his care without guilt, taking everything for granted without considering his feelings.

But Gu Qianyan carried the memories of Gu Xingze and Lu Ciyuan—they were likely the same person. He had asked if she felt guilty. How had she answered?

No, if it was just a game, and Gu and Lu Ciyuan were mere AI without consciousness or feelings, she wouldn’t feel guilty.

But they were sentient and emotional, even coming to her world.

She treated him like a game character, a hallucination, not a living person.

What if Gu Qianyan realized this?

How would this end?

Gu Qianyan was unaware of Xu Nuo’s inner turmoil. He changed into modern casual clothes. Xiao Huan, having finished some tasks, came to see Xu Nuo.

She had a key to Xu Nuo’s home and entered without knocking.

Contrary to her expectation of a messy place, the house was spotless—an absolute miracle.

“Hello.”

A young man with long hair tied back, wearing a white T-shirt, was watering withered flowers on the windowsill.

Xiao Huan rubbed her eyes in shock. This man’s appearance—wasn’t he Gu Qianyan? Had the boundary between the virtual and real worlds broken? Had a virtual character come to life? Or was she still dreaming?

Gu Qianyan repeated, “Hello.” According to the books, this was a greeting.

“Y-you’re…” Xiao Huan nodded with difficulty. “Um, where’s Sister Xu? And who are you?”

“I’m her boyfriend. She’s resting.”

Boyfriend? Xiao Huan gasped. Xu Nuo had a boyfriend? She never went out, had zero social skills, and despite time issues, how could this boyfriend look so much like the Gu Qianyan from the game?

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“My name is Gu Qianyan.”

Xiao Huan’s face froze in shock.

Xu Nuo had actually fallen asleep. When she woke in the afternoon, she heard Xiao Huan’s voice, and upon closer listening, Gu Qianyan’s as well.

Damn.

Xu Nuo rushed out of her room.

They were sitting in the living room, Xiao Huan smiling brightly, Gu Qianyan wearing a polite smile, chatting happily.

Xu Nuo: “Am I… not dreaming?”

Xiao Huan teased, “Good for you, Sister Xu, hiding such a handsome boyfriend all this time.”

“Uh, haha…” Xu Nuo forced a laugh. Boyfriend? Since when was Gu Qianyan her boyfriend? A grown man suddenly appeared in her house—wasn’t that alarming?

“Awake now? I made some appetizing soup,” Gu Qianyan said naturally, tying on an apron and heading to the kitchen. “You didn’t seem to have much appetite in Korea.”

“Y-yeah…” Xu Nuo laughed awkwardly.

After bringing out the soup, Gu Qianyan returned to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Xiao Huan, full of gossip, pulled Xu Nuo aside. “What’s going on here?”

“Uh, it’s complicated,” Xu Nuo answered vaguely, dodging the question.

Luckily, Xiao Huan wasn’t interested in the details—just Gu Qianyan himself was enough to hold her attention.

Xiao Huan said, “Why the long face? A man like that’s hard to find even with a lantern.”

Xu Nuo remained indifferent. “You can have him.”

“What did you just say?” Xiao Huan pinched Xu Nuo. “He’s so good to you—what don’t you like about him?”

Xiao Huan had said all the nice things about Gu Qianyan earlier, but Xu Nuo still wore a deadpan expression.

“You really liked Gu Qianyan in the game, right?” Xiao Huan couldn’t understand Xu Nuo’s thoughts. “Now a real guy who looks just like him shows up—what’s wrong with that?”

It was precisely because he was the real Gu Qianyan from the game, possibly the same as Gu Xingze and Lu Ciyuan, that Xu Nuo couldn’t accept him. Xiao Huan naturally didn’t know this and couldn’t understand Xu Nuo’s feelings.

Xu Nuo said, “Because he’s too perfect.”

Xiao Huan looked her up and down as if meeting her for the first time. “You’re not saying you’ve been switched at birth, are you?”

There was no way Xu Nuo would say something like “He’s too excellent for me.”

Knowing her, she would say: “He’s so perfect, he suits me just right.”

Xu Nuo replied, “Too perfect to be real.”

Xiao Huan: “Didn’t you say that whether real or fake, your feelings matter most?” That’s why Xu Nuo immersed herself in virtual games, needing no social life or friends—virtual worlds fulfilled her emotional needs.

Xu Nuo: “I live in the moment.”

Xiao Huan was speechless for a moment, then rallied, acting like a seasoned mentor encouraging Xu Nuo. “It’s your first love, no experience—don’t be afraid, just try. He’s handsome and caring. What’s the harm in trying? If it doesn’t work, you can kick him out.”

The problem was, she couldn’t kick him out. Unlike her past two worlds where she could just enjoy and walk away, this was her real life. Gu Qianyan could cross dimensions to find her—if she tried to run, where could she go?