Chapter 112: Thank You Everyone, We Are Married

"Do you think the female lead is actually avoiding the issue?"
"She has been avoiding it all along, hasn't she?"
"This can't go on. Whenever she encounters this, she doesn't solve it; she just drags it out until it becomes impossible to avoid."

Indeed, she could no longer escape. If she didn't speak plainly now, she would... she didn't even know what the outcome would be. She hadn't felt this helpless when she was sold to an illegal organization abroad, nor had she been this afraid when she ventured alone into the primeval forest. It was only when facing Gu Qianyan's confession that she faltered.

Xu Nuo had never prepared herself to accept love. She had, however, prepared to live a solitary life—she had even planned out where she would spend her old age. If she chose to be with Gu Qianyan, her future plans would be thrown into disarray and rendered void. Her future suddenly became uncertain. Moreover, she was an ordinary human subject to aging, sickness, and death. What would become of this romance if she were to fall ill and pass away?

She realized she no longer cared about the consequences of rejecting him, nor what she would do if he stopped loving her. What she feared most was a future beyond her control and the unknown end it might lead to.

Gu Qianyan did not wait until the next day. That very evening, Xu Nuo called his name. Her previous uncertainty had vanished, replaced by a deep, contemplative seriousness. "Are you truly prepared to marry me and be with me?"

"Yes." Seeing the shift in her attitude, Gu Qianyan was overjoyed, repeating the words she had once said to him many times: "I came here specifically for you."

"What if I grow old and die?" Xu Nuo asked.

"You are the person I love most, no matter what you become," Gu Qianyan said solemnly. "I will always love you. That will never change."

This wasn't the answer she was looking for, but it didn't prevent her from being moved. "If I die, what will you do?"

"I..." Gu Qianyan had never considered this. In his mind, it was a given that his world should always contain Xu Nuo. "Then I will try to resurrect you," he said, though he was certain that under his care, she would never be in mortal danger.

"And if you can't?"

Gu Qianyan’s expression turned resolute. "Then I will die with you."

Xu Nuo shook her head. "It's better if you don't." This wasn't the result she wanted. She had always been alone; she lived freely as one and would die without attachments. But if she were with him, the rhythm of her life would change. She would have a new tether, someone she wanted to treat well. Gu Qianyan was not an ordinary being, yet he was now binding his life to hers.

Xu Nuo didn't know much about romance; she only knew she didn't want him to vanish with her after her death. Yet, leaving him to live on in solitude was not an outcome she could accept either.

"Is there any way for us to stay together, or at least live for a very long time?" She was accustomed to weighing gains and losses; if one died, the other—who could have lived longer—throwing their life away was, in her view, a poor bargain.

"Of course there is," Gu Qianyan said. "Come with me to other worlds."

"Can I still come back to my world?"

He nodded. "Yes."

Problem solved. Xu Nuo was about to say, "Then let's get married," but she swallowed the words and asked instead, "Do you really think I love you?"

"Yes." He was unshakable in this belief.

"I have to confess something," Xu Nuo said. "Actually, I used to think you were just a hallucination when you appeared in the real world."

Gu Qianyan’s expression flickered. "So..."

"I only acted the way I did because I thought you weren't real." She covered her face, feeling a level of embarrassment and shame she had never known. "It wasn't until we were on the plane that I was certain you existed. But... I can accept your proposal now."

The smile on Gu Qianyan’s lips widened as he pulled her into his arms.

Xu Nuo had braced herself for his anger, but he only asked, "If the hallucinations had been other men—say, Lin Qisheng or Sheng Ming—would you have treated them the same way?"

It took her a moment to recall who those names were. She thought about it and shook her head. "No." Although they were game characters she had "conquered," she would never have allowed them to appear by her side at all hours or dictate her schedule.

Gu Qianyan wasn't surprised by the answer, but he was undeniably satisfied and moved. "If the [Gu Qianyan] in the game wasn't me, but merely a virtual character, would you still like him this much?"

Xu Nuo took a moment to reflect on her journey. Without the nostalgic additions of Gu Xingze and Lu Ciyuan, she probably wouldn't have been so fond of the character Gu Qianyan. "Hmm... probably not."

"There you have it." He hugged her, burying his face in the crook of her neck, completely content. "I knew you liked me too."

"Yes." Finally, Xu Nuo let out a sigh of relief. Her heart felt clear and light. She wrapped her arms around his waist and rubbed her cheek against his head.

"Sister Xu..."
"Miss Xu..."

Gu Qianyan reached a state of maximum satisfaction, calling her name with different tones and titles. His voice brushed against her ear, and as they pressed closely together, the vibrations of his speech traveled with his body heat straight to her heart.

A tingling sensation spread from her earlobe to her chest. Unable to handle it, she struggled slightly. "Alright, stop calling me that."

"I feel like I'm dreaming. I want to hold you a little longer." He refused to let go.

"Come on, you're a grown man, don't act like a child." She grabbed his ponytail and pulled his head back. She saw that his face was bright red, his ears looking as if they were dripping blood.

"Oh, you're shy." She remembered Lu Ciyuan had been quite sensitive, turning red at the slightest provocation. She had teased him plenty in the past.

"Sister Xu, let go." Gu Qianyan tried to bury his face again, but trapped by his hair, he could only look at her with moist, pleading eyes.

Looking at this pure, youthful version of him, Xu Nuo remembered the "dream" from a while back, where Gu Qianyan had been overbearing and cold, engaging in "forced love." She brought it up, and he admitted it sheepishly. "Yes, that was indeed me." Back then, he had been full of resentment at being abandoned by her. He had sought her out, but his anger had dissipated quickly because she had been so good to him.

Though it was now clear she hadn't known of his existence back then, the reason didn't matter. The result was good.

***

"We're getting married." Gu Qianyan realized he hadn't prepared for the wedding yet. "What kind of wedding do you like? Where should we hold it?"

"Let's not rush the wedding part." Seeing his enthusiasm, she feared he would talk about it all night. She was interested in something else right now. "Let's 'inspect the goods' first."

She hooked his chin with one hand and pressed on his shoulder with the other, forcing him to lean down, then kissed him.

"Mmm?" The innocent young man was flustered.

It was Xu Nuo's first kiss too, with zero experience. She tentatively deepened the kiss, and Gu Qianyan followed her lead, his movements becoming increasingly natural. Before she knew it, she softened, and the initiative slipped into his hands.

The kiss grew wild and fiery. When it ended, her face was redder than his, and she leaned against him, gasping.

His voice was hoarse. "Are you satisfied?"

"Satisfied," she breathed.

"Would you like to try again?"

Feeling the change against her, she shook her head frantically. "N-no, that's enough."

***

The next day, Xu Nuo woke up sore and aching. She had thought "seven times a night" was just an exaggeration in novels—how could a normal person manage that? She had learned the hard way that Gu Qianyan was not a normal person. To be precise, he wasn't even human.

It was embarrassing to admit, but she had only survived because of the supplements.

"How did you prepare that medicine in advance?" she asked, a bit late to the realization.

"I knew I'd need it eventually." Seeing the dangerous look in her eyes, he hurriedly added, "I was afraid I wouldn't be good enough; I needed the medicine."

"Get out!" She kicked him out of bed.

"Alright, you rest." Despite the long night, he was full of energy. He changed his clothes and headed to the kitchen.

Xu Nuo lay on the bed, feeling like a corpse. Although the medicine had worked, it couldn't cure mental exhaustion. She was too lazy to move. Checking her phone, she remembered the post from yesterday and replied, "Thank you everyone, we are together now," marking the end of the thread.

Gu Qianyan had improved his cooking skills quite a bit since coming to the modern world. With the abundance of ingredients and convenient transportation, he could gather delicacies from all over the country. Breakfast was appetizing and rich, and there was a bowl of red bean porridge at Xu Nuo's place.

"This is a custom of this world," he said.

She took a sip. "Thanks, my hometown doesn't have this custom." It was sweet but not cloying, and the texture was perfect. She decided not to throw it away.

"Sister Xu, have you decided how we should hold the wedding?"

"Not yet." She didn't care much for formalities, and she didn't have many relatives or friends to invite.

"Can I arrange it then?"

"Sure, I'll watch from the sidelines." Leaving the troublesome stuff to him was fine.

Since they were getting married, she couldn't let the wedding be too desolate. She went over the list of potential guests. "By the way, where's Little Seven?" she asked, suddenly remembering her little companion. She hadn't heard its voice for a while.

Gu Qianyan remembered. "Oh, I'll release it now."

"Waaaaah!" 007 burst into tears immediately.

"What did you do to it?"

"I muted it."

Both visual and auditory senses had been blocked. Only heaven knew how miserable 007 had been, like being in prison. Not to mention the dark times spent under the threat and exploitation of Gu Qianyan, that "virus."

Speaking of the system, she asked, "Why is it back in my head?"

"I put it there," he replied, to make it easier to monitor her.

Xu Nuo didn't press for details. "Little Seven, we're getting married."

"Hmm?" The crying stopped instantly.

"Are you coming to the wedding?"

"I'm just a system; I don't have a physical body."

"That's easy to fix." Gu Qianyan tapped the system store for her to see. Systems could have physical forms if the host bought them.

"Little Seven," she said suddenly, "your AI is very advanced. It doesn't look like something this world's technology could achieve."

007 feigned ignorance. "Ah, ah..."

"Be honest. What's the deal with the holographic games you had me play?"

Facing the pressure from two "evil forces," 007 had to come clean. The system and the games were not products of this world. They had partnered with local manufacturers, using the games as a cover to find suitable hosts to traverse those worlds and complete tasks.

Gu Xingze and Lu Ciyuan were naturally not data that the game group could control. As for Gu Qianyan, who had awakened his own self-awareness, he was a massive "bug" who could roam freely between the game and reality.

"What is your headquarters' attitude toward Gu Qianyan?" she asked.

"Rest assured, there is no malice," 007 replied. It had been sold out by its own headquarters to this couple anyway.

With the hidden danger resolved, she added 007 to the guest list.

***

Xiao Huan had been worrying about their relationship yesterday, only to wake up to the news that her "Sister Xu" was getting married. "To Gu Qianyan?" She rubbed her eyes. The progress was too fast. As a full-time assistant, this was part of her job, so she sprang into action to prepare. However, Gu Qianyan had already taken over the work, leaving her to assist from the sidelines.

Xiao Huan had been satisfied with Gu Qianyan at first, but seeing his lack of common sense—not understanding how bus stops worked or being ignorant of basic facts—she started to have doubts. Was he just a househusband? Most importantly, he had no identity or household registration; he was effectively a "black citizen."

She asked Xu Nuo if he was someone she had picked up from a remote mountain village. Xu Nuo went along with it, spinning a tale: Gu Qianyan was an illegitimate son abandoned by a wealthy man in K-Country, raised by neighbors in the Chinese district, who had fallen in love at first sight and snuck into the country to follow her.

Xu Nuo lied with a straight face, and Xiao Huan bought the outrageous story. It even explained why Xu Nuo had been hesitant.

"An international undocumented immigrant," Xiao Huan thought. "Hesitation is only natural."

Since he had no ID, they couldn't even get a marriage certificate. Xu Nuo didn't care. "It's fine, we'll just go through the motions." A certificate wouldn't bind Gu Qianyan anyway.

In the end, there were fewer than twenty guests, mostly business partners and bosses. It wasn't a large wedding, but it was luxurious. The whole event exuded an air of "money is meant to be thrown away." The falling flower petals were gilded with gold and silver foil, the stage was draped in pure silk, and the little gift bags given to guests were filled with gemstone trinkets.

Xiao Huan was shocked. She knew Xu Nuo's financial status; this money had to be Gu Qianyan's. But wasn't he just an abandoned illegitimate son?

On the day of the wedding, she witnessed what "extravagant" really meant. It was a traditional Chinese wedding, which was even more expensive than a Western one. Just building the faux-antique venue was a massive expense. Gu Qianyan even insisted that guests and staff wear traditional costumes—which he provided. The fabric was luxurious and genuine, not just for show. Xiao Huan felt embarrassed to wear hers; it was so ornate, dripping with jewels and jade, as if she were a princess rather than a bridesmaid.

"Sigh." A jade-like little doll holding a stuffed carp was sighing.

"What's wrong, Little Seven baby?" Xiao Huan pinched its chubby cheek.

"I'm scared," 007 said. It didn't want to face the two "demon kings" on stage. It used to be just a system without pain, but now that it had five senses, what if it got beaten up?

"Sister is here, don't worry."

As the bride, Xu Nuo’s attire was indescribably magnificent. Even the business partners, who had seen plenty, had never seen such craftsmanship and materials. When she walked out in her gold-and-red trailing gown, adorned with jade and silver, it felt less like a wedding and more like an empress ascending the throne.

Gu Qianyan wore a matching gown, equally luxurious. Walking together, they looked like a perfect match, well-matched in both presence and beauty. Seeing that familiar face, a guest sighed, "Sister Xu really loves Gu Qianyan deeply. Even the groom has to have the same name. The makeup artist must have worked hard to make him look so much like the game character."

Nobody knew she had actually married the game character she loved.

"First bow to heaven and earth!"

Through the thin red veil, Xu Nuo smiled at him. "Brother Gu, accompany me on a livestream tonight."

"Livestream what?"

"That we're married." She had a strong urge to share the news. Her fans, who had been with her for so long, were like friends. Even if she couldn't invite them all, she could share the joy through a stream.

Gu Qianyan had no objections. "Alright."

The officiant watched their little interactions, thinking, *Do they have to be so lovey-dovey even during the ceremony? Can't they wait until they're off stage? How are they supposed to bow when they're stuck together like that?*

"Couple's bow!"

The banquet was a success, and everyone left happy. The guests were generous, and even with so few people, they received a mountain of gifts. After unwrapping the presents, Xu Nuo started the livestream with Gu Qianyan.

The gaming circle hadn't yet heard about the wedding. When the camera landed on those two wedding outfits, the entire chat room went silent. Then, as the viewers looked up to see their faces, the screen exploded.

[WTF!!]

"Thank you all for your support. I'm married," Xu Nuo said, pulling in 007, who was trying to slip away.

[They even have a kid!!]

The famous single female gamer had suddenly gotten married, to a man who looked exactly like her favorite game character, and she was holding a child. The audience was so stunned they didn't even know where to start roasting. She had truly caught them all off guard.