Chapter Twenty-Two: Promise

Xu Nuo gazed at Gu Xingze. He stood with his back to her, unwilling to meet her eyes, as if he were avoiding something.

"Gu," Xu Nuo spoke, "what are you worried about?"

"Are you afraid I'll mind this?" She continued, her tone gentle. "It doesn't matter to me."

007, the system, cheered her on excitedly, urging her to express her love and devotion to Gu Xingze, to let him know she was willing to stay by his side and become the one he could never let go, the one he would love with all his heart and soul.

"You..." Lin Qisheng's expression darkened, clearly displeased. Xu Nuo's reaction was not what he had hoped for.

"Gu, I'll wait for you not far from here," she said simply, then turned and walked away without another word.

"Xu Nuo!" Lin Qisheng hurried after her, his tone bordering on exasperated. "What are you really thinking?"

"I'm thinking exactly what I said," she replied without turning back.

"But you know Gu Xingze once loved another girl, don't you?" Lin Qisheng pressed.

"Is it so strange that Gu once cared for someone?" Xu Nuo replied, unconcerned. After all, she wasn't truly in love with Gu Xingze, nor did she intend to spend her life with him.

It was just a game—who would take it seriously?

"Damn it!" Lin Qisheng really couldn't fathom Xu Nuo's way of thinking. Normally, if a girl discovered her boyfriend secretly mourning a lost love, wouldn't she be angry or upset?

"You're the one with ulterior motives," Xu Nuo countered.

"I only..." Lin Qisheng faltered, anxious and flustered. "I was worried about you."

She shot him a sidelong glance. "And what does that have to do with you?"

What does it have to do with you... Those simple words echoed in Lin Qisheng's ears like a spell, cutting deeper than he'd expected. It was the first time he'd felt the power of words—how much more they could wound when spoken by her.

"It doesn't concern me..." he murmured blankly.

"We're not exactly close, are we?" Xu Nuo added.

007 wailed helplessly, exasperated at her approach. "Host, what are you doing?! Why provoke him? Don't you know what he's like?"

Xu Nuo replied to the system with a leisurely calm, "I know, that's exactly why I'm saying it."

Turning back to Lin Qisheng, Xu Nuo asked, "Were you trying to hurt Gu just now with those words?"

"I was," he admitted, half-lowering his gaze, anger seething in the darkness of his eyes, a cold smile on his lips. "I did it on purpose."

"You—" Xu Nuo began, but before she could finish, he seized her chin, his face suddenly close, intense.

"Come with me," Lin Qisheng commanded.

She laughed, adjusting herself into a more comfortable stance. "You think I'll just leave because you say so? Wouldn't that be humiliating for me?"

Dark energy seemed to radiate from Lin Qisheng, his frustration almost visible.

007 sighed in defeat. "Host, you're going about this all wrong! This is a person who values his pride—stop humiliating him!"

[Lin Qisheng, affection +10]

007 was speechless. The entire system was thrown into chaos. Not only did the host play by no rules, but even the target of her strategy was unpredictable.

"I don't like being threatened," Xu Nuo said lightly, brushing off his hand. "And keep your distance from me."

"Miss Xu," Lin Qisheng forced the words through clenched teeth. "I think I've made myself clear. I want to be with you. I like you."

"And?" Xu Nuo remained unmoved.

"When I set my sights on someone, I never let go easily," Lin Qisheng declared, his gaze that of a predator certain of his prey. "I'll stay by your side, using whatever means necessary. Taking what I want from Gu Xingze is child's play."

She smiled and shook her head. "Is that so? Unfortunately, I only follow my own will."

"I'll make you change your mind—he's not worthy of your love," Lin Qisheng insisted.

"Do you love me?" Xu Nuo asked in return.

"Love..." Lin Qisheng faltered, genuinely considering the question. He had no answer. "I know I like you a lot. I want you."

"I'm not with him because of love," Xu Nuo said honestly, ignoring the system's dismayed cries. "How can you break up a couple that's not really a couple?"

Lin Qisheng's initial joy at her words was quickly replaced by confusion. "You don't love him?" Who would believe that?

If she didn't love him, then why treat him so well, why stay by his side?

In this world turned to ruin, love was either the most valuable or the most worthless thing. Only love that could be traded for survival resources was worth anything—more often, love was a joke. Xu Nuo clearly had the resources to survive the apocalypse; she had no need to depend on love from Gu Xingze.

"Do you believe in love?" Xu Nuo asked him.

"I..." For once, Lin Qisheng was at a loss.

"If you want to win me over, go ahead and try," she challenged.

She stood in the rain, her elegant dress making her look out of place amid the ruins—a vision of purity that defied the devastation. Lin Qisheng saw her smile at him, beautiful and captivating, but beneath it was unmistakable provocation.

007 was nearly defeated, half-dead with frustration. "I really don't know what to say anymore. Host, your behavior is practically against the core of the mission!" To claim she loved no one, in a romance game—was she trying to make things too easy?

[Lin Qisheng, affection +15]

007 screamed in its mind. It was losing its mind.

Xu Nuo remained unperturbed. "Calm down, Seven. It's standard procedure. Haven't you heard the saying—the hunter often appears as the prey?"

"I haven't," 007 replied, "but you're too wild—this is even more thrilling than bungee jumping."

"I won't give up easily," Lin Qisheng said, fading into the night.

The once-vibrant flowers had been battered by the rain into wilted weakness. Gu Xingze recognized familiar footsteps approaching.

"Gu."

The rain above him ceased. He looked up to see Xu Nuo standing beside him, umbrella in hand, shielding him from the downpour.

"...Xu Nuo," he asked, "Why do you keep following me?"

"That's a secret." She extended her clean, delicate hand to him, who was soaked through.

Gu Xingze stared, transfixed by that small, unblemished palm.

"Shall we go back now?" Xu Nuo bent down, grasped his arm, and pulled him up. "Looks like the rain's about to stop."

"Will I ever know this secret?" Gu Xingze asked quietly.

"Maybe. I'm not sure," Xu Nuo replied, then asked the system, "Seven, can I tell Gu Xingze the truth in the end?"

"Well... yes, you can. Once you complete your mission and leave this world, all the storylines will reset."

"Alright. On the day I leave, I'll tell you why I stayed by your side," she promised Gu Xingze reassuringly.

She was not one to make promises lightly, but for her first fully immersive game, she would do something special.