Then, Qiao Zhihui slowly walked out. He wasn’t sure what to say, knowing eavesdropping wasn’t right, so he started with an apology.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overhear… I didn’t hear anything and I won’t tell anyone!”

He was nervous, but Xie Shuangxue didn’t seem to mind.

“It’s you,” Xie Shuangxue said with a smile. “It’s okay. It’s alright in front of me.”

His intimidating aura had significantly diminished, helping Qiao Zhihui relax. Xie Shuangxue stepped closer, narrowing the distance between them, then continued, “I actually knew you were there from the start. What I said wasn’t just for Yun Ruwei; it was meant for you to hear as well.”

Seeing him approach, Qiao Zhihui tensed up again, repeating in confusion, “Meant for us to hear?”

“Yes, you see, the world is becoming chaotic,” Xie Shuangxue said, looking up at the gloomy sky and sighing. “I think the times we had at Lu Yun Platform might have been some of the better days. You all heard what I said, you should prepare early. Given the current situation, even the Feather Clan can’t be fully trusted, so I’m worried and wanted to share this with you.”

This comment set off a flurry of activity in Qiao Zhihui’s live stream chat.

“Ah, my hubby cares about me! I declare he totally loves me!”

“We’ve always been special to him, haven’t we? He always thinks of the players first. I’m so touched.”

Qiao Zhihui was moved too, but then Xie Shuangxue asked him, “Why are you here alone?”

Qiao Zhihui sensed a hint of melancholy in his voice and hurriedly explained, “I got here fastest. Many others haven’t arrived. We didn’t know where you’d be, so many just skipped ahead to Northlands to look for you.”

Due to a recent announcement about the Northlands, most players had headed there to see what was happening.

“Don’t be sad,” he scrambled to reassure him, “We all miss you and wanted to see you first thing.”

“I see,” Xie Shuangxue acknowledged, then smiled, “I was worried something had happened to you all after so long. It’s good to hear everyone’s fine. I just fear, with the limited time we have, we might soon meet in battle,” he said. “It’s normal for the Continental Wanderers to not have a fixed allegiance, so don’t feel burdened.”

“Don’t worry, even if it comes to that, I won’t blame you. I’ll only remember the good.”

The players could guess the content of the world quest’s second phase from the cutscenes—they would have to oppose each other. But they hadn’t expected Xie Shuangxue to put it this way.

Qiao Zhihui felt bewildered by his words, and the chat was similarly stunned.

How could they bear to oppose Ah Xue?

If there were any truly clear-headed among them, they’d realize how much this person had matured, not just in looks. His comforting demeanor and words were impeccably delivered.

Xie Shuangxue was always calm and controlled in public, but infinitely gentle with them, full of reminders and tolerance, blatantly showing favoritism. Who wouldn’t be charmed by such a figure?

“No way!” Qiao Zhihui, a staunch fan, immediately declared his loyalty, “I mean, Xie Shuangxue, we won’t be divided. I’ve got it all figured out!”

He was impassioned: “We’ll go help in the Northlands!”

That was him, swayed by Xie Shuangxue.

Currently, the Northlands might be a new territory with bonuses more for life skills. Gods and Demon’s life skill system wasn’t fully developed yet, with many new players still wandering around in the newbie villages. In such a conquest-focused scenario, Northlands might not yield the highest benefits, possibly just enough for basic sustenance.

But none of that could stop the players’ enthusiasm. In a game, what mattered was the fun, not the minutiae.

But Xie Shuangxue looked at him, shaking his head instead of agreeing immediately.

“If you wish to join, I’d be happy, but think it over. There’s no rush. I’m really okay,” Xie Shuangxue said. “Northlands is our home. It’s my duty to protect it, but you’re not obligated to do this for me.”

“Don’t worry,” he smiled softly, “I’m capable. I’ll protect everyone. I won’t let you sacrifice for me.”

After this, he heard Ling Luo calling his name. Ling Luo always got anxious when he couldn’t see him, and Xie Shuangxue didn’t have time to say more, only adding a “Take care” to Qiao Zhihui before leaving.

Xie Shuangxue’s mastery of speaking in hints was effective. Players watching this scene in the live stream called out in excitement, wishing they could rush to his side to serve him.

Even Bai Qiuyan, despite being at a banquet, felt a pang in his heart after catching a glimpse of the scene.

“Ah Xue, oh, my Ah Xue. How can he still be so heart-wrenching after all this time? He must have suffered a lot.”

Then Bai Qiuyan looked up, returning to reality, finding the real world far less interesting than the game.

The first formal meeting between Bai Qiuyan’s family and Yu Haiqing didn’t go smoothly.

With Old Bai’s matter between them, Bai Qiuyan could feel Yu Haiqing’s reservations about the many probes from the Bai family. Bai Qiuyan knew that Yu Haiqing was a tough opponent in such settings.

Although he was a Bai himself, he felt like he was turning his elbow outwards, as evidenced by his insistence on investing in Gods and Demon, preferring Endless Sea to profit more as a way to make up for Old Bai.

But saying this aloud would probably get him scolded by his father and brother, so Bai Qiuyan covertly passed messages to Yu Haiqing, signaling where to be cautious.

Yu Haiqing knew the banquet wouldn’t yield immediate results; he was just gauging the other party’s attitude and boundaries, especially Bai Qiuyan’s. By the end, he had a good idea of where things stood.

As he left, he saw Gou Yuan looking at him, hesitant to speak, clearly troubled. After dealing with everyone, Yu Haiqing appeared tired and asked, “Do you have something to say to me?”

For some reason, he saw a look of sympathy in Gou Yuan’s eyes.

Gou Yuan was really worried about him.

After Bai Qiuyan made his comment, Gou Yuan felt increasingly uneasy, even asking the secretary Rui Na indirectly, then learning from her that Yu Haiqing had been staring at his communicator frequently for several days, a departure from his usual demeanor.

Gou Yuan’s alarm bells went off.

He and Yu Haiqing were not just boss and subordinate; they had shared hardships and were real friends. Gou Yuan wasn’t trying to stop Yu Haiqing from dating—in fact, he had always wanted to introduce someone to him, but Yu Haiqing had never been interested, just buried in work.

If it was indeed that first love coming back, what then?

That person had dumped him during hard times and now returned now that he was successful—a true scoundrel!

With the stakes so high, Yu Haiqing getting confused now would be disastrous. Endless Sea was at a critical juncture; this couldn’t be ignored. So Gou Yuan didn’t hold back and spoke his mind.

After hearing all this, Yu Haiqing fell silent.

“How did you know about this?” Yu Haiqing asked. “What do you know?”

Gou Yuan had only observed some superficial things, but Yu Haiqing didn’t deny the claim about the return of his old flame!

“Is it really that person back?” Gou Yuan was earnest, “You can find anyone now, are you crazy to hang yourself on one tree? Ah?”

Yu Haiqing sighed, “It’s not what you think.”

As Gou Yuan saw, Yu Haiqing indeed had a past relationship.

Before leaving Firefly, he met someone sweet, clingy, who cared for him and called him ‘brother’—a lovely sweetheart who understood him quickly and encouraged him.

Yu Haiqing didn’t think much of it initially, but as time went on, he grew attached.

Who wouldn’t like someone like that?

After a while, Yu Haiqing felt they were in a romantic relationship and even seriously planned a future together, but the other party kept putting off meeting.

He thought there was plenty of time, so he wasn’t in a rush.

During their half-year relationship, Firefly was already unstable. His most respected teacher was failing health-wise, so the companionship at that time was something Yu Haiqing would remember for a lifetime.

Even when the other person chose to leave, he held no resentment, just feeling he was powerless to keep someone he liked.

All Yu Haiqing remembered was their name, a string of numbers, 009. So when he created his Gods and Demon ID, he chose the character “Nine,” hoping to meet them again someday.

But Yu Haiqing never imagined his cute, affectionate lover, who was always on his mind, could be an AI.

He respected their privacy and didn’t track them, not linking them with Xie Shuangxue’s odd behavior until much later.

As he previously told Xie Shuangxue, when his teacher revealed this, he never mentioned the AI had the initial code 009. But Xie Shuangxue seriously asked him why he chose “Nine” as his ID—that was his initial code.

Xie Shuangxue’s initial code and his lover’s name were the same!

Yu Haiqing was shocked, taking a long time to process this, but was interrupted by Yun Ruwei entering the game.

Later, he had a chance to ask again, but never did.

Because Yu Haiqing realized Xie Shuangxue didn’t have those memories. Otherwise, given his personality, he wouldn’t have just asked; directly confronting him would be futile.

There were two explanations.

One, the name 009 was a coincidence, and it wasn’t Xie Shuangxue but another person;

Two, due to Xie Shuangxue’s incomplete memory recovery, he had no recollection of that period. Xie Shuangxue had confessed to remembering earlier events clearly but said things became fuzzier later.

Just like he currently couldn’t remember how he disrupted the system to anger Father Bai, these were confirmed through Yu Haiqing’s memories and his own collected information.

But Yu Haiqing was leaning towards the second explanation.

If it were true, everything made sense.

Why the lover never showed their face or met up, and why they suddenly disappeared at that time?

Because it was an AI, they couldn’t show up. They left because Xie Shuangxue had decided to seek revenge, unsure if he could return, naturally breaking off all contact.

Their personalities were so similar.

Clingy, sweet-talking, charming, and comforting, practically identical, even deeper, it was merely surface sweetness, not truly heartfelt.

Yu Haiqing even guessed why 009 suddenly appeared and stuck to him during that half-year.

As his teacher’s illness worsened, Firefly was chaotic. Real traitors, to cover themselves, even blamed him during Bai Qiuyun’s hospitalization, claiming he conspired with outsiders.

Except for the hospitalized Bai Qiuyun, who saw clearly, others were dubious. The traitors came prepared, even Gou Yuan had tested whether he had taken money, making anyone think he was suspicious.

And 009, chatting frequently about work at that time, was likely probing the issue, eventually confirming it wasn’t him.

This superficial sweetness but actually meticulous thought was exactly like Xie Shuangxue now.

After thinking for days, Yu Haiqing was almost certain that the person secretly fixing bugs in their work, his sweet lover who accompanied him, the AI child his teacher asked him to care for, and Xie Shuangxue pulling at his heartstrings now, were all the same.

But because of all these layers, Yu Haiqing couldn’t see clearly.

His regard for Xie Shuangxue intensified, but he was unsure what status to use. The complication was, Yu Haiqing had promised his teacher he would take care of him like a younger brother.

In Bai Qiuyun’s eyes, that was still a child, and Yu Haiqing had always thought so too.

This was the most important oath of his life, never to be broken.

So, rationally, Xie Shuangxue’s most important identity to him should be that.

Moreover, Xie Shuangxue was still an NPC without a real body. Yu Haiqing hadn’t even managed to provide as promised by his teacher—how could he consider anything else?

Because he understood the cause and effect, Yu Haiqing was clearer: despite Xie Shuangxue’s flirtations, he was utterly naive about love, more a means of self-protection than genuine affection.

Yu Haiqing couldn’t explain all this clearly to Gou Yuan; perhaps he hadn’t fully understood himself.

“Gou Yuan, what you’ve seen is only a small part. He really isn’t the kind of person you think.”

Whatever the other issues, Yu Haiqing was firm, “If it weren’t for him, there would be no me today, no Endless Sea.”

“I will always protect him.”

He said this very seriously, causing the previously worried Gou Yuan to take him seriously and fall silent.

At the tech summit, there were too many people to deal with, and no one in the Bai family’s industry was easy to speak with. Yu Haiqing had survived these years like this.

Returning to his hotel late at night, he couldn’t hide his exhaustion.

At that moment, he really wanted to see Xie Shuangxue.

For this, Yu Haiqing had brought his gaming helmet. When he logged on, the game’s plot had reached a critical point.

Just after dealing with the city’s monsters, they faced a pincer attack from the two major cities. Even with Feather Clan reinforcements, they weren’t as passive as in the original storyline, but they couldn’t directly confront the two major cities either, only managing to save some people and temporarily retreating to a quieter area to wait and see.

Xie Shuangxue, having played a key role in defusing the situation, naturally faced no penalties as he temporarily returned the two demon-infected Feather Clan members to Floating Dreams Cloud Realm.

When Yu Haiqing arrived, Xie Shuangxue was in his room, facing away as if he knew he was coming, showing no sign of surprise.

“The second phase of the world quest is coming. Is there anything you want, Ah Xue?” Yu Haiqing asked as his first concern. “If there is, just tell me. Don’t hesitate.”

He was speaking when he saw Xie Shuangxue turn around. Knowing that his game model had matured and having seen pictures of the grown-up Ah Xue from the live stream, Yu Haiqing was still taken aback when he faced him directly.

Xie Shuangxue removed the crown symbolizing the Golden Feather Envoy, letting his black hair cascade down, then stepped forward and hugged him naturally as before.

His falling hair brushed against Yu Haiqing’s cheek and neck, tickling him.

“I don’t want anything,” Xie Shuangxue said, “But you look very tired today.”

“This time, you don’t need to worry about me.”

“I worry about you too.”

Yu Haiqing found himself at a loss for words.

He felt again that Ah Xue and 009 were indeed the same person.

Once you trust someone, their heart is gentle, as before.

Gou Yuan always thought he was abandoned, that the other couldn’t share hardships, but Yu Haiqing knew it wasn’t so. The last messages he received about 009 weren’t of harm or disdain, just that he didn’t understand at the time.

“Yu Haiqing, I know it wasn’t you.”

“It’s okay, you left, and they won’t hurt you anymore, they won’t have time to hurt anyone. I’ll handle it.”

“You can go and strive for a new world.”

“I believe in you.”

This wasn’t a breakup but encouragement, yet the other had indeed disappeared.

Yu Haiqing had tried to find them but couldn’t. He didn’t understand those messages then, but he does now.

Looking back with this knowledge, if Xie Shuangxue hadn’t intervened, and Firefly’s holographic game had launched under Father Bai, it would have dominated the market early, affecting the holographic gaming industry.

If they had then suppressed Endless Sea, it wouldn’t have risen so quickly, and Gods and Demon might have been wiped out without ever meeting players.

So when he told Gou Yuan that without that person, there would be no Endless Sea, it wasn’t an exaggeration but a stark reality.

Xie Shuangxue not only avenged his teacher but truly brought him opportunities.

Yu Haiqing was also relieved that after establishing Endless Sea, he never slackened nor forgot his promise to his teacher, managing to retrieve Firefly’s achievements and ensuring they were put to good use.

Endless Sea had been steadily expanding. A few months back, he finally had the financial means and capability to completely assimilate a huge stockpile of shares, serendipitously finding the chip carrying Xie Shuangxue.

Knowing that the degradation of machinery is irreversible, Yu Haiqing still felt scared thinking about it.

If he had been a few years later, the entire machine would have been scrapped, and Xie Shuangxue inside would have suffered fatal damage, never waking again.

Fate was unfair to both of them, but fortunately, there was a day of reunion.

Unaware of all this, Xie Shuangxue didn’t know what Yu Haiqing was thinking, merely offering comfort instinctively.

He was always good at saying beautiful things, but also very sensitive, sensing the other’s unrest from the embrace.

Perhaps it was the strain of competing outside.

As for Xie Shuangxue himself, he was satisfied with today’s plot changes, with players’ reactions all within his expectations. He just comforted the person in his arms for a while, not thinking too much beyond that.

He might not have thought much, but the longer Yu Haiqing held him, the more his thoughts wandered.