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Resting is impossible. In the afternoon, Mo Qi has to go to the exhibition hall to prepare for the art exhibition. She also needs to get ready for the final exams to compete for scholarships, and during the summer vacation, she plans to work to earn money for next semester’s living expenses.
Can’t points be exchanged for money? She has accumulated 8,000 points. Mo Qi opens the game with hopeful anticipation.
There isn’t an option to exchange points for money. There’s only an option to draw cards with points. Drawing a single R-level card costs 11 points, while a ten-card draw costs 100 points and guarantees at least one R card. The other nine cards are likely to be blank or fragments of SR cards, with a chance to obtain two or three R cards.
Drawing a single SR-level card costs 110 points, while a ten-card draw costs 1000 points. The ten-card draw guarantees at least one SR item card, with the remaining nine cards being R-level item cards. With good luck, it’s also possible to draw two SR cards or even SSR cards.
He desperately cleared an SSR-level mission just to earn 8,000 points, while Xiang Zhuo mentioned that SR-level missions only yield a total of 1,000 points. No wonder he looked so distressed borrowing those two item cards.
A new message notification appeared on Mo Qi’s friend list, and it happened to be from Xiang Zhuo:
“Mo Qi, you owe me one R card and one SR card. According to the system’s card-drawing rules, an R card costs 100 points, and an SR card costs 1000 points. However, my SR card is a reward from completing a mission, with minimal side effects and higher value than regular SR cards. I value it at 2000 points, totaling 2100 points.”
Just as Mo Qi returned to reality, someone came to collect debts. She hadn’t expected that this game could also serve as a messaging app in real life.
Mo Qi despised the feeling of owing money. When her father had just passed away, there were always people at home demanding debts. She understood their anxiety, but it also left a psychological shadow on her.
After looking into the transfer method, she meticulously transferred all 2100 points owed. Her account balance was now reduced to 5900 points.
Xiang Zhuo: “You actually paid it back! I thought you might dodge it. It’s really hard to find other players in reality; there’s no way to collect debts here. If we don’t team up in the next world before we’re assigned, there’s no guarantee we’ll end up in the same place. Plus, if either of us gets banned in the next world, this debt will be forgotten forever.”
Mo Qi: “Are you suggesting I can owe points without paying them back?”
Xiang Zhuo: “Isn’t this just expressing your sincerity? How about teaming up in the next world? I think you’re quite trustworthy.”
Mo Qi: “Let’s talk about that later.”
It turns out that repaying points in the game is such a difficult task. Xiang Zhuo must have taken a significant risk when he lent Mo Qi those items.
Mo Qi closed the dialogue box, navigated within the game, and found the card drawing interface. Without much thought, she did three ten-draws in the R card pool, obtaining two Clue Detectors and one Memory Modification Card. R cards mostly consist of support-type cards without much attack power, typically used for completing missions.
The Memory Modification Card is indeed the item used by the two players to alter Guo Mingzheng’s memory previously. It’s a disposable item meant for ordinary people, ineffective on players. It can alter an ordinary person’s perception of a certain matter, but the downside is that the player using this item will unintentionally leak information once during a conversation with other players. Players cannot overcome this slip of the tongue through willpower.
No wonder during the eavesdropping on Guo Mingzheng’s conversation with the male player, the male player frequently leaked some useful information about Mo Qi. At the time, Mo Qi thought these two players weren’t cautious enough, only to realize now the negative effect of the item.
The negative effects in this game do seem to catch players off guard from time to time. Mo Qi recalled the persistent headache caused by that plant that kept trying to use her as nourishment.
Speaking of negative effects reminded her of another person she couldn’t avoid thinking about. Mo Qi had to go to the exhibition hall to help out, but she really didn’t want to see Liao Ruxue.
While the campus had returned to its former state as he had wished, the same might not be said for Liao Ruxue. His ultimate desire was likely to remember everything that happened in the game forever, and those memories would carry over into reality.
Fortunately, Mo Qi’s charming aura has disappeared in reality, so the negative effects should be gone as well, right? Perhaps Liao Ruxue only remembers what happened but won’t bear ill will again.
Sure enough, shortly after, Mo Qi received a message from Liao Ruxue asking for help with the exhibition. Mo Qi quickly finished her meal, reminding herself that everything was for the scholarship, and resignedly headed to the exhibition hall.
In the exhibition hall, Liao Ruxue was hanging a painting with a few classmates. It depicted a girl in white clothes feeding pigeons in a square, conveying a beautiful and gentle atmosphere. The girl’s face was partially obscured by her hair, but from the clothing and hairstyle, it was clear that the person in the painting was Xiang Wansi.
Mo Qi walked over and glanced at the bottom right corner. The artist was still Min Shihua.
Everything resembled the game in certain aspects, yet in subtle ways, it was entirely different, making Mo Qi deeply feel the reality around her.
“Artworks can reflect the emotions of their creators. When you look at this painting, do you feel the friendship between the two girls?” Liao Ruxue stood with hands behind his back, asking Mo Qi as they faced the painting.
“I don’t have an artistic bone in my body, I can’t see much,” Mo Qi replied. “Min Shihua’s painting is placed prominently at the center of the exhibition. It seems to be the school’s highest-rated work. Can it be sold?”
Liao Ruxue pushed his glasses and looked at Mo Qi with a refined expression, shaking his head in resignation. “You’re good at everything, except you’re too oppressed by life to appreciate the flowers at your feet.”
“You’re always so preachy,” Mo Qi rolled up her sleeves. “Alright, what do you need me to do?”
“You… go over there and help move some of the heavier exhibits. I wouldn’t dare entrust the important ones to you,” Liao Ruxue replied.
His demeanor was unchanged, and Mo Qi couldn’t discern his thoughts for the moment. Liao Ruxue was always deep in his thoughts, capable of maintaining composure even while holding a deboning knife. Regardless of how normal he appeared, it was wise to stay cautious around him.
After a busy afternoon, Mo Qi was exhausted, sweat dripping down her forehead.
“Have some water and wipe off the sweat,” Liao Ruxue handed out wet wipes and bottles of mineral water to each student.
When Mo Qi took the bottle of water, she felt Liao Ruxue’s fingers brush over the back of her hand. She drank the entire bottle in one go, wiping the sweat from her forehead and the back of her neck with the wet wipes.
Leaning against Mo Qi as they walked, Liao Ruxue casually picked a strand of hair from Mo Qi’s temple. “Your hair has gotten long.”
Mo Qi felt Liao Ruxue’s fingertip brush past her ear. She squeezed the empty mineral water bottle tightly, turning her head to look at him.
Liao Ruxue smiled faintly. “Your bangs are covering your eyes. Won’t it affect your reading and studying? You’re aiming for the scholarship this semester, right? Your grades can’t afford to slip.”
Mo Qi resisted the urge to smash the flattened mineral water bottle on Liao Ruxue’s face and replied patiently, “President Liao, as long as you don’t cause trouble, I can secure the first-class scholarship.”
Liao Ruxue nodded. “Hmm, I won’t cause trouble.”
At this point, Mo Qi was certain that Liao Ruxue retained memories from the game, but she couldn’t determine if he was still affected by the negative effects.
“President Liao, life is tough; we should cherish it,” Mo Qi said earnestly, “especially after experiencing something once, you should understand this.”
Instead of directly answering Mo Qi’s question, Liao Ruxue said, “I’ve sent you the schedule for the day after tomorrow’s exhibition. Take a look and see if it will interfere with your study schedule. If it does, you don’t have to come.”
Mo Qi was never fond of participating in events with too many people. He preferred to keep a low profile and handle logistics work without seeking attention.
Just as he unlocked his phone screen, Mo Qi caught a glimpse of Liao Ruxue’s right hand reaching over and quickly moved aside to avoid it. However, Liao Ruxue’s right hand was just a feint. As Mo Qi focused on his right hand, Liao Ruxue swiftly used his left hand to slide across Mo Qi’s phone.
“Mysterious Domain Cards,” Liao Ruxue immediately spotted the distinctive app on Mo Qi’s screen.
“Liao Ruxue!” Mo Qi snapped his phone shut, visibly angry.
Unperturbed by Mo Qi’s anger, Liao Ruxue leaned in close and whispered, “Mo Qi, are you afraid of this game?”
“Not exactly afraid, but I don’t think it’s a good thing either. Now that you’re back on campus, you should cherish this precious life,” Mo Qi replied firmly.
Liao Ruxue casually rested his arm on the windowsill, a slight smile playing on his lips, revealing a content expression. “I don’t see it that way. Forgetting the feeling of brushing past death in the game, forgetting the sensation of using life as a stake at the gambling table, it’s just too difficult.”
He took out his phone, right in front of Mo Qi, and searched for “Mysterious Domain Cards” app in the app store, proceeding to download it.
“I knew I could join the game,” Liao Ruxue remarked, watching the download progress bar. “I remember everything, which is a threat to the game. To solve this problem, the best way is to make me a player too, to contain me within the rules.”
Mo Qi didn’t intervene. If Liao Ruxue wanted to court danger, even if Mo Qi stopped him once, Liao Ruxue would still find a way to download the game where Mo Qi couldn’t see.
Moreover, Mo Qi recalled something: the torn sketch from the painting had once fallen on Liao Ruxue, whether by coincidence or design.
Seeing Mo Qi didn’t intervene, Liao Ruxue also lost interest. He set his phone aside, letting the game download slowly.
Mo Qi realized that Liao Ruxue seemed to be constantly provoking him, so he said, “Your feelings and hostility towards me in the game are probably just skills at work. They shouldn’t affect you in reality.”
“Guess again,” Liao Ruxue replied.
“Can’t guess, I have classes this afternoon. I need to get my books from the dorm,” Mo Qi paused, then reminded Liao Ruxue, “Be prepared once you draw your attribute card, as it will immediately activate the game.”
“Mo Qi, President Liao, what game are you guys talking about?” a student overheard their conversation and asked.
“It’s nothing. I’m off to class,” Mo Qi replied curtly.
As he walked past the artificial lake outside the exhibition hall, Mo Qi encountered a couple passing by—Ke Xiaoxi and Guo Mingzheng.
“That student who ran for someone else actually stepped up to take the disciplinary warning with Qi Qiaoyan. And there are others volunteering for penalties, what’s wrong with them?” Mo Qi overheard Ke Xiaoxi indignantly saying. “The counselor even called me in, saying Qi Qiaoyan has to move out of the dorm, and they warned me not to bully her again. They’re even deducting my ideological and political education scores this year. It’s outrageous!”
Guo Mingzheng was consoling her, and neither of them glanced at Mo Qi throughout their conversation.
At that moment, Mo Qi’s phone vibrated. It was a message from Liao Ruxue.
Liao Ruxue: [I forgot to mention earlier, the school discovered that Wen Miao maliciously defamed other students on an anonymous forum. They’re preparing to revoke her position as the head of the publicity department and take disciplinary action against her. Also, this morning I went to see Fan Ting and suggested she report to the police for protection. I hope she takes my advice. I’m off to choose a mission now. Hope we can meet again.]
Mo Qi looked up at the azure sky and smiled softly.
“Some challenges, if you can’t get through them, are like an endless hell; if you do, they’re like the boundless sky.”