My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 33

Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong were chatting and didn’t notice Ji Rongxue’s expression, but Xiao Nianyuan had been watching Ji Rongxue and noticed her complexion looked rather pale.

Thinking Ji Rongxue might be feeling unwell, Xiao Nianyuan was about to speak when Ji Rongxue spoke first: “For the next couple days, try to stay in crowded areas and avoid walking alone.”

Tan Xialan quickly chimed in: “Yes, don’t be by yourself—it’d be too easy for that bad person to target you.”

They hadn’t told Xiao Nianyuan about her photos being stolen and misused, only advising her to be careful for her own safety.

But Xiao Nianyuan already knew what was happening. She was puzzled—why didn’t they consider the possibility that the person was simply using her photos to scam money?

Had she asked, Tan Xialan and the others would have immediately responded: “If it was just about money, why scam such small amounts? It’s not even enough to file a police report.”

Xiao Nianyuan hadn’t examined the post closely enough to notice that the scammer always kept the amounts below the threshold for legal action—never exceeding the reportable limit. There was even one instance where someone offered a more expensive gift, which the scammer genuinely refused, not as some coy act. Later offers of pricier gifts were similarly declined.

Whenever the cumulative value of gifts approached the reportable limit, the scammer would consistently refuse, even if subsequent offers were of lower value.

Of course, those were details Xiao Nianyuan would learn later. For now, she assumed the scammer was using her photos purely for financial gain. If that was the case, she wanted to lure them out.

The scammer might still be targeting unsuspecting victims, so Xiao Nianyuan had Zhongli Rong act as bait to try and draw them out. Despite Zhongli Rong’s initial impulsiveness, once she calmed down, she quickly grasped the situation. She was clever enough, and Xiao Nianyuan trusted she could handle it. Even if she couldn’t succeed entirely, she might at least uncover some clues.

–

Xiao Nianyuan had been in a bad mood these past few days, and Lian Qiushui noticed. She became much quieter than usual when around Xiao Nianyuan, though she didn’t skimp on the usual gifts. To cheer Xiao Nianyuan up, she kept bringing her anything nice she came across.

Seeing Lian Qiushui bustling around like a busy little hamster amused and exasperated Xiao Nianyuan in equal measure.

Lian Qiushui really didn’t seem like a typical game NPC—otherwise, why would she only revolve around Xiao Nianyuan? Was she an NPC specifically assigned to her?

Lian Qiushui took Xiao Nianyuan’s words to heart. When Xiao Nianyuan asked her to keep an eye on the forums, Lian Qiushui diligently noted everything she saw. It was then that Xiao Nianyuan realized the scammer had been carefully controlling the amounts they took.

After a moment of silence, Xiao Nianyuan asked Lian Qiushui, “Why do you think they’re using my photos to scam people?”

Lian Qiushui gave a wry smile. “I wish I knew.”

She was just an NPC—she didn’t even know about Xiao Nianyuan’s real life. The thought made her expression fall.

They were still in the bamboo grove, sitting together on a stone. Lian Qiushui lay back, and Xiao Nianyuan looked down at her.

Lian Qiushui sighed. “I wish I weren’t an NPC.”

Xiao Nianyuan asked, “If you weren’t an NPC, what would you want to do?”

Lian Qiushui thought for a moment and said, “I don’t know, but if I weren’t an NPC, I could do many things—like going out to play in the real world instead of always waiting for you to log in.”

“Go out to the real world?” Xiao Nianyuan was surprised and looked Lian Qiushui up and down.

Would an NPC wish to be human? Has AI become so advanced now?

Xiao Nianyuan couldn’t tell whether Lian Qiushui genuinely wished she wasn’t an NPC or if it was just programmed into her to believe that was her own desire.

Lian Qiushui didn’t understand much, but she knew that during the time Xiao Nianyuan was gone, she had been all alone, unable to muster enthusiasm for anything.

Xiao Nianyuan had even told her to seek out other players, but Lian Qiushui knew she wouldn’t find any. Why would other players look for her? She wasn’t strong, wasn’t the prettiest, and had no special purpose—she was just a very ordinary NPC.

Seeing Lian Qiushui remain silent for a long time, Xiao Nianyuan comforted her, “Maybe one day, you won’t be an NPC anymore.”

Lian Qiushui looked at Xiao Nianyuan. The two locked eyes for a moment before Lian Qiushui smiled. “Then I’ll take your words as a blessing.”

Lian Qiushui didn’t understand much, but she knew that the day she stopped being an NPC would be the day she was destroyed.

Maybe it was better to stay an NPC forever.

“Sky City… I might know a way to get there,” Lian Qiushui said softly, sitting up straight. “Although Sky City can’t be reached through normal means, I know another way.”

She trailed off there, and Xiao Nianyuan mouthed, “A bug?”

Lian Qiushui nodded. Xiao Nianyuan’s eyes lit up—if it was a bug, then it didn’t matter. Whether it was left by the programmers or a system loophole, as long as she could reach Sky City, that was enough.

Thinking this, Xiao Nianyuan asked, “How do we get there?”

Lian Qiushui pressed a finger to her lips and whispered, “We have to wait a bit.”

As she spoke, she cautiously glanced around.

Xiao Nianyuan’s heart tightened. She tried calling out to the system in her mind a couple of times, but there was still no response.

It seemed the game still hadn’t fixed the system, but that was just as well—she and Lian Qiushui could secretly figure out a way to Sky City.

Waiting for the system to tell her when she could go to Sky City would be harder than scaling the heavens. If the system didn’t deliberately make things difficult for her, that would already be a blessing. Trusting the system was less reliable than trusting Lian Qiushui.

Because Lian Qiushui claimed to know a way to Sky City, Xiao Nianyuan’s attention immediately shifted from the imposter pretending to be her to the method of reaching Sky City.

Lian Qiushui led Xiao Nianyuan around aimlessly—one moment taking her to the town, the next to the wilderness.

After repeating this several times and confirming nothing was stopping them, Lian Qiushui finally brought Xiao Nianyuan to a cave.

Coincidentally, heavy rain began to pour just then, so they naturally took shelter inside.

Once inside, Lian Qiushui let out a relieved sigh. “If you keep going deeper into this cave, you’ll reach Sky City.”

Xiao Nianyuan stared at the pitch-black cave, skeptical. “How could walking through this cave lead to Sky City?”

It sounded unreliable, but since Lian Qiushui said so, whether it was true or not, Xiao Nianyuan had to try.

Xiao Nianyan took out a fire starter, but the flame flickered and died instantly. After two failed attempts, she confirmed that lighting fires wasn’t permitted here and put it away.

Lian Qiushui promptly explained, “The connection here to the outside world is very weak.”

As she spoke, she suddenly paused before continuing, “You can safely proceed this way.”

Xiao Nianyan asked, “Are you also affected by interference?”

Lian Qiushui smiled. “Of course. Otherwise, how could we evade detection?”

Xiao Nianyan thought it made sense. Lian Qiushui had brought her here to avoid being monitored by the game’s surveillance system. Players weren’t affected by the interference, but from here on, she would have to proceed alone.

As Xiao Nianyan moved forward, she heard Lian Qiushui following her, the faint rustling of footsteps echoing in the darkness. She could no longer see anything—only the sound of Lian Qiushui’s steps remained.

She stopped and hesitated. “Are you coming in too?”

Lian Qiushui replied, “I’ll go with you.”

Xiao Nianyan wavered. “Will you be alright inside?”

Hadn’t Lian Qiushui just told her that she would be affected by interference inside? Why was she still following?

Lian Qiushui said, “It’s fine. I might just react a little slower sometimes.”

Despite her concerns, Xiao Nianyan repeatedly confirmed that Lian Qiushui wouldn’t be in danger before allowing her to accompany her. Lian Qiushui had been so kind to her—if anything happened to her just because Xiao Nianyan wanted to reach Sky City, she would never forgive herself.

She pushed the thought aside. She wouldn’t let anything happen to Lian Qiushui. Lian Qiushui shouldn’t come to harm.

The cave was pitch black. Xiao Nianyan groped along the wall, but the uneven ground made the journey difficult. She stumbled several times, nearly tripping. Just as she was about to fall again, a hand caught her by the waist before gently taking hold of hers.

Lian Qiushui’s voice came through the darkness. “I’ll guide you.”

“You can see?”

“No, but it’s alright.” Lian Qiushui’s voice carried a hint of amusement. “My status is different. It doesn’t matter if I fall.”

Xiao Nianyan pressed her lips together. Lian Qiushui meant that, as an NPC, falling wouldn’t affect her. But Xiao Nianyan was just a player—she could leave this world anytime. She was the one who didn’t truly matter.

Yet Lian Qiushui still cared for her. The feeling was strange, and even the warmth of Lian Qiushui’s hand in hers carried an odd intensity.

Xiao Nianyan tightened her grip slightly. The two supported each other as they pressed forward. Time blurred—she had no idea how long they had been walking.

Since entering the cave, many functions had stopped working. She couldn’t access the system interface, nor could she log out of the game. There was no choice but to keep moving forward.

Lian Qiushui, perhaps sensing her unease, spoke up from time to time.

“Are you afraid of the dark? If you are, we can walk faster.”

“A little,” Xiao Nianyan admitted.

A long pause followed before Lian Qiushui finally responded, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”

Her reactions had slowed significantly. At first, she could converse smoothly, but now, it took her a long time to reply to even the simplest statements.

Xiao Nianyan sighed softly. Lian Qiushui really did resemble the NPCs from older games—prone to lagging and delayed responses. At least she wasn’t spouting nonsense or answering unrelated questions.

Xiao Nianyuan sighed. After a long silence, Lian Qiushui finally asked her, “What’s wrong?”

Xiao Nianyuan didn’t want to communicate with Lian Qiushui like this. The current Lian Qiushui seemed like a completely different person from the one she knew—it felt jarringly disconnected.

“Nothing, let’s walk faster.”

Once they left this place, Lian Qiushui would probably return to her usual self, no longer delayed like communication in the early days of its invention.

Lian Qiushui’s reactions were sluggish, taking a long time to process what was happening with Xiao Nianyuan.

Suddenly, Xiao Nianyuan didn’t want to speak to her anymore—because her responses were too slow.

A pang of sadness struck Lian Qiushui. Logically, she should have stayed quiet and followed Xiao Nianyuan’s lead, but perhaps influenced by the cave, she blurted out without thinking, “I’m sorry… it’s because I’m an NPC.”