My Unconventional Online Romance - Chapter 4

Lian Qiushui sat down confidently, as if this were her own territory, showing no awareness of being an outsider.

Xiao Nianyuan glanced at her and instinctively shifted half a meter away before slowly settling onto the grass. Her movements were light, as though she feared drawing attention.

The game’s time mirrored reality, and now the sky was pitch black, the plains bathed in faint starlight. The surroundings were so quiet that only the sound of the wind remained.

Xiao Nianyuan looked up at the sky, feeling an unusual sense of relaxation. Since childhood, the night skies she had seen were either utterly dark or obscured by clouds—never as serene and softly starlit as this.

Lian Qiushui, too, was no longer as chatty as before, instead sitting quietly beside her. The silence comforted Xiao Nianyuan; at least she didn’t have to expend energy responding to the other’s enthusiasm.

The unease from her earlier nightmare had long since dissipated. Xiao Nianyuan rarely stayed awake this late, yet now she felt wide awake. She couldn’t tell whether it was the lingering adrenaline from the nightmare or the novelty of the game still at play.

But she soon stopped overthinking it. For now, she was happy—that was enough.

After hesitating, Xiao Nianyuan finally asked, “What do you usually do in the game?”

Lian Qiushui leaned back, propping herself up with her hands, and replied leisurely, “When there’s nothing to do, I just zone out.”

Xiao Nianyuan pursed her lips before pressing further, “And when there is something to do?”

Lian Qiushui chuckled. “What could there be to do now? No one comes looking for me.”

It was the first day of the game’s beta test, and players were few and far between—NPCs vastly outnumbered them. Most players preferred exploring the world over interacting with NPCs.

Xiao Nianyuan felt a little awkward. She had initially thought Lian Qiushui’s claim—that she was the first person she had met—was just a ploy to keep her in the game. But now, she wasn’t so sure.

She glanced at the distance between them. Even in real life, she wouldn’t sit this far away while talking to a stranger.

Though this was their second meeting, their interactions still felt like those of strangers. Or rather, it was Xiao Nianyuan who treated Lian Qiushui as one.

A voice in her mind urged her to move closer, but reason held her back. Lian Qiushui was an NPC. She didn’t know if the game was being monitored or if staff were observing player behavior. If she were seen getting too close to an NPC, she might be labeled as odd.

As these thoughts raced through Xiao Nianyuan’s mind, Lian Qiushui remained oblivious. All she saw was Xiao Nianyuan staring blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

“Don’t you plan on sleeping?” Lian Qiushui asked.

Xiao Nianyuan snapped out of it and shook her head. “I’m not tired.”

Lian Qiushui nodded. “I can keep you company. We can talk about anything.”

Xiao Nianyuan lowered her head, absentmindedly plucking at the grass. At a loss, she tossed the question back. “What do you want to talk about?”

Lian Qiushui hesitated. “Really, anything? I’m afraid you might not be interested.”

Xiao Nianyuan gave an awkward smile. “How would you know I wouldn’t listen if you haven’t even started?”

An NPC worrying so much—now that was unusual.

Lian Qiushui glanced at her and smiled, “I can tell at a glance you’re not the type who enjoys chatting too much.” She paused, a hint of grievance flashing across her face, “When we first met, didn’t you completely ignore me?”

Xiao Nianyuan opened her mouth to retort but ultimately closed it again. Lian Qiushui wasn’t wrong—she had indeed avoided Lian Qiushui’s enthusiasm back then. Anyone would steer clear when faced with such sudden warmth from a stranger.

Xiao Nianyuan didn’t think she’d done anything wrong at the time and couldn’t be bothered to explain. She simply murmured, “It’s different now.”

Lian Qiushui naturally scooted closer to Xiao Nianyuan.

Xiao Nianyuan glanced at the arm’s length still between them but said nothing, quietly waiting for Lian Qiushui to speak.

If Lian Qiushui could genuinely convince her to keep playing, Xiao Nianyuan felt she might not mind continuing. Her experience with this game character had been decent so far, even though she couldn’t remember why she’d signed up for the beta test in the first place.

Lian Qiushui blinked. “I know a special place—I’d like to take you there.”

Xiao Nianyuan hesitated, then nodded. “Alright.”

Lian Qiushui stood up and pointed into the distance. “When you first entered the game, you were at Sky City, preparing to descend.”

Xiao Nianyuan nodded.

Back then, as the crowd grew, she’d hurried away. She had no idea what happened afterward. Now, hearing Lian Qiushui mention it, curiosity stirred within her.

What exactly was this so-called Sky City? And what did those children mean by “those who haven’t seen Sky City aren’t blessed by the gods”?

Xiao Nianyuan remembered the game was initially advertised as wuxia-themed, yet now there were such fantastical elements—the dissonance was jarring.

Hearing her thoughts, Lian Qiushui suddenly laughed.

Xiao Nianyuan looked at her, puzzled.

Lian Qiushui explained, “Those are just tales made up by kids. Don’t take them seriously.”

Xiao Nianyuan probed, “How do you know they’re lies?”

Lian Qiushui cleared her throat and said solemnly, “I’m an NPC—of course I know the ins and outs of this place.”

Xiao Nianyuan repeated, “An NPC in the game,” then asked, “So you’re saying you know everything?”

Just as she was about to press further, Lian Qiushui raised a hand in an X gesture. “What I know isn’t necessarily something I can tell you.”

Xiao Nianyuan let out an “Oh,” feeling somewhat disappointed. She’d hoped to get some answers but had been shut down again.

She wasn’t usually the curious type, but now she found herself intrigued by the game’s final boss.

Modern games often featured a mysterious antagonist to retain players. This villain might not be someone players defeated during their journey—it could be a seemingly kind character who suddenly turned into the ultimate boss.

Xiao Nianyuan disliked this trope.

She played games for enjoyment, not to experience betrayal. Too often, game developers seemed to sacrifice unnecessary characters just to wring tears from players.

“However,” Lian Qiushui added, “if you spend a few more days with me, I might accidentally let slip some things I shouldn’t say.”

Xiao Nianyuan was silent for a moment before responding slowly, “You’re really going all out to keep me in the game. Is this a task programmed into you?”

Lian Qiushui pouted. “No, I genuinely want you to play with me.”

Xiao Nianyuan nodded in agreement on the surface, but inwardly dismissed the idea.

How could an NPC possibly have independent consciousness? Wanting her to stay was most likely just part of its programmed task.

Lian Qiushui stood up, brushing grass clippings from her hands, and said proudly, “If you have anything on your mind, you can tell me. I’m an NPC—I’d never leak your secrets.”

Xiao Nianyuan raised an eyebrow. “Weren’t you just saying you might accidentally spill something?”

Lian Qiushui’s lips twitched as she explained, “I’d keep my mouth shut about your business.”

Xiao Nianyuan pressed further, “Then how can you guarantee that?”

Lian Qiushui scratched her head, momentarily at a loss for words.

She pointed at herself and countered, “How do you want me to guarantee it?”

Xiao Nianyuan sighed.

An NPC whose data could be deleted at any moment—Lian Qiushui couldn’t possibly give her a reliable promise.

“I’m logging off,” Xiao Nianyuan said, checking the time. Though she had no classes the next day, she really couldn’t stay up all night.

Lian Qiushui reached out to steady her, letting go once she was balanced, and asked hopefully, “Will you log in again tomorrow?”

“Not sure,” Xiao Nianyuan replied, unwilling to give a definite answer.

“What about later? Will you ever log in again?” Lian Qiushui rephrased the question.

Xiao Nianyuan hesitated—she couldn’t promise that either.

Lian Qiushui sighed in disappointment. “Guess I’ll be alone again from now on.”

“The game just launched yesterday,” Xiao Nianyuan said helplessly. Lian Qiushui’s words made her feel like some heartless villain, even though they’d only interacted for less than an hour.

“Just promise me,” Lian Qiushui pleaded, staring into her eyes. “Take pity on me and come back to see me, okay?”

Xiao Nianyuan closed her eyes briefly before finally relenting. “Fine. If I have time, I’ll log in to visit you.”

It wasn’t hard for her to log in occasionally. She didn’t have much going on anyway, and she could just boot up the device whenever she felt like it—consider it a thanks for Lian Qiushui keeping her company tonight.

Just as she was thinking this, Xiao Nianyuan suddenly froze, staring sharply at Lian Qiushui. She kept forgetting that Lian Qiushui was an NPC. No matter how much she reminded herself, Lian Qiushui felt too vivid, too much like a real person.

By the time Xiao Nianyuan logged off, it was already very late. Her roommates were fast asleep, so she carefully removed her device, stored it away, and climbed into bed. Closing her eyes, she drifted off almost immediately.

For the first time in a long while, she slept straight through until morning without any dreams. When she woke up, she felt refreshed, almost disoriented as she stared at the bed canopy.

Her roommates had already gotten ready and left. Xiao Nianyuan had a quick breakfast and started her day.

During university, she’d taken on a part-time job out of boredom. She didn’t want to be somewhere too crowded, but she also knew people couldn’t completely isolate themselves from social interaction. So she chose to work as a library assistant.

The job was easy. Most of the time, no one needed her help—students usually solved their own problems and only sought out the full-time librarians as a last resort.

Xiao Nianyuan had stuck with it for a while, and indeed, very few people approached her. Today, as usual, she was checking whether books had been returned to their proper shelves.

Some students forgot to put books back in the right place, shoving them wherever was convenient. That was when Xiao Nianyuan had to step in.

She was in the middle of organizing when someone suddenly blocked her path. She was about to move around them when the person called out to her.

“Xiao Nian Yuan?”

Xiao Nianyuan looked up in surprise at Ji Rongxue.

Ji Rongxue was holding a book and seemed equally startled to see Xiao Nianyuan. She spoke first, “What are you doing here?”