My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 46

Lian Qiushui seemed surprised that Xiao Nianyuan would ask her for it and evaded the question, saying, “It’s precisely because it’s not something important that I can’t give it to you.”

Xiao Nianyuan replied gently, “But I like it.”

Lian Qiushui fell silent. She was willing to find anything Xiao Nianyuan liked—except for this leaf.

“If you don’t want to give it to me, I won’t force you,” Xiao Nianyuan said, pressing her lips together. “But I don’t want you to lie to me.”

In the past, all the gifts had been given by Lian Qiushui willingly. Xiao Nianyuan had never asked for anything before. Even if Lian Qiushui stopped giving her things, she wouldn’t have minded. But she couldn’t accept being deceived.

Deception—that was the one thing she could never forgive in this lifetime.

“I didn’t mean to lie to you.” Lian Qiushui was genuinely flustered now. It had been a long time since she’d seen Xiao Nianyuan so cold. Even when they first met, Xiao Nianyuan’s aloofness hadn’t been this icy.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t force you,” Xiao Nianyuan made her stance clear. “You could’ve just told me you didn’t want to say.”

Lian Qiushui had plenty of chances to explain that she couldn’t—or didn’t want to—tell her. Instead, she had claimed the matter wasn’t important.

Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t blind, nor was she a fool. Whatever Lian Qiushui was doing was clearly significant.

“I was just afraid of disappointing you if I failed,” Lian Qiushui admitted, pulling out the leaf. The ordinary-looking leaf suddenly transformed into a shimmering golden one. “This can grant one of my wishes.”

The leaf was something Lian Qiushui had exchanged for with her in-game points—a hefty sum at that. Whether it could actually fulfill a wish depended on probability. For instance, wishing for a house wouldn’t be difficult for the game system, but wishing to play as a player would be outright impossible.

For NPCs, buying a house wasn’t particularly useful either. Most wishes the leaf could grant were things NPCs could achieve on their own, so few bothered exchanging for it.

Even after obtaining the leaf, Lian Qiushui wasn’t entirely sure it could lead her to Sky City. Before even trying, she had already assumed the odds were slim—which was why she hadn’t wanted Xiao Nianyuan to know.

After hearing her explanation, Xiao Nianyuan closed her eyes, overwhelmed by an indescribable ache.

“Earning points isn’t easy for you. You shouldn’t go this far for me.”

Xiao Nianyuan didn’t know the exact criteria for earning points, but she remembered Lian Qiushui mentioning how difficult it was. This leaf was expensive, and there was no guarantee it would even work. It was practically throwing money into the wind—how could she not feel heartbroken? Even more painful was Lian Qiushui’s devotion.

Lian Qiushui wanted to tell her she didn’t mind, but seeing Xiao Nianyuan’s distressed expression, she relented. “I won’t do this again.”

If Xiao Nianyuan wanted her to take better care of herself, then she would.

Even if Lian Qiushui didn’t entirely agree with Xiao Nianyuan’s reasoning, she would listen if it made her happy.

Having spent so much time with Lian Qiushui, Xiao Nianyuan could easily read her thoughts. She knew Lian Qiushui was compromising again.

Realizing she couldn’t change her mind, Xiao Nianyuan didn’t press further. Some changes had to come gradually.

Instead, she asked, “Now, think about it—is there anything else you want for yourself?”

Lian Qiushui had just opened her mouth to speak when Xiao Nianyuan preempted her: “Don’t let it be about me.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Lian Qiushui asked hesitantly, “Really can’t be about you?”

Xiao Nianyuan nodded. Though she knew Lian Qiushui was an NPC, to her, Lian Qiushui was no longer just a character in the game. She didn’t want her to be like the other NPCs—devoid of individuality.

The idea of wanting an NPC to have a sense of self struck Xiao Nianyuan as absurd, yet she didn’t find it laughable. In fact, she thought it was rather nice.

To her, Lian Qiushui had always been one-of-a-kind, irreplaceable.

“Or maybe in a couple of days, I might invite my friends to play with me.”

Lian Qiushui asked, somewhat dejected, “What about me?”

Xiao Nianyuan chuckled. “You’ll join us too.”

The issue with the photos had been resolved, and Tan Xialan and the others would continue playing the game. Though Xiao Nianyuan had kept it from them, she knew they’d find out eventually.

It was better to come clean now rather than face the awkwardness of them discovering it later.

Lian Qiushui felt uneasy, though she couldn’t quite explain why. She simply didn’t like the idea of Xiao Nianyuan playing with others. But wasn’t that selfish of her?

Disapproving of herself yet still wishing Xiao Nianyuan’s friends wouldn’t come around too often, Lian Qiushui even hoped—if possible—that she could be Xiao Nianyuan’s only best friend.

This conflicted with her earlier desire for Xiao Nianyuan to have more friends. Frustrated, she muttered, “I know what I want to wish for with the leaf now.”

Surprised, Xiao Nianyuan asked, “What do you want to wish for?”

“Not telling you,” Lian Qiushui pouted.

Xiao Nianyuan wasn’t upset by her refusal. Instead, she felt a flicker of happiness. “Alright, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to. It’s good that you can make your own decisions.”

It seemed Lian Qiushui had taken her words to heart, even if only a little.

Xiao Nianyuan wanted to see what would happen when Lian Qiushui made her wish, but to her surprise, Lian Qiushui urged her to leave. “I want to make the wish alone. I don’t want you watching.”

Xiao Nianyuan: “…”

This sudden assertiveness left her unsure whether it was a good or bad thing.

In the end, Xiao Nianyuan respected Lian Qiushui’s choice and let her make the wish alone. She then logged off, preparing to come clean to Tan Xialan and the others.

Early the next morning, only Tan Xialan was in the dorm. Seeing Xiao Nianyuan climb down from her bed, Tan Xialan spoke before she could ask: “She went to see Ji Rongxue.”

After a pause, she added, “I’m going later. Do you want to come?”

Tan Xialan remembered Ji Rongxue didn’t want Xiao Nianyuan to visit, but she thought Ji Rongxue’s attitude was unfair. After all the concern she’d shown for Xiao Nianyuan before, this sudden change worried Tan Xialan—she feared Ji Rongxue might be overthinking things.

In Tan Xialan’s world, nothing couldn’t be resolved through open conversation. Sitting down and talking things out always led to reconciliation.

“I’ll go with you. I actually have something to tell you all too.”

Before visiting Ji Rongxue, Xiao Nianyuan and the others bought some gifts to bring along.

Daily necessities should have already been prepared by Du Xiaotong for Ji Rongxue, so they just bought some supplements—things like calcium tablets, milk powder, and bl00d-nourishing products—basically getting a bit of everything.

On the way, Tan Xialan kept looking at Xiao Nianyuan as if she had something to say but hesitated multiple times. In the end, Xiao Nianyuan took the initiative to ask, “Do you have something to tell me?”

Tan Xialan said awkwardly, “I… I do have something to say, but I don’t know if you’ll get mad.”

“I’m not that quick to anger,” Xiao Nianyuan replied helplessly. “Do I seem that scary to you all?”

“Of course not!” Tan Xialan shook her head repeatedly. “It’s just… I think this might upset you.”

She stammered for a moment before continuing in a hushed voice under Xiao Nianyuan’s gaze, “Ji Rongxue… has always cared a lot about you. I don’t know if you were aware.”