My Unconventional Online Dating - Chapter 50

The person before her remained still, and Xiao Nianyuan began to suspect. At first, she thought Lian Qiushui couldn’t feel pain, but now it seemed less like numbness and more like stubborn endurance. She gripped Lian Qiushui’s shoulders and turned her around—only to find her eyes brimming with tears.

Xiao Nianyuan: “…I thought you said it didn’t hurt?”

Lian Qiushui stubbornly insisted: “It doesn’t. The water’s just too hot.”

Xiao Nianyuan sighed. The hot spring water was indeed warm, but they had been soaking for so long—using that excuse now was flimsy at best.

“Tell me the truth,” Xiao Nianyuan said softly, wiping away her tears.

A second ago, Lian Qiushui had been racking her brain for a way to change the subject, but the moment Xiao Nianyuan’s hand touched her, her mind blanked. Without thinking, she blurted out: “Strong people don’t complain about pain from back scrubs.”

“Where did you learn that?” Xiao Nianyuan was mildly exasperated. She could guess it was probably hardcoded into her programming, but she still had to ask. She refused to believe Lian Qiushui had picked it up from someone else—after all, she didn’t have anyone else to interact with yet.

Lian Qiushui stayed silent. Xiao Nianyuan didn’t press her, speaking gently instead: “You can do whatever you want. Don’t overthink it.”

Though her first instincts might still be dictated by her programming, Xiao Nianyuan hoped Lian Qiushui wouldn’t have to overanalyze everything. Even a silly NPC was better than one who hesitated at every step, weighed down by endless considerations.

A pang of melancholy struck Xiao Nianyuan. She sighed and patted Lian Qiushui’s shoulder. “If it hurts, just tell me. I won’t stop playing with you just because you’re sensitive to pain.”

Lian Qiushui pouted, leaning pitifully against Xiao Nianyuan’s shoulder. “It really hurt.”

“I did it on purpose,” Xiao Nianyuan said, patting her back. “If you want something, you have to say it.”

“I will, I will—I’ll say everything from now on.” Lian Qiushui’s head felt dizzy, probably from soaking too long.

Footsteps echoed from the entrance, accompanied by Tan Xialan’s excited voice: “The squad’s finally all here!”

Lian Qiushui lifted her head and, before Xiao Nianyuan could react, quickly put distance between them. She remembered Xiao Nianyuan’s words—she didn’t want her roommate to see this side of her, so Lian Qiushui would help keep it hidden.

Xiao Nianyuan, however, felt oddly dazed after being pushed away.

Tan Xialan led the way, stepping into the hot spring. Noticing the silence between Xiao Nianyuan and Lian Qiushui, she asked curiously, “What were you two doing?”

Ji Rongxue followed closely behind. Her in-game model, auto-generated from her real appearance, faintly resembled her true self.

The five of them exchanged glances, but no one answered Tan Xialan’s question.

“Wh-what’s going on?” Tan Xialan sensed the odd tension but couldn’t pinpoint why.

After a long pause, Ji Rongxue finally spoke, her gaze fixed on Lian Qiushui. “We’ve troubled you this whole time.”

Lian Qiushui narrowed her eyes. “No trouble at all. It’s only natural for me to treat my disciple well.”

“We’ll take care of her,” Ji Rongxue said lightly, tossing out the words like a challenge.

Xiao Nianyuan caught the undercurrent of hostility and cleared her throat. “I can take care of myself.”

She wasn’t a child—she didn’t need others looking after her.

“Heroes, would you like some refreshments?” A voice called from the shore. A woman stood there, holding a tray, smiling warmly at them.

Lian Qiushui introduced her: “The hot spring owner. She’s really nice.”

Jing Siyan scoffed. “Flattery won’t get you another discount.”

“Do the snacks cost money?” Tan Xialan hesitated. “I don’t have much money.”

The game’s currency was interchangeable with NPC currency, making it somewhat difficult to earn.

“You’re her friends, so you’re mine too,” Jing Siyan crouched down. Ji Rongxue, being the closest, took the tray from her hands. “Help yourselves to the food, no need to be polite.”

Jing Siyan carried a warm, faint fragrance. As the scent drifted over, Ji Rongxue froze for a moment, staring at Jing Siyan in a daze before finally looking away after a long pause.

It must be the hot spring’s aroma. Staying here for so long, it was inevitable to pick up the scent.

Jing Siyan didn’t linger long and soon left. Tan Xialan asked curiously, “NPCs can run hot springs?”

“Why not?” Lian Qiushui’s gaze held a hint of disdain—whether intentional or habitual, Xiao Nianyuan had never seen her act this way toward herself. “If we NPCs didn’t run businesses, you players would have to start from farming just to eat.”

“You…” Tan Xialan looked at Du Xiaotong with a touch of grievance.

Though exasperated, Du Xiaotong still sided with her: “There are things we don’t know how to do.”

Xiao Nianyuan gently tugged Lian Qiushui’s sleeve, signaling her to ease up on the hostility. Reading the disapproval in Xiao Nianyuan’s eyes, Lian Qiushui suppressed her discontent. She didn’t actually dislike Tan Xialan—snapping at her was just instinctive.

Her intuition drove her to act this way. She disliked anyone who got too close to Xiao Nianyuan.

“I didn’t mean to,” Lian Qiushui muttered in explanation.

“I know.”

Hearing this, Lian Qiushui froze, expecting Xiao Nianyuan to press for reasons. Seeing her confusion, Xiao Nianyuan chuckled. “You’re not that kind of person.”

Having known Lian Qiushui for so long, Xiao Nianyuan understood her well. Though Lian Qiushui sometimes said outrageous things, she was reliable and kind at heart.

Her behavior now was likely out of fear that Xiao Nianyuan would ignore her in favor of Tan Xialan and the others.

Occasional pettiness was something Xiao Nianyuan could easily overlook, just as she’d once been glad Lian Qiushui felt human enough for such emotions. An ordinary NPC wouldn’t sulk over who she spent time with—but Lian Qiushui wasn’t ordinary.

Lian Qiushui obediently toned it down afterward, answering Ji Rongxue’s questions cooperatively, even those Xiao Nianyuan already knew. Whether she did so to ease Xiao Nianyuan’s burden or to keep her from talking to them was another matter.

At least superficially, the atmosphere remained pleasant. After soaking, Lian Qiushui suggested, “If you don’t want to log off, we could stay overnight at the hot spring.”

“We have class tomorrow morning,” Xiao Nianyuan said tactfully. Otherwise, she wouldn’t mind staying with Lian Qiushui.

“You can sleep in-game too,” Lian Qiushui insisted. “After the system update, resting here is just like sleeping in reality.”

Ji Rongxue looked skeptical. “Has technology advanced that far already?”

“It should be possible,” Du Xiaotong thought for a moment. “There’s another lecture next week specifically about how game time synchronizes with reality and how energy levels are unified.”

With someone offering help, Lian Qiushui turned her bright eyes to Xiao Nianyuan and asked, “Would you do it?”

Ji Rongxue wasn’t too keen: “What if it doesn’t work? Wouldn’t that mean pulling an all-nighter for nothing?”

Lian Qiushui froze. Before Xiao Nianyuan could respond, she quickly backtracked, “Never mind then, we can try another time.”

She wanted Xiao Nianyuan to stay with her, but asking her to stay up all night and then attend classes the next day was too much—Lian Qiushui couldn’t bring herself to be that cruel.

Xiao Nianyuan raised a hand to quiet them. “I haven’t even said anything yet, and you two have already gone back and forth. Shouldn’t you ask for my opinion first?”

All four turned to her. Xiao Nianyuan shrugged. “I’ll test whether it’s true or not. The three of you can log off and get some sleep.”

She was willing to indulge Lian Qiushui’s whims, even if it meant staying up all night. But Ji Rongxue and the others were different—they were just her roommates, with no obligation to pull an all-nighter with her.

Seeing that Xiao Nianyuan intended to stay with Lian Qiushui, Ji Rongxue thought for a moment and said, “I won’t log off either.”

Lian Qiushui frowned. “What are you staying for?”

“Do I need to report to you?” Ji Rongxue retorted before turning to Tan Xialan and Du Xiaotong. “What about you two?”

Lian Qiushui: “…”

She didn’t need an explanation, but the way Ji Rongxue said it still rubbed her the wrong way.

Tan Xialan, caught off guard by Ji Rongxue’s question, quickly said, “I’ll stay too.”

It was rare for all four of them to play together, and she wanted to spend as much time with them as possible. She then looked expectantly at Du Xiaotong.

Under her hopeful gaze, Du Xiaotong had no choice but to nod.

Lian Qiushui wasn’t thrilled about the other three staying, but since they insisted, she reluctantly went to find Jing Siyan.

After Lian Qiushui left, Ji Rongxue asked Xiao Nianyuan, “Have you been playing with her every day since you started the game?”