Chapter 93: Did You Take the Little Blue Pill

Outside Li Shuyi’s door, Yu Shujun leaned against the wall, her head lowered slightly, as motionless as a statue. She listened to the sounds slipping through the wall from the room beyond—the gasping breaths of a man and a woman, the slick murmur of water, the slap of skin against skin.

At her nape, the newly branded golden Rider’s Mark burned faintly. Yu Shujun raised her hand, pressing softly against it, feeling the intricate pattern beneath her fingertips, like a lattice of fine scars.

There was a powerful external force at work within this map, one that had forcibly preserved a past persona of Li Shuyi which should have been overwritten. Yu Shujun sensed it the moment they approached the room—a perception that came easily to her, for no player’s bond with the copies ran deeper than hers.

Yet the situation was a thorny one. Yu Shujun’s player account boasted twenty-eight stars—more than enough to handle the characters in a basic copy. But when confronted with an unknown external force, one capable of causing a bug within the copy itself, she could no longer be certain of victory.

When she heard the characters in the room lose control, and realized the man was about to summon her, Yu Shujun immediately chose to switch player accounts. However, though she logged out of her character account successfully, her player account could not access this already opened office copy.

Having never dealt with such a predicament, she panicked. The system then informed her that she could enter the copy by binding the golden Rider’s Mark, and in a moment of desperation, she confirmed without hesitation.

Looking back, that impulsive decision was reckless and ill-considered. She could have chosen to remain outside the copy, watching indifferently, letting the other fend for himself. If he failed to clear it, she could have simply used her revival card on him afterwards.

To offer up her player account willingly for another to ride—such folly. But the situation had been urgent, and there was no time to ponder; a decision had to be made in seconds.

“Nine cannot die. I must do everything in my power to save him.”

That thought flooded her mind then, driving her to make her choice.

Once the binding request was sent, the power to decide was out of her hands. The other party accepted, and so Yu Shujun—now Player Jun Wu Ming—was branded with the golden Rider’s Mark. As long as he did not relinquish her, Jun Wu Ming would be eternally bound to him...

At this thought, Yu Shujun turned her head slightly, a strange emotion welling up within her. The resentment and unwillingness she had anticipated never emerged. Instead, she felt—unexpectedly—secure.

Yes, secure. She could not explain why she felt this way.

Since following this man called Nine, so many of her emotions had been swayed uncontrollably by him. Was this peculiar bond truly the work of the golden Rider’s Mark?

As she pondered, the door behind her clicked open.

Wen Nan stepped out, looking radiant and refreshed.

[9527: Congratulations, your target “The Young Wife Next Door, Fierce as a Wolf or Tiger,” has now reached a capture rating of 92%!]

The system prompt was unsurprising, and Wen Nan’s lips curled in satisfaction.

Then, a message arrived in the character chat box—

[Shu Shu: About that spot you asked about, take a look behind the reception hall on your company’s first floor.]

As expected, the information he coaxed out this time was a new address. Dismissing the system notification, Wen Nan looked up and saw the blonde, blue-eyed woman in armor standing by the wall at his side.

He paused, then turned to ask, “Dressed like that… don’t you think it’s a little too conspicuous?”

Yu Shujun kept her face cold and silent, but in the next instant, the armor vanished, replaced by a casual tracksuit of long sleeves and pants, her golden hair loosely tied back in a low ponytail.

Well, this tracksuit was suspiciously similar to the school uniform from earlier.

But with such a beautiful face, even a burlap sack would make her stand out like a Victoria’s Secret Angel.

Wen Nan shrugged, said nothing further, called up the system navigation, and headed toward Crown Cinema, where he had arranged to meet Guan Ailin.

…

[They’re out!]
[The blackout is finally over! Damn, more than four hours this time! No way the guy lasted this long—did he pop a little blue pill or something?]
[Wait, why are they in the elevator lobby again? Did they leave us nothing?]
[Damn, the wife’s capture rating is actually 92%? Two backgrounds, two personalities, being pursued at the same time, and he still got it this high? How?]
[Where’s that star user? Come out and explain—what happened to the major bug, the powerful external force? Why did the host clear it so easily?]
[I told you, the host is a hidden legendary boss. All of you who bet on him losing are well and truly trapped now!]

…

At 10:46 p.m., Wen Nan arrived at the entrance of Crown Cinema.

On a weeknight at this hour, the cinema was almost deserted. Most of the lights and screens in the empty waiting hall were off, save for a few emergency lights in the corners casting a dim glow. Movie posters stood quietly on the floor, making the hall seem even more vast and silent.

In such an atmosphere, the solitary figure sitting in the corner looked all the more forlorn.

As soon as Wen Nan approached the cinema, he spotted Guan Ailin.

The usually bare-faced office CEO had applied meticulous makeup, making her fine features even more stunning. But perhaps the makeup had been on too long—her nose and cheeks shone with oil, and her carefully curled bangs were a little disheveled.

She sat alone on the steps in the corner, holding two large cups of iced cola, with a bucket of popcorn in her arms.

The popcorn was untouched, and all the ice in the colas had melted, leaving beads of water on the outer walls.

Her eyes were vacant, unfocused on anything ahead, like a doll whose batteries had run out.

Wen Nan walked over and stopped before her, speaking softly, “Sorry, I’m late.”

His deep voice seemed to carry a kind of magic, instantly rekindling a light in Guan Ailin’s eyes.

She turned to him, lips curving up into a pure, uncomplaining smile. “You’re not late—it’s just right, you made it.”

Wen Nan glanced at the time.

It was now 10:45 p.m. The movie had started at 9:45 and lasted only ninety minutes. Arriving now, what could he possibly catch? Just in time for the credits?

Wen Nan smiled helplessly, took the now-lukewarm cola and the bucket of popcorn from her hands.

Freeing one hand, he took Guan Ailin’s hand in his, his fingertips brushing a slender bracelet. Looking down, Wen Nan’s smile froze.

(End of Chapter)