Chapter 165 Li Xin’s Arrival
When Li Wen took off his VR and saw the petite, frail, and cute girl sitting by the bedside, his heartbeat couldn’t help but stiffen.
“Ah Xin? Why are you here?” After a moment of silence, Li Wen tried to remain calm and asked the girl as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Although he had been playing the game intensely these past few days, he hadn’t forgotten the time. Today was Wednesday the 29th, which should have been a school day.
Not to mention, the girl was still wearing her school uniform, clearly having rushed to his place right after class.
“Mmm…” Li Xin frowned her little nose in distress, not seeming very willing to answer the question. “It’s just been a long time since I’ve been here. Mom has to work overtime tonight, so I came to see you and maybe have dinner. Is that okay?”
“Is that so.”
The little girl indeed used to frequent his place. Even though her school and home were quite far from Li Wen’s, it took an hour and a half by bus.
However, Li Wen soon realized a problem: because he had been focused on finding the Original Text these days, he had been relying on fast food for sustenance. Therefore, he hadn’t prepared any fresh ingredients.
“Then I’ll go out and buy some ingredients later. We might not have enough at home.”
“There’s no need for that.” The little girl shook her head with a slight smile. “I brought some when I came over, enough for the two of us to eat.”
Ultimately, his sister was the thoughtful one. Li Wen felt a pang of emotion, wondering how long it had been since he had spent time and communicated with his family like this. Even for this moment of peace, he swore he would bet everything to prevent the arrival of that tragic fate.
“Then I’ll go prepare dinner.”
As Li Wen spoke, he was about to leave. But no matter how much he tried to act as if nothing was amiss, the fact before him was undeniable.
Thus, Li Xin’s gaze naturally shifted to the VR equipment in his hand, tilting her head with a hint of curiosity.
“This is… the launcher for ‘World Tree: Origin’? When did you start playing this, Li Wen?”
The little girl had actually wanted to ask for a while. When she knocked earlier and got no response, and couldn’t get through on the phone, she thought something had happened. Only after using the spare key to open the door and entering did she discover that her dear brother was actually addicted to the game…
This truly shocked her. In Li Xin’s impression, Li Wen had always been the type of person who… politely declined any form of entertainment, including games, and was completely devoted to his studies. He was the kind of “child from another family” that she often heard the neighbors’ aunties talk about.
Could such a person like, or even be addicted to, online games? Li Xin expressed deep doubt and intense curiosity about this.
Li Wen fell silent. Of course, he could reveal everything about what would happen in the future to his sister. But was that really something a little girl needed to bear? Li Wen disagreed, so he casually replied, “Didn’t you mention this game to me last time? Later I found out that many classmates were playing it…”
“And then they pulled you in?” The little girl’s eyes immediately lit up. When she got excited, her ink-colored eyes evoked the deep and beautiful starry sky.
“Not quite.” Li Wen told the truth. Although in his past life he had indeed started playing due to his classmates’ enthusiastic recommendations, that was at least half a year later. If he told his sister this now, she would be able to verify the truth by asking around. Given this, he needed to come up with a foolproof countermeasure.
“There’s a virtual reality technology elective course at school recently. The professor recommended several mainstream VR games for case study analysis. ‘World Tree: Origin’s’ interactive mechanisms and narrative structure are being listed as key research subjects, which is why I started playing. However, the course is still in its early stages, and it hasn’t been publicly discussed yet.”
This was not entirely a lie. Experts had indeed come to the school to give lectures on this matter, and Li Wen vaguely recalled this.
“Is that so…” The girl looked a little disappointed. Although Li Wen’s explanation fit her and many others’ fixed impressions of him, Li Xin still hoped her brother was playing the game out of enjoyment rather than for other reasons. This is because playing games should be a happy thing, but Li Wen always bound himself with responsibilities and obligations. His life shouldn’t be so dry and boring but should be more colorful.
Sensing his sister’s disappointment, Li Wen reached out and gently stroked her head, ruffling her soft and beautiful hair.
“I know what you’re thinking, Ah Xin. You think I’m forcing myself, but isn’t this also me doing something I want to do?”
Besides, this is something only I can do.
Li Wen did not voice the last sentence, only his gaze remained firm.
“So, Li Wen, what level are you in the game now? Where is your starting location? Perhaps we’re in the same city. Then I can help you do quests and level up.”
Li Wen found it somewhat amusing. His current character level, if not among the highest, was at least ahead of most players. No matter how you looked at it, a little girl like Li Xin who still had to go to school every day couldn’t possibly be at a higher level than him, let alone help him level up.
Of course, he couldn’t say this directly. With Li Xin’s personality, she would definitely pursue the matter until the end.
“I’m currently in a city called Leicester. As for my level, I haven’t paid attention. I don’t know what level I am now.”
Li Wen said this deliberately. As expected, the little girl’s attention was immediately drawn away.
“Leicester! Isn’t that, isn’t that…” The little girl stood up excitedly. “The place that’s so popular right now? I saw the forum going crazy discussing it, saying there are hidden quests and stuff.”
“It seems there is such a thing.”
“I heard they are all looking for a treasure, and it seems very valuable.” Li Xin said, immediately taking out her phone to check posts on the game forum. “Li Wen, do you know what that treasure is?”
Li Wen thought for a moment.
“I’m merely participating in the frenzy. As for the treasure… it’s just a gimmick. The purpose is to attract people to Leicester. The more commotion they make, the happier the people behind the scenes will be. No one will ever get their hands on the so-called ‘treasure’.”
The little girl wasn’t surprised and said happily, “I think so too! How could the game developers let players get such good items in the early stages? That would be too unfair to other players.”
Due to the time, Li Xin didn’t keep her brother discussing game details for long, allowing Li Wen to cook a sumptuous dinner after a long time.
After dinner, the little girl started discussing the game with Li Wen again, sharing game intel and knowledge. She seemed to really enjoy “World Tree: Origin,” but unfortunately, she didn’t know that it wasn’t just a game, but another real world.
It wasn’t until ten o’clock at night that the girl finally stopped, her heart content.
“Do you really not need me to see you home?”
“Mhm, Mom said she’s already downstairs. Li Wen, do you want to go down and talk to her?”
“Perhaps not.” Li Wen paused for a moment and said softly, “Be careful on your way back.”
The little girl nodded slightly, saying nothing. Just as she was about to leave, she turned around and said, “Although I don’t know what Li Wen is busy with, the school called Mom and said you’ve been skipping classes for several days. Mom is very worried. But I still think, Li Wen, just do what you want to do, as long as you don’t make us worry.”
Li Wen was slightly stunned, and after a long while, he replied, “I understand.”
He always understood.
