“No way!”
Su Xiao pressed her hand on Shen Xixi’s shoulder. “You’re coming with me to find him. Right now. We’re going to that shop to confront the delivery guy! I have to know if he stole my food, or I won’t be able to sleep! I won’t sleep a wink tonight!”
Shen Xixi was almost driven to a laugh by the sheer absurdity.
Confronting a delivery guy who might not even exist over her friend’s paranoid delusions?
“Su Xiao, I’m busy. I’m playing a game—a very important game. If you want to go crazy, do it outside.”
Shen Xixi pushed her hand away, her voice growing cold. “Stop having a fit in my room.”
“A game? That stupid game again?” Su Xiao, triggered by the word, lashed out with sharp sarcasm. “Is it really that fun to play queen and toy with those puppets? Someone steals my food in the real world and you don’t care, you’d rather hide in your virtual world!”
This hit Shen Xixi’s nerve perfectly.
Shen Xixi narrowed her eyes, staring at the visibly unstable, blue-haired girl. Her patience was finally depleted.
“First of all, it’s my game, and I’ll play it however I want. Second, whether your food was stolen or not is your problem. I’m not your mother, and I have no obligation to deal with your nonsense.”
She pointed toward the door, her voice ice-cold. “Either shut up and go back to your room right now, or take your delusions and get out of my house.”
Su Xiao froze, apparently not expecting such a harsh response.
She bit her lower lip hard and glared at Shen Xixi before turning and rushing out of the game room without a word, slamming the door with a thunderous bang.
The world was finally quiet.
Shen Xixi rubbed her temples and looked back at the **Luxury Virtual Capsule**, which had entered standby mode.
Her mood had mostly evaporated. She didn’t want to play anymore, yet the unfinished choice and the way Bao Si had looked at her with teary eyes still tugged at her.
More importantly, she had invested a lot of money; she wasn’t about to let a neurotic friend ruin the experience.
“Tch, what a pain,” she grumbled.
She didn’t lie back down immediately. Instead, she sat on her bed.
Which option should she choose?
Should she continue the game of control with **Serving with Brush and Ink**, or… see if there were more exciting options?
Would paying more unlock more choices?
Shen Xixi leaned against the soft headboard, her fingertip unconsciously tapping her knee. The dim blue standby light of the capsule pulsed in the dark room like a silent eye.
‘If I spend more… will there be more options?’
In a game that marketed itself on realistic experiences, paying to unlock content or even change the rules was only natural.
Shen Xixi picked up her tablet and logged into the *Gods of Huaxia* player portal.
The top-up interface was as extravagant as ever, filled with various tiers and privilege packs. She searched carefully.
In a corner, she found an entrance for the **Deep Customization Service** that required a secondary password.
**[Valued SSVIP, you have obtained Advanced Storyline Intervention Authority. You may pay additional game currency to fine-tune current specific story branches, add options, or preview potential consequences of different choices (probability-based). Note: The degree of intervention is directly proportional to resource consumption and may trigger unpredictable story chain reactions.]**
“Interesting.” Shen Xixi arched an eyebrow.
The preview function would be very helpful in making her decision.
Let’s try it out.
—
Su Xiao stormed out of the apartment building.
Shen Xixi’s words and gaze had pierced her heart like needles. She felt a sense of lonely indignation, as if the world had abandoned her—even the only person who could have helped found her a nuisance!
“A confrontation… I’ll do it myself!” she muttered. Following the address on the order, she navigated toward the “Good Taste” fast-food shop.
The shop was tucked in a corner of an old commercial street. It was currently the preparation time for the evening rush, and several delivery scooters were parked outside.
Su Xiao shoved the glass door open aggressively. The bell above the door let out a piercing jingle.
The owner behind the counter was a middle-aged woman checking orders. She looked up at the sound, startled by Su Xiao’s furious appearance. “Hello, how can I help…”
“I’m looking for the delivery guy who delivered an order for Togawa Sakiko this afternoon!” Su Xiao interrupted.
The owner frowned but remained polite.
“A delivery guy? That person was just on a trial shift today. They’ve already resigned. Was there a problem with your meal?”
She remembered the complaint call from the afternoon and the subsequent deduction, so she had an idea of what was happening.
“Resigned?!” Su Xiao’s voice reached a high pitch. “Why did he resign? Was it out of guilt?! He stole my food—the **Fatty Beef with Enoki Mushroom**! And the soft-boiled egg! He definitely stole them. Why else would he run away the moment I complained?!”
Her voice was incredibly shrill. Several heads poked out from the kitchen, and passersby on the street began to stare.
The owner’s expression darkened.
The beautiful girl… er, young man? Regardless, the person on the trial shift had seemed honest. To be accused of being a thief after already losing pay from a complaint was too much. Plus, this girl clearly wasn’t right in the head.
‘She acts like a psycho.’
“He resigned for personal reasons. We are sorry for the loss of your items, and we’ve already processed it according to the platform’s procedures. However, you shouldn’t make accusations without evidence. If you insist it was our employee’s fault, you can call the police.”
Su Xiao couldn’t hear any explanations. She only believed herself. “You’re covering for him! You’re all in this together!”
The owner lost her patience. She had to deal with all sorts of customers every day and didn’t have the energy to waste on someone clearly looking for trouble.
“If you aren’t here to order, please stop shouting. You’re affecting our business. We’ve given you our answer. Please leave.”
With that, the owner turned back to her work, ignoring her. The kitchen staff retreated as well.
Faced with such blatant dismissal, Su Xiao felt the blood rush to her head. Her cheeks burned, and humiliation and anger nearly consumed her.
She wanted to scream, to smash things, but a final shred of logic told her that causing a scene would only hurt herself.
She glared at the owner’s back and rushed out of the shop. The glass door slammed loudly behind her.
Su Xiao walked aimlessly down the street, her chest feeling tight. Tears pooled in her eyes.
Why was everyone like this? The thief, the accomplices, and even that cold Shen Xixi… The whole world was against her!
Without realizing it, she walked into a nearby small park.
There weren’t many people there—just a few elderly people walking and some children playing. Su Xiao found a secluded patch of grass and, needing an outlet, kicked an empty soda can on the ground with all her might.
“Die! Die! Everyone, just die!!”
The can soared high into the air, tracing a parabola before…
*Clack!*
It landed squarely on someone walking along the path.
The person wore a hoodie and jeans. They were slender—small, even. Stunned by the sudden attack, they came to a halt.
In her fit of rage, Su Xiao didn’t even look over. She just felt a sense of relief from hitting something, her mouth still muttering curses.
“Hey.”
A slightly cold voice rang out.
Only then did Su Xiao look up impatiently.
The person turned around. Beneath the brim of the hood, a face of stunning, feminine beauty was revealed.
Soft lines, pale skin, and pink, well-shaped lips. Most striking were the eyes, which seemed to have a natural slight curve at the corners. Long lashes cast shadows over them. The face was so beautiful it blurred the lines of gender, exuding a fragile and distant aesthetic.
What a girl of noble fragility.
It was Luo Tiantian.