“Physician, I’ve figured it out.”
Physician Sun looked at her.
“As long as I’m alive, as long as I’m still Si’s mother, someone will always try to use me to hurt her. Back when I was in the Cold Palace, no one remembered me, and I was actually safe. Now, I have a room facing the sun, maids to serve me, and the King’s favor, but Si has gained a fatal weakness.”
Physician Sun did not speak.
“Physician, you’ve seen much in your time,” Su’s mother said as she turned her head. She looked toward the dilapidated wooden door. Beyond that door was her daughter in the game—the girl in the real world who was struggling through a desperate situation to save her boyfriend. “Tell me, what can an old woman like me do that would be best for Si?”
Physician Sun remained silent.
The flame of the oil lamp flickered, casting a swaying shadow against the wall.
He did not say: If you die, she will have no weakness.
He also did not say: That is not true; your life is very important to her.
He simply remained silent.
The corners of Su’s mother’s mouth curved slightly, looking somewhat like a smile, yet not quite.
“I understand.”
It was as if a voice echoed in her ears once more:
“Mother, please rest easy.”
Rest easy.
How could she possibly rest easy?
‘Xiaoxiao… I shouldn’t count as a pitiful mother to you, right?’
***
Outside the storage room, Luo Tiantian leaned against the wall. Her forehead felt somewhat hot.
The situation in the real world seemed to have worsened.
She even felt uncomfortable within the game.
[**Current Status: Fever**]
[**Recommended to log out and rest as soon as possible**]
Xiao Tao was pacing nearby, frantic with worry but not daring to make a sound.
Lady Zheng was supported by two palace maids. Her face shifted between red and pale; she wanted to leave, but she feared that leaving would only make her look more suspicious.
That dilapidated wooden door had been closed for a long, long time.
Luo Tiantian stared at the sliver of dim, yellow light peeking through the crack in the door.
For some reason, she recalled when her grandfather had been hospitalized. She had stood guard outside the ICU just like this, staring at the door and praying that it would bring good news when it opened.
But it had brought a notice of critical illness instead.
The door creaked open.
Physician Sun walked out, carrying his medicine chest.
“Your Highness, your mother is in no immediate danger. I have already written a prescription; she needs to take the medicine for seven days. During this time, she must rest quietly. She must not overexert her mind, she must not catch a cold, she must not…”
He listed seven or eight things she must not do.
Luo Tiantian nodded to each one.
“…Furthermore, your mother has a few words she wish to say to Your Highness in private.”
Luo Tiantian quickly walked into the storage room.
Inside, Su’s mother was leaning against the wall. Her face was still pale, but her eyes were open.
“Mother!”
Luo Tiantian rushed to her side and took her hand. “You scared me to death. The physician said the poison can be cured. Just focus on recovering. I’ll find a way to move you to a safer place. I’ll go beg the King…”
“Si,” Su’s mother interrupted her.
Luo Tiantian stopped talking.
Su’s mother looked at her.
The girl’s face was flushed, her eyes were red, and sweat beaded on her forehead. She did not look well herself.
‘Is she sick?’
She was a good child.
In reality, she was also a good child who gave her all for the person she loved, refusing to give up even in a desperate situation.
“Si,” Su’s mother said, holding Luo Tiantian’s hand. “I want to ask one thing of you.”
“Please, say it,” Luo Tiantian said hurriedly.
Su’s mother looked at her. A glimmer of a tear appeared in those cloudy, old eyes, but it was quickly suppressed.
“You must take good care of yourself.”
Luo Tiantian was stunned.
“I promise you, I’ll take good care of myself.” She nodded vigorously, her voice choking up. “You have to take care of yourself too. Once you’re better, I’ll take you to see the peach blossoms outside the palace. I heard the servants say there’s a peach grove in the suburbs of Haojing. It’s beautiful when they bloom in the spring…”
She rambled on.
Su’s mother listened quietly with a faint smile on her face.
Looking at Luo Tiantian, it was as if she were looking at Su Xiaoxiao.
She did not mention the thing she truly wanted to ask for.
Because she had already decided to do that thing herself.
[**System Notification: Hidden Quest “The Mother’s Choice” has been triggered**]
[**Quest Rank: Secret · Unique**]
[**Quest Description: Si’s mother has realized that her existence has become a weakness for her daughter, Bao Si. She will make the hardest decision a mother can make.**]
[**Current Stage: Decision in progress.**]
[**Note: This quest will have a major impact on the plot’s direction.**]
Luo Tiantian did not see the notification.
She was truly feeling miserable now. Her vision was darkening in waves, and even Su’s mother’s face was beginning to blur.
“Mother… I’ll come to see you again tomorrow…”
She barely managed to finish her sentence before choosing to log out.
When she opened her eyes again, she was looking at the ceiling of her rental room.
Half a bowl of chicken soup remained, now cold to the core.
The night was deep outside the window.
Luo Tiantian curled up under her blanket.
She pulled out her phone, her eyes half-closed as she dizzily scrolled through her contacts.
She wanted to make a call.
But who could she call?
Her grandfather was gone, her grandmother was gone…
She remembered those words.
She pressed the phone to her chest and curled into a tiny ball.
It was so cold.
—
Shen Xixi was slumped over the edge of a roadside planter. Her forehead was bruised red, her hair was a mess, and her makeup was ruined. She was still mumbling incoherently.
Lin Lin stood a short distance away, hesitating over whether to call 120.
Finally, she pulled a bottle of mineral water from her bag and handed it over.
“Hey, drink some water and sober up. You’re going to get yourself into trouble like this.”
Shen Xixi raised her misty, tearful eyes. After staring for a few seconds, she grinned.
“You’re actually… a pretty good person…” She took the water, gulped down half the bottle, and let out a long burp.
Lin Lin looked at her and suddenly remembered herself from many years ago.
The only person who had ever been good to her had been pushed away by her own hands.
“Hey,” Lin Lin said as she stood up. “Is there any family you want to see?”
Shen Xixi held the water bottle, tilting her head as she thought about it.
“…They’re all annoying family members.”
“Then you’re still lucky.” Lin Lin looked at the distant streetlights. “Some people don’t have family even if they want them.”
She didn’t look at Shen Xixi again and turned to leave.
The sound of high heels gradually faded into the distance.
Shen Xixi hugged the water bottle and sat on the curb, staring blankly in the direction Lin Lin had gone.
The wind was very chilly.
She really wanted to go back into the game to check on things.
On that little Bao Si, who always had a long face and bleated like a sheep when she was bullied.
She wondered what she was doing right now.
Shen Xixi pulled out her phone and opened the game forum to see if there were any new events.
A trending post was pinned to the front page:
[Help] My mom suddenly started playing “Huaxia Divine Domain” and even asked me how to play. What should I do?
Poster: Xiaoxiao is not Xiaoxiao
Floor 1: As titled. She never played games before, but today she suddenly asked me how to help others in the game… It feels so weird. Should I play with her? Won’t it be awkward?
Floor 2: Do it! Anyone who can play games with their parents is the chosen one!
Floor 3: Is the poster a student? I’m so jealous that you can play with your mom…
Shen Xixi squinted at the screen for a long time before suddenly scoffing.
“Xiaoxiao is not Xiaoxiao… That ID, could it be Su Xiao? Her mom really did ask me today…”
She set the water bottle by the road and used a utility pole to pull herself up, swaying as she walked toward home.
“That girl would actually think about something like that…”
“The sun must be rising in the west.”
“She said she was going to change… Does she mean she’s going to change her life too? Is she going to go abroad?”
Shen Xixi tapped her head, trying to clear the fog.