Chapter 2 : “These 3D projection effects are pretty nice”

My name is Su Xiaorang, I’m twenty-two years old, and I’m as ordinary as an unemployed college graduate can be.

Right now, I was wandering the streets in a daze, crushed after another failed job interview.

Just today, I’d already experienced the cold reality of three or four different companies. 

I thought my resume was good enough—it listed all my strengths, painted grand ambitions, and even had a little touch of exaggeration here and there.

But those interviewers really gave this newly graduated chick a harsh lesson in what the real world’s like.

Why?

Because I graduated from a famous university.

Well, “famous” might not be the right word—what it actually is… is notorious. 

The kind of school that people lump together under a common name…

A diploma mill.

Even among diploma mills, my alma mater was considered one of the better ones. 

At least they actually issued diplomas and certificates—that alone made it top-tier among the bottom-tier schools.

So at the very least, I could still feel a tiny bit of pride when comparing myself to those poor souls who couldn’t even get a proper diploma.

But… no matter how much you shine among diploma mills, you’re still just a diploma mill grad.

So… all my interviews today went down the drain.

What? 

You think they were rude enough to just reject me outright?

Not quite. 

Just like everyone else, they told me to “wait for follow-up news.” 

But from the look in the interviewers’ eyes—their sneers, the way they couldn’t even bother to keep reading my resume after seeing my school—it was obvious. 

My chances were slim unless all those interviewers had brains made of mashed potatoes.

“Sigh…” I stopped walking and looked up at the overcast sky.

There was a faint rumble of thunder coming from the clouds, but judging by how it had been growling for an hour without producing a single drop of rain, it was probably just trying to remind us it still existed before fading away.

I thought about taking out my phone to check in with my dorm buddies, see how they were doing. 

I also remembered that I hadn’t reached out to Mama Zhang and Mama Li in a while, not since graduation and the job-hunting frenzy began. 

I wondered how they were doing lately.

I’m an orphan. 

My dad died when I was six. 

My mom left with another man when I was eight. 

No grandparents, and the relatives all avoided taking me in. 

So I ended up in an orphanage, where Mama Zhang and Mama Li were the teachers who treated me the best.

Even after I left the orphanage at eighteen, they still kept in touch. 

We’d see each other a few times every month. 

They’d always ask how I was doing, whether I was eating properly, and whether juggling school and part-time work was too much for me.

Whenever I was really struggling, they’d send me money without even letting me refuse. 

In my heart, those two were far more precious than the mother who abandoned me. 

I even swore to myself that I’d take care of them in their old age.

But staring at my phone now, I couldn’t bring myself to call.

I knew if I did, they’d ask about my job search. 

And even though their concern came from love, telling them about my current situation would only make them worry.

I scrolled through my contacts. 

After their names disappeared off the screen, I found my best friend and dorm-mate Yuan Shang’s number. 

In my phone, his contact name proudly read: “Forever Eldest Son.”

I called. 

It only rang a few times before he picked up. 

His voice on the other end sounded pretty down.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Big Son! How’d your interview go? If it didn’t work out, you can always come back and inherit my massive debt on Huabei, yeah?” 

I tried to sound upbeat and joked around a little.

“…”

There was a long silence on his end before Yuan Shang finally responded, sounding annoyed. 

“Screw you! Stop bothering your old man while he’s brooding.”

Of course, he wasn’t actually angry. 

His voice had already lost that earlier gloomy tone.

“Xiaorang, how’d yours go?” he asked this time. I gave a bitter laugh.

“Heh, same as you. What do you think?”

“Hmph, figures. I’m wandering around the central business district right now. Where are you?”

“I’m in the city center too—shouldn’t be far from you.”

“Perfect. Let’s meet at the usual spot and grab a drink or two?” 

I could hear from Yuan Shang’s tone that he was looking to drown his sorrows in alcohol. 

Honestly, so was I.

“Now you’re talking!” I agreed right away, but then added with a sly laugh, “So… you treating me?”

“In your dreams! We’re going Dutch!” he roared from the other end of the line.

I rolled my eyes. 

Not that I expected him to treat me anyway—after all, we were both broke.

Once we’d decided on the meeting place, Yuan Shang said, “I’ll head over and order something first. Move your ass!”

With that, he hung up.

At this point, I had no interest in playing the moody, down-on-his-luck youth anymore. 

Right now, getting a few drinks to ease my mind was more important than anything.

I shoved my phone back into my pocket—

And then noticed something strange.

“What the hell is this?” I murmured.

As I was tucking away my phone and looking down, I suddenly realized there was something weird beneath my feet.

A deep, pitch-black hole had appeared there without me noticing. 

It looked real—eerily real. 

But since I was still standing on solid ground and hadn’t fallen in, it almost felt like someone was projecting it from above, like a special effect from a projector.

Still, the effect was uncannily convincing. 

Wisps of black mist were curling out of the hole and swirling around, looking shockingly real. 

I could even see tendrils of that black mist wrapping around my calves.

Wait—what?!

…

A floor projection… with 3D effects?

That’s when I realized something was definitely wrong.

Instinctively, I tried to take a step away from this fog-shrouded pit.

But just then—

“AAAAAAHHHHH——!!”

A blood-curdling scream tore from my throat as the ground beneath me gave way.

I fell—right into the swirling blackness of that hole.

And then—

Nothing.

After just a few seconds in the pit, I lost full consciousness. 

But there was still some faint, dreamlike awareness remaining.

In that dream, I seemed to find myself in an elaborately decorated medieval-style palace. 

There were many people around me, and a gentle, elegant voice was calling me to step up to a platform for something.

Then, I stood in front of a massive object. 

It looked like… a gacha machine??

That pleasant voice told me to turn the handle on the machine. 

I did—and then…

DONG——～～!!

A deep, resonant bell echoed loudly in that moment. 

The instant it rang, it felt like something yanked me awake—snapping my consciousness back into reality.

I looked around, dazed. 

Everything was unfamiliar.

Something warm pulsed gently in my hand.

I looked down—

Resting in my palm was a softly glowing green leaf.

Then—“Uh… Where am I??”