King You.
It was definitely King You’s gaze.
Luo Tiantian lowered her head, her heart pounding wildly.
She finally realized why that person’s eyes had felt so familiar.
In the game, whenever King You looked at her, she had that exact same look — like a predator watching its prey. She would scan her from head to toe, and then the corners of her mouth would curl up slightly, as if she were plotting something wicked.
Though this woman wasn’t quite as blatant, Luo Tiantian had been stared at by King You countless times; that feeling was etched into her very bones.
‘Is it her? Could it be her?’
What had Su Xiao called her?
Shen Xixi.
Luo Tiantian repeated the name in her mind.
‘Shen Xixi… Shen Xixi…’
‘It couldn’t be such a coincidence, could it?’
It wasn’t that Luo Tiantian didn’t trust her own intuition, but she hadn’t seen the woman’s face. No matter how similar the gaze was, it could just be an illusion.
***
Shen Xixi walked quickly along the commercial street, suddenly slapping her forehead as a realization struck her.
‘Wait? That girl’s eyes…’
‘Why do they look more and more like Baosi’s the more I think about them?’
‘Am I just too obsessed? Did I fail to snap out of it after logging out of the game?’
No matter how she looked at it, Baosi was an NPC in a game — a virtual character generated by the System. How could she possibly appear in the real world?
At most, they just looked similar.
She shook her head, tossing those messy thoughts aside.
After walking for a few minutes, she arrived.
Mixue Bingcheng.
Shen Xixi stood at the entrance and took a deep breath as she watched the busy employees inside.
Yes, her part-time job interview was here.
The pay was 18 per hour for 4 hours of work a day. Her main responsibilities would be taking orders, making milk tea, and cleaning up.
“It’s fine if you’re a high schooler with no experience. As long as you’re willing to learn, it’s okay. We have a lot of students working part-time here.”
This was the one.
At the end of the day, she was just a girl who had graduated from high school; she couldn’t exactly work in an office building.
She had looked at jobs online — things like non-calling positions for 3,000–8,000, rich ladies looking for two gamers to play with, or library warehouse workers making 8,000 a month — but they always felt sketchy. She was worried she might get scammed.
Since she didn’t have any skills or a degree yet, she had to start from the first step. At the very least, she needed to adapt to the life of a working person.
Shen Xixi planned to work part-time at the milk tea shop every morning and then try being a gaming companion in the afternoon.
“Hello, welcome — “
the clerk, a young girl, said. “What can I get for you?”
“Um, I’m here for the interview,” Shen Xixi said softly.
The girl realized who she was. “Oh, oh! Shen… Shen Xixi, right? Hold on, I’ll call the manager.”
2 minutes later, a 30-some-year-old woman walked out and looked her up and down.
“Take off your mask so I can see.”
Shen Xixi removed her mask.
The manager nodded. “You have a pleasant face. Fine. Do you know how to make milk tea?”
“No, but I can learn.”
“Here’s the deal. You’ll do a trial period for 3 days, 4 hours a day, at a rate of 15 per hour. If you’re a good fit after 3 days, I’ll hire you officially, and the rate will go up to 18. You interested?”
“I am,” Shen Xixi said, nodding like a woodpecker.
“Alright. Come in tomorrow at 6:00 PM, and I’ll set your schedule.”
Shen Xixi left the shop and stood at the entrance, her mood lifting slightly.
18 per hour.
‘How much can I earn in a month?’
She pulled out her phone to calculate.
4 hours a day: 18 × 4 = 72. 72 × 30 = 2,160.
Over 2,000.
It was enough to cover the property management fees and utilities.
After walking a few steps, she thought of that girl again.
Those eyes…
They really were similar.
She pulled out her phone, opened Huaxia Shenyu, and clicked on Baosi’s character profile.
She studied Baosi’s character art closely.
The more she looked, the more beautiful she seemed.
Shen Xixi stared at the screen, feeling a pang of guilt.
She had run out of money and taken advantage of the girl, only giving her 100 Game Coins in the end.
She was being too stingy.
But she had no choice; she had to save money.
Once she earned some, she would make it up to Baosi.
She put her phone away and headed home.
***
In the restaurant.
The dishes had all been served, and steam rose from the table.
Su Xiao picked up a piece of boiled fish and put it in her mouth, gasping from the heat.
“Mom, what spice level did you order?”
“Medium. Can’t you handle spicy food?”
“This place uses artificial chili extract; it doesn’t taste good,” Su Xiao said, baring her teeth.
Su Wenjun smiled and poured her a glass of water. “Drink some water and eat slowly. If it’s really bad, we can ask them to remake it.”
“That’s a waste of money.”
Su Xiao took the glass and downed half of it in several large gulps.
In the past, she never would have asked these things or explained herself to Su Wenjun. She would have let her mother say whatever she wanted. But now, she was slowly starting to accept their current dynamic, and even Su Xiao found it incredible.
“Tiantian, why aren’t you eating?” Su Wenjun looked at her. “Is the food not to your taste?”
“No, no, it’s very good.” Luo Tiantian picked up a piece of stir-fried vegetables.
As Su Wenjun watched her eat, her gaze grew even more tender.
It was heartbreaking just watching this child eat.
It was as if she hadn’t had a proper meal in a long time.
She really needed to have a talk with her.
“Tiantian.”
“Yes?”
“Is it really impossible for your boyfriend to come out for a meal?”
Luo Tiantian’s chopsticks paused.
“It’s just… not convenient for him.”
Su Wenjun looked at Luo Tiantian with an expression that the girl couldn’t quite read.
“Tiantian, let me ask you a few questions. If you find them offensive, you don’t have to answer.”
“Go ahead, Auntie.”
“Your boyfriend is all alone, and he’s seriously ill. If he doesn’t receive aggressive treatment, he might not last another three months. But even if he is willing to undergo treatment and spends hundreds of thousands, the final result might still be…”
Luo Tiantian looked up and met Su Wenjun’s eyes.
“Auntie, what do you mean… ?”
“Tiantian, I’m a doctor. I’ve seen too many patients like this. Some choose to fight for treatment, clinging to even a sliver of hope. Others choose to let go, using their remaining time to do what they want. There is no right or wrong, only choices. Have you ever thought about what he wants to choose?”
Luo Tiantian froze.
What did she want to choose?
She had never thought about that question.
Because she *was* him.
“He… he wants to be treated. He really wants to live, and I want to live with him.”
Su Wenjun looked at her, and something in her gaze seemed to shatter.
“Then how… do you plan to raise the money? 300,000 is just the first step to stabilize the condition. If there’s improvement later, you’ll need even more.”
Luo Tiantian bit her lip.
“We… we’re figure out a way.”
Su Wenjun was silent for several seconds.
“Tiantian, you and him… how do you two usually spend time together?”
Luo Tiantian didn’t know how to answer.
Rather than how she spent time with a boyfriend, it was more like how she was toyed with by that King You player.
In the game, she was pinned down and kissed, her legs turned to jelly in the carriage, her toes were bitten, and she was molded and handled like a piece of property.
In the real world, she lay alone on her bed, counting those pitiful Assistance Points, waiting for the woman to log in and fearing she might not.
“Just… like a normal couple.”
“Do you even hug?”
Su Xiao put down her chopsticks and looked from Su Wenjun to Luo Tiantian, her brow furrowing.
“Mom, what are you trying to ask? Are you interrogating her?”
Su Xiao’s words made Su Wenjun hesitate, but she continued anyway. “Tiantian, I’m not trying to pry into your private life. I’m worried about you. You’re just a girl, and you’re working so hard every day to pay for your boyfriend’s treatment. It breaks my heart to see it. But does your boyfriend know how hard you’re working? From what I can see, he doesn’t seem to care about you that much.”
Su Xiao’s frown deepened. After visiting Luo Tiantian’s home, she had actually wanted to ask the same thing.
Even if the man was seriously ill and an orphan, if he had a girlfriend like Tiantian who loved him so much, why didn’t he cherish her? Did Luo Tiantian not even deserve to have her own clothes or lingerie?
Was she supposed to be like a stray dog in the countryside, happy as long as she was fed a little every day?
Did loving someone mean she wasn’t allowed her own dignity?
To be honest, Su Xiao had been quite angry at the time.
‘Tiantian, don’t be a simp.’
‘What is so great about that man that he deserves this kind of love from you?’