So—she had been the younger version of Xu Linlang all along.
That bowl of poisoned soup had, in fact, been the one she drank.
Perhaps because of the fatal toxin, the consciousness that had once crossed into this world lost both awareness and memory of it—drifting away, while her body continued to live out an ordinary life back in reality, as if nothing had ever happened.
Until now—her second time crossing over.
This time, she arrived more than ten years later in the game world.
And now, the system had unlocked her permissions, letting her remember everything that had happened the first time she entered this world.
The scenery before her eyes began to dissolve into shimmering points of light, and Xu Linlang’s vision grew hazy.
Slowly, she felt her consciousness pulling away—
Was she… leaving this world again?
A sudden ache welled up in her chest.
She didn’t want to go.
She couldn’t bear to leave this world—
couldn’t bear to leave her gentle, doting mother, Princess Rong Ruyue,
nor her loving father and brother,
nor the one who had always protected her without fail—Qiye.
…
New Year’s Day, 2022.
Fireworks were technically banned in the city, but there were always people who’d sneak them off late at night.
Dressed in a soft, fluffy pajama set, Xu Linlang opened her window. The air still carried the faint tang of gunpowder smoke.
Snow drifted down outside. She sighed.
Just then, a sudden gust of wind swept past—and a shadow leapt in through her window.
Startled, Xu Linlang froze—then blinked in disbelief.
The boy’s face was one she knew all too well.
Qiye stood there, a faint smile playing at his lips.
“It’s been a while,” he said.
Xu Linlang’s eyes turned misty.
“It’s been a while,” she echoed softly.
He didn’t tell her how much effort it had taken—how he’d defied the laws of the system, broken free from the virtual world, just to reach her here, in reality.
His only obsession had never been power or admiration.
Everything else in the world had long since faded like smoke—
except for her.
Leaning close, his voice brushed against her ear like a whisper carried by the wind.
“Xu Linlang, I like you.”
THE END
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The story was great at first, with a lot of potential, but then missing parts of chapters took a lot of joy away. A lot of rushing and ignoring of foreshadowed things started showing in later parts. The ending is rushed to a fault. I am a little dissapointed, but overall it is quite nice short story.