Mini World Game Console-Chapter 628 - 629: Return to Lianjiang

The phone was vibrating and ringing. Ren Suo, lying in bed, subconsciously let go, causing the phone to smack right onto his nose.

It didn't really hurt, but when he picked up the phone, he swiped it almost reflexively, sliding the answer button. A familiar voice came from the phone, "Hey! Big Brother Ren, you're really awake?"

Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he said, "Xianyu?"

"That's right, it's me, Xianyu!"

Just by hearing her voice, Ren Suo could imagine Lin Xianyu pointing at herself with her thumb, full of spirit.

"How did you know I was awake?" Ren Suo asked curiously.

"You just liked Teacher Zhao's Moment, and I liked it too, so when you liked it, I knew instantly."

"..." Ren Suo was speechless. Why hasn't WeChat gotten rid of this ridiculous feature yet?

Among the people he knew, only Lin Xianyu frequently scrolled through Moments and commented or liked posts. Others either didn't check Moments at all or just looked without liking, so this channel of information was almost exclusively Lin Xianyu's.

"Yeah, I'm awake now. Nothing much is going on."

"That's good, hehe. Big Brother Ren, you have no idea, during those seven days you and the class leader were asleep, I was so worried I couldn't focus on class," Lin Xianyu said seriously. "It was so hard waiting for you to wake up, and then you suddenly fainted again. We were all terrified."

"Thanks..."

"By the way, Big Brother Ren, what exactly is your relationship with Little Jiu?"

Ren Suo was momentarily stunned. "Umm... a foster relationship? Why do you ask?"

"Back when you and the class leader were asleep, we kept it a secret from Little Jiu. But your condition was so strange that we had to take you to the hospital, and we couldn't hide it anymore. However, when Little Jiu saw you, she was very affectionate but also very confident, convinced that you would definitely wake up. It was also because of her assurance that Teacher Dong, Sister Qiao, Teacher Bai, and the class leader felt at ease transferring you to a hospital in your hometown."

Ren Suo's relationship with Little Jiu was simple yet complex, akin to the relationship between Pakistan and Kabasiji. It was complex because Little Jiu used to be a game character, she had a Bond Relationship with him, and her Nine-Tailed Fox Evolve system included many spiritual control evolutions. Not to mention, Little Jiu once devoured the Federation's Supreme Treasure from the Secret Realm, so it wasn't impossible for Little Jiu to sense the changes in Ren Suo's soul.

However, these were things Ren Suo couldn't explain to Lin Xianyu, so he changed the subject, asking, "By the way, you guys must be on vacation by now, right? Where's Little Jiu at the moment?"

"We've been on winter break for a while; I'm already back home." It sounded like Lin Xianyu was rolling around in bed, her voice wobbling as she continued, "Little Jiu went back with Teacher Dong to Teacher Dong's hometown. When your parents, Big Brother Ren, came by, they also asked if Little Jiu wanted to go back to Baiyun with them."

In legal terms, Little Jiu's guardians were Ren Suo's parents. Neither he nor Cheng Ling had the right to adopt the little girl—even if they got married, they weren't old enough. Mysterious Country had a complete set of laws against any perverted lolicons trying to adopt a little girl with illicit intentions.

"So Little Jiu didn't want to, preferring to stay with Cheng Ling instead?" Ren Suo conjectured.

"No, Little Jiu was willing," Lin Xianyu said, contradicting Ren Suo's shallow wisdom. "But Teacher Dong wasn't. After she talked to Little Jiu, Little Jiu also said she wanted to go home with Teacher Dong, and then your parents agreed."

"Huh?" Ren Suo was a bit surprised. This didn't sound like Dong Chengling's usual behavior. "Do you know why?"

"I don't know. Why don't you ask Teacher Dong?" Lin Xianyu's voice was like a wind chime jingling cheerfully. "Big Brother Ren, you haven't called Teacher Dong yet, have you?"

"...No."

"And you haven't called Sister Qiao or the class leader either, right?"

"I was just about to when you called." Ren Suo hinted for her to hang up quickly. This Salted Fish was getting more and more brazen.

"Then I won't tell the class leader you're awake yet, so Big Brother Ren can give her a surprise," Lin Xianyu completely ignored Ren Suo's hint and giggled. "But come to think of it, your fainting was so timely. If not, things could've really gone south right then and there."

Ren Suo's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately retorted, "As for important matters, my conscience is... guilty! So what Ren Suo could possibly happen!?"

"Big Brother Ren, calm down, you can't even talk straight," Lin Xianyu laughed mischievously, then her tone sobered as she said seriously, "But Big Brother Ren, I was there, watching. After you awoke and then fainted, they were really anxious and panicked. I've never seen Teacher Dong so flustered before.

"Before your parents arrived, Little Star and the others took turns looking after you around the clock. I've also never seen Sister Qiao so gentle and patient.

"And the class leader, she was really in distress those few days. She thought it was her fault that you ended up like this. I've never seen the class leader so pitiful.

"So, Big Brother Ren, I just wanted to tell you, they... for you..."

"I know," Ren Suo burrowed into the covers and said in a muffled voice.

"Have special..." Hey? You know?" Lin Xianyu on the other end of the line paused, then asked skeptically, "What do you know? That they're 'good friends' you can borrow a lot of money from?"

"I know Dong Chengling, Qiao Muyi, and Gu Yueyan all lo..." Ren Suo trailed off, unable to continue. He hugged his pillow tight, rendered mute. Such hackneyed lines, straight out of a seven o'clock family-friendly romance drama, were truly too embarrassing and narcissistic to say out loud.

"Lo~~~?" Lin Xianyu drew out the word.

"...Why am I even talking about this with you?" Ren Suo came to his senses. "Thank you, Classmate Lin, for your call. Ren Suo appreciates your ongoing strong support. Goodbye—"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lin Xianyu hastily called out to stop Ren Suo. "I want to ask you one last question."

"What's the question?"

"If Teacher Dong, Sister Qiao, and the class leader all fell into the water, whom would you save first?"

"I'd choose to throw you in as well!" Ren Suo said fiercely.

"What? Big Brother Ren, you plan to drag even me down—"

He hung up the phone. Peace and quiet finally returned to his ears.

Ren Suo couldn't help but sigh. Women really do change a lot as they grow older. Just one month apart, and Lin Xianyu had managed to become bolder and more domineering. Her attitude was almost as if she was looking forward to seeing some drama unfold around him...

But ending Lin Xianyu's call meant that Ren Suo had no more excuses to delay any longer.

Actually, there was nothing to hesitate about. And after Lin Xianyu's reminder, Ren Suo knew that even though he'd used his "Tactical Coma" to procrastinate for a month, allowing him to rest and heal comfortably, others had been worried about him.

As for whom to call first, Ren Suo decided to leave that decision to his contact list. Just now, he had scrolled down through it and, following the order from bottom to top, dialed the contacts listed under Q, G, and D respectively.

Calling Qiao Muyi, Ren Suo heard the call connect for a second before it was cut off.

Ren Suo looked at his phone in confusion and tried calling again, only to hear a busy tone: "The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently on another call."

Ren Suo thought about it. It was afternoon now; Young Master Mu was probably at work. He'd try again later.

When he called Gu Yueyan, the call connected quickly. "Mr. Suo!?"

"Yes, it's me... I've woken up," Ren Suo said, as if he had just woken from a long nap.

"That's good. It's great that you've woken up," Gu Yueyan said, her voice trembling as if on the verge of tears. She took a deep breath before slowly continuing, "I won't say things like 'I've been a burden to you' anymore."

"Right, all of this was my own doing. It has nothing to do with you. On the contrary, it's thanks to your help that I was able to leave The Dark Side of the Moon alive," Ren Suo immediately consoled her.

"I don't need your comfort... It's just that I once made a promise in the church that whether in good times or bad, in riches or poverty, in health or sickness, in happiness or sorrow, I would love you without reservation..." Gu Yueyan's voice was filled with embarrassment, but she bravely continued, "Since that's the case, it doesn't matter if it's a burden, because no matter what, I'll take care of you unconditionally. I was planning to visit your family after the Spring Festival to persuade your parents to transfer you back to Heavenly Lotus Academy, and then I would take care of you."

Compared to Ren Suo, who couldn't even stammer out the 'lo...' for 'love,' Gu Yueyan's level of romance was a whole realm higher than his.

"But that was just..." Ren Suo began to say reflexively, then he choked up.

"Just what? Merely playing the role your character label dictates?" Gu Yueyan pressed on aggressively. "Mr. Suo, if you think that was just a lie I told for the reward from The Dark Side of the Moon, and that it had no witnesses, I can immediately record a video and post it online to become permanent visual evidence. Although I'm not old enough to get married legally, there's no problem with just having the wedding ceremony—plus—"

"I was wrong," Ren Suo quickly said. "For me to even attempt to slander your sincerity was my mistake. I apologize for my wrongdoing. Please forgive me."

Gu Yueyan was different from Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi. She possessed Qiao Muyi's aggressive offense as well as Dong Chengling's open and upright Defense—she would use any means necessary within the boundaries of the rules, not playing any underhanded games with Ren Suo. Instead, she relied on clear, open strategies of the Righteous Path to completely overpower Ren Suo. Her forte was to suppress all opposition with righteousness on her side. Simply put, Ren Suo crumbled completely when faced with Gu Yueyan like this.

Gu Yueyan let out a gentle sigh, speaking softly, "I'm very happy."

"As long as you're okay, nothing else matters."

Before Ren Suo could breathe a sigh of relief, he heard Gu Yueyan ask, "Then you must still remember that kiss, right?"

The kiss...

Ren Suo blinked, remembering.

It was right when Ren Suo was about to carry out his 'Abduct the Goddess' plan, one that verged on life and death. Thinking he might not make it, Gu Yueyan, with tears like pear blossoms in the rain, had asked him if he 'could like her.' Ren Suo had then completely let himself go, responding with action rather than words. And Ren Suo was certain that at that time, his intentions weren't driven by a 'might as well enjoy it before I die' or 'she's so pitiful' mentality. Instead, back in the Crystal Cathedral, he had already acknowledged his interest in developing a lifelong, super-friendship with Gu Yueyan... It was just that Ren Suo had been forcefully repressing those illicit thoughts. But when it came to saving Luna, he thought he might die, so he couldn't hold back and let his mouth run free. However, a quick tongue brings momentary pleasure, but the aftermath... a Shura Field.

"I remember."

Ren Suo suddenly relaxed. In fact, while he was in The Dark Side of the Moon, he had already been contemplating what to do if he got out alive. Either he would keep his promise and be with Gu Yueyan for a lifetime, as a pair. But the problem was, when he made that promise, Luna was also there, which would make it a lifetime as 1.5 pairs. Although Ren Suo didn't know Luna's True Form, he didn't believe Luna would be unable to find him—even if Luna couldn't find him, he would have to find Luna, if only to confirm that his rescue had been successful. Thus, the promise of 'being loyal to one' was impossible to fulfill from the start. He could only commit to 'being loyal to many.' Doesn't it sound a bit like serving three masters?

So, facing Gu Yueyan, who had already witnessed his shamelessness, Ren Suo completely let down his guard and chose to expose his true thoughts. "Before I fell into a coma, you asked me what I said to Luna... Actually, when I was saving Luna, she told me that I hadn't answered the priest's vow in the chapel. And then I answered—I am willing to love you... guys."

Gu Yueyan fell silent, and Ren Suo braced himself for the 'click' of the phone hanging up.

"Does this 'you guys' include only me and Luna?"

"Not just." As Ren Suo spoke, his body unconsciously shivered. He felt like a Warrior bravely admitting to the teacher in front of the whole class, 'I didn't do my homework today!'

"As expected..." Gu Yueyan was not surprised at all. "You've been in a coma for a month, so your feelings haven't changed, have they?"

Ren Suo said, "They haven't... not yet."

For some reason, Ren Suo felt that whatever he said now sounded a bit shameless.

"You know... you could have lied to me... Lying to a college girl like me shouldn't be that difficult for you, right?" Gu Yueyan said, her voice a mix of amusement and exasperation.

"I could never trick you. The only person who could trick you is yourself," Ren Suo said, sitting on the bed and smiling bitterly. "I can't even trick myself. What I really want is to do all sorts of licentious things with you... I can't stop myself, but if you could..."

"That's not okay," Gu Yueyan, seeming to know what he was about to say, cut him off. "If I can't live in your heart, then even being by your side would feel like dying alone in a foreign land."

"I'm not very scared either. At least, you haven't been snatched away by someone else... Actually, it's that I haven't been able to snatch you away from others yet."

"However, now that we're chatting over the phone, Mr. Suo, you seem to have become much bolder... Later, when we meet face-to-face, I'd like to see if you still have the Courage to say such things, hmm."

Ren Suo blinked. "So... goodbye?" 𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

"We'll talk next time we meet face-to-face," Gu Yueyan said cheerfully. "It won't be long."

Yes, it wouldn't be long, but there was still half a month until the school term began!

It felt like he had just gone through an elaborate boss battle. Ren Suo's entire body relaxed.

"Oh, right, I've told Teacher Dong and Sister Qiao everything we experienced on The Dark Side of the Moon. Bye-bye."

Gu Yueyan, the big boss, suddenly launched a near-death Counterattack, directly blasting Ren Suo.

Ren Suo was stunned for a moment. Then, after some thought, he realized that not much had changed—he was intending to play it by ear anyway. Otherwise, how could he strategize for each person's situation?

But he wasn't too frightened. Hugging a pillow, he dialed Dong Chengling's number.

"Hello, Cheng Ling?"

"Suo, how are you?" Dong Chengling never beat around the bush.

"Very good, almost like I just woke up from sleep. I injured my spiritual power when I returned from the trial, which is why I was in a coma for so long," Ren Suo briefly described his condition.

Dong Chengling said, "Hmm, I'm doing well too. Little Jiu is with me and is quite liked by my parents. Heavenly Lotus Academy starts after the Lantern Festival. You should notify the vice-principal that you've woken up. I guess you'll have to start work on the 20th."

Ren Suo asked, "How's your Cultivation progress?"

Dong Chengling replied, "After the fourth transformation, the difficulty of Cultivation increased significantly. The Fifth Tier still seems far away for me. What about you?"

Ren Suo said, "I've just woken up. I haven't checked my Qi Cyclone yet... I was rushing to inform you all..."

Dong Chengling 'hmm'ed a response without saying anything more.

Ren Suo didn't speak either.

The two remained silent for dozens of seconds without hanging up the phone. But Ren Suo was used to it; he often stayed silent with Dong Chengling. He felt as if some questions were answered before he even asked. Dong Chengling's way of thinking was so clear to him that he felt he knew the answers without asking. Dong Chengling probably felt the same way about him.

Suddenly, Ren Suo asked, "Why did you want Little Jiu to go to your house?"

Dong Chengling paused before saying, "Suo, I'm the same age as you."

"Hmm."

"Have your parents been pressuring you to get married?"

"Yes… oh?" Ren Suo realized. "Are you saying your parents have also been pressuring you?"

"More or less. My relatives are quite traditional. Even though I have a successful career and don't need to have children, they still hope I'll find a partner soon, and they bring it up often… So I took Little Jiu home mainly to distract their attention. But don't worry, they're very kind to Little Jiu."

Of course, Ren Suo was not worried. Everyone would be kind to Little Jiu.

"I didn't expect you to have these kinds of troubles that you couldn't resolve yourself," Ren Suo remarked.

In Ren Suo's mind, both Dong Chengling and Qiao Muyi were like strong individuals who 'couldn't be troubled by anything.' But Dong Chengling was 'I don't care about any problems,' while Qiao Muyi was 'I don't care about any rules.' In any case, they could both solve all problems in their own way.

"Little Jiu is just a temporary measure," Dong Chengling said with a laugh. "The real, permanent solution would be to bring a boyfriend home."

Ren Suo was slightly startled. He mulled it over for a moment before mustering the Courage to say, "For example... me?"

Dong Chengling seemed a bit surprised. After some thought, she said, "My home is actually not far from Baiyun City... If you could come to my house for a New Year's visit, both Little Jiu and I would be very happy."

"Huh?... Which day should I come over?"

"The third, fourth, or fifth day of the New Year would all be fine."

It wasn't until Ren Suo hung up the phone that he realized what he had just agreed to.

"How did I agree to this..." Ren Suo looked baffled. He was just having a chat, after all.

However, Dong Chengling's gentle and warm tone made it impossible for him to refuse. Besides, he was the one who brought up the matter, the one who volunteered. Dong Chengling had simply nudged the conversation a little... Ren Suo felt a tiny bit of doubt in his heart, but it vanished immediately—no way, how could Dong Chengling possess such catty subtlety? If it were Qiao Muyi, he might have been slightly suspicious. Visiting strangers during the New Year is akin to a public execution...

Ren Suo sank into gloom for a good while. But, figuring he was in for a penny, in for a pound, he quickly gathered his spirits and dialed Qiao Muyi's number.

He had a feeling this would be the most troublesome one. He had already braced himself for a war of words (one where he would be left speechless).

However, the response Ren Suo received was still the busy tone: "The subscriber you are trying to reach is currently on another call."

Ren Suo frowned slightly and called three more times, all resulting in busy signals.

Then he called Yu Kuangtu. "Hey, Old Tu, it's me, Ren Suo."

"You're not dead yet!?" Yu Kuangtu's surprised voice rang out. It always made Ren Suo doubt whether their Bond Relationship was a counterfeit product. "Incredible! Even a vegetative patient could wake up!"

"Thanks for your congratulations," Ren Suo said with a dark expression. "Is Qiao Muyi working today?"

Tactical Cultivators weren't like teachers and students with set holidays. It was only the 27th of the lunar month, so the Tactical Bureau must still be operating, and Qiao Muyi should also still be in Lianjiang.

"No, she's off today. Do you need her for something?"

"...Not really, just wanted to let her know..."

"Then call her."

"If I could get through to her, why would I be calling you?"

"To deliver the bad news that you're still alive," Yu Kuangtu said languidly. "But if she's not answering your calls... heh, then you better be careful. She must be really angry with you."

"What do you mean by that?" Ren Suo figured Yu Kuangtu must have been tormented by Qiao Muyi plenty of times to have such rich experience, so he quickly asked for details.

"Ordinarily, no matter how angry she is, she can still greet you with a smile. But now she can't even be bothered with such superficialities. This shows she has lost all hope and is about to deal you a fatal blow. Brother, have a good meal, enjoy the New Year. You might not have such good days ahead."

After hanging up the phone with Yu Kuangtu, Ren Suo rolled over and lay on his bed, deeply furrowing his brows in thought.

Of course, Ren Suo didn't take Yu Kuangtu's jokes seriously, but one phrase did strike a chord with him. Given up hope. Has Qiao Muyi given up hope on him? So much so that she wouldn't even answer his calls? It's quite possible. After all, Gu Yueyan said she had told both Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling what happened on The Dark Side of the Moon. Leaving Dong Chengling aside, with Qiao Muyi's temperament, finding out that he flirted with two other girls on The Dark Side of the Moon might indeed make her give up hope. And after a month-long cooling-off period, during which Ren Suo completely disappeared from Qiao Muyi's sight, if Qiao Muyi reevaluated their relationship, it was possible she might consider it all a misperception... After all, there wasn't much about Ren Suo himself that was worth being liked... or rather, it'd be strange if someone did like him...

After Ren's mother finished grocery shopping and stored the fresh eggs in the fridge, she suddenly heard the bedroom door bang open. Ren Suo strode out.

"Mom, you don't have to cook for me today."

"You've just been discharged. Where do you think you're going?" Ren's mother glanced at him. "Don't tell me you're heading to an internet cafe."

"I'm going back to Lianjiang to pick up some stuff." Ren Suo went to the bathroom to tidy himself up. It seemed his mother had helped him bathe in the hospital, but he still had to shave himself. His hair was also a mess and needed some gel to fix. Unfortunately, they didn't have tools like eyelash curlers at home.

"Right now?" Ren's mother was startled.

"Right now."

As Ren Suo said this, he opened the front door to leave and saw his sister, Ren Xingmei, coming back.

"Brother—" Ren Xingmei exclaimed with joy, and Ren Suo went over to hug her tightly.

A huge wave of joy struck Ren Xingmei, and she instinctively tried to hug Ren Suo back but embraced nothingness.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. I'm heading back to Lianjiang to grab some things now." Having said this, Ren Suo quickly left using Ghostly Rapid Step. Ren Xingmei didn't even manage to touch his collar.

"Brother—"

"I'll be back tomorrow at the latest!"

Ren Xingmei watched his retreating figure at the bend of the stairwell and let out a soft sigh, her eyes filled with dejection.

"I've reached the second turn..."