Mini World Game Console-Chapter 634 - 635: A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near

Even without being in a coma for a month, Ren Suo truly experienced seven solid days on The Dark Side of the Moon without his Mini-World Game Console, his cell phone, the internet—anything at all.

From the moment he opened his eyes, his days followed a pattern. He would either have to get up, intimately comb Gu Yueyan's hair, cook, and fully enjoy the sweetness of being lovers with her. Alternatively, Luna would wake him with licks and hugs, and he'd spend the rest of the day entangled with both of them, leaving him utterly exhausted in body and mind…

Well, in short, Ren Suo missed the Mini-World Game Console a lot.

When he opened the door to his home, a sense of familiarity enveloped him, allowing Ren Suo to relax naturally.

He casually placed his coat on the sofa, poured himself a glass of juice from the fridge, walked to the balcony to open the window for some fresh air, and then sat down on the couch for a rest. He swept his hand across the coffee table, noticing it was spotless, as if he had insisted that his Cloning return to his apartment during his coma to air the place out.

However, he quickly noticed a letter on the coffee table, held down by a small pouch. He opened it, and the sight of Dong Chengling's graceful handwriting caused his recently settled thoughts to ripple once again.

'Suo,

If you are reading this letter, it means you woke up before the Lantern Festival and have come back.

I remember you like cleanliness, so I did a major clean-up at your place before I left, hoping you could rest in the familiarity of your home when you return.

However, in the bedroom, I only tidied up the bed and swept the floor. There might be dust in other areas, but those weren't places I felt it appropriate to clean.

The key pouch was something I picked up at a Buddhist Temple where I went to pray for blessings. It hasn't actually been blessed, but you and I are alike in not liking those useless trinkets. Giving you a peace charm would just mean troubling you to hide it carefully, so I bought something you could actually use.

In fact, I bought the key pouch from a stall outside the temple run by an old lady. The elderly woman was still out vending to make a living as the year drew to a close, and I wanted to support her business. I couldn't find anything I particularly wanted to buy, but then I remembered how numerous and disorganized your keys were, so I bought this as a recovery gift for you.

It's not anything expensive or fancy, but I hope you like it.

If you're hungry, there's a box of shrimp noodles in the kitchen, and packed dumplings in the fridge.

Dong Chengling.'

Ren Suo picked up the small pouch from the coffee table. It felt like cowhide—whether the material was good or bad, Ren Suo couldn't tell, and of course, he didn't mind.

Inside was a row of key rings. Ren Suo took out his own jumbled mass of keys—he had seven or eight, each rather thick, but only one key ring, which naturally led to them being crowded together.

There was a reason he had so many keys. Aside from the commonly used ones, nearly all the others were for protecting Ren Suo's most important secret—the Mini-World Game Console.

Ren Suo was confident that even if someone saw the Mini-World Game Console, at most they would treat it as a mere handicraft.

But if he became careless out of this confidence, how would Ren Suo be any different from the game villains who were overturned due to their overconfidence?

Yet, he also didn't put the Mini-World Game Console into a safe deposit box; after all, excessive protection would just signal to others, 'This thing is very important.' So, to hide the Mini-World Game Console, Ren Suo had put in some careful thought.

He had installed a mechanism inside the four doors of the TV cabinet; one had to push all four doors simultaneously to open them. For this reason, Ren Suo had fitted each door with a good lock.

This device was designed to guard against petty thieves, not determined intruders. If someone truly intended to ransack Ren Suo's house, its location wouldn't matter. However, for common burglars, this mechanism would be a sufficient deterrent. Even if they managed to break one lock, they still couldn't open the cabinet, nor would they likely guess such a strange device was inside. Their only options would be to either make a loud noise by destroying the cabinet doors or give up.

This kind of protection was more symbolic than effective. After all, if someone truly dared to steal from Heavenly Lotus Academy, they were most likely Transcendents with abilities like silent movement and stealth.

But now, Ren Suo's home often saw visitors, and these visitors might very well become the mistress of this home. It was natural for them to want to familiarize themselves with managing this little home in advance.

Therefore, this four-lock protection became Ren Suo's way of concealing the Mini-World Game Console from friends and lovers. In truth, it wasn't strictly about hiding; rather, Ren Suo used these four locks to communicate that the contents were his private secret, and naturally, they wouldn't press further.

When Ren Suo came back to his senses, he had already fitted all his keys into the key pouch.

He closed the key pouch. The neatly contained keys were now wrapped in leather, their sharp, serrated edges unable to touch skin or clothing, and they made little sound when picked up.

Although it seemed like a minor change, Ren Suo knew it would make carrying keys much more comfortable from now on. At least they wouldn't poke his thigh anymore. One of his pants pockets had even worn through because of the keys.

But Ren Suo, being a bit of a brute, had never thought to buy such a small item to make himself more refined. Instead, it was Dong Chengling who noticed these small details.

If it were the old Ren Suo, he would have shamelessly accepted Dong Chengling's kindness without hesitation.

Now, well.

He felt a slight sense of shame, yet was very happy to accept Dong Chengling's kindness.

Reflecting on the past, Ren Suo realized that although his relationship with Dong Chengling had started in an extraordinary way, their interactions had always been quite ordinary.

They had experienced quite a few things together: witnessing the stunning Nine-Tailed Fox in Tokyo, seeing the Magicians' willingness to die in the Secret Realm, and savoring the Food Goddess's culinary skills late into the night. Yet, all these moments passed calmly and easily, without much tension.

Or perhaps, Ren Suo felt no tension because he held a winning hand, while Dong Chengling felt no tension because she always believed in Ren Suo.

Just as she wrote in the letter, even when Ren Suo was still in a deep Sleep, Dong Chengling firmly believed that he would wake up soon.

She prayed for Ren Suo, bought gifts for him, helped clean his house, and took care of Little Jiu for him…

But when Ren Suo called her, she said less than she had written in the letter.

Dong Chengling was always like this, silently becoming a very important person in Ren Suo's heart.

Qiao Muyi, at least, had directly blasted Ren Suo, subjecting him to a thrilling and fatal combination of attacks. Dong Chengling, on the other hand, left Ren Suo's 'corpse' entirely intact; he had no idea how he 'died,' only that he did so willingly.

She seemed to have long become the mistress of this house.

If love were a game, Qiao Muyi would be the Brave, clad in the most brilliant Golden Armor, wielding a world-shattering weapon, and riding Seven-Colored Clouds to defeat the Evil Dragon. She would make a grand entrance, shouting, 'I'm here!' to save the Princess.

And Dong Chengling would be the warrior who silently leveled up, crossing countless Shanhe, enduring endless hardships, and defeating countless enemies. After defeating the Evil Dragon, she would mask all her wounds and sorrow with a smile, simply say, 'Let's go home,' and lead the princess away.

Although Ren Suo felt that this metaphor didn't seem quite right, it sufficiently illustrated how tangled his heart was right now: he liked Qiao Muyi's fiery and dominant love, as well as Dong Chengling's gentle affection, like a soft breeze and light rain.

So Ren Suo was quite vexed. He was the kind of person who disliked owing others. While not to the extreme of 'borrowing ten and returning twelve or thirteen,' he certainly believed in reciprocating kindness. He had even kept his birthday a secret since childhood to avoid receiving gifts, thereby negating any need to reciprocate.

If Ren Suo were unaware, it would be one thing, but he clearly knew what they had done for him. If he couldn't repay them, that too would be one thing, but he felt he *could* repay them!

Of course, Ren Suo felt like he could 'repay' everyone's debts, but they might not necessarily think so—in other words, they all felt that Ren Suo could only repay one person's worth of debts.

With this in mind, Ren Suo couldn't help but sigh, "If there were two of me…"

His lament ceased abruptly.

A moment later, a Cloning without armor appeared in the living room.

"First, go make a late-night snack. Then, give me a massage. After that, deep clean the place," Ren Suo ordered coolly, pointing towards the kitchen.

The Cloning silently put on an apron and began to cook noodles and wontons.

Watching the Cloning diligently working in the kitchen, the anger in Ren Suo's heart quickly vanished without a trace. After calming down, he felt a bit sorry for the Cloning.

Ren Suo had suddenly become angry because he had thought, If there were two of me.

Ren Suo felt that if there were two or even more of him, wouldn't everyone be able to have a satisfactory ending?

The answer was an absolute no.

Because he wasn't satisfied.

Even if another self were to repay the debts, just thinking about it made Ren Suo feel agitated, and the nameless rage and sense of grievance that welled up inside him almost instantly overwhelmed his reason.

It was a testament to Qiao Muyi's good temper that she hadn't crushed his head in anger earlier.

So Ren Suo couldn't resist summoning 'another self' to vent this inner fury on the Cloning.

But this fury was so inexplicable that it made Ren Suo feel deeply ashamed. He properly reflected on his actions and called the Cloning back. "Sorry," he said. "I was in a bad mood just now, and I spoke with too much emotion, which made you uncomfortable."

The Cloning quietly looked at him.

"Alright, that's enough." After sincerely apologizing, Ren Suo breathed a sigh of relief and waved his hand. "Go back and continue making the late-night snack."

Although Ren Suo felt sorry for the Cloning, since the Cloning was already summoned, it shouldn't be wasted.

Although getting angry was not good, this bout of rage also helped Ren Suo to clearly understand what kind of person he really was.

He was a Player who wanted a grand happy ending in any game he played.

He could allow the protagonist to suffer temporarily, but in the end, the protagonist would definitely find their suffering give way to joy.

All regrets became save files in the recycle bin; all happiness converged in the ending, extending infinitely.

He wanted to obtain everything he desired and grasp everything he didn't want to miss.

Ren Suo sighed. Right now, the only idea he could hold on to was one: not to hurt anyone.

However, it was extremely difficult to maintain this idea. Besides the expected life-threatening dangers, there was another point to be wary of: the crime of bigamy was a violation of national criminal law…

Ren Suo always felt that he was either going to become the perpetrator of a crime or its victim.

Besides "playing it by ear" and "letting nature take its course," Ren Suo had no other viable plans.

After all, Ren Suo didn't have any precedents to refer to. In ancient times, polygamy was legal, but in modern times… modern times…

At that moment, Ren Suo suddenly thought of something and made an international call.

The phone connected.

Ren Suo looked at the time: it was 11:30 PM in Mysterious Country, almost an hour ahead in Flourishing Sakura, so 12:30 AM.

"Zhao Huo, are you asleep?"

"I'm sleeping… Ren Suo, you're awake!?"

"Yes, I've woken up," Ren Suo said calmly.

"I thought you might sleep for a year or more… When I return to the country, I'll take you out to eat to celebrate!" Zhao Huo seemed quite happy. "Without you, I dare not train too hard in battle."

"Hmm, thanks," Ren Suo asked. "Are you in Flourishing Sakura now? Are you traveling with the other three?"

"Yeah, you saw it on my Moments, didn't you?"

"So Xiao Meng and Sun Shu are with you?"

"They're staying in the same hotel as me."

"Then, Zhao Huo, are you sleeping alone now?"

"…Why do you ask?" Zhao Huo was a bit evasive.

Ren Suo blinked, a cold light flashing in his eyes. "Are you sleeping with your fiancée?"

"Uh… yes."

Ren Suo heard the sounds of footsteps from the phone, and then Zhao Huo continued, "I stepped outside. Xiao Fan was asleep just now, and making a call inside would wake her up… It's snowing here. How's Lian Jiang?"

"It's hot. I'm only wearing a single layer of clothing. Lian Jiang has been a disgrace all winter," Ren Suo said leisurely. "So it looks like you'll be getting married and having children very soon? Congratulations."

"'Did I interrupt your procreation?'"

"No," Zhao Huo said irritably. "Don't talk to me about that. Xiao Fan and I are just sleeping, that's all… Uh."

"…Let's be reasonable, Zhao Huo. This is something I really can't cure."

"You should just go back to the hospital and continue lying down," Zhao Huo said. He swept the snow from the balcony railing, leaned on it, and gazed at the distant snow-capped mountains. "You know, I've been training my muscles and bones since I was young. Even if I hadn't become a Cultivator, my physical strength alone would be almost enough to uproot trees and shatter rocks."

"'Virgin Boy Power? A knife hangs over the character for lust?'" Ren Suo guessed.

"There's an element of that, yes," Zhao Huo said. "Martial Artists' Cultivation requires them to stay away from the allure of women. It's not about a knife hanging over the concept of lust, but rather that Martial Artists possess exceptional Physical Strength and can easily become engrossed in such pleasures. If they neglect their Training for a long time, decades of prior hard Cultivation go to waste… I know quite a few peers with Potential who were ruined this way."

"But the most important reason is, I'm afraid of myself," Zhao Huo said.

"'What?'"

"Compared to Xiao Fan, I'm too tall and too strong. Plus, my physical strength has been growing even faster with my recent increase in Cultivation, and my Control Force over it has also diminished significantly. I'm afraid I might accidentally hurt her. So, until she has fully 'approved' me and is willing to give herself to me, I won't force the issue," he explained.

Ren Suo couldn't help but nod, exclaiming, "I never thought you were such a considerate and caring man, Zhao Huo."

"HEHE." Zhao Huo, the guy, turned goofy when praised. "Of course, that's why I have such a beautiful and cute fiancée… But you're not bad yourself."

"No wonder Sun Shu and Xiao Meng like you so much," Ren Suo said out of the blue.

"Of course they do… WHAT!!!?"

"I'm saying!" Ren Suo yelled into the phone, "Sun Shu and Xiao Meng, both of them are head over heels for you, so much that they chased you to Flourishing Sakura to prevent you from deepening your relationship with your fiancée! Get it, you! Big! Idiot!"

Miles away, Zhao Huo, clad in his pajamas, stared at the phone screen, his mind a whirlwind of chaos.

Xiao Meng? Sister Shu?

Suddenly, a delicate hand brushed away the snowflakes on his shoulder, and a warm figure hugged him, whispering, "What are you doing out here?"

"Xiao Fan? I… was taking a call," Zhao Huo replied, turning to look at the beautiful person behind him, his voice tinged with nervousness.

"I heard. You were talking so loudly, as if you were afraid others wouldn't know," Xiao Fan said with a smile.

"Did I wake you? I'm so sorry… I just naturally have a loud voice…"

"SHH." Xiao Fan hushed, pressing her finger against Zhao Huo's lips, then slowly tracing down, caressing his pectorals and abs through his pajamas, and softly said, "I have some good news to tell you."

"Wh-what good news?"

"You've passed the assessment," Xiao Fan said, leading him by the hand towards the inner room.

"Oh… What? Passed the assessment!" Zhao Huo was shocked. "Isn't that too hasty? Shouldn't we assess for a few more days?"

"It's not hasty. Besides, I don't want to wait any longer. It's tonight."

"What, tonight? Isn't that too soon…"

"Why do you have so many objections?" Xiao Fan glanced at him with slight dissatisfaction. Suddenly remembering something, she narrowed her eyes suspiciously and asked softly,

"Is there someone else in your heart?"

Facing the gaze of his fiancée—a beautiful CEO who came from a merchant family, started her own business during university, and later joined her father in managing their corporate group after graduation—Zhao Huo… averted his eyes.

Now I have at least one reference case, Ren Suo picked up the controller, pondering. If there's something to fix, do so; if not, keep up the good work. Either way, I will gain invaluable experience.

Of course, Ren Suo wasn't just stirring up trouble out of malice. But after Qiao Muyi's 'education,' he genuinely felt sorry for Xiao Meng and Sun Shu. Zhao Huo had completely overlooked their feelings, which was unfair to them. Even if Zhao Huo were to reject them, it would be better than receiving no response at all.

Ren Suo couldn't let Zhao Huo follow in his footsteps!

At least Zhao Huo could serve as a cautionary tale for him.

If Zhao Huo could remain devoted to his one true love, earnestly sever his romantic ties with others, maintain his integrity, and also provide closure for everyone involved, that would indeed be a wonderful outcome.

So Ren Suo just called Zhao Huo. As for what to do, it was entirely up to him. If he chose to hide it and continue treating Sun Shu and Xiao Meng as just friends, that was also possible.

However, based on Ren Suo's understanding of Zhao Huo, either cutting ties decisively or turning a blind eye were both quite unlikely.

Zhao Huo was the type of person who prioritized the Martial Artist's code of honor and righteousness and also possessed the noble sentiments often found in Anime Fans. Simply put, he was unwilling to hurt others and naively believed that a solution existed where everyone could be saved without anyone getting hurt.

Having done this, Ren Suo immediately felt much better.

It turns out that helping others feels this wonderful.

Now, Zhao Huo could finally understand his own heart.

Even separated by miles, you can still feel the turmoil in my heart and face the choices I hesitate over!

This is what they call, "A bosom friend afar brings a distant land near!"

Pressing the power button on the controller, the screen lit up.

The long-missed planetary startup interface appeared, along with the familiar boot sound:

"'Mini-World, infinitely delightful.'"

Ren Suo had planned to go directly to the World Store to check out this month's free games, but as soon as he entered the main interface, a system message popped up:

"'Level 5 Player Ren Naiser, your annual summary is ready.'"