Chapter 182, Chapter 6: Tying Up the Boat

Without the interference of inner demons, Xu Qingzhou returned to his former self.

Gentle, patient, and clean.

The change wasn't obvious, but those close to him could tell he was different.

They didn't think much of it, assuming it was all thanks to Yu Wanwan.

That's true, though.

Because of her, he found a sense of belonging in this world.

The way the two interacted was not much different from when they were in the small world.

When something comes up, we each do our own thing and don't bother each other, giving each other plenty of private space.

Although they have reunited, they are now focusing more on reality.

But they didn't give up on the game; they would hide together and play games whenever they had free time.

After all... the game "Nine Continents" is really quite fun.

Even though Yu Wanwan has experienced a more technologically advanced world, she cannot deny this.

On the Jiuzhou Forum, the top ten unsolved mysteries still remain.

However, the second-ranked question became why Wanxi Xingzhou suddenly gave up on the behavior he had persisted in for ten years.

Many people speculated that it was because of that muscular orc, the little devil.

But many people cannot accept such speculation.

This is a holographic game where all the players and NPCs are modeled exactly like real people.

Because every time they saw that ethereal swordsman leaning against that muscular man with a full beard, they couldn't bear to look at him.

In particular, the once aloof and sophisticated swordsman became a completely different person when facing that bearded man.

Watching him, with his small frame, effortlessly act coquettishly towards the muscular man, and occasionally treat the man like a useless person, taking meticulous care of him.

Those fans who are crazy about Xu Qingzhou, the top influencer on the charts, will feel extremely disillusioned.

There were also times when die-hard fans couldn't stand it anymore and, taking advantage of Xu Qingzhou's absence, came to cause trouble for Yu Wanwan.

Unfortunately, the original owner's skills were already quite good, and now that she's Yu Wanwan, her skills will only be better.

Even the main tank (MT) role was played exceptionally well by her.

Those who came looking for trouble were all dealt with terribly by her.

Not only that, after being brutally beaten by Yu Wanwan, these people will face another round of friction from the top-ranked player when Xu Qingzhou comes online.

These two don't care if you're male or female; if you dare to cause trouble, they'll beat you to death.

Gradually, no one bothered them anymore.

When they encounter them, they will consciously take a detour.

The game environment for the two returned to tranquility.

Outside of the game, the Xu family adores Yu Wanwan.

This kind of affection almost borders on spoiling.

It's not just because of Xu Qingzhou, but more importantly, because she herself is an outstanding person.

In particular, after they learned that Yu Wanwan was an orphan, they treated her like family.

During holidays and festivals, she would always urge Xu Qingzhou to take her home for dinner.

Now, Xu Qingzhou no longer objects to her parents seeing her.

It's still a bit annoying though.

They were so persistent, constantly worrying about Yu Wanwan's situation, as if she were their own daughter.

Although he didn't object to having more people love her with him, he knew that even if they were together, they wouldn't love her more than he did.

But they always interrupted his and her dates, which annoyed him greatly.

What troubled Xu Qingzhou the most was that her parents had started pressuring her to have a child.

In the past few years, things were fine. Yu Wanwan was only nineteen years old, not very old, and the Xu family wasn't in a hurry.

When she reached marriageable age, he hurriedly took her to get their marriage certificate.

They acted as if they were afraid that if they were a step too slow, someone else would snatch her away.

For this, he was ridiculed by many people.

Xu Qingzhou didn't care about this at all.

They have been married for five years now.

Over the years, the two have had an excellent relationship and have never quarreled or argued.

But they never had children.

Mr. and Mrs. Xu started to get restless.

They probed and urged him openly and secretly.

Xu Qingzhou stopped all these urging and probing attempts, preventing them from reaching Yu Wanwan.

However, Yu Wanwan eventually found out, but she didn't say anything.

Both of them made their stance clear: they would not have children.

Yu Wanwan's reason for not having children is very simple.

She was using someone else's body and had no interest in leaving a descendant in this small world.

As for Xu Qingzhou...

He finally found her and hadn't spent enough time with her yet, how could he possibly have a child and become a third wheel?

In the end, Xu Qingzhou was annoyed to no end by them.

After Xu Xiaomei became capable of handling things on her own, he decisively handed the company over to her and took Yu Wanwan on a world tour.

The three members of the Xu family were so angry that they wished they could put him back into his mother's womb.

Over the years, Yu Wanwan has been thinking and investigating why Xu Qingzhou appeared in this world.

Unfortunately, nothing ever came of it.

This is, after all, the real world; even with the lowest possible ceiling, it's still the real world.

Virtual and real are separated by a fine line, yet they are worlds apart.

In the virtual world, she can easily obtain plot information by virtue of Dao Guo's cheat-like ability.

In the real world, however, this trick doesn't work so well.

It's not that it's impossible, it's just that there's no plot to rely on in reality.

The situation changes rapidly, and even if one glimpses the secrets of heaven, it's useless.

Who knows if this secret will still be applicable later?

Just when she was about to give up thinking about it, she unexpectedly found the answer during her round-the-world trip.

It was a remote town far from the hustle and bustle of the city.

It is completely different from the bustling, technologically advanced cities outside.

This small town has retained its simple and rustic style.

The whole town is filled with a quaint and antique charm.

With its cobblestone paths, white walls and gray tiles, and red lanterns hanging under the eaves, time seems to slow down here.

Walking down the street, you can hear the sounds of Suzhou storytelling coming from the teahouses and smell the sweet aroma wafting from the pastry shops.

If it weren't for the music playing from speakers in some shops, and the fact that pedestrians on the street were holding their phones.

The furnishings and atmosphere are so impressive that you might mistake it for stepping back in time.

It was on this very street that Yu Wanwan stumbled upon a bookstore.

Wanxiang Study.

The bookstore's storefront is inconspicuous, and the lettering on the wooden signboard is already somewhat faded.

Yu Wanwan didn't know why either.

The moment I saw the store name, I felt a strange flutter in my heart.

It was as if it was guiding her inside.

Without much thought, she followed her heart.

Pushing open the old wooden door, the hinges creaked open.

The shop was dimly lit, and the air was filled with the unique smell of old paper and ink.

Rows of bookshelves were neatly arranged, densely packed with all kinds of books.

Some of the spines were damaged, making the text illegible and revealing the yellowed pages inside.

Yu Wanwan's gaze wandered among the bookshelves, finally settling on a dusty book in the corner.

The cover is a simple solid color with no decorations, only a concise title.

The Story of a Scumbag's Whitewashing

This is……

Yu Wanwan's heart suddenly raced.

The novel that Xu Qingzhou created!

In an instant, Yu Wanwan understood why Xu Qingzhou was here.

This world...

It turned out to be the main world of that virtual universe.

Really...

Coincidences are the norm.

"Hmm? It's an old friend."

A clear, melodious female voice came from behind her, and Yu Wanwan turned around.

A woman wearing a plain-colored cheongsam is leaning against a bookshelf.

She held an exquisite purple bamboo pipe in her hand, the wisps of smoke obscuring her beautiful face.

"Have we met before?"

Yu Wanwan scrutinized her for a few moments.

She was quite certain that she had never seen this person before.

The woman shook her head and meticulously cleaned the pipe with a silver skewer.

"You caused me a lot of trouble back then!"

He said it was troublesome, but there was little blame in his tone; instead, there was a hint of amusement.

Yu Wanwan was somewhat surprised.

No matter how you look at it, this person is just an ordinary person.

That alone is enough to show that she is extraordinary.

Yu Wanwan touched the broken illusion on her wrist, seemingly lost in thought.

It's truly rare to find someone who can't even see through her.

"When that game spawned a virtual world, I went to guide it."

The woman seemed oblivious to Yu Wanwan's wariness and continued speaking on her own.

"Unfortunately, we lost the coordinates of that world before we even got there."

She put down her pipe and rubbed her temples with her fingertips.

"It took me a long time to search, almost the entire virtual world, before I found out that the world had been drained of its vitality and lost its ability to evolve again."

The more she spoke, the deeper the surprise appeared in Yu Wanwan's eyes.

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled and pointed to the plaque hanging in front of the counter.

"My name is Si Yuan, and as you can see, I am the owner of a bookstore."

"..."

Do you think she's stupid?

How could someone who even she couldn't see through be just a bookstore owner?

Si Yuan waved his hand, and the book in Yu Wanwan's hand flew uncontrollably into Si Yuan's hand.

"However, back then you destroyed the birth of a virtual world and cut off its chance for advancement."

Si Yuan opened the book, touched it with her fingertip, and the words on it turned into streaks of ink that disappeared into the air.

"This book was nourished by the vitality that overflowed when you left, and it was fortunate enough to evolve into a virtual universe. This world gained even greater opportunities, so it can be said that it turned out to be a blessing in disguise."

When all the text in the book has disappeared, leaving only blank pages.

With a push, the book fell onto the other bookshelf, where it stood quietly.

Having said that, Yu Wanwan already understood a lot about things she hadn't been able to figure out before.

For example, why did her soul end up in Xu Qingzhou's body?

Why is Xu Qingzhou here?

Suddenly, everything became clear. Yu Wanwan straightened up and bowed to her in thanks.

Thank you.

Si Yuan smiled, turned around and went upstairs.

"Don't tell those people about the bookstore's existence; consider it a thank-you gift."

"Xiao Wan? What are you thinking about?"

Yu Wanwan came to her senses.

She looked around and saw that she and Xu Qingzhou were standing on the bluestone street.

There was no bookstore or mysterious woman in sight anymore.

Thinking of what Si Yuan said when he left, Yu Wanwan shook her head.

"It's nothing, I just figured some things out."

Xu Qingzhou was a little curious.

"What's on your mind that's making you so lost in thought?"

Yu Wanwan looked up at the sky, which was dyed red by the sunset, with a gentle smile on her face.

"Hmm, I've figured out why I met you."

Xu Qingzhou blinked, put his hands on her hips, and faced her, their foreheads touching.

"Is there even a question? Of course it's because we're destined to be together, a match made in heaven!"

Yu Wanwan chuckled softly and tilted her head back to kiss him on the lips.

"Yes, it's fate."

Author's note: Waaah, I've finished writing it. There are still some extra chapters to come.