Chapter 194 Player
School, library.
Qiao Suisui was searching on her computer. She hadn't given up on finding a way to re-enter the game. She emailed the customer service representative who had invited her to the internal beta and waited for a response. She then searched various platforms and search engines for any clues related to the game, but found nothing.
Just as she was about to close the page in frustration, a chat box popped up out of nowhere.
Don't look back.
【Don’t search for related keywords anymore.】
Qiao Susu thought it was a spam ad and was about to click the cross when several messages popped up in the chat box. She glanced at them and froze in her chair.
Have you ever sat on a red chair?
We are the same.
[Don't look around, I'm not next to you.]
【I am 001.】
A few short messages in a row made Qiao Susu's heart beat faster.
"001," "Red Chair," these were keywords only players who had entered the game world understood. She remembered that before she was forced to log out, the system's voice mentioned that she was player 002. So, behind this dialog box, was player 001.
Qiao Suisui's fingers typed quickly on the keyboard——
Qiao Suisui: Who are you? What do you know?
[My name is Ye Xi, and I'm a player like you. This chat box only lasts five minutes and will be deleted after reading.]
[I'm in your city. See you at Left Bank Coffee at 2pm tomorrow. I'll be waiting for you on the red chair.]
Qiao Suisui: What is your purpose?
Qiao Suisui: Do you know how to enter the game?
The dialog box showed "input in progress" at the top, but in the end, no message came in. Qiao Sui Sui was very cautious. She didn't know the other person, and of course, she didn't trust him. She asked: "How did you find me?"
But Ye Xi didn't say anything more. After a few seconds, there were only three words in the chat box:
【Talk when we meet.】
In the blink of an eye, the entire dialog box gradually burned out and disappeared from the screen like burning paper.
Qiao Susu stared at the computer screen, frowning and thinking, when suddenly a hand patted her shoulder.
"What are you looking at so intently?"
She was startled and turned around to see that it was Qiao Jiming.
"Why are you here?"
Qiao Jiming felt uncomfortable when he heard her question and the unfamiliar tone, but he swallowed it silently. He was silent for a moment, lowered his eyes and said, "I'm here to take you home."
Qiao Suisui wasn't sure when he stood behind her, and she didn't know if he had seen the dialog box. She calmly turned off the computer screen, picked up her backpack, and walked out, whispering, "I've already applied to live on campus."
Qiao Jiming followed closely behind her, took the backpack from her shoulder and slung it over his own shoulder, and said after her, "It will take some time for the application to be approved. So where are you staying for the next few days?"
"hotel."
"Sister." He hesitated, gently hooked her wrist, and said, "Come home with me. I'll tell Mom. I won't let her cause you any more trouble."
Qiao Susu stopped and looked back, seeing the pair of clear black and white eyes on Qiao Ji's clear face.
His eyes are deep, yet they conceal a hidden depth. Whenever he gazes at you, you feel a gentleness, a sense of light and tranquility. His looks are instantly recognizable in a crowd, with three-dimensional features and a smooth face. His profile, in particular, is like a meticulously crafted work of art, with a sharp jawline that perfectly balances youthfulness with masculine maturity. Since childhood, neighbors have praised him for his good looks, saying they've never seen a boy as handsome as him.
But Qiao Susu knew that beneath his well-behaved and submissive appearance, he was actually very opinionated and even quite rebellious.
When they were little, during a Chinese New Year visit, a relative's child teased her, lifting her skirt and squirting her with a water gun, soaking her. In winter, with so many layers of clothing, she didn't dare complain, knowing no one would back her up. So she just sat there in her wet clothes, silent and silent. The kindness of adults is cultivated through education, while the evil of children is pure evil. The children, seeing Qiao Susu being bullied, didn't fight back or complain, so they became even more aggressive. Seeing this, Qiao Jiming didn't confront them outright. Instead, he found an excuse to walk over, holding the adults' hands, so the adults could catch them bullying Qiao Susu.
Qiao Susu originally thought that the matter ended there. She had been used to swallowing her anger since she was a child, and was used to reading adults' faces. In order to hear praises like "sensible" and "obedient", she would not say anything when she was wronged. So she stayed there with her clothes wet until Qiao's mother and relatives chatted from the afternoon to the evening.
When we were about to leave, someone outside suddenly shouted, "Someone fell into the water!" and a few children came running over crying.
This is the suburbs, and the residential area is next to a river that has been in disrepair for many years, and the river water is smelly and dirty.
Qiao Suisui followed the adults to see what had happened and discovered that the person who had fallen into the water was the child who had played a prank on her. The adults scrambled to pull their own naughty child out of the water. Someone asked what had happened, but the oldest child was only six or seven at the time and couldn't explain the main point in a disjointed manner.
"Yeah, we were playing rock-paper-scissors, and whoever lost had to take a step back. Then there was a little boy who kept winning, so my cousin kept taking a step back, and then he fell in."
Everyone present was a relative, and the adults couldn't bring themselves to lecture someone else's child, nor did they dare to ask whose children they were. They just laughed and smoothed things over, berating every child involved without distinction. Others didn't know, but Qiao Sui Sui knew that it was Qiao Jiming who had suggested playing this game with those kids.
Qiao Suisui hid at the back, her eyes searching for Qiao Jiming, who was standing in the corner. He still looked well-behaved and harmless, but his eyes were always calm. That year, Qiao Suisui was six years old and Qiao Jiming was five.
Later, I heard from adults that although the river was not turbulent, the water was very deep, at least two meters. If a seven or eight-year-old child fell in, the probability of drowning was very high. Fortunately, the child grabbed a corner of a flood-prevention sandbag and waited for the adults to pull him out, otherwise he might have drowned.
It was also from that moment that she became subconsciously wary of Qiao Jiming.
He is very smart and good at disguise. When others are still sucking their fingers, he can already play tricks, knowing how to retaliate in a roundabout way while also being able to get himself out of the situation. In addition, he always takes away Qiao's mother's care and love. Without comparison, there is no harm, so Qiao Sui Sui has a very complicated impression of Qiao Jiming.
"elder sister?"
The young man's soft voice brought Qiao Sui Sui back from her memories. She said, "I've made up my mind."
Qiao Jiming didn't look frustrated by the rejection. Instead, he looked calm, as if he had expected this. He smiled faintly and immediately agreed with her, "Have you found a hotel yet? I'll take you there and help you pack."
She was about to refuse when he added, "The road in front of your school is being repaired. It's not easy for you to carry the box by yourself. The weather is so hot and humid, and it will definitely rain soon. The road will be covered in mud. Hurry up and use me as a servant while I'm here."
Such a beautiful smile and humble attitude made Qiao Suisui open her mouth. Just when she was thinking of how to politely refuse, Qiao Jiming had already consciously pulled her out, picked up her suitcase, and walked ahead with the bags. So Qiao Suisui had no choice but to let him go in silence.
In the following time, Qiao Jiming helped her find a hotel with a nice environment, delivered her luggage to the room, and repeatedly checked the hotel door lock.
"Remember to lock the safety lock before you go to bed at night. Come here, I'll teach you. Hang it on the door with a clothes hanger. Even if someone outside forces your door open, they can't get in."
Qiao Jiming demonstrated it to her.
(End of this chapter)
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