Chapter 83, Chapter Thirty: The Fantasy Building
In the time that followed, Wen Ting confirmed her guess.
She coaxed Gong Baidie into conjuring up all sorts of large-scale facilities, not just amusement rides, but later she even fantasized about seeing scenery, such as towering mountains and waterfalls, flower valleys and deserts.
Gong Baidie wouldn't agree immediately, but as she had observed before, coquetry was very effective on him.
He would comply with any request she made, as long as she softened her voice and said some kind words.
A series of magnificent and fantastical scenes appeared before Wen Ting's eyes, lifelike and exquisitely detailed.
Even Green Forest's team would need several months to create something of this scale, but as long as Wen Ting acts coquettishly, Gong Baidie can immediately construct the scene she wants.
“It’s so beautiful,” she said, standing on tiptoe to kiss him in front of the rainbow-covered waterfall, laughing with joy. “Thank you, Little White. I love it so much, it’s like a dream.”
A hint of weariness appeared in Gong Baidie's eyes.
He put his arm around her waist and returned the kiss, "Me too, Wen Ting."
He felt as if he were in a dream.
"The air is so fresh, I want to go hiking." Wen Ting asked during the kiss, "Do you know Fushan? It's the foremost of the seven famous mountains, but I've never been there."
Gong Baidie looked down at her: "You only glanced at this waterfall once."
"I just want it." Wen Ting took his hand and smiled. "The most famous thing in Fushan is the Marriage Stone. I heard that no couple who have touched the Marriage Stone together has ever gotten divorced. Xiao Bai, don't you want to touch it with me?"
"..." Gong Baidie's gaze shifted slightly, "This place is only four stories high."
“It’s okay, just make a mountaintop.” Wen Ting tilted her head and nuzzled against his chin. “I just want to touch that rock with you.”
Seeing his silence, Wen Ting paused, "Is it not so easy to do?"
"It's alright, then forget it." She immediately let go and took two steps back from his embrace. "Let's climb Mount Fu together once we find a way to leave the ghost story."
Just as she was about to step back, Gong Baidie grabbed her wrist.
He said, "It's alright."
As soon as the words were spoken, the scene changed dramatically. The waterfall that had just been created vanished in an instant, replaced by a sun-drenched floating mountain.
Wen Ting smiled, glanced at Gong Baidie's slightly pale face, and happily took his hand. "Yes, that's it! Exactly the same as the photo I saw online!"
He turned to look at her, his eyes dark, accompanied by a faint, fleeting smile.
These looks made Wen Tinghuan see herself as a gambler, and Gong Baidie as an incorrigible wife who would soften and hand over her only savings as long as her husband coaxed her.
She was amused by her own imagination;
When he noticed the tall buildings outside the window gradually blurring and becoming less clear, he couldn't hide his smile.
It seems that the poor wife no longer has the strength to continue filming on location.
On the third-to-last day of the fourth assessment, there was a power outage on the 13th floor where they lived.
The power outage was very short; the lights only flickered twice.
At that time, Wen Ting was watering Chaochao's potatoes in the sunroom.
Those potato seedlings were growing so plump and green; she had never grown plants so vibrant before.
Wen Ting looked up at the flickering light. Once the power was restored, she continued watering the plants as if nothing had happened, humming happily in a nasal tone.
Sunshine, green plants, and gentle melodies.
She sang "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" for the potatoes.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
She had no choice; she had to survive.
She would definitely be a good person whenever she could. If she couldn't save people, she would try her best to save these potatoes.
She took meticulous care of all their belongings.
After watering the plants, Wen Ting returned to her study to continue drawing.
I did the outline yesterday, and today I'm going to color Feyns.
This is her thirty-ninth painting of Faion. At first, she had to refer to the original painting and check the details from time to time. Now she paints it more easily than her most popular characters.
She has depicted every angle of Feion, from dragon-shaped to human-shaped, from half-dragon to half-human, from black-and-white color T-shirt drawings to Q-version animated GIFs.
The little princess's white hair is the biggest highlight, and this new picture also catches the eye with her white hair.
A bright white figure amidst the snow and ice occupies a large portion of the text.
Repeated painting wasn't fun, but she wanted to love it, so she put a small mirror on the table and made sure she kept smiling when painting Fayenne.
She was in a good mood today, and without needing to be reminded, she naturally smiled while painting.
With her work finished and her shoulders a little sore, Wen Ting stood up to pour herself some water.
Gong Baidie was taking a nap in her room at noon.
In the past week, his sleep time has increased, almost matching hers.
Wen Ting got the water and returned to her desk to sit down when a gray shadow suddenly flashed in her peripheral vision.
She turned her head and was suddenly stunned.
Outside the window, someone is floating in the air!
The other person disappeared quickly after she looked over, but Wen Ting still managed to see her face clearly—
It was a girl wearing a gray hoodie.
Upon seeing her, the girl also showed a shocked and puzzled expression.
Wen Ting was greatly surprised. What was that?
The girl disappeared quickly and never reappeared, as if it were a pure accident.
Wen Ting was certain that she wasn't seeing things.
If she wasn't hallucinating, then perhaps this was caused by unstable energy in the supernatural tales.
One possibility is that Gong Baidie no longer had enough energy to maintain the framework of the ghost story, and the edge of it intersected with the normal world, like a mirage, and began to transmit images from the outside world.
Whatever the reason, the appearance of living people outside of Gong Baidie's control in the ghost stories is definitely a good sign.
Wen Ting immediately returned to the bedroom to check on Gong Baidie's condition.
The curtains were drawn, and in the darkness, a human-shaped protrusion could be seen from under the bed.
Dark black hair was scattered on the blue sheets and blankets. The handsome young man was fast asleep, curled up on his side, his collarbone and pale skin showing through his loose collar.
She approached quietly, crawled onto the bed, and the young man's closed eyelashes fluttered before opening.
Her phoenix eyes stared unconsciously at Wen Ting, as if an unloaded program had not yet been covered by emotions, dark, cold, and sinister.
Wen Ting did not flinch. She tucked her hair behind her ear and lowered her head to kiss his lips.
The coldness in his phoenix eyes melted away completely. He lay down and gently placed his arm around Wen Ting's waist, pulling her into his embrace.
“You slept for a long time today, Xiaobai,” Wen Ting asked. “You don’t usually take naps. Are you feeling unwell?”
Gong Baidie breathed in the lingering breath she had left behind, and leaned lazily against her shoulder. "It's hot, I'm sleepy."
"Are you feeling alright?" Wen Ting touched his forehead, and felt that his body temperature was lower than normal.
Gong Baidie removed her hand and kissed her palm. "Hungry?"
Wen Ting chuckled, "You just made me dinner before you went to bed."
"want to?"
"..."
As he spoke, he propped himself up and began to undress.
Her shirt was half-fallen, revealing one side of her strong chest muscles. Wen Ting didn't sense much lust, but rather a strange sense of maternal instinct.
He still looked tired, like a mother struggling to stay awake while breastfeeding her child in the middle of the night.
Wen Ting reluctantly fastened the ties he had loosened and pressed him down to lie down.
"What have I become? Just rest well and don't worry about anything. I'll take care of dinner. What would you like to eat?"
"Don't worry about me." Leaning against the pillow, Gong Baidie half-opened her eyes and looked at her hazily. "Put the clothes in the washing machine, the socks in the red basin, and the underwear in the white basin."
"..." Wen Ting pulled the blanket over his face.
She wanted to say something, but lately he had been the one doing all the washing.
The reason was that during her last period, there was a bloodstain that she couldn't rub off; it was a very faint spot, almost invisible.
When it was hanging on the balcony to dry, it was seen by Gong Baidie.
He took it off and told her that he would wash it from now on.
This eventually led to the current situation.
"Go to sleep." She felt guilty and a little embarrassed and angry. "I'm the older sister."
Gong Baidie stirred under the covers.
Wen Ting stroked the top of his head that was showing a little bit, then leaned down and kissed him through the blanket.
The blanket fell silent, as if the person had fallen asleep.
As she stepped out of the room, Wen Ting closed the door behind her and put on a smile.
Feeling sleepy because of the heat?
With such a good reason, it would be impolite of her not to suggest swimming.
In late spring, let's be a little romantic and find a pond with fallen petals floating on it.
Thinking of other reasons to deplete Gong Baidie's energy, Wen Ting returned to her desk and continued to draw her beloved white-haired princess.
...
The fourth assessment day arrived as scheduled.
Except for the 13th and 1st floors, all other floors have been opened up to house that enormous roller coaster.
Wen Ting went downstairs and took a walk. The rotting human-butterfly was stuck on the surrounding walls, while the roller coaster was clean.
She looked up to check and found that the quantity was incorrect.
Of the original 70 human butterflies, only 38 remain, and the two corpse monsters left over from the second assessment day have also disappeared.
The last time the butterfly was assessed, it would flutter its wings, but this time it remained motionless, like a specimen.
She went down to the first floor, where the power system had completely shut down, there were no lights, the exterior view was blurry and dim, the huge horizontal screen at the entrance was silent, no longer playing death images, and the whole building exuded a desolate silence of decay.
"What are you looking at?" A cool voice brushed past her ear as she was embraced by the fragrant snow orchid.
Wen Ting relaxed her body and leaned against the suddenly appearing Gong Baidie.
His gaze followed hers, fixed on the company entrance.
"Xiao Bai," Wen Ting began, "is there something you're hiding from me?"
There was no response from behind, and she didn't urge him on.
This is just like saying, "Oh, do you need any help?"—it's just a casual, polite remark.
"Dinner is ready." He changed the subject as expected. "Wen Ting, let's go back."
Wen Ting obediently took the elevator upstairs with him.
When the door opened, the lights on the 13th floor flickered, but they tacitly remained silent.
A serving of two meat dishes and one vegetable dish for one person was placed on the table. Wen Ting sat down to eat, while Gong Baidie sat on the sofa behind her.
She heard the clear sound of the incense burner being opened. Gong Baidie had placed an incense burner in every room, even the bathroom.
He added incense powder to the incense burner, and after a while, the scent of snow orchids in the air became stronger.
Wen Ting had no feelings for Xue Lan; she chose it simply because she felt that Xue Lan matched Gong Bai Die's character.
She didn't actually have a particular fondness for fragrances, and she didn't specifically mention it to him.
The stove lid was closed, and apart from the faint chewing sounds of Wen Ting, there was no other noise in the room.
After eating half of it, Gong Baidie suddenly got up and walked towards her.
He stood beside her, picked up a pair of chopsticks, and served her food.
Wen Ting was stunned for a moment when the sleeve of the suit with blue cufflinks reached out.
She turned her head and looked at Gong Baidie, who was picking up food, with a puzzled expression.
It was still Gong Feibai's face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, surprised by his actions.
"I want to serve you." He spoke in Gong Feibai's tone, revealing Gong Baidie's smile.
Wen Ting was pleased to see this happen and praised him in a gentle voice, "Why are you being so well-behaved today?"
Gong Baidie smiled and placed a piece of spicy chicken in her bowl. "What do you want to do this afternoon?"
With chopsticks in her mouth, Wen Ting said, "With so many butterflies perched down there, how can I be in the mood to play?"
"Perfect target practice," Gong Baidie said. "Do you want to play with a gun, or a bow and crossbow?"
Wen Ting was surprised.
She thought again, maybe he was unable to support so many people and was deliberately making excuses to let her lighten his burden.
She didn't mind eliminating those monsters.
"A gun, I've never touched a gun before." She readily agreed.
Gong Baidie nodded, stood by the table, and continued to serve the dishes at the same pace as her.
After lunch and a nap, Gong Baidie indeed produced a gun and took her to shoot the human butterfly.
"Keep your hands straight, this is the safety." He wrapped his arms around her from behind and taught her how to fire the gun.
Unlike the gun she used in the game when she killed the queen in her dream, Wen Ting doesn't know how to use a regular gun.
The recoil was much less than Wen Ting had imagined. Even though she had never used a gun, she knew that this was probably the result of Gong Baidie's adjustments.
The bullet shot out of the gun barrel, entered the man's body, and exploded with a "plop" sound, like the sensation of a ripe tomato hitting the ground, splattering a pus-like mess.
It's a bit disgusting.
But Gong Baidie was in high spirits. He controlled Wen Ting's hand to aim, and shot Ren Die in the left hand and in the right hand. Ren Die, who was clinging to the wall, fell down.
Now it's truly like a rotten persimmon smashed on the ground.
The butterfly landed, its damaged wings flapping but unable to move its bloated body.
Its joints and bones rotted and turned to water, making it unable to stand up. It could only clumsily pupa on the ground like a caterpillar, leaving behind red and yellow marks.
"Haha, hahahaha..." That appearance amused Gong Baidie, and he laughed wickedly, asking Wen Ting, "Guess who that is?"
"You're going to trick me again." Wen Ting glanced at him. "I'm not going to guess."
"Guess, guess," Gong Baidie coaxed, "I'm not angry."
"No, I won't."
She didn't want to figure out who they were; it wouldn't do her any good.
He thought Gong Baidie would keep pestering him, but to his surprise, he compromised gently, "Okay, then I won't guess."
What is he thinking?
Wen Ting shot at the butterfly-shaped figure on the wall, not aiming at the limbs as Gong Baidie had taught her, but instead targeting the head and heart.
Gong Baidie stood beside her, occasionally adjusting her marksmanship.
The day was not over until Wen Ting had shot all 38 human butterflies dead.
She returned the gun to Gong Baidie, but he pushed it back, saying, "Keep it for next time."
Wen Ting certainly wouldn't refuse.
Regardless of what Gong Baidie was thinking, he was indeed getting weaker and weaker, sleeping for at least twelve hours a day, and the frequency of power outages was also increasing.
She carefully observes the changes in the ghost stories every day, and infers the amount of energy stored in the palace white butterfly from the details.
A week after the fourth assessment day, while Gong Baidie was asleep, the power suddenly went out on the 13th floor. Unlike usual, the power did not return for three or four hours.
Wen Ting went out to check the situation in each room. Not only was there a power outage, but there was also a water outage.
She opened the desk drawer and found that something felt off. When she bent down to take a look, she discovered that the carving on the drawer handle was gone.
The embroidery on the curtains, the lace on the tablecloth, and some small ornaments have all disappeared.
The carousel in the lobby was still lit up.
With the power outage, the entire building fell into darkness, and the brightly lit disco ball on the wooden horse stood out starkly in the lobby.
Wen Ting tried to start it, and it started working normally, not only with lights but also with light and melodious music.
What's this?
She watched as the empty rocking horses spun one after another, a piece of wallpaper in the corner was missing, and the lampshade above her head disappeared, revealing the base and light bulb.
Even the bare light bulbs couldn't light up, leaving only this conspicuous rocking horse.
This is very likely a test.
Wen Ting turned off the carousel and ran to her bedroom.
She called Gong Baidie several times, but he showed no signs of waking up.
She sighed softly, sat on the edge of the bed, and stared blankly at the headboard.
They'd send her a gun one minute and then immediately cause a major power outage; she wouldn't dare make any rash moves.
Since he was testing her, it means he was indeed all bark and no bite.
Wen Ting turned her head and gazed at the sleeping Gong Baidie in the dim light and shadow.
He was definitely faking it, but she wouldn't fall for it.
Reaching out, Wen Ting brushed aside the long hair that had fallen across the man's face.
His face looked even younger after he fell asleep; he was so much younger and more youthful than her.
If they had met in the outside world, and if he had no ill intentions...
"I really want to marry you, Butterfly," Wen Ting murmured.
She had no reason to refuse a handsome man who had no family ties, wholeheartedly helped her with household chores, and could earn a high income through handicrafts.
Some of her words weren't just meant to deceive him; she had genuinely considered where to buy the house.
Gong Baidie's game character is someone who enjoys gardening, and when he was renovating the 13th floor, he specially built a sunroom.
He still enjoys gardening.
She couldn't accept the ground floor, so she considered sky garden apartments and high-rise apartments with large terraces.
“You still seem to be struggling with the issue of children.” She twirled a strand of his dark hair around her eye. “I really don’t care. We can have dogs or cats, or we can bring my younger siblings’ children to our home. If the opportunity arises, we could even adopt one—of course, you can take care of it.”
"White Butterfly, I am really satisfied with you."
The person on the bed did not react at all; not even their eyelashes moved.
Wen Ting loosened that strand of hair, feeling inexplicably bored.
She leaned against the headboard, closed her eyes, and sat beside him, resting with her eyes closed.
Be cautious, it's not the right time yet.
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