Love Left or Right 1
Mottled walls, rusty fences and originally clear windows covered in stains. The faint sunshine of the early morning shining into the old apartment was like rain falling on a dirty robe, making it more dirty and smelly.
Despite leaving this place for a long time, Xie Su still felt the fear that deeply penetrated her bone marrow when she saw this old apartment again. She was afraid of this dark poverty.
She lowered her head, tightened the collar of her coat and the spotless soles of her shoes stepped on the fallen leaves. The walls of the corridor were covered with various advertisements while the concrete staircase was full of potholes and even vomit. Xie Su covered her nose and mouth. Her pale face arrived in front of door 201. She hesitated for a moment before knocking on the door.
She lived here for seven years and never thought she would come back but...
The door opened and in the faint light, Xie Su looked at this teenager who was half a head taller than her.
He was very beautiful. The ink-coloured hair was like dark night, completing suiting the face that was as white as the snow of winter. He had amazing facial features: narrow eyebrows, a high nose and beautiful lips. However, the lips were tip and the corners of the mouth curved downwards, making him look indifferent and alienated.
Xie Su reluctantly smiled. “Xiao Xi...”
Xie Xi’s eyes were cold and his voice was like a stone hitting clear water. “Is there something?”
Xie Su’s smile became stiffer. “Can I come in?”
Xie Xi silently shifted his body.
Xie Su walked into the house and felt that it was completely different from the shabby exterior. The place was small. There was a cramped single room and the decorations were old. The floor was cement and the composite wood tables and chairs had long faded. The clock on the wall made an old ticking sound.
However, it was very clean and neatly organized. It was even cleaner than the three-storey building where she lived.
Xie Su retracted her gaze and looked at the teenager. “How come you haven’t answered your phone?”
Xie Xi frowned and looked down.
Xie Su spoke in a soft voice, “You are living here alone. Mother is very worried.”
Xie Xie Xi remained silent. Xie Su added, “You shouldn’t do this. I talked to Uncle Liu for you and you can go to his company...”
“No.” Xie Xi refused calmly. “You don’t have to worry about my business.”
Xie Su exclaimed, “You are only 19 years old and dropped out of university? How can you find a job?”
Xie Xi had no expression on his face.
Xie Su continued, “Be a good boy and be obedient. Mom won’t let you live like this. Go to work. Staying in the house all day...” She looked at the computer screen. “...It isn’t okay to just play games.”
Xie Xi glanced at her and asked, “Is there anything else?”
Xie Su froze.
Xie Xi told her, “If there is nothing else then please go back. Everyone should be waking up in a while.” He spoke in a calm voice but Xie Su’s expression changed.
It was five in the morning and the corridors were empty. All the neighbours were sleeping. In half an half, the people in the apartments would start waking up and Xie Su didn’t want to see them, let alone have any involvement with them. She came here so early to deliberately avoid them and Xie Xi noticed her intentions.
Xie Su finally got to the point. “I am pregnant.”
Xie Xi’s dark eyes narrowed and the corners of his mouth lowered. “Oh, congratulations.”
Xie Su grabbed his wrist and anxiously urged him, “Xiao Xi, come back. Mother has married him and I’m pregnant with his child. This time I definitely will be able to protect you.”
Xie Xi removed her fingers and said, “Take care of yourself. Don’t worry about me.’
Xie Su wanted to speak more but Xie Xi pushed her out the door, closing the old but incredibly sturdy iron door.
Xie Su stared at the iron door and reluctantly told him, “Mother isn’t the same as before. Think about it and I will wait to hear from you.”
Xie Xi didn’t speak. He waited until he heard footsteps leaving before sitting down in front of the computer and staring at the screen.
What was different?
Xie Xi picked up the mouse and manipulated the characters in the game.
He wasn’t a puppet or someone to be taken advantage of.
Xie Xi’s father disappeared when he was two years old. HIs mother, Xie Su, became the mistress of Mr. Liu when Xie Xi was nine years old. She slowly ‘boiled’ Mr. Liu for a full 11 years before finally marrying into the Liu family and becoming pregnant.
Xie Xi really blessed her. After all, she finally got what she wanted.
He sighed and put the equipment he gained onto the auction house. He hadn’t used Xie Su’s money and was living on his own savings. He previously had to scrape together money for tuition fees so now it was much easier.
It wasn’t easy to make money from games but Xie Xi’s luck in this area was better than others. He could always gain good things that other people dreamt of. He didn’t use them and sold them, switching the profit to cash.
Today was like normal. He finished and was preparing to go to sleep when a flower appeared in front of him.
[The conditions are met... verification is successful... the game is loading...]
Xie Xi was stunned. What was going on? A hangover from the all-nighter? No, it wasn’t.
He blinked and the first half of the line gradually faded, while the next few words became clearer.
They floated in the air like a projection. Xie Xi quickly turned his head and the line of words followed him, falling on the wall he was looking at.
An illusion?
Xie Xi reached out and touched the clearly legible handwriting. Suddenly, a dazzling white light exploded and before Xie Xi could react, he lost consciousness.
Everything happened so suddenly and the dazed Xie Xi seemed to hear someone talking to him.
“Xiao Xi...”
“I’m sorry.”
[The game is loaded and the quasi-world has opened.]
Xie Xi opened his eyes while his mind was in chaos.
“Young Master should eat well, your waist is too thin.” A delicate girl dressed in a black and white maid’s outfit said warmly.
Xie Xi didn’t bother to respond. He stared at the mirror in front of him, astonishment filling his eyes.
The person in the mirror wasn’t him. The facial feature were similar but the clothing was completely different. In the mirror, he wore a dark blue hat and a single shoulder cloak in the same colour. The inside was a stylish double-breasted shield with a tight waist and the hem was covered with gorgeous jewels. There were also black leather boots on his legs.
The maid pulled at the complicated cuffs of his shirt, carefully making it into a blooming petals shape. She sincerely praised. “Young Master, you are so beautiful.”
What was so good about this... Xie Xi pressed a hand to his temple and couldn’t figure out what was happening right now.
The maid said that he wasn’t in a pleasant state and asked, “Young Master, did you not sleep well last night?”
“It was okay.” Xie Xi opened his mouth and was shocked by his own voice. It wasn’t as hard as a man or as gentle as a woman. This voice was somewhere in between and slightly... feminine.
He didn’t notice that the admiration of the maid had turned into an explicit obsession.
“Young Master...” The maid whispered to him.
Xie Xi ignored her because of the words that appeared in front of him again.
[Welcome to the quasi-world. Please read the information board carefully.
Game Name: Love to the Left or Right
Game Summary: A sweet love game~
Main Mission: Live for seven days.
Side Mission: None
Number of Loads: Unlimited.
Props Carried: There are currently no available props.
Privilege to be Selected: 10 times the money reward, fatal injuries are painless, no death in the game.
The amount of information was so large that countless thoughts flashed in Xie Xi’s mind. Was he dreaming? Or had he really entered a game?
The game loaded... the information panel... and he was even assigned a mission.
Live for seven days? What would happen when he finished the mission and what would happen if he didn’t finish it? Countless doubts swirled in his head, making Xie Xi dazed.
At this point, the words in front of him changed. A highlighted line appeared under the privileges section.
[Please select the privilege as soon as possible. The privilege will be discarded by default when he countdown is over.]
Xie Xi suppressed his thoughts. Whether this was a dream or not, he shouldn’t be careless.
He stared at the privileges that could be selected. The last of the three options was the most attractive. If he couldn’t die in the game then wouldn’t this complete the mission? After all, the mission required him to survive for seven days.
However, if there was no death then why was there an unlimited number of loads? Why bother setting an option to be free of pain when it came to fatal injuries?
If surviving for seven days was a simple matter, why bother setting it as a mission?
There were many contradictions.
Xie Xi also looked at the privilege of 10 times the money reward. He didn’t know what the reward was but these words were a huge temptation.
Temptation was a way of blinding the eye so... Xie Xi made a choice.
***
In one of the dozen of underground labyrinths, the silver-haired man flexibly escaped the black mist that was exuded. “Damn, what are you doing?”
A tall man in black was standing opposite him. His appearance was hidden by the darkness and only a frivolous voice was heard. “Someone picked me.”
The silver-haired man made a strange expression. “This person has really good luck.”
“Yes.” The man in black laughed. “Very lucky.”
The silver haired man cursed in his heart, ‘What luck? Old Jiang’s evil games are famous for being in hell mode!’
He hoped it wasn’t a newcomer. He remembered that Jiang Xie had designed a novice trial with a S-grade difficulty. So far, no one had cleared it. No... Old Jiang just said that someone had chosen him so it must be the novice trial.
Well, he would ask for more blessings. “Lucky person.”