NOVEL NEXT Ch. 5
Chapter 5. The Future Was in My Hands
Let's take a brief look at the events that had occurred during this time.
High school student Chen Zixuan, recently fired from his convenience store job, returned home full of disappointment—only to find his neighbor and landlord's daughter, Gu Yanxi, waiting for him in advance in the corridor.
She handed him a cardboard box with no information written on it except for the recipient's name and address.
Inside the box was a costly VR headset. Who had sent it to him?
The answer was obvious: the mastermind behind the scenes—the developer of this game!
However, by the time Chen Zixuan realized this, it was already too late.
After entering the game, Chen Zixuan quickly discovered there was something seriously wrong with the headset: not only had it forced him into a female avatar with outrageously overpowered stats, but his appearance and name had also been pre-set.
Should he keep playing?
There are no free lunches in this world. Firmly believing this, Chen Zixuan resolutely chose to quit the game.
Yet things had not ended there.
During the time Chen Zixuan was immersed in the virtual world, the mastermind had already snuck into his room and left a menacing note beside his pillow.
One week—he had to reach level 15 in the game, or else... death!
Though he did not know what the mastermind's real motive was, one thing had become clear to Chen Zixuan at that moment: he was in deep trouble.
If real life were a game, then right now, two options would surely appear before him:
Option 1: Obey the directive on the note, return to the game and grind dutifully until he reached level 15 within a week, thus saving his own life.
Option 2: Immediately pick up his phone, dial the mysterious number 110, burst into tears, and confess all about his current predicament to the police officers.
Sa, let's start our date!
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In the empty room, Chen Zixuan sat on his bed, deep in thought for a long while.
Even though there was still a knife nearby, he felt surprisingly calm, even finding himself recalling things that had happened in the past.
He remembered Uncle Wang, the store manager at the convenience store—a man whose spirit had been bent by the weight of life.
He also remembered himself, his former self.
To scrape together enough for tuition, he had waited tables and washed dishes in a restaurant, been verbally abused by rude customers, and even rolled up his sleeves to unclog filthy drains with his own hands.
All for that meager 70 yuan a day.
To cover his rent and living expenses, he had once set up a street stall in the biting cold on New Year's Eve.
Business had been bad that day. He made no sales at all.
Not until 8:00 p.m., when his guilt finally won out and he sold a pirated streaming membership—usable only on smartphones—to a kindly elderly lady whose family only had a television at home.
But when his conscience caught up to him and he tried to chase her down, the old woman had already disappeared without a trace.
That night, he cried the whole way home, all for the sake of those 20 yuan he had earned.
Why must people who are equally lonely still hurt each other like this?
What had happened to this world?
From that moment on, Chen Zixuan understood the harshest rule of society:
When you have no money, even breathing is a mistake.
At some point, Gu Yanxi's voice seemed to echo in Chen Zixuan's ears again.
"You mean the rent? If you're really in a tight spot, it's okay to pay it later... Oh, right, that's what my mom said, it's not my idea! If you're thankful, go thank my mom."
That was the girl, frowning slightly.
"Don't get the wrong idea. There's no room at my place, so I waited here for you. Next time you have something valuable, let me know in advance. Don't make me worry about it again."
That was the girl, her cheeks reddening.
"Are... you alright?"
That was the girl, eyes filled with worry.
Only then did Chen Zixuan realize that, without even knowing it, the image of that girl had quietly filled every corner of his heart...
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"Chen Zixuan, are you... ok?"
At that moment, a soft, sweet voice forcefully pulled Chen Zixuan back to reality from his memories.
He looked up and saw the familiar girl standing in his doorway, one hand on the wall, gazing at him with concern written all over her face.
Curvaceous, long-legged, enticing—she was Gu Yanxi.
"I'm fine, just thinking about something,"
Chen Zixuan replied calmly, subtly shifting his body to block the knife by his pillow, just in case he scared her.
No matter what happened to him, he should never involve this girl before him.
"Oh..."
The girl hung her head and murmured in a low voice.
"I saw your door open just now and didn't hear any sound inside. I was afraid someone might steal our furniture, so I came in to have a look... Um... You don't mind, do you?"
Her attempts at lying were clumsy, and to Chen Zixuan, riddled with flaws.
"Don't worry. I'll keep a good watch for you,"
Chen Zixuan answered with a slight smile, a warmth he hadn't felt in a long time flickering in his heart.
Even if the words weren't entirely sincere, at least someone in this world cared about him after all.
"That's good. There's no hurry with the rent; you can pay it back slowly... And whatever you do, don't do anything stupid. If someone dies in my parent's rental, we won't be able to lease it out! Okay, that's all, I'll let you get on with your stuff!"
As though emptying all of her worries in one breath, the girl fired off a rapid string of words, then darted away like the wind.
Thud!
A few seconds later, the sound of the security door slamming shut echoed through the apartment.
Once again, Chen Zixuan was left alone in his room.
He climbed out of bed, opened the lowest drawer of his nightstand, tossed the knife inside, and then covered it with two thick books.
No matter what, it was still a controlled item; leaving it lying around might frighten kids.
After dealing with the dangerous object, Chen Zixuan finally let out a faint sigh of relief. However, the most dangerous item of all had yet to be dealt with.
He turned his gaze to the pitch-black VR headset.
"Can you... change my life, change my fate?"
Chen Zixuan muttered.
No one answered. The room was silent, and the VR headset made no response, seemingly giving tacit consent to his question with its silence.
Chen Zixuan silently stared at the headset. After a long while, he suddenly grabbed it and raised it high above his head!
"Now, the future is in my hands!"
In that moment, Chen Zixuan had made his choice.
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-------------= Clacky's Corner -------------=
【ദ്ദി(⩌ᴗ⩌)】