NOVEL NEXT Chapter 65 - Love letter
Tang Yuan clutched at the fabric of her clothes with both hands, swaying slightly. “Sister, I’m fine.”
Jiang Zi couldn’t snap out of it for a long time. She lowered her head, bringing her face close to Tang Yuan’s, feeling her warmth.
“Tang Yuan… Tang Yuan…”
Tang Yuan’s hands circled around her back, gently patting it as she softly reassured, “I’m here, I’m right here.”
The frantic beating of Jiang Zi’s heart finally settled, though her face remained pale.
Noticing that Jiang Zi seemed dazed, Tang Yuan gently pulled her toward a small side road. “See? Big vehicles aren’t allowed here, only trams and bicycles. Nothing to worry about now.”
Jiang Zi clung tightly to her hand, her eyes glued to Tang Yuan, as though afraid that something might happen to her in a single blink.
Tang Yuan led her into a dessert shop and bought a taro mousse cake.
Sitting at the shop, Tang Yuan opened the box and said cheerily, “Eating something sweet will make you feel better.”
She cut off a piece with a fork and brought it to Jiang Zi’s lips. “Try it?”
Jiang Zi obediently opened her mouth. The sugary taste wasn’t to her liking, but she swallowed it without flinching.
Tang Yuan fed her half the cake and ate the rest herself. Seeing that Jiang Zi’s expression had returned to normal and she no longer seemed preoccupied with what had just happened, Tang Yuan finally relaxed.
They strolled around, sampling local snacks until they were too full to eat a proper meal. At a small stall, they bought two painted fans, and later, matching couple outfits at a clothing shop. By the time night had fully fallen, they walked back to the “Love Cabin.” This time, Jiang Zi made sure Tang Yuan walked on the safer, inner side of the road.
Back at the Love Cabin, only Ling Jun and Guan Zi’an were in the living room.
When Tang Yuan and Jiang Zi entered, they saw the two hurriedly fixing their appearances, subtly shifting positions to create some distance between them.
Ling Jun brushed her hair back twice before turning to greet them. “Good evening!”
“Good evening, Sister Jun and Mr. Guan,” Tang Yuan replied casually, her gaze sweeping over them without lingering. “Are the others not here?”
“They went to the old street in groups,” Ling Jun said, her voice a little hoarse. She bent down to pour herself a glass of water, sipping it to soothe her throat.
Jiang Zi glanced around the room and at the clock on the wall—it was already 9 PM. On non-task days, the Love Cabins live broadcast ended at 8 PM.
It seemed that after the cameras went off, only these two stayed behind while everyone else went out. Not that Jiang Zi cared about any of that.
“We’ll head upstairs then,” Tang Yuan said with a smile, waving at them before heading up with Jiang Zi.
Tang Yuan took a shower and changed into panda-patterned pajamas. She sat cross-legged on the bed, hugging her tablet. When she heard the bathroom door open, she eagerly turned to Jiang Zi. “Sister, I’m playing a game. Want to join me?”
In truth, she’d already been playing while Jiang Zi was in the shower.
For the past month, she’d been gaming alongside Jiang Zi, whether in dungeons or ranked matches, always effortlessly winning thanks to her. She’d forgotten how challenging the game could be.
For the past month, she’d been gaming with Jiang Zi, whether it was running dungeons or climbing the ranked ladder. She’d been effortlessly carried to victory every single time, winning so easily that she’d forgotten just how challenging the game could be.
Looking at her own Tribulation Ascension account and then at the one belonging to Skyward Era, the only Mahayana account in the entire server, perched at the top of the leaderboard with a flawless 100% win rate and an unshakable first-place rank, she couldn’t help but feel the sting of contrast.
Here she was, a measly rank 10 player, struggling like a total noob. She’d just queued for two ranked matches and got utterly crushed, leaving her questioning her very existence.
It was July now, summer break. The student players were out in full force, and those “little kid bros” proved to be no pushovers. In just ten minutes, Tang Yuan had suffered five consecutive defeats.
She convinced herself that it must be because she hadn’t played during the days they’d been filming the show. Her rusty skills had to be the culprit, right? Clenching her teeth, she prepared to queue for another match when Jiang Zi finally came out from the bathroom.
Tang Yuan enthusiastically invited her to join. Jiang Zi casually grabbed her tablet off the desk and tossed it onto the bed. “Log me in.”
She grabbed a fresh set of pajamas and headed back to the bathroom.
Tang Yuan, whose face was already recognized by the tablet, logged into Jiang Zi’s account and teleported her character beside her own.
When Jiang Zi’s account came online, a server-wide announcement popped up, and the world chat erupted.
[Oh my, the lovebirds are online again to game together!]
[Everyone knows these two got together on the love reality show—so happy for them!]
[Looks like Sister Era won Sweetheart Tang Yuan’s heart after all.]
[Tang Yuan’s ranked matches are in shambles—calling your wife for backup, huh?]
[By the way, I was the one hammering Tang Yuan earlier. Please spare me!]
Several new events had launched during their absence, including one tied to the drama Tales of Qin Yan, where players could immerse themselves in its storyline.
Intrigued, Tang Yuan opened the event page. “Wow, this event started the day we began filming. They even tied it to the show?”
Jiang Zi, now seated beside her in a navy silk pajama set, picked up her tablet. “What do you want to play?”
Tang Yuan showed her the event. “Even the game is collaborating with the show! No wonder the director’s been so giddy in the group chat lately. I thought the viewership boost was thanks to the drama’s promotion.”
Apparently, a lot of the traffic came from the game’s massive player base.
Jiang Zi entered the event page before Tang Yuan, choosing the First Senior Sister’s perspective.
Tang Yuan, unable to pick the same character, had to settle for the Junior Sister.
Playing the Junior Sister again gave Tang Yuan an odd sense of resistance. “Sister, is the storyline the same as the drama?”
Jiang Zi helped her load the game. “Not entirely.”
“There are changes?” Tang Yuan blinked. “Did they alter the Junior Sister’s fate?”
She immediately regretted asking. Changing the Junior Sister’s fate would essentially rewrite the whole plot.
After all, the Junior Sister was destined to die.
Be it Tang Yuan as the ill-fated Junior Sister or the character Li Xiang in the original drama.
Jiang Zi’s lips curled into a faint smile as she tapped Tang Yuan’s screen. “The story’s starting.”
She avoided answering the question directly.
Tang Yuan bit her lip, leaving a faint mark. Though conflicted, she didn’t press further.
Before entering the storyline, players could choose a custom nickname.
Tang Yuan instinctively typed “Tang Yuan,” but the thought of her inevitable in-game death made her feel unlucky. She erased it and typed “Chu Yu’s” name instead.
If only the curse work.
Jiang Zi glanced at her screen and stopped her from confirming the name. “Don’t use his name.”
Tang Yuan wanted to ask why but saw Jiang Zi’s character bearing her own name and decided against it.
Jiang Zi sighed, reminding her, “Write your own name.”
Tang Yuan immediately refused.
Jiang Zi stared at her for a moment and leaned in close, pressing a kiss to her nose. Her voice was tender, almost coaxing. “Be a good girl, little Tang Yuan. Use your name, alright?”
“The storyline for this crossover game adaptation—it’s something I wrote.”
“I won’t let little Tang Yuan die.”
This, after all, was the love letter she had written with all her heart.