Chapter 207

More than ten minutes passed.

Qiao Suisui stood under a streetlamp feeding mosquitoes until she grew a bit worried and wanted to step forward to take a look; only then did a figure gradually emerge from the dark alley.

"Why were you gone so long? Is everything alright?" Qiao Suisui asked.

Qiao Jiming walked over with his head bowed; because the light was too dim, one could not see the expression on his face. He gave a grunt of acknowledgment, then reached out to take Qiao Suisui's wrist and led her back.

She sensed that Qiao Jiming's mood was a bit off, so she tentatively chatted with him, asking if there was something going on at home lately or if he was under too much pressure. Qiao Jiming patiently denied each point, telling her not to worry. The two walked quietly through the moonlit alley like they were taking an after-dinner stroll; though they were silent for a time, it did not feel awkward.

Qiao Jiming's gaze was fixed on the shadows on the road ahead, his mind wandering. Their two shadows overlapped, their steps in unison—one tall, one short—as if they were a pair of lovers in love. He lagged a few steps behind her and quietly took out his phone to capture the moment, his heartbeat quickening because of this simple action.

Qiao Suisui looked back and said with a smile, "What are you doing?"

Qiao Jiming smiled at her, "Nothing, just thought the shadows under the moonlight looked quite nice." He put his phone into his trouser pocket, caught up in two or three strides, and walked back side-by-side with her again.

Over the next few days, Qiao Suisui's life returned to a regular and calm rhythm. However, she discovered a strange phenomenon—she didn't know if it was a coincidence, but Gu Mengze began to appear frequently in her classes. He always sat in the back row of the classroom wearing headphones, seemingly listening to music, but he would occasionally look up at her. Seeing that he had no intention of striking up a conversation, Qiao Suisui didn't think much of it.

She spent over three thousand to rent a two-bedroom apartment; it was a very new Apartment. The agent said the landlord was overseas, and if she found it suitable, she could rent it long-term. The place was at the midpoint between her school and the company, making it very convenient for her to travel back and forth. Moreover, at a price just over three thousand, this location was practically like winning the lottery; one had to know that this area was a hub for white-collar workers, where the price of a one-bedroom apartment was over four thousand. At first, she was afraid of being scammed, but in the end, she repeatedly confirmed that the agency was a legitimate one.

The surrounding facilities of the entire residential complex were very complete, and the building was also very new. Most importantly, the landlord's taste in decoration was truly excellent—simple yet grand—and the furniture looked brand new. Qiao Suisui felt her luck had been a bit too explosive lately.

Lin Xixi moved in with her. Because she usually went to school more often and the home was close by, she chose to live in the second bedroom. Lin Xixi insisted on paying half the rent, but was refused by Qiao Suisui. After Lin Xixi's persistent pestering, Qiao Suisui finally accepted a symbolic one thousand.

Qiao Suisui lived a life of attending classes, interning, and writing manuscripts in her spare time, busy and fulfilling. Yet, beneath this appearance of fulfillment lay worries she never revealed in front of others.

She still frequently thought of them in that world.

When weaving through crowds, she would subconsciously look up to see if a Flying Ship was passing by in the sky;

When sitting in the shade of a tree at school letting her mind go blank, seeing a pair of lovers playfully bickering on the lawn not far away, their expressions would involuntarily surface in her mind. When she finished a busy day and lay in bed to sleep, she would subconsciously sniff the scent of the pillow and quilt, even feeling a wave of loss for the missing slightly cold body temperature and the silver hair that used to wrap around her fingertips. She would also habitually want to call their names when eating something delicious, but when she turned her head, there was no one by her side. She thought she was clear-headed enough to have severed reality from illusion, but those experiences played out before her eyes like scenes in a movie.

That night, Qiao Suisui couldn't sleep and sat at her desk, which was lit only by the computer screen, in a daze. After much hesitation, her hand clicked on an email she hadn't looked at for a long time. Inside lay a reply from INF Company, and upon opening it, it was a closed beta entry link to enter the Game World.

That link, a string of letters, was like Pandora's box, constantly beckoning her.

Her mouse hovered hesitantly over the link, and the next second, Qiao Suisui 'slapped' her laptop shut.

Ye Xi's words constantly circled in Qiao Suisui's ears. At the thought that they would fall in love with every player who entered the Game World, she couldn't help but laugh at herself.

"What's the point... Even if I start over, it's no longer the world I once visited..."

She got into bed as if fleeing, covered her head with the quilt, and lay with her eyes open until dawn.

A few days later, at the end of the workday, Qiao Suisui walked out from downstairs of the company as usual and saw a very familiar car parked at the entrance.

Guan Weizhi lowered the passenger window and greeted her with his head bowed: "Get in."

"Teacher Guan, why are you here?" "Don't you remember?"

Qiao Suisui was dazed for a moment, then immediately remembered that Guan Weizhi had told her a few days ago that he would take her to attend an entrepreneurship training camp.

"Ah, it's today." Qiao Suisui blinked her eyes, looking down at her white T-shirt, jeans, and canvas shoes.

"Get in first, I can't park here."

Guan Weizhi knew what she was worried about. Seeing her uneasy expression after she got in the car, he glanced at her and said, "Look at the back seat."

Qiao Suisui looked back and saw four or five luxury shopping bags on the back seat; for a moment, her brain went blank.

"Teacher Guan, these are..."

These were all picked out by Guan Weizhi himself at the mall, but fearing she would have a psychological burden, he lied to her: "Rented. Just make do for tonight."

Qiao Suisui let out a long sigh of relief, "Thank you, Teacher Guan. You are always so thoughtful."

But as soon as she thought about the upcoming occasion, she became worried again. According to Guan Weizhi, this entrepreneurship training camp was attended by CEOs or partners of several startups previously invested in by Zhonghe Fund, and they had invited some students from prestigious schools as cultivation targets to initiate this sharing of entrepreneurial experience. Wouldn't it be a CEO every five steps and an Ivy Leaguer every ten steps later?

"Teacher Guan, I'm a bit nervous..." Qiao Suisui gripped her seatbelt and looked at him imploringly: "How should I behave later so I don't embarrass you?"

Guan Weizhi smiled gently, looking straight ahead, and freed a hand to pat her head.

"No matter how you behave, you won't embarrass me."

He was wearing a casual suit today, giving off a sense of leisurely elegance, with a bit less of the usual sense of distance. Guan Weizhi was not a person who loved to preach, especially not someone who liked to change others' perceptions, because that was too exhausting. But the little one beside him was different; for Qiao Suisui, he always felt an obligation to water and fertilize her in time.

Therefore, he inspired her: "What do you think is my purpose in bringing you here today?"

Qiao Suisui pondered for a moment and said, "To learn from the big shots."

"Half right."

Guan Weizhi looked at her with a smile and said, "I will introduce you to the investment manager of the Dark Horse projects at Zhonghe Fund. The Dark Horse projects are projects that Zhonghe only started running in the last half year. They don't just invest in companies in various fields; now they are starting to invest in people. A company will grow from a startup to a unicorn company, and so will talent. This is also the reason why some students are participating today."

Qiao Suisui was startled and blurted out subconsciously: "But how can I compare to them..."

Guan Weizhi's expression remained unchanged, his eyes fixed ahead while holding the steering wheel; at this moment, he radiated an effortless sense of confidence.

"Remember, others' being Excellent does not affect your own excellence. They are fire, and you are gold; you cannot stop others from shining, and likewise, others cannot take away your radiance."

Should I switch to the game perspective tomorrow? Use votes to decide.

(End of chapter)