Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I paid a small fortune to get you into Pelland Academy. If you dare cause trouble again, I'll break your legs!" The middle-aged man in the driver's seat shouted, the gold rings on his right hand gleaming blindingly.

"Then go ahead, old man! We'll see who beats who!" The young man in the back seat sat slouched, raising his voice. "I told you I don't want to go there! That so-called top-tier school is nothing but a rotten, rigid, rule-ridden new-style prison!"

As soon as his words fell, the car screeched to a sudden halt!

The young man in the back seat was caught off guard, his head slamming into the back of the front seat with a loud *thump*.

"What the hell!" the backseat youth cursed. He looked up, seething, only to see the driver frowning and staring ahead.

It turned out the middle-aged man hadn't intentionally slammed the brakes. A figure had suddenly appeared standing in the middle of the road ahead.

That person had darted out from the side and stopped dead in the center. Fortunately, the driver reacted quickly and the car wasn't going too fast, allowing for an emergency stop.

Now, that person stood stock-still in the middle of the road, unmoving even as the vehicle halted right in front of him. He just pivoted on the spot to face them.

Through the windshield, they could roughly make out his appearance.

He had smooth black short hair, with a slender fishbone braid deliberately left dangling on the right side. He wore a very bright, fluorescent yellow raincoat and had a modest-sized angel halo accessory perched on his head.

Although a good-looking person can make anything look good, this outfit still seemed totally out of place, not something an ordinary person would wear.

"...What the hell?" The young man in the back seat furrowed his brows.

The middle-aged man in the driver's seat also frowned deeply. He laid on the horn.

"Beep—beep—"

The horn blared harshly, but the person blocking the vehicle seemed not to hear it at all, remaining rooted to the spot.

This road was a one-way street, a shortcut the man had taken specifically to get his son to school faster. So if the person who had suddenly darted out from the roadside greenery didn't move, they couldn't continue.

The person outside stood as steady as a rock. The middle-aged man glanced at his wristwatch; he was out of patience. He unbuckled his seatbelt, opened the door, and got out, ready to chew him out.

And then, that person finally moved.

The raincoat-clad weirdo took a few steps forward, paused for a second as he got close, then brushed right past the man and headed straight for the driver's seat!

He opened the door, slid into the driver's seat, shut the door, and started the car—all in one fluid, practiced motion.

Before the man could even react, he heard the engine roar to life.

He instinctively jumped sideways onto the sidewalk, and the very next second, the car peeled out, nearly hitting him!

Middle-aged man: ?

Young man still in the back seat: ??

Wait, did that guy just... steal our car? In broad daylight??!!

=

Bai Fuling pressed the small square button labeled [Drive], controlling his pixel character to drive.

"Looks like a real open-world game. Nice and free!" he mused to himself with interest. "Didn't expect NPCs to just get out and hand over the car."

The game he was playing was a pixel game that had mysteriously appeared on his phone that morning.

The game's name was just a question mark, its icon a square black block. Bai Fuling didn't remember downloading it, but since he had nothing better to do, he figured he'd give it a shot.

He didn't waste much time on character creation, choosing to roll the dice for random options.

It landed on a black-haired pixel character wearing a bright yellow raincoat and an angel halo.

Bai Fuling thought this outfit was eye-catching enough to spot easily against any pixelated backdrop, so he selected it with satisfaction and logged in.

As for whether it looked weird... well, you're playing a game, of course you should wear strange clothes!

The screen filled with a mass of black, writhing tentacles that spread out to reveal the game world.

His spawn point was a sidewalk next to a patch of greenery. A line of small text appeared on the left side of the screen.

"You are a new transfer student at Pelland Academy. Please go to school."

—No reward noted, no punishment threatened, no time limit. It felt less like a fixed quest and more like a game reminder.

Bai Fuling let out an "Oh." He liked this kind of relaxed, free game.

He tapped to make his character walk a few steps, getting a feel for the movement speed, then stopped in the middle of the road before curiously tapping the small icons in the top corners.

"Hmm... personal status, backpack, map, etc. All common features for a single-player pixel game," Bai Fuling muttered, closing his backpack—empty save for a [Student ID]. "Anyway, let's go check out the marked school first."

It was only after closing the backpack screen that he noticed a pixel car had appeared beside his character. Bai Fuling made his character turn around to face it.

"Is this the school bus? Taking me to school? But I feel like a school bus shouldn't be a sedan..." Bai Fuling pondered, but he still deliberately stood in place for a few seconds, waiting to trigger a cutscene.

The pixel car paused for a moment, a speech bubble with [Beep—beep—] popped up above it, and then the driver's side door suddenly opened. A man in a black suit stepped out.

Why is the driver getting out? Bai Fuling was puzzled. He took a step forward and noticed a square button labeled [Get In] pop up on the side.

Bai Fuling was stunned, then had a sudden realization: Ah, I get it. This isn't a school bus; it's a starter car, letting me drive myself to school!

Sure, it's a weird way to get a car... but who cares! If there's a car, get in!

Bai Fuling breezily guided his character forward, deftly tapping [Get In], [Close Door], [Drive] in succession, then drove off without any hesitation!

The vehicle started smoothly and drove along the road. Bai Fuling enlarged the mini-map, following the icon.

When a dialogue box popped up, Bai Fuling finally noticed there was someone in the back seat—a pixel character with styled blond hair. His character portrait was of a good-looking guy. He had one hand resting on the back of the front seat, saying, "Hey, who are you?!"

Bai Fuling glanced at the dialogue box and found the reply section allowed free text input and even supported voice input.

So... this should be the naming part, right?

Bai Fuling blinked and casually voice-input a name that was a popular online gaming meme: "I am Daddy."

Blondie in the back seat: "?"

Why a question mark? Are familial nicknames not allowed? Seeing the other party didn't follow the classic script, Bai Fuling tried another: "I am Your Majesty, Long Live the Emperor, Long Live, Long Live!"

Blondie in the back seat: "??"

Still a question mark. Bai Fuling thought. Maybe this game doesn't allow feudal-related titles?

So he input a more modern nickname: "I am the Cold-Blooded Knife of Da Run Fa Who Has Killed Fish for Ten Years Without Shedding a Tear!"

Blondie in the back seat: "???"

Still question marks. Bai Fuling propped his chin on his hand. If it keeps not working, it's probably not the content's fault. It must be because the names are too long, right?

So he changed it again, using his own surname as a starting point and casually picking a simple five-character nickname: “Bai Cai Shui Ling Ling [Fresh Cabbage].”

The blond guy in the back: “….”

Seeing the back seat had finally stopped spamming question marks, Bai Fuling closed the chat window, satisfied. Good—looks like the nickname registered successfully!

Meanwhile, the car continued smoothly along its preset route.

Pelland Academy wasn’t far—just across the street and around the corner.

Bai Fuling parked at the school gate. The moment he stepped out, he spotted a familiar pixelated character sprinting out of a green taxi that had just pulled up behind his car.

—It was the driver NPC who’d given up his seat to him earlier.

The NPC charged over at full speed, a long bar hovering above his head—half of it already red.

What kind of progress bar is *that*? Bai Fuling tilted his head, thinking. Red… On the bright side—could it be a red-heart affection meter?

My starting affinity with him is *that* high?! And now he’s rushing over to find me—could he be a personal butler assigned by the game’s setting?

But there was no background info. The text prompt only said: *Go to school.*

Bai Fuling paused for a second—then gave up. He decided to follow the prompt and head to Pelland Academy first.

He tried moving his character forward—but it wouldn’t budge. That former driver NPC stood right beside him, reaching out and grabbing hold.

Bai Fuling swiped his finger across the screen several times, but the pixel character only inched forward, still stuck in place.

He frowned slightly, opened Settings, and found the [Unstuck] option.

After tapping [Unstuck], the pixel character finally broke free—and moved normally again. But after just a few steps, he was grabbed once more by that former driver NPC, freezing mid-motion in slow-mo.

What kind of bug *is* this? It glitches every time there’s interaction.

By the way—why does that red progress bar keep filling up each time it freezes? Does physical contact boost it? Is this guy not a butler—but a stalker??

Bai Fuling didn’t say a word—just kept tapping [Unstuck]. This tug-of-war with the NPC oddly sparked a strange competitive streak in him.

Caught.

[Unstuck].

Caught.

[Unstuck].

Caught.

[Unstuck]!

[Unstuck]!!

…

The middle-aged man felt like he was losing his mind.

He’d been driving fine—until someone blocked the road and stole his car. After finally hailing a taxi and catching up, ready to demand an explanation, he’d clearly grabbed the other man’s arm one second—only for his hand to be empty the next, while that bizarre guy reappeared a fist’s distance away.

It was like some ghost from a horror film—teleporting unpredictably, impossible to catch no matter what. Or rather—he *did* grab him one second, yet the next, he’d inexplicably slipped away!

They began circling each other on the spot—like the King of Qin chasing around a pillar.

The blond young man also got out of the car. Frowning, he watched the odd figure in the yellow raincoat and angelic halo with a puzzled expression. But from afar, seeing his father so furious and flustered, he burst out laughing.

“What’s wrong, old man? What are you grabbing at the air for?” he mocked.

Hearing that, the middle-aged man’s anger flared even hotter. He lunged forward again—grabbing wildly at the strange figure in the yellow raincoat, so hard he stumbled.

His fingers clutched the cold fabric of the raincoat—he was *certain* he’d gotten a firm grip. Yet the next instant, his hand was empty again—and the man reappeared just a fist’s distance away, completely free and unruffled—like a mischievous groundhog teasing its pursuer.

The middle-aged man felt his entire head heat up.

He turned beet-red.

…

Bai Fuling watched as the red bar above the driver NPC’s head—the one who kept clinging to him—filled completely, then exploded with a *bang*, turning the NPC’s entire face crimson.

He stared, utterly amazed: Huh? How did the heartbeat bar suddenly max out?

Oh my—the other person’s face is *all* red!

Author’s Note:

Bai Fuling (Poria cocos), a traditional Chinese medicinal herb. Its effects are remarkably broad—unrestricted by season. When combined with other herbs, whether the ailment stems from cold, heat, wind, or dampness, it exerts unique therapeutic efficacy. Highly suitable for an all-powerful, delightfully silly, magical Savior—

The love interest is the world consciousness… Yes—that black tentacle (?) from the game’s opening screen. He appears sparingly in early chapters, yet traces of Him are everywhere.

The protagonist is a player. Because he believes he’s playing a game, his mindset is highly unusual—and his morality is Schrödinger’s: sometimes lofty, sometimes dubious~!! Please do *not* project this into reality.

Please note: All player behavior depicted in this story occurs strictly within the context of gameplay. Do *not* attempt any of it in real life!!