Chapter 19

Chapter 19

[Guan Jiayue's House Key]: A small key that can unlock the door to Guan Jiayue's home. A label attached to it reads: "Warm Home Community, Building 6, Unit 1, Room 302."

"Character Unlocked: Guan Jizhong"

○ Pink Heart (20%): [Guan Jizhong] can't decide whether you're a devil or an angel.

○ Brown Cabin (20%): [Guan Jizhong] has put some trust in you.

○ Purple Triangle (0%): * (Hidden)

○ Gray Gift Box (15%): Requires completing the quest [Sweet Dream].

-

Perfect. Bai Fuling's eyes scanned over the text that popped up on the screen, and he was very satisfied. Finally, he had obtained the quest item and unlocked the character!

After getting the quest and item from the NPC, Bai Fuling promptly had his character stand up.

Players don't idle around when they're gaming. Just holding hands with an NPC waiting for the ambulance? That was impossible; it would be no different from going AFK.

Anyway, this story segment was finished, the ambulance was called, and soon the tall male NPC would respawn at the hospital.

There was no need to stick around and watch this system process play out.

So, Bai Fuling moved his character to the riverside.

He planned to, since he was near the water, wash the bloodstained raincoat from his jump, so he could wear it again later.

The initial shirt and pants were convenient, sure, but they weren't as eye-catching as the raincoat. Bai Fuling preferred his character to stand out, making it easy to spot in various pixelated backgrounds and so it wouldn't make his eyes blur from all the running.

When Bai Fuling ran off, Guan Jizhong wasn't fully unconscious yet.

Guan Jizhong gazed at Bai Fuling, a complex emotion brewing within him, but this feeling came to an abrupt halt when he saw Bai Fuling suddenly stand at attention on the spot.

The black-haired youth took the key, decisively let go of his hand, and then turned and left without looking back.

Guan Jizhong: ?

The aftereffects of the concussion surged, leaving Guan Jizhong no time to think. Before he could even see what Bai Fuling was doing, everything went black, and he fell unconscious.

Liao Zhiqiu wasn't surprised by Bai Fuling's sudden stand-at-attention and subsequent dash to the riverside. After all, cats were such impatient, short-attention-span little creatures.

However, when he noticed Bai Fuling's clothing suddenly change into a bright yellow raincoat cloak, his body stiffened slightly, and his brows furrowed a little.

Bai Fuling clicked [Equip] to change into his initial eye-catching fluorescent yellow raincoat, then noticed the dark-circle pixel character beside him sprouting a cloud of black lines above its head.

Changing clothes in front of an NPC, and the NPC gives a confused reaction? It seemed the AI was programmed with a lot of responses. Bai Fuling thought to himself. He had originally assumed NPCs only reacted to players rummaging through trash cans!

Remembering Liao Zhiqiu's beast-loving attribute, Bai Fuling casually replied, "Shedding my fur."

Oh. Hearing this, Liao Zhiqiu's brows smoothed again. He recalled seeing the other wearing this yellow outfit before.

Bai Fuling, unfazed, noticed a small pink favorability value appear above the other's head.

After saving someone and washing clothes, it was time to head back to school. Bai Fuling thought.

Although his health bar was now full, since the appointment was set for tomorrow, it meant the [Cat's Secret] quest node was scheduled for the game's next day. There was nothing to trigger with Liao Zhiqiu at the moment.

Hanging around and interacting with an NPC here yielded no rewards, so it was better to return to school and farm—that was his original purpose for coming back anyway.

The player was now juggling multiple storylines; neither quests nor daily farming could be neglected!

Having made up his mind, Bai Fuling didn't waste any more time. He paid no further attention to the NPCs Guan Jizhong and Liao Zhiqiu, whose quest info was already obtained, and controlled his character to get up and leave.

Not far away, the pixelated ambulance finally arrived. A group of white-coated pixel characters rushed over with a stretcher.

Bai Fuling initially thought about hijacking the ambulance as he passed by to drive back to school, but he worried it might cause bugs, preventing the tall male NPC from reaching the hospital and subsequently blocking future quests.

So, he reluctantly gave up on this fastest method and chose to whistle again, summoning his personal mount.

A player's mount comes when called. The grey wolf had recovered some stamina and could carry him back to school.

Bai Fuling rode the [big dog], crossed the bridge and streets, slipped into the campus through the usual spot at the back gate, and dismounted.

It wasn't dark yet; the pixelated sunset and evening glow background was quite beautiful. Against this pretty backdrop, Bai Fuling was finally able to begin hoeing the ground he had cleared of weeds late last night, preparing to plant.

He controlled his character to hold the hoe taken from the backpack, hoeing out neat little square patches of earth.

It seemed to be the game's afternoon after school, as more student NPCs were passing by.

They saw Bai Fuling's figure working hard and the hoed ground, and big exclamation marks popped up above their heads.

Bai Fuling skillfully ignored those passerby NPCs.

"...Classmate Bai? Cabbage Classmate?"

A dialogue box popped up on the screen. Bai Fuling stopped his actions and saw the new golden-haired pixel character beside him—it was Pang Chengyu.

Pang Chengyu was looking at Bai Fuling in surprise.

Since Bai Fuling had climbed out the window and left again in the morning, Pang Chengyu hadn't seen him all day. It wasn't until now, on his way to the cafeteria, that he caught sight of the familiar figure.

From afar, he saw the bright yellow raincoat waving something over there. The raincoat cloak fluttered like a skirt.

As he got closer, he finally saw clearly what Bai Fuling was doing.

...What is the transfer student doing waving things around over here? Oh, the transfer student is hoeing the ground. Wait, why is he hoeing ground at school!!?

"Have you been doing this all day?" Pang Chengyu asked, astonished.

"No, just got back," Bai Fuling answered immediately. "Is farming at school against the rules?"

"Uh." Pang Chengyu hesitated for a moment. "No."

The school rules and regulations really didn't have any stipulations about farming on campus... after all, what normal person would farm at school!

Well, that's fine then. Bai Fuling felt reassured and then casually asked, "Can you help me?"

He remembered the values on Pang Chengyu's character panel; the second icon was the Assistance Rate. So, asking this NPC for help had a chance of gaining his aid.

If NPCs can be asked for help, a player certainly won't let it slide! Everything must pursue maximum efficiency.

Hearing Bai Fuling's words, Pang Chengyu was first stunned, then his heart began to pound.

This act of doing whatever he wanted right on the edge of the school rules excited him a little inside.

He wasn't a rule-abiding good student and had always wanted to resist this old-fashioned, rigid school with its antiquated regulations. But an arm can't twist a thigh; resistance alone was meaningless and might look like a joke to others. Every time he broke the rules, he got caught and thrown into detention.

The taste of the detention room wasn't pleasant.

Pang Chengyu had also thought about running away from Pelland Academy and never coming back. But his family shot down his idea of transferring, and it was the only high school in town.

So he had nowhere else to go. Pang Chengyu wasn't the kind of impulsive fool who acted without considering the consequences. He knew he didn't have what it took to live on his own, and the only place he could stay was Pelland Academy.

Thus, he no longer struggled as fiercely as he had at first, like he'd finally faced reality and given in. He just occasionally couldn't help skipping school or being late, just to steal a moment of freedom.

The transfer student was the only wild card he'd ever seen—someone who could be free anytime, anywhere, yet perfectly skirt the school rules. It was his dream come true.

"...Me?" Pang Chengyu was slightly flustered, yet a bit happy. "You're inviting me to join you?"

"Mhm." Bai Fuling glanced at him. He saw pink hearts constantly popping up above the blond NPC's head and couldn't help pausing briefly.

...An NPC who's this happy to work and raises his affinity?

He hadn't noticed before that Pang Chengyu was such a hard worker who cared about others!

Pang Chengyu took the hoe eagerly from Bai Fuling. "What should I do?"

"Hoe along this row, this line here." Bai Fuling directed. Although he wasn't a perfectionist, tidy, square patches looked better and were more convenient for planting and management.

He took out [seeds] and a [broken watering can] from his backpack, ready to plant and water the hoed plots. The watering can had already been filled with water back at the river.

Pang Chengyu, having lived the life of a rich kid before, had never hoed ground. He just used all his youthful strength to smash at the earth.

After he finished, he looked back and compared. Bai Fuling's plots were perfect squares you could measure with a ruler, while his own were irregular craters.

Pang Chengyu couldn't help but feel a little guilty, worried that Bai Fuling wouldn't invite him next time.

So he coughed and was the first to suggest, "Um, sorry about that... How about I treat you to dinner tonight?"

Bai Fuling followed behind, planting the seeds. He didn't really mind the shapes. To his pixelated eyes, each pit looked about the same. Besides, the shape didn't matter as long as it could be planted.

Hearing Pang Chengyu's words, Bai Fuling was surprised again.

This NPC really has such a helpful personality? Helping with work and even treating to a meal!

No wonder he's the starter guide NPC. He must have noticed the player's food inventory was empty and found a way to help the player restock for free.

"Alright, let's go." Bai Fuling put away his farming tools and followed Pang Chengyu. He was already prepared to load up on food during this trip to the cafeteria.

Ideally, he'd get every dish to the maximum of 99, or 999, or even 9999 portions! That way, he wouldn't have to worry about replenishing his health bar for a while.

Pang Chengyu led Bai Fuling toward the cafeteria. His guilt over not hoeing well still lingered, so he couldn't help speaking up again proactively. "Order whatever you want. My meal card has plenty of money on it—oh, but the school rules say you can't waste food. You have to finish everything you order."

"Don't worry." Bai Fuling nodded seriously. "I'll take every last bit."

Author's Note:

Bai Fuling: Stocking up, folks.