Chapter 17

Su Mingqian: “A month’s a little too long, but if there’s really no other way…”

The little person seemed to be willing to compromise.

However, in complete contrast to his words, favourability was dropping more and more rapidly from his head. In just the blink of an eye, 6 points had dropped!

But Li Shuoxing’s heart didn’t waver. He even wanted to laugh a little.

I knew that saying that would reduce favourability.

After all, he cried after only three days of eating plain rice last time. Now that he’s in danger of eating pumpkin for a month, how could he not be anxious?

But the cool thing about raising a cub, besides chatting with him and changing his clothes, is bullying him from time to time, watching him get anxious and angry, then appeasing him and letting him rub against you~

Although Li Shuoxing liked to bully the little person, his typing speed wasn’t slow. The so-called work must be done, and death couldn’t die. “I’m joking, I’m joking. Don’t take it seriously, cub. How could I make you eat pumpkin for a month? We have fish, meat and vegetables every day. Eat nutritiously and live healthy!”

Su Mingqian: “Mm.”

The little person didn’t look very happy.

But phew, favourability stopped being deducted and the little person’s head was clean and clear.

Today’s molestation √

Today’s bullying √

Today’s appeasing √

Li Shuoxing was in a good mood after finishing today’s daily tasks.

I really want to unlock the skin with hard work, but, sure enough, I still can’t bear to let my delicate cub work hard on the farm every day!

He hummed a tune, opened the store, and decided to buy more vegetable seeds and less pumpkin seeds, so as to avoid the little person secretly dropping favourability while he was away…

As he said that, the light screen in front of Su Mingqian suddenly disappeared, and some banging of cabinet doors opening and closing came from the kitchen.

Su Mingqian put the last piece of clothing into the wardrobe and followed the sound into the kitchen, just in time to see the refrigerator door close. He took a glimpse, and it seemed that there was more food in there that wasn’t there before.

Then, the light screen reappeared.

“I’ve put the seeds in the kitchen cupboard, three packets of mixed vegetable seeds and three packets of pumpkin seeds. You can plant whatever you want to eat. I’ve also added some food into the fridge.”

Su Mingqian’s palm closed.

Similar sentences allowed him to read the Watcher’s deeper meaning the moment he saw them.

What should be enriched has been enriched, what should be added has been added.

I have to go. See you next time.

Su Mingqian was thinking quickly.

The Watcher has been very good to me the past two days.

The Watcher’s novel has just been published today.

This is a chance to learn more about the outside world through her novel.

I can’t let the Watcher leave just like this!

The beginning of a new sentence had already appeared on the light screen: “It’s about time, I…”

Su Mingqian hurriedly opened his mouth, rushing to get the word out before the sentence was completely displayed. “Name!”

But the light screen had already displayed the sentence completely, just as he expected, the cold sentence: “It’s about time, I have to go.”

After the sentence was completely displayed, the light screen gradually faded.

Su Mingqian didn’t know whether the Watcher was still monitoring before, or whether they were willing to pay attention to him.

He was a little nervous and was about to complete what he was going to say when the colour of the disappearing screen suddenly intensified and a new sentence appeared on it.

Light screen: “What name?”

His nervous heart eased.

Su Mingqian said, “Up to now, I still don’t know your name.”

With that, he didn’t stop and probed a step further. “I just read the comments and found that they call you Ximuzi ¹ 西木子 [xī mù zi]. . Is that your pen name? Can I call you that too?”

One sentence after another popped up on the screen, lining up neatly above the little person’s head.

It was just that the contents were a little embarrassing…

Li Shuoxing looked at the “Ximuzi” complicatedly. He’d clearly deleted all the comments about the author’s name, but he didn’t expect that there were still some that slipped through the net. In fact, the name was quite normal when readers said it, but when it came to the little person’s mouth, it became more and more girly…

He corrected, “Ximu is fine, no zi ² 子 [zǐ] may be added on to indicate familiarity (i.e. in nicknames), usually for younger children. .”

Su Mingqian: “Why?”

How come every time we talk about this matter, the little person wants has a sense of going to the bottom of things?

Li Shuoxing pondered whether to change the subject… After all, it was really strange to explain his own work to an object of entertainment.

Su Mingqian added, “Is it because your pen name is Ximu, and the zi after it means mister?”

No…

It’s the zi from chestnut and the zi from lady ³ Chestnut is 栗子 [lì zi] and lady is 娘子 [niáng zi]. 子 [zi] is a suffix that can be added on to form words. .

Li Shuoxing felt he had to seriously explain. “My author name is Caramel Ximu. Normally, everyone calls me Ximu. Ximuzi is a mocking name.”

Su Mingqian raised another question: “Because they’re familiar with you and have a good relationship with you, they mock you like this?”

Li Shuoxing: “Far in reality, close in heart.”

Su Mingqian: “?”

Li Shuoxing changed his posture on the couch and naturally told the little person in the game what was on his mind.

Li Shuoxing: “I don’t have a reader group and rarely reply to comments, so I basically don’t chat with readers, let alone face to face. In terms of objective distance, I’m not close to them, but quite far away. But, I think, I earnestly write a book, and they earnestly read my book. Through the medium of novels, I say what I want to say, they find what they want to read, and I reach an ideological unity with them. So, in fact, from the heart aspect, I am really familiar with them, have a good relationship with them, and like each other.”

After typing the long sentence and sending it, Li Shuoxing snapped out of his literary halo and suddenly felt as if he was a bit retarded for sending the above paragraph…

Fortunately, it’s a program on the other side…

No, no, this program is very smart too. I’d better write a couple more random sentences to push out this paragraph.

Li Shuoxing set about to edit the new content, but before he could type out a couple words, words had already jumped out of the little person’s head.

Su Mingqian: “I’d like to see the content of your novel, readers’ comments on your novel, and other relevant stuff.”

After this sentence, there was another.

Su Mingqian: “I also want to get familiar with you. Ximu, am I qualified for that?”

Familiar game screen, familiar 2D little person.

Having played the game for a few days, he’d gotten familiar with all kinds of operations, and there wasn’t much novelty left to it.

But…

Just…

Li Shuoxing’s busily typing fingers stopped again.

He frowned slightly and was in a strange mood, unable to tell what exactly he was feeling at the moment.

Just… there were always times he felt like he wasn’t talking to an AI, but a real person.

Only a real person can understand what you’re thinking and empathise with you emotionally, right?

The overly strange feeling led Li Shuoxing to not immediately answer Su Mingqian.

He put the game aside, dragged himself up from the couch to his computer chair, opened QQ, searched in the Terminal Food Group, and directly messaged Soren, “ Ah So, let me ask you something.”

Soren, who just happened to be online: “?”

Li Shuoxing: “Do you think…”

He had wanted to ask about the intelligence of AI again, but then he thought that he’d already asked the question twice, and Soren and Sang Wugui had made it quite clear. Asking again would be going in circles. So, he typed and deleted, typed and deleted, and finally, with an author’s euphemism, stifled out a sentence.

“Do you think it’s humans or game characters that are intimate?”

Soren: “Game characters.”

Li Shuoxing was shocked. “You don’t even need to hesitate for a second?”

Soren wondered, “Why should I hesitate? It goes without saying it’s game characters that are more intimate.”

Li Shuoxing: “But…”

Soren: “What do you want to say? Say it straight.”

Li Shuoxing analysed his mind and said it straight, “I think I’ve been a bit too addicted to a game character recently. This state doesn’t seem very healthy. I’m reflecting on it.”

Soren understood. “You’re afraid you’re too addicted to a game character.”

Actually, I’m afraid that I’ll always be delusional about a game character, leading to not recognising his position, which in turn will lead to generating above normal addictive feelings… To sum up, I’m afraid I’ll be addicted, which is indeed consistent with what Soren’s saying.

Li Shuoxing acquiesced.

Soren was puzzled and asked back, “What’s there to be afraid of?”

Li Shuoxing gave examples. “There are many reasons to be afraid, such as spending time, money, and feelings… Ah, let me put it this way. I think I treat the game character too real and keep creating illusions that I shouldn’t have.”

Soren: “…Time, money, and feelings, right?”

He started to ask questions. It was rare for him to type at great length.

Soren: “You’re halfway through playing a game and want to write. Can you write?”

Li Shuoxing said puzzledly, “Of course I can.”

Soren: “You’re halfway through shopping with a girl. Can you write?”

Li Shuoxing: “…It seems I can’t.”

Soren: “So how much did you spend on this game character?”

Li Shuoxing: “A few hundred yuan.”

Soren: “When you go out with a girl, don’t you eat, don’t you buy bags? A good meal is 500, and a good bag is 10,000.”

Li Shuoxing: “…Hiss.”

Soren: “Now, finally, you’ve captured the game character. Will the game character betray you?”

Li Shuoxing: “How could that be possible?”

Soren: “Now, finally, you’ve got the girl. But your novel just happens to go VIP and you have to mass update, so that you’re writing from when your eyes open to when your eyes close. Not leaving the building for a month is the same as disappearing, and the girl decides to dump you.”

Li Shuoxing: “………………”

Soren: “And when you look back, the game character is still smiling at you.”

He concluded, “I can understand you wanting to choose a girl, but I can’t understand your fear of being addicted to a game character. What can a game character do to you? All of them are loyal dogs, and will wait until the end of time for you to look back at them.”

Li Shuoxing: “[cupped fist] Listening to the words of a wise man is superior to studying ten years of books. So that’s why you can’t get a girl until now and can only open your ass.”

Soren: “Get out!!!”

Li Shuoxing still wanted to speak, but the message was already unable to be sent out. In that second just now, Soren couldn’t tolerate it and blacklisted him.

“Tsk, how petty. He’s angry about this now when I’ve never been angry about Eunuch Ximu.”

Li Shuoxing was rather regretful and deleted the “thank you”.

He picked up his phone again. His brief conversation with Soren made him see the whole thing from a different perspective.

What he said is right.

A game character can’t do anything to me at all. The most he can do is make me spend a little money for him.

In that case, what’s there for me to hesitate about?

Of course, I want to play as I want and develop our feelings as I want!

Everything goes with the flow~

Li Shuoxing had a big heart. As soon as he picked up his phone, he replied to Su Mingqian, “I would also love to send you things related to my novel to improve our understanding, but the system can’t send pictures, and it’d be too long and messy to copy.”

After waiting a long time, he got these words.

Su Mingqian was stunned. He wasn’t quite sure for a moment whether it was true or the Watcher’s excuse. “This light screen’s so advanced, but it doesn’t even have a picture transmission function?”

Yeah!

Li Shuoxing also wanted to complain.

This light screen’s so advanced. Why doesn’t it have a function to send pictures?

Before he could type his words of agreement, a few lines suddenly popped up on the screen.

System: “…”

[The system has decided to carry out a simple upgrade.]

[The system needs to access the back-end to code.]

[Please wait an hour to come back online.]

The phone suddenly blacked out, and Li Shuoxing was kicked out of the game.

Li Shuoxing: “???”

1

西木子 [xī mù zi]. 2

子 [zǐ] may be added on to indicate familiarity (i.e. in nicknames), usually for younger children. 3

Chestnut is 栗子 [lì zi] and lady is 娘子 [niáng zi]. 子 [zi] is a suffix that can be added on to form words.