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Chapter 60




When the game was loaded, some new changes appeared on the screen.
Firstly, there was a focus lever in the upper right corner of the screen that could adjust the size of the screen. Next, a pair of hands appeared on the table in the game, in the exact same position as that of Li Shuoxing now.
This is

Li Shuoxing moved his hands and found that the hands in the game moved too.
He then slid the lever on the screen and found that he could zoom in and out. He could even see his own figure in the game when he zoomed out to a certain extent!
I see.
It turns out the series of tasks I’d been doing was all to build a model of myself in the game.
In other words.
Now, can the cub in the game see me? Can he interact directly with my body?
Li Shuoxing hurriedly observed the little person in the game and found the little person staring straight at him.
He waved at the cub and tried calling out, “Cub?”
The voice fell.
The action started.
The little person in the game suddenly reached out his hand.
His hand gripped Li Shuoxing’s hand.
The two hands met.
A relieved voice sounded.
“Ximu, it’s you,” Su Mingqian said and immediately smiled, a light smile hidden in his voice. “I can finally see you.”
Favourability +100!
The little person’s voice came out through the screen.
The little person’s actions seemed to penetrate the screen too, falling on Li Shuoxing’s fingers.
Li Shuoxing subconsciously curled his fingertips, wanting to hold him.
In reality, he threw himself into the air.
But in the game, his fingers firmly grasped the little person’s hand and held his cub.
So, a three-dimensional hand held a two-dimensional hand.
Mm

Li Shuoxing’s heart was so moved that it flew away.
What replaced it was a smile.
I want to laugh.
No, hold it.
I really want to laugh.
No, hold it.
But I really

“Cough, cough—” Li Shuoxing had a hard time holding it in. He quickly coughed and started the conversation again, diverting his attention. “You can finally see me
 So, my image, is it the same as what you imagined?”
As he spoke, Li Shuoxing swiped the screen to zoom in on the image on the screen.
The little person’s face came a little closer to him.
He saw his smiling face, his clear eyes, and a figure in his pupil.
A figure of me.
And this little person with my figure is my cub.
Li Shuoxing’s heart was bubbling.
Bubbles of pride.
Bubbles of love.
And bubbles trembling from the cuteness of the cub’s cute little face.
He suddenly found that the game’s new function was simply tickling the tip of his heart.
It just
 felt like originally he and the little person were separated by a thick layer of glass, and he could only watch the cub’s cuteness from the outside.
But now, the thick glass had turned into a thin film. Through this seemingly nonexistent film, he even felt like he had touched the little person.
Su Mingqian on the screen tilted his head and looked a little serious.
This was how he looked when he was thinking.
In the past, Li Shuoxing saw normal cuteness, but now, he saw a high-definition enlarged version of cuteness.
He felt his liver tremble from the cuteness.
Then, Su Mingqian’s voice rang out.
“There are still some differences. But the moment you appeared, I knew
”
Li Shuoxing steadied his mood and said, “Knew what?”
Su Mingqian smiled. “Knew that you were Ximu. Ximu should look like you.”
In fact, there were many words to describe the person sitting in front of him.
Like dashing, handsome, or even sexy.
But Su Mingqian didn’t choose either.
He chose the word that was more important to him.
“You’re real.”
Real and alive.
Unlike everything else here.
“Ximu, I’m
 a little scared.”
When he said that, he couldn’t keep his smile up a little.
He was really looking forward to seeing Ximu, and was really happy to see Ximu.
But when Ximu actually appeared here.
When he saw Ximu’s uniqueness with his own eyes.
Su Mingqian realised something he’d been overlooking before.
Ximu was out of place here.
He was out of place here too.
They were both out of place here.
Li Shuoxing was stunned.
He saw the little person on the screen suddenly lower his head and raise his hand to hold his forehead, as if he didn’t want others to see his expression at the moment. He could only hear his low voice continue.
“Ximu, you said that this place is my past. But is it really my past? I don’t know anything. It could be my real past or a past someone else has made up for me. I don’t know what’s real and what’s fake. I can no longer distinguish
 I
 Sorry, I’m a little confused.”
Li Shuoxing was suddenly speechless.
The confusion in Su Mingqian’s words, along with his voice, were transmitted all the way to Li Shuoxing.
He looked at Su Mingqian.
He realised Su Mingqian had understood
 what he had always wanted to get Su Mingqian to understand but had never quite dared to get Su Mingqian to understand.
Even though he’d been preparing for this before, when this day really came, when things really came to a head.
Li Shuoxing still felt helpless.
The cub is nervous and panicking.
I
 What should I do?
After the confusion was silence.
Silence spread between the two.
A moment later, Su Mingqian, whose head was lowered, seemed to have collected himself. He shook his head lightly, then raised his face and said, “No, forget it. Let’s not talk about that. This is our first meeting. Let’s talk about something lighter.”
“Cub,” Li Shuoxing blurted out. “I—Actually, I know where you are right now.”
Su Mingqian’s hand on the table shook violently.
He knocked over the coffee.
The brown liquid spilt on the table, instantly painting a distorted and ugly picture.
Li Shuoxing looked at the table and at Su Mingqian. “And the reason I never said anything was because I didn’t dare to tell you. I don’t know if you can accept this, and I’m afraid you’ll be sad, scared and helpless.”
After that.
Bang, bang, bang.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, and the palm of his clenched hand was damp.
Li Shuoxing waited for Su Mingqian’s response.
He was very nervous.
After a short pause, Li Shuoxing’s hand was held.
Su Mingqian first lowered his head, like he was struggling under the weight; after a moment, even his back bent down, as if the weight had really become too much for his shoulders to bear.
And during this entire process, his hand gripped Li Shuoxing’s hand tightly.
He unconsciously used force, especially when he spoke.
As if that would give him the courage to face what was to follow.
“Ximu, tell me. I’ll listen
”
“Cub, how about this?” Li Shuoxing interrupted again without waiting for Su Mingqian to finish, his voice clear and his speech fast. “I’m the author, and I’ll tell you a story. If you like this story, then remember it; if you don’t like this story, then forget it.”
His voice gradually softened.
He gazed at the image in the game and felt his palm in reality sinking in, being firmly grasped.
He wanted to give his strength to Su Mingqian.
“It’s just a story.” Li Shuoxing repeated, “We’re just telling a story.”
The little person in the game still didn’t raise his head.
But his tense posture seemed to relax a little, and then a soft “mm” came out.
Li Shuoxing quietly let out a sigh of relief.
He organised his thoughts, and soon, the characters and outline of the story appeared in his mind.
He started narrating.
“This is the story of a boy and a magician.”
The boy was Su Mingqian.
The magician, of course, was himself.
“Once upon a time, there was a cute innocent little boy who lived in a castle that held a mysterious power. The little boy called this power ‘wishes come true’. He was able to have anything he wanted in this castle.
“The little boy was well fed and clothed, but he was depressed, and he didn’t even know what he was unhappy about. Until one day, he came to the edge of the castle and saw a magician standing outside the castle, draped in star robes.”
Li Shuoxing boasted about himself without changing his face.
“This magician was called the Star <sup>1</sup> 星星 [xīng xing] uses the same character as the Xing in Li Shuoxing’s name. Magician. Although the Star Magician wasn’t the most powerful magician in the world, he was certainly the most unique magician in the world. He met with the little boy, and as interested as the little boy was in him, he was interested in the little boy. As time went on, they got into contact with each other. The little boy liked the Star Magician and tried to invite the magician into the castle as a guest, but was repeatedly refused by the magician. The little boy was very sad. He had regarded the magician as his only friend, but he couldn’t really be with his friend.
“The Star Magician couldn’t bear to see the little boy sad. He finally had no choice but to tell him the real secret of the castle.
“It turned out that this castle was just a painting in the hands of the Star Magician, and all that magic of wishes coming true were just brushstrokes that the Star Magician added to the painting at will.
“‘So did you paint me too?’ The little boy turned pale with fright.
“‘No, I painted the furniture and food beside you, but you, you suddenly appeared in my painting one day,’ the Star Magician shook his head and said.
“‘Why did I appear in the painting?’ The little boy was confused and sad. ‘Where did I come from? I want to go home. Can I still go home?’
“‘Of course,’ the Star Magician said. ‘I’m the most magical magician in the world. I can paint this castle, and, of course, I can paint your road home too. But it may take some time. After all, all magic needs some preparation. When I’m done preparing, I’ll paint the road, take you by the hand and send you home.’
“‘But—’ The little boy was still worried. ‘Even if I return home, will it still be a painting, will I be painted by another magician?’
“‘No,’ the Star Magician said with conviction. ‘I can’t paint you, and neither can any other magician. No matter how powerful the magic and brush, they can’t paint out emotions. You are the unique you in the world.'”
1
星星 [xīng xing] uses the same character as the Xing in Li Shuoxing’s name.