After receiving the small card, Su Er was completely puzzled. Five hundred glances back — who had he even looked at?
Liu Wenzhu was curious too: “Is there really such a thing as past and present lives?”
Su Er shook his head, indicating he wasn’t sure, and couldn't help but glance at Ji Heng. The latter thought for a moment and said, “Most likely it's referring to the host of a previous instance.”
Logic told Su Er that was impossible — after all, he had never looked back at any host more than a hundred times.
Ji Heng said, “Let’s talk after we get out.”
Su Er said he needed to first visit the appraisal point, waved goodbye to Liu Wenzhu and the others, and whispered on the way, “I managed to get a prop from the little girl.”
“No wonder…” Ji Heng glanced at the small card in Su Er’s hand. It was perfectly normal that no host wanted to take him.
When they arrived, there happened to be another player already at the appraisal point, surrounded tightly by what appeared to be members of an organization, preventing any leaks. Ji Heng tugged at Su Er and took a few steps back, explaining as they waited, “Standing too close when someone is appraising an item is a major taboo.”
It could even be mistaken as coveting someone else's item.
In less than five minutes, the player finished. Passing by Su Er, he caught sight of the newly added title ‘Notorious’ on Su Er’s chest plate and showed a very complicated expression.
Su Er knew his reputation was already ruined by the game long ago. He barely managed a crooked smile and, without explaining, walked directly to the empty appraisal point, placing the bloodstained milk tooth into the groove.
The screen flickered twice before finally displaying the result: Bloodstained Milk Tooth: Dropped accidentally after a bump. Contains the shame and fury of its original owner. Requires regular offerings of fresh blood.
Su Er deliberately read it twice, but didn’t see any practical use.
Had he been scammed?
Ji Heng said, “It’s probably a growth-type cursed item. It won’t be very useful until it matures.”
Hearing that, the disappointment in Su Er’s eyes faded. Blood, after all, was never in short supply in the game.
He put the item away and, still holding the small card, said with a laugh, “Looks like next time I’ll be venturing into the game alone.”
“Not necessarily.”
Su Er raised an eyebrow, half disbelieving: “You have a way?”
With countless game instances, could this man really force his way into the same one?
Ji Heng said calmly, “Prayer.”
Looking up at the still-dissipating dark clouds in the sky, Ji Heng spoke in an oddly genuine tone: “As the captain, it's my duty to regulate my teammates' behavior. He’s young, he needs supervision.”
Su Er’s eyelids twitched. “Will that really work?”
Ji Heng returned to his usual calm tone: “Maybe.”
To put it bluntly, if no one kept an eye on him, Su Er was like an unsealed beast — unless he tore the sky apart and shattered the earth, he wouldn’t stop. With Ji Heng around, at least he'd restrain himself a little.
Whether it would work, they could only find out during next month’s game entry. Back in the real world, Su Er threw himself into revising for exams.
While flipping through his tedious notes, he couldn't help but sigh: why wasn’t there an instance set in the context of senior year of high school? He could even snag a few free lessons while he was at it.
Extra lessons?
Su Er suddenly remembered that when he transferred 10,000 points to Yao Zhi at the Welfare Zone, the other promised to tutor him for free. Spotting the phone on the desk, he hesitated for a moment before making a call.
Less than twenty minutes later, rain started to drizzle outside, making people drowsy.
Yao Zhi arrived just in time, caught in the rain. Su Er, looking exhausted, opened the door for him and made some hot tea. “Where should we start?”
They spread out the textbooks and quickly got to work.
Su Er’s quick reaction skills never showed up in math. He even stumbled for a second just substituting into a formula. Yao Zhi was helpless but Su Er remained confident: “In the last instance, I even copied Ji Heng’s homework.”
Yao Zhi didn’t press about his game experiences. Many players resisted recalling what happened inside.
But it was unnecessary in Su Er’s case. He wasn't afraid to look back — he even summarized lessons in his sleep. What he truly hated recalling were the memories of the hosts who had once led him.
The days passed peacefully until the mock exams ended.
It happened to be the weekend. On Monday, every class session announced a different subject's score — pure torture.
Before math class, Su Er heard a girl behind him quietly praying: “If I pass, I’ll go vegetarian for three months.”
Su Er mimicked her, clasped his hands together, and prayed: “If I make it into the class top ten, I’ll willingly enter the game tonight.”
He sat near the front. The classroom was noisy, so he hadn’t lowered his voice. Yao Zhi happened to walk in at that moment and heard it clearly, giving Su Er a particularly meaningful look.
What a vicious vow!
The homeroom teacher was very efficient. By the afternoon, the rankings were printed out: Su Er achieved the best result of his life — eighth in the class.
The girl behind him croaked, “You improved so much.”
Su Er turned around. The girl looked like she was about to cry: “I missed passing math by just one point.”
That was honestly quite pitiful.
Su Er said seriously, “Maybe your vow wasn’t heavy enough.”
“Huh?”
Under her confused gaze, Su Er didn’t explain further. He leaned against the locker and secretly sent a text to Ji Heng: [Entering an instance tonight.]
Ji Heng replied quickly: [No need to rush, it’s still early in the month. You have plenty of time to complete two missions.]
Su Er: [I made a vow this morning: if I made it into the top ten, I’d enter the game. I ended up eighth.]
He had to fulfill his vow.
Ji Heng: [......]
That night, the two of them agreed on a time to enter the transfer station. As soon as they arrived, they saw several people lying in the middle of the road, covered in blood and staring blankly. Most players who had just been transmitted out of an instance looked extremely miserable.
Ji Heng paid no attention and said, “In a while, I’ll enter the instance with you. Whether or not we end up in the same one depends on the will of the game.”
Su Er nodded.
Aside from the first time when he was forced into the game, Su Er had always used team items to enter dungeons. He had never actively entered from the transfer station before.
Ji Heng led him to a blurry projection screen. There weren’t many people entering instances at the start of the month, so it was just the two of them standing there.
Ji Heng nodded, and Su Er followed him forward slowly. As they were about to crash into the wall, seeing that Ji Heng didn’t stop, Su Er also kept walking. His body seemed to merge into the projection curtain. The small card in his pocket floated automatically into the air. Before Su Er could even realize what was happening, the world around him had already changed.
“State your declaration of love.”
Before Su Er could even steady himself, he heard a buzzing in his ears. He instinctively opened his mouth to respond but realized the voice seemed a bit distant. Turning his head, he saw several players standing nearby, all wearing badges.
At the very edge, a microphone was pointed at a dazed-looking player who mumbled, “If you want to love me, come.”
Retracting his gaze, Su Er quickly looked for Ji Heng. Honestly, he hadn't held out much hope—until his eyes met a familiar gaze midair. He froze... Could it really be that Ji Heng’s prayer had worked?
While he was mulling it over, the microphone was suddenly thrust before him.
People’s attention naturally gravitates toward the most conspicuous thing: on the left side of the man’s face was a familiar rose tattoo, with grotesque, root-like patterns spreading out from it. It was unmistakably familiar.
“Mister… Rose?”
Mockery, disdain... a light chuckle filled with multiple emotions. Su Er could only barely distinguish two of them, and immediately frowned deeply.
Wasn’t it supposed to be a one-in-a-million chance to meet him?
“State your declaration of love,” repeated the Mister Rose.
Su Er thought for a moment and answered quite seriously, “I hope both sides can stay firm in their convictions and devoted in their affection.”
“Seeking a true soul mate, huh?” Mister Rose curled his lips. “Such a noble and amusing declaration.”
After interviewing each player one by one, Mister Rose gave a slight bow and introduced himself at just the right level of formality: “Welcome, everyone, to <When Love Knocks>. This show is dedicated to forging the perfect match for singles! I am your host, Mister Rose.”
Su Er kept an eye on the surroundings with his peripheral vision. There were many cameras set up—it looked like they were filming an outdoor variety show.
“Among you,” Mister Rose said dramatically, like a Broadway actor emphasizing every emotion, “there is a love killer who has been wounded by love and now harbors a sick jealousy towards others’ romances. I hope all of you will not only enjoy yourselves but also find the love killer in time, extract their heart, and place it on the altar.”
Everyone looked at each other. Did someone among them receive a different mission?
Mister Rose scanned the crowd, his gaze seemingly skipping over Su Er and landing on other players’ faces with satisfaction. “Now, please each select the person who makes your heart flutter and form a love partnership.”
“Do we have to choose immediately?” someone asked.
Mister Rose smiled. “Love waits for no one.”
The players sized up those around them. Though the odds were only one in six, picking the love killer would be disastrous.
Seeing no one move, Mister Rose pretended to be soothing. “If you’re unhappy with your partner, there will be opportunities to switch later.”
Breaking the silence, Su Er was the first to speak, pointing at Ji Heng without hesitation: “I pick him.”
Mister Rose’s smile could never fully bloom when facing this person. “Oh?”
Su Er nodded. “He’s the only one here with a two-character name like mine. Clearly a perfect match!”
The other players' names were Zhang Baitian, Qu Qingming, Lu Quanqiu, and Man Jiangshan—all longer, more traditional names.
Su Er had entered through the small card, and just from the name alone, he already seemed different from the others.
Mister Rose said no more and looked at Ji Heng: “If you’re willing to form a love pairing, please step forward.”
Ji Heng, hands still in his pockets, took a small step forward.
“Congratulations to the two of you for completing the pairing!” Mister Rose clapped twice.
The cameramen promptly aimed their lenses at them, trying to capture the perfect on-screen moment of the new couple.
Doing his best to ignore the cameras, Su Er thought of the little girl from the last instance. If she were here, she would’ve definitely scowled and mocked him. It proved that there was still quite a distance between mischievous kids and professional hosts.
The remaining players split into pairs as well: Zhang Baitian picked the charming and alluring Qu Qingming, and Lu Quanqiu paired with the more androgynous-looking Man Jiangshan.
Since nobody knew each other well yet, the whole selection process remained relatively peaceful.
Suddenly, Mister Rose produced a tray, covered with a red cloth. To everyone’s surprise, it wasn’t some usual gory mess underneath, but a device for measuring heart rate.
“Now let’s see whose heart truly races for their chosen partner.”
First up was Zhang Baitian. Qu Qingming was indeed stunning, and his heart rate immediately jumped to ninety.
Then it was Su Er’s turn. He and Ji Heng had known each other for a long time—there was hardly any emotional ripple. His heart was so calm that the others thought the device might be broken.
“Looks like this guest isn’t being entirely honest,” Mister Rose curled his lips. “Not exactly heart-throbbing.”
Su Er stood properly and said, “I have mild emotional deficiency.”
Mister Rose’s smile faded slightly, and he dramatically turned toward Qu Qingming: “The passionate rose…” Then to Man Jiangshan: “The distinctive hyacinth… With so many beautiful flowers, has none captured your heart?”
Su Er stayed silent. But the instant his gaze met another’s, his heart rate suddenly spiked to ninety-three.
Actually, the cause wasn’t the host—it was that Su Er’s mind had drifted elsewhere. If the game could orchestrate a one-in-a-million reunion like this, could it also someday engineer a meeting with the Ghost King?
Thinking of everything he had done recently, if that day ever came, there was no doubt Zhou Linjun would rip him to shreds.
Taking a quiet breath, his heart rate shot up to one hundred and thirty.
Mister Rose: “......”
Ji Heng, standing beside him, whispered, “Control yourself.”
Su Er covered his chest with his cold fingers, and only then did the device’s readings slowly stabilize.
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