That day, He Wuning and Yi Luo were both in the safe zone.
Against their will.
They stood in front of the service hall — He Wuning looking utterly bored, while Yi Luo still managed to wear a faint, amused smile, the kind that said he was enjoying the show.
Xue Xun, smiling his official, PR-friendly smile, stood beside them and nudged the two lightly with his elbow. He lowered his voice and said, “Come on, smile — they’re taking pictures.”
He Wuning lifted the corner of his mouth perfunctorily, while Yi Luo’s grin widened. He leaned toward He Wuning and murmured, “They’re coming.”
He Wuning glanced sideways — sure enough, a well-groomed elderly man who practically radiated “wealth and success” was walking toward him, hand outstretched in greeting. “You must be Xiao He!” the man said warmly, shaking his hand with practiced enthusiasm.
He Wuning gave a minimal twitch of his lips in response, but that was enough for the old man to continue talking on his own. “I’ve heard all about you — remarkable! A true young hero!”
The man turned toward the camera, smiling like the perfect model of a benevolent entrepreneur.
Scenes like this had been familiar to He Wuning before he ever entered the game — he just hadn’t expected to encounter them inside it. And while mostly just annoyed, he felt a faint, surprising twinge of nostalgia.
He studied the so-called “philanthropic businessman,” curious how long this little act would drag on.
Meanwhile, Xue Xun’s fixed smile was starting to look pained; his eyes kept flicking nervously toward He Wuning, terrified that the man might lose patience and walk off.
Thankfully, He Wuning stayed cooperative — proof that Xue Xun’s endless reminders hadn’t been in vain.
The “philanthropic businessman,” Mr. Zheng, was one of the unlucky people who had come to City A on a business trip and gotten trapped here when everything went sideways. His family ran a sizable company outside, and his sons and daughters, eager to prove their filial devotion, had been pouring in resources nonstop, making a big fuss on the game forums: “Please, make sure the organization takes good care of my father!”
The official faction had transported a good amount of supplies for him — but they’d also received generous donations in return. Even though everyone knew his children were probably using the situation to jockey for family power, the authorities mostly turned a blind eye.
This time, He Wuning and Yi Luo were being forced to attend because Mr. Zheng wanted to donate “fragments.”
The fact that the administration was collecting these mysterious fragments wasn’t a secret — the notice was right there on the public board — but most players didn’t actually know what the fragments were for.
When Xue Xun went to make contact, he found out the details: Mr. Zheng had used his resources to recruit a few capable players and formed a small team. The items they found in dungeons, he’d buy up and stockpile. These fragments were among his acquisitions — junk he’d stashed away without realizing their value.
But Mr. Zheng was a seasoned businessman — it didn’t take him long to figure out from the officials’ attitude that these fragments were not just valuable, but extraordinarily valuable.
He didn’t make any outrageous demands — he just wanted the donation to be recorded, a video showing that he, too, had made his contribution to the world. He even specifically requested that He Wuning, whose popularity on the forums had recently skyrocketed, appear in the footage.
The officials thought it over and realized this would make great PR, so they agreed.
He Wuning remembered Xue Xun’s briefing: “He really doesn’t mean any harm. Outside the game, he’s genuinely big on charity — just a bit of a show-off.”
Since even the human lie detector Xue Xun said so, He Wuning believed it.
He behaved himself the whole way through — right up until the final part: the handover of the fragment.
Mr. Zheng held the fragment in his hand, and He Wuning thought he was about to hand it over — but instead, he turned and called over a young girl. She looked like a student, maybe eighteen or nineteen, carrying herself with practiced poise. Mr. Zheng smiled warmly and placed the fragment in her hands.
“This is my granddaughter, Zheng Xianyue,” he said cheerfully. “You’re about the same age, Xiao He — you two should get to know each other.”
He Wuning: “…”
Wait a minute. Something was definitely going off-script.
Zheng Xianyue walked over, holding the fragment carefully. Mr. Zheng, beaming, took her hand with one of his and He Wuning’s with the other, placing both on the fragment. The scene didn’t look like an official resource transfer — it looked like he was handing over a family heirloom.
Every hair on He Wuning’s body stood on end. Eyes wide, he instinctively tried to step back, but Yi Luo — curious as ever — leaned over his shoulder, took the fragment, and weighed it casually in his hand. “Huh, it’s not even heavy,” he said with a grin. “Why’d it take three people to hold it?”
“Oh, for crying out loud— stop messing around!” Xue Xun rolled his eyes dramatically. Outwardly, it looked like he was scolding Yi Luo and shooing him off the stage, but in reality, he used the motion to push both Yi Luo and the fragment safely out of the danger zone — before He Wuning could explode.
“Ah…” Zheng Xianyue was caught a little off guard as he took the fragment, instinctively glancing at her grandfather.
Mr. Zheng’s expression didn’t change; he smiled cheerfully at Yi Luo. “Oh, I know this one — this is Xiao Yi, right? Another young hero! Everyone should get to know each other, haha.”
Xue Xun breathed a sigh of relief and added a few polite laughs, smoothing over the situation.
After some small talk, He Wuning finally got his chance to escape — like a rabbit, he bolted and disappeared. Mr. Zheng, who had planned to have his granddaughter chat with him a little longer, was left empty-handed.
He Wuning ducked around a corner, tugged uncomfortably at his collar, and finally exhaled in relief.
Yi Luo laughed. “Oh, look who’s here, honorable fiancé?”
He Wuning walked up and kicked him directly, face twisted in annoyance. “Scram.”
Yi Luo doubled over laughing. “I really didn’t expect this — even now, our dear compatriots are still thinking about matchmaking! What are these old folks thinking?”
Q-chan giggled. “Jealous!”
Yi Luo rapped his head. “You’re just being cheeky.”
Xue Xun peeked around the alley corner, relieved. “So you two are here, huh.”
“Mm, all done?” Yi Luo called to him.
“All done. I really didn’t think you’d last until the end — I was worried you’d throw a fit midway.” Xue Xun tossed the fragment over. “Here, take it. How’s that amphibious milk tea car coming along? How much more do you need?”
He Wuning didn’t respond, just thought that Mr. Zheng’s need to make everything publicly known reminded him a little of his mother, so he reluctantly cooperated.
He glanced at the fragment in his hand — 5%.
“Still need 3%.”
If they weren’t both close to level 20 and ready to head to the ocean zone, He Wuning wouldn’t have bothered attending just for a fragment.
Xue Xun noticed the unspoken thought on his face and chuckled. “Don’t worry — just this once. If he tries to contact you later, I’ll help block him.”
“Of course.” He half-joked, half-smiled. “Unless you’re interested in his granddaughter — then I wouldn’t want to ruin anyone’s matchmaking.”
He Wuning hadn’t even reacted before Yi Luo raised an eyebrow.
He Wuning didn’t even lift his eyelids. “Not interested.”
Yi Luo lazily leaned back against the wall. “Exactly. The girl’s still of school age anyway — could even be early teenage romance.”
“Besides —” he stretched out the word, putting on the theatrics of a fortune-teller disrupting a relationship, “I don’t think you two are a match.”
He Wuning glanced at him, but didn’t respond.
Xue Xun, intrigued, asked, “Oh? Then what kind of person would suit him?”
Yi Luo had been waiting for the question. Excited, he raised a finger. “First, she has to be strong enough to survive whatever dangerous stunts he gets into.”
Xue Xun nodded. “Makes sense.”
Yi Luo raised two fingers. “Second, she has to like him and be proactive. Look at him — that stubborn, prideful introvert. If you expect him to confess first, he’d probably bottle it up forever.”
Xue Xun laughed. “True enough.”
“Third…” Yi Luo glanced at He Wuning and smiled, “Third one’s a secret for now.”
He Wuning listened to their back-and-forth like a comedy routine and snorted. “Out of ideas now, huh?”
He looked away. “People like that don’t exist in the real world.”
Yi Luo chuckled under his breath. He Wuning’s face was full of disdain. “If you dare say it’s you, I’ll cut you.”
Yi Luo opened his mouth, then closed it, clearing his throat.
He Wuning frowned. “What are you doing?”
Yi Luo smiled brightly. “Just asserting my presence.”
Xue Xun looked on, exasperated but amused. “Alright, enough fooling around. There’s something else, Brother He… this…”
“Ahem, this is also about your real name.”
He Wuning’s expression stayed blank. He glanced at Yi Luo, who sheepishly looked away.
Xue Xun began: “Previously, a Ms. He has also been donating supplies to us. She even asked for our help to find two children — one named He Anan and one named He Ningning…”
He Wuning twitched his brow. Yi Luo, curious, asked, “Ms. He?”
“Mm, my mom.” He Wuning nodded.
He and his younger brother both took their mother’s surname. Their father had married into the family; he was reportedly a gentle, handsome, artistic young man whom Ms. He noticed at first sight and passionately pursued. But even after marriage, Ms. He’s notoriously bad temper persisted for decades, and eventually the two parted ways entirely.
Xue Xun breathed a sigh of relief. “Before, we couldn’t find anyone who fit the requirements. He Ningning was also considered missing to the outside world. Didn’t expect you changed your name… Now we can finally give her an explanation, and we’re telling you as well.”
He Wuning furrowed his brow and suddenly became alert. “Wait, keep an eye on her. Tell her not to come in and cause trouble!”
“Ah?” Xue Xun was stunned. “That’s not likely… she never mentioned wanting to come in before…”
“She’s the kind of person who does whatever she feels like. Keep an eye on her!” He Wuning pictured the chaos if she entered the game, panicked as he gave instructions to Xue Xun. “She spends all day in air-conditioned offices, walks in heels, complains nonstop just getting home — if she comes in here, she’ll only be a nuisance. Don’t give her the chance!”
Xue Xun froze. Normally, there was no need to drag ordinary civilians into the game, but if someone volunteered… well, it wasn’t impossible.
He nodded in agreement, then asked, “What if she asks how you’re doing in there?”
“Tell her I’m obedient, sensible, and never wander off.” He Wuning’s expression was blank. “And whatever you do, don’t tell her the He Wuning on the forum is me.”
Xue Xun: “…”
That was one huge lie.
Yi Luo couldn’t help but chuckle quietly.
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The author has something to say:
Ms. He: Ah-choo — I sneezed, it must be because my son misses me.
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