Lu Ji changed into a sleeveless black long dress, layered with a small shawl, and tied a golden belt around his waist, with its end disappearing into the black fabric, adding a touch of elegance.
As he walked out of the fitting room, ready to find Gu Jiu, he saw something that made him very uncomfortable.
Wan Xingzhou’s unfortunate “wild man” had actually come looking for her.
Could it be that, without his knowledge, Gu Jiu had already added them as friends through Wan Xingzhou’s player account?
Seeing Gu Jiu, Wan Xingzhou was ecstatic, convinced this had to be a special kind of fate. Otherwise, how could they have randomly met in this vast mall, considering the 3,000 different zones of Boundless City, each the size of a bustling metropolis in the real world?
What a delightful coincidence.
Wan Xingzhou had originally come to the mall to shop and hadn’t expected to bump into Gu Jiu.
“Sister Gu, why didn’t you accept my player request? I’ve been waiting for you to contact me!”
Gu Jiu responded casually, “Haven’t found the time yet.”
Not doubting her at all, Wan Xingzhou happily replied, “Then hurry up and add me! I want to tag along with you in the future…”
“You’re older than her, and you still call her ‘sister’?” Lu Ji approached, throwing in a jab.
He simply couldn’t stand this wild man being all friendly with Gu Jiu.
Wan Xingzhou chuckled sheepishly, “You’re right; it does seem a bit much. But calling you ‘Miss Gu’ feels too formal, so should I use your name instead?”
“No way!” Lu Ji cut in, feeling quite annoyed. What made this unfortunate guy think he could be on such familiar terms with Gu Jiu? Who gave him that confidence?
Wan Xingzhou, having a good temper, wasn’t upset even after Lu Ji’s repeated barbs. He turned to Gu Jiu for her opinion. “Then how should I address you?”
“Miss Gu,” Lu Ji interjected without hesitation. “Call her Miss Gu.”
Gu Jiu: “.…” Isn’t that a bit too embarrassing?
Wan Xingzhou didn’t mind at all. Gu Jiu’s aura fit the title well; she truly exuded a “Miss” vibe.
“Miss Gu,” he said, “please accept my player request, so we can be friends.”
Gu Jiu gave Lu Ji a sidelong look, seeing her stiff, awkward expression as she turned her head away. Amused, she accepted the player requests from both Wan Xingzhou and Ruan Yuan.
Now her player interface showed three friend accounts.
Realizing that she had added him, Wan Xingzhou was overjoyed and continued chatting with Gu Jiu.
“Miss Gu, do you stay in Star Zone 98 all the time? Are you planning to buy a house there? I’ve also been thinking of buying a place in Boundless City and have been saving up points. I’ve already accumulated 10,000 points…”
Gu Jiu looked at him in surprise; she hadn’t expected a C-level player to have saved that many points.
Embarrassed, Wan Xingzhou scratched his head and explained, “Ever since I arrived in Boundless City, I’ve wanted to buy a home here, so I’ve been saving up. I’ve been a player for almost a year, and I’ve had plenty of runs through D-level and C-level games. In fact, I’m close to advancing to B-level, but I’m worried I might not survive in the B-level arena, so I’ve been training here in C-level games, trying to rack up points. Although each game doesn’t award much, as long as I don’t buy too many items, I can still save a bit…”
There were plenty of players like Wan Xingzhou, worried that moving up to a higher-level arena would bring them into dangers they couldn’t handle. So, rather than advancing, they stayed in their current game levels to keep earning points.
By now, Gu Jiu also understood that although the world of the games across realms stipulated that players must successfully complete ten worlds at each level, the rules were ultimately flexible. It primarily depended on the player’s wishes.
Whether to stay in the lower levels or ascend to more challenging ones was entirely up to the players themselves.
Of course, the system’s administrators kept a close watch on player strength and wouldn’t allow anyone to leap too far in level and meet a premature end.
While the two were chatting, Ruan Yuan and her boyfriend, Lu Haidi, arrived as well.
After receiving Gu Jiu’s player location, Ruan Yuan eagerly dragged her boyfriend over—an opportunity to cozy up to someone influential couldn’t be missed.
With more and more “third wheels” gathering around, Lu Ji’s expression remained calm, but his mood grew darker by the minute.
When his mood darkened, it was as though countless black whirlpools appeared in the vast emptiness of the universe, seemingly ready to consume everything around them. This unusual phenomenon caught the attention of the Lord of Space-Time, who had been observing the depths of the sea of rules. Startled, he stood up and looked intently at the swirling chaos, contemplating the possible cause of the disturbance.
Fortunately, these black whirlpools appeared and vanished suddenly, leaving the sea of rules in the void untouched.
×××
In the mall, Gu Jiu said, “I still need to buy clothes for Lu Ji. If you’re not in a hurry, would you like to wait for us?”
“We’re not in a hurry at all,” the three chimed in unison.
Ruan Yuan added with a bright smile, “I also wanted to shop for clothes, so let’s go together.”
Shopping was practically a bonding ritual among girls—strolling the streets, buying clothes, makeup…all were classic ways to bring people closer.
Lu Ji’s mood brightened instantly, his dark eyes looking obediently at Gu Jiu.
Gu Jiu held her hand and looked her over thoughtfully, noticing how well black suited her.
Compared to a pure white dress that made her sickly pale skin seem even paler, the black brought out a mysterious, captivating aura in her. She was confident in her taste.
“Ah Ji, black really suits you,” she said.
Lu Ji seemed a bit shy, lowering his gaze to hide his emotions.
He had been born in the void, raised in the Black Hall where darkness was constant. Darkness was his constant companion, and no one in existence suited it more than him.
In addition to black, Gu Jiu chose a variety of other dark-colored clothing for her and found that she could easily carry off the deep tones—they only enhanced her unique charm.
It was an unusual aura, hard to put into words.
While most would expect a young person to look their best in vibrant colors full of youthful energy, Lu Ji was quite the opposite. Bright colors didn’t suit her at all; instead, solemn, rich tones matched her presence perfectly.
Gu Jiu happily picked out numerous outfits for Lu Ji, purchasing any that caught her eye without discrimination, even including some combat-inspired styles straight from fantasy anime.
Ruan Yuan joined in, offering suggestions every so often.
The two men who were left standing on the sidelines watched quietly, realizing there was no way to break into this circle. They couldn’t help but admire the fervor and focus women had when shopping.
They spent the whole afternoon shopping, thoroughly indulging in retail therapy.
By evening, Gu Jiu invited everyone to dinner at a restaurant.
Wan Xingzhou enthusiastically volunteered, “Let me treat you all—I’ve got plenty of points.”
“No need,” Lu Ji replied coolly, giving him a brief glance. “I have more points than you. I’ll take care of it.”
Wan Xingzhou, beginning to understand that Lu Ji wasn’t particularly fond of him, wasn’t quite sure what he had done wrong. But since Lu Ji was Gu Jiu’s partner, he shrugged it off with his usual carefree attitude.
“Lu, how many points do you have?”
“Twenty thousand.” Lu Ji didn’t even blink. Wan Xingzhou had ten thousand, so he had to have twenty.
Immediately, all four players looked at him with admiration. They hadn’t expected a hidden “big spender” in their group. While twenty thousand points wasn’t much in the eyes of the top-level players, it was a small fortune to C-level players.
After asserting his superiority, Lu Ji glanced at Gu Jiu. After a moment’s thought, he leaned close and asked, “Do you want any points? I can give them to you.”
“No need.” Gu Jiu chuckled and patted her cheek. “I can earn them myself.”
After all, earning points was just a matter of playing a few more games, and she was confident in her abilities.
Lu Ji had expected her refusal, but he still felt a pang of disappointment.
He wanted to pursue Gu Jiu, to become her boyfriend so they could be close in a way that meant more than just friendship. But he didn’t quite know how to go about courting someone. He had no experience and nowhere to turn for advice. The couple, Lu Haidi and Ruan Yuan, weren’t much help either, so he was left to fumble through it on his own.
All he could do was follow his instincts and use the clumsiest means to try and win her favor.
Unfortunately, his attempts were hopelessly naive; no wonder Gu Jiu had declined.
Seeing her disappointment, Gu Jiu was puzzled by her reaction. She patted her cheek again with a gentle smile. “If I ever need points, you’ll be the first person I come to.”
Lu Ji’s face, pale yet perfectly smooth, was a delight to touch. Gu Jiu found herself enjoying the feel of her soft, delicate skin.
She was drawn to beautiful things and people with striking features. Lu Ji was undeniably beautiful, matching her aesthetic perfectly—and besides, she was a girl. Physical affection was natural among close girlfriends, right? She couldn’t resist sneaking in a few extra pats on her lovely face.
Though he still felt a touch of disappointment, Lu Ji quickly cheered up under her attention.
They found a Chinese restaurant and settled in for dinner.
As they introduced themselves, the group briefly shared hints about their real-world lives and realized that, aside from the couple Ruan Yuan and Lu Haidi, the remaining three were from different worlds.
Being from different worlds, they could relax a bit more around each other without needing to hold anything back.
“The worlds are vast, and meeting each other in the game world, even connecting here in Boundless City, is truly a stroke of fortune,” Ruan Yuan remarked sentimentally.
Wan Xingzhou was the first to be moved by her words, his eyes glistening with excitement as he raised his glass of milk. “Let’s have a toast to that!”
Gu Jiu and Ruan Yuan lifted their glasses of milk with smiles, while Lu Ji, cold and dignified, gracefully joined in. Only Lu Haidi looked slightly conflicted, as he wasn’t a fan of milk.
Of course, it was Lu Ji, their “big spender” host, who had ordered the milk, knowing Gu Jiu’s fondness for dairy products.
After the meal, the players felt closer to each other, and the conversation became more relaxed.
When they learned that Gu Jiu and Lu Ji had only just moved up from D-level to C-level and that “Death Movie” was their first C-level game, Wan Xingzhou was shocked.
From watching Gu Jiu’s adept gameplay, he had assumed she was a veteran of the C-level arena, not a newcomer.
Lu Haidi commented, “You two were really unlucky. Right out of D-level, you get hit with a game world like ‘Death Movie’ with twenty players. In lower-level arenas, the more players there are, the more dangerous it tends to be.”
Wan Xingzhou countered, “But Miss Gu still carried us to victory.”
True enough!
Both Lu Haidi and Ruan Yuan held a deep admiration for Gu Jiu, feeling she was one of those players seemingly born for the game world—a rare type who, barring any unforeseen events, would likely become a top-tier player in the higher-level arenas.
They were glad they’d had the foresight to share their player account IDs and build a friendship with her.
“By the way, Miss Gu, do you plan on joining the Player Alliance someday?” Ruan Yuan asked suddenly.
Gu Jiu looked at her with curiosity. “Player Alliance? Is it a player-founded faction?”
“Yes!” Ruan Yuan explained. “Boundless City is the base for players, and it’s divided into many factions, each controlling a star zone. Take Zone 0, for instance—it’s the territory of the high-ranking elites. Non-S-level players aren’t allowed to enter easily. The players in Zone 0 are incredibly strong. While they don’t leave their territory often, they have many followers who handle their business outside Zone 0…”
In other words, wherever people gather, factions will arise.
Boundless City wasn’t just a haven for players; it was also a power base for high-level players.
The city was a tangled web of alliances and affiliations. Many players joined forces to seek better opportunities and development within one of the city’s factions. Of course, these factions were selective and sought out players with high potential, welcoming those most likely to excel.
Players at B-level or higher could formally join these factions. However, if a C-level player had the right connections, they could join earlier.
In Ruan Yuan’s opinion, Gu Jiu’s skill would eventually draw attention from the powerful groups in Boundless City, who would then invite her to join. It was only a matter of time.
—
Author’s Note: Forgot to mention, the male lead is indeed a master at handicrafts, especially origami—he just loves folding paper! =-=