In Virtual Reality

ng to convince himself, he added firmly, “Hmm, I won't doubt it!”

Xu Jin Yi couldn't help but ask, “You haven't thought of anything rude, have you?”

Although she had said it in jest, Xu Jin Yi knew that her experiences and speculations would seem far-fetched to anyone.

She mused that she had two unusual things to share, but she didn't expect it to spark much interest.
At this moment, she felt conflicted.
“Okay,” Xu Jin Yi sighed.
“You can take what I'm about to say as a story.”

For the next twenty minutes, Xu Jin Yi adjusted a few details and narrated the entire tale to the young man in front of her.
After finishing the story, she sat on a tall plastic stool and opened the cap of a cold bottle of mineral water with a slight effort.
The refreshing liquid flowed through her dry throat, calming her restless heart.

She looked at the only listener of this story.
The young man beside her had a composed expression, and his dull, dark green eyes were lifeless.

“You…” His reaction was too abnormal.
Xu Jin Yi hesitated and tapped Ye Du, who had no response, with the mineral water bottle.
“Are you okay?”

The young man who had been nudged quickly turned his head and stared at Xu Jin Yi with sharp eyes.
“You– are you from the directing department?”

Xu Jin Yi was puzzled.
“Huh?”

Ye Du was uncertain: “Maybe from the screenwriting department? Or are you an author?”

'Well, no one will believe such a bizarre thing,' Xu Jin Yi thought calmly.
“It's a work of fiction.”

“I see,” Ye Du said with a nod of satisfaction.
“So, you came here for inspiration?”

“Perhaps.”

Ye Du smiled, his voice brimming with confidence.
“If this were a novel, then this game would undoubtedly be a prophecy.”

Xu Jin Yi was taken aback, her curiosity piqued.
“Why do you say that?”

Ye Du chuckled, amused by her surprise.
“Well, novels are meant to captivate readers, right? And what better way to do that than to have a protagonist with doubts and suspicions, only to have them confirmed in the end? A story like that is sure to attract a lot of attention.”

Novels.

Attention.

Xu Jin Yi was stunned.

“So, the things the protagonist suspects will inevitably come true!” Ye Du declared, patting his chest for emphasis.
“I guarantee it with my 25 years of the reading experience.”

Xu Jin Yi remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.
Then, with a thoughtful chuckle, she spoke up.
“You're right,” she said, her fingers tapping lightly on the table.
“A story needs to be exciting to engage readers.”

Just as a game needs to be popular to attract players.

“Red Staircase,” the new game, had garnered attention even before its release.
During its launch, players flooded forums with threads discussing its intricate plot.
The excitement surrounding the game had even caught Xu Jin Yi's attention, despite her normally apathetic attitude towards forum posts.

And even after it was taken down, the hype surrounding 《Red Stairwell》 only grew.
The game's website crashed, and forums discussing it were banned, but players remained undeterred.

For Xu Jin Yi, it was the first time she had been kicked out of a game midway.
It was almost as if everything that had happened was designed to capture her attention.

She may not have known much about novels, but she knew games.
She knew gaming websites.

The website constantly promoted new games, but the level of advertising varied depending on the game's official support.
Xu Jin Yi had a hunch that 《Red Stairwell》 was not the website's top priority, despite the initial heavy promotion.
In fact, the website had even banned the game, leading Xu Jin Yi to believe that they were suppressing it before promoting their true priority game.

Ye Du's comment about the “protagonist theory” caught Xu Jin Yi's attention, causing her to wonder if she could be the protagonist.

“Are you the protagonist?” The question and doubt overlapped in her mind as she suddenly looked up at Ye Du, who had posed the question.

Ye Du looked at her curiously.
“I've heard that many novelists modify their experiences to make their ordinary lives as tumultuous as novel plots.
Are you one of them?”

“Maybe,” Xu Jin Yi smiled.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated in her pocket.
“Talking with you has inspired me,” she said as she got up to leave.
“I have something else to do.
See you next time.”

Ye Du didn't expect her to leave so suddenly, but considering her identity as a novelist, he understood.
Perhaps all writers wanted to see their stories come to life?

“Want to exchange green V?” Ye Du pulled out his phone and winked.
“Maybe I can help you find that 'Fang Xiao Hong' high school girl.”

Xu Jin Yi didn't know what he was imagining, but she needed help investigating.
After exchanging contact information, the two parted ways.
According to her plan, Xu Jin Yi was supposed to go to the old residential area, but her phone buzzed in her pocket.
She couldn't ignore it, so she took it out and found a flood of game-related messages from the website.

When she tried to open the app, her phone froze.
Frustrated, Xu Jin Yi decided to head home first and check it out at the phone shop downstairs.

As she felt her pockets, Xu Jin Yi was relieved to find two crumpled one-yuan bills in the seam of her pants pocket.
At least she could take the bus back home.