In Virtual Reality 66☆ The Gap between Reality (END)

Ye Du cast a sidelong glance at Xu Jin Yi. "You said something interesting," he remarked.

"What did I say?" Xu Jin Yi inquired.

"Normally," Ye Du drawled, stretching lazily and turning to face the counter. With a smug smile, he propped his elbow on the counter, "if it's family, they will introduce themselves as 'I'm here to find my sister or brother.' If it's a friend, they would say, 'I'm here to visit someone.' But if it's a stranger..."

Ye Du turned his head, and his stone-like pupils emitted a faint golden glow. "They would introduce themselves in great detail instead."

Xu Jin Yi arched an eyebrow, admiring his sharp observation skills.

"Don't look at me like that~" Ye Du grinned. "I'm a seasoned observer of humanity."

Xu Jin Yi drawled, "Oh...have you ever considered what you see is what I want you to see?"

The smile on Ye Du's lips froze, and he hesitated as he regarded the girl in front of him.

She grinned innocently and said, "Just kidding."

"Phew," the young man exaggeratedly let out a sigh of relief and wiped the imaginary sweat from his forehead. "To be honest, you scared me a little - are you a drama major or something?"

The girl before him shook her head and shrugged, not bothering to explain.

As Xu Jin Yi watched the students coming and going outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, it was easy to match their blurry faces with her impression of NPC Fang Xiao Hong.

The summer rainy season, Summit's Second Gate, late May to early June... If the name "Fang Xiao Hong" was a pseudonym, then why didn't the novel 《Red Stairwell》 blur or use a pseudonym for the "Summit's Second Gate High School" emblem on the school uniform?

"What If..." Xu Jin Yi's mind raced with wild possibilities, her heart skipping at the mere thought. She paused and took a deep breath. What if Fang Xiao Hong was not just a pseudonym, and the events in 《Red Stairwell》 were not just a part of history but rather a glimpse of the future?

What if the events depicted in the game were actually a prophecy, and what if they were to happen in the future? These thoughts weighed heavily on Xu Jin Yi's mind as the National Day holiday commenced at the beginning of October.

She knew that no matter what, the murder case of the two people that had occurred would inevitably have left clues and flaws in the past four months. However, after scouring the internet, she discovered that Summit Street had been calm during these few months. This led her to a somewhat absurd assumption.

Xu Jin Yi bit her lip, delicately nibbling on it, and a faint scent of blood spread between her lips.

A prophecy. If it were true, two people would die in this vicinity sometime in June. Furthermore, there would be no Qing Qing teacher at Sunflower Middle School, and Fang Xiao Hong from Summit's Second Gate High School might or might not exist. Finally, Xu Jin Yi couldn't confirm the location of that fatal residential building.

"I must be going crazy..." She murmured to herself, the gravity of the situation sinking in.

The mere thought of associating a game with reality was already absurd enough. Yet, here she was, contemplating an even more ridiculous assumption.

"What's crazy?" The long-ignored Ye Yu spoke softly, but Xu Jin Yi was too deep in thought to notice.

Should she call the police? Xu Jin Yi narrowed her eyes, but no one would believe her statement without evidence. It was all based on a game that had even been taken down from the website.

She knew the best course of action was to stop thinking about it and throw this assumption aside, pretending that nothing had happened.

"This is the best approach," she said.

"What are you thinking about?"

Xu Jin Yi's mind was lost in thought when a sudden voice jolted her back to reality. Confused, she turned her head to see Ye Du standing before her. He had somehow procured two unopened bottles of mineral water, one of which he slid across the table towards her. The other, he held in his hand.

"Calculating the time, you've been lost in thought for ten minutes now," Ye Du said, surprisedly checking his wristwatch. "Is it because of what I said earlier about you being in this state even when no one's around? We've just met, and it is not safe, so don't blame me for being cautious," the young man, who seemed a little too familiar, lectured her.

Xu Jin Yi took the bottle of water and thanked him. "I'm just pondering over some problems," she explained briefly but gave no indication of wanting to say more.

"If you're truly struggling, feel free to tell me," Ye Du offered. "I don't know if what you're saying is true or false, so a bit of exaggeration and mystification is fine!"

He twisted off the cap with deft movements, took a big gulp of water, and then looked at Xu Jin Yi. "Rest assured, even if you say you're the descendant of an alien, I won't doubt you!"

He glanced at Xu Jin Yi's arm and recalled her sharp movement when she pinned him down not long ago, feeling a slight pain in his elbow. Then, as if trying 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.