Chapter 69
Chapter 69
Chapter 69
【Physiological function check completed】
【Host body unloading completed】
【Brainwave disconnection in progress】
...
With the familiar nutrient pod alert sound, Xiyu suddenly woke up from the heartbreak of Wu Zhi’s fall, sitting up abruptly.
He forcefully tore off the various cables attached to him at some unknown time, crawled out of the pod, ignoring the sticky fluid dripping everywhere, and immediately rushed to the glass enclosure confining Luoxi.
“Number 00077! Don’t move, please cooperate with the body status check!” A security team member busy tidying nearby calmly warned, then called to colleagues, “Quick, come help carry him!”
Fortunately, soon after, the pod where Luoxi was confined changed from green light to white, and the sturdy glass cover smoothly slid open. Luoxi simultaneously opened his eyes.
“Mu Yuan is out... Wu Zhi was the one who took him out... Wu Zhi is also out...” Xiyu had not noticed his speech was somewhat uncontrollable yet, immediately grabbed Luoxi and said.
Having lain here for more than ten days had exhausted Luoxi. He supported himself and gently hugged Xiyu: “Alright, I know everything now. You need to rest.”
Xiyu’s hands trembled slightly, as if remembering something, he pushed Luoxi away, stood up, and grabbed a security team member nearby: “What was the voting result? Which room was Wu Zhi’s pod in?”
“The game hasn’t completely ended, no voting result yet—what are you standing there for?” The security member gestured to colleagues.
As soon as the words fell, four or five people immediately held Xiyu down, gave him a sedative, and helped him lie down on a stretcher.
Luoxi painfully held onto the edge of the nutrient pod, maintaining a sitting posture: “Surviving on nutrient fluid for too long, plus the burden of brain networking, has caused his mental state to become a bit disordered.”
“Take him for a checkup.” The security officer waved his hand, glanced at the much thinner Luoxi with a smile: “You’re not in good shape either, but congratulations on advancing.”
Luoxi forced a bitter smile, letting others carry him away from the nutrient pod, looking worriedly toward the direction Xiyu was being pushed, and silently sighed.
Warm, dry, and soft. The smell of disinfectant mixed with floral fragrance created a comfortable atmosphere.
After an unknown length of sleep, Xiyu slowly opened his eyes, seeing a clean room similar to a hospital ward. Besides him, other hosts lay unconscious in nearby beds, mostly also rescued after being removed from the game.
Though his muscles ached and his heart was pounding abnormally fast, fortunately, he no longer felt irrationally agitated.
But what about Luoxi...
Xiyu was about to sit up when a nurse writing medical records on the opposite side rushed over to stop him: “Ah, little Xiyu, don’t move, lie quietly and finish the protein infusion!”
His throat was sore. He wanted to speak but coughed awkwardly.
“Ah, just rest easy, there’s no danger.” The nurse adjusted the drip speed of the fluid in the plastic tube, smiling: “You spent thirteen days in the nutrient pod, you’ve lost energy and need good care.”
Xiyu struggled to ask, “Is it over?”The nurse shook her head: “It should be soon, but no notification yet. The ward has been running nonstop for half a month, I’m exhausted.”
Although her appearance wasn’t perfect, she was still lively and cute—definitely a normal human girl.
Xiyu asked again: “You... aren’t from the security department?”
The nurse put her pen into her pocket: “How did you know?”
Xiyu curled the corner of his mouth, half-jokingly: “People from security aren’t as cute as you, and they don’t chat with me.”
“Little Xiyu is really smart!” The nurse’s eyes curved like crescent moons. “I’m from Xiehe Hospital, sent here to support the androids’ examination and recovery plan. This is Yuntai’s first big event, so manpower is a bit tight.”
Then she whispered: “There’s surveillance; I’ve signed all kinds of confidentiality agreements. Don’t try to get information from me. If you want something to eat, I can prepare it for you.”
Xiyu thought of the fate of the eliminated hosts, thought of that fool Wu Zhi, and even more about Luoxi’s condition. His mind was troubled. He shook his head and asked puzzled: “Why do you call me Little Xiyu? You’re not that old either...”
The nurse was surprised: “I’m already twenty-six! You… at most are three or four years old! Androids are always very young!”
Xiyu: “...”
He was about to defend his maturity when the tightly closed door was unlocked from outside.
It turned out to be Lin Yuze, General Lin, and Qin Yunshen along with other security leaders unexpectedly arriving.
The nurse immediately adopted a serious demeanor and reported politely: “The eight newly admitted hosts are in stable condition; they should be able to leave their beds soon.”
“Good.” Lin Yuze smiled and nodded, stepping in to greet: “Xiyu, you performed very well in the third round of the preliminaries. Public opinion praises you highly—you really didn’t disappoint me.”
Xiyu was full of doubt about this person’s intentions—unsure whether his support was genuine or not, and didn’t know what the CR drug he gave last time was for. But… precisely because of that drug, the vague memories in his mind started becoming clearer?
While he was lost in thought, Lin Yuze had finished his inspection.
Xiyu couldn’t help but call after him: “General Lin…”
Lin Yuze turned, hands behind his back, his gentle face full of patience: “You want to ask about the handling plan for the eliminated hosts?”
Xiyu nodded.
“No wonder, you were still tangled in this before leaving the game.” Lin Yuze shrugged despite Qin Yunshen’s attempt to stop him, saying: “Originally, the votes for ‘reset’ were surging, but the theme of the third round attracted many minors and students. Although they don’t have strong spending power, they are more compassionate. Plus, you all worked hard to unravel the plot’s mystery. Fifteen minutes ago, the voting result showed the proportion for ‘no reset’ was 504.”
Xiyu joyfully held the bed edge and struggled to sit up: “...Really?”
The nurse quickly stopped him: “Hey hey, lie down.”
“The reset surgery still has certain costs. Since the capital’s board has approved the voting plan, it will be carried out accordingly. I’m also glad to reduce the security risks,” Lin Yuze smiled. “However, once the eliminated hosts have rested, live broadcasts will continue as per the original regulations. You don’t need to worry too much.”
Though this wasn’t a permanent good fortune, Xiyu somewhat relaxed.
Qin Yunshen finally couldn’t help but say: “General Lin, the media is waiting to interview you.”
Lin Yuze smiled: “Let’s go—oh, and tally up the popular hosts from the preliminaries. Find photographers to take pictures for them; our publicity has been really insufficient.”
Qin Yunshen nodded: “Okay, I’ll report to the publicity director.”
Xiyu weakly listened to their boring conversation as they left, his tense mind gradually loosening, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling.The little nurse brought him a bag of fruit and vegetable juice, inserted a straw, and said, “Here, replenish some vitamins.”
Xiyu wasn’t used to being served by a girl, awkwardly accepted it: “Thank you.”
“Hehe, you really are good-looking.” The little nurse was very happy. “I hope you can win the championship.”
Xiyu gave a half-smile, half-heartedly replied, “Thanks for the good wishes.”
Maybe because too many hosts urgently needed to recover their strength, the company was eager for everyone to recover quickly and evacuate.
During the two days living in the ward, Xiyu felt like a feeding duck, constantly being given expensive nutrients, with exquisite fruit and supplements at every meal. Though his overall condition wasn’t great, his stamina to get out of bed and walk had definitely improved.
“You’re recovering really fast.” The little nurse helped him sit back on the bedside. “After 48 hours of the danger period, you can go back to the dorm to rest, or continue staying in the ward. It’s your choice.”
Xiyu was locked here every day, with nothing to talk about with the other hosts in the same room, so he immediately answered, “I want to go back.”
“I knew it.” The little nurse pouted. “A host already came looking for you earlier. He said to wait for him.”
Xiyu’s eyes widened.
The little nurse nodded to confirm: “Yeah, yeah, it’s Luoxi, the one who’s always with you in the game.”
Xiyu immediately smiled.
No matter how kind the little nurse was, she still had the audience mentality, mumbling, “I think it’s pretty good that you play with Feiling. I like watching you two.”
Hearing this, Xiyu’s good impression of her instantly dropped. He deeply felt that in this natural human’s eyes, he was still just a toy.
At that moment, the ward door was knocked.
The little nurse took the electronic card to open it, glanced inside, then waved to Xiyu: “Go ahead.”
Xiyu immediately got up eagerly.
The little nurse didn’t think her previous behavior was inappropriate, smiling sweetly: “My name’s Tian Rui. I’ll cheer for you from now on!”
Xiyu suppressed all his displeasure, forced a smile, then quickly opened the door and breathed in the fresh air of the corridor.
The thin Luoxi was indeed standing outside, holding a transparent bag, inside was a chubby ragdoll cat.
Xiyu’s gloomy mood instantly vanished. He rushed over in two steps, grabbed the bag, and laughed: “Xiao Qi!”
Luoxi: “...”
Xiyu played with the eager kitten for a moment, then tiptoed and hooked one arm around Luoxi’s neck, giving him a hug that was both intimate and restrained.
Luoxi finally felt a bit better and patted Xiyu’s back: “Alright, we finally got through the preliminaries.”
At this moment, the corridor was filled with medical staff and security personnel coming and going. A man wearing a leader’s uniform shouted from the end of the corridor: “Hey, you two come over here.”
Luoxi quickly pulled Xiyu closer.
The man handed Xiyu a new wristband: “The company has prepared exclusive living areas and training grounds for e-sports players, divided into ten large zones. You and Luoxi are both in zone A. You’re not allowed to wander into other zones, understand?”Xiyu originally wanted to take the chance to see that fool Wu Zhi, but after hearing this, he was stunned: “Then... I can’t have contact with hosts who didn’t make the cut either?”
The man frowned: “Leaving the living area requires applying to the security officer in charge of that area. Hurry up and go.”
Luoxi supported Xiyu, signaling him not to get stuck here.
Only then did Xiyu take the wristband and, together with Luoxi, entered the unknown passage ahead, bracing himself to face the harsher, possibly ruthless trials to come.
The players’ living area was newly renovated. Although not as luxurious as the expert hosts’ former residences, all kinds of facilities were complete. Everywhere there were endless sponsored products and advertisements, creating a lively atmosphere as if before a big battle.
“Bai Qi isn’t doing well, maybe affected by the second round. Tuzi needs to wait for him.” Luoxi said, “They should be in the same zone as us. See you then.”
Xiyu used the wristband to open the door to their double dormitory, quickly letting the restless kitten out of the cage, raising an eyebrow: “Why?”
Luoxi closed the door, as confident as always: “192 hosts qualified. If I’m not wrong, it’s 192 to 96, then 96 to 48, and so on, until one final winner is decided... Given the company’s game database, it’s more likely to be small groups of 12 players. For matching, unfamiliar people will be grouped together early on to avoid unfair situations. People who know each other will naturally live in the same zone.”
Xiyu nodded, agreeing with his guess, but actually cared about only one thing: “Then the premise that we team up to participate shouldn’t be changed, right?”
Luoxi smiled indifferently and sat on the sofa: “At least I haven’t heard anything about that so far. Alright, you keep resting, I’ll watch some videos.”
The aftereffects of overusing the nutrition pod were severe. By the time Xiyu reached the new dorm, his legs felt weak. Seeing the night had deepened outside the window, he nodded and took a simple shower, then lay down on the single bed holding clingy Xiao Qi, playing for a bit before barely closing his eyes.
Actually, since coming out of the nutrition pod, his heart had felt especially tight and was beating much faster than usual—said to be one of the aftereffects.
Not sure if it was the loud heartbeat or the kitten’s constant purring by his face.
Xiyu couldn’t fully fall asleep.
He sensed Luoxi silently flipping through videos in the dark, then going to shower and get water.
The faint sounds kept uncontrollably creeping into his ears.
Half asleep, half awake, suddenly the edge of the single bed was pressed down.
Lying on his side, Xiyu opened his eyes wide in surprise and felt Luoxi lying next to him.
The warm and solid body brought a strong sense of presence. Moreover, Luoxi reached out and hugged his waist, vaguely pressing on his lower abdomen.
Xiyu: “...”
Although he didn’t dislike him, this was too sudden, especially with invisible cameras everywhere...
Just as Xiyu was about to freeze, Luoxi suddenly chuckled softly: “I know you’re not asleep. What do you think I’m about to do?”
Xiyu came back to his senses, pulled away his hand, and struggled to turn over: “So what exactly are you doing?”
The curtain revealed a crack. Luoxi’s eyes reflected the moonlight with a bright gleam, his smile unchanged: “Nothing. During the preliminaries, I promised myself that once I escaped that damn game, I would give you a proper hug.”
“...” Xiyu gradually relaxed his tense body and tried to press his face against him.
Strangely, his heart, which had been so tight it felt like it might explode, suddenly eased a lot.
Luoxi whispered softly in Xiyu’s ear: “I know, we both can’t figure out our memories, but for me, compared to the chaotic memories, I care more about the real you in front of me. Many things have nothing to do with memories or the past you. I hope you understand.”
These words had a strange power that calmed Xiyu’s unease.He thought again of "Ayu" with that youthful, reckless look, and of Luoxi trapped in Yuntai, covered in wounds. His heart was full of mixed feelings, and naturally, his resolve grew stronger—to make sure Luoxi gets the spot to win in the finals.
Unexpectedly, Luoxi hugged Xiyu even tighter and whispered by his ear, “Don’t ask me too much. I promise, I will leave with you and Tuzi.”
...!!!
Those words were truly shocking. Xiyu couldn’t help but firmly hold Luoxi’s shoulders.
Luoxi said no more, only rarely and gently kissed his lips: “Sleep now. The body is capital; recover as soon as possible.”
Xiyu’s chill and excitement gradually calmed. He knew that any carelessness of his could harm Luoxi, so naturally he didn’t press for more.
The warmth of their embrace swept away the unease floating on the surface of his soul.
Xiyu closed his eyes.
At that moment, restless Xiao Qi climbed up, patting Xiyu’s face, then Luoxi’s, trying to find a warm spot between them.
Luoxi immediately picked it up and put it down: “Go back to your nest! Cat soup warning!”
Xiao Qi looked aggrieved: “Meow—”
Xiyu chuckled softly, feeling an oddly untimely yet utterly real happiness from the luxurious moment before him.
After the chaos of the preliminaries ended, the chaotic life continued for two more days. Xiyu and Luoxi, who arrived earliest in the living area, only met a few hosts—experts, seniors, and even intermediates. Because of the unknown challenges ahead, everyone was on high alert, so naturally, there was little interaction.
On this day, after passing the re-examination, Xiyu finally went to the training room to box for a while, sweating it out and feeling he finally regained control over his body.
Luoxi, who was sparring beside him, was giving his all as well. By the time they got off the boxing ring, their arms could barely lift.
The security officer guarding the door was absentmindedly playing with his phone.
Luoxi looked around and blinked: “Is it too stuffy? How about I go with you for some fresh air?”
Xiyu said, “Doesn’t the company forbid us from moving around freely? I don’t want to cause unnecessary trouble.”
Luoxi took out his lab ID card: “Wait, I’ll handle the shameless part.”
After speaking, he quickly walked over to the manager.
One had to say, although many hosts disliked Luoxi, the security staff—natural humans—were usually willing to give him face.
Soon, Luoxi turned back with a smile and gave Xiyu a look.
Xiyu hurried to follow, quietly asking, “Can I bring Xiao Qi with me?”
“...” Luoxi raised an eyebrow, walking and saying, “A bit regret sending you that cat. I think it doesn’t deserve to be called Xiao Qi; it should be called a third wheel.”
Xiyu smiled without a word.
Is it how normal humans fall in love—properly confessing, saying ‘I love you’ and ‘you love me too’?
But those things are really too distant for the Yuntai androids.In their lives that could collapse at any moment, having someone to accompany them was already a great fortune.
Moreover, in Xiyu’s heart, Luoxi was not a newly arrived lover; they should have long supported each other through thick and thin. As for this moment... if he was not mistaken, it was a reconciliation?
While lost in these wild thoughts, Luoxi had already caught the little dumb cat Xiao Qi from the dormitory and stroked Xiyu’s soft silver hair: “Don’t keep worrying all the time.”
Xiyu snapped back to reality and made up an excuse: “I was thinking about what the next game will be like.”
“Not allowed to think about it today,” Luoxi said helplessly. “If the string is pulled too tight for too long, it will break.”
Xiyu: “...You really have confidence.”
“Hey, the so-called game, actually defeating the opponent is secondary,” Luoxi put his arm around Xiyu’s shoulders and said, “As long as you can guess the game designer’s thinking, you’ve reached a higher level of the rules; failure is impossible, understand?”
Xiyu silently looked at Luoxi, thinking: who exactly were you in the past to understand these truths?
But time has passed, and at this moment, no one could answer that.
Although the ring-shaped building of Yuntai blocked much sunlight, the central garden still had a warm lawn. The green grass emitted a fresh fragrance, and with the cherry blossoms blooming, pink petals fluttered everywhere. Such beauty naturally made one forget the heavy sins filling the building.
Xiyu lay under the shade, letting Xiao Qi roll around foolishly nearby, while he himself grew drowsy from the early arrival of spring.
Luoxi, standing guard beside him, did nothing but absentmindedly watch Xiyu’s sleeping face.
Snow-white skin, perfectly sculpted features like a painting, his eyelids were thin, nose tip delicate—everywhere bore the marks of genetic carving. Luoxi hadn’t appreciated artificial beauty before, but Xiyu...
Sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, sometimes carefree, sometimes conflicted—Xiyu was more real than those natural humans.
To Luoxi, realness meant beauty.
He was half distracted, half unwilling to hold back, and slowly turned to kiss Xiyu’s lips.
Xiyu couldn’t help but open his amber eyes.
Unfortunately, the springtime kiss didn’t last long before a malicious cold laugh interrupted them from nearby: “Do you really think you’ve done something great and gained freedom? You’re way too conceited.”
...It was Mu Yuan.
Xiyu immediately sat up.
At this moment, Luoxi stepped forward first: “The preliminaries are over. You should thank your lucky stars you weren’t reset. I advise you to stop needlessly escalating conflicts. Whether you’re first or ten thousandth, you make no difference to the security department.”
“You guys are the ones escalating the conflict. Now you want to stop just like that?” Mu Yuan’s now gaunt face was full of hatred. “Dream on.”
“To be precise, it was me. I decided to eliminate you on the Xinghe ship because your identities were clearly problematic, and you killed too many hosts,” Luoxi sneered. “But that’s all in the past. What do you want to do now?”
Mu Yuan gritted his teeth: “192 people select 1. The remaining 191 must be reset, even if many are the best hosts of Yuntai. The winning rate is only 0.5%. Do you think that lucky one will be Xiyu?”
Luoxi raised an eyebrow.
Mu Yuan showed an expression of injustice: “He’s completely using you!”
Xiyu, who had already stood up, wanted to refute his nonsense, but Luoxi raised a hand to stop him and then smiled: “I’m happy to be used. Can you leave now?”
Mu Yuan narrowed his eyes: “Don’t worry, even if a dog from the roadside wins, it won’t be him!”After saying those threatening words, he seemed a bit relieved, shook off his ponytail, and turned to leave.
But Luo’er, who had been following Mu Yuan the whole time, still stood in place, glared at Xiyu for a moment, then smiled bitterly: “Since I’m already out, and Haohao and the others haven’t been reset, who wins or loses has nothing to do with me. No matter what Mu Yuan says, your future won’t be influenced by me.”
Luoxi shrugged: “Got it, you’re more responsible than Mu Yuan.”
Luo’er lowered her eyes and turned away.
Xiyu pressed his lips, watching their backs as they returned to the building; the relaxed mood of enjoying the flowers vanished, and he said softly, “Let’s go back too.”
Luoxi was already used to the tense atmosphere between hosts but didn’t want it to appear so often around Xiyu, so his expression inevitably darkened a little.
Xiyu smiled: “Like a beaten dog, just ignore their barking, no need to care.”
With that, he called back the naughty Xiao Qi and pulled Luoxi toward the private elevator.
When the two stepped out of the elevator, the usually quiet—even dead silent—players’ living area finally erupted with the first excited shout.
“Boss! Xiyu! I was worried you guys weren’t in area A!”
Tuzi threw off the pale-faced Bai Qi, rushed over to Luoxi first, then gave Xiyu a big hug.
It seemed the three rounds of fighting in the preliminaries had already reduced much of the previous awkward distance between them.
Xiyu sincerely smiled: “I’ve been waiting for you two for days. Feeling better?”
“I’m great. Ah Qi probably has half his body in the grave!” Xu Tu waved his fist behind him. “Now that I’m making you work out, will you still listen?”
Bai Qi usually liked puzzling over strange math problems and logic games; his physical strength was indeed a weak point. Playing games before was fine, but staying in the nutrition pod with long internet disconnection was tough on him, causing many problems.
Now that they met at Yuntai, he said a little embarrassedly: “Boss, Xiyu, sorry, I’ve been causing trouble.”
Luoxi was dissatisfied: “What, learned to win by lying down and now starting fake politeness?”
Xiyu kept a polite distance: “No trouble at all. We cooperate, none of us can make it alone.”
“All right, since you know you owe us, today you serve us well!” Xu Tu patted his shoulder.
Bai Qi adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses and asked nervously: “What do you want to do again?”
Xu Tu clenched her fist: “I’m sick of nutrition liquid and healthy meals. Tonight’s a celebration! I want to indulge!”
Bai Qi: “?”
Xu Tu pushed him a little: “Go bother the cafeteria lady. I want barbecue and beer! You’re responsible for passing me food!”
Late at night, in the small quiet cafeteria, only four people sat in a corner, but the table was full of various ingredients, alcohol, and drinks. The delicious, colorful food looked quite festive.
In Xiyu’s impression, Xu Tu had always been a true rabbit who liked eating radishes and apples. Now seeing her indulge so wildly, he finally believed Bai Qi’s story about her eating snacks until sick, and his gaze involuntarily became strange.
Xu Tu stuffed a big shrimp peeled by Bai Qi into her mouth: “Why aren’t you eating? Cheers!”
Xiyu frowned and took a sip of beer with her, certain that whether before or after losing his memory, he absolutely did not like the taste of this stuff.Xu Tu sighed: “Sigh, a few grown men still don’t have as good an appetite as me.”
Luoxi helplessly grilled beef beside her: “You may be indulging, but you still need to pull yourself together. I guess we won’t be matched together anytime soon, otherwise it would be too unfair to the other opponents.”
Xu Tu nodded while eating.
Luoxi’s gaze deepened: “The competition will probably drag on until summer, so hang in there longer.”
This sounded strange, but the other three said nothing.
Xiyu glanced lightly at Xu Tu and Bai Qi, feeling that Luoxi must have privately told them something. So what was Luoxi planning to do? Could it be… escape?
His eyelid twitched.
At that moment, footsteps echoed in the cafeteria.
It was Qin Yunshen striding over with several security officers.
He was still his usual indifferent self, raising a hand to signal: “Sit, don’t be nervous. The food looks good?”
“Want some?” Xu Tu asked freely, as if no one else was there.
“No, no, this is high-grade food specially provided by the company for you all,” Qin Yunshen said. “I’m just here to inform all players to go upstairs tomorrow to take promotional photos for the competition. For the schedule, just ask the Yuntai steward. By the way, I wanted to check on you—how’s your health? No big problems, right?”
Luoxi smiled lightly: “No need to worry.”
Qin Yunshen nodded: “Good.”
Then he pressed Xiyu’s shoulder: “Come with me.”
The Security Department was the Yuntai’s enforcer office; nothing good ever came from it. Luoxi realized maybe her close relationship with Xiyu had drawn suspicion and immediately stopped him: “He’s not well yet. If there’s any problem, I’ll take responsibility.”
“It’s nothing. Xiyu’s popularity survey feedback this time is very good. Director Lin wants to see him,” Qin Yunshen said expressionlessly, his sharp-featured face slightly raised. “I can’t just send someone else, can I?”
...Lin Yuze?
Luoxi recalled the gene medicine Lin Yuze had given Xiyu and stepped aside.
In Yuntai, where even the Security Department could crush people, Lin Yuze, as the company-appointed general manager, held the highest authority. He probably didn’t intend to harm Xiyu deliberately; maybe he was even… stirring things up?
Xiyu was clearly thinking the same thing. Suddenly, he took a big gulp of beer, wiped the corner of his mouth, and stood up: “Okay, you guys eat slowly. I’ll be back.”
Where Yuntai was in China was a secret unknown to both androids and regular spectators. Even outsiders coming in had to sign strict confidentiality agreements. The only known fact was that the area near the live broadcast headquarters was absolutely deserted.
Lin Yuze needed a normal business life, mostly staying in the capital. So the president’s office inside the building was basically an empty shell, often locked tight. Inside, besides cold and luxurious furniture, there was no sign of life.
After Xiyu entered, he first scanned the positions of cameras, then sat down on a brand-new sofa: “Director Lin, what did you want to see me about?”
Lin Yuze put down his coffee cup and documents, smiling: “You heard, right? Your streamer rank and popularity are totally inversely proportional. According to the final accounts of these big competitions, the company plans to promote you exceptionally to advanced level.”
Xiyu didn’t care at all, just nodded lightly: “It’s an honor.”
Lin Yuze added: “You’re very personable. Your streaming style is different from other streamers.”
Xiyu: “…Is that supposed to be a compliment?”Lin Yuze’s expression was mysterious: “Of course, it’s no harm to tell you since it will be officially announced before the competition—the upcoming elimination rounds will allow the audience to buy gifts at high prices to support the streamers, so knowing how to please them isn’t a bad thing.”
Xiyu was momentarily stunned, then nodded seriously.
Lin Yuze said: “I like you a lot and believe you will rebuild your glory. Don’t disappoint me going forward. If you have any difficulties in life, as long as I’m at Yuntai, you can reach me through Director Qin.”
“Thank you, Director Lin.” Xiyu hesitated before speaking: “…Why are you helping me like this?”
On the surface, he was puzzled by Lin Yuze’s encouragement, but in truth, he didn’t understand the gene medicine that had made his memories clearer.
Lin Yuze’s eyes were keen and intelligent, still smiling: “I’m not helping you with anything. Remember, all your results are your own arrangements and choices.”
This made Xiyu thoughtful, and his gaze cleared considerably.
“Although the game is difficult, please persevere,” Lin Yuze added. “The more desperate the moment, the firmer your heart will become.”
Xiyu couldn’t help but suspect Lin Yuze had deeper meaning. Combined with past experiences, could it mean that in his near-death state, he might recover even more memories?
Under heavy surveillance, Lin Yuze obviously couldn’t say much. He took from the drawer a box sealed with the Yuntai sticker: “This is a reward from the company—an unreleased tablet computer. It contains many courses, books, and logic games. The new functions are countless. Use it properly.”
Xiyu’s eyelid twitched slightly as he immediately took it.
Lin Yuze waved his hand: “Alright, go rest.”
“Anyway, thank you very much,” Xiyu sincerely bowed slightly, then headed toward the door.
“Oh, and about your relationship with Luoxi,” Lin Yuze suddenly remembered, speaking calmly: “There are some emotional entanglements among streamers, and the audience loves that, so the company usually turns a blind eye to such matters, as long as it doesn’t get out of hand.”
Xiyu waited quietly for more.
Lin Yuze continued: “But remember, the Constitution already states that androids have no rights to marriage or reproduction, because once modified genes interact with natural humans, new diseases may instantly break out. I believe you understand the reasoning.”
This was true. Humans mastered gene editing methods but could not predict all possible mutations after modification.
Reproduction between different androids, or between androids and natural humans, could open the box of apocalypse.
So the law, although harsh, made sense. It was said that even if an android baby were born, it would be hunted down and destroyed—no chance to survive.
Xiyu nodded, understanding the government’s iron-fisted policy.
Lin Yuze smiled: “So don’t expect too much from intimate relationships; just think of it as consolation.”
“Luoxi is not consolation,” Xiyu answered immediately. “He…”
Lin Yuze put on a posture of attentive listening.
Xiyu lowered his eyes: “Sorry, the meaning he has… I can’t describe it to anyone else.”
Saying this, Xiyu took the box and hurried away.
Lin Yuze sat where he was, staring at the closed office door. Gradually, a trace of loneliness appeared in his eyes, but his gaze soon returned to the shareholder meeting notice on the desk, and his expression became focused and fierce again, as if the momentary weakness had been a foolish illusion.This site has no pop-up ads.