Chapter 66 -Embracing

Qiu Yanzhi was eating lunch when Chen Lesi called him.

He stared at the name on his phone screen for a few seconds before setting his chopstick and answering the phone.

He swallowed dryly but his voice remained extremely calm. “Hey.”

Chen Lesi sounded very enthusiastic and lively. “Qiu Yanzhi, congrats! I heard you woke up. Sigh. If only I wasn’t out of the country right now for work, I would come see you right away!”

Qiu Yanzhi lowered his eyes. "Thank you."

Chen Lesi asked him, "How’s your recovery going? You aren’t in any discomfort, are you?”

Qiu Yanzhi: "I'm recovering quite well. In fact, I'm going to be discharged in a few days."

Chen Lesi: "That's good, that's good. Aiya, you don’t even know how shocked I was when I heard you suddenly slipped into a vegetative state…”

Chen Lesi paused for a moment before cautiously asking, “But um...what exactly happened, ah? I called a while back and your caregiver picked up. She didn’t know what happened either when I asked. She just said you fell asleep and never woke up...”

Qiu Yanzhi was silent for a while. He suddenly said, "Chen Lesi, what was the name of that game installation package you sent me before?”

"House of Love, ah. Why’re you asking? Don’t tell me you’ve even forgotten something like that after spending four months offline…”

Qiu Yanzhi interrupted him, "No, the game you sent me was called Devour Dream.”

On the other end, Chen Lesi's voice abruptly cut off.

When he spoke again, there was a slight tremble to his voice, “...You...what did you just say?"

"The game that I played was called Devour Dream."

Chen Lesi frantically scrambled off his bed over to his desk and his computer.

He opened his mailbox and clicked on the sent folder.

When he found what that email he sent half a year ago contained, a cold sweat immediately broke out across his back.

Chen Lesi muttered incredulously, "...B-but how could this be? The servers of this game clearly shut down… You...how could you have…”

"Chen Lesi." Qiu Yanzhi said, "There was some sort of incident involving this game, right?”

"...Yes."

Something suddenly occurred to Chen Lesi. He abruptly fell back into his chair, a fine layer of sweat forming on his forehead. “...Did, did this game c-cause your coma?”

Qiu Yanzhi: "If I answer yes, wouldn’t that make you criminally negligent?”

“I, I’m sorry. I-I didn’t mean to. Qiu Yanzhi I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t know I sent you the wrong email…”

"I'm not going to report you." Qiu Yanzhi said.

Chen Lesi: "T-thanks..."

Qiu Yanzhi: "But you have to promise me that you’ll keep this a secret. You can’t tell anyone else about this.”

“Yeah, of course! I won’t tell another soul!”

Qiu Yanzhi took a deep breath before saying, “Also, I need all the information available on this game.”

Although Chen Lesi didn't know what Qiu Yanzhi was up to, he dutifully told Qiu Yanzhi everything he knew.

This was a game their company developed four years ago.

But just before launch, the biggest investor in this project went into the game for a trial run and got into an accident. He never woke up.

Even the doctors at the hospital had no way of helping that investor.

And since that investor was from a prominent background, his family refused to let their company off easy after learning of this matter. They almost sued Chen Lesi’s company into bankruptcy. Not just that, several programmers were sent to prison. Even their boss almost served time. From then on, that game was permanently shut down. There was even a company-wide ban on mentioning it ever again.

Qiu Yanzhi asked, "How is that investor now? Is he still in a coma?"

Chen Lesi: "I wouldn’t know. His family keeps information about him under lock and key. But I heard through the grapevine that...that person might’ve...passed away already. So I am so, so grateful that you woke up.”

Qiu Yanzhi was quiet for a long time. "That game has a lot of bugs. Is there any chance it could be brought back online and fixed?”

Chen Lesi was confused. He frowned and asked, “Huh? You still want to go in and play?”

Qiu Yanzhi: "...I just wanted to ask if fixing it is possible.”

Chen Lesi: "If you want to fix and bring that game back online, you’d need at least ten million dollars."

Qiu Yanzhi was silent for a moment. "So you’re saying there’s a possibility.”

“But there’s no way that game can be brought to market, not when someone’s died in it. Even if it’s fixed, you’re the only one who’d play it. Who would spend that kind of money on a game, ah!”

Before the call ended, Qiu Yanzhi asked Chen Lesi if he had any character designs or ads for this game.

"No, I don’t. After the accident four years ago, those things were all destroyed. To be honest, that installation package I sent you was something I collected in secret after stumbling across. But it’s basically impossible to use...so you successfully downloading and entering the game honestly feels like…”

Chen Lesi paused for a moment. He used a not so apt turn of phrase to describe how he felt, “...Some kind of supernatural phenomenon.”

Qiu Yanzhi wasn’t willing to intrude on the lives of those NPCs in the game world, much less destroy the environment in which his parents, family and friends in the game depended on.

Qiu Yanzhi told himself once that, if he got out, he would forget everything about the game world. He wouldn’t tell anyone about its existence, nor would he ever go in again.

However, he couldn’t do that anymore.

He desperately wanted more than anything to fix the game world.

...To fix He Zhou.

Qiu Yanzhi knew he needed money right now.

Lots and lots of money.

But Qiu Yanzhi was just an ordinary little translator at the moment. Even if he was above average in his field, he couldn’t earn anywhere near that sum in the short term, no matter how hard he worked.

...He might never earn that much in his life.

Qiu Yanzhi’s lips were pursed tightly as he looked down at Qiu Shengcheng’s number on the screen of his phone.

He stared at those numbers for a long time.

His fingers were squeezing the phone so tightly that the joints started to turn white.

Since becoming an adult, Qiu Yanzhi hasn’t spent a single penny of Qiu Hongsheng’s money. In fact, his motivation for getting a job and earning money was to leave the Qiu family.

He already used tens of thousands of dollars from Qiu Hongsheng in the game. It was one thing if he didn’t get out, but if he did, he was already planning at that time to pay it all back.

Yet was he now going to ask Qiu Hongsheng for money, and tens of millions of dollars at that?

Qiu Yanzhi was on the verge of breaking his own bones.

His heart felt like it was burning alive in an open fire.

Qiu Yanzhi was discharged after two more days in the hospital. Because he was young and basically healthy, he could already slowly walk out on his own.

However, his legs still ached if he walked for too long.

When Qiu Yanzhi got home, he slumped across the sofa and weakly massaged his legs.

No one’s lived in this apartment for four months, but Kong Xiujie still kept the place impeccably clear.

Upon seeing Qiu Yanzhi spacing out on the soft, Kong Xiujie went and made him a hot cup of tea.

Qiu Yanzhi took the tea and smiled at Kong Xiujie. "Thank you."

He paused for a moment before looking up again. "Auntie Kong, thank you so much for taking care of me all this time."

The look in Qiu Yanzhi's dark and bright eyes was so sincere that Kong Xiujie felt a little embarrassed. She scratched her head and murmured, "...I, I was just doing my job…”

Qiu Yanzhi’s eyes curved up into crescents. His tone was very warm, “Thank you for everything you’ve done. Thank you for staying by my side the whole time.”

Kong Xiujie also smiled.

Qiu Yanzhi asked, "I think our contract can be renewed for another year. What do you think?"

Kong Xiujie hesitated for a long moment, playing with the hem of her clothes, before speaking, “Mr. Qiu, um...my husband’s almost recovered from his illness. He’s...he’s been urging me to come home recently. I...I might not be able to continue taking care of you."

Qiu Yanzhi's smile slowly dimmed.

Then he pursed his lips. "A real pity, but I wish you two nothing but happiness from now on.”

When Kong Xiujie left that evening, Qiu Yanzhi gave her a red pocket.

Afterwards, Qiu Yanzhi sat alone on the sofa for a long time. Finally, he looked down and took out that picture from his phone case.

He had printed out that photo the retoucher worked on for four hours.

Actually, Qiu Yanzhi had printed many copies, one of which he put in between his phone case.

He touched the face of the man in the photo, tracing from his eyes down to his nose.

He seemed very nostalgic.

Qiu Yanzhi thought he could endure a while longer, but he ended up calling Qiu Hongsheng the very next day.

He wanted to bring up borrowing money, but the words refused to leave his throat despite several attempts.

Finally, Qiu Hongsheng broke the silence, "Yanzhi?"

Qiu Yanzhi: "...Dad."

Qiu Hongsheng: "I heard you were discharged from the hospital. How has your recovery been so far?”

Qiu Yanzhi: "Pretty good. I feel practically back to normal already.”

Qiu Hongsheng: "Let's have dinner together at home tonight. We’ll celebrate your discharge from the hospital."

Qiu Yanzhi: "Okay."

The phone call ended after such a brief exchange.

They might be father and son, but their relationship was even more distant and awkward than strangers.

Even a simple meal came with a whole bunch of problems.

When Qiu Hongsheng brought up Qiu Yanzhi's relationship status, Qiu Xicheng cut in and answered on his behalf before he could get a word out, “Zhizhi only knows how to study. He doesn't even have a girlfriend yet."

Qiu Xicheng then winked at Qiu Yanzhi, as if to say, "See how Brother has your back?"

Qiu Hongsheng said solemnly, "Yanzhi, you’ll be turning 25 this year. It’s time to think about your future. The youngest daughter of the Yuming Group is around your age..."

Qiu Yanzhi interrupted him, "Dad, I don't want to get married yet."

"Have a meeting with her first. We’ll talk again if things don’t work out.”

And so, Qiu Hongsheng settled the matter like a judge pounding his gavel.

Qiu Yanzhi couldn’t think of a reason to refuse a simple meeting with someone. Besides, he still intended to ask Qiu Hongsheng for money. He just didn’t have the guts to refuse.

Alas, Qiu Yanzhi failed to bring up the topic of bringing money even as he left the house.

Maybe next time.

Next time when Qiu Xicheng isn’t around.

He was supposed to meet Xu Wei, the youngest daughter of the Yuming Group, in a cafe.

As a gay man, Qiu Yanzhi felt embarrassed to go out on a blind date. Wasn’t he just wasting the other person’s time?

As such, he arrived a half an hour early.

Xu Wei was a very pretty girl. Her long hair went down to her shoulders, touching the white tweed coat she had on. The long dress she paired with it made her appear gracious and dignified.

Qiu Yanzhi thought she looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he had seen her before.

Seated across from him, Xu Wei blinked her eyes and smiled. “Mr. Qiu looks even better than the photos would suggest.”

Qiu Yanzhi smiled back. "The same goes for Miss Xu."

He paused but came clean in the end. "Miss Xu, I’m very sorry but I have to tell you the truth. My father was the one who arranged for this blind date with you. I personally have no intention of marrying someone and settling down."

Xu Wei shrugged. "What a coincidence. My dad was also the one who put me up to this.”

Xu Wei put both elbows on the table and propped up her face with her hands, looking at Qiu Yanzhi. “But now that I’m here, Mr. Qiu’s looks are very much to my liking."

Qiu Yanzhi sighed and decided to be truthful. "I'm really sorry but I'm actually gay."

Xu Wei really didn’t seem too surprised. Instead, she casually leaned down for a sip of juice. “I know.”

"You do?" Qiu Yanzhi raised his eyebrows.

Xu Wei blinked. "You don't recognize me anymore?"

Qiu Yanzhi: "No?"

Xu Wei put down the straw in her hand. "Aren't you that Dumbass Fei's boyfriend?"

Dumbass Fei?

...Fei Sihao?

Qiu Yanzhi suddenly remembered something.

And he finally figured out why this girl seemed kind of familiar too.

...Turns out she’s Fei Sihao's girlfriend.

They once had an extremely awkward encounter in the apartment corridor one morning.

Xu Wei: "I heard that you were in a coma for 4 months. Have you broken up with Dumbass Fei yet?"

Qiu Yanzhi: "Not yet."

Xu Wei seemed somewhat intrigued. She leaned closer with bright eyes. “Then does that guy know you’re cheating on him too?”

Qiu Yanzhi frowned: "What do you mean I'm cheating on him too?"

Xu Wei shrugged. "Weren’t you going out with him while spending your nights with another man?”

Qiu Yanzhi wanted to deny it at first, but his next thought made him freeze.

The night before he and Xu Wei met…

He did spend it with another man.

But it was in the game, with He Zhou.

Their first time together was utterly miserable.

But...how did Xu Wei know that?

Qiu Yanzhi gave her a suspicious look. "...How did you know I spent the night with someone else?"

Xu Wei laughed. “My vision’s quite good, you know. Of course I saw the traces on the back of your neck.”

Qiu Yanzhi froze. "...What traces?"

"You really don’t know? At the time, the back of your neck was covered in hickeys.”

Qiu Yanzhi sat blankly in his seat for quite some time.

...Xu Wei was able to see in the real world the hickeys He Zhou left on him in the game.

This was obviously something sinister enough to make all the hair on anyone’s body stand on end, but all Qiu Yanzhi felt was an indescribable sense of excitement. His fingers trembled slightly, his breathing quickened, and his heart thumped wildly in his chest.

The traces from the game were brought into the real world by him.

Did this mean that...

That...

Qiu Yanzhi suddenly shot to his feet!

Did this mean that there was a possibility that He Zhou could come out of the game too?!

“S-sorry, I have to go!"

Qiu Yanzhi put a few bills on the table before rushing out of the cafe with his phone in hand.

His legs were wobbly, and his heartbeat was almost loud enough to drown out the sounds of traffic.

He had to find Qiu Hongsheng.

He had to borrow money.

He had to fix the bugs.

He had to bring He Zhou back to life.

He had to...He’s going to bring He Zhou out!

Qiu Yanzhi opened the car door and fumbled for quite some time with the seatbelt before he successfully buckled himself in. Then he started the engine.

Qiu Yanzhi's throat was dry and his palms were sweating.

He was staring straight ahead at the road, but when he turned left, a figure suddenly flashed in front of him.

Qiu Yanzhi's hands jerked. He crashed straight into the road barrier.

His head hit the steering wheel so hard that blood started trickling down his face.

But Qiu Yanzhi had bigger things to worry about than wiping it away. With his entire body trembling, he slowly turned his head.

Then tears started to fall from his eyes. His face crumpled with a mixture of sadness and joy.

He frantically undid his seatbelt and pushed over the door, stumbling his way over.

"...He...He Zhou!"

The man in the wheelchair stiffened at the sound of his face. He too slowly turned his head.

Qiu Yanzhi’s footsteps were uneven as he half tripped, half ran his way to the man’s side.

Then he fiercely threw his arms around the man.

The man froze for a moment. It took him quite some time to react.

His lips trembled gently as he struggled to raise his arms…

Embracing Qiu Yanzhi as well.

Rain

Wuwuwu… I’m so touched. ( ╥ω╥ )