“You…”
“Shut up!”
Luo Taozhi, who had changed back into her previous clothes, tightly gripped the two pieces of intimate wear that had brought her such shame. She shot a resentful glare at Xiao Nanchu, who was still dazed behind her.
“Buy them!”
“Oh, okay.”
Xiao Nanchu bought the two garments that had just been pressed against her skin. Luo Taozhi then grabbed his hand and fled the clothing store as if she were escaping a crime scene. She didn’t let go until they had put a significant distance between themselves and the shop.
Xiao Nanchu looked at her as she walked ahead with her head bowed. He opened his mouth to say something but hesitated and decided to keep quiet. An awkward silence immediately settled between them.
After walking for a while, Luo Taozhi stopped in front of a restaurant. Xiao Nanchu understood instantly and led her inside. They sat down and scanned the QR code on the table to order on their phones. Not a single word was exchanged during the process. Both of them ate their meals in silence.
Once they finished, Xiao Nanchu took the bill to the counter to pay, and they walked back out into the silent night. On the way home, Luo Taozhi was once again mistaken for a celebrity or a cosplayer by passersby who asked for photos. This time, however, she did not agree.
“I’m sorry.”
She shook her head and continued walking after offering that brief apology. Xiao Nanchu followed quietly behind her. The two of them remained silent throughout the walk.
As they neared their front door, Luo Taozhi’s voice suddenly rang out. “Did you see everything clearly?”
Xiao Nanchu was startled and almost instinctively replied, “I saw it.”
His brain caught up just in time, and he quickly changed his answer. “No!”
“Really?”
“Really!”
“Then why did you ask me that?”
“Just… just asking…”
“…”
Luo Taozhi fell silent. Even though she had asked, she knew the truth. She was certain that Xiao Nanchu had seen that tiny issue when she put on those clothes. Asking was pointlessly redundant.
“Forget it. If you saw it, you saw it. I don’t care anyway.” Luo Taozhi let out a quiet sigh of relief, then turned around with a smile and patted Xiao Nanchu on the shoulder.
“Saw what? What are you talking about?” Xiao Nanchu continued to play dumb. He wasn’t stupid! Even if Luo Taozhi said she didn’t care, he couldn’t exactly agree with her and keep the conversation going.
“Tsk, keep pretending!” Luo Taozhi applied more pressure to his shoulder, pinching him hard enough to make him let out a yelp of pain. “Do you really think your father cares about something like this? It’s not like your father hasn’t been completely naked with you before!”
Xiao Nanchu was stunned by her words. *Wait, when were we… oh, right, university.* But that was different!
Seeing Luo Taozhi’s flushed cheeks while she desperately tried to act nonchalant felt somewhat hilarious to him.
“Right! We’re brothers, after all!” Luo Taozhi said, standing on her tiptoes to clumsily drape her arm over Xiao Nanchu’s shoulder.
“Yeah, right.” Xiao Nanchu leaned down slightly to make her more comfortable.
They maintained this awkward posture as they entered the house. Once inside, Luo Taozhi vanished from his sight in a flash. Only one sentence lingered in the air.
“Remember to add me in the game! My ID is Xiao Taozhi!”
Xiao Nanchu didn’t even hear the final sound before her bedroom door slammed shut. He shook his head and headed for the bathroom, turning on the shower and letting the cold water pour over him. He needed to calm down.
In the less than one week since Luo Taozhi had appeared at his side, so many things had happened. Although it was difficult to admit, the image of the original Luo Taozhi in his mind was slowly being replaced by this version of her.
Even though various small habits proved that she was the same person, Xiao Nanchu found that she had changed immensely in just a few days. He couldn’t help but wonder what she had experienced in that other world to become like this.
The way she had rejected those people earlier reminded him of the cold Fairy he had seen standing in the crowd that day—that distant, unreachable feeling. The old Luo Taozhi hadn’t been like that. Back then, even if she was difficult to approach, Xiao Nanchu could tell it stemmed from insecurity and sensitivity born from her upbringing.
Now, it was different. Her current distance was a form of indifference—an instinctive, subconscious coldness from someone in a high position looking down at others. Just by standing there, her aura made people feel as if they couldn’t breathe.
It was the same when she rejected those people earlier. She had simply said she was sorry and walked past. However, following behind her, Xiao Nanchu noticed that the girl who had been rejected actually collapsed, her body going limp. He had seen it clearly; the girl’s eyes were filled with pure terror, like a prey animal encountering a predator.
Luo Taozhi hadn’t spoken on the way back. It was evening, the busiest time of day when everyone was out for dinner and shopping, yet no one dared to get close to her. Even those who looked at her would quickly lower their heads. Yet, she hadn’t done anything; she had simply been walking.
This Luo Taozhi was a stranger to him. She was so foreign that Xiao Nanchu found it hard to reconcile her with the person who had worn a tight crop top and denim shorts, performing suggestive dances in front of him. Even he didn’t dare speak to her when she was in that state.
But just as he was feeling lost, her subsequent actions shattered that cold facade once again. She was still the same Luo Taozhi he knew.
Xiao Nanchu finished his cold shower and returned to his room. He opened his drawer, put on his gaming glasses, and logged in. He hadn’t forgotten the words she whispered before disappearing, but he wasn’t quite ready for her to discover his specific ID yet.
***
**[Welcome, Player Left Hand High Damage, Right Hand High Damage, back to Novice Village No. 001!]**
As soon as he logged in, Xiao Nanchu opened his Attribute Panel.
[Status Window]
ID: Left Hand High Damage, Right Hand High Damage (Switchable)
Level: 6
HP: 950 (650+300)
MP: 700 (600+100)
Mental Power: 30 (25+5)
Qi Attack: 670 (650+20)
Qi Defense: 660 (650+10)
Attribute Points: 0
Skills: Shield Bash, Slash, Block, One Who Stands Alone
Equipment: Wolf King Cloak (Green), Wolf King’s Fang Pendant (Green)
Xiao Nanchu allocated his remaining Attribute Points into his HP. Since the conversion for Qi Attack and Qi Defense was 1:1, he wasn’t lacking in those areas. However, the allocation for HP and MP was 1:10, and he definitely needed more of those.
He then shifted his gaze toward the skill One Who Stands Alone in his skill bar…
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