Chapter Thirteen: The Vacation Villa

Su Man sat on the sofa, gazing at the unconscious man lying on the bed. She sighed inwardly; now that she’d calmed down, she realized she’d acted impulsively. It seemed she still had much to learn.

“Su Man, he’s got a fever—probably won’t make it,” Xiao Liang reported as he bandaged the man's wounds. “You might not know this since your level is low, but this map has boundaries. Players can’t leave the game area.”

In other words, there would be no hospital.

A fever meant infection or worse—almost certainly a death sentence.

“Is he a player who came with you?” she asked.

“No.”

“...Then why did you save him? You don’t even know him, do you?”

Su Man didn’t reply. She simply raised her hand and stroked the pendant around her neck.

A faded plastic skull hung from a red cord, cheap and unremarkable.

“Your lucky charm?” Xiao Liang noticed it and asked.

Seeing Su Man’s confusion, he added, “Anything given by someone important is considered a lucky charm.”

A face flashed through Su Man’s mind. She nodded lightly, unwilling to say more. “You could say that.”

Xiao Liang didn’t ask further, but glanced again at the man on the bed. “So, him...”

“Let him stay here. Whether he survives depends on his luck,” Su Man replied, exhaling. She turned to more pressing matters. “By the way, I suspect Xin Ling was...”

Before she could finish, a sudden knock sounded at the door.

Both fell silent.

Su Man thought it must be Fatty and his group.

But instead, a pitiful, tearful voice came from outside, “Su Man, please open the door. Talk to me, will you?”

It was Hu Meili.

Hu Meili and her companions had finally woken up.

But why was Hu Meili seeking her out?

Xiao Liang, unfamiliar with Hu Meili’s identity, looked at Su Man with puzzlement.

“She’s a player too,” Su Man explained briefly, then added, “She might even be a horror entity.”

Ultimately, Su Man decided to meet Hu Meili.

Regardless of which Meili it was, she’d targeted Su Man, and with Xiao Liang present, things would be safer.

She opened the door. Hu Meili entered, eyes red and wet with tears.

Her eyes brimmed with panic and despair; Su Man recognized immediately this was the real Hu Meili.

“Su Man, please, I beg you, save me,” Hu Meili pleaded, dropping to her knees before Su Man.

It had only been a single night, but Hu Meili looked far more haggard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Su Man replied, unwilling to get entangled.

Stupid teammates only dragged you down.

“You know, and I know too. You’re a player, right? You deliberately lied to me before,” Hu Meili clung to Su Man’s leg like a drowning person grabbing a lifeline. “But none of that matters now. Even if you’re not a player, you’re strong, aren’t you?”

“Last night you were clearly dead, but you came back to life.”

Hu Meili sounded delirious, her words scrambled, repeating over and over, “You’re strong, aren’t you? You must be strong.”

“It’s my first time playing this game. I don’t know anything. I can’t die. My mother only has me—if I die, she’ll be all alone.”

“I admit I was arrogant and rude before. I apologize, please don’t hold it against me.” The more she spoke, the harder she cried, tears and mucus streaming down her face. “I never wanted to believe it, but it’s true, isn’t it? If you die in this game, you can’t come back, right?”

“I don’t want to die.”

Crying wasn’t enough; Hu Meili knelt and knocked her head against the floor, so hard the boards trembled. She seemed impervious to pain. “Please, help me! I won’t drag you down, just take me with you. I’ll keep my presence to a minimum... Su Man, please, don’t abandon me.”

It was as if Hu Meili had grown up overnight.

If she was acting, Su Man thought she deserved an award.

“Hu Meili, you’re not a child. You should know that grownups trade with clear terms.”

“I know, I know!” Hu Meili wasn’t upset at all; she nodded eagerly. “I’ll do whatever you ask. I can help you complete tasks. I’ll try my best to find things for you. If I can do it, I’ll help.”

She was desperate to prove her worth to Su Man.

“This, I don’t know if it’ll help, but I found it,” Hu Meili suddenly remembered and pulled a notebook from her jacket, pressing it into Su Man’s hands.

Su Man glanced at it—it was a diary, written by Xin Ling.

“I found it on the first day when I went upstairs with Zhou Bin and the others. Nobody else has seen it—you’re the first.”

Su Man nodded, keeping the diary, and let Hu Meili stay in the room next door. “I can’t trust you enough to share a room yet, but if you’re in danger, within my capabilities, I won’t stand by and do nothing.”

That was her greatest concession.

She expected Hu Meili to say more, but instead, Hu Meili gratefully agreed, “Thank you, thank you. I’m sorry for how I treated you before. Thank you for being willing to help.”

Even as she spoke, tears streamed down again. Who knew what she’d been through?

After Hu Meili settled in the adjacent room, Xiao Liang teased Su Man, “You played your cards well. A vague promise and she’s convinced, plus you got a clue. She must be genuinely scared.”

“I didn’t trick her,” Su Man replied.

“Huh?” Xiao Liang was incredulous.

“I said I didn’t trick her. If I said I’d help, I truly will. It’s a transaction, and honesty is the fundamental principle.” Su Man spoke with serious conviction.

Xiao Liang was stunned, then burst into laughter. “You’re something, a real odd one. I can’t figure you out.”

“I don’t need you to,” Su Man retorted.

She took out the diary. “Want to read it?”

“You’re letting me?” Xiao Liang was surprised—he’d finally gotten his hands on the diary, and she was offering it to him?

“Yes, you can. You’re different from her.”

You’re here to be sold; you’re worth knowing more.

The diary contained simple entries, such as:

[*Year*Month*Day
I made some friends—they’re very kind to me. I’m happy.]

[*Year*Month*Day
My parents called, talked about when I was little. It made me happy and sad.]

The beginning was filled with trivialities. The true turning point came after she made friends.