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Bonus chapter! Thank you to UnholyHuman for the donation! ^^
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When he heard Ning Changfeng talk about this incident, he immediately seized on this loophole.
At first, Ning Changfeng couldn’t control his form and appeared before Shi Tianzhu as a silver snake. She misunderstood, pouring out her sincerity, believing him to be the ancient serpent from the dungeon she most wanted to contract.
After hearing her earnest request, Ning Changfeng regained the ability to speak—yet he still didn’t tell her the truth. Instead, he let Shi Tianzhu sleep curled against his serpent body.
He had ulterior motives. His intentions were far from pure.
Ning Su: "It was his fault!"
No matter what, siding with Mom and scolding him first was the right move.
Ning Su added, "He was probably in too deep by then and wanted to keep hiding it. Maybe he thought you’d feel more at ease not knowing he was a player."
According to Ning Changfeng, Shi Tianzhu had already confided many things in him—things she’d never say to another player. If she had known his true identity, she would’ve been uncomfortable.
So he chose to keep lying, to spare her that discomfort.
Ning Su continued, "He likely didn’t plan this from the start, didn’t mean to play such a cruel joke on you."
"If he were that kind of person, he would’ve done far worse in <Shared Memories>."
Anyone else—or the Shi Tianzhu of the past—would’ve assumed Ning Changfeng transferred into the amnesiac Shi Tianzhu’s class to mock or retaliate against her. What a perfect opportunity it would’ve been.
Back then, even players with no grudges bullied those who’d lost their memories.
But he went to protect her.
Shi Tianzhu walked forward in silence.
She remembered one night when their group passed the dark woods on the way to the sports field. They saw a male player harassing an amnesiac female player, and Ning Changfeng’s expression had turned stormy.
He’d snapped at the homeroom teacher: *Why haven’t you transferred me to Class Five yet?
Later, he did transfer to Class Five—and stayed by her side ever since.
One memory stood out vividly: Returning to the classroom after lunch, she’d fallen asleep at her desk.
When she woke, Ning Changfeng was holding up a textbook to shield her from the slanting sunlight.
His left hand was sketching—a castle.
He’d once told her a fairy tale, but back then, her mind had been blank. She didn’t even know what a castle was.
All of this happened while she slept, in moments he thought she’d never know about.
Would he really go this far just to deceive her?
Ning Su continued, "There must be some misunderstanding. From my interactions with him, he doesn’t seem like that kind of terrible person. I’m not lying to you."
Shi Tianzhu let out a soft "Mm," and kept walking.
Ning Su couldn’t discern her attitude from that single sound.
The misunderstanding between Shi Tianzhu and Ning Changfeng had lasted for years, and in recent times, their conflicts had only intensified through mutual sabotage. It wasn’t something that could be resolved so easily.
Ning Su caught up with her and cautiously said, "President, you haven’t properly visited my little home since I moved. How about I invite you over for a meal?"
"Sure," Shi Tianzhu agreed readily.
"Well, actually… Ning Changfeng and I often eat and drink together. I think he’s alright."
Shi Tianzhu turned to look at him. "Just say it directly."
Ning Su: "Ah, okay!"
"I want to cook a big feast myself and invite both of you. If possible, you could talk things out face-to-face. If it really is a misunderstanding, clearing it up is better than letting it fester."
Shi Tianzhu remained silent for the rest of the walk but eventually agreed.
Ning Su was overjoyed and practically skipped off to pick up the two kids.
After coming out of the <Shared Memories> dungeon, the two children had become much more enthusiastic about studying. When Ning Su arrived, they were still doing homework.
He collected the two kids and took them shopping for the next day’s gathering.
Of course, Ling Xiao had to be invited too. Back then, Ning Su had mentioned wanting to find a dungeon where his parents could spend more time together, hoping to resolve their misunderstandings—and this dungeon had been Ling Xiao’s suggestion.
Ling Xiao asked, "How’s it going?"
Ning Su studied the Ling Xiao before him—a Ling Xiao unburdened by dark memories, radiating the aura of the Flower God.
They hadn’t been apart for long, yet he already missed him terribly.
But… maybe it was that untouchable divine halo. Without the influence of that love-inducing gu worm, Ning Su felt a little shy about hugging him.
Remembering the things he’d said to the Ling Xiao formed from dark memories, and now facing this face, Ning Su—uncharacteristically—touched his ear, feeling a bit warm.
"Ah, it seems to be going well so far. Their relationship isn’t as tense as before." Ning Su averted his gaze from Ling Xiao’s eyes, looking out the floor-to-ceiling window instead. "Come over for dinner tomorrow. With my parents."
He didn’t hear Ling Xiao speak—only felt his gaze on him. After more than ten seconds, the man let out a low chuckle.
Ning Su turned to look at him. "What are you laughing at?"
Ling Xiao didn’t answer the question. Instead, his eyes fell on Ning Su’s collar. "You’re wearing a shirt?"
Ning Su didn’t follow his train of thought. He glanced down at his pink shirt and let out an absentminded, "Ah." Then he added, "It’s getting colder in the game base now that it’s autumn."
The game base had four seasons too. Early autumn brought a slight chill, and wearing a white T-shirt felt a little too cold now, so Ning Su had switched to a thicker, long-sleeved shirt.
He wasn’t picky about clothes. This one had been given to him by the shop owner, who said buying this shirt came with a free knitted vest—perfect for autumn.
The moment Ning Su heard "free," he immediately took it.
But it wasn’t cold enough yet for the vest, so he was just wearing the shirt.
Now, Ning Su examined the shirt, wondering—did it look bad on him? Unfitting?
The shop owner had said it suited him perfectly.
Damn, had he run into a shady merchant? Had the owner just said that to sell the shirt? Was this some unsellable stock?
Ling Xiao said, "It’s missing a casual tie."
As he spoke, a familiar tie appeared in his hand.
Ning Su: "..."
The Flower God had learned from him!
He’d even picked up the habit of smuggling things out of dungeons!
While Ning Su was still stunned, Ling Xiao looped the tie around his neck and tucked it under his collar.
A black tie with gray embroidery—the characters "Ling Xiao" shimmering faintly in the evening sunlight.
Back in the dungeon, when Ling Xiao had first tied this tie for him, Ning Su hadn’t known it bore his name.
But now, he knew.
Knowing and not knowing were completely different experiences.
The tie slid from the back to the front, the knuckles of Ling Xiao’s fingers brushing against his slightly burning earlobe.
Ning Su shuddered, his ears growing even hotter.
He watched as that hand paused for several seconds before sliding along the tie and continuing to knot it.
The tie, embroidered with Ling Xiao’s name, formed a tight knot beneath his neck before draping lightly over his chest—just as his heartbeat thudded heavily, once, beneath it.
Ning Su stared for a long moment before finally looking up and asking, "Why are you tying me a tie with your name on it?"
His beautiful peach-blossom eyes were clear and bright, faintly revealing emotions even he couldn’t quite name.
His ears were even redder than before, the flush spreading down from his pale skin.
Ling Xiao’s fingers twitched slightly behind his back, suddenly finding the collar in the way unbearably irritating.
Really, a loose white T-shirt would have been much better.
The lingering warmth on his fingertips remained. Ling Xiao rubbed them together one last time before producing another tie from behind his back.
"Hard to explain," he said. "You can try it yourself later."
Looking at the strangely familiar tie, Ning Su: "…"
