Chapter 261
Chapter 261
Xie Shiqing then undid the leash, “Don’t get smug. Go interact with them.”
Pine Mushroom glanced at her, then trotted over to Huoguo, lifting its head slightly.
The four of them exclaimed in unison.
They all squatted down together, looking at Pine Mushroom with starry eyes, no longer caring about being shy, turning their heads to ask her, “Can we pet it?”
Xie Shiqing: “Yes.”
Not long after, Xingxing returned, carrying four bags. She had packed two copies of all the event merchandise this time, and also brought a gold-colored signing pen.
Each player had their own photos, as well as some group photos. She signed her name on them one by one, then called the others who were still immersed in petting the dog to come over as well.
Xie Shiqing smiled and said thank you. She became embarrassed again and waved her hands repeatedly.
After a short while, those people also left to attend some kind of award ceremony.
Zhong Ning, however, came back, full of excitement, the smile on her face completely unconcealed. As soon as she entered, she said, “I just solo-killed Shuye! Hahahaha! That felt amazing!”
Xie Shiqing knew of this person too, a genius mid-laner. With a smile on her lips, she stepped forward to praise her, “Ning Ning is really amazing. I just saw Xingxing and the others in the lounge and got their autographs for you.”
She lifted the shopping bags and gave them a little shake.
“Autographs!” Zhong Ning first gave Xie Shiqing a solid hug, “I love you so much, Shiqing!”
Only then did she go over to rummage through the items in the bags.
“Later, after the closing ceremony ends, let’s go take some photos together,” Xie Shiqing said.
“You’re so good.” Zhong Ning was deeply touched.
Xie Shiqing wasn’t interested in competitions at all. She had only followed along to watch because Zhong Ning liked it, getting to know these people, and now even helped her get autographs.
“Then you can repay me a little,” Xie Shiqing blinked.
The moment she spoke, Zhong Ning knew what she was going to say—she was deliberately teasing her again.
But after so long, Zhong Ning’s skin had grown thicker. She no longer blushed at every turn like she used to, and could even respond back and forth, “Sure, I’ll work hard.”
The two of them stayed in the lounge for a while. After the closing ceremony ended, Xie Shiqing held up her phone and helped Zhong Ning take photos with everyone.
Zhong Ning was very happy. She added all of them as friends, expanding her social circle, and even said they could play games together when they had time.
RT’s club was located here as well. Zhong Ning said that whenever they had time, they could gather for a meal together. If other teams came for competitions and had time, she would also treat them—making a point of being generous.
On the way back, she discussed with Xie Shiqing what kind of gift would be appropriate to send over. They could just mail it to the club anyway; they had all the addresses, and both the coaches and players were included.
Xie Shiqing was driving. As they entered a tunnel, the surroundings suddenly darkened. She replied, “Isn’t it said that esports players easily get things like tenosynovitis? How about giving them a massager?”
Zhong Ning nodded, “That works.”
As they were chatting, the car drove out of the tunnel. Xie Shiqing suddenly let out a small sound of surprise.
Her gaze swept across both sides of the street, her expression gradually turning serious, “No, this isn’t the road we took when we came.”
Zhong Ning: “What? What isn’t?”
She lifted her head from her phone screen, looking left and right in confusion. And with that glance, she spotted the problem.
“Wait, wait! That, that tower!”
Isn’t that her family’s Wangjiang Tower?! How did it end up here? What’s going on—was she dreaming??
Zhong Ning jolted, almost sticking her head out of the car window, “No, no, this is…”
She opened her mouth wide, staring at the license plate of the car ahead. Right there, glaringly obvious, was the character “Jin”—the abbreviation for their Wenjinzhou.
Huh?
Zhong Ning completely froze.
She was just short of jumping around like a monkey when, from the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the rearview mirror. She noticed that her face seemed to be covered with a thin veil. Her vision blurred for a moment, and when she looked again, the person in the mirror had suddenly changed.
From that Zhong Ning, it had turned into her original appearance.
The two faces were seventy percent similar. The difference was that her original features were softer, her eye shape slightly rounder, the corners of her lips naturally upturned as if carrying a smile, and her pupils were a light chestnut color rather than pure black.
Just that slight difference made their temperaments completely distinct.
Zhong Ning: …
No, how was this supposed to be explained? A live transformation?
Good heavens! What are you doing?!
Xie Shiqing was paying attention to the outside as well as to her. For a moment, she was equally shocked, almost rear-ending the car in front.
“Find a place by the roadside to stop. I… I probably know what’s going on,” Zhong Ning rubbed her face, her tone so heavy it was as if she were heading to a funeral.
Not someone else’s.
Her own.
Xie Shiqing suddenly had a flash of understanding, as if she grasped something. She looked at the scenery outside, at the completely unfamiliar city, then glanced sideways at Zhong Ning. The latter’s face carried an expression that was extremely complex and subtle.
The car turned off the main road onto a smaller street and found an empty parking space to stop.
Outside, cars passed by continuously. Zhong Ning took a deep breath, lifted her head, and met Xie Shiqing’s gaze directly. “I have something I’ve kept hidden for a long time. A secret I’ve never told.”
“I’m not Zhong Ning. I’m also called Zhong Ning, but not the one you know,” she said softly. “What I’m about to say might sound a bit unbelievable, but I promise there’s no lie in it.”
“No matter what, my love for you is completely real.”
“I actually have a secret too, probably just as shocking as yours,” Xie Shiqing appeared far calmer than Zhong Ning had expected, as if she already knew what was going on.
What kind of secret could be as shocking as mine?
Zhong Ning almost wanted to laugh, but she had no mood for it. She organized her thoughts. “I’m not from your world. This place is where I grew up, called Wenjinzhou. The people here don’t have three genders like abo.”
“I arrived in your world on the day I moved into your home. The world you’re in is a novel my friend once read. You’re the villain, I’m just cannon fodder, and Le Xi and Zhong Zinuan are the main characters. But I think maybe there are countless parallel worlds—what the author saw might have just been a projection in a dream, so it can’t simply be described as a world in a book.”