Chapter 101 : Choice
Chapter 101 – A Choice
Perhaps due to the typical attentiveness of girls, Gu Yanxi knew a lot more than Chen Zixuan did when it came to knowledge about phones.
After hearing Chen Zixuan's requirements, Gu Yanxi only paused for a moment before listing a few well-known domestic high-end phone brands.
"You said price doesn't matter, right? If you want it to run smoothly, then the processor has to be a good one. I recommend you buy..."
With Gu Yanxi's enthusiastic recommendations, Chen Zixuan quickly decided on which phone he wanted to buy.
It was a new model that had only just launched not long ago, with a price tag of over eight thousand yuan. For a high school student, it was certainly quite extravagant.
However, the biggest reason he chose this phone was simply because there happened to be a specialty store for that brand nearby.
Afterwards, since both of them had already eaten lunch before heading out, they didn't order any food, just a cold drink each.
While waiting for the drinks to be brought over, noticing Chen Zixuan looked a bit tired, Gu Yanxi took the initiative to start a conversation. The two of them chatted casually and intermittently.
Most of the time, it was Gu Yanxi doing the talking, while Chen Zixuan would nod or softly chime in once in a while.
His mind, however, had long flown off into the world of Legend of Kaloran.
No, that wasn't right—it was Angel Came Down by My Side.
At this moment, Gu Yanxi hesitated for a second, then suddenly asked in a soft voice, "Have you been... playing any online games recently?"
Chen Zixuan was a little surprised, but quickly realized that Gu Yanxi was probably referring to Legend of Kaloran.
His VR headset was placed right next to his bed, and Gu Yanxi had been to his room before. It wasn't strange for her to know about it.
"Yeah, why? Are you thinking of playing too?"
Although he had already taken Gu Yanxi through an event once, for the sake of not revealing his in-game identity, Chen Zixuan still intentionally played dumb.
"Yeah, I suddenly got a bit interested in online games and have already tried playing once,"
Gu Yanxi said as she pursed her lips.
Thinking back to the game, that powerful and proud silver-haired girl—short, fierce... Two shallow dimples appeared on her cheeks.
Cecilia... She might seem hard to get along with, but unexpectedly, she's a gentle and kind person...
Gu Yanxi's reasoning clearly couldn't convince Chen Zixuan.
He knew the girl had never played this kind of online game before, and in-game she acted completely like a clueless newbie.
She didn't even understand the most basic rules of the game—how could she suddenly be interested in such a hardcore isekai online game?
"VR headsets are expensive. You must have spent a lot,"
Chen Zixuan said with a hint of a smile, feigning concern.
"Yeah, it costs tens of thousands, so expensive and hard to get..."
Hearing Chen Zixuan say this, Gu Yanxi immediately became gloomy.
Just to be able to play games together with Chen Zixuan, her carefully saved little stash of money was just about depleted.
Looking at the girl like this, Chen Zixuan found it both funny and a little heart-wrenching. After a pause, he tried to suggest,
"Actually, in that game, items and equipment sell for a lot. I heard that right now a blue weapon can go for more than a hundred thousand, and people are still fighting to buy it."
He meant that once Gu Yanxi made it through the early stages, she could sell that blue priest's staff and let her savings "heal" a bit.
After all, after they finished that event, the girl's level was already very high. For a level 5 player, a level 1 weapon was barely an upgrade anymore.
However, when Gu Yanxi heard this, she suddenly bit her lip and fell silent, a deep worry appearing on her brows.
How could Cecilia think of that?
It was obviously their first time meeting—how could she so casually gift such a valuable item to someone she didn't even know?
To have accidentally received something worth hundreds of thousands from someone else, even Gu Yanxi felt a wave of frustration when looking back on it.
I really have to find a way to return it somehow.
Chen Zixuan, on the other hand, had no idea that his thoughtless act would end up causing Gu Yanxi such a headache.
Resting his chin on his hand, he quietly watched Gu Yanxi, who stared downward in silence.
He sighed quietly in his heart: Girls really are such delicate and adorable creatures.
She might seem a bit prickly, but deep inside, she was tender and sensitive.
If someone could date a girl like this, they'd probably laugh themselves awake from their dreams.
But as soon as he remembered that he himself would soon become that kind of creature, Chen Zixuan shivered and snapped back to reality.
At this moment, even though Chen Zixuan very much wanted to confess to Gu Yanxi—knowing he would almost certainly succeed—he knew all too well that in just over twenty days, this "Chen Zixuan" would soon disappear for good.
By then, he would never be found again. With Gu Yanxi's sensitive nature, she was bound to be heartbroken and sad.
If, over the course of the next year, this even affected the girl's exam results and prevented Gu Yanxi from getting into her dream university, Chen Zixuan really would feel guilty for a lifetime.
To put it plainly, love isn't something that can overcome every obstacle just because both sides are willing.
Having struggled on his own in society for so many years, he was no naïve child.
Thinking this, Chen Zixuan couldn't help but feel a wave of melancholy.
Not to mention, given his own strength of mind, Chen Zixuan figured that even if he really did become a girl, his body's hormones would be nowhere near enough to change his orientation and make him start liking men.
The thought of having to share a bed and a lifetime with another man made Chen Zixuan want to jump straight off a building and redo his life.
Might as well start life all over again.
No matter what changes happen to his body, he still prefers sweet, soft girls.
Although, it would be another story if he himself changed.
Chen Zixuan had actually considered coming out and dating Gu Yanxi after becoming a girl.
If he really liked Gu Yanxi, he could, after becoming a girl, use that "charm max" trait to forcibly "bend"
Gu Yanxi's orientation and make her fall for his new, female self.
After that, taking the most sacred step, the two of them could officially start dating.
That move is what the martial world calls the long-lost technique: "I Green Myself."
However, in this country, homosexuality still isn't widely accepted by society. Especially in Xijiang, an inland city, people's thinking is even more conservative.
If that happened, Gu Yanxi's whole family would have to deal with all sorts of gossip and reproach from the neighbors.
Chen Zixuan could push through and ignore it; after all, he basically had no family, and any grievances could be shouldered alone.
But Gu Yanxi was different. Chen Zixuan couldn't bear to see the girl and her mother subjected to people's scorn.
Gu Yanxi's father had died young. If anyone so much as questioned their upbringing, Chen Zixuan really would feel a murderous urge.