Chapter 192 – My Lady Heroine in the Holographic Online Game – Entering the House Uninvited (06)
Bai Tang’s move was truly brilliant—even Jiang Yiran, who considered herself a gaming expert, couldn’t find a single flaw. It was clean, decisive, and even saved the team.
But… did the Valley of the Healing Immortal have a skill that allowed plants to grow rapidly?
Then again, it was hard to say. This game wasn’t your typical ancient martial arts-style holographic MMORPG; it also blended in some fantasy elements. What was rare, though, was that only players who experienced a special encounter could obtain unique skills. Perhaps that was the special skill Bai Tang had acquired. Such good luck.
What Jiang Yiran could think of, Xiao Feidao and Qingshan Bugai could naturally think of as well. They all assumed Bai Tang’s abilities were simply special in-game skills, which was convenient—it saved Bai Tang from having to explain again.
Bai Tang helped Qi Hongyi sit down, speaking in a tone so gentle that Qi Hongyi had never experienced it before.
“How are you feeling? Any better?”
The ice cave was freezing, and every time the boy spoke, his breath turned to mist. Qi Hongyi held Bai Tang’s cold hand and pulled him into his arms.
“I’m fine. Tang Tang, are you cold? Let’s head out first.”
That last part was directed at the others.
Of course, Xiao Feidao and the others were more than willing. The mission was complete, their names were already circulating in the jianghu (martial world), and there was no point in staying in the Iceflame Cave just to freeze to death.
After all, dying in the game meant getting sent back to the beginner’s village and starting everything from scratch. Training up their skills again after freezing to death? That would be embarrassing.
Qingshan Bugai went to the back of the cave to release the innocent villagers who had been captured by Iceflame Matron. The NPCs expressed their heartfelt thanks and led their saviors down the mountain via a shortcut.
Back in town, in a place with a reasonable temperature, they finally felt alive again.
This kind of insane quest—once was more than enough. They never wanted to take one like it again.
Now that they were back in a safe zone, Xiao Feidao and the others started reflecting on where exactly their tactics had gone wrong.
It seemed the problem had originated with Yiran Youyou.
“Yiran, your archery is usually spot-on. This time, you nearly got a teammate killed,” Xiao Feidao said after figuring out where the problem had occurred.
Jiang Yiran’s heart clenched. “I didn’t expect Iceflame Matron to move so fast,” she replied.
She glanced at Qi Hongyi, but he was entirely focused on Bai Tang.
“I know a place with really nice hot springs. Tang Tang, when are you free? I’ll take you there for a soak.”
Qi Hongyi wasn’t talking about an in-game hot spring—he meant one in real life. A confession, a date, and then marriage—Qi Hongyi was determined to follow the proper steps.
Bai Tang suddenly recalled some not-so-child-friendly imagery. His pale cheeks flushed with a rosy hue, making him look especially tempting.
“Ahem…” Qingshan Bugai cleared his throat a few times, snapping Xiao Feidao back to his senses.
“Uh, it’s getting really late. We have something early tomorrow, so we’re logging off for the night.” Qingshan Bugai dragged Xiao Feidao offline in a hurry.
“About earlier, in the cave—sorry. I didn’t mean to aim at you,” Jiang Yiran said to Bai Tang.
“Oh.”
“Oh”? That was it? Bai Tang’s response was cold and indifferent, as if he didn’t take her seriously at all.
Jiang Yiran turned her eyes to Qi Hongyi. “Qingge…”
Jiang Yiran had always been a strong and assertive person—only in front of Qi Hongyi did she show a softer, more delicate side.
But at the mention of the incident, Qi Hongyi was reminded of that dangerously close arrow. Thinking back, Iceflame Matron’s movements had slowed significantly by that point—there was no way Jiang Yiran could’ve missed. Knowing her skill level from past games, Qi Hongyi didn’t believe it had been a mistake.
As the CEO of a major corporation, Qi Hongyi was used to thinking things through from all angles. He gave Jiang Yiran a long, meaningful look.
“Let’s hope it doesn’t happen again.”
That was his way of giving her one last chance. With that, he logged off, pulling Bai Tang with him.
Jiang Yiran slammed her fist on the table in frustration, her eyes filled with unwillingness. Bai Tang had only been on the team for a single day—why was everyone so protective of him?
What she hated most were people who had no skill or strength and got ahead through backdoor connections. In her eyes, Bai Tang was exactly that. Clingy and shameless before, then disappearing for days—who knows what kind of lucky encounter he had? And now he was back again.
Meanwhile, the already-offline Bai Tang sneezed several times as he climbed out of the game pod.
“Achoo…” Bai Tang rubbed his nose. “Who’s thinking about me~?”
“No need to guess—it’s definitely the male lead,” said Xiao A. As a luck-based system, it had become instinctual for it to keep track of whoever had the best fortune. Although its host had decent luck, the male lead was the ultimate winner in life. So, of course, Xiao A was always monitoring his activities.
After Qi Hongyi logged off, the first thing he did was book a hot spring resort—he even reserved the entire place.
“Tang Tang, there’s a phone call for you,” Bai Tang’s mom knocked on his door.
“Okay, thanks, Mom,” Bai Tang replied as he headed downstairs. He muttered to himself, “It’s already eleven at night. Why didn’t they call my phone directly instead of the house?”
“You can forget it! Tang Tang will never go out with you. I won’t allow it!”
Halfway down the stairs, Bai Tang heard Bai Luo yelling into the phone.
“Second Brother, who are you talking to?”
Dressed in his pajamas and holding a squirrel plushie, the boy stood in front of Bai Luo. The latter immediately lowered his voice.
“Give it up. Tang Tang isn’t someone you can summon and dismiss at will.”
After saying that, Bai Luo hung up before Bai Tang could even take the phone.
“Did Second Brother wake you up, Tang Tang? It’s late. Go back to sleep.” Bai Luo gently pushed Bai Tang back upstairs.
“Qiu’er, Xiao A, who do you think called me?” Bai Tang asked in his mind.
Bai Luo had already brought him back to his room and even thoughtfully closed the door behind him.
“The male lead, of course,” Qiu’er replied, clearly gloating. “Second Brother handled that perfectly.”
“The host previously blocked the male lead’s number, so he couldn’t call your mobile directly,” Xiao A helpfully added.
“I see…” Bai Tang pulled out his phone and opened the blacklist settings. Sure enough, there was one number listed there.
He removed the number from the blacklist, and Qi Hongyi’s call came through almost immediately.
“Tang Tang, good evening.” Qi Hongyi’s voice in real life was even deeper than in the game, rich and magnetic.
“Good evening~” The boy’s soft, childlike voice came through sweetly, melting Qi Hongyi’s heart on the spot.
“Are you free tomorrow? I booked a hot spring resort…” Qi Hongyi’s throat tightened with nerves, afraid the boy would reject him.
Bai Tang didn’t intend to stay mad at Qi Hongyi forever—just enough to teach him a lesson. After being apart for days, he found himself missing the daily presence of his beloved.
He readily agreed. “Sure~”
Sure~
That simple response was like a dose of adrenaline, instantly calming Qi Hongyi’s anxious heart.
“I’ll pick you up at ten tomorrow.”
After confirming the time, the chime of a grandfather clock rang out, signaling the top of the hour. Qi Hongyi heard the boy yawn on the other end and said gently, “It’s late—go to sleep, Tang Tang. Good night.”
“Good night~”
After bidding him good night, Bai Tang didn’t hang up. Instead, he burrowed under his blanket, and not long after, the sound of soft snoring came through the phone.
Listening to the boy’s breathing, Qi Hongyi’s lips curved into a smile. He didn’t hang up either. Instead, he got to work, accompanied by the sound of Bai Tang sleeping.
Since he’d be taking Tang Tang to the hot spring resort tomorrow, he needed to get all his work done in advance.
Throughout the night, the boy seemed to have kicked off his blanket a few times and coughed repeatedly.
Each time he coughed, Qi Hongyi’s hands froze over the keyboard. He wished more than anything to hold Tang Tang in his arms as he slept—but he couldn’t.
Not now. He had no one to blame but himself—after all, he had been the one to suggest breaking off the engagement.
Although their families hadn’t formally finalized it, everyone knew. What he needed to do now was convince Tang Tang to change his mind—before Bai Tang’s grandparents returned from their trip.
Qi Hongyi worked distractedly, half his attention always on the sound of Bai Tang’s occasional coughs.
Morning finally came. After finishing and sending off the documents to his assistant, Qi Hongyi got up to take a shower. He had to look fresh—he wanted to impress Tang Tang at first glance.
By the time he drove up to the Bai family’s house, it was only 8:30 a.m. Eldest Brother Bai and Second Brothe Bai had already left early, so he encountered no resistance. In fact, Bai Tang’s mother warmly welcomed him inside.
“Tang Tang’s still asleep. I’ll go wake him,” she said with a smile.
Qi Hongyi quickly stopped her.
“No need, let Tang Tang sleep. He went to bed late last night, and it’s still early before our scheduled time.”
“Well, all right then.” Mrs. Bai didn’t press the issue. She did hope the two kids would end up together.
“Hongyi, you don’t look very well-rested. Why don’t you take a nap in the guest room? It’s still early, anyway.”
Qi Hongyi instinctively wanted to decline, but after a moment’s thought, he smiled and said, “Then I’ll trouble you, Auntie.”
Mrs. Bai arranged for him to stay in the room directly across from Bai Tang’s and then went downstairs to tend to her own matters.
Qi Hongyi lingered in the upstairs hallway for a while. Moving quietly, he gently opened the boy’s bedroom door. Sure enough, Bai Tang was curled up in bed hugging a squirrel plushie—with no blanket over him and the window wide open, letting in the chill air.
He hurried over. Bai Tang’s skin was ice-cold.
Qi Hongyi tucked the blanket around him and closed the window.
He sat down by the bedside, quietly watching the boy’s peaceful sleeping face. His forehead was smooth, his lashes long and curled, his nose dainty, and his lips pink and soft—like a little angel in slumber.
Qi Hongyi couldn’t help but trace Bai Tang’s features with his finger.
He couldn’t believe he had once found the boy annoying—he must’ve been out of his mind.
What he hadn’t realized was that the boy he disliked and the Bai Tang he had fallen in love with were not the same person. Or rather, the one he truly loved… was the Bai Tang who had come into this world later.
Having stayed up all night and with nothing else to do, sleepiness slowly overtook Qi Hongyi.
Just then, Bai Tang seemed to sense the familiar presence beside him. He reached out and held Qi Hongyi’s hand, nuzzling against it. Still half-asleep, he thought he was back in their previous world. His husky, childlike voice mumbled, “Wanna hug…”
When the person you love asks for a hug—no man could resist that.
Qi Hongyi lay down beside Bai Tang and gently pulled him into his arms.
Bai Tang slept soundly, resting his head on the man’s arm. His left hand curled around Qi Hongyi’s waist, and he even tossed aside his beloved squirrel plushie.
With the boy fully in his embrace, Qi Hongyi closed his eyes in satisfaction. Within a few breaths, he too drifted off into sleep.
Author’s Note:
Qi Hongyi: I finally got to hug Tang Tang. Thank you, Mama Bai. Thank you, author.
Bai Tang: Wanna hug~
Qiu’er and Xiao A quietly wipe down their broadswords.