Translated by Novice Translations

Proofread by Nesryn

Arc 6: The Real World – 1

Sisterly Love

Shi Jin seemed as if she knew everything in advance. She reached out and held Ke Li in her arms. Ke Li buried herself in Shi Jin’s shoulder.

The warm and tangible embrace finally gave her that solid down-to-earth existence, as if someone shared the same experience as her. Thus, the pain in her heart eased a little.

However, Ke Li couldn’t help but focus on that image of Xin Tu in her dying moments. That image couldn’t dissipate. Thus, Ke Li moved uneasily in Shi Jin’s arms, probably because of mental exhaustion. She gradually felt tired, and her eyelids grew more and more heavy. Then, she gradually fell into a deep sleep.

“Let me do the emotional separation this time.” Shen Qing, who was standing nearby, was completely ignored by Ke Li. She patted Shi Jin’s shoulder and whispered, “You’re also tired. Go get some rest first. She’s not going anywhere.”

Shi Jin embraced Ke Li like a baby. She pressed her lips on the top of her head and gently shook her head: “No, I have to accompany her.”

Shen Qing seriously said: “You just woke up in front of her a while ago. Listen to your elder sister’s words and go get some rest first. Look at your current mental state. It’s no better than Xiao Li.”1Little Li aka Little Ke Li

Shi Jin seemed to hesitate.

Shen Qing persuaded: “She will still be yours even after you rest and wake up.”

“Then I’ll ask elder sister Qing to please take care of her.” Shi Jin gently released Ke Li and covered her with a quilt. “I’ll sleep for two hours at most then return.”

”Go.” Shen Qing sighed secretly, obviously, she was the mother but was treated like an outsider.

…

Ke Li’s head was dizzy ever since she saw Xin Tu take her last breath. She couldn’t remember how she buried Xin Tu, what she told Liu Chun to do, and what Doudou did to leave behind another Ke Chen according to a set of parameters then send her back to the real world.

She just felt powerless and suddenly lost her yearning for the real world. She wasn’t able to lift her spirit at all, as if she was a rag doll whose soul was taken away.

”Wake up la, are you hungry? Look, mom cooked a bowl of porridge for you.” Shen Qing smiled, still in her uniform, and holding a steaming bowl of lotus lily porridge.

Ke Li never knew that Shen Qing could cook. From what she recalled, they either ate at restaurants or ordered takeout. She ate like this ever since she was a child until now. The only other variety was at the school cafeteria. And naturally, she was given a lot of pocket money.

Ke Li withdrew her eyes and dully stared at the ceiling. The throbbing pain in her heart was long gone since she woke up. No matter how much she thought about Xin Tu, her heart didn’t feel bad anymore. She knew that this was because of the emotional separation.

Making her enter the mission world, let her develop feelings, then making those feelings fade. She was like a character described in a novel. She couldn’t cry but wanted to cry, she should be sad, but now could only be indifferent.

Ke Li knew that there was a hidden secret about this which was most likely related to herself, but she still couldn’t stop herself from complaining to Shen Qing. She unconsciously said with a cold tone, “I don’t have to do those inexplicable tasks anymore, right?”

“No more.” Shen Qing promised and reassured her. Although Ke Li didn’t feel sad like before, her emotions still weren’t stabilized. So, she couldn’t help but worry, “Do you have any discomfort?”

”No,” Ke Li said and went silent. She didn’t drink the porridge that Shen Qing tried to feed her. However, when she saw that Shen Qing’s face has lost her usual smile and even looked a little nervous, her heart suddenly softened, and she drank the porridge obediently.

Ke Li woke up very fast this time. She woke up as soon as she returned to the real world. Therefore, when she finished drinking the porridge, she became drowsy and soon fell asleep.

In her sleep, the images of the female leads from the various mission worlds blurred little by little. But at the same time, they became clearer and clearer. Until her brain became more and more overloaded, and finally, a migraine began to barrage her.

When Ke Li woke up again, she heard light footsteps and the smell of disinfectant from the tip of her nose. There was also a needle inserted in her hand. She thought that she would once again be thrown into a strange mission would and suddenly sat up. Then…saw Shi Jin lying beside her on the bed.

”…” Ke Li looked around in confusion. It was only her and Shi Jin in this single empty ward. She didn’t understand how she fell asleep and was admitted into a hospital.

Ke Li wanted to quietly lay back down, but Shi Jin still woke up from Ke Li’s movements. She reflexively stood up to check whether the needle on Ke Li’s hand loosened and if the drip was finished.

Her movements were so skillful as if she was a nurse. Then she took out her cellphone and sent a message to Shen Qing. After that, she asked Ke Li: “Do you still have a headache?”

Ke Li shook her head in a daze and finally said: “I want to go to the bathroom. Can I remove the needle first?”

In Ke Li’s perspective, she rarely got sick since she was a child and rarely had to go to the hospital. But she did have recurring migraines after graduating from university. Shen Qing would come with her to the hospital for physical examination periodically.

So, she had no experience with drips.

“It can’t be pulled out, otherwise you might get an infection.” Shi Jin seemed to see Ke Li’s urgency, so she raised her hand and held the drip. “If it’s urgent, I’ll just hold the drip for you.”

Ke Li: “…” She suddenly wanted to hold it in until Shen Qing arrives.

“Don’t worry. This is a high-end ward with a private bathroom. So, you don’t have to go out and find a bathroom.” Shi Jin seemed to know everything and said very considerately, “And I will definitely turn my back while you do that.”

”…” Ke Li could only go to the bathroom with Shi Jin. Fortunately, it was her left hand that had the drip connected to it. It made everything more convenient. The sound of peeing always sounds so embarrassing. The faster she wanted to solve her needs, the slower it became.

Even when Shi Jin turned her back towards her, Ke Li still felt tense as if she was on a battlefield. After washing her hands and returning to the ward, the atmosphere returned to normal. However, her face was red with embarrassment and she couldn’t wait to get into bed as fast as possible.

It is said that people’s memories were always cruel, the pain from recollection is engraved into the heart. After the emotional separation, the feelings were so faint that as long as she didn’t take the initiative to think about it, they wouldn’t appear. This way, she could completely reassure herself that those events never happened. Just like in the previous worlds, but all kinds of doubts began to take root in her mind.

Ke Li was afraid to think about it but couldn’t stop herself from thinking about it.

“What are you thinking about?” Ever since Ke Li woke up, Shi Jin always had a gentle smile, and her voice was always gentle. She looked at her watch and bent down to tuck Ke Li with the quilt. “It’s only four o’clock in the morning. Do you want to sleep a little longer? The doctor said that you won’t be discharged until tomorrow.”

The two were so close that Ke Li noticed that Shi Jin was wearing light makeup, but that didn’t cover her fatigue.

“No. I’m not sleepy but you should rest. Why didn’t you sleep on the bed for family members?” When Ke Li thought about how Shi Jin slept beside her, she suddenly felt lost. She also felt that the atmosphere became a little awkward. She hoped that Shen Qing could arrive sooner, especially after the bathroom incident.

Shi Jin replied: “I did rest.”

The bedding for family members was still neatly arranged. Where does it look like it’s been slept in? Ke Li didn’t tear apart Shi Jin’s lie and replied, “I’m awake now anyway. So, go rest.”

“It’s okay. I’ll accompany you for a while. There will be light soon.” Shi Jin didn’t show any intentions of leaving.

The distance from that bed to her wasn’t enough to satisfy her. So, how could she go to that bed?

”Then… okay.”

As soon as they both got comfortable and it became silent. Ke Li closed her eyes but couldn’t sleep. She could only look around. Only then did she notice that the equipment in this room was unusual. There were all kinds of devices, and it seemed to be for measuring brain waves?

Did she have surgery? Ke Li touched her body and didn’t find any scar. Even if she did, she would have felt the pain after surgery.

Shi Jin has been paying close attention to Ke Li’s condition. When she saw her being restless in bed, she couldn’t help but worry: “What’s wrong? Are you uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine. But why am I suddenly at the hospital?” Ke Li originally wanted to wait for Shen Qing to ask her this question, but now her curiosity and all kinds of unreasonable suspicions filled her heart. She couldn’t endure any longer and was eager to know what happened.

Shi Jin was relieved and replied, “You had a high fever.”

”Just a fever?” Ke Li didn’t believe it. How can those devices be used for an ordinary fever?

Shi Jin said: “It was a very serious fever.”

Ke Li: “…”

She felt that she couldn’t communicate with Shi Jin. She wasn’t a three-year-old child. So, she didn’t have to be cautious like she was protecting a porcelain doll. Let alone her. Her life wasn’t that meaningful nor precious.2Ke Li thinks she bums at home everyday writing trash novels online lol. So, thus she see’s her self-value to be very low.

In spite of this thought, Ke Li became more and more convinced with her speculation. This caused her to be unable to be ignorant about everything and to normally get along with Shi Jin. Because her intuition told her that Shi Jin and her had an indescribable relationship.

After the silence, Shen Qing finally came.

Now Ke Li was full of questions. As soon as she saw Shen Qing, she couldn’t wait to ask her questions. But right when she opened her mouth, she inexplicably felt nervous.

She attributed this to fearing the unknown. She calmed herself and pretended to casually ask: “Mom, I heard Doudou say that you will give me a girlfriend in reality. Is this true? To tell you the truth, I like people who are older than me, commonly known as sisterly love.”

She said, then closely stared at Shen Qing, trying to catch a single trace of a clue. But unexpectedly, she saw Shi Jin’s eyes flickered. It seemed that she was a little…nervous?

Shen Qing’s brain was bombarded by Ke Li’s “sisterly love”. Fortunately, she divorced early in her previous marriage and didn’t give Ke Li a little sister. Otherwise, she didn’t know what would happen.

She asked: “Do you remember?”

“No, what should I remember?” Ke Li asked back. The moment when she shook her head, she happened to see that Shi Jin’s eyes lost its light, which was very similar to Xin Tu.

Shen Qing listened to her and gave Shi Jin a comforting look. Then leaned over to Ke Li’s ear and said, “It’s true that I’ll assign you a girlfriend, and it’s the kind you don’t want. After all, you were the one who chased others first.”

Shen Qing didn’t lower her voice. Ke Li was surprised by her words “it’s the kind you don’t want” and subconsciously looked up at Shi Jin but collided into her warm eyes.

Ke Li hurriedly withdrew her eyes as if her intentions were suddenly seen through. She forced a smile and said, “It also depends on who she is, what she looks like, and her figure. I’m a superficial person, I judge based on how attractive people are and only like good-looking people.”

On the surface, Ke Li pretended to be relaxed and natural. But in fact, she was flustered. Shen Qing had already made it clear that she wasn’t a single dog. That she had a girlfriend, and it’s someone she actively courted.

However, a girlfriend suddenly appeared, and Ke Li didn’t feel indifferent. Instead she felt all kinds of emotions, including fear, confusion, and slight resistance.

This was more terrifying than when she had an arranged marriage in the novel. Because she had a real girlfriend that actually exists. Her memory is proof that she loved her, but now her mind drew a blank about this so-called girlfriend.

Shen Qing was worried: “You’re still emotionally unstable. You shouldn’t think about what I said.”

“It’s nonsense to not think about it.” All the thoughts in Ke Li’s head could easily make two laps around the world.

At this moment, Shi Jin, who was quiet this entire time, suddenly approached. With Shen Qing’s acquiescence, she stretched out her hand and introduced herself: “I, Shi Jin, am 32 years old. I’m 1.72 meters tall and weigh 52kg. I currently serve as Vice Minister of the Life Experience Department and also your real girlfriend.”

“I don’t mind sisterly love. If you want, I can roleplay, have relationships with others, and provide all kinds of services.”

Her voice was gentle the entire time, but the corners of her mouth were curved. The content of her words was very serious and said very convincingly as if it wasn’t a joke at all.

Ke Li: “…”

Author’s Notes:

Please give me a dozen girlfriends like that.

I want! Anywhere! (Broken moral principle)

Novi’s Notes: Thank you Who? Me? for the kofi donation!~