The NPC’s eyes twisted into a >.< expression. Seeing how uncomfortable she looked, Tang Danqing scrambled upright.
What was wrong?
Why did Little Jelly suddenly look so sick?
Tang Danqing stared at her, alarmed. “What’s wrong? Are you hurting somewhere?”
“I-I’m sorry,” the NPC said in a trembling, pitiful voice. “All of a sudden, my stomach really hurts…”
Tang Danqing froze. She checked the quests and searched for hints, but found nothing about the NPC getting sick.
The NPC had curled up on the bed, clutching her stomach with both hands.
Then Tang Danqing thought of something. “Did you get your period?”
“Do you want to go to the bathroom and check?”
“No… no…” The NPC shook her head and spoke softly. “It’s my stomach… Maybe I ate too much just now…”
The NPC’s lips lifted in a faint, weak smile. “It’s all right. I just need to rest for a while.”
At least she can’t expect anything else from me now.
For the moment… that should take care of it, right?
Watching Tang Danqing look so lost and worried, Shang You buried half her face in the pillow.
Tang Danqing rubbed her back, bought her a hot water bottle to warm her stomach, and boiled some water to cool on the bedside table. Then she stayed by the bed, watching over her anxiously.
Tang Danqing’s mind was buzzing. She hadn’t been prepared for this.
No way. Is this game really so realistic that it simulates every little detail?
She didn’t know how long the NPC had gone hungry. But she’d thought of her as an NPC, with no visible stats or numbers. The last time she’d given her noodles, nothing had happened. She’d figured the NPC was just an easygoing companion. It hadn’t occurred to her to worry about the finer details.
For instance, someone who’d been hungry for a long time shouldn’t suddenly eat a lot of fatty meat or drink alcohol that could irritate the stomach lining.
Could an NPC get sick?
When Tang Danqing had watched her nearly starve and freeze to death, the NPC hadn’t gotten sick or developed a fever. She’d assumed the NPC had no health stats and couldn’t fall ill.
But now Tang Danqing had spent half the night watching her suffer. The NPC’s lips were pressed into a thin line; her face was pale, and cold sweat kept breaking out on her skin.
Tang Danqing panicked.
NPCs could get sick, too!
Oh no. I can’t let my roommate waste away on my watch.
Tang Danqing held out a glass of water. “Drink some warm water first. Tell me what’s wrong. Do you feel nauseous?”
Shang You struggled to swallow half a glass, then curled up on her side against the pillow.
She’d eaten some lamb and drunk some red wine. For the sake of her health, she shouldn’t have touched rich food or alcohol. But she’d still eaten a little, just in case Tang Danqing developed a sudden appetite for sex after dinner. Then she could use an attack of gastroenteritis as an excuse to turn her down.
Shang You had done it on purpose.
But while she was putting on an act, the fake stomachache had suddenly become real.
After a long period of hunger, the sudden rush of fat had been hard to digest. It had genuinely brought on acute gastritis.
“My stomach is burning. I feel a little sick, and… my head is dizzy. I’m cold…”
Tang Danqing quickly felt her forehead, damp with cold sweat. Fortunately, there was no fever yet, but those were signs of a stomach problem. Severe acute gastroenteritis could cause a fever!
Terrified that she’d made a mistake feeding the NPC, Tang Danqing opened the Shop and searched for medicine.
Was treating the NPC as simple as renovating the home?
With some electronic pets, all you had to do when they got sick was buy the right medicine. They’d be back to normal at once.
But this game didn’t work like that!
Tang Danqing couldn’t find one of those simple sets of medicine that would make an NPC well. Instead, the Shop had hundreds of different medicines: traditional Chinese remedies, oral liquids, Western medications, capsules, antibiotics. It looked just like a real pharmacy. The NPC had no symptom list or health bar, either. Tang Danqing was dealing with a real-life medical case!
This was too hard.
Tang Danqing was furious with herself. So she had to pay attention to every little detail when caring for the NPC.
She didn’t even dare buy medicine at random. What if that made things worse? She searched the medicine section, hoping to find a Revival Pill or something—to reassure her that even if she messed up, she could still make things right and her roommate wouldn’t disappear forever.
But there was no Revival Pill.
The full immersion game was more realistic than she’d realized, and taking care of her roommate wasn’t as easy as she’d thought. She couldn’t afford to let her guard down.
“Little Jelly, it looks like you have gastritis. Do you know what medicine to take?” Tang Danqing asked anxiously from beside the bed.
Shang You knew more about surviving than Tang Danqing did. In the early days of the apocalypse, there had been many cases of people who’d gone hungry for days, found food, and then eaten too much, triggering stomach problems.
Under the NPC’s guidance, Tang Danqing bought acid-reducing medicine, a gastric mucosal protectant, digestive enzyme inhibitors, fever reducers, antibiotics, and a case of electrolyte drinks.
“Do you need to take all of this?” Tang Danqing asked. She wasn’t worried about the cost; a box of medicine was cheap, and she still had 200 Survival Coins.
She was worried that taking so many medications at once might be bad for her.
“No,” the NPC explained. “These are for different common stomach problems. I don’t know how serious my symptoms are yet, so I can start with this to make them better…”
The NPC picked up a box of aluminum magnesium carbonate chewable tablets and took one as directed.
In her soft, gentle voice, she told Tang Danqing, “If I still feel bad, I’ll take something else.”
Tang Danqing didn’t know as much about medicine as she did. Seeing that the NPC seemed to have some experience, she finally relaxed.
“Little Jelly, you have to get better… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have given you all that food.”
I messed up. I fell into another one of the game’s traps.
Tang Danqing couldn’t stop thinking about it.
The NPC’s eyes curved as she smiled softly. “No. That was the best food I’ve eaten in a year. Tonight felt like New Year’s. Thank you.”
When Tang Danqing kept watching her, Shang You lay down and put on a weak, vulnerable expression. “I’m so tired. Can I sleep for a while?”
Tang Danqing didn’t object. Shang You curled up as if she were in pain and closed her eyes.
She pulled the covers up tightly, leaving not a sliver of skin exposed.
Shang You still wondered if Shan Qing was waiting there because she couldn’t bear to wait any longer.
She didn’t have much to offer Shan Qing. In this endless winter, sex was the only thing that could relieve her boredom.
So that was why Shan Qing had kept her around.
If she showed signs of getting better and Shan Qing made a move, what would she do?
With her eyes closed, Shang You turned it over and over in her mind.
Tang Danqing saw that the NPC had fallen asleep, but she still wasn’t reassured. She bought a book and sat beside the bed, reading to pass the time and keep her sick roommate company.
Before long, she yawned several times without even realizing it.
Then a game notification appeared—
[Moderate gaming is good for the brain; excessive gaming is bad for your health. To ensure your well-being, your remaining play time is 15 minutes.]
Tang Danqing watched the clock hands creep closer to midnight and decided it was time to log off.
She usually went to bed at ten. But tonight, she’d stayed up late because she’d given the NPC a stomachache and wanted to make sure her gaming companion was all right.
Tang Danqing checked the NPC’s forehead. Her temperature was normal.
“I’m heading out. Good night. Get some rest. I hope you’re feeling better tomorrow.”
After Tang Danqing disappeared into thin air, the room fell completely still. Only after a long while did Shang You open her eyes. Her dark gaze fixed on the empty air.
Confused, uneasy, and afraid, yet greedy for the comforts she’d been given, she wondered how she could keep all these supplies without becoming a pet Shan Qing could keep and use whenever she wanted.
Tang Danqing went to bed and slept until the next day.
Her alarm rang. Since she’d stayed up late the night before, she felt especially sluggish when she got up.
No, no. Someone who practices martial arts can’t keep staying up late. It’ll wear her down.
Tang Danqing cleaned herself up, tied her black hair into a high ponytail, put on a sharp, practical workout outfit, and went for a long run. Then she headed to the hotel where the production was holding its meeting.
It was another full day of script read-throughs.
During breaks, Tang Danqing sat off to one side with her script, reading it over or scrolling through the news on her phone to pass the time.
During a longer afternoon break, she went to the training room for some strength work. One of the other leads came to take a look, spotted her inside, paused with a hand on the doorknob, then left.
Later, the lead actors gathered in Rong Yu’s private lounge, chatting and praising the industry bigwig with all the admiration they could muster.
Several of the actors couldn’t afford to get too close to Tang Danqing. They’d finally gotten a chance to meet Rong Yu, and if they could win his approval, their future in film would be much brighter.
Tang Danqing and Rong Yu weren’t on good terms, so they had to choose sides. They gave up on Tang Danqing, who was just an ordinary actor.
When the day’s work was over, Tang Danqing had barely spoken to her coworkers. As soon as it was time to leave, she headed home.
Another actor friend messaged her. A wealthy investor was hosting a private-room karaoke party nearby that night, and her friend urged Tang Danqing to come along.
[This is a HUGE deal! They’re loaded and can invest in your films! If you can get them to invest in yours, you’ll get more scenes and better promotion! It’s a golden opportunity. Hurry over!!]
[If you’re off work, put on some makeup and get over here. [Location sent]]
Tang Danqing checked the message, then looked at the time. It was already seven in the evening.
She replied: [I’ll pass. You go ahead. I can’t stay up late or drink.]
Her friend wrote back: [You’ve got a great singing voice! Come sing! It’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. You’re really not coming, girl? /[facepalm]]
In the entertainment business, actors often had to find investors and patrons. They were supposed to show their faces at every promising party and gathering. But Tang Danqing felt she’d already earned plenty.
How high did she need to climb? How much money did she need before it was enough? The world might end tomorrow. There was no point in being so relentlessly ambitious. Life was unpredictable.
She sent her friend a quick “I’m not coming” and went home.
She thought the new game she’d been playing was pretty good. After work, it was so relaxing to step into another world and spend some time building up her virtual home.
And, more importantly, her NPC roommate was sick. She was eager to log in and see if the NPC was feeling better.
That little Jelly better not die on me.
