Lin Jian Yin staggered down the stairs as quickly as he could. Only Bai Xue Chen was left downstairs, while Yue Lan was nowhere in sight.

“Where is she? She couldn’t have disappeared, right?” asked Lin Jian Yin, alarmed.

Bai Xue Chen replied truthfully, “I had her go to the kitchen, because I was afraid that you would receive too great of a shock.”

Lin Jian Yin opened his mouth to reply, but he didn’t know what to say. He continued opening and closing his mouth until at last he forced himself to ask, “Have you thought it through? If she disappears one day, or if she ’goes back,’ what are you going to do?”

Bai Xue Chen replied lightly, “I would probably take the painting and search frantically for that antique store.”

“What if you can’t find her?” Lin Jian Yin asked, slightly stunned.

Bai Xue Chen answered without any hesitation, “I would keep on searching forever.”

Lin Jian Yin couldn’t believe his ears. “Have you gone mad? Can’t you just search for a normal person to love?”

“It’s true that I’ve gone mad, really mad.” Bai Xue Chen’s eyes drifted to the kitchen entrance. The girl he was crazy for stood by the door with a worried look, secretly watching the two guys talk.

“Real love is essentially madness.”

Lin Jian Yin himself didn’t know what came over him as he looked at his best friend’s unwavering expression. Watching their lovey-dovey interactions, he was unable to utter a single word of persuasion. After having a night-long barbeque with them, he told them about the issue concerning the Nintendo and Meng, almost forgetting that one of them couldn’t even be considered a human. It seemed that his nerves were stronger than he had thought.

“A painting grilling, what should we do if she catches on fire?”

On the way home, Lin Jian Yin mumbled a bunch of nonsense. The evening had been too stimulating, so much that he didn’t know what kind of reaction he should have. There was that existent, yet non-existent, weird antique store on the 51st floor, the Nintendo he had thrown away long ago in the past, and Bai Xue Chen’s girlfriend who had come out of a painting. There was also Meng and Ye Meng Ling…

By now, it was already close to three in the morning. Lin Jian Yin stood before his apartment door, still in a daze. Is Meng waiting inside the game? After being hurt so badly by “Lin Jian Yin,” she must certainly want to wail to “Sword Spirit?” Without noticing, he was already considering Meng and Ye Meng Ling as one.

No way! This can’t be true. It’s a coincidence, right? Lin Jian Yin shook his head. Even though Bai Xue Chen’s girlfriend had come out of a painting, the case of Ye Meng Ling being Meng was just too crazy. The Nintendo game isn’t an online game. How can there be real people inside?

But, could it be any crazier than a painting’s character coming to life? Lin Jian Yin just couldn’t be certain.

Opening the door in a hurry, Lin Jian Yin stepped through the entrance and immediately heard a regular beeping sound echo inside the apartment. Out of habit, he walked to the Nintendo. The game cartridge was inserted in it like usual and was flashing. It was as if it was urging him to quickly enter the game, because there was someone waiting for him inside.

Lost in thought, Lin Jian Yin stood in front of the Nintendo, his feelings a complete mess. Should I enter or not?

After learning that there was something odd with the Nintendo, Lin Jian Yin didn’t dare act the same way he had acted before, entering the game without regard. But to be truthful, he couldn’t take the Nintendo and throw it into the garbage truck either, which was scheduled to come every day. Yet the reason as to why he couldn’t do it, he couldn’t say either.

Maybe, he was still very curious about Meng really being Ye Meng Ling.

Maybe, the world inside that game was just too appealing.

Maybe…

Just as Lin Jian Yin’s thought began to drift off as he tried to figure out a reason, he heard a disjointed sobbing sound. He listened carefully, completely unafraid of the sobbing noise. He knew who was crying, and he also knew where the sound was coming from. He even knew that he couldn’t leave the crying person alone. After all, he was the one who had made that person cry.

Brusquely sitting down, two vortexes reflected in Lin Jian Yin’s eyes…

When Sword Spirit opened his eyes, a wide gra.s.sland as far as his eyes could see stretched before him. The sounds of the wind and the moving gra.s.s were all pushed faraway, covered by the sound of crying. At that moment, he could only hear crying coming from behind—Meng’s crying.

When he thought about how he was the very person who had made her cry so much, Sword Spirit had some difficulty speaking up. “Meng…”

The crying stopped suddenly. A voice, barely controlled, drifted to him from behind. “I’ve been waiting and waiting. Why did you only show up just now?”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry….” Sword Spirit kept apologizing. He was doing more than apologizing for being late, he was apologizing because he had hurt her tonight.

Hearing Sword Spirit apologize over and over without stopping, Meng was both amused and saddened. She wiped away her tears and generously said, “It’s okay, I’m in the wrong. You’re just late. I shouldn’t cry over such small things.”

But, you aren’t crying over a small matter like me being late, are you? Sword Spirit thought inside his heart. But, it doesn’t matter what you are crying over. In the end, I am still the culprit.

“Sword Spirit.”

“Yeah?”

Meng turned around and pulled the sword out. With her eyes staring at close distance at Sword Spirit’s eyes, she said unwaveringly, “I want to change! I don’t want other people to laugh at me anymore. I want to become a beauty!”