Chapter 63
Xingyuan had once been a player, but he lacked strength and failed the Toy Town instance.
His appearance was unremarkable, and as a doll, he was, naturally, ugly and unwanted.
He was passed from owner to owner, eventually ending up in the fat shopkeeper’s display case, waiting to be purchased.
Resentful of his fate, his face perpetually grim, he hid in a corner of the display case, cursing everyone and everything.
After an unknown amount of time, perhaps only a few days, he woke up to a system notification.
[Ding! Congratulations, player Xingyuan, you have received a mysterious reward!]
The system’s mechanical voice held an irresistible allure.
By accepting this reward, Xingyuan would become a child named Xing Nuo and live his life in the real world.
This child possessed everything Xingyuan lacked!
A cute, fair face, a doting father, and two handsome, powerful older brothers.
This perfect life, falling into his lap out of nowhere?!
Overjoyed, not thinking of the consequences, Xingyuan eagerly accepted the offer without hesitation!
He didn’t care what would happen to the original Xing Nuo.
Wherever that child went, it was best if they swapped places, that child becoming an ugly, unwanted doll, trapped by fate!
That way, no one would expose Xingyuan’s deception!
But when Xingyuan woke up in Xing Nuo’s body, he was met with a pair of cold, reptilian eyes, their pupils narrowed into slits.
Xing Nuo’s father, Shen Wen, sat by the bed, his golden hair flowing smoothly, holding a bowl of freshly made, warm egg custard, his expression unreadable as he studied him.
Xingyuan quickly spoke, his voice soft and childish, just like the original Xing Nuo’s.
“Dad, I’m hungry.”
Shen Wen didn’t feed him the egg custard. Instead, he reached out and gently grasped his neck.
“Who are you?”
Xingyuan’s disguise had been seen through in an instant.
Before he could continue his act, he felt an overwhelming wave of drowsiness, his eyelids drooping against his will.
He drifted in and out of consciousness, vaguely aware he was in a basement.
He was lying on a water bed, surrounded by swirling crimson liquid.
In the dim light, the basement was a canvas of red and black.
This nightmarish scene made Xingyuan’s mind go numb, his blood turning to ice.
Before he could scream, Shen Wen, the golden-haired beauty, forced something into his mouth, and he lost consciousness again.
He didn’t know how much time had passed. When he woke up again, he didn’t open his eyes, instead trying to assess his situation.
He faintly heard voices nearby:
“…Xing Nuo…too late…no doll…in window…”
“…probably…in instance…Wen Xingxue…treating him…well…”
Xingyuan struggled weakly, not understanding how his disguise had been so easily seen through, wanting to escape, but his body was limp and unresponsive.
So, there was no such thing as a free lunch.
The system’s reward was a trap!
Just as despair consumed him, he felt a sense of weightlessness and realized he was back in his ugly clown doll body.
He opened his eyes, a surge of relief quickly turning into shock as he realized he and Little Green, the other unsold doll, had both turned back into humans!
A memory that wasn’t his own flooded his mind –
That little boy, Xing Nuo, had used his doll body to escape the display case, had been picked up by Wen Xingxue, and had gone with him to clear instances.
Xing Nuo, being young, hadn’t realized it, but Xingyuan, a veteran player, immediately understood the special treatment Wen Xingxue had shown the little clown doll.
Challenging a B-level instance, far below his level, and coincidentally, the Toy Town instance?!
Spending countless points on pretty clothes and bow ties for the little clown doll, Xing Nuo.
And finally, after Xing Nuo said he wanted to go home and find his dad, destroying the Heart of the Toys and letting him leave.
This special treatment filled Xingyuan with intense jealousy, his eyes bloodshot, his expression twisted in anguish.
He shouldn’t have listened to that damned system!
He hadn’t even had a moment to enjoy being human before being discovered by that Shen Wen and imprisoned!
It would have been better to stay as a doll, at least he would have had a chance to gain favor with Wen Xingxue.
As Xingyuan seethed with jealousy and resentment, he heard the green-haired doll’s excited cries, asking him his name.
Annoyed, Xingyuan was about to tell him to shut up when he felt a cold sensation on his neck and collapsed to the ground, his eyes wide with disbelief.
He died without knowing who killed him.
He had become human again, a second chance within his grasp, only to have it snatched away.
So many players died in the central city every day; no one, except for the green-haired doll, even noticed his death.
Xing Nuo felt like he had just been listening to his dad’s story, being told to take a nap, when he suddenly woke up.
He rubbed his eyes, looking at the dark sky outside, and let out a soft gasp.
“Dad…dark…”
How had Zaizai slept until nightfall?
Shen Wen, carrying a bowl of double skin milk, hearing Xing Nuo’s voice, smiled, his expression gentle and familiar.
“Yes, our little sleepyhead Xing Nuo, you slept for a long time.”
Xing Nuo hummed softly, yawned, and, although he had just woken up, still felt incredibly tired.
He snuggled against his dad’s leg, resting his head against him.
“Zaizai…sleepy…”
He felt as if he had just run a marathon, his little body exhausted.
Shen Wen held the bowl of double skin milk and fed Xing Nuo a spoonful.
“Eat something, then Dad will sleep with you.”
Hearing this, Xing Nuo’s eyes lit up, and he eagerly ate the double skin milk.
The double skin milk, specially ordered by Shen Yan from a private chef, was rich and creamy, a delightful treat for the little cub who had rarely experienced such delicacies.
After quickly finishing it, he cupped his cheeks in his hands, exclaiming how sweet and delicious it was.
“So yummy…like…cloud bread!”
He didn’t know why he had mentioned cloud bread, he scratched his cheek, and suddenly felt a craving for it.
“Dad…Zaizai…can have…cloud bread…tomorrow…?”
Shen Wen, as always, indulged him.
“Of course. As a reward for being so well-behaved today.”
Xing Nuo, having just woken up from a nap, unsure why he was being praised, giggled, covering his mouth with his hand.
Dad was being silly. Zaizai hadn’t done anything today!
He hadn’t practiced writing or gone for a walk with Dad, yet Dad said he was well-behaved!
He snuggled against his dad’s arm, giggling.
“Okay…Zaizai…wants two!”
After successfully negotiating his reward, he yawned again, his eyelids drooping, and quickly drifted off to sleep.
This time, he slept soundly through the night.
Dawn broke, golden sunlight streaming through the clouds.
The breakfast stall downstairs was bustling with activity, the crowd clamoring for their morning meal.
The aroma of freshly steamed buns filled the air, the warm steam rising and reaching the little cub who was standing on tiptoe, staring intently.
Xing Nuo let out a small sound, his eyes stinging from the steam, and quickly stepped back, rubbing his eyes.
The stall owner, seeing the little one’s scrunched-up face, chuckled and used tongs to pick out the best-looking red bean bun.
“Here’s your red bean bun, little one!”
Handing the bun to the child, she received a sweet “Thank you,” instantly brightening her mood.
Watching the handsome, blonde man with the curly-haired child walk away, she sighed dreamily.
“Old man, if our son gives us such a cute and well-behaved grandson, I’ll be overjoyed!”
The stall owner, her husband, who was serving another customer, interrupted her fantasy without mercy.
“Don’t even think about it. Our son inherited my genes, he can’t produce anything this good-looking, unless he gets cheated on.”
The stall owner’s wife glared at him, then sighed and continued serving customers.
Xing Nuo, holding the red bean bun, which was almost as big as his face, in one hand and his dad’s hand in the other, took a large bite, only managing to get a mouthful of the fluffy outer layer.
Shen Wen, seeing this, couldn’t help but poke the little one on the head.
“You already had breakfast at home. If you eat this red bean bun now, will you still have room for your cloud bread?”
Xing Nuo, his cheeks bulging, still chewing, his large, watery eyes filled with a hint of embarrassment, replied:
“Yummy…Dad…eat too…”
He generously offered the bun to his dad.
Shen Wen shook his head, seeing they had reached the kindergarten, took the bun, wrapped it up, and placed it in Xing Nuo’s backpack.
“I’ll save this for you. You can eat it during break time if you’re hungry, or take it home for your brother, he has a big appetite.”
Xing Nuo mumbled in agreement and, carrying his sunflower backpack, reluctantly followed the teacher into the kindergarten, looking back at his dad every few steps.
