Little Mirror was about to explode with anger.

 

Because there weren’t enough clues, the discussion came to an end. Xing Ye and the others were still in children’s bodies; unlike adults, they couldn’t keep going without sleep — they still needed rest.

The kang bed in Yang Xiaomao’s house could fit four people. The quilt was old, but it was still clean.

Originally, the arrangement should have been Cao Qian with Qian Daniu, and Xing Ye with Yan Hebi — after all, men and women had to be separated. But when they were about to assign spots, Cao Qian suddenly said: “Let Yang Xiaomao sleep on the innermost side, I’ll sleep next to him.”

Yan Hebi and Qian Daniu looked at her in surprise, not understanding why she suggested this.

Xing Ye, however, immediately understood. She knew he hadn’t been in contact with Little Mirror for a long time. She was planning to put Xing Ye at the innermost spot, with herself beside him, so he could use her as cover to communicate with the mirror.

Xing Ye didn’t oppose Cao Qian’s suggestion. Yan Hebi and Qian Daniu didn’t dare object either. In the end, the sleeping order became: Xing Ye, Cao Qian, Yan Hebi, Qian Daniu. Since Yan Hebi was someone Cao Qian trusted somewhat, and he was tall and strong, he was placed between her and Qian Daniu — a double safeguard.

Qian Daniu didn’t understand the reasoning, but she accepted it sleepily. She had learned too many shocking things that night; her mind was a mess, so being able to lie down quietly felt like a relief.

Of course, if she could choose, she would rather sleep next to Cao Heihei. She gave her a stronger sense of security. But Li Datou wasn’t bad either — he looked honest, with the kind of face that made you want to confide in him. Qian Daniu thought chatting with him when she felt down wouldn’t be bad at all.

Once everyone settled in, Xing Ye lay on the kang and touched the small mirror hanging from his chest.

He thought Qian Daniu’s ability was useful. She could help heal Cao Qian, who was on the front lines — a way to make up for the absence of Guan Ling. Xing Ye was considering treating her as a temporary teammate. That’s why he had told her about the graveyard, reincarnation players, and the question of a true or false final stage.
First, because as a player, she had the right to know. Second, he wanted to see her reaction. If she responded with self-pity or a passive attitude, then fine — when this world ended, they’d simply part ways.

Xing Ye could share everything he knew about the game — except for Little Mirror. Unless someone had his complete trust, he would never reveal the mirror’s existence.

Yan Hebi was still under observation. Qian Daniu was even less qualified.

Lying under the covers, Xing Ye took out the mirror and touched the surface. The mirror lit up. He immediately pulled the blanket over his head, watching Little Mirror through the fabric.

Lu Mingze was careful too. Instead of speaking, he wrote on the mirror: “I went to the village branch secretary’s house, switched with his mirror, and now I know what he did to Yan Hebi.”

While Xing Ye had been busy, Lu Mingze hadn’t been idle either. He had been actively roaming the village, searching for clues.

The starting skill of the “Truth-Seeking Mirror” allowed Lu Mingze to see everything that had ever happened in front of a mirror. It was a fantastic ability for gathering clues. Unfortunately, in most of the worlds after levelling up, he hadn’t had much use for it — until now.

Seeing Xing Ye deep in thought through the mirror, Lu Mingze smiled faintly and wrote:
“As long as you say it — ‘Magic Mirror, Magic Mirror, tell your most loyal servant what really happened in the branch secretary’s house’ — the mirror will grant your wish.”

He was even teasing now. Xing Ye poked Lu Mingze’s nose on the mirror’s surface with his finger.

He knew this was something he should tell the others. Cao Qian wasn’t a problem, but Yan Hebi and Qian Daniu…

In truth, Xing Ye knew that Lu Mingze could switch bodies at will. Even if the mirror was smashed, nothing would happen to him, since every shard was still a mirror fragment. But other players might possess “Erase Consciousness” QR codes. That worried Xing Ye.

Still, even if they had such QR codes, they probably wouldn’t use them on Lu Mingze. Erasing the consciousness of someone else’s life-bound item brought no benefit. After erasure, Xing Ye could still use the mirror’s special abilities. And no one — not even Cao Qian — knew that Lu Mingze could change bodies. As long as Xing Ye hid that ability, the mirror remained safe.

And with Little Mirror’s absurd good luck, in reality, as long as Xing Ye didn’t harbour murderous thoughts toward him, the risk of anyone else harming him was less than 0.01%.

Even so, Xing Ye still couldn’t feel at ease. Perhaps this was the chaos that came with caring.

He thought for a while, then wrote on the mirror: “I can tell them you’re an item I got from another world. What do you think?”

Lu Mingze wrote back: “Qian Daniu will suspect something.”

He was right. In sensing human emotions, Lu Mingze was always sharper than Xing Ye. Qian Daniu had just learned that life-bound players could be turned into items. If Xing Ye suddenly brought out a without a “soul” (pretending) mirror, even if he told her the truth, she would likely suspect it was a life-bound item. She might even think Xing Ye was one of those true killers.

With that emotional burden, Qian Daniu could never be a true teammate. She might even switch sides temporarily. It might seem foolish, but it was understandable — she would be empathizing, avenging those life-bound players whose consciousness had been erased.

Reading Lu Mingze’s reasoning on the mirror, Xing Ye frowned and wrote: “She’s not stupid. Why would she act so rashly?”

Lu Mingze: “A case of ‘the rabbit mourns for the fox.’ Honestly, I think you should tell her about me. Since she’s a life-bound player herself, once she sees someone treating a life-bound item so well, she might feel more loyalty to the team and commit herself fully.”

Xing Ye stopped explaining and simply wrote: “I object.”

Lu Mingze: “……”

He was angry. The mirror went dark, and Lu Mingze’s figure vanished.

Xing Ye frowned too. He thought Lu Mingze was too kind — seeing things as far too smooth and idealistic, too naïve.

This was the first time Xing Ye had ever gotten angry with Lu Mingze, and it was because of Lu Mingze’s safety. It was a clash of values — and neither could convince the other.

Xing Ye poked his head out from under the blanket. He glanced at the mirror from time to time, but since Lu Mingze never reappeared, he himself began sulking. His emotions never showed on his face — even when angry, he wouldn’t express it — but his entire presence shifted, his aura heavy and oppressive. Unfortunately, in the darkness, no one could see it.

Just then, he heard faint sobbing in the room.

Qian Daniu had buried her head under the quilt, crying softly. The more she thought, the more terrified she felt. She tried to muffle the sound, but eventually couldn’t stop the occasional sob from escaping, and Xing Ye heard it.

If Xing Ye, who was furthest away, heard it, then Yan Hebi, lying in between, naturally heard it too.

He reached out and patted Qian Daniu’s quilt, whispering: “Don’t cry. Trust the boss. We’ll get out of this game.”

From under the blanket, Qian Daniu mumbled: “I always thought this world was one where no one died. Even if we had to enter a game world every seven days, I didn’t mind — I could treat it like a full-dive VRMMO. But in this world… the moment we meet companions, we get threatened, told we’ll be killed if we don’t obey, even turned into items. I’m really scared… sob sob sob…”

Yan Hebi said: “It’s my first time hearing about life-bound items too. But I believe in Little Leaf.”

“Little Leaf? Who’s that?” Qian Daniu asked.

Yan Hebi: “…It’s Yang Xiaomao. Little Leaf is a nickname I gave him.”

“That’s cute,” Qian Daniu said. “Doesn’t suit his aura at all, though. You actually dare call him that?”

Yan Hebi recalled what had happened in the hospital world, smiled, and said: “Probably because I know he won’t actually get angry. He might look strict, and his methods can be harsh, but everything he does is to protect his companions. He’ll reach out a hand to anyone who chooses kindness, and he won’t forgive those who discard their conscience unconditionally either. He’s a gentle, principled, and determined person. He’s the one I respect most.”

Xing Ye: “……”

Did Yan Hebi forget they were all lying on the same kang, less than two meters apart? He could hear everything crystal clear.

After hearing that, Qian Daniu said: “If he weren’t a guy, I’d think you had a crush on him.”

Perhaps it was the darkness, or maybe the tension over the true-or-false final stage had left him sleepless, but in that moment, Yan Hebi actually told Qian Daniu: “I did have a crush on him.”

Xing Ye: “……”

At that moment, a voice no one had ever heard before suddenly rang out in the room: “No dating crushes allowed! Xing Ye is my boyfriend!”

Cao Heihei, who had been pretending to sleep, remained silent: “……”

Little Mirror was about to explode with anger.

 

Translator : DarNan