Lost in the Otherworld

"Do you still have something to say?" Gao Yang asked.

"Ah, actually..." Wan Sisi's cheeks flushed, "I was going to ask if you're free this weekend afternoon. It's my birthday, but never mind, you should focus on taking care of your uncle."

"Alright..."

"Gao Yang should go." Qing Ling suddenly appeared, startling Gao Yang.

Wan Sisi looked at Qing Ling, slightly surprised, unsure of what to say.

"I'll come too," Qing Ling added, "Will I be welcome?"

"Of course, you're welcome!" Wan Sisi smiled, though inwardly feeling a bit awkward. She hadn't originally planned to invite Qing Ling, not because she disliked her, but because she knew Qing Ling had an aversion to men, and some boys were invited to the party, which might make the atmosphere tense.

Gao Yang quickly shot a glance at Qing Ling, but she pretended not to notice.

"Alright, then. Saturday, 2:30 PM at Le Bao Di. See you there," Wan Sisi finished hastily, almost fleeing in her exit.

Qing Ling sat beside Gao Yang. "I heard about your father."

"Why are you attending her birthday party?" Gao Yang asked instead of answering.

Qing Ling lowered her voice. "You've been getting closer to Sisi lately, and she’s become more forward with you. I need to observe whether she suspects anything."

"You're overthinking it..."

"And what about Li Weiwei? Was I overthinking that too?"

Gao Yang fell silent.

...

For the next two days, Gao Yang spent his nights taking shifts for his mother and sister, returning home in the mornings to bathe and sleep. In the afternoons, he would wake up, freshen up, attend evening self-study, meet Qing Ling briefly, and then ask Wan Sisi a few English questions.

His father remained in the intensive care unit for 48 hours before being moved to a high-dependency ward. On the third morning, he woke briefly but couldn’t speak, only blinking his eyes before falling asleep again.

Even such a small sign was enough to lift the dark cloud hanging over the family. His mother, for the first time, relaxed her tightly knitted brows and even had the heart to apply makeup again. His sister smiled for the first time in a while and resumed teasing Gao Yang, a family tradition.

On Sunday morning, after showering, Gao Yang only napped briefly before waking.

He checked the system; his luck points had accumulated to 85.

He spent 60 luck points attempting to comprehend a new ability. As expected, he failed. With 25 points remaining, he decided to hold off for now.

Gao Yang did some calculations: if it took three attempts to succeed in acquiring each ability, obtaining a third ability would cost him 180 luck points in total. After succeeding, the next ability would require 120 points per attempt, meaning 360 points for three tries.

At this rate, the need for luck points to acquire more abilities seemed endless. Passive accumulation alone would take an eternity, and this dangerous world wasn’t likely to give him that much time.

He needed to take risks to gain wealth. If only there was a "dangerous but not life-threatening battle" he could engage in. Fighting for half an hour each day would be equivalent to days of passive accumulation. Once he joined an organization, he'd definitely study this thoroughly, maybe even find a way to exploit an infinite "experience farming" loophole.

...

At 2 PM, Gao Yang quickly tidied himself up and headed to Le Bao Di. The traffic was a bit heavy, making him the last to arrive. With guidance from the receptionist, he soon found the private room Wan Sisi had booked.

Just as he was about to push open the door, he heard a boy wailing inside, “I’m supposed to act indifferent to your performance, but you force the one who loves you the most to improvise…”

Gao Yang thought to himself, are you forcing the audience to act along with you? Singing so badly and we’ll still have to applaud later? What a nightmare.

As expected, it was Xuan Shao. He was perched on a high stool by the karaoke machine, gripping the microphone, singing passionately and with deep emotion.

Xuan Shao, whose full name was Niu Xuan, wasn’t exactly a second-generation rich kid, but he was certainly a small-time tycoon. His father owned over twenty chain supermarkets in a nearby city. Niu Xuan was generous, enjoyed showing off, loved gathering friends around him, and was reasonably good-looking. He was somewhat of a big shot in their class.

Compared to someone like Wang Zikai, who was a brainless troublemaker, Niu Xuan was much more shrewd. He behaved one way in front of his parents, another in front of teachers, and yet another with his classmates.

If you were friends with him, you'd feel a sense of superiority. But if you crossed him, you'd end up miserable, suffering both visible and invisible ostracism.

Gao Yang didn’t interact much with Niu Xuan. He was in that category of people whom Niu Xuan ignored but didn’t actively target.

The moment Gao Yang stepped into the KTV room, Niu Xuan’s singing stopped. Enthusiastically, he shouted into the microphone, "Yo, isn't this Gao Yang? Finally, you're here! We've all been waiting for you!"

Gao Yang suddenly felt a tightening in his bladder.

This feeling... is not good.