There were fewer and fewer people in the mall, only a few customers left. Gradually, the lights in the clothing section, toy section, and snack section went out one by one.
A little boy was still wandering around. He didn't look very old. He wore a cute baseball cap and even had a cartoon water bottle on him.
He came out to play alone and then got lost in the huge mall.
He walked towards the only remaining light. When he finally reached the game arcade, he was finally overwhelmed by despair and helplessness. Then he slumped on the floor and began to cry.
"Why do you look older than me but cry so much?"
A little girl with a lollipop in her mouth suddenly squatted in front of him and blinked her eyes.
The little girl was dressed casually. Her hair was tied into two loose ponytails. She looked very cute, but when she spoke, she sounded a bit like a little adult. It was a very charming contrast.
"I'm lost. I can't go back." Because of the merciless mockery... the little boy wailed even louder.
"Okay, okay, stop crying. I'll help you find your way back!" The little girl covered her ears due to his loud crying.
"Are you also lost here?" the little boy sniffed and asked.
"Hey, what are you talking about? Do I look like a little kid who gets lost?" The little girl widened her eyes, put her hands on her hips, and loudly retorted.
She said, "I'm here to play games. Do you want to play with me? It's really fun. During the day, there were a lot of adults here. They all looked down on me because I'm small and always pushed me aside. They didn't want to play with me. Look, now that it's dark and they've all left, I can dominate the game machines. Compared to toys and stuff, game machines are so much more fun!" The little girl's eyes sparkled when she talked about games.
At that time, the term "internet-addicted girl" hadn't become popular yet. The little boy just asked curiously and naively, "Is it really that much fun?"
"Of course. If you don't believe me, come with me!" After saying that, the little girl pulled him to a game machine and played all kinds of mini-games with him, like flying a plane, shooting, and even whac-a-mole...
Gradually, the little boy also forgot about the trouble of being lost.
After playing for a while, when the little girl saw that he was happy and no longer crying like a pig being slaughtered, she took him to find his way home.
The street lamps emitted a faint, warm light.
"This must be your home. Remember to find me if you get lost again!" The little girl waved her hand like a big sister.
"Do you always go there to play games?" the little boy asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, playing games is less boring!" The little girl kicked a telephone pole carelessly.
"Can I go there with you to play in the future?" the little boy asked in a tiny voice like a mosquito.
"Hey, are you serious? That's great! I'll protect you from now on and dominate the game! Bang bang bang!" The little girl made a gesture.
"Hehe, I'll tell you a secret. Actually, I want to be a game designer when I grow up. I want to make a game where people can be in the game themselves. Then you can experience the excitement and fun of the game in person!" The little girl patted her chest and boasted.
"Wow, it sounds really great!" The innocent little boy still looked at her with admiration.
...
How deep, deep is the courtyard? With winding corridors, with whom can I gaze?
A young gentleman in a loose robe and blue clothes was scratching his head and thinking hard around the red palace wall with a roll of blueprints in his hand.
From afar, the gentleman looked gentle and refined, like jade polished to perfection. But when you got closer, you could hear him muttering, "It clearly says on the map that it's here. Why is there no path? Aaaaah!"
Then he wandered around aimlessly in circles for a while, and then went back to the starting point, checking the blueprints and the route back and forth.
Obviously, he was a directionally challenged person.
At this time, he saw someone. This person was slender and petite. Her light-yellow clothes fluttered in the wind like apricot petals. Her steps were light, as if she had endless joy in her heart. It was Su Qingwen.
When the young gentleman in blue clothes saw someone passing by, he seemed to see a savior. He quickly ran over and asked, "Miss, do you know where the Jinyuan Hall is?"
Hearing this, Su Qingwen stopped. "Hey, are you asking me? I've never been there either, but there's a map! I'll take you to find it!"
"I'm really sorry to trouble you like this." The young gentleman in blue clothes scratched his head, looking very embarrassed.
"It's okay. Anyway, I'm just a free person. People call me the 'Idle Concubine'! If you really feel bad, you can just marry me!" Su Qingwen started to act playfully again.
"This..."
"I'm just joking! Let's go!"
So Su Qingwen took his blueprints and led him to the place according to the direction on the map.
The Jinyuan Hall.
The exquisitely carved wooden doors stood tall. The eaves were painted with gold and green, and several stone-carved strange beasts were squatting on them.
"Here it is! Hey, it looks like a very solemn place!" Su Qingwen sighed.
Damn, it looks like the place for discussions in TV dramas, like the imperial study or the military affairs office. It looks so high-class.
"Thank you so much! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have found this place..." The young gentleman in blue clothes was extremely grateful. After saying that, he murmured in a low voice. "Hey, ancient times are so troublesome. If there were GPS and navigation, I wouldn't have gotten lost..."
Wait, GPS and navigation?!!!
Could this person also be a player? Hundreds of alpacas seemed to be running through Su Qingwen's mind.
I have to test him. What if he's an ally? It's better to form a team than to fight alone... Tears streamed down Su Qingwen's face.
She looked at the person suspiciously, walked around him in a circle, and then thought of the classic secret signal.
Suddenly, Su Qingwen had an idea. She slapped her thigh, thought of a meme on the Internet, and blurted out, "Odd changes, even stays the same!"
"The sign depends on the quadrant!"
It was really brainwashing.
The young gentleman in blue clothes blurted out the answer.
"Damn, bro, you're one of us too! Please form a team with me!" Su Qingwen grabbed the young gentleman in blue clothes' shoulders and shook him crazily.
"You're also a player?!! I thought I was the only one participating in the internal test!" The young gentleman in blue clothes was obviously very shocked.
Coincidentally, I thought the same before I met you, Su Qingwen silently complained in her heart.
"Like a drought meeting the sweet rain, meeting an old friend in a foreign land! Bro, if you get lost again in the future, big brother will protect you!" Su Qingwen boasted.
"That would be too much trouble for you..."
"It's not a trouble! I also have a friend who is as directionally challenged as you. If you can't find your way in the palace in the future, just come to me. Of course, you can also come to me to play!"
"Okay then. I won't be polite. By the way, what's your game mission?"
"It's a long story..." Su Qingwen frowned. "Let's make it short..."
The young gentleman in blue clothes listened attentively.
"Forget it. It's hard to explain in a few words..."
The young gentleman in blue clothes: ...