Xing Ye had the impression that Lu Mingze was a very well-behaved young master. It was winter then, and he was wearing a fluffy coat. The white fur collar contrasted with Lu Mingze's skin, giving him a very cute and adorable look.
He also specifically instructed the thugs he hired to hit them gently and never hit them in the face. It would be best to just scare them.
The hooligans rubbed their hands and asked Xing Ye, "Boss, are you sure you want to hit me?" He's so well behaved, I can't bring myself to do it...
Lu Mingze seemed to be developing a bit slowly. A high school freshman was only 1.6 meters tall, and even elementary school students who grew faster were taller than him. However, he had a well-proportioned body and long legs. Xing Ye thought at the time that when he grew up, he would probably be a stunningly handsome man.
Although he hasn't grown up yet, you can already see the outline of his future from his face. His eyes are so big that they seem to be able to speak. He is really beautiful.
Xing Ye still remembers the day when Lu Mingze was knocked unconscious by the kidnappers. It was already very difficult for him to snatch the person from the van. There was no way he could escape with him, so he could only hold him tightly.
He was already 20 years old at that time and was very tall. He held the unconscious little Lu Mingze tightly in his arms and pressed him under his body. The kidnapper's wooden stick hit Xing Ye's back again and again.
It was his own fault. If he hadn't asked the thugs to distract the bodyguards, Lu Mingze wouldn't have been in danger.
Xing Ye, who was beaten all over, thought that people really should not do bad things, because the retribution in this life comes so quickly.
Fortunately, the bodyguards arrived in time, and Xing Ye had received professional training and knew how to protect his internal organs and major bones from damage when being beaten. In the end, only a few ribs were broken, and the arm that was protecting Lu Mingze was also broken, as well as his nose bone.
That experience made Xing Ye think that it was necessary to strengthen his physical fitness. After everything stabilized, he asked professional veterans to retrain himself and also trained his younger brother Xing Shuo. That's why he is so good at it and has an absolute advantage in the game. This is also what Lu Mingze taught him.
When little Lu Mingze went to the hospital to visit Xing Ye, he had a huge piece of gauze covering his nose and could barely speak. Lu Mingze looked at him, blinked his big eyes twice, and tears fell.
"Wow, it's my fault. I shouldn't have played around instead of taking the bus and insisted on walking home. I caused big brother to get hurt. Wow, thank you, big brother."
Xing Ye thought at the time, you little fool, I asked the students from your school to go near you and say that there was something fun there, just to make you walk over so that I could beat you up.
Even when he was crying like that, he still didn't forget to thank Xing Ye. Xing Ye thought, how could there be such a lovely person in the world, so silly and sweet, who was sold and still had to be counted for money.
So Xing Ye raised his hand, rubbed the little fool's hair, endured the pain in his nose and said, "I'm glad you're okay."
Yes, I'm glad Lu Mingze is okay.
If he had really hit such a kind person that day, Xing Ye didn't know what he would become in the future.
At that time, he secretly swore in his heart that from then on, no matter what difficulties he encountered, he would not lose the bottom line of being a human being and would not abandon his own goodness because of the evil of others.
While Xing Ye was lost in thought, the little fool was still crying, "Wow, big brother, your nose must be healed. If it's not, I'll find the best plastic surgeon for you. Please don't disfigure it!"
The ribs and arms were not mentioned at all. The most important thing in the little fool's mind was the face.
It's the same now. Even if I turn into a mirror, it must be the most beautiful mirror.
Xing Ye poked the raised middle finger on the mirror, and the mirror shook angrily twice. He must be really angry.
Back in the hospital, Xing Ye's nose was bandaged too tightly, and Lu Mingze was sent abroad before he was even discharged. They never met again. Lu Mingze was already unconscious while protecting him, so he never saw Xing Ye's face.
So the mirror didn't recognize who he was these days.
With the fusion of past and present memories, Xing Ye felt that his favorability towards the mirror might have reached an incredible level. After all, the young master back then was so cute.
Xing Ye would never give up his vigilance if it were anyone else. But Lu Mingze was different; he was his salvation.
When Xing Ye woke up in the hospital and saw Lu Mingze, his first thought was, "Thank goodness you're okay, otherwise I would never forgive my cowardly self."
That experience made Xing Ye see his own weakness and cowardice clearly, and he realized that he shouldn't run away from them, but face them head-on. Even if the company was gone, he couldn't lose his integrity or his bottom line, otherwise he would be no different from the people who harmed him.
He was on guard against the system's traps, but Lu Mingze was not a trap. Even if it was a trap, Xing Ye would willingly step into it.
But what to do? Their current intimacy is 0, and intimacy is the lowest value of the two people's favorability. Xing Ye confirmed that his favorability towards the mirror is getting higher and higher, and now the mirror's favorability towards him is 0.
"Hey," Xing Ye said, poking at the mirror, "Don't be angry. Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. Luckily, I stopped the loss in time and didn't get hurt too badly. I still remember the way you cried by my bedside."
The mirror became even angrier, its surface darkened, and it didn't even bother to give Xing Ye a middle finger.
Xing Ye thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "But you're really pretty, even when you cry."
The mirror suddenly lit up.
"I specifically told the thugs not to hit your face. Not even a scratch would be allowed. Damaging your face would be a waste of God's gift."
The makeup mirror shook on the bed, as if it was happy.
Xing Ye continued: "It's a pity that we haven't seen each other for nine years. I really don't know what you look like when you grow up. You must be more handsome, so handsome that people who see you will faint."
While Xing Ye was talking, he did not forget to check his phone. He saw the intimacy level increase from 0 to 10, and then to 15.
"Look at my nose, it has grown on its own. I didn't have any plastic surgery or disfigurement. Don't worry." Xing Ye picked up the mirror to look at his nose and began to play the emotional card.
The intimacy level suddenly became 30. Is it because you are remembering the relationship we had back then?
"After this game, I will immediately investigate your current physical condition and visit your parents, so that I can tell you your current situation in the next game." Xing Ye tempted the mirror with the ability to check on his physical condition.
The mirror couldn't help but hum, humming, "You must take pictures, make me look beautiful. The system space allows you to see the pictures on your phone, I want to see them."
"Okay, okay."
"And my parents, I miss them." The mirror's voice had a hint of tears in it.
Xing Ye felt sad when he heard him crying.
In his mind, Lu Mingze was a child of destiny, born with everything. He should have lived a carefree life, happily and kindly, instead of becoming a mirror and a tool for others like he was now.
"I will become a high-level player," Xing Ye suddenly said. "Every time I play, I gain a deeper understanding of the system's malice and the small amount of kindness hidden within it. I am becoming more and more familiar with the role. This system itself is fate. While it brings despair to people, it also rewards those who never give up hope.
You become a tool, but your consciousness remains alive. This is hope amidst despair. I believe that once you become a high-level player, you will find a way to turn the tool into a human and bring it back to the real world."
"Really?" The mirror seemed to become very happy all of a sudden.
There should be, but it will definitely be difficult.
"Don't give up. I'll get you out." Xing Ye promised. "If you can't get out, then I certainly can't escape the clutches of fate. Didn't the system say that there will be very generous gifts after winning the final game?"
"But..." The mirror hesitated for a moment and said, "I turned into a mirror in the final game."
Are he and the mirror already able to talk about this kind of topic?
Xing Ye glanced at his phone out of the corner of his eye. It said:
Intimacy: 60. You are good friends who can talk about anything. You may not be willing to go through fire and water for your brothers, but you can pull each other aside to talk about your true feelings and comfort each other after getting drunk.
To be honest, Xing Ye felt that the favorability level of 60 should be his. Could it be that the mirror's level would be higher?
It was clearly 0 just now, and she was angry at him and wanted to find someone to beat him up, but she calmed down so quickly, it's a bit cute.
The system prompts "Talk about anything", which means he can ask more questions: "Tell me about your final game."
"Nothing special, you know. I've always had good luck. After about five or six levels, I became a high-level player. I thought the game was pretty fun. I only played three levels of high-level player. I don't know how I activated the final level, but I just clicked on it and entered the final level, wondering what kind of gift I would get if I won. Actually, I have everything I need, so gifts don't seem to be very interesting. I would rather wish for my parents' good health."
What a kind mirror! Xing Ye couldn't help but stretch out his fingers to touch it, but he could only touch the cold mirror surface.
Recalling the scene when he rubbed his hair that day, Xing Ye suddenly felt his hands a little lonely.
The mirror continued, "The system says the final level varies from person to person, and that fate's ultimate opponent is only oneself. My final level is a kaleidoscope, a room filled with mirrors, my face reflected everywhere. The system tells me that these countless rooms connect to the real world, and each room represents a human weakness. Only by finding the right mirror, overcoming the weakness, and ultimately defeating myself, can I leave the game world and pass the final level."
There's a door behind the mirror. Push the wrong one and you're doomed. I'm so confident in my luck that no matter how many mirrors there are in the room, I can always choose the right one.
I don't know how long I pushed until the system prompted me that I had reached the last room and could get out by pushing the correct door.
Like countless rooms before me, I chose one, pushed the door open, and saw my home in the real world outside. I walked in happily, but stepped into the abyss and fell.
When I woke up, I became a mirror. The narrator told me to find a girl named Claire, become her magic mirror, and help her defeat the queen.
I could control the mirror slightly, so I crawled and crawled. It took me a long time to get out of the river. I finally saw Claire, whose face was dirty. But she raised her foot and kicked me back into the river.
Xing Ye: "…"
He wanted to apologize to the mirror.
The mirror continued to list Claire's faults: "I've never seen anyone with such a dirty face. It's so ugly that I really don't want her face to appear in my mirror. It's so uncomfortable. After being kicked back into the river, I struggled to crawl to Claire's door. I was terrified the whole way, afraid that someone would see me. If the mirror in this world was discovered, it would be destroyed."
Xing Ye: "…"
"She actually made me knock on the door for so long!" The mirror was furious. "I climbed out of the water, dark, cold, and tired!"
Xing Ye watched the intimacy level on his phone drop rapidly. If he fell again, the mirror would be unable to speak. He quickly said, "There's a lake on campus. I'll jump in and soak for an hour, and then shout to all the students, 'Lu Mingze, I'm sorry!'"
Mirror: "No, no, no, I'm not that angry. It's so embarrassing for you to do this. What if there are other people named Lu Mingze in the school? What will you do? And these people don't know me, so even if you call me, it won't work. And then you gave up the QR code and took me out of the system. You're still a nice person."
The intimacy level returned to 60, and Xing Ye felt relieved.
He couldn't let the mirror recall their experiences together. Xing Ye thought about how he had stuffed the mirror into his chest, thrown it into the bathtub, and stayed in a cheap hotel full of cockroaches and reptiles...
If he really thinks about these things, his intimacy level might drop to negative.
"In the final level, you clearly saw the real world, so why did you enter darkness? Was it a trap?" Xing Ye tried to change the subject.
The mirror's voice suddenly dropped: "No, I chose the right mirror. The world behind the door is real, but I can't get out."
"Why?"
Mirror: "When I fell, I heard the system's voice. If you choose to be favored by fate, it means that fate can control you at will. Even if victory is right in front of you, fate has the power to lift you up high and throw you down heavily.
We who obey fate have no right to leave the game from the moment we make a choice and accept the gift of fate. We will always be props of fate.
Players have always treated ordinary people in the game world as NPCs, but in fact, those who obey their fate are the NPCs. We have taken the wrong path from the beginning, and there is no turning back."
If the mirror had a body, he would be crying right now.
"When I made the choice, I didn't think much about it. I just thought being favored by fate sounded good, but who knew that one wrong step would lead to more wrong steps."
Jingzi found himself being held in Xing Ye's palm. He moved his body with all his strength and rubbed it against Xing Ye's palm.
It was like someone touching his head with a warm hand to comfort him.
Xing Ye understood what the mirror said better than anyone else.
He used to be a child prodigy that everyone envied. He had a rich family, was good-looking, and was the best in everything at school.
But that's fate. At the highest point in his life, it knocked him down. He lost his loved ones, was framed, expelled from school, and his only blood relative was bullied because of his reputation. In less than three months, Xing Ye experienced all the ups and downs of life, all of which were heartbreaking.
Therefore, he never believed in fate and vowed to take everything into his own hands.
When faced with the choice, Xing Ye chose to fight against fate without any hesitation.
At the turning point of his fate, he was rescued by Lu Mingze.
At this moment, Xing Shuo died, and Xing Ye hit another low point in his fate. He met Lu Mingze again.
Looking at the mirror that was small enough to be held in the palm of his hand, Xing Ye said nothing.
But he told himself in his heart that this time he must set the mirror free.
To repay Lu Mingze's kindness and not to bow to this game.