Wait, How Did My Virtual Girlfriend Cultivate into a Sword Immortal?-Chapter 11 - : It Smells Like Li Qingran!

"Ah?"

Chen Huaian was completely stunned.

Wait, it actually arrived?

Is this small studio really going all out like this?

And this game is definitely the work of hackers, right? They've literally doxxed him!

Most people would feel scared in a situation like this.

But Chen Huaian wasn't afraid. He was already living on borrowed time—what was there to fear?

"Hey! I know you're hiding in the hallway! Come out and talk! Your game is way too pay-to-win—can't you tone it down a bit? I'm really broke!" he shouted into the dark hallway. His voice echoed down the stairwell, but there was no response.

"Fine, don't come out then." Chen Huaian shrugged and slammed the door shut.

He knew the hackers wouldn't show themselves. He had just been testing the waters.

"Let's see what this is all about," he muttered, sitting down on the couch to open the box. He was still curious. If the developers went to the trouble of custom-making an in-game item and delivering it to him, it showed how much effort they were putting into this game. So, the quality of this gift had to be top-notch, right?

Inside the box was a small, square pouch, like a sachet.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, but when Chen Huaian turned it over, he couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

On the pouch, written vertically in traditional Chinese characters, were the words: Chen Huaian.

Below that, in smaller characters, was the phrase: Peace and Safety.

Clearly, this was a protective charm. But the handwriting...

Chen Huaian wanted to say that even his handwriting in elementary school was better than this.

The characters were crooked and messy, like they'd been scratched out by a dog. The charm, which had seemed so elegant at first glance, instantly lost its appeal.

"But what's inside this thing?"

He tried to open the pouch, but the material was tougher than he expected—it wouldn't tear. So, to get an idea of what was inside, he brought it up to his nose and sniffed.

The moment he did, a faint, delicate fragrance rushed into his nostrils.

It wasn't sweet or cloying—it was subtle, elegant, and unassuming, like a girl quietly expressing her longing.

He couldn't quite place the scent, but it immediately brought Li Qingran to mind.

In fact, he even had the illusion that this was Li Qingran's actual scent!

"What the...!"

Chen Huaian was shocked. What kind of game could achieve something like this?

He had heard of games that sent physical gifts, like his college roommate who once received a pair of "original flavor" stockings from a female game character. Those had a scent too, but it was just cheap perfume that didn't evoke any particular feelings. This protective charm was completely different.

He tried sniffing it from different angles, but no matter what, his mind kept conjuring images of Li Qingran.

Even when he opened a certain "educational" website and tried to distract himself, his thoughts kept drifting back to her.

"This is insane!" Chen Huaian slapped his thigh.

"Guys, with this kind of technology, why are you wasting it on a pay-to-win game? You could make this a free game, start a perfume brand, and make a fortune!"

In the end, Chen Huaian decided to carry the protective charm with him.

Why? Because it genuinely felt like Li Qingran had made it herself!

——————————————————————————————

By mid-morning, Chen Huaian had taken care of everything.

He got a buzz cut at a barber shop near the hospital, uploaded his cancer diagnosis to his livestream account, and asked a doctor to help him film an inspirational vlog. He gritted his teeth and spent 1,000 yuan on promotions.

At noon, he ate a bowl of dry noodles at a local restaurant.

By the afternoon, he was on a plane to Mount Tai.

His livestream account's homepage was bold and slightly cringey:

[Youth has no price, but life only happens once. My name is Chen Huaian. I've been diagnosed with terminal cancer. In the time I have left, I will defy fate, laugh in the face of death, and push my physical limits to make my life shine as brightly as possible. Today's challenge: Climb Mount Tai in five hours!]

By the time he arrived at the foot of Mount Tai, it was already 7 p.m.

His goal was to start climbing at midnight.

That way, he'd reach the summit just in time to see the sunrise.

It was a small dream, but it was his.

As for how much money he could make, he wasn't sure. But the idea of a terminal cancer patient climbing Mount Tai was certainly attention-grabbing. Plus, his legs were in terrible shape—his ankles were swollen, and even putting on shoes was a struggle. Walking, let alone climbing, was excruciating.

He found a bench at the base of the mountain and lay down for three hours to rest.

At around 10 p.m., feeling somewhat refreshed, Chen Huaian took out his phone again.

First, he opened the game to check on Li Qingran.

The girl was already up, sitting cross-legged on the bed, meditating. On the table was a clean plate and a basket of fruit, of which she had only eaten a little.

These were the things he had "fed" her in the game today.

What a hardworking girl.

Well, he needed to work hard too.

The nervousness he had been feeling earlier instantly melted away when he saw Li Qingran.

Taking a deep breath, Chen Huaian smiled and opened his livestream account.

After half a day of promotion, his vlog had already caught the attention of many people.

Even tonight's livestream had over a hundred reservations.

While this number was nothing compared to popular outdoor streamers, Chen Huaian was more than satisfied.

After all, the hardest part was getting started.

[Host, how can you prove you're really a terminal cancer patient? Are you just fishing for sympathy and donations?]

[Climbing Mount Tai with terminal cancer is one thing, but doing it in five hours? And you have bone cancer, right? Even scams need to make sense!]

[Hahaha, this is so fake!]