ATIGIBTC Chapter 121.2

“It’s because for this event, the goal is to give all the carefully prepared gifts from everyone to just one person,” the restaurant owner said, standing not too far away but close enough to be heard without encroaching on He Fang’s space. His voice was extremely gentle like he was speaking to a timid little animal wary of strangers. “Of course, it might seem better if everyone received a gift. But when all the goodness is concentrated on one person, I think everyone looks forward to becoming that one special lucky one.”

After hearing the owner’s explanation, He Fang let out a small breath of relief. He understood this kind of thing. Online giveaways often worked the same way. Sometimes the prize was split evenly among many people, and other times, one big prize was given to a single lucky winner.

And he had just gotten lucky, not because he was special.

The goosebumps he had been feeling since earlier finally eased. He Fang relaxed.

The deliveryman always fell strangely quiet whenever the owner spoke. Only after the owner left would he resume his constant chattering. He Fang noticed this odd little detail, too.

Could it be that the deliveryman also didn’t like talking to others?

Was it just because he was always around, shared similar interests, and had a compatible personality that made him someone special to the deliveryman?

He Fang felt a bit arrogant for having that kind of thought. But even so, a tiny thrill of joy stirred in him, even though he knew it was probably impossible.

Suddenly, the bright lights outside dimmed. He Fang immediately picked up on the change and turned his head. On the stage in the main hall of the restaurant, the lights came back on, and a graceful dancer appeared, signaling the start of the restaurant’s evening performance.

The private room they were in was in the perfect location, with an exceptionally wide view. It was directly across from the center of the stage. From there, He Fang could see the dancer’s elegant figure, the unique makeup on her stunningly beautiful face, and the massive screen behind her displaying vivid, lifelike visual effects.

He Fang was completely dazzled by the performance.

It was clearly just a restaurant hall. So why did it feel like he was in some grand theater, watching a sold-out stage show?

“Our luck… is way too good,” He Fang murmured. He hadn’t expected that his first time going out in such a long while would feel like the world was trying to lay out all its most beautiful sights just for him to see.

He Fang himself didn’t even realize that the lights from the stage were reflected in his eyes, making them shine bright with curiosity and anticipation. But the deliveryman saw all of it, every bit of that expression, and took it into his heart.

Without a change in tone, the deliveryman let out a quiet sigh and said, “A lot of people hold weddings at this restaurant. The whole venue is decorated with such detail, and they often host large-scale events. The owner specially made the place luxurious and elegant.”

He Fang blinked, eyes still glued to the breathtaking male and female dancers on stage. They were so beautiful it almost seemed unreal, like something enhanced with special effects. Both men and women on stage were strikingly outstanding. In any setting, even without editing, they would easily become online celebrities.

“A wedding, huh… This place does look perfect for that,” He Fang said, taking another couple of bites of food. The dishes here were just too good. It was impossible to resist. He pursed his lips slightly. “The food here is amazing.”

Not only was the food delicious, but the view was a feast for the eyes. And despite being a restaurant, it didn’t have that typical noisy atmosphere. Everyone was polite, composed, and well-mannered. He Fang felt like he was dreaming.

When it came time to pay the bill, He Fang looked at the table full of unfinished dishes and felt a bit embarrassed to ask for takeout. But the deliveryman raised his voice directly and asked them to pack it up.

He Fang saw that everyone handling their leftovers did so with complete care. There wasn’t the slightest sign of impatience. And instead of disposable containers, they used specially made food boxes that looked especially high-end. Each dish wasn’t just packed up as-is. When it was placed into the boxes, it was even replated and garnished anew.

He Fang was completely stunned.

The other party had even specially given him an exquisitely crafted bag to hold the small gifts he’s received. Just by looking at it, you could tell it wasn’t cheap.

When He Fang and the deliveryman left the restaurant, each carrying bags big and small, his mind was still in a daze.

He secretly turned his head and glanced back at the restaurant, only to see that everyone was respectfully bowing to send them off.

He Fang felt an extremely strange sensation.

Were these workers being a bit too dedicated?

His entire day today had felt completely unreal. That strange feeling just wouldn’t go away. Every time he faced these people, he had this intense illusion that he wasn’t in the real world at all, but still inside the game.

In real life, people couldn’t possibly all be masters of fashion coordination. There should be all sorts of people with all kinds of appearances, not this kind of crowd that looked like some extravagant online guild meetup in a flashy MMORPG.

The deliveryman had been watching He Fang the whole time and noticed the doubt and scrutiny in his eyes. Squinting slightly, he suddenly spoke: “This place is pretty expensive. Even though they say they’re doing promotions, everything here uses the best ingredients. And since the owner is pretty wealthy, he opened the place more for some peace and quiet. It’s all just for fun. So most of the people who come to support the place are his friends.”

He Fang looked up at the deliveryman. “I see. No wonder it felt so strange to me.”

Like an ordinary person had wandered into a place he was never meant to enter.

“Yeah, all this stuff was bought at, well, at a 90% discount,” he said, “which means this meal would’ve cost about… two thousand?” He Fang’s voice involuntarily rose at the end. The two of them were eating a meal together. At most, it would normally cost maybe three hundred yuan tops. Which meant the people who usually dined here were a more affluent crowd, and that’s why he felt so out of place. He Fang’s heart pounded. “Why… did you bring me to such an expensive place?”

If he hadn’t known anything and had just ordered a bunch of stuff, the deliveryman might have ended up losing half a month’s salary.

“Because no matter what, I wanted the customer to get a taste of something delicious. Didn’t you have a good time eating today?” the deliveryman asked, looking down at him.

“I did.” Not only did he enjoy it, but he’d even been lucky enough to receive a bunch of gifts.

He Fang unconsciously pressed his lips together, trying to hold back the corners of his mouth. But in the end, he still smiled a little shyly.

It had been a long time since he’d gone out. In his mind, any form of communication was something terrifying. The fear he felt, so deeply rooted in his body, seemed like something that would never be cured.

But unexpectedly, he found that going outside wasn’t as scary as he had imagined. He didn’t even panic like he used to when facing strangers, didn’t become so anxious he couldn’t speak a single word, and didn’t shake all over or feel his heartbeat spiral out of control. None of his old symptoms had appeared.

Even though he was still afraid inside, it seemed like he could now have some simple conversations with people. He had even received kindness and good fortune.

All of a sudden, He Fang wondered, Was it because he had spent so much time in the sensory pod talking to NPCs? Those NPCs were just so similar to real people. Could it be that, without realizing it, he had been gradually healing his condition?

Even though only three months had passed in real life, in the game, he had probably lived almost three years by now.

Had it actually affected him?

He Fang had never considered that maybe, one day, his social anxiety might be cured. For a moment, he felt dazed by the thought.

“Customer.” The deliveryman suddenly reached out and tugged at He Fang. Only then did He Fang realize that while he’d been lost in thought, a child had suddenly come running straight at them from ahead. The deliveryman had pulled him aside to get him out of the way.

The child was giggling, trying to run past him, but suddenly tripped on flat ground. He Fang instinctively reached out and scooped the child up. The small child clung to He Fang’s arm, with eyes full of confusion, and looked up at him.

He Fang was caught off guard and locked eyes with the child. Those beautiful big eyes seemed to twinkle like stars, and the rosy little cheeks were unbelievably adorable.

He Fang’s heart skipped a beat. How could even a randomly caught child be this good-looking? Wasn’t that a little… unscientific?

“Big brother!” the child suddenly said, cheerfully smiling up at He Fang, hugging his arm with both hands, looking absolutely delighted. “Big brother, thank you, big brother!”

That crisp, sweet little voice was instantly lovable, and that age where you couldn’t even tell if the child was a boy or a girl only made it even cuter. The child happily hugged He Fang and then loudly declared, “Big brother, I like you!”

He Fang’s vision went white for a second, and his mind went blank. A child had just confessed to him?

“I like big brother! I really, really like you!”

He Fang, who had never been liked by any child before, was completely stunned by such a direct display of affection. Was there really a day when he’d be liked by a kid? Weren’t children usually scared of him, thinking he looked gloomy and avoiding him? Some of the more sensitive ones even cried when they saw him, didn’t they?

This kid was way too unconventional. Liking dark and gloomy things; wouldn’t that lead to psychological issues in the future?

“Sorry, that’s my child. Did they trouble you?” A graceful female voice came from ahead. He Fang’s body tensed. The mother had arrived. Was she going to find fault with him again?

“Mommy! Big brother just hugged me! I was about to fall, and big brother caught me!” the child exclaimed joyfully, still clinging tightly to He Fang’s arm, unwilling to let go.

“Sweetie, don’t get in the way of your big brother,” the elegant and intellectual-looking woman said gently. When she saw He Fang, she gave him a very warm smile. Then she reached into her handbag, took something out, and said with a smile, “Thank you for helping my child. This is some ice cream I just bought from the supermarket, as a small token of thanks. I hope you’ll accept it.”

He Fang was momentarily stunned and instinctively started to shake his head to decline.

However, the woman noticed his hands—one holding a food container, the other carrying the gift bag. She blinked once and, before He Fang could even open his mouth, directly placed the ice cream into his gift bag. Then, as if thinking for a moment, she took out one item after another from her shopping bag and added them all into his gift bag as well.

“Y-You… you really don’t have to do this…” He Fang was completely caught off guard, overwhelmed by the kindness. “These are your child’s things, he’ll… he’ll be upset…”

Even when He Fang was a child, he had gone through a phase of being extremely possessive. If a kid saw their stuff being given away to a stranger, they’d definitely be unhappy.

But before He Fang could finish speaking, the child had already let go of his arm and instead started pulling everything out from the woman’s plastic bag and stuffing it all into He Fang’s hands.

“Wait—no, no—” He Fang was dumbfounded. This was basically giving him everything. “These are yours.”

“I want to give my things to big brother!” the child replied in that sweet, ringing voice, more pleasant than bells. “Thank you, big brother! I really like you!”

In the end, He Fang could only stand there holding a big bag full of gifts and snacks packed to the brim, watching as the cheerful mother and child waved goodbye to him. He Fang was completely dazed.

The world…

Was it really like this?

But in his memories, it clearly hadn’t been this way at all.

Had he stepped on some kind of lucky star when he went out today? His luck felt like it was off the charts.

Had he… used up all the luck of his entire life today?

“I was originally thinking of heading back to buy you something,” the deliveryman said as he looked down and took the food container from He Fang’s hands, “but it looks like that won’t be necessary anymore. You hold onto the gift bag. It’s about to burst. I’ll carry this for you.”

With one hand freed up, He Fang was finally able to properly hold onto his gift bag. That child had seemed to put in all their strength trying to stuff every single snack they had into it. He couldn’t even stop them. All He Fang could do was watch helplessly as the child nearly made the gift bag explode from how full it was.

“Today feels like a dream,” He Fang couldn’t help but murmur.

The deliveryman glanced at him, and from the shadows, a tiny lion’s head peeked out of his pocket, silently gazing at He Fang along with him.

“Try coming out more often,” the deliveryman said gently. “People are actually pretty kind. You’re a very likable person, Customer. You deserve all the respect and kindness this world has to offer.”

He Fang returned to his house. After leaving him all the food, the deliveryman left. He had to work tomorrow, and his clothes were a bit dirty. Otherwise, he would’ve figured out a way to stay the night.

Alone in his room, He Fang felt as though he had lived through another lifetime.

The deliveryman’s warm voice echoed in his ears, and for the first time, He Fang had the thought that maybe he was really just an ordinary person too, someone who could receive kindness and goodwill.

In He Fang’s memory, the few beautiful moments he had were all from inside the game. A vast, inky-black past had always consumed him, filled him with fear and dread.

But today had completely changed how he saw the world.

Every corner of the streets looked like part of a painted landscape. Every smiling face, every person who passed by carried with them a faint and unique presence. And every single one of them, upon meeting his eyes, had offered him a genuinely kind smile.

And then there were all these gifts. He had probably never received this many gifts in his entire life before today.

He Fang spread the gifts out. Some were wrapped in little boxes, which he carefully and gently opened.

They were all interesting little trinkets—mostly decorative, but all very pretty. Shiny and sparkly, they formed a lovely, eye-pleasing pile. There were small candies, keychains, delicate card sleeves, and all kinds of other things. Many of them looked handmade, carrying the heartfelt intentions of the people who had given them.

As He Fang looked at them, his smile slowly faded.

Not because he was disappointed, but because he felt lost.

He hadn’t had a single episode of social anxiety the whole day. Though still a bit timid, he’d been able to communicate just fine.

From the snacks that mother and child had shared with him, he picked out the ice cream. Even though he was already full, having a bit of ice cream still sounded nice.

He should have shared some of these things with the deliveryman. But… he couldn’t help feeling a bit selfish. He didn’t want to part with them.

He couldn’t bear to give away the kindness that had been shown to him.

He Fang carefully packed up all the leftover food and stored it in the fridge, then went to take a shower.

When he came back to bed in his pajamas, he couldn’t help but once again spread out all the little gifts across the bed and count them one by one.

Then he opened his computer and checked the event log for “Ruins Without Restart”.

And after that, he turned back to look at the small gifts he had received.

After thinking for a moment, he simply took one of his black shirts to use as a backdrop and carefully photographed each of the little gifts, capturing them in delicate, beautiful pictures. Then he uploaded them to his private photo album, saving them with great care.

He even dug through his drawers and found a box, placing all the small gifts inside neatly.

Even though there had been many strange, hard-to-explain feelings today.

None of that could overshadow the happiness he felt from receiving those gifts.

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