Chapter 5

Brother Zhang had thrown a major challenge at Gu Yi’an.
This game was clearly related to the phrase “Kindness is a sin.”
Brother Zhang’s question was blunt, directly asking Gu Yi’an how to clear the game.
How was she supposed to answer that?
Until the game truly ended, she could never confirm whether her speculations were correct.
Even if she told them, they might not believe her.
Was Brother Zhang deliberately stirring up conflict?
Gu Yi’an sat steadily on the bench, observing the expressions on the faces of the four players across from her and beside her.
Brother Zhang hid his emotions well, appearing calm, while the other three players looked eager.
Gu Yi’an smiled slightly. “The premise of give-and-take is equality. What you can offer me isn’t enough.”
Information exchange is mutual, but that doesn’t mean Brother Zhang could demand the moon and ask for the method to clear the game outright.
Immediately, one of the female players showed a trace of resentment in her eyes.
Brother Zhang glanced at Gu Yi’an and took a step back. “It’s fine if you don’t want to answer this question. Everyone is selfish.”
Gu Yi’an raised an eyebrow.
Was this game going to be a constant internal struggle?
The other three new players sensed the tension between Gu Yi’an and Brother Zhang, but they had no say in the matter and could only sit by and watch.
Brother Zhang looked at Gu Yi’an, his tone ambiguous. “You should be able to answer this question. Why is he treating you differently?”
The “he” in Brother Zhang’s words undoubtedly referred to the little boy who was still cooking in the kitchen.
From Brother Zhang’s perspective, from the moment the little boy appeared until now, as they sat in his home, the boy’s attitude toward Gu Yi’an had been far better than toward the other players.
If initially, Brother Zhang and the others hadn’t helped the old woman who staged the accident, causing the boy to resent them and refuse to answer their questions, later, even when they tried to imitate Gu Yi’an and show they were kind, the boy still treated them differently.
They had been terrified when they entered the middle room, while Gu Yi’an went in and saw nothing, emerging unscathed.
This was clearly preferential treatment!
Gu Yi'an clearly heard the question, yet her expression remained largely unchanged.
The essence of this question was not much different from Brother Zhang's previous one.
Gu Yi'an believed that the reason the little boy treated her better than the other players lay in the four words from the novice hint: "Kindness is a sin."
Brother Zhang was forcing her to answer.
If she didn't respond, she would remain distant from the other players and have to constantly guard against betrayal from her teammates.
Humans are social creatures, and being isolated from the group is never a pleasant experience.
However, if Gu Yi'an had been the type to seek comfort in groups, she wouldn't have parted ways with Brother Zhang and the others from the very beginning.
As she pondered this, doubt crept into her mind again.
What if Brother Zhang's true intention was to isolate her from the group?
Unable to decipher Brother Zhang's motives, Gu Yi'an shifted her gaze to the other three novice players.
Some of them had envy in their eyes, others suspicion, but every one of them held a desperate hope to survive.
Who wouldn't want to live?
After a moment's thought, Gu Yi'an decided to lay her cards on the table.
"This still relates to the hint 'Kindness is a sin.' I can't guarantee my speculation is correct. Whether you believe it or not is up to you."
She spoke her mind openly and honestly, "The god's hint is just that, a hint. He wants us to ponder this question: Is kindness a sin?
No! Kindness is not a sin. It is a noble virtue."
As expected, after she finished speaking, Gu Yi'an saw four thoughtful faces.
When it came to matters of life and death, these players wouldn't take things lightly.
Brother Zhang voiced his skepticism, "Is it that simple? We all acted with good intentions too."
They had helped fetch vegetables from the house, only to be terrified by something inside.
Brother Zhang made no attempt to hide his suspicion as he scrutinized Gu Yi'an.
Gu Yi'an had said all she could, she had spoken her piece.
This was what she truly believed.
She thought that her consistent display of kindness throughout her interactions with the little boy was why he treated her slightly better than the others.
From start to finish, she had upheld the kindness she was capable of.
Brother Zhang didn't believe her, and the other players were half-convinced, half-doubtful.
Seeing this, Gu Yi'an felt no anger.
After all, they were merely strangers who had crossed paths, not particularly important people.
Still, it was a bit irritating.
Gu Yi'an's gaze swept across the faces of the four players. She smiled and said, "If you don't believe it, maybe it's because he's superficial."
In terms of appearance alone, Gu Yi'an was exceptionally striking.
In this life, she had been blessed with good looks. If not for the two unfortunate incidents that had occurred around her, she wouldn't have been able to shake off those persistent suitors.
Fortunately, everyone values their life.
Life is precious, while beauty is not, this was what finally granted Gu Yi'an some peace.
In this game, players were faced with countless questions; who would still care about how others looked?
Only after hearing Gu Yi'an's words did the players take a closer look at her appearance.
They already knew she was good-looking, but upon closer inspection, she seemed even more beautiful.
Gu Yi'an had delicate, petite features, fair skin, and a cool, aloof temperament. Her aura alone was enough to make her stand out among a crowd of beauties.
Her words left them speechless, unable to refute her.
At his age, the little boy already understood the concept of beauty. Given how he always sweetly called Gu Yi'an "sister," it was quite possible he simply liked good-looking people.
As the four players mulled this over, they felt a knot tighten in their chests.
They were already judged by their looks in real life, must it be the same in the game, too?
"Sister Gu is so pretty."
The little boy had overheard Gu Yi'an's remark. Holding a pressure cooker effortlessly with one hand, he happily ran into the room.
Gu Yi'an and Brother Zhang immediately focused on the pressure cooker in the boy's hand. It appeared to be over twenty centimeters in diameter and was certainly not light. If it contained rice, it would be even heavier, far beyond what a boy his age should be able to lift.
Earlier, the boy had struggled to carry six cups of water steadily, yet now he was handling a pressure cooker with one hand.
Was he not even bothering to pretend anymore?
Gu Yi'an's gaze seemed to casually drift over the face of the female player whose clothes had been splashed with tea, then met Brother Zhang's eyes directly.
Both of them suspected that something bad was about to happen to this female player.
The female player seemed absent-minded, her awareness of her surroundings dulled. She didn't notice their exchanged glances.
With the boy bringing the food, everyone served themselves rice and glanced at the dish on the table.
There was only one dish: mushroom soup.
Mushrooms grown on a coffin!
Gu Yi'an looked at the mushrooms, then at the white rice in her bowl.
By this point, she was feeling hungry, too.
The little boy sitting next to Gu Yi'an innocently asked the other players, "Why are you only eating rice and not the dish?"
Brother Zhang took the lead and started eating, and the other players followed suit. Only Gu Yi'an waited for the boy and hadn't begun yet.
Hearing the boy's question, the players silently glanced at Brother Zhang.
Brother Zhang chuckled and said the rice was delicious enough on its own.
The little boy's bright, contrasting black-and-white eyes shifted toward Gu Yi'an.
His gaze was full of expectation.
Gu Yi'an's hope of following Brother Zhang's example and only eating the rice was dashed.
She had no choice but to act nonchalant, scooping a spoonful of the mushroom soup, complete with mushrooms, into her bowl, then picking up a mushroom and taking a small bite.
Quite flavorful.
Unexpectedly delicious.
The little boy noticed the change in Gu Yi'an's expression and proactively scooped several more spoonfuls of mushrooms for her.
Staring at the mushrooms in her bowl, Gu Yi'an wrestled with their origin versus their taste, and taste won out.
Surprisingly, they really were delicious.
Seeing Gu Yi'an eat the mushrooms, Brother Zhang followed suit and tried some as well.
Among the remaining three novice players, aside from the dazed female player who had tea splashed on her, the one who recalled what she had witnessed in that room trembled so much while holding her chopsticks that she couldn't bring herself to eat the mushrooms. The other two forced themselves to swallow a few bites.
Their expressions were particularly twisted as they ate, as if they were swallowing poison.
While all the players were eating, the little boy did not touch his chopsticks.
He watched everyone, a troubled look appearing on his face, and said, "Sister Gu. I plan to go out later to see if Granny Zhao's family has already taken action."
Gu Yi'an couldn't immediately recall who Granny Zhao was, but then she remembered, Granny Zhao must be the old lady who had staged the accident.
Their group had talked about helping the little boy send Granny Zhao to prison.
The little boy said, "They're definitely looking for Sister Gu. Sister Gu can't go out."
His gaze fell on the other four players, his intention clear without needing to be stated.
Brother Zhang immediately put down his bowl and chopsticks, speaking up righteously, "I'll go out with you, Little Huzi. It's not safe for a child like you to be out alone."
The other novice players weren't foolish either and quickly offered to go out as well.
Hearing this, the little boy's troubled expression lifted. "Then let's leave early. Right now."
He reached out and took away both his and Gu Yi'an's bowls, seemingly preparing to clear the table.
Poor Gu Yi'an had only eaten a few mushrooms and hadn't even touched a grain of rice when the little boy suddenly took her bowl away. Instinctively, she looked at him with a pleading gaze.
The little boy shook his head, as if implying something with his words, "That's enough already."
Only then did Gu Yi'an belatedly realize that she no longer felt hungry.
Seeing the little boy clearing the table, the other players dared not eat any more and hurriedly stepped forward, offering to help him clean up.
In the end, the little boy and Gu Yi'an were left standing outside the group, watching the four players clumsily handle the chores.
The little boy glanced at the four, then suddenly reached out and held onto Gu Yi'an's arm. Tilting his head up slightly, he asked her curiously, "Sister Gu, are you all believers? Is that god really that good?"
Gu Yi'an was taken aback. Why was the little boy suddenly asking about the god?
She wasn't surprised that the little boy knew about the god.
His origins were mysterious, and he had likely overheard all the players' conversations. Knowing about the god was hardly strange.
Pondering the little boy's question, Gu Yi'an thought for a moment and replied, "We are not believers. But of course, the god is good. He is tolerant, just, merciful, powerful, and omnipotent. He is a god."
God had been watching them players all along, how dare she speak ill of Him?
Upon hearing this, the little boy’s eyes sparkled as he said, "Then I’ll believe in God."
Gu Yi’an hadn’t expected the boy to respond like that.
Believe in God?
Believe in that God who loved watching drama unfold?
Believe in that God who was absolutely, undeniably insane?
If she weren’t trapped in this game world, she would never have praised God even once.
Struggling internally, Gu Yi’an half-crouched down, bringing her eyes level with the boy’s.
She said earnestly, "You must believe in yourself."
Don’t trust some unreliable god!
"Only what you earn through your own efforts truly belongs to you. Believe in yourself, you can do it."
What others give, they can also take back. Only what is truly your own will never disappear. Rather than believing in some elusive god, it’s better to trust in yourself.
Hearing Gu Yi’an’s words, the little boy’s eyes shone even brighter.
"Sister Gu, I’m so happy. No one has ever said that to me before."
Gu Yi’an smiled. "Well, now you have me."
She stood up, but the little boy still held onto her hand.
This time, he tried to lift her hand.
He said, "Sister, I’ll tell you a secret. You can’t tell anyone else, okay?"
"Alright."
Gu Yi’an thought she had successfully triggered a plot event.
Then, she watched as the little boy traced a single character stroke by stroke onto her palm.
"Sister, this is my name. You’ll remember it, right?"
Those strokes formed a character in Gu Yi’an’s mind.
Ze.
"Yes, I’ll remember."
I’ll remember Xiao Ze.
That was Gu Yi’an’s promise.
"Really?"
Hearing her reply, the boy’s voice grew soft. "If Sister forgets, I’ll be sad."
Once you make a promise to God, you must not lie.