Dragon Horizon HQ - Sky Pillar Tower


    (Three Days Later)


    The lobby’s polished marble reflected my haggard face like a judgmental mirror. Forty elevator banks hummed behind the reception desk where a woman with a corporate smile sharper than Nightshade’s horns asked, “May I help you?”


    “I need to see CEO Liu Hui.”


    Her manicured nail tapped her tablet. “Mr. Liu is abroad.”


    “Executive Assistant Yang Kun?”


    “Also traveling.”


    I gripped the counter. “Who’s actually on the 170th floor right now?”


    “Sir, unless you have—”


    “Xiao Lin!” Aunt Yunya’s voice cut through the tension like a plasma blade. The crowd of Armani-clad executives trailing her parted as she strode over, Chanel No. 5 preceding her like a declaration. “Shouldn’t you be in class?”


    “I need your help. Urgently.”


    Her sharp eyes caught my trembling hands. To the receptionist: “Cancel my 2 PM summit.”


    <hr>


    Executive Suite 178


    (Soundproofed)


    I collapsed into a chair shaped like frozen mercury. “Swear you won’t tell Mom.”


    Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    Aunt Yunya activated the room’s privacy field, glass walls frosting over. “My lips are sealed.”


    “There’s… someone. In-game. We—”


    “Oh?” She leaned forward, CEO poise crumbling into gossipy gleam. “Name? Age? How’d you meet? Is she—”


    “Auntie.” I threw up my hands. “Her avatar’s CrimsonRose. We fought eldritch horrors together. Then…” The confession tumbled out – the confession, the glitchy disconnect, three days of radio silence.


    Her amusement faded. “Sudden logoffs only happen with neural shocks. Either her helmet malfunctioned…”


    “Or someone ripped it off her head,” I finished coldly.


    “Unlikely. Campus security protocols would’ve—”


    “What if she’s not at a university?” The dread I’d buried surfaced. “What if ‘Chu Rong’ was another lie?”


    Aunt Yunya’s comms beeped. My mother’s hologram materialized mid-air before I could protest.


    “Linlin! Are you hurt? Who bullied you?” Mom’s avatar flickered with maternal panic.


    “He’s fine,” Aunt Yunya purred. “Just… romantically inconvenienced.”


    <hr>


    Family Intervention


    (Two Hours Later)


    Father’s private VTOL scorched the rooftop pad at 18:03. He stormed in clutching a briefcase of classified mergers. “Where is she? What family? I’ll acquire their stock, their real estate—”


    “Bǎbà!” I groaned. “This isn’t a hostile takeover!”


    Mother slapped a holo-dossier on the table. “Phase One: Yunya’s team traces her IP. Phase Two: You’ll master courtship tactics.” She projected a slideshow titled Modern Chivalry: From First Date to Shareholder Marriage.


    Father nodded sagely. “Phase Three: My security detail stages ‘chance encounters’. Carjackings. Café fires. You’ll look heroic!”


    “That’s deranged!”


    “Your mother fell for me during a corporate espionage counter-op,” Father countered.


    Aunt Yunya smirked. “Romance blooms in chaos. Now—” Her comms flashed crimson. “Trace completed. CrimsonRose’s last login…” She palmed the projection.


    The ID glowed:


    Real Name Verification: Lín Ruòxuě


    Location: Shanghai New Hope Neurological Institute


    The room plunged into glacial silence.