As the words slowly left Ye Ci's lips, Wang Jiangnan had the feeling that he was dreaming.
It was as if the cool and gentle female voice, tinted with a hint of indifference, was blown into his ears by chilly winds, tickling his eardrums with a tingling persistence. He was startled as he felt a gentle tug at his heartstrings.
He was utterly stunned. At that moment, time stopped for Wang Jiangnan. There was only him, and the girl standing in front of him.
"You…" it took quite a while before Wang Jiangnan regained his composure. He visibly gulped before slowly exhaling, "You… Are Gongzi You?"
The surprise was obvious in his soothing voice. He was utterly caught off guard and was overwhelmed. He stood silently. Even after the computer completed its start up, even with the bustling activity not far away, all his thoughts were focused on the girl wearing an aloof expression.
"Why? Is something wrong with me being Gongzi You?" Ye Ci was amused by Wang Jiangnan's dumbstruck expression. The Wang Jiangnan she remembered, was a humble person who had absolute confidence in himself. Has he ever shown this side of him? It would be her privilege as a reincarnator to witness the transformation of a young man into a legend.
"I h-had the impression that you're someone special, but I've never expected you to be Gongzi You." facing Ye Ci's smile, Wang Jiangnan was slightly embarrassed, and his face had even taken a slight shade of red, adding some fresh rosy tint to his youthful face.
Still in awe, Wang Jiangnan did not make fun of Ye Ci like he normally would. He was very quiet as he set up the character card for Ye Ci. "Y-you are different from what I've imagined." Wang Jiangnan grimaced.
His words piqued Ye Ci's interest, "Then how did you think I would look like?"
"When I first heard your voice, you were reporting a BUG. When we first met, you were helping us with fixing the BUG. I had the impression you're a matured and insightful person." Wang Jiangnan who was immersed in his own thoughts replied reflexively.
Matured? Ye Ci narrowed her eyes. If she take her age in her past life into account, she was indeed not young, "So do I look childish to you?"
"N-no" Wang Jiangnan himself could not understand the source of his nervousness. She was just a player. Just a player! Even if she was the one who gave him courage… Even if her words had guided him towards his aspirations… Even if his actions of tracking her in-game progress was already a norm for him… Even if she appeared in front of him without warning… She was still a player! You are a developer! Wang Jiangnan, you should remain composed! Why are you losing your calm?
Wang Jiangnan met Ye Ci's sharp gaze, took in a deep breath and calmed himself down. "You're much younger than I expected. You're even younger than I am!" he said with a smile.
Ye Ci offered him a smile. At that point, he was already done with her character card. After receiving the card from Wang Jiangnan, Ye Ci placed her index finger on her lips and said in a soft voice, "Shhh… Keep it a secret."
Wang Jiangnan was momentarily stunned. After eyeing the rest of the players, he immediately understood Ye Ci's words. He nodded and smiled at her, "Miss, you can log into the game with one of those machines over there." he nodded at Ye Ci once again and raised his voice, "You can activate your character cards here as well!"
Before Wang Jiangnan could finish his sentence, he was swallowed by a sea of players.
Ye Ci nodded and headed to a machine at the farthest corner. She climbed into the gaming cabin after plugging in her character card.
The sandbox mode of the game was very similar to the normal version of the game. However, with the high grade facilities in the Fate HQ, players were able to have a different gaming experience. They were still longing for more time in the game after the 1 hour was over.
The group had their lunch together with the Fate employees. The management had even set up a welcome party for the players, and took a group photo with the visiting players after their meal. Players and employees mingled together and took photos together, filling the dining hall with laughter and excitement.
Ye Ci, on the other hand, sat alone in a corner, silently watching the others, looking like she was unable to fit in. Moments like this were very awkward for Ye Ci, because she was not talkative and her social skills were horrible. She preferred to be far away from the crowd in situations like this, hoping that she could avoid attention.
"Why are you sitting here alone?" Wang Jiangnan sat beside Ye Ci with his food tray. He had made his way through the dining hall just to sit by her side so that he could have a conversation with her.
"This place offers a nice view." Ye Ci smiled as she observed the interaction between the World Conqueror players and the Fate employees.
Following Ye Ci's gaze, Wang Jiangnan caught a sight of the bustling scene and smiled, "Why not join them? Your best friend is there." Fang Susu was the one he mentioned. The girl had long abandoned her ladylike manner, and was having fun. She alone was able to fill the entire dining hall with joy.
"Everybody has their own shortcomings." Ye Ci lowered her gaze, and began eating silently. She acted as if the jovial atmosphere had nothing to do with her. Alas, in truth, she had nothing to do with it.
"I've always thought that the top-tier Huntress, the godlike player Gongzi You is omnipotent. It seems that there's something you're bad at as well." Wang Jiangnan chuckled, and began eating his meal as well.
"I'm just a normal person playing the game. I'm no god, so why can't I have something that I'm bad at?" Ye Ci pursed her lips, but she was not offended by Wang Jiangnan's words.
Wang Jiangnan did not respond to Ye Ci's words. He smiled, and spoke up after a long silence, "I want to thank you."
"Thank me?" Ye Ci was astonished, "For what?"
Wang Jiangnan did not immediately give Ye Ci his answer. He set down his spoon, looked Ye Ci right in her mesmerizing eyes, and and calmly articulated the following words:
"Give me 3 seconds, and I will bring you an entirely different world! I am Fate."
Ye Ci was stunned. She remembered those words. Wang Jiangnan said them, while using his Cleric character for the trailer of the second Fate expansion, "Another World.". It was exactly what Ye Ci told Wang Jiangnan when they met in game.
It was a catchphrase which Ye Ci had stolen from her previous life. But in her current life, she ended up being its creator. Fate is such a wonderful thing.
"What do you mean?" keeping her emotions in check, Ye Ci asked indifferently.
"Thank you, for showing me the way when I was lost and at my lowest point." Wang Jiangnan regarded Ye Ci with a serious expression.
"I am but a player. I did nothing." replied Ye Ci. The trailer was the brainchild of Wang Jiangnan in her previous life. It was the thoughts and aspirations of Wang Jiangnan himself, and had nothing to do with her. She only passed on his future inspirations to his current self, thus hastening a development that would still happen. Since she did not contribute to the idea, it was also not her place to take undeserved credit for it.
Sensing that Ye Ci would not accept his gratitude, Wang Jiangnan did not press the matter,
"I would also like to thank you for turning me into a normal player from just another developer testing out the game." he continued after noticing Ye Ci's curiosity, "I proposed what you said to the higher ups to get all the developers and Fate employees to play the game to experience the perspective of a player. The higher ups agreed to my proposal. I think I'm one step closer to my dreams."
"That is why…" Wang Jiangnan took in a deep breath , "I would like to thank you. Not as a developer, not as a player, but as someone with an aspiration thanking a kindred person."
A person with an aspiration.
Ye Ci was astonished. What exactly was her aspiration? She who was reincarnated… What goals and dreams does she have?
"A kindred person? Are you talking about me?"
"Yup. That's right. It's you, Gongzi You. Despite being at the top, and being the best of the best, you're the only person I've met to appreciate life to the fullest," Wang Jiangnan smiled, "You're always so serious and calculative. It's something the previous me was jealous about."
Ye Ci was dumbstruck. "What kind of metaphor was that? Being serious and calculative are signs that she was a person with aspirations?" that was totally something new and unheard of, despite her experience of living twice.
"Exactly! You have to be serious and calculative because you have aspirations!" despite his age, Wang Jiangnan had a unique view regarding life, and he was not stingy when it was his turn to share his standpoint with Ye Ci, "If one has no aspiration in life, one would have nothing to look forward to. Without that, how could someone be serious? And how could someone be calculative about every tiny aspect of life? The person would just be wasting time!"
It was a fresh idea for Ye Ci. She listened to Wang Jiangnan intently. Even if it offered no real benefit, those words were encouragement for Ye Ci. She was still lost and confused about her aspirations. Her seriousness in life however, was reminding her that she still had something to look forward to.
It was good enough.
Really, it was good enough.
To be able to start over, and achieve what she already did from the time she was reincarnated, she had done her best.