Wen Zhu occasionally looked up at Xi Rui's room upstairs, her eyes filled with worry.
Xi Guangshan was worried as well. After a few moments of looking up, he said to Wen Zhu, "You go upstairs and take a look. How long has it been since this happened. If this continues, his body would certainly collapse."
"I've tried speaking to him multiple times, but he refused to listen and even ignored me." Wen Zhu said helplessly.
"Then drag him down; you can't let him continue on like this; it's fine if he doesn't go to the company for now, but he must take a break right away. Have you heard on the news that young people are dying because of lack of sleep?" Xi Guangshan knew he couldn't keep letting it go because Xi Rui's body would be completely overwhelmed.
Wen Zhu got even more concerned after hearing this. She stood up and went upstairs after giving a nod.
Wen Zhu pushed open the door of Xi Rui's room and walked over beside Xi Rui's desk. Wen Zhu couldn't tell with his haggard and unkempt appearance these days.
"Son, let's take a break, get some rest, and eat something first before playing again." Wen Zhu said softly.
Xi Rui's gaze was locked on the computer screen and he showed no response to Wen Zhu's words, as if he hadn't heard them at all.
"Son, your mom is talking to you." Wen Zhu decided that no matter what happened today, she must make Xi Rui sleep and rest. She reached out and placed her hand on Xi Rui's hand that holding the mouse.
When Xi Rui felt his hand couldn't move any longer, he threw his hand down and shoved Wen Zhu away with force. Wen Zhu was unable to maintain her balance and fell to the ground.
Although Wen Zhu fell down, it didn't hurt much because there was carpet on the ground, but she couldn't react when she realized that her son had pushed her. Wen Zhu's heart was a little hurt.
She stood up, held Xi Rui's face in her hands, sadly looked at Xi Rui, and said, "Son, can you look at your mother instead of the computer? Look in the mirror and see what you've become! Your body won't be able to cope if this continues! Listen to your mother, go to bed first, OK?"
Because the game was at a crucial point and there was nothing else on his mind but the game, Xi Rui's eyes were devoid of emotion. He subconsciously waved strongly and coincidentally hit Wen Zhu's hand, causing a loud noise and turning Wen Zhu's arm red.
Wen Zhu touched her red, aching arm and saw Xi Rui as if he hadn't noticed her, which made her even sadder.
After Xi Rui slap Wen Zhu's hand, he instantly looked at the computer, only to discover that because Wen Zhu had been holding his face just now, the mission he's trying to succeed had failed yet again.
Xi Rui was angry every time it failed, and this time it could only be defined as wrath. He got up, swept everything off the desk to the ground, and yelled at Wen Zhu with a furious face. "I told you to leave me alone! Leave me alone! It's all because of you! I've failed again! Get the hell out of here! Get out!"
"Son, please calm down and listen to me..., ah!" Wen Zhu tried to stop him, but he pushed her again, and she collapsed to the ground with a limp. She glanced at Xi Rui in bewilderment and felt that the person in front of her, who appeared to be possessed by the devil, was no longer her son. It was impossible for her son to treat her in this manner.
Xi Rui was losing control of his escalating rage. He gathered everything he could and smashed it against the wall. He screamed furiously as he smashed them, "Why don't you leave? Why are you bothering me? Get out! Did you hear?! Get out! Ah!!!"
"Ah!" Wen Zhu was hit by the things that rebounded back from the wall as she lay on the ground. She cried out in pain, "Help! Help!!"
Wen Zhu didn't close the door properly when he entered Xi Rui's room, so Xi Guangshan and the housekeepers downstairs heard her scream and ran up to check.
Xi Guangshan and the helpers ran inside the room together, seeing chaos all over the room. They were all stunned as they were so surprised.
"Guang.. Guangshan, help me, help me!" Wen Zhu saw Xi Guangshan and quickly sought his help.
Xi Guangshan came back to his senses and shouted, "Xi Rui, stop!"
Xi Guangshan and the helpers dashed over. The helpers was holding Xi Rui, who was still smashing objects. Xi Guangshan knelt to help Wen Zhu. "Are you OK?" he worriedly asked.
"It hurts, my body hurts," Wen Zhu was in tears. She was hit by something thrown against the wall by Xi Rui. It was excruciatingly painful, but her heart was even more so. She had never expected her son to treat her in this manner. She was very sad.
"Let go of me! Let go of me!" Xi Rui struggled uncontrollably; he was disoriented and had no idea what he was doing. It was just instinct, and he couldn't control himself.
"Xi Rui!" Xi Guangshan approached Xi Rui and grabbed his head, "Look at me, do you see what you've done? Do you realize you hit your mother?! Look at me!!"
"Get out! Get out of here!!" Xi Rui let out a sorrowful scream before putting up a struggle.
"Xi Rui! Xi Rui!" After a few yells, Xi Guangshan realized that Xi Rui's mental state was strange. He told the helper who was standing at the door, "What are you doing in trance? Hurry up and call the doctor and the ambulance!"
The helper rushed out to contact the hospital. Xi Guangshan and the other two helpers pressed Xi Rui to the bed and wrapped him in a quilt, preventing him from struggling.
Wen Zhu was lying on the ground when he noticed that Xi Rui's mentality was clearly abnormal. She was heartbroken and terrified, all she could do was cry. Xi Rui was her lifeline. How will she survive if something happens to him?
When the doctor arrived, he injected a sedative to Xi Rui before loading him and Wen Zhu into an ambulance and transporting them away.
Xi Rui and Wen Zhu had fallen asleep during the infusion when Du Jie arrived at the hospital. Only Xi Guangshan sat by the bed by himself. Du Jie felt like he was taken back in time when he saw this scene, but the person sitting by the bed had changed from Wen Zhu to Xi Guangshan.
"Dad." Du Jie spoke in hushed tones.
Xi Guangshan saw him and stood up, motioning for him to step out.
The two sat outside on a bench, and Du Jie asked, "How's Mom and Xi Rui? Are you all right? Why are you back in the hospital?"
Xi Guangshan sighed deeply, then clenched his fist and said angrily, "It's all because of that game! It drove Xi Rui nuts, thus he accidently injured his mother. After he wakes up, we'll know if his mind has stabilized or not."
"Did Xi Rui do something to mom?" Du Jie asked, surprised, "Because of game "Conquer the Galaxy"?"
"What the hell is going on with that game?" said Xi Guangshan. "It can't be only Xi Rui. Has there been any news that other people have developed mental illnesses as a result of playing that game?"
Du Jie hesitated before answering, "Our company has always paid great attention to that game, as well as the players' evaluations and reactions. The player rating for it is really high, even greater than any other game. No one else is in Xi Rui's condition. If there is, the Internet has advanced to the point where they will be unable to hide it even if they have the ability to reach the sky."
Du Jie was well aware that there were a large number of players in this game.
"Yet, why does Xi Rui appear to be inseparable from that game? He isn't eating, drinking, or sleeping. His mother begs for him to stop playing and rest. He seems to be going insane!" Xi Guangshan anxiously asked. How could the couple live in the future if his only son, whom he cherished, went insane because of a game?
"This… I'm not sure why this is happening either." Du Jie was puzzled as well. His company also had people play the game specifically in order to understand it. Despite the fact that they all agreed that the game was well-made and addictive, a circumstance similar to Xi Rui had never occurred.
The reason Xi Rui went insane was not due to the game itself, but to memories in his head. Even the doctor couldn't figure out what was causing the problem, let alone them.
Xi Guangshan sighed again, knowing he wouldn't get an answer from Du Jie, so he could only ask something else, "How is our company game?"
"...It has entered the final packing and testing stage very smoothly." Du Jie did not tell the truth. Because Xi Rui has always demanded that their games be better than "Conquer the Galaxy" in every aspect, the team members lacked tacit understanding and frequently disagreed with one another, there were numerous technical issues during the closed beta, and even the closed beta could not be completed for the time being.
Xi Guangshan said with a nod, "Xi Rui may be unable to attend work for the time being, therefore you should work harder and help him with his work. I'll let him go to the company as soon as he feels better. You must try your best for the game, and then we can compare it to the game created by Xi Le and Weiyu."
Even though Xi Guangshan didn't handle about most of company's issues, he does know what he needs to know. Their company put a lot of money on this game, and they couldn't afford to lose money; otherwise, the company would most certainly go bankrupt. This was also the company's first game after Xi Rui took over as president. It had to be better than it was while Xi Le was president, so that other shareholders would continue to support Xi Rui.
"I understand." Du Jie said. In fact, he was really worried, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and promise.
The number of players in "Conquer the Galaxy" continued to rise, and the players' response had been overwhelmingly positive. It was fair to say that it was a huge success and that it went well beyond their expectations. He Lang called a meeting for all the company executives at the hotel to conduct a celebratory feast.
Jing Yang, as the greatest hero, of course also there. Since the people on the team were already familiar with him, and those who wish to join their team were trying to get close to him, there were a lot of people who come to toast with him.
He Lang was standing and speaking with several executives, occasionally looking over at Jing Yang. At first, it was OK, but Jing Yang never turned down anyone. He drank every toast. He kept drinking more and more. He Lang couldn't stand still any longer and walked over to Jing Yang.
"How much alcohol have you consumed? Blushing like this?" He Lang said, looking at Jing Yang's face flushed and as soft as a peach.
"I haven't drunk much, but I'm drinking well," Jing Yang replied, touching his heated face. His face just easily turned red, he was actually still sober now.
He Lang took the wine glass in his hand and placed it on the long table next to it, then said, "Let's go, I'll take you back."
"Do you want to go back at this time? The banquet has just begun," Jing Yang said, thinking it would be disrespectful to go too early.
"You've already drank a lot; do you want to stay and drink more?" He Lang didn't want other people to see Jing Yang's attractive appearance, so he grabbed his hand and walked out. "Let's go."
Banquets were not something Jing Yang was particularly fond of, he simply thought that leaving too early was impolite. He really thinks that he didn't drink that much. But, because He Lang wanted to take him away, then he could relax earlier, which he couldn't have asked for. It just so happened that he disliked banquets as well.
Jing Yang was sitting in He Lang's car. His mind was clear, and they just sat without saying anything. Because he was relaxed, the alcohol's influence was quickly apparent. His mind began to drift off, and he eventually fell asleep.
He Lang got out of the car and took Jing Yang with him. Jing Yang shifted into a comfortable position. He didn't want to open his eyes or move on his own, so he leaned on He Lang's shoulder and continued to sleep.
He Lang helped Jing Yang into bed and undressed him so he could sleep more soundly. Jing Yang rolled over, hugging the blanket, and was about to nod off. He Lang also undressed and went to bed with Jing Yang, hugging him from behind and sleeping with him.
Jing Yang, who was not entirely sleeping, felt as if he was being hugged, but since He Lang often stayed to sleep, he didn't mind and continued to sleep.
Jing Yang had fallen asleep and suddenly felt hot in the middle of the night, causing him to want to push off the blanket to cool off, but he felt restricted and unable to lift the blanket.
Jing Yang turned around, annoyed, but he felt the familiar breath next to him, so he just reached out his hand to hug.
So Jing Yang had a dream in which he was walking through the desert with a stove, becoming increasingly hot and thirsty. He continued walking, but he couldn't get out of the desert, and he felt as if he were on fire.
(T/N : In case anyone is wondering what's going on: Yes, they did it.)
Jing Yang awoke a little from his dream, but his brain was still asleep, and he gradually slipped into a trance. Despite his discomfort with the heat, he never opened his eyes, merely groaning protests occasionally.
He Lang hugged Jing Yang. This was a very happy moment for him. He was able to hold the person who is the meaning of his life in his arms. There is no other thing that makes his life more wonderful than this.