"In today's era, cancer is no longer a 100% fatal disease. We have advanced technology and a mature medical team. As long as you have insurance, a supportive family, or even just yourself…"
Chen Huaian turned off the TV and smiled bitterly, "But I have nothing."
The critical illness notice came the day before yesterday, his girlfriend left him yesterday, and today, he's completely broken.
He was just a freshman in college. His parents were forest rangers who died in a forest fire a few years ago, leaving nothing behind but a modest compensation.
Over the years, Chen Huaian had moved on from his parents' death and chose to face life positively. With the compensation, frugal living, and part-time jobs, he could make it through college without much trouble.
His grades were decent—he got into a decent university, and it was said that graduates were guaranteed jobs. He thought that even if the salary was low, he could at least survive. But then, two days ago, he went to the hospital to check on his frequently painful ankle and was diagnosed with mid-stage cancer.
Knowing he couldn't afford treatment, Chen Huaian simply left school and rented a place near the city's wetland park for a year, planning to spend the rest of his life there. As for what would happen when the rent ran out?
Well, he didn't think he'd live that long.
He checked his bank account balance on his phone—there was still a little over 30,000 yuan left.
"Food costs at most 500 to 600 yuan a month. Including other miscellaneous daily expenses, let's say 1,000 yuan. In a year, I'll still have at least 20,000 yuan left." Chen Huaian stared at the balance, lost in thought. These past few years had been tough. While other students were traveling, he was working part-time. While others were playing games, he was working part-time. While others were dating… his girlfriend was cheating on him.
From now on, he decided to live for himself.
Play some games, catch up on the TV shows he'd saved over the years, and if his health allowed, maybe even visit the beach.
**[Installation Complete]**
**[Come and claim your virtual girlfriend!]**
Normally, when such ads popped up on his phone, Chen Huaian's first reaction was to ignore or swipe them away.
But today, his finger paused.
Returning to the home screen, he noticed a new app icon—a chibi-style ancient figure.
It looked like a girl, dressed in green robes with a sword on her back, her sleeves fluttering in the wind.
"A game that installed itself? Could it be some kind of virus or something…"
In the past, he would've deleted it immediately and run a scan with his phone's security app. But today, he was curious to see what these virus-like apps were all about.
Now, he had nothing to lose. He was terminally ill, and with nothing to fear, he decided to give it a try. After all, he'd been so busy with work and school that he'd never really played any games before.
He tapped on the app, and the screen went black, followed by a pop-up message:
**[This game is only for players aged 18 and above. Starting the game will bind your identity, and your account cannot be deleted or transferred. By starting the game, you agree to the above terms.]**
"Oh ho, so you know these are (unfair terms)?"
Chen Huaian smirked helplessly and clicked "Start Game."
He was now 100% sure this was some kind of virus.
So, what would it do? Steal his identity? Chat logs? If the app's creator found out he was a broke, mid-stage cancer patient, would they uninstall the app themselves?
**[Please choose your virtual girlfriend!]**
The game's visuals were surprisingly polished.
The app looked like a chibi-style ancient game, but once inside, it was highly realistic.
Before him were over a dozen "virtual girlfriends" to choose from, each with basic information displayed. For example, the one currently on the selection screen was:
**[Yakuza Princess: Kiriko Kushima]**
**[Age: 22, Height: 158cm, Measurements: 89, 55, 86]**
From the Live2D model, this character was curvaceous, her figure barely concealed by her kimono. She had a sweet face and the identity of a yakuza princess—a combination that would probably appeal to many men.
But she was blonde and Japanese, which didn't interest Chen Huaian.
After looking at a few more characters, he noticed they came from different eras and even different worlds, some not even on Earth. It was wildly imaginative—there was even a transforming robot girl!
Finally, Chen Huaian's gaze settled on a girl in green robes.
**[Qingyun Sect Female Disciple: Li Qingran]**
**[Age: 19, Height: 169cm, Measurements: 90, 60, 91]**
Li Qingran seemed to be the chibi character from the app icon, but now she looked more three-dimensional. Her skin was pale, her features delicate, and her long black hair cascaded down her back. Dressed in green robes with a sword on her back, she looked like a figure straight out of a painting. What struck Chen Huaian the most were her eyes—cold, blank, with a hint of fragility and emptiness, as if she were looking right at him through the screen.
"Wow… this small workshop really went all out, huh?"
He began to doubt whether this was really a virus.
Would a virus be this detailed? Are they trying to get a PhD or something?!
Alright, you're the one.
**[Are you sure you want to choose 'Li Qingran' as your virtual girlfriend?]**
**[Note: Once chosen, this cannot be changed!]**
**[If your virtual girlfriend dies, you cannot revive her. She will disappear forever!]**
"So serious?" Chen Huaian frowned, realizing this was probably the game developer's intention.
He could already predict how this game would try to squeeze money out of him.
In the past, he would've stopped right there. But today, he clicked "Confirm" without hesitation.
**[You have 132 days left to live.]**
A message flashed by.
The screen expanded.
Chen Huaian expected the game to open with a low-quality scene set in a beginner's village in a fantasy world, followed by endless auto-pathing, quests, equipment, mounts, and dungeon runs—the usual套路 (routine) of cheap mobile games.
But that wasn't the case.
The scene was a leaky thatched hut, the only thing resembling a bed being a straw mat soaked by rainwater.
A girl in tattered clothes huddled in the corner, hugging her knees. Her hair, tangled like weeds, covered her face, obscuring her features. Her exposed arms and legs were bruised and cut, with a centipede-like gash standing out starkly against her pale skin.
"Is this Li Qingran?" Chen Huaian was stunned.
He noticed a broken sword near the straw mat—the same one Li Qingran had been holding in the character selection screen.
**['Li Qingran' is starving and freezing, her body growing weaker.]**
**['Li Qingran' is suffering from fire poison, enduring excruciating pain.]**
**['Li Qingran' has half an hour left to live.]**
As these three messages popped up, the girl in the corner let out a pained groan.
She raised her head slightly, revealing those same empty, numb eyes and pale lips.
Even with only half her face visible, Chen Huaian recognized her as the character he'd chosen.
"What do I do?"
A sense of urgency suddenly welled up in Chen Huaian's heart.
The game character's expressions and voice were so realistic, even the wounds looked disturbingly lifelike. He couldn't help but feel that if he didn't do something, once the countdown in the top right corner ended, this girl would really die.
Just then, a prompt popped up:
[Ding! First recharge of 6 yuan limited-time offer: Receive a house renovation package, giving your virtual girlfriend a comfortable home!]