The urgency in Hua Jiang’s voice made all their hearts seize with anxiety.

He kept bringing up the key.

The key, the key! This manor was enormous — hundreds of rooms, floor after floor. How were they supposed to find one key?

Bai Youwei felt a creeping irritation. She had a feeling that something about Hua Jiang was off.

But as for what exactly the suspicion was, she couldn’t put it into words just yet.

If she had to name something…

It was probably his looks that unsettled her.

Hua Jiang clearly had the features of a European man — but somehow, inexplicably, she felt that he looked a bit like Shen Mo.

The same high bridge of the nose, the same deep-set eyes… Was it perhaps that all handsome men looked alike, feature by feature?

Hua Jiang pressed further: “There are several hundred rooms in this manor. You’ll need to split up to search, or there’s no way you’ll find the key before sunset.”

Time was indeed running short.

The women discussed it briefly and decided to go along with Hua Jiang’s suggestion for now — they would spread out and search.

Everyone agreed that the odds were slim — finding one small key in a place this vast felt next to hopeless — yet they had no choice but to try.

Hu Ya was in a foul mood as she ransacked a room, throwing things about haphazardly.

The room was lined with clocks of every kind, each one a masterwork of artistry. She had absolutely no patience to admire them — she shoved and rummaged through everything without care, searching for the gate key Hua Jiang had mentioned.

“Did you find the key?”

At some point, the handsome-faced Hua Jiang had slipped into the room. He looked at her with genuine concern. “If you’re tired, please take a short rest.”

Hu Ya answered irritably, “No. This place is too enormous — just searching one room takes forever. How could anyone search every room?!”

After venting for a moment, she suddenly caught herself — she was complaining to an NPC. It felt absurd. She closed her mouth and said no more.

But unexpectedly, Hua Jiang picked up the thread and kept talking.

“As long as you keep looking, you’ll find it.” He offered her kind-hearted reassurance, his tone gentle. “You still have a chance to get out of here — but I can only ever stay. When you think of it that way, doesn’t that make you feel a little better?”

Hu Ya looked up at him, startled.

He was an NPC — of course he couldn’t leave the game. But… an NPC with this much humanity to him?

She must have stared too long, because Hua Jiang smiled and said, “Please don’t look at me like that — being stared at by such a charming young lady makes me blush.”

A faint heat crept into Hu Ya’s cheeks. No boy had ever said anything so flattering to her before. It was genuinely embarrassing… even if it was an NPC saying it.

“Charming, right…” she muttered under her breath. “All just pretty words to flatter people.”

“It’s what I truly think.” Hua Jiang smiled with quiet warmth. “You look very charming when you’re being serious.”

Hu Ya went still. She looked at Hua Jiang again, and something in her expression slowly began to shift…

“What’s the matter?” Hua Jiang asked softly.

“N — nothing.” Hu Ya gave an awkward little laugh and looked away. “It’s just… ever since a moment ago, I’ve had this feeling that you look like someone I know…”

Hua Jiang asked, “Is that so? Who do I look like?”

Hu Ya thought of the past. As she idly continued her search, she said, “Like a senior from my school. He… was very good-looking, and did very well in his studies. He once said something similar to you — that I looked charming when I was being serious…”

Hu Ya stopped mid-sentence, her expression becoming distant.

She had never been popular with the boys in her class. They mocked her — said she was built like a tank, said she was too aggressive, said she was too loud, said her clothes were out of style. They gave her all kinds of nicknames.

Only that senior had ever been gentle with her.

She wondered what he was doing now…

“Ah, I see. No wonder I felt a sense of closeness when I first saw you.” Hua Jiang smiled and said, “It must be the system’s projection at work.”

Hu Ya was slightly taken aback. She looked at him and asked, “You mean… whoever I’m thinking of can somehow influence you?”

“Perhaps a little.” Hua Jiang moved closer to her, gazing at her tenderly. “Which means it sensed your longing — and your pain.”

Hu Ya’s eyes reddened, and she asked softly, “…Are you him? My senior?”

“I am not him — but I will help you the way he would have.”

Hua Jiang reached out and gently took her hand.

—