...
It was as though a spark had gone off in Qiu Yunru's brain, igniting a feeling that shot through his whole body from his chest out to his fingers and toes. His eyes bulged in his head, and his heart stuttered.
"Are you...?" He stammered hoarsely. He could feel blood rushing in his ears. He wasn't stupid. If this person knew about instant ramen..."Do you know about Spring Blossoms, Autumn Fruits?"
Liao Li suddenly slumped against the tree. His handsome face held a bewildered expression. He murmured, as though to himself: "I didn't know it was possible...I thought I was the only one..." Looking up at Qiu Yunru, he suddenly seemed awkward. "...So, you're from my world. I assume you were a player of the game?"
Qiu Yunru nodded slowly, awed.
It was like the plot of an isekai anime, or a transmigration webtoon! Character thinks they're the one one who transmigrated, braving the world alone as the only one with memories of their life, only to stumble upon another person who has also thought the same! What an event!
He could feel two emotions bubbling up inside of his stomach:
One was an immense sense of joy and relief. After all of this time speaking in such formal, esoteric language, never referencing any of his favorite shows or games, and keeping all of his memories to himself, here was finally a person who could commiserate with him!
The other emotion was more complex. He couldn't help but feel a little awkward.
All this time, despite every hardship and near-death experience, he had to say that he felt he had done a very good job, and thus was quite enjoying himself. He'd trained hard, adapted to the culture, and knew all the mechanics well. He'd created a strong reputation for himself as a cultivator and a noble young master.
However, in front of someone else from his world...he couldn't help but feel...
Like he was sitting here naked!
After all, in his old life, hadn't he been a complete nobody? He had no particular skills, and wasn't exactly the most sociable person, keeping to himself in his room or at PC cafe's most often. He studied hard, but he was certainly the "nerd" type--someone who had received bullying all his life for not being able to establish an admirable reputation. What's more, he had been chronically ill. This was a huge reason he had kept to himself--knowing that his parents found it disappointing and irritating, and that generally, people found it difficult to keep relationships with people who often had to cancel plans due to pain, he had figured life would be easier alone.
It was indeed true that these were also reasons why he still wished to live a solitary immortal life in this world. After all, it was what he knew, and therefore what he felt most comfortable with. Might he benefit from living with some friends? Maybe.
Stop therapizing me! Qiu Yunru snapped at himself mentally. That's enough! Whether I live alone or with someone else, I'll be just fine! Plus, it isn't the time for this!
Aloud, he said:
"I assume you're also Chinese? Where did you live in your last life?"
"My last life?" Liao Li raised an eyebrow, then frowned. "I'm fairly sure my body's still alive in our world. I've confirmed it. Is your body dead?"
Qiu Yunru's eyes almost rolled out of their sockets with shock. "Still alive?! How did you confirm that? I--when I ended up here, I had fallen down a flight of stairs and hit my head, so I assumed--"
Liao Li sighed. "Yeah, I guess that's usually how it goes with this kind of trope. You die, and your soul jumps to another world. I found out my body's in a coma. I, ah..." He rubbed the back of his neck, seeming embarrassed. "I choked on some instant ramen. You know, the most basic way to go. Anyways, since you asked, I lived in Liaoning when I was sent here."
Qiu Yunru's head felt as though it was spinning on a stick endlessly, to the point of words making little sense.
"Holy shit. I lived in Liaoning, too! But--how the hell did you find that out? That you body is alive, I mean! I haven't looked, but I assumed there was no way of communicating with that world!"
Liao Li eyed him sideways, seeming to consider something. He sighed, shaking his head. "I did a little research. I'm afraid I probably can't help you find out about your body. But, ah...I know a bit of coding."
"How can one use coding to communicate between worlds?! There's no coding mechanisms in my game menu...is yours different?"
Liao Li coughed. "It's...complicated. And difficult. I don't know if I should talk about it too much"
Qiu Yunru opened his mouth, then closed it. Clearly, this guy didn't want to talk about it much. He couldn't help but feel a bit of anger and desperate frustration bubbling up in his gut. If it had been traumatic, he understood not wanting to talk about it to an extent--but wasn't this extremely valuable and helpful information? Couldn't he help another person from his world out just a little? Did this mean it was possible for Qiu Yunru to communicate with the outside world, too? What if his body was still alive?
A burst of melancholy suddenly punched him in the gut, and his thoughts slowed.
What was he thinking?
In the end, he didn't really want to go back, did he?
His knee-jerk reaction had been excitement and desperation. However...
What was there in that past life that he'd really want?