Chapter 1

Xiao Zhi threw himself onto the bed, his eyes lifeless as he stared at the ceiling, feeling a heavy oppression in his chest, making him extremely uncomfortable.

He had just broken up, after a serious six-month relationship that he thought would lead to a happy ending, but it ended without any result.

He was the one who was dumped, and the other party proposed the breakup very abruptly, leaving Xiao Zhi completely unprepared.

Xiao Zhi had tried to win her back, even putting aside his dignity to do so, humbling himself to the point of being insignificant, but the other party's attitude was very firm, leaving no room for reconciliation.

The reason given was that she no longer felt anything when they were together, that their relationship had run its course, and they owed each other nothing, wishing each other well.

Well? The other party might be able to move on, but Xiao Zhi only felt extremely distressed.

It had been three days since the breakup, and he still felt a heavy oppression in his heart, with a tightness in his chest.

He had put his heart into this relationship, but in today's world, the more one puts their heart into something, the more they often lose.

There was a popular saying online: "There is a type of guy who doesn't smoke, doesn't drink, isn't a playboy, and doesn't go clubbing. He has a good temper, responds to messages instantly, and can even give everything for a girl, doing whatever it takes. I used to think that such a guy would be very popular with girls, but now I realize that such a guy is the least cherished."

Xiao Zhi never thought that this saying would come true for him.

Xiao Zhi, male, 27 years old, 173 cm tall, with a rather handsome face, graduated from an ordinary university in Xia country, works as a professional writer, and earns 10,000 yuan a month.

Because his job is different from traditional jobs, offering more freedom in time and space, Xiao Zhi chose not to stay in a big city but returned to his hometown, a small county called Xicheng.

The former Xiao Zhi was a homebody; as long as he had a computer and a phone, he could stay at home, creating, reading novels, watching movies, and playing games, isolated from the world for a long time.

Until about a year ago, perhaps due to his growing age or the pressure from his parents and relatives, he became more aware and gradually developed the idea of finding a partner.

And his nightmare began from there.

Having had no romantic experience from childhood to adulthood, he was a typical straight man. He didn't know how to chat with girls, how to get along with them, what they liked, or how to understand their moods. Over the past year, he had only encountered rejection and embarrassment, with no success.

And the recent breakup had dealt him another heavy blow.

Xiao Zhi lay on the bed, doing nothing, and time quickly passed until the late afternoon.

"Son, come down for dinner," his father, Xiao Yi, called from downstairs.

"Coming," Xiao Zhi replied.

After lying in bed for about five more minutes, Xiao Zhi slowly got up and walked down the stairs to the second floor.

His family owned a small house in Xicheng, with four floors, each floor covering 50 square meters. Although not spacious, it was enough for their family to live in.

This house was built 20 years ago by his father when he was young. Back then, one could buy land and build such a house, but now, with the changed policies in Xia country, one can only buy apartments developed by real estate companies.

At the dinner table, his mother, Hu Lanzhi, looked at her son with concern: "Son, let it go. What's done is done. That girl has no ability, a bad temper, and is so proud. To be honest, I don't even like her. Missing such a girl is not worth it."

"That's right, your mother is correct. Let it go," his father added.

"I know, I've let it go. I'm not sad," Xiao Zhi said with a smile, looking relaxed.

Of course, this was an act. In front of his parents, Xiao Zhi always maintained a confident and optimistic appearance; he didn't want them to worry too much about him.

How could one forget and let go of a relationship that one had invested so much in?

Rationally, he knew he should forget everything and move on, but in reality, he couldn't help but think about the girl who had hurt him, and he couldn't help but feel distressed.

After dinner, as usual, Xiao Zhi accompanied his father for a walk. His father, who loved drinking, had high blood pressure, and for the past six months, if Xiao Zhi had nothing to do, he would take his father for a walk by the river after dinner.

Walking along the river in the small town, his father, Xiao Yi, gently patted his son's shoulder: "Son, you don't have to pretend in front of me. I know you're very upset. Let it go. Your mother is right; such a woman is not worth it. Our family's conditions are not bad, and you are not bad either. You will definitely find someone better in the future."

"Dad, I know," Xiao Zhi nodded. "I just need some time. With time, everything will be better."

His father, Xiao Yi, nodded and said no more.

After returning home, Xiao Zhi lay back on the bed. After lying there for half an hour, he slowly sat up and picked up his phone.

The most effective way to get over a relationship is to find something to do, to distract oneself and not have time to think too much.

Time is also the best medicine. As long as enough time passes, no matter how intense the emotions, they will eventually fade.

Xiao Zhi had three ways to pass the time: watching movies, reading novels, and playing games.

He watched a movie for a while but couldn't get into it. Watching the laughter and joy of the characters in the movie, Xiao Zhi felt a distance from them, with no emotional resonance.

He turned off the movie and read a novel. The novel he was following featured a powerful male protagonist who was loved by everyone, making flowers bloom and attracting countless beautiful women. Xiao Zhi used to enjoy reading it, but now it only made him more restless and troubled.

The gap between the novel and reality was too great.

Forget it, no more reading. Let's play a game instead.

Xiao Zhi hadn't played games for several months because she didn't like him playing games.

For her, he could compromise and change himself, but she never made any compromises or changes for him.

Thinking about it now, it was truly laughable.

He thought that by doing so, he might move her, but now he realized that he was only moving himself.

There were many games in the mobile game store, with at least tens of thousands of various types, making it overwhelming.

Among them, single-player games were a small part, while the majority were online games.

Xiao Zhi didn't have a particular preference for any type of game. Whether it was reading novels, watching movies, or playing games, he was a "miscellaneous" consumer.

As soon as he opened the app store on his phone, a top-recommended game caught his attention.

"Want to understand the true meaning of life? Want to live a colorful life? Welcome to the World of Beings!"