Wife, Your Secret Identity Is Exposed - Chapter 1

After days of relentless rain in Xingcheng, the sun finally made an appearance today. Every household threw open their windows to let the sunlight flood in, hoping to drive away the lingering dampness unique to the South.

Song Tiantian’s room was the sole exception. Her windows were tightly shut, and heavy curtains blocked out every sliver of light. As she pounded away at her keyboard, she had no idea whether it was day or night outside.

Glowing on her monitor was her latest acquisition: a web game titled Seeking Dreams for Three Lifetimes.

To Song Tiantian, whether a game was actually “good” didn’t matter much. What mattered was whether the people she played with were interesting.

As a hardcore shut-in, Song Tiantian had very few close friends in real life. The few she did have had gradually drifted away after she repeatedly refused to leave her house for any social outings.

Song Tiantian wasn’t entirely heartless about it, but after being sad for a few hours, she would quickly find new friends in a game and happily spend the entire night “grinding.”

Over the years, online friends came and went. Some deleted their accounts without a word, others quit the game claiming they needed to spend time with family. Song Tiantian’s heart had long since grown numb to it. Words of blessing and “take care” rolled off her tongue easily, and she would forget an all-night friendship as soon as she turned her head.

However, there was truly only one person who remained a persistent itch in her heart, making her toss and turn at night.

It happened three or four years ago, back when Song Tiantian was a freshman in college, her very first experience playing a video game.

At that time, the famous gaming company Starry Bridge Tech had released a post-apocalyptic survival game called The Escape.

Song Tiantian’s high school workload had been heavy, and her parents kept a strict eye on her. She barely touched a cell phone, let alone online games, she hadn’t even had the chance to play Tetris. Now that she was finally free, she was determined to indulge.

Upon its release, The Escape received rave reviews, though many complained that the game was quite difficult for beginners and suggested finding a veteran to lead the way.

Worried she wouldn’t understand how to play, Song Tiantian immediately posted on the game forum looking for a “pro.”

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Hello everyone! Super new newbie here. I’ve never played any games before. I heard The Escape is fun, but it’s not suitable for beginners like me. Is there a pro who can carry me? Thanks, thanks, a million thanks!

After the post went up, besides a few kind souls “bumping” the thread, no pros replied. Soon, her post began to sink into obscurity.

After an hour of disappointment, Song Tiantian sighed and prepared to go it alone. Unexpectedly, the post suddenly got a notification.

[Yan Yu]: Hello, Song Falling on Green Mountain. I’ve only been playing this game for three days. While I’m not exactly a pro, I have a decent understanding of the game. If you’re willing, you can add my game ID: Yan Yu. We can play together.

[Yan Yu]: By the way, I’m in District 3.

Even though the other person wasn’t a pro just another new player, it was good enough for Song Tiantian. Anything was better than going solo.

After logging into the game, Song Tiantian impatiently added the friend. The moment the request was accepted, the other person immediately sent a message inviting her to meet in the City Center.

Song Tiantian was actually a bit dazed. She searched the map for ages but couldn’t find where the City Center was, so she had to ask for help.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Where is the City Center? I can’t find it.

[Yan Yu]: Open the map in the top right corner and look for the star icon. That’s the entrance to the City Center.

After finding the entrance, the screen cut instantly to a new scene. Relaxing background music began to play, but Song Tiantian felt even more lost.

The scene was filled not only with high-definition street views but also countless player characters running back and forth. Each player had a long string of a nickname over their head, making Song Tiantian’s eyes spin.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Which one is you? Why can’t I find you?

Song Tiantian spun her character around in circles, desperately trying to find a player with the ID “Yan Yu,” but she couldn’t distinguish anyone.

That feeling of being lost and anxious, mixed with the excitement of playing a game for the first time, no matter how much time passed, Song Tiantian could still remember it vividly.

But the experience that truly etched itself into her memory, the one that gave her a shock to the heart, a feeling she never had again in any other game over the years, was her first meeting with Yan Yu.

[Yan Yu]: I can’t find you either. Try jumping.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: How do I jump? Where do I jump? I don’t know how…

[Yan Yu]: Hover your mouse over your character. A light circle will appear. Click it, and there are many character emotes/poses.

Following Yan Yu’s instructions, Song Tiantian quickly started hopping. She jumped happily amidst the crowd, leaping over the heads of one player after another, then jumping back.

[Song Tiantian]: Do you see me? Do you see me?

[Yan Yu]: I see you. I’m right next to you.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Where are you? Why don’t I see you?

Song Tiantian kept jumping while squinting at the IDs of nearby players, yet she still couldn’t find Yan Yu.

[Yan Yu]: Turn around.

Song Tiantian struggled to rotate her character. As she turned, she lost control of her steps and bumped directly into a player character behind her. She hastily took a step back to get a clear look.

It was an exquisite, delicate face, exuding an indescribable aura of aloofness. Despite having the same long hair as her own character, on this person, it looked ethereal and otherworldly.

From top to bottom, the character radiated a vibe of “I am very powerful.”

If she hadn’t known the other person was also a newbie, Song Tiantian would have mistaken them for a top-tier pro.

[Yan Yu]: Why did you stop moving? Did you lag out?

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: I’m here, I’m here!

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Your face customization is amazing! You look so much better than everyone around us. Did you spend money on it?

[Yan Yu]: No, I just made it randomly.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Ohh, I see.

[Yan Yu]: Mm.

[Yan Yu]: Follow me. Let’s go do the newbie quests.

After sending the message, Yan Yu ran forward. Song Tiantian, being clumsy, lost track of her instantly.

She looked around blankly, just about to message Yan Yu to wait for her, when she turned her head and saw Yan Yu standing quietly right in front of her.

It was that same exquisite face, that same ethereal and cold aura. Just by standing there, she looked different from all the other players.

Song Tiantian couldn’t help but feel a stir in her heart as she hurriedly followed.

This time, Yan Yu slowed down, running for a bit then stopping to look back and see if Song Tiantian was keeping up.

They eventually stopped in front of a bank, and Yan Yu gestured for her to go inside.

Song Tiantian entered the bank alone and, following the screen prompts, struggled through the newbie quest.

While doing the quest, her mind was entirely on Yan Yu. She worried that because she was so slow and clumsy, Yan Yu might lose patience and log off.

When she finally emerged from the bank, Yan Yu was actually still standing there, motionless.

Song Tiantian was overjoyed. She quickly opened the character menu and performed a “heart” emote toward Yan Yu.

[Yan Yu]: Let’s go. To the next quest point.

Under Yan Yu’s guidance, Song Tiantian soon completed most of the newbie quests. She gradually mastered character movement and could keep up with Yan Yu’s pace.

[Yan Yu]: Go to the base. Build a house.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Where is the base?

[Yan Yu]: Get in my car. We’ll go together.

Song Tiantian was thrilled to see Yan Yu seemingly materialize a car out of thin air. However, no matter how she tried, she couldn’t get into the vehicle. She scratched her head in frustration.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: I can’t get in the car! Waaaaah.

[Yan Yu]: I don’t know why you can’t get in either. Take the direct route then.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: What direct route? I can’t find it! Waaaaah.

[Song Falling on Green Mountain]: Forget it, you just drive in front! I’ll run behind you. I’ll just treat it as looking at the scenery.

[Yan Yu]: …