Chapter Fourteen: Taking You on an Adventure

No wonder Chen Hao was so shocked—after all, the place he was in now was nothing more than an abandoned, unfinished building, and the hotel where he remembered losing consciousness a few days ago had completely vanished. No, vanished wasn’t quite right. Judging by the state of things, this building had been desolate for ages, making the existence of a hotel here utterly impossible.

Damn! Could it really be as Gu Mengyan said—that after working late that day, he’d been unconscious for three days straight? Was everything about the White Bone Cave Flavors Restaurant, Vivienne, and NPCs gaining self-awareness all just a dream? But wasn’t this dream a little too real? It felt as vivid and immersive as real life itself. Apart from a virtual world, what else could create such an experience?

“What on earth are you talking about?” Gu Mengyan’s baffled voice broke Chen Hao’s reverie. “Why did you bring me to this dump? There’s nothing here except this abandoned building. What is it—have you suddenly developed a taste for investing in decrepit real estate? Want to check out the place before you buy it? But really, if you’re going to invest in something like this, don’t pick a godforsaken spot like this! Look around, there’s nothing for miles—no homes, no shops, not even a city center. I bet not a soul passes by here for half a year. Even if you bought this building and restored it, no one would bother setting up shop here. If you’re looking to invest, you’d do better buying some virtual game credits and selling them after the servers open—you’d at least double your money!”

Gu Mengyan rambled on, oblivious to the way Chen Hao’s face was going pale. “What are you imagining? Why on earth would I want to buy some abandoned building? I just…”

“Just what?” Gu Mengyan asked, curious.

“It’s just… sigh!” Chen Hao let out a long breath. “No, I have to get out and take a look!”

Without waiting for Gu Mengyan to respond, he pushed open the car door and strode briskly towards the derelict building, glancing all around as if searching for something familiar in the landscape.

“Hey! Chen Hao! Wait for me!” Seeing him dash off like a madman, Gu Mengyan hurried after him. Chen Hao had been acting so strangely these past few days, nothing like the calm and steady person she knew.

“What is going on with you? Explain yourself! First, you tell me you’re going to pass out and need me to take care of you, then you wake up and start spouting nonsense. Now you drag me out to this godforsaken place and leave me in the car. What exactly are you trying to do?!” She caught up to him and grabbed his arm, her tone deadly serious.

Chen Hao glanced at her, ignoring her barrage of questions, and instead posed one of his own: “This place… do you know what it used to be?”

Gu Mengyan instinctively looked up at the long-abandoned building. “How would I know? I’ve never been here before! If you hadn’t driven us out here today, I’d never have known a place like this existed. Judging by its look, it was probably some company’s office building. Look, you can still see desks and chairs through some of the windows,” she added, pointing.

Following her gaze, Chen Hao did indeed spot a few desks and chairs. But that was all they could discover; it wasn’t nearly enough to determine what purpose the building once had.

Still dissatisfied, Chen Hao shot her a quick look. “Come on! Let’s go explore!”

Gu Mengyan couldn’t help but laugh at this familiar line. It had been ages since she last heard Chen Hao say it. She couldn’t even remember the last time he invited her on an “adventure.”

That phrase was a staple of their childhood. Since Chen Hao’s parents were extremely wealthy, the house he lived in was enormous—a grand estate on the outskirts of the city.

You heard right—not an apartment, not a villa, but a sprawling estate—the kind most people only ever see in movies.

The centerpiece was, of course, a massive mansion in the European style. A single floor spanned over five hundred square meters, and the mansion rose four stories high, with countless rooms within.

Naturally, such a palatial home wasn’t inhabited by just Chen Hao’s immediate family. His grandparents on both sides lived there too—and Gu Mengyan was also considered part of the family.

Alongside these relatives, the mansion also housed the family’s butler and servants. They stayed in dedicated staff quarters on the ground floor—though “servant’s quarters” was almost a misnomer, as each room was as spacious as an average person’s entire home.

Beyond the staff rooms, the mansion’s first floor included grand reception halls and a dining room so lavish it would put most billionaires to shame—perhaps only the oil-rich magnates of Dubai could match it.

The dining room’s doors were adorned with panels studded in Swarovski crystals, their brilliance mesmerizing Gu Mengyan the first time she laid eyes on them.

And that was only the beginning. Once inside, the opulence was overwhelming: everything, from the five-meter-long dining table and each chair, to the smallest lamp or candlestick, from the chandeliers overhead down to the wastebaskets at their feet—everything was trimmed in gold.

And not just any gold, or gold paint, or a thin layer of gilding—these were solid gold inlays, real and tangible.

Faced with such extravagant luxury, Gu Mengyan could only think of a phrase that was all the rage online at the time: “Poverty limits the imagination of mankind.”

Compared to Chen Hao’s family, those so-called rich kids at school who boasted about their wealth were nothing at all. Yet Chen Hao never flaunted any of this—at school or in front of her. He dressed in the same uniform and ate the same boxed lunches as everyone else, never bullying others as some rich kids did. His family’s upbringing was clearly impeccable.

True wealth, it seemed, was worlds apart from mere nouveau riche showiness.

As their tour continued, Gu Mengyan’s sense of astonishment gave way to numbness—as if anything less than such splendor would be the true surprise.

Soon, Chen Hao led her to the bedrooms. His own was on the third floor, and since both he and Gu Mengyan were young at the time, the family arranged for them to share a room—both for convenience and companionship. The room was so spacious that accommodating an extra person was no trouble at all.

The second floor, meanwhile, was reserved for guests—relatives or visitors who stayed at the estate.

Then there was the mysterious fourth floor. To this day, neither Chen Hao nor Gu Mengyan had ever set foot on it. The only way up was via an elevator located in the father’s study on the third floor, protected by a triple security system—fingerprint, iris scan, and voice recognition. Even if Chen Hao wanted to sneak in, it was impossible. From the outside, no one would ever guess the mansion had a fourth floor; there were no visible windows or clues.

For some reason, the fourth floor was treated by Chen Hao’s father as a place of utmost importance. All their lives, neither Chen Hao nor Gu Mengyan had ever been granted entry. No ordinary key would open the study’s door; only the latest security tech would do.

Though Chen Hao’s curiosity burned, every attempt to sneak in was thwarted by that infernal high-tech lock.

Beyond the mansion, the estate was just as grand—a vast expanse of gardens and woods, just like the manors of European aristocrats in the movies.

Enclosing the grounds was a wall—not especially high, and not much of a deterrent. By the age of fifteen, Chen Hao could easily climb it, sneaking out with Gu Mengyan to explore.

Whenever they played in the manor or snuck out together, Chen Hao would always say: “Come on! Let’s go on an adventure!”

Remembering those childhood days, Gu Mengyan felt a warm, nostalgic glow in her heart. Without hesitation, she reached out and took Chen Hao’s hand, just as she had so many times before. “Let’s go! Let’s see what kind of fun we can find here!”