Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Form?

Still showing off?

Su Rui's voice returned to its usual indifference, but Bai Xue keenly detected a deep-seated concern.

She turned to her side, buried her face in the soft pillow, and chuckled softly, "You'll do it again next time."

A gentle night breeze lifted the curtains, and moonlight slipped in, casting silhouettes of a childish contest between a person and a "ghost" on the floor. An unseen, handsome boy seemed to sigh, or perhaps chuckle softly—but neither of them mentioned the flexibility lesson that night again.

While the morning dew still clung to the spiderwebs in the courtyard, Bai Xue was already kneeling in the tea room, fiddling with the celadon vase. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, cutting diamond-shaped spots of light on the glaze, as she carefully wiped away the dust she had rubbed on the vase the night before.

"Actually, the pattern is quite beautiful." She turned the bottle in the sunlight, tracing the pine and crane design with her fingertips. "If it really gets stuck and breaks, wouldn't the lady—"

[etc.]

Su Rui's voice suddenly stopped, like an old-fashioned radio suddenly losing power. Bai Xue's hand froze in mid-air, and the rag fell to the tatami with a "thud".

"What's wrong?"

After an eerie silence, a "thump" sound came from the Sea of Consciousness —as if someone had slammed their virtual forehead against a virtual wall.

"[We did this yesterday...] "Su Rui's voice trembled with a rare self-doubt, "[We could have smashed the vase.]"

Bai Xue blinked.

She blinked again.

The morning breeze suddenly became noisy, the wind chimes under the eaves tinkled, startling the sparrows perched on the pine branches. She stared at the vase for a full ten seconds, then suddenly collapsed onto the tatami mat, her shoulders shaking violently.

"Pfft... Hahahaha!"

The laughter, muffled in her arms, still startled a passing maid. Hesitant footsteps came from outside the paper door, then tactfully moved away. Bai Xue laughed until tears streamed down her face, her hair mostly disheveled, Silver Butterfly Hairpin hanging askew by her ear.

"So... so..." She wiped her eyes and straightened up, "You spent so much time thinking about the rescue plan last night..."

[Shut up.]

"And they even taught me some kind of mechanics posture..."

I said shut up!

Volume 15, Chapter 823: Influenced by the Host

A series of crackling sounds came from her Sea of Consciousness, like someone frantically pressing the delete key. Bai Xue laughed so hard she hiccuped, and had to hold onto the coffee table to steady herself. The sunlight suddenly became blinding, and she squinted at the vase, suddenly noticing a small air bubble in the eye of the crane in the pine and crane pattern—it was pointing right at her, as if it were also mocking this absurd morning.

"What's this?" She wiped away the tears of laughter. "Concern makes you lose your composure?"

[It's because the host is too stupid that I'm affected!]

The angry shout made her head throb. Bai Xue suddenly fell silent, her fingertips unconsciously twirling a stray strand of hair. The morning light gilded her profile, and her eyelashes cast dappled shadows on her cheeks.

"Su Rui," she said softly, "Thank you."

[...]

"Even if the method is clumsy," she quickly added.

The Sea of Consciousness suddenly became eerily quiet. Bai Xue could sense Su Rui crouching down in some virtual space, his back to her, burying his face in his knees—his standard reaction when his thoughts were exposed.

Just then, the maid opened the paper door. "Miss Bai Xue, Madam asks if you would like to go see the early cherry blossoms?"

"Coming right away!"

She neatly tied up her long hair, the silver butterfly wings fluttering as if about to take flight. As she stood up, she deliberately tapped the vase lightly with her toe, the glaze reflecting her sly smile, "Next time I'll get stuck in an even stranger place—"

You dare!

The threatening echo faded in the morning breeze. Bai Xue skipped and danced through the corridor, their wooden clogs scattering sunlight across the ground. In a corner of her consciousness, unseen by her, Su Rui was frantically searching for papers on "How to Improve the Host's IQ" on her virtual screen, but the search results were all "Analysis of the Psychological Causes of Overprotection." The Upper System hadn't given him a proper answer.

A vase with a pine and crane design stands quietly in the center of the tea room. The crane's eyes gaze in the direction the two have gone, as if witnessing a secret that can never be spoken: the sharpest blade is often held back by the softest bond.

The morning dew had not yet dried. Bai Xue sat on the edge of the veranda, her bare feet swinging gently, her wooden clogs neatly arranged beside her. The moss in the courtyard was soaked with moisture, glistening in the sunlight. She held a freshly picked maple leaf in her hand, the tip still glistening with dew.

"Actually, you're right," she suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was almost a whisper to herself, "You shouldn't break things carelessly."

[...]

Su Rui didn't respond, but Bai Xue could sense that he was listening. She held the maple leaf up to the sunlight; the translucent veins resembled a fine net.

"It's not that I'm afraid of Madam's punishment," she said slowly, "It's just that my voice was too loud."

The leaf twirled between her fingers.

"Once when I was little, I accidentally knocked over Madam's inkstone," Bai Xue recalled, squinting her eyes. "Ink splattered everywhere, and the inkstone shattered into three pieces."

She released her grip, and the maple leaf swirled into the pond, creating ripples.

"The lady didn't say anything, she just told the maid to clean it up." Bai Xue tilted her head. "The next day, there was a new inkstone on my desk, along with a piece of pine soot ink."

[so?]

Su Rui's voice was muffled, as if it came from a very far place.

Bai Xue suddenly stood up, her wooden clogs making a crisp "click" sound on the corridor. She turned and walked towards the tea room, her Silver Butterfly Hairpin shimmering in the morning light.

"So—" she drawled, pausing deliberately at the tea room doorway, "Shall we practice on something that won't make a sound next time?"

Inside the tea room, the celadon vase still stood in its original place, its pine and crane design vividly reflected in the sunlight. Bai Xue crouched down and gently tapped the vase with her fingertips, producing a soft "ting" sound.

[for example?]

"For example..." Bai Xue's eyes suddenly lit up, "There's an old cotton quilt roll in the warehouse! It's soft and thick, you'll crawl in without making a sound!"

A series of noises came from my Sea of Consciousness, as if someone had choked.

"You..." Su Rui's voice was filled with disbelief, "Why are you so obsessed with drilling things?"

Bai Xue skipped and hopped across the courtyard, running towards the warehouse. The morning breeze ruffled her sleeves like a pair of fluttering butterfly wings.

"Because it's fun!" she laughed, turning back, the silver butterfly in her hair fluttering gently. "And—"

Her voice suddenly lowered, and her pace slowed.

"And..." Bai Xue stood in front of the warehouse door, her fingers unconsciously tracing the wood grain on the door frame, "Once Su Rui has a physical form, we can play together."

Sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting dappled shadows on her face. A faint scent of camphor mingled with the aroma of hay wafted from the warehouse. For a fleeting moment, she seemed to hear a soft sigh echo in her Sea of Consciousness.

[... Fool.]

The voice was soft, but no longer tinged with anger. Bai Xue smiled, narrowing her eyes, and pushed open the creaking wooden door of the warehouse. Dust danced in the beam of light, illuminating the bulging old cotton quilt roll in the corner—it did indeed look soft and thick, like a giant cocoon.

"Look! Perfect, isn't it?"

She jogged over, but tripped over something halfway there. Looking down, she saw a dusty bronze Bell, only the size of a thumb, its clapper long since broken off.

"Wait," Su Rui suddenly spoke up, "[That Bell.]"

Bai Xue bent down and picked it up, the patina rubbing onto her palm, leaving a bluish-green mark.

"What's wrong?"

[Hanging outside the rolled-up quilt.] Su Rui's voice suddenly turned serious, [If you're really stuck...]

"Ring a bell to call for help?" Bai Xue asked, her eyes lighting up. "Like this?"

She shook the Bell, but of course there was no sound. However, the sunlight shone on the patina, giving it a warm glow.

[Um.]

The simple response made Bai Xue's lips unconsciously curl into a smile. She carefully tied the Bell to the knot in the rolled-up quilt, the patina on her fingertips like a silent promise.

A maid's voice called from afar, "Lady Bai Xue! The Madam is looking for you!"

"They're here!"

Bai Xue dusted off her hands and ran into the sunlight. The rolled-up quilt with the dumbbells attached lay quietly in the corner of the warehouse, waiting for the next absurd adventure.

When Bai Xue returned to her room with the old quilt roll, the sun was already setting. Orange-red rays of light shone through the window, casting long, thin shadows on the bedding. She knelt on the tatami mat, carefully patting the dust off the quilt roll. Tiny dust particles danced in the beams of light, like a swarm of golden fireflies.

"This is much better than the vase," she muttered softly, her fingers tracing the fine stitches on the cotton fabric. "It's soft and thick, and it won't break."

[...]

Su Rui didn't respond, but Bai Xue could feel his gaze—if he had a physical form—falling on the bulging "training equipment."

She suddenly buried her face in the rolled-up quilt, her voice muffled. "Smell it, it still smells of sunshine."

Those are mothballs.

"No, that's not it!" Bai Xue looked up, a few strands of hair clinging to her cheek. "It smells like sun-dried cotton."

As she spoke, she began to untie the hemp rope binding the quilt, her movements as nimble as if she were unwrapping a gift. Once the rope was loosened, the quilt unfolded with a "plop," revealing the yellowish cotton inside. Bai Xue poked it with her finger, and the cotton immediately dented into a small indentation.

"Look, it's super soft!"

Su Rui remained silent, but Bai Xue keenly sensed a slight fluctuation in her Sea of Consciousness —it sounded like someone helplessly rubbing their forehead.

She chuckled as she rolled up the quilt again, this time making sure to leave a narrow passage for one person to squeeze through. The rustling sound of the cotton fabric against the quilt was particularly clear in the quiet room.

I'm going in!

Like a rabbit preparing to burrow, Bai Xue braced herself on either side of the rolled-up quilt, then twisted her waist—

"Etc."

Her movements suddenly stopped.

"Su Rui," her voice suddenly became very soft, "Would you... like to try controlling my body?"

[... What?]

"Well..." Bai Xue's ear tips turned slightly red, "You can feel it with my body."

The Sea of Consciousness suddenly fell silent, even the virtual data stream seemed to freeze.

Three seconds. Five seconds. Ten seconds.

Volume 15, Chapter 824: I've been set up.

Just when Bai Xue thought Su Rui wouldn't respond, a familiar warmth spread from her fingertips. Her vision suddenly rose an inch— Su Rui had taken control of her body.

"Wow..."

She heard her own voice, carrying an unfamiliar tone, as her fingers examined the rolled-up comforter in a way completely different from her own. Knuckles tapped the fabric, testing its thickness; palms laid flat to measure its diameter; she even brought her face close to sniff it—

"As expected, there were mothballs."

Bai Xue laughed out loud in her Sea of Consciousness: "I told you it smells like sunshine!"

[quibble.]

Su Rui manipulated her body, trying to slip her arm into the passage of the rolled-up quilt. Bai Xue could clearly feel the texture of the cotton fabric—slightly rough, yet exceptionally soft inside.

"How about it?"

[... too boring.]

Despite her complaints, Su Rui continued her "field investigation." Bai Xue watched as "herself" burrowed her upper body into the quilt roll like a curious cat, her hair falling onto the cotton wool, creating a comical yet adorable scene.

Suddenly, the rolled-up quilt lost its balance and rolled to the side with a thud.

"Ah!"

Bai Xue instinctively tried to grab something, but her controlled body reacted a beat too late. She (or rather, they) fell together into the fluffy pile of quilts, the rolled-up quilts wrapping them up like a cloud.

In the darkness, Bai Xue smelled a faint scent of camphor, along with the fragrance of jasmine from her own hair. Su Rui seemed stunned as well, suddenly handing control back to her.

"Pfft... Hahaha!"

She couldn't help but laugh, struggling to peek out from under the rolled-up quilt. The warm glow of the setting sun shone on her face. The bronze Bell tied to the outside of the quilt swayed with her movements, its rusty surface gleaming softly though it made no sound.

[Fool.]

Su Rui's voice was soft, but no longer carried any disdain. Bai Xue rested her chin on the fluffy quilt, squinting at the setting sun outside the window.

"How about we find a bigger quilt roll next time?" she suggested softly, "The kind that two people can crawl into together."

After a long silence, a barely audible sound echoed in my Sea of Consciousness—

[... Um.]

The afterglow of the setting sun gilded the courtyard of Wenyue House, and the evening breeze, carrying the fragrance of flowers, wafted through the corridor. Bai Xue walked barefoot on the cobblestone path, feeling a slight stinging sensation on the soles of her feet. She carried wooden clogs in her hand, and her Silver Butterfly Hairpin swayed gently with each step, reflecting dappled sunlight in the twilight.

"Su Rui," she suddenly stopped and squatted down in front of a cluster of blooming camellias, "Look at this."

Slender fingertips gently parted the petals, revealing a tiny ladybug hidden among the flower's stamens. The black spots on its carapace stood out vividly in the twilight, like a red bean cake sprinkled with black sesame seeds.