The gardener's urging made them feel panicked.
He repeatedly mentioned the key.
Key, key! This was such a large estate, with hundreds of rooms upstairs and downstairs, how were they supposed to find the key?
Bai Youwei felt irritated; she thought the gardener was strange.
But when it came to specific points of suspicion, she couldn't quite put her finger on it.
If she had to say…
It was probably his appearance that made her uncomfortable.
This gardener clearly had European features, but somehow, she felt he looked a bit like Shen Mo.
Both had high, straight noses and deep-set eyes… Could it be that the features of handsome men all looked similar when taken apart?
The gardener added, "There are hundreds of rooms here. You must split up to search, otherwise you won't be able to find the key before the sun sets."
Time was indeed running out.
The women discussed it again and decided to do as the gardener said and split up to look for the key.
Everyone felt that in such a large place, finding a small key was unlikely, but they had to try.
Hu Ya was in a bad mood as she rummaged through the room.
This room was filled with all kinds of clocks, each one comparable to the most exquisite work of art, but she was in no mood to appreciate them. She searched roughly, trying to find the door key the gardener had mentioned.
"Have you found the key?"
At some point, the handsome gardener walked in and said to her with concern, "If you're tired, take a break."
Hu Ya replied irritably, "No, this place is too big. It takes so long to search just one room, how can we possibly search all the rooms!"
After complaining for a few sentences, she suddenly realized that he was just an NPC, and she felt absurd, so she closed her mouth and said no more.
Unexpectedly, the gardener picked up the conversation and started chatting with her.
"As long as you keep looking, you'll definitely find it." He comforted her considerately, his tone gentle, "You still have a chance to get out, but I can only stay here forever. Thinking about it that way, won't you feel better?"
Hu Ya looked up at him in astonishment.
He was an NPC, of course he couldn't leave the game, but… he was just an NPC, how could he be so human?
Perhaps she had been staring for too long, the gardener smiled and said, "Please don't look at me like that. Being stared at by such a lovely young lady makes me blush."
Hu Ya couldn't help but feel a little hot in the face. No boy had ever said such flattering things to her before, it was really embarrassing… even though he was an NPC.
"Lovely, what…" she muttered softly, "They're all just nice-sounding words to coax people."
"It's the truth." The gardener smiled gently, "The way you are so serious is very cute."
Hu Ya was stunned, and looked at the gardener again, her expression gradually changing…
"What's wrong?" the gardener asked softly.
"No… it's nothing." Hu Ya laughed awkwardly, and looked away, "Actually, I've felt since just now that you look a lot like someone…"
The gardener asked, "Is that so? Who do I look like?"
Hu Ya recalled the past, and while casually searching, she replied, "Like a senior from my school. He… was very handsome, had good grades, and said similar things to you, saying that I looked serious and…"
Hu Ya stopped, her expression blank.
She was never popular with the boys in her class. The boys ridiculed her, saying she was strong, fierce, had too loud a voice, dressed unfashionably, and gave her all sorts of nicknames.
Only that senior was gentle with her.
She wondered how that senior was doing now…
"I see, no wonder I felt a sense of familiarity when I saw you." The gardener said with a smile, "It seems to be the projection effect of the system."
Hu Ya was slightly startled, and looked at him to ask, "You mean… the person I'm thinking of will have an impact on you?"
"There might be some." The gardener approached her, gazing at her gently, "So I sensed your longing, and your pain."
Hu Ya's eyes welled up, and she asked softly, "…Are you him? Senior?"
"I am not him, but I will help you as he would."
The gardener gently took Hu Ya's hand.