Episode 17 recap: Qi Lian prevented Jiang Xiao Yuan from committing suicide.
Jiang Xiao Yuan sat in front of the hair salon, reluctant, looking at everything familiar. As the time for the appointment with Huo Bai Yu approached, Jiang Xiao Yuan persuaded themselves that it was just a dream and believed they would soon forget everything. They hailed a taxi and rushed to the agreed-upon warehouse.
Lao Shang informed Qi Lian that the stolen files from Beichen Electronics had been recovered. It turned out that a unit called Mingguang Laboratory had custom ordered a locator from Beichen Electronics. Qi Lian examined the information sent by Lao Shang and discovered that Mingguang Laboratory was researching the lighthouse system. This reminded Qi Lian of Xu Jing Yang, who had secretly made a phone call while hospitalized, mentioning the repair of the lighthouse system. Qi Lian quickly closed the notebook upon seeing him and didn't want Xu Jing Yang to find out.
Qi Lian made up their mind to uncover the truth and find out where Xu Jing Yang had gone. Jiang Xiao Yuan arrived at the warehouse as planned. The fog was thick at this moment, and after the taxi drove away, Jiang Xiao Yuan felt a sense of terror being alone. They quickly called out Huo Bai Yu's name, but received no response. Suddenly, the sound of a night bird's call echoed, increasing Jiang Xiao Yuan's fear. A clump of paper was thrown from upstairs, which Jiang Xiao Yuan picked up and opened, revealing the words "Go upstairs." Suppressing their fear and unease, Jiang Xiao Yuan took step by step towards the upper floor, ultimately reaching the rooftop.
Jiang Xiao Yuan called out Huo Bai Yu's name once again, but still received no answer. Just as they were carefully observing the environment, Huo Bai Yu suddenly appeared, tightly embracing them, making them believe it was real. Jiang Xiao Yuan demanded that Huo Bai Yu explain everything, and that's when they learned that the day they participated in Huo Bai Yu's "lighthouse system" game, their senses felt as real as ever, but in reality, they were trapped in a virtual world due to a system virus.
Huo Bai Yu raced against the virus daily, following the tasks on their phone. Now, they had written the code to commit suicide and tried to persuade Jiang Xiao Yuan to jump off the roof. When Jiang Xiao Yuan tried to escape, Huo Bai Yu desperately held onto them. In the struggle, Jiang Xiao Yuan's phone fell out, and Qi Lian's voice came through, urging Jiang Xiao Yuan to hold on, assuring them that they would come to save them.
Hearing Qi Lian's voice, Huo Bai Yu became even more frantic. He told Jiang Xiao Yuan that Qi Lian was the virus and they had to jump off the building before the virus caught up with them. Ignoring Jiang Xiao Yuan's resistance, Huo Bai Yu forcefully pushed them off the rooftop.
Jiang Xiao Yuan was terrified, letting out a scream of fear, but Qi Lian arrived just in time, reaching out and grabbing hold of Jiang Xiao Yuan. Huo Bai Yu immediately picked up a stick and struck Qi Lian hard. Despite the pain, Qi Lian held onto Jiang Xiao Yuan, struggling with Huo Bai Yu while pulling them to safety.
Qi Lian quickly cornered Huo Bai Yu against the wall, gripping his neck tightly and demanding to know if he knew Xu Jing Yang. Huo Bai Yu claimed not to know, but when he learned that Qi Lian already knew about the lighthouse system, he became even more convinced that Qi Lian was the virus.
Upon hearing Qi Lian mention the lighthouse system, Jiang Xiao Yuan couldn't help but ask how Qi Lian knew about it. Seizing the moment when Qi Lian was distracted, Huo Bai Yu swiftly pulled out a dagger and attacked Qi Lian. Fortunately, Qi Lian's martial arts skills were good enough to subdue Huo Bai Yu. However, Qi Lian never expected that Jiang Xiao Yuan would pick up a brick and turn against them. Helplessly, Qi Lian watched as Jiang Xiao Yuan, who only had the desire to return, jumped off the building.
When Jiang Xiao Yuan woke up, they found themselves lying in a hospital bed. The flowers by the bedside were sent by Huo Bai Yu's advertising company. At that moment, Assistant Xu came to check on Jiang Xiao Yuan and mentioned that they had been unconscious in the gaming pod for a week.
Taking advantage of Assistant Xu's departure, Jiang Xiao Yuan quickly removed the IV drip and went to find Huo Bai Yu. However, they were frightened by Huo Bai Yu's sudden frenzy and hurriedly escaped. It was at this moment that Qi Lian also came looking for them. Jiang Xiao Yuan was in extreme pain, trapped between two people who refused to let her go.
Jiang Xiao Yuan woke up again, realizing that the blanket covering them was from Luoshan City Hospital. They knew they hadn't successfully returned. Recalling the scene before losing consciousness, they believed that Qi Lian had alerted the police in advance, who had placed safety cushions below, preventing them from opening the portal. As a result, Jiang Xiao Yuan deeply resented Qi Lian.
Qi Lian had learned from the doctor that Jiang Xiao Yuan was emotionally unstable and dared not provoke them. They complied with Jiang Xiao Yuan's wishes and tried to accommodate them. However, this did not change Jiang Xiao Yuan's perspective. Suddenly, they fiercely bit Qi Lian's hand and then convulsed on the bed.
Qi Lian called for a doctor to attend to Jiang Xiao Yuan and promised to uncover the truth and find a way to send them back in one month's time. Jiang Xiao Yuan requested that Qi Lian stay away from them during this month. Lily noticed that something was wrong with Jiang Xiao Yuan and decided to accompany them as a friend. Unexpectedly, Jiang Xiao Yuan lashed out with hurtful words. Luckily, Lily didn't take it personally and even pulled Jiang Xiao Yuan to participate in group activities, which helped ease their troubled mind.
Comments(Episode 17)