"Li Yi, it's time to take your medicine!"

August in the city is a season of scorching heat.

Yet inside the VIP ward of the oncology department at Jingcheng First People's Hospital,

The temperature was chillingly cold.

Looking at the medicine handed over by the nurse,

Li Yi tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to force a smile.

But in the end, he failed.

His life had nothing worth smiling about.

Nineteen years old—an age that should have been filled with youthful energy in school.

But because of the growing tumor in his brain,

He was instead forced to consider how to end his painful life early.

To Li Yi,

Death wasn’t necessarily a bad thing—perhaps even a relief.

At the very least, he wouldn’t have to endure the inhuman pain that tormented him every day.

"Tonight, maybe? Jumping from the 16th floor shouldn't be too painful, right?"

After the nurse left, Li Yi silently thought to himself.

Then, he took out his phone, preparing to post one last message on social media—

A final trace of warmth left behind for this world.

But just as he unlocked his phone, an ad popped up.

[Have you lost faith in life?]

[Are you in despair?]

[Come, AI Girlfriend—your soulmate awaits.]

[Save her, and in doing so, save yourself.]

[Click now for a free first recharge!]

The image displayed a young girl in ancient attire, standing in a snowy wasteland.

She carried a longsword on her back, her face pale, her clothes stained with blood.

She hugged her shoulders, shivering pitifully—

Looking as if she was about to collapse.

"An AI girlfriend?"

If it were any other day, Li Yi would have ignored it without hesitation.

These kinds of games were nothing but money traps.

But today, as he stared at those ordinary promotional lines, he felt something stir within him.

"Oh well, if I'm going to die anyway, might as well use my money to save you. It's not like I can take it with me."

He tapped the ad.

The screen shifted, revealing a new page.

It showed a portrait of an ancient-style female character.

Though her face wasn’t fully visible, she exuded an ethereal aura.

Below the portrait, the words [AI Girlfriend] were displayed.

Additional promotional text read:

[Realistic Interaction]
Using advanced technology, our AI characters possess emotions, speech habits, voices, and appearances akin to real people, offering a lifelike communication experience.

[Exclusive Character]
Choose your ideal companion and embark on an epic, heart-wrenching journey together.

[Growth System]
Your AI companion evolves over time, and as your interactions deepen, so does your emotional bond.

[New Version Features: Improved User Experience]

"Exclusive character? Emotional bond? Sounds like just another virtual girlfriend game."

Li Yi scoffed.

He hadn’t played many games, but even a pig could recognize a road after walking it enough times.

AI technology was advancing rapidly, sure—

But making it indistinguishable from a real person? That was pure exaggeration.

"Whatever, I don’t expect much anyway. Just spending my money before I go."

Li Yi clicked to start the game.

But what he didn’t know was—

The moment he pressed the button,

The sky outside suddenly darkened.

Then, an unusual, colorful glow emerged from the gloomy sky,

Shooting straight into his hospital room and merging with his body.

This strange phenomenon appeared and disappeared in an instant.

And since it was already late afternoon, no one noticed it.

"Huh? I think I just saw a rainbow? Must be my imagination."

Li Yi rubbed his eyes in confusion.

By then, the game had finished setting up.

"That was fast. How big is this game? Installed in just a few seconds? Must be some low-budget indie game. Could even be a virus."

Li Yi muttered to himself, staring at the newly added ancient-style icon on his phone screen.

"Whatever. I'm dying soon anyway—what's a little virus? Let's check it out."

He tapped the icon.

The screen went black.

A line of text appeared:

[Once an account is created, it cannot be transferred or deleted.]

"Ooh, trying to be all mysterious, huh?"

[Please choose your AI girlfriend.]

Then, an image appeared on the screen—

A frail-looking girl in ragged clothing, carrying a longsword on her back.

Her face was pale, her expression pitiful.

She was the same girl from the advertisement.

"Is this even a choice? There's only one character. But I gotta admit, the model is pretty well-made."

With a resigned sigh, Li Yi selected the girl.

[Character selected. Entering game.]

[Warning: If your AI girlfriend dies, she cannot be revived.]

The screen went black for a few seconds before lighting up again, revealing a new scene.

It was a run-down wooden cabin, with gaps in the walls letting in the frigid wind.

At the center of the room stood the same ancient-style girl he had just chosen, clutching the hand of a tiny child no older than three or four.

The wind lifted her tattered garments now and then, revealing glimpses of her pale, delicate legs.

Her skin was flawless, her expression sorrowful, and her eyes held a trace of broken despair—

A heart-wrenching look that seemed to overflow from the screen.

Even just looking at her made Li Yi’s heart ache.

And then there was the little girl.

She had two adorable pigtails and a curious expression.

Her big eyes darted around, filled with excitement.

Her innocent expression was so cute it could melt anyone’s heart.

Li Yi sucked in a breath.

"Whoa… this scene, this character design… Not bad at all!"

He had expected some cheap, low-quality mobile game.

Either a chibi-style mess or a clunky, half-baked 3D model.

But he was completely blown away by how stunningly well-crafted this game was.

"Looks like small studios can make decent games too."

"At least the scenery and modeling were worth the install."

"But wait…"

Li Yi’s eyes landed on the tiny girl, his mind going blank for a second.

"Wasn’t this supposed to be my girlfriend? Why does she have a kid? Did I just become a stepdad?"

Just as he was wondering—

A notification appeared on the screen:

[Your AI girlfriend, Chu Qingci, and her sister, Chu Duoduo, are currently freezing.]

"Oh, her sister? Well, that’s fine then!"

Li Yi grinned.

[Your AI girlfriend, Chu Qingci, and her sister, Chu Duoduo, are about to freeze to death.]

As the system message popped up,

The two girls in the scene reacted—

Clinging tightly to each other, shivering from the cold.

Their movements and expressions were so lifelike that they didn’t seem like game characters at all—

They seemed real.

"Damn, this level of detail? This is actually impressive!"

Li Yi exclaimed in admiration.

"Usually, at this point in these games, there’d be a ‘repair’ button, right? Click to gather materials and fix the place up?"

Li Yi recalled those scammy mobile game ads he had seen before.

But he couldn’t find any repair button.

Just then—

[Your free first recharge has been credited. Please use it to build a warm home for your AI girlfriend.]

—