I Play the Horror World as a Simulation Game

Looking at the ancient well, Qin Nuo wanted to take a closer look, but after taking a step forward, he checked his watch, paused for a moment, and then turned away.

After Qin Nuo left, the clearing was once again shrouded in white mist...

Qin Nuo quickened his pace, just stepped out of the alley, and slipped on something, almost falling to the ground.

Turning back, he saw an Ultraman toy on the ground. When Qin Nuo stepped on it, its arm fell off.

An old man with a cane picked up the toy. His hunched figure seemed frail, and it took him a great effort to hold it in his palm.

Qin Nuo looked at him and quickly picked up the toy's broken arm, handing it to the old man. "Sorry, Grandpa, I was in a hurry and didn't see it. I stepped on your toy."

"It's okay, the arm falls off all the time anyway. I'm used to it."

The old man said hoarsely, his head lifted to look at Qin Nuo. His eye sockets were completely sunken, with darkness beneath the lids, perhaps with eyeballs, but they were invisible.

Such an appearance was naturally frightening, but Qin Nuo remained calm and said, "If there's nothing else, Grandpa, I'll be on my way."

The old man looked at Qin Nuo, his face like old tree bark, carrying an indescribable eeriness. "Child, you look familiar. Are you the child of Qin Bei?"

Though hearing the name for the first time, Qin Nuo knew it referred to his scoundrel father, and he nodded. "I am."

"You've grown so much. I remember when I last saw you, you only reached my waist."

"You remember my grandson, right? His name is Ah Le. You used to play together a lot, loved playing hide and seek at home."

The old man's words brought a strange expression to Qin Nuo's face. He instinctively glanced at the end of the alley, then turned back with a smile. "Yes, we played together often. By the way, Grandpa, where is Ah Le now? When can I see him again?"

"Hehe, he's at school. I'll have him find you to play after school."

Whether it was an illusion or not, Qin Nuo felt a deep, meaningful light flicker in the old man's eye sockets as he spoke.

Suppressing a hint of suspicion on his face, Qin Nuo smirked and said, "It's settled then, Grandpa. I have to go now."

"Go on, child."

The old man, holding the toy and leaning on his cane, slowly disappeared into the mist.

Putting aside thoughts of the old man, Qin Nuo soon arrived at the bun shop, where the Boss was already busy inside.

"You brat, you're late today. Even if you're a child laborer and the pay isn't much, you should at least be punctual!"

"Sorry, Boss, I had trouble sleeping last night."

Qin Nuo entered the shop, bowing his head slightly.

"Why couldn't you sleep? At your age, your sleep quality is already so poor?" the Boss asked with a frown.

Qin Nuo hesitated but eventually said, "My father came back."

Hearing this, the Boss didn't dwell on the topic, placing a cup of soy milk and two meat buns on the table, and said indifferently, "Finish eating and get to work."

As the Boss walked away, the gloom in Qin Nuo's eyes vanished, and he began to devour his breakfast.

"Everyone here seems to know what kind of person Qin Bei is. The disgust in their eyes is evident when they mention him. Just how rotten is such an ugly figure?"

"In a world overrun with single people, how did he manage to marry and have children? It makes no sense!"

As Qin Nuo ate, he pondered, quickly finishing his breakfast, finally feeling about seventy percent full after being hungry for so long.

In the back kitchen, bags of flour were piled on the floor, and trays of meat sauce, dripping with blood, were swarming with flies.

The lunchtime rush soon arrived, and Qin Nuo was running back and forth in the kitchen, his hands never stopping.

Nearly an hour later, the business at the entrance gradually quieted down. After the rush, Qin Nuo slumped into a chair, too exhausted to even think about moving a finger.

Watching the Boss still busy at the shop's entrance, Qin Nuo glanced at the photo on the wall and suddenly asked, "Boss, was it just you working here before I came?"

"Just me. Why?" The Boss kneaded the dough without turning around.

"Nothing, I just wanted to ask..." Qin Nuo's gaze fell on the woman in the photo wearing a shirt.

The Boss glanced back at Qin Nuo, his eyes carrying a chill.

Qin Nuo quickly waved his hand and chuckled, "Just curious, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine."

"You want to know where the Boss Lady went?"

"Just a bit curious."

"The kid's mother passed away early on, brain cancer, that's all." The Boss clearly didn't want to elaborate.

Qin Nuo had intended to ask more but decided against it after seeing his demeanor.

She stood up, ready to lend a hand, but then heard some noise from upstairs.

"Is someone up there?" Qin Nuo's eyes shifted as he looked upstairs.

The Boss said flatly, "That brat didn't go to school today."

"Is Dafu sick?"

"Don't know, he's been up there all day and hasn't come down. Let him do whatever he wants. I'll just pretend I don't have a son!" Mentioning his son made the Boss's anger flare, slamming the dough on the table, causing it to shatter.

Qin Nuo watched him, wanting to say something, but fearing a scolding, he asked instead.

"Can I go up and check on Dafu?"

The Boss didn't respond.

Qin Nuo took it as permission, removed his apron, and headed upstairs.

The lighting on the second floor was dim, with windows closed and clutter blocking the light.

Qin Nuo approached one of the rooms and knocked on the door. "Dafu, are you in there?"

There was no response. Qin Nuo knocked again, and the door opened by itself.

Blinking, Qin Nuo pushed the door open and entered. The room was even darker, with a musty smell that was unpleasant to the nose.

In the corner, a desk lamp was on, casting light on Dafu, who was bent over the desk, writing something.

"Dafu, how did last night's rehearsal go?" Qin Nuo glanced around, casually asking.

Seated in the chair, Dafu stopped what he was doing and said, "The rehearsal went well. Tonight, we'll keep up the good work and make sure it's perfect for the children's show."

Qin Nuo nodded, curiously leaning in with a smile. "What are you writing so intently?"

"A script, last night's script. I found some flaws and gaps, so I'm revising it. I'll show it to Sister Tang Rou tonight."

Qin Nuo made a sound of acknowledgment, picked up a pen to play with, and discreetly glanced at the back of Dafu's neck, rubbing his nose. "Is your neck okay after the Boss hit you yesterday?"

"It's fine now, thanks for asking."

Dafu looked up at Qin Nuo, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

But under the lamp's light, one side of his face was lit while the other was dark, giving that smile an indescribable horror...