Let's rewind time a bit.
Just after the Internet Cafe opened, everyone had already started playing games, and Zhou Yang was aimlessly wandering around Stardew Valley.
A graceful figure slowly walked towards the Internet Cafe.
"Is this the Internet Cafe?"
"It's so early, and there are already so many people?"
Liu Shiwan only had to look inside from the Internet Cafe entrance to see that there were many people inside; not only were all the seats occupied, but there were also many figures lingering in the aisles.
This made her stop, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed, hesitating whether to go in. She hadn't brought a mask or veil when she left home today.
As the leading performer of Spring Breeze Pavilion, her fame was at its peak. The new zither piece she composed and played recently was a huge hit, highly praised, and widely circulated among the public.
Because her appearance fee was high, it was not easy for ordinary people to meet her, so any public appearance would inevitably cause a sensation. People lining up for her autograph would be a minor issue; it might even cause some disturbance.
However, since she was already here, her curiosity still drove her to walk inside.
At first, she thought of trying her best to carefully avoid the attention of others.
But very quickly, she realized she was overthinking it.
Even if she didn't avoid them, even if she walked past the Internet Cafe customers, no one looked at her, or even noticed her existence.
Everyone at this moment was incredibly focused on playing the games, and even those standing behind watching were mostly staring intently at the screens, unwilling to even blink, for fear of missing any exciting scenes.
Liu Shiwan was even more astonished by this: "What kind of computer game has such great charm?"
Liu Shiwan scanned the Internet Cafe and soon saw a petite, beautiful young girl in green clothes in the corner by the wall.
She couldn't help but walk over and call out.
"Xiaoyu, Xiaoyu!"
The girl named Xiaoyu was currently playing a game with a virtual reality device. In front of the computer screen, she could be seen wielding a one-handed sword and fighting a Thief Wyvern.
However, because her combat was very flustered, clumsy, and unskilled, she was no match for the opponent and had already died many times. This time, she was quickly killed by the Thief Wyvern's bites.
"Oh no, I died again!"
This made Xiaoyu very frustrated. Suddenly hearing someone call her, she was also very impatient: "Who is it? Don't disturb me, can't you see I'm hunting a savage beast?"
Liu Shiwan: "…"
After a moment of silence, Liu Shiwan had no choice but to pat Xiaoyu's back again and say, "Xiaoyu, it's me!"
"I told you, don't bother me, if you keep this up I'll call the boss… huh?"
Xiaoyu somewhat irritably took off the virtual reality device and turned her head, but her complaint stopped abruptly the moment she saw Liu Shiwan. She hastily stood up, looking a bit embarrassed.
"Miss, you're here!"
"I told you to come and save a seat for me, but you…"
Liu Shiwan looked at her personal maid in front of her, feeling a mix of amusement and exasperation, while at the same time asking with even more curiosity: "Is this game fun?"
"Fun!"
Xiaoyu nodded excitedly: "I finally understand what playing games means now. It's like entering another world, so magical, but also a bit scary. The savage beasts inside are too ferocious, I can't defeat them no matter what. Luckily, even if you die in the game, you don't really die, though it's quite painful!"
Liu Shiwan listened to Xiaoyu's endless narration, understanding some parts but not others.
However, she had already decided to try it herself.
Under Xiaoyu's guidance, Liu Shiwan inserted the gold coin and was about to start the game, but then she paused slightly at the two icons on the computer screen: "Xiaoyu, you said clicking the game icon on the screen would start the game, but there are two here!"
Xiaoyu explained: "Miss, these are different games. You can think of one game as a novel or a story, they aren't connected to each other. This is what I just heard the boss say!"
"Which one were you just playing?"
"Me, I was playing 'monster hunter'. I saw most people in the Internet Cafe playing this one!"
"Oh, then I'll play the other one, 'stardew valley'. You can tell me more about the first game when we get back."
With that, Liu Shiwan clicked on the stardew valley game icon and put on the virtual reality device.
"Hmm?"
Instantly, she found herself in a dark, empty space.
Even though she was mentally prepared, she was still startled by this sudden change.
However, she quickly calmed down.
Because light began to appear around her, and her life, her experiences, her memories, rotated like movie scenes.
From wandering alone at the age of five, to being taken in and trained by Sister Hong, from not being allowed to eat if her singing and dancing practice wasn't good, to dazzling the entire audience on her first performance, then traveling through many countries and cities, her fame and talent spreading across several nations, and now arriving in Feiyun Country, a new beginning…
At this moment, the narration followed: "You, Liu Shiwan, under the attention of the world, you are infinitely glorious, you are surrounded by stars, you are the most dazzling star under the spotlight, but… after all the glitz and glamour, have you ever felt emptiness, confusion? Do you feel that this kind of life is truly what you want? Do you really want to continue?"
Liu Shiwan heard this, remained silent for a moment, then replied: "I… don't know!"
The narration continued: "You actually know, you just don't want to admit it, so stop and rest for a while. Try a different way of life, a different attitude towards life. Go to Stardew Valley, to find that long-lost tranquility in your heart!"
As soon as the words fell, Liu Shiwan's vision began to blur.
"What was that just now?"
"And where is this?"
Liu Shiwan woke up as if from a dream.
She didn't know what the strange machine she was sitting on was, and the clothing styles of the other passengers around her were also very strange, including the clothes she herself was wearing, which had changed to a similar style, but she had never seen them in any country.
Also, they were talking about some celebrity's new album, what movies were being released, and variety shows.
Liu Shiwan also indicated that she completely didn't understand.
"Another world?"
But this indeed gave her a feeling of having arrived in another world. This kind of experience was quite novel.
It wasn't until the bus stopped that Stardew Valley was reached.
"You must be Liu Shiwan, right? Wow, I didn't expect you to be such a great beauty!"
"I'm Robin, the town carpenter. The mayor specifically asked me to pick you up…"
After getting off the bus, Liu Shiwan met Robin, who had come specifically to welcome her, and she took her to the farm, where she met Mayor Lewis.
Liu Shiwan had been wondering since then what they were going to make her do. It didn't seem like what Xiaoyu had just said, that she would be hunting savage beasts.
It wasn't until after a brief exchange of pleasantries that the mayor asked her to open the wooden box next to the small cabin, stating that it contained farming tools and seeds specially prepared for her.
Then she heard Mayor Lewis kindly say: "Shiwan, to help you adapt to life here more quickly and become an excellent farmer, I'll give you a relatively simple task first. That is to clear the weeds from this plot of land, and then plant the parsnip seeds I gave you!"
"Weeding? Farming?"
"This… I don't know how!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Shiwan was dumbfounded.
She truly hadn't expected this.
If they asked her about zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, poetry, wine, flowers, tea, or even needlework and embroidery, she would say no problem.
But farming, she really didn't know how, and it was truly beneath her dignity.
So Liu Shiwan was a bit resistant and wanted to refuse.
"Stop and rest for a while, try a different way of life, a different attitude towards life… find that long-lost tranquility in your heart!"
But as the words reached her lips, for some reason, the initial narration echoed in Liu Shiwan's mind. Her heart tightened, and she couldn't help but change her mind and respond: "Okay, I'll do it!"