Episode 1 Abandoned
"Vivian, come to Forget-Me-Not Island. Let's get a divorce."
As soon as Vivian Ashcroft logged into the game, her in-game "husband," Mason, sent her a blunt message. Staring at the screen, Vivian was dumbfounded. Seriously? It had only been a week since the dormitory's internet was finally fixed after being down for half a month, and now there was… a "relationship change"?
After a brief pause, she typed back:
"Why?"
Mason's reply came swiftly:
"Vivian, I'm sorry. You don't need to ask the reason. I'll compensate you with a set of celestial equipment."
Spousal support too? Vivian blinked in disbelief.
"No need for that," she typed.
In the game, marriage was never serious. Vivian had only married Mason for a quest that required a married couple to complete. Plenty of single players in the faction had done the same. Mason had sent her a message asking if she'd marry him, and after some thought, Vivian agreed.
It had been half a year since their "wedding." While Vivian never treated Mason as a romantic partner—she always called him by name rather than in terms of endearment—they had fought together, cooperating in battles, building some level of camaraderie.
But it was just a game… right?
"Fine. I'll be right there," Vivian replied.
Divorce on Forget-Me-Not Island
Vivian's in-game character, "Willow Vivian," mounted her warhorse and raced toward Forget-Me-Not Island. Clad in her signature red robes and wielding an enormous sword, "Willow Vivian" cut a striking figure. Vivian was playing Dreaming of Wandering in the Martial Arts World, one of the most popular martial arts online games on the market. While the game boasted incredible graphics and diverse character choices, it lacked much beyond aesthetic appeal.
Vivian's choice of the red-clad female warrior wasn’t an ordinary one. The character wasn’t unpopular due to her looks—she was stunning—but because her weapon, a massive sword, lacked the grace of flutes, ribbons, or daggers. Most girls opted for more elegant or traditionally feminine characters.
But Vivian had chosen the warrior, loving her bold, powerful design. It suited her.
On Forget-Me-Not Island, the two characters stood solemnly before the system. They drank the Forgetfulness Water, and the system announced:
“Willow Vivian and Mason have divorced. Their future marriages are now independent of each other.”
Mason tried to transfer a set of celestial equipment to her as a parting gift, but Vivian clicked cancel and refused it. Instead, she sent him a smiling emoji and walked away confidently, just like her warrior character would.
Gossip and Revelations
The next day at lunch, Vivian logged back into the game and was immediately greeted with a message from Natalie, a guild mate she had a good rapport with.
"Vivian, what happened? Did you get divorced from Mason? I heard he's marrying Ruby at 8 PM tonight!"
Vivian: "……"
Natalie: "Did you really break up?"
Vivian: "Yeah."
Natalie: "What a pity. Mason seemed like a great guy. But I didn’t expect him to be swayed by looks. That Ruby, though… she's stunning."
When Natalie mentioned "stunning," she wasn’t talking about Ruby’s game character but Ruby herself. Three months ago, the game company organized a reality competition. Players uploaded photos and videos of themselves, and the top three won exclusive in-game equipment. Ruby’s overwhelming popularity had taken the server by storm. With just a few pictures and a video, she had become the most coveted player among the male user base.
Vivian felt a pang of frustration. Although she never had romantic feelings for Mason, she couldn’t help but feel annoyed. She banged her head against the desk—a habit of hers when venting—muttering to herself, "Judging people by their appearance is so shallow!"
Her outburst wasn’t in the game, but in her dorm room. It earned her a pillow to the face from her bunkmate above.
"Vivian Ashcroft! You’re an actual goddess. If you say things like that, what hope is there for the rest of us?"
It was true—Vivian was stunning. But hers was a particular type of beauty. With her enchanting eyes, naturally rosy lips, and a figure that even loose school uniforms couldn’t hide, she often found herself judged by her appearance rather than her efforts.
Still frustrated, Vivian continued banging her head on the table as Natalie sent another message:
"I heard Ruby was originally aiming for someone higher on the leader board, but I’ve seen Mason and her leveling up together lately."
The pieces fell into place. While Vivian had been offline during the dorm internet outage, an “affair” had unfolded. Vivian typed back with a burnt-toast emoji.
"Don’t blame Mason entirely," Natalie added. "Actually…"
"Actually what?" Vivian asked, sipping her tea and typing one-handed.
"Actually… you’re too strong. You’re ranked 6th on the PK leader board, and you’ve never asked any guy for equipment. People think…"
"Think what?"
"That you’re a trans woman!"
Vivian choked, spraying tea all over her screen.
