Haven Online

Chapter 4: Moving in

Wei jumped into her old beat-up truck right after her, and Xinya's phone call ended. As she was driving, she started going over everything that Xinya told her. 

She couldn't believe that she was so blind to everything that happened. She saw how he flinched when his stepmother was nearby, or any woman besides her for that matter. She couldn't understand how she didn't put the dots together sooner.

Punching the steering wheel in one part frustration and one part anger, Wei pushed back the urge to find that woman and make her pay for what she did. At this moment, she just wanted to get to her friend and make sure that he is alright.

The drive took her all of 30 minutes due to the fact that she was driving well over the speed limit. When she got to the address that Xinya told her, she was appalled by what she saw and wanted to get him away from there as soon as possible. 

Even though it was a motel in the slums, it was decent enough, but that wasn't why she was disgusted. All around the area were prostitutes, both men, and women. 

They were openly performing indecent acts all around the building. She knew she needed to hurry and get Xinya away from here because if he sees this, he might become even more emotionally damaged than he already was.

Disregarding her surroundings, Wei hurried to Xinya's room.

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"Xinya I'm here, open up!" Wei yelled as she knocked on the room door.

Opening the door slightly, Xinya peeked out the door. Seeing that it was just Wei, he let out a relieved breath and opened the door all the way. 

When he came out earlier, the prostitutes around the area started soliciting him, even offering to do anything he wanted for free. It was slightly trauma-inducing, those lewd faces brought back unwanted memories.

"I'm so glad you're here," he said with a smile, opening the door wider to let her in.

"I hope I didn't make you wait too long," Wei replied, walking into the room and grabbing his bag that was on the floor. "Let's get out of here."

"I have no problem with that."

Wei hurried and wheeled Xinya to her truck and helped him inside before putting his bag and wheelchair in the back. Once everything was situated, Wei got in and drove off. 

During the car ride back to Wei's house, Xinya asked about how Wei's life had been since they parted, even though he already knew, he knew that talking would bring them closer again.

They talked about all sorts of things, Wei told him about how her mother got a better job after getting fired. She told him how friendly their new employers were, they even helped her get an apartment in a good area.

Nowadays, living areas are separated into four types. The slums, which are low rent places that mostly contain homeless individuals, criminals, and all sorts of unsavory people. Then there is the middle-class area, which is divided into two parts, high end, and low end, depending on income. This area was a lot better than the slums, it was way safer for the most part, and the people living there had stable work.

Lastly was the elite area where the fabulously rich lived. This area mostly had business moguls, famous people, and so on. It was a gated community and very secure; this is where Xinya used to live.

The place where Wei was taking him now was the middle-class area to one of the low-end apartments. Even if it was considered low-end, it was just on the edge of being high end. It was a very desirable location to live in, but the rent is quite high, which is probably why Wei had needed a roommate in Xinya's last life.

When they arrived, Xinya pretended to be surprised by the place. The apartment building was huge, with over 30 floors. The inside was decorated quite nicely for where it was located. It reminded him of one of those luxury hotels he had the pleasure to stay in when he was younger.

Wei took him to the 15th floor, where she stayed while explaining to him about the benefits of living here. Once they reached her apartment, Wei opened the door with a flourish and pushed Xinya inside.

Glancing around the place, Xinya felt that it had a homey feel to it despite being a tad girly. The living room was decorated with ivory walls and carpet, a floral covered couch and chair, and a reasonable size TV. The kitchen was covered in yellow and white, fully equipped with the latest appliances.

She went on to show him the bedrooms and bathroom before asking him if he liked it. Xinya made sure to comment on how great the place was, it was small, but considering where he lived in his other life, this place was a paradise.

After discussing everything, Wei put his name on the tenant lease. His share of the rent would be $1,500 a month, so he decided to give her 6 months in advance.

The next few days went by great, Wei took him shopping for new furniture for his room, and they got to know each other again. One night while they were eating dinner, Wei asked him if he was going to get a job somewhere since she knew that the money his mother left for him wouldn't last forever.

So Xinya told her how he was going to try to make money playing the VRMMO Haven Online. Wei was a little shocked since she knew that he never played any games before, but she also knew that would probably be the only path that he could take. Besides, if he gets good enough, maybe he could get a company to sponsor him.

Xinya already knew precisely what Wei's thoughts were, they were the same as everyone else who first starts a VR Game. The ultimate goal: to get a company to sponsor them, but there was only a 1 in a million chance of a person getting a company's interest enough to invest in them.

Although Xinya's plan was to make a wave, he didn't think it would be noticeable enough to gain attention from any sort of sponsor, at least that's what he thought.