Don't Flirt with Me, Big Shot. I'm Just an NPC

[Faithful to each other, no angst, happy ending, sweet romance, online game]

A domineering CEO who can't stop making dirty jokes x a sarcastic player whose soul has temporarily become an NPC

After dying unexpectedly, Tong Zhou wakes up inside a game as one of the three star entertainers at the Nanfeng Pavilion.

He's a background NPC with a fixed set of lines and barely any presence.

When no players talk to him, he wanders around Chang'an, chatting with the general store owner, teasing the kids flying kites on the street, then buying a bowl of the old woman's tofu pudding. Life is bland but peaceful.

Then one day, he runs into a player who is glittering from head to toe, obviously rich, and probably not quite right in the head: Sihuo.

The first time they meet, Sihuo blocks his way and says with a perfectly straight face:

"Hey, you look just like my ex. Want to get together?"

Tong Zhou thinks: What is wrong with him, confessing to an NPC?

But he can only trigger his preset lines.

So their conversation goes like this:

Tong Zhou: "Honored guest, would you like to hear a song or have a drink today?"

Sihuo: "I want to hear you say, 'I do.'"

Tong Zhou: "The Nanfeng Pavilion just got a few jars of bamboo-leaf liquor."

Sihuo: "Your wine is the intoxicating kind. I want to get drunk with you."

They talk right past each other, with no chemistry at all.

But Sihuo doesn't mind in the least. He logs in right on time every day and pours his heart out to a looping NPC, come rain or shine.

Until one day, Tong Zhou discovers that a player menu has appeared for him.

He can actually team up with players, level up, and fight monsters.

Sihuo takes him monster hunting, spends money on the game, and buys him equipment, throwing money around while confessing to him countless times.

Tong Zhou assumes it's just rich people performing some kind of avant-garde art.

Only later does he learn that when he was alive, he really was Sihuo's ex?!