Side Story: Grand Chancellor – Mom, I’ll Never Play Online Games Again

Juncheng had acquired a set of equipment in the game that was feared throughout the server, but unfortunately, the black-hearted Li Yifei carelessly gave it away to a random player in the game.

Juncheng was heartbroken and only managed to see that the person who received his equipment was called “Spent Half the Night Thinking of a Lame Name” in the game.

He vowed to completely cut ties with that jerk Li Yifei for ten thousand years.

That set of equipment had cost him all his phone bill credits and was his greatest love. He couldn’t bear to give it up, so he tried every means to contact “Spent Half the Night Thinking of a Lame Name,” attempting to reason with them and appeal to their emotions to get the equipment back.

However, the other party was incredibly difficult to deal with and righteously told him, “One must have principles in life, such as not asking for something back once given, and not giving something once asked for.”

He asked what this nonsense meant, and the other party explained, “It means that once you’ve given something to someone, for the sake of morality, you can’t ask for it back. Otherwise, you’re shameless. Even if you decide to be shameless and want it back, the receiving party has no obligation to return it.”

Juncheng was floored. He thought he was already quite thick-skinned, but he never expected to meet someone who deserved an “even more” in front of that description.

He was so disgusted by the other party’s self-righteous attitude that he felt like he was going to vomit blood from internal injuries. He couldn’t help but think of that famous exam fill-in-the-blank quote: “Water that’s too clear has no fish; a person who’s too cheap has no enemies.”

Since asking directly didn’t work, he decided to change his approach and try a different method.

For example, playing the pity card.

He typed furiously, begging Lame Name: “Brother, do you know that for this set of equipment, I’ve sold everything including the kitchen sink, and even mortgaged my house? If my mom finds out, she’ll not only disown me but also kick me out without even leaving me a pair of underwear! She’s that ruthless! Don’t you think it’s too inhumane if you don’t return the equipment to me when I’m about to be homeless?”

Lame Name quickly replied with a line of text: “If, and I mean if, what you’re saying is true, then you are indeed quite pitiful. But your parents are even more pitiful for having such a wastrel child. However, even if you are pitiful, we’re strangers, so I don’t think I have any obligation to be humane towards you.”

Juncheng wanted to cry. The person on the other side was not only thick-skinned and shameless but also completely unmoved.

He looked at the level of the other player’s game character and gave a cold laugh internally. Being at such a low level and still holding onto his advanced weapons, it was simply laughable! At that level, they would need to level up at least seventy or eighty more levels before they could barely use that equipment.

After some thought, he decided to change his strategy again.

He typed a message in the chat box: “Dear Brother Lame Name, let me tell you something straight. Look at your level, you can’t even use my equipment even if you keep it. How about this, you return the equipment to me, and I’ll help you level up. How does that sound?”

On the computer screen, after a moment of silence, Lame Name displayed a line of text: “Seeing that you’re pitiful, I’m not unreasonable. How about this, you help me level up, and for every ten levels, I’ll return one piece of equipment to you.”

Juncheng was extremely unwilling. In front of the computer screen, he cursed at the unseen shameless little scum in the monitor with all sorts of Beijing slang, but what his fingers typed on the keyboard was a completely different story, full of flattery: “No problem! Then it’s settled, brother! Whoever goes back on their word will never be able to get married! Oh brother, you’ve given me a glimmer of hope to live on, thank you!”

On the computer screen, Lame Name slowly replied with three words: “You’re welcome.” A few seconds later, another three words popped up on the screen, “It’s fate!”

Juncheng felt a mouthful of blood rushing up.

He shouted at the screen with red eyes: “Fate my ass! I’m gritting my teeth and saying things I don’t mean, and you have the nerve to shamelessly continue! Just wait until I get my equipment back, I’ll hack you into a half-paralyzed state every day! Want to level up? Hah, wait for your next life!”

For the sake of the equipment, Juncheng had to grit his teeth and squeeze out what little selflessness he had left to lead comrade “Spent Half the Night Thinking of a Lame Name” in leveling up together.

At first, he thought that such a low-level character must be controlled by a newbie who had just started playing the game, and it would be quite troublesome to help them. But unexpectedly, Lame Name not only had a talent for collecting other people’s equipment but also for playing the game.

It only took one-third of the time he had anticipated to help Lame Name level up to ten levels.

On the day they reached ten levels, Juncheng was excited. He could finally get back one piece of his beloved equipment.

He was full of anticipation, imagining the scene of his invincible beautiful armor returning to his handsome and majestic body.

However, the ideal is full and beautiful, but reality is miserable. The first piece of equipment Lame Name returned to him wasn’t his invincible beautiful armor, but a boot…

A boot… and only one at that…

Juncheng looked at the half-pair of boots and almost cried.

“Brother, is this how you play? Can’t you at least return a pair? Can boots even be returned separately?” he angrily typed on the keyboard.

The other party replied with an extremely cold word: “Yes.”

Juncheng: “You can’t be like this!”

Lame Name: “Level up another ten levels, and I’ll return the other one.”

Juncheng typed with increased force: “Damn! I’ve never seen a man as petty as you!”

Lame Name: “With this attitude of yours, do you want me to return your equipment?”

Juncheng gnashed his teeth and waved his fists at the screen.

You little brat, just wait until I get all my equipment back, I’ll hack and kill you thousands of times every day! Want to level up? Keep dreaming!

For the sake of the other half of the pair of shoes and other beautiful equipment, Juncheng had to swallow his anger and continue to help Lame Name level up.

Lame Name was very hardworking and leveled up extremely fast. Sometimes Juncheng felt that this kid had talent and potential for playing games. He struggled with the thought of whether he should put aside their grudges and properly train this guy. Once trained, he would never have to cry and beg that jerk Li Yifei to help him in group battles again.

However, because Lame Name was playing the game a bit too enthusiastically, even more obsessively than when he first started playing online games, Juncheng began to wonder about this guy’s motivation for playing.

He asked Lame Name: “Why are you so obsessed with playing this game? Do your family members know about your state of neglecting food and sleep?”

Lame Name asked him back: “What about you? Why do you play?”

Juncheng, completely unaware that the direction of his question had been changed, answered sincerely: “Because of passion!”

Lame Name paused for a moment, then answered: “I’m exactly the opposite of you. I play because of hatred.”

His answer left Juncheng unable to understand even after mobilizing all of his intelligence.

“Why the hatred? If you hate it, why are you playing so enthusiastically? Are you schizophrenic?”

But Lame Name didn’t speak anymore.

Juncheng thought for a moment and asked another question: “Then why are you trying so hard?”

This time Lame Name didn’t pretend to be reserved and quickly answered. However, the answer made Juncheng spit out a mouthful of water in surprise.

“To defeat Mo Gaofeng.”

Who is Mo Gaofeng? He’s the top-ranked player on the entire server.

Juncheng typed: “Kid, your ambition is truly great, haha! Of course, having a dream in your heart is good, it shows you’re a person with ambition. But, child, I have to tell you seriously, you can’t be unrealistic!”

Once he started giving life lessons, he couldn’t stop. After a pause and shaking his fingers, he continued typing furiously: “It’s like when I was a child and wanted to be the President of the United States. But this wish, although beautiful, was impossible to achieve. Do you know why?”

Lame Name replied: “Maybe because you should have taken some risperidone and olanzapine, but you didn’t.”

Juncheng looked at those two seemingly drug names, full of questions: “What are those things? But that’s not important, and that answer is wrong. Guess again.”

Lame Name: “Because you’re not American.”

Juncheng: “Citizenship? That’s not even an issue for your big brother here. If I say I want American citizenship, I could get it in a minute! Guess again!”

Lame Name: “Can’t guess anymore, I’m done guessing. I’m going to do some quests.”

Juncheng got a bit anxious. He had never seen a kid with so little curiosity. No, he couldn’t let this kid leave like this. If he didn’t tell this kid the answer today, he felt like he would suffocate.

“Wait, wait, let me tell you the answer before you go! The reason I wanted to be the President of the United States but didn’t become one is because as I grew up, I was no longer young and ignorant, I became wise and patriotic. Think about it, why would a Chinese person go to America to be president? Even if I wanted to exercise my great ambition of governing a country and its people, I should apply to be the President of our own country!”

Lame Name sent a long string of ellipses, then said: “Brother, your thinking is quite split. I think you should go get some risperidone and olanzapine to take. It’s good for you and your family.”

Juncheng looked at those two complex terms and asked: “What exactly are those things you mentioned?”

Lame Name didn’t respond anymore, so Juncheng went to search on Baidu himself, and then he discovered that those two things were famous drugs for treating schizophrenia.

He angrily typed on the keyboard.

“You little brat, come out here! Tell me, how do you know these drug names? And how am I like a schizophrenic!”

He repeatedly copied and pasted this sentence, flooding the screen until Lame Name was forced to respond.

“Look at your hysterical state now, isn’t this schizophrenic?” Lame Name typed a line of text, “Seeing how excited you are in admiring me, I’ll reluctantly tell you how I know.”

This time there was a short pause before Lame Name sent another message.

“Because sometimes, I feel so sad, sad to the point where I feel like I need them.”

Juncheng looked at that line of text on the computer screen and suddenly didn’t know what to say.

After Lame Name had returned the other boot, two wristbands, and a pair of battle shorts, it was time for the grand and beautiful moment of server-wide group battles and city sieges.

The guild Juncheng and Lame Name were ranked second on the server, with Mo Gaofeng’s guild undoubtedly ranking first.

Both guilds would participate in this city siege.

Juncheng asked Lame Name: “Never seen such a grand scene, right?”

Lame Name was unimpressed: “How grand can it be?”

Juncheng educated him: “In today’s city siege, Mo Gaofeng and his wife Bai Mei will participate. Add me to that, and all the top-ranked players on the server will be here. Isn’t this grand enough?”

Lame Name: “How is Mo Gaofeng’s wife top-ranked?”

Juncheng: “She’s said to be the beauty that dominates the entire server!”

Lame Name: “Have you seen her?”

Juncheng: “No, but this is said to be spread by people who have seen her.”

Lame Name: “Hehe.”

Lame Name: “Then how are you considered top-ranked on the server?”

Juncheng: “My equipment dominates the server!”

Lame Name: “Hehe, most of your equipment is with me now.”

Juncheng wanted to grab the keyboard and smash it, but thinking about the excellent performance of this keyboard and how long it would take to order a new one from abroad, he took three deep breaths and put the keyboard back down.

After all, he was one of the top players on the server, he couldn’t stoop to the level of a small grassroots account.

He decided to educate the grassroots about the knowledge of being top-ranked on the server.

Juncheng: “Since you’re aiming for Mo Gaofeng, do you know about him and his in-game wife?”

Po Ming: “Hehe, why bother understanding them? Isn’t it enough to just defeat them? Besides, that Bai Mei isn’t anything special. She’s only high-level, but her combat ability isn’t strong. She’s only prominent in the server because Mo Gaofeng’s account protects her. Without Mo Gaofeng, I could kill her in a minute.”

Jun Cheng thought this grassroots player didn’t know how to cherish beauty, showing such violent desires toward a girl. Moreover, his boasting was truly shameless.

Jun Cheng: “Young man, you don’t know how high the sky is and how deep the earth is. Let me give you a piece of advice: tone down your arrogance, or you’ll get yourself in trouble. Your account is small and you started playing late, so you might not fully understand these two accounts. Let me tell you, they, along with an account called Tang Hai, were once involved in a grand, dramatic love triangle that played out across the entire server!”

After a moment, Po Ming typed a single character: “Oh?”

Jun Cheng automatically added a rising, questioning tone to this character in his mind, then enthusiastically typed: “Back then, besides Mo Gaofeng, there was another high-level account called Tang Hai who also liked Bai Mei. However, he couldn’t beat Mo Gaofeng, so Mo Gaofeng married Bai Mei. After that server-shaking wedding, Tang Hai’s account never appeared again.”

After a while, Po Ming replied with a very short three characters: “I see.”

Jun Cheng, seeing his lackluster response, felt quite disappointed. He thought the person on the other side of the computer was truly pitiful, not having grasped the important skill of enthusiastically gossiping with others. A person who doesn’t know how to gossip with others won’t have friends! And a person without friends, tsk tsk, how pitiful, truly pitiful.

He thought for a moment and typed: “Look, why don’t you return my equipment to me first? You should know that I’m the backbone of our guild. Although I don’t expect to be able to defeat Mo Gaofeng, if I were fully equipped and spent some money, I might be able to hold my own against Bai Mei for a while. But with the current equipment situation – two boots, two wristguards, and a pair of battle shorts – there’s no need to even think about it. Our guild won’t even have a chance to struggle; the outcome is a certain loss! Speaking of that freak Mo Gaofeng, only my bastard childhood friend could deal with him! But I’ve made up my mind to cut ties with him, so this time I must rely on my own hands to rewrite this ill-fated destiny!”

After a while, Po Ming replied: “Don’t think too much. Even if I returned all the equipment to you, you still wouldn’t stand a chance. Your skills are too crappy. I’ve already been more than generous by returning your shorts so you can protect your vitals in battle. You should learn to be content and grateful, not shamelessly asking for more items. If your mother knew how thick-skinned you are, she’d be ashamed of you.”

Jun Cheng looked at the screen, enraged.

“You little brat, are you trying to rebel? Do you still want to level up behind me or not?”

During the guild battles, Mo Gaofeng repeatedly used a powerful skill that instantly killed all opponents.

This skill was very complex to execute, and currently, Jun Cheng hadn’t seen anyone else on the server who could use it besides Mo Gaofeng.

Jun Cheng’s guild was being utterly defeated. As the situation was becoming dire, Po Ming sent a message to Jun Cheng: “Get on YY.”

Jun Cheng was puzzled. Previously, no matter how he had tried to persuade or coerce this kid, they had never agreed to use YY. Today, they were surprisingly proactive. He thought this grassroots player might have been intimidated by the unprecedented grand scene and wanted to express their feelings and thoughts directly on YY.

He logged into YY and found the room number Po Ming had given him.

Then, when he heard Po Ming start speaking, he was instantly shocked.

This person was a woman.

Jun Cheng thought Po Ming’s voice sounded quite pleasant. However, the content of her speech left him extremely bewildered.

“Grand Chancellor,” Po Ming called Jun Cheng by his in-game name, “I’ll return your armor to you later.”

Jun Cheng interrupted her: “It’s called armor, thank you very much!”

Po Ming: “…Alright, armor. We’re in a dire situation, why bother with such details?”

Jun Cheng expressed his frustration.

Po Ming ignored him and continued: “I’ll return your armor to you later. With your armor, wristguards, character attributes, level, and the gold ingots in your inventory, you’ll be able to use Mo Gaofeng’s ultimate skill.”

Jun Cheng was stunned for several seconds, expressing disbelief: “Wait, what did you say? I didn’t quite understand! I can use Mo Gaofeng’s ultimate skill. Are you joking?”

Po Ming calmly told him again: “You really can use Mo Gaofeng’s ultimate skill, but each time you use it, you’ll need to spend a batch of gold ingots. In other words, if you want to use the ultimate skill, you’ll need to burn some money.”

Jun Cheng still didn’t believe it. Po Ming’s tone changed, becoming impatient: “Stop dawdling, I’ll guide you!”

She suddenly took on an air of authority, and Jun Cheng inexplicably followed her instructions and began to operate.

He never imagined that he, who dominated the server with his equipment, would one day follow the orders of a low-level grassroots account – and the actual user of that account was a woman.

And what he could imagine even less was that, besides Mo Gaofeng, he, Jun Cheng, also unleashed that legendary ultimate skill! Although the other person relied on skill to use it, while he relied on burning money, he still managed to shock the entire server.

In the subsequent battles, he became an even more dazzling and eye-catching character than Mo Gaofeng.

Many people were spamming the system chat to express their shock: “How does that Grand Chancellor know Mo Gaofeng’s ultimate skill?!”

Jun Cheng couldn’t help but laugh maniacally into the microphone.

However, he forgot what the uncles and elders of ancient times used to say: extreme joy begets sorrow.

He became too carried away with his success, causing him to mess up the sequence of operations. The last ultimate skill failed to activate.

Then, he was gloriously killed by Mo Gaofeng.

After that, their guild was thoroughly defeated.

He heard a loud thud through his headphones as if someone had fallen off their chair.

The siege activity ended with Mo Gaofeng’s victory. All the gold ingots in Jun Cheng’s inventory had been burned to use the ultimate skill. Although he had become penniless, he was still elated.

Because –

“I’m now the only person in the entire server who can rival Mo Gaofeng, hahahahahaha!”

Overnight, he became a hot topic in the game, his popularity even surpassing Mo Gaofeng’s.

Minimizing the game window, Jun Cheng called out to Po Ming on YY: “Wasn’t I so cool today! I’m even impressed by myself, hahaha!”

Po Ming’s voice sounded a bit exasperated: “You were so close to defeating Mo Gaofeng! To fail at the last moment, become penniless, and still be this happy – where is your sense of shame?”

Jun Cheng couldn’t be bothered to dwell on this issue. Right now, he was more interested in something else: “How do you know how to use this ultimate skill?”

Po Ming answered nonchalantly: “Coincidence.”

Jun Cheng expressed that his intelligence was too high to be fooled by just two words: “Come on! Don’t tell me you’re Mo Gaofeng’s secret lover or something?”

Po Ming let out a cold laugh, her voice seemingly carrying the chill of winter: “Why don’t you take some risperidone and olanzapine? If you don’t get treatment soon, I’m afraid your brain might explode from all this wild imagination!”

Jun Cheng said “Not good,” and then changed to a new question: “How did you know I had so many gold ingots? Is it because my natural aura of a young master, in short, my noble aura, affected you?”

Po Ming let out another cold laugh: “Noble aura? Hehe, I only sensed your vulgar aura!”

Jun Cheng persisted: “Tell me, how did you know I was so wealthy and distinguished?”

Po Ming made a retching sound and answered: “Don’t you spend countless phone bills every month?”

Jun Cheng was stunned for a moment, then completely shocked.

“How do you know that? You investigated me! You created that fake account just to get close to me, right? Do you like me?! Did you have ulterior motives because you saw I had money?! Let me tell you, I won’t get involved with someone who stole my beloved equipment in the game!”

Po Ming didn’t say anything and directly cut off the YY connection.

Jun Cheng was left feeling resentful in the silence of his headphones.

“You beast! At least admit you like me before you leave! Stubbornly denying it won’t make your chest any bigger! Leaving in such a hurry, are you rushing to reincarnate?”

After that siege, Jun Cheng still leveled up with Po Ming for the sake of the remaining weapons and equipment. However, his mindset had slightly changed. His feelings towards her were a bit complicated. Although he no longer completely looked down on this grassroots account, most of his emotions still fell under “dislike” and “disdain.”

Who told her to have such a low level and poor character? Even if she happened to know how to use that ultimate skill, it couldn’t cover up her shameful thoughts of secretly investigating him out of admiration that she refused to admit.

The two no longer communicated by furiously typing. They started using YY. During their voice chats, the vast majority of the time was spent bickering, with only a small portion dedicated to discussing the game.

Days flew by, and soon it was almost Chinese New Year.

One day, Po Ming suddenly said to Jun Cheng: “If you help me with something, I’ll return all the equipment to you.”

This sudden happiness made Jun Cheng unable to believe his ears: “Really? What do you need my help with? Let me say this first, I’m a person with principles. Don’t force me to do anything that would compromise my body. I know you’ve been coveting me for a long time! I’m telling you, if you have designs on my body, I absolutely won’t agree!”

Po Ming let out a long, cold sneer: “Thank you very much! Even if you paid me, I wouldn’t bother doing anything to your body! Relax, it’s nothing difficult. You just need to pretend to be my boyfriend and come home with me for the New Year. I won’t use you for free. After the New Year, I’ll return all your equipment at once, and I’ll even pay you a rental fee. You became penniless after using that ultimate skill recently, right? How about it? Give my proposal some serious thought.”

Jun Cheng carefully considered this proposal.

First, his hot-tempered mother, to control his gaming addiction, had refused to give him any pocket money this month no matter what. Po Ming was right; he was now truly penniless.

Second, during the New Year period, his mother and father had already prepared to go abroad for their Nth honeymoon. He had expressed a desire to go with them, but was coldly rejected by his heartless father and mercilessly pushed aside.

Finally, since he had already decided to cut ties with that bastard Li Yifei, he had to have some backbone and definitely couldn’t go spend the New Year with him.

In summary, if he didn’t accept Po Ming’s proposal, it seemed he would have to spend the New Year alone, poor, and miserable…

After thinking it through, he made a decision.

He put on airs as he answered Po Ming: “Well, I’m a softhearted person after all. Since you’re begging me, I’ll reluctantly agree. But let me make this clear beforehand: I suspect you have a history of secretly liking me. You’re renting me to go home for the New Year, but I’m only responsible for spiritual services. If you use the excuse that your home is small and there aren’t enough beds to sleep in and suggest that we sleep together or something, I’m telling you now that I will resolutely refuse!”

Po Ming used all her strength to spit out a “Pah!” at him.

Before logging off, they exchanged phone numbers. As Jun Cheng lay down to sleep, Po Ming texted asking for his ID number.

Jun Cheng cautiously texted back: “What are you planning to do?”

Po Ming’s next text message was filled with a “Bro, are you okay?” sentiment between the lines.

“What could I do? Buy your round-trip plane tickets, of course! Unless you want to pay for your travel expenses? If that’s what you want, I’d be more than happy to oblige!”

Jun Cheng immediately sent his ID number.

No joke, he was already so poor, how could he afford to pay for his travel expenses? Don’t be ridiculous!

A week later, two days before the New Year, Jun Cheng and Po Ming agreed to meet at the airport.

At the airport, Jun Cheng rushed towards a short-haired girl who had her back to him.

He smugly approached and tapped her on the shoulder, saying, “Hey, Po Ming!”

The short-haired girl was startled by his tap. She turned around with a glare and angrily replied, “Who are you? Are you sick or something?!”

Jun Cheng blinked, feeling a bit confused.

His intuition told him that Po Ming should be this person…

The short-haired girl gave him a fierce glare and walked away, leaving him standing there stiffly and dazed.

Suddenly, someone tapped his shoulder.

He immediately turned around and saw a young girl with a ponytail and a pretty face smiling at him.

That smile… had an indescribable sense of strangeness.

The girl raised her eyebrows and asked him: “Didn’t you take your medicine before leaving? Calling everyone Po Ming.”

Jun Cheng looked at her, feeling even more dizzy: “You’re Po Ming? My goodness, how come you look so much like a woman? This doesn’t match your online demeanor and behavior at all! You’re so manly, how could you possibly have long hair?”

Po Ming pursed her lips at him: “Let me tell you, saying that not only offends me but also all short-haired girls. Are you implying that all short-haired girls are manly?”

Jun Cheng clicked his tongue twice and shook his head: “No, what I mean is, not all short-haired girls are manly, like Sun Li, who’s a goddess even with short hair; but you’re so manly, you should have short hair!”

Po Ming shook her head and patted his shoulder with a pitying look: “Brother if your brain has a problem, you should get it treated early. If you wait any longer, you’ll develop schizophrenia. I’m telling you, don’t overthink things!”

After boarding the plane, they exchanged detailed personal information.

Po Ming told Jun Cheng: “My name is Dang Yu, ‘Dang’ as in party member, ‘Yu’ as in rain that persists through wind and storm.”

Jun Cheng squinted and asked: “Are you an orphan?”

Dang Yu turned her head and gave him a fierce glare: “Can you tell me how Your Highness came to this conclusion?”

Jun Cheng scratched his face and said: “My childhood friend told me – oh right, I’ve already cut ties with him – he said that usually in orphanages, boys are surnamed Guo, and girls are surnamed Dang.”

Dang Yu tried to hold back but finally couldn’t resist rolling her eyes: “With your intelligence, you really can’t survive in the game without equipment, or you’d die 800 times a day! Fine, let’s say according to what you said, orphanage boys are surnamed Guo, and girls are surnamed Dang. Are you saying these orphans don’t grow up? Don’t they get married and have children after growing up? Don’t their children have the surnames, Guo and Dang? Are these children with surnames Guo and Dang orphans?!”

Jun Cheng was stunned by Dang Yu’s series of rhetorical questions, blinking rapidly: “Well, that’s true.”

Dang Yu looked at him with sympathy: “With your intelligence, it’s not easy that you’ve survived to this age. Your parents are truly great to have raised you successfully.”

Jun Cheng stretched his neck and exclaimed, “Oh man!”

It was his turn to introduce himself: “My name is Jun Cheng…” Before he could finish, Dang Yu interrupted him.

“I know.”

Jun Cheng was stunned: “Is it because I just told you, so that’s why you know?”

Dang Yu denied without hesitation: “No.” After thinking for a moment, she blinked and said, “You told me before when we were playing the game.”

Jun Cheng fell into a daze for five seconds. After five seconds, his attitude was resolute: “Impossible! I never said that!”

Dang Yu quickly retorted: “You did.”

Jun Cheng: “I didn’t!”

Dang Yu: “You did!”

Jun Cheng: “No!”

Dang Yu: “Are you confident in your memory?”

Jun Cheng: “…”

Dang Yu: “Not confident, right? Then why are you arguing? If you keep arguing, you might as well get off the plane before it takes off. I’ll keep the equipment, and I’ll save the money I was going to pay you.”

Jun Cheng immediately changed to a sincere tone: “Ah, if I think about it, I’m sure I’ll remember that I did say it!”

After the plane took off, Dang Yu began to brief Jun Cheng on her family situation, giving him a general grasp of the role he needed to play.

She told Jun Cheng: “My mother passed away when I was in middle school, then my father found me a stepmother. My stepmother brought a daughter, who’s the same age as me but with a younger birthday, so she’s considered my younger sister. My sister told my father and stepmother that she wanted to bring her boyfriend home for the New Year this year. My stepmother told her: ‘You can’t do that, your older sister hasn’t shown any signs of having a boyfriend yet, it’s not good for you to bring your boyfriend home first.’ My sister felt a bit wrong, so she urged me to quickly find a boyfriend to bring home, and that’s why I had to rent you to come back with me.”

Jun Cheng made an “Oh” sound and said: “It feels like your stepmother and sister are both a bit peculiar.”

Dang Yu chuckled but didn’t say anything else.

Dang Yu told Jun Cheng that her stepsister’s name is Bai Mei, and her sister’s boyfriend is called Tang Hai.

When he heard her sister’s name, Jun Cheng laughed.

“Why didn’t your sister just name herself Bai Fu Mei (white, rich, and beautiful)?”

Dang Yu rolled her eyes: “Wait until she marries her boyfriend. Otherwise, being poor, she doesn’t qualify.”

Jun Cheng thought for a moment and asked: “Is her boyfriend very rich?”

Dang Yu’s eye twitched, and she let out an ambiguous hum before answering: “I guess he’s quite well-off, his family runs a small business. Huh! If he wasn’t rich, my sister wouldn’t have been able to steal him away from someone else.”

Jun Cheng clicked his tongue repeatedly: “Your sister is quite unethical!”

Dang Yu glanced at him sideways: “Can you put ‘your sister’ at the beginning of the sentence as the subject? Don’t make it sound like an ambiguous sentence insulting me.”

Jun Cheng continued to click his tongue: “Is your sister good-looking?”

Dang Yu’s pupils went out of focus for a moment: “She’s alright, quite pretty. Otherwise, how could she have stolen someone else’s man?”

Jun Cheng made an “Oh” sound: “I see. If a good-looking girl is unethical, it’s still tolerable. But someone like you wouldn’t be okay, you’re too manly!”

Dang Yu looked at him expressionlessly: “When the plane lands, you should just buy a ticket back. Let your equipment and the originally planned rental fee all go with the wind.”

Jun Cheng hurriedly exclaimed: “Don’t be like that! I was just joking, couldn’t you tell? Do you have a negative number of humor cells? Let me tell you I was just saying the opposite of what I meant earlier. You’re not manly at all, you’re purely feminine…”

Dang Yu glared at him fiercely.

Jun Cheng, as if he had suffered internal injuries and a shock, swallowed the last syllable back into his stomach.

When Jun Cheng arrived at Dang Yu’s home, he found that not only were her stepmother and stepsister strange, but her sister’s boyfriend was also odd. He felt that the atmosphere of this family was a bit eerie, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on exactly what was strange about it.

Dang Yu’s sister was a soft and pure-looking girl, but there was something odd about the way she looked at people. Her boyfriend was also quite handsome, but compared to himself, Jun Cheng felt he was still several levels below.

When Comrade Bai Mei, the stepsister, first saw him, her eyes widened and eyebrows raised, with a look of “Huh?” on her face.

But she quickly replaced the “Huh?” expression with a harmless sweet smile: “Oh, sis, your new boyfriend is so handsome!”

The “new” boyfriend… This girl’s ability to emphasize certain words was outstanding.

Compared to the strange enthusiasm in her smile, her boyfriend’s gaze towards him was much colder. But strangely, this man did give Dang Yu several extra glances.

After some small talk, Dang Yu’s stepmother prepared dinner, and everyone sat down to eat.

In Jun Cheng’s understanding, a family gathering around for a reunion dinner should be a warm and loving affair, making people feel happy and relaxed. But he felt that the atmosphere at Dang Yu’s family dinner table was very strange, and Dang Yu herself seemed to be preparing for some kind of battle, always on alert. He was sure that every nerve in Dang Yu’s body was tense.

Why was she in such a state?

This meal, for some inexplicable reason, made him taste a flavor of “awkwardness.”

Jun Cheng ate while secretly observing. Although his friends around him all said he had limited intelligence, he felt that he was a super smart person with an extremely strong sixth sense. As long as he put his mind to it, he could be quite good at reading between the lines.

Five minutes into the meal, the atmosphere at the dinner table suddenly changed. This change came from Bai Mei, the younger sister, who started speaking.

“Sis, weren’t you single before? How did you suddenly get a boyfriend in just a few days? Have you been hiding a boyfriend from us all along? But what’s there to hide about that?”

Bai Mei’s voice was sweet, her tone soft, but Jun Cheng felt he could hear a hint of aggression in her words.

Dang Yu chuckled at her: “Why would I hide it from you? Jun Cheng and I fell in love at first sight, so things moved quickly.” After saying this, she looked at Jun Cheng and asked, “Right?”

When Jun Cheng heard the words “love at first sight,” he almost bit his tongue. Then seeing her pretend to gaze at him affectionately asking “Right?”, he almost had a stomach cramp.

But before his stomach could react, his leg was already in pain, almost making him grimace. Dang Yu was pinching him under the table with a threatening force.

He had to cover up his inner and physical double suffering, smiling with all his might like a blooming mountain flower, saying to Bai Mei: “Yes, yes! Your sister and I, it’s just fate!”

Bai Mei chuckled: “Brother-in-law, you’re so interesting.”

Interesting my foot! I almost got my leg pinched off because of your one sentence!

Jun Cheng lowered his head, silently swallowing the tears of pain flowing in his heart.

In the time that followed, Bai Mei seemed to have activated some kind of cheat code, her voice getting sweeter and sweeter, but her questions becoming more and more annoying.

“Sis, how far have you two gone?”

“Sis, when are you planning to get married? Oh right, you are planning to get married, aren’t you?”

“Sis, how long will it take for you to be able to buy a house in Beijing?”

…

Jun Cheng was getting increasingly irritated by Bai Mei’s constant “Sis” this and “Sis” that.

It was really strange, didn’t her mother teach her that well-bred young ladies should not speak while eating or sleeping? He looked up and saw Bai Mei’s mother wearing a smiling face, even with a hint of pride, as if no one else could ask such pleasant questions except her daughter.

Jun Cheng sighed inwardly. If he wasn’t rented by Dang Yu, he really couldn’t stand this strange mother-daughter pair. He would have slammed the table and stood up long ago. Can’t they let people eat in peace?

He glanced at Dang Yu’s father and found a look of helplessness in his eyes.

As for Tang Hai beside Bai Mei, his face was changing colors, alternating between pale and flushed.

Interestingly, the person with the biggest reaction was him.

Dang Yu deflected all of Bai Mei’s questions with a straight face. Jun Cheng thought Dang Yu either had an extremely good temper or very thick skin. He began to admire her as a true man.

However, the next question Bai Mei asked made him completely unable to sit still.

“Sis, Jun Cheng is so handsome, he’s not a pretty boy you found to relieve your loneliness, is he?” After saying this, she covered her mouth and giggled, looking innocent.

Jun Cheng was about to speak up to defend his dignity, but Dang Yu spoke first.

Dang Yu reprimanded her: “Xiao Mei, don’t talk nonsense!”

This time she didn’t back down in front of her weird sister. Jun Cheng suppressed his anger and watched to see what would happen next.

“How am I talking nonsense? Sis, what do you mean?” Bai Mei’s voice went up eight octaves.

“Bai Mei!” Tang Hai, who had been silent all along, spoke up, “That’s enough!”

Bai Mei turned her head and gave him a flirtatious look, smiling sweetly: “What do you mean ‘that’s enough’? I’m just playing around with my sister, are you feeling sorry for her?”

Tang Hai looked at her, furrowed his brow, and said nothing more.

Jun Cheng felt that the situation was getting more and more bizarre. There seemed to be quite a few issues between these family members…

Tang Hai decided to smooth things over: “Little sister Bai Mei, how could I let such a wonderful woman as your sister support me? I’d love nothing more than to shower her with money and treat her like a cherished wife if only she’d give me the chance.” He winked at Dang Yu as he finished speaking.

Bai Mei’s sweet smile froze: “Oh my, brother-in-law, you sure know how to talk!”

Dang Yu looked at him with eyes full of appreciation.

In an unnoticed moment, he whispered two words to Dang Yu that no one else could hear: “More money!”

The appreciation in Dang Yu’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a “I’m deaf, I can’t hear you” expression.

The dinner, with its undercurrents of tension, finally reached its conclusion.

Bai Mei was the first to put down her chopsticks, smiling brightly at Tang Hai: “Didn’t you bring something for Dad? Go get it quickly!”

Tang Hai set down his chopsticks and went to the bedroom, returning with a box of sea cucumbers.

Bai Mei took the sea cucumbers and handed them to Dang Yu’s father: “Dad, wishing you good health and a happy new year.”

Dang Yu’s father accepted the box, saying, “Thank you, Xiao Mei, that’s thoughtful of you.”

Bai Mei said sweetly, “It’s only right! Dad, you’ve raised me all these years, it’s been so hard on you. Your health hasn’t been good, so I want to get you some nutritious things. It’s my way of repaying your kindness in raising me.” She glanced at Dang Yu with a smile, “Sister, don’t you agree?”

Dang Yu’s face gradually paled. She had left in a hurry, and with Bai Mei bringing Tang Hai home for the New Year, she had been so flustered that she forgot to buy something for Bai Mei’s mother.

Suddenly, she felt Jun Cheng nudging her. She turned to see him making faces only she could see, mouthing the words: “More money!”

She was momentarily stunned, about to angrily warn him not to mess around when he had already stood up.

He also went to the bedroom and returned carrying an exquisite velvet box. He walked to the dining table and presented it to Bai Mei’s mother: “Auntie, this is a small token from Dang Yu and me. It’s not worth much, but if you find it useful, Dang Yu and I will continue to get more for you.”

Bai Mei’s mother accepted the box with a puzzled expression, opening it with a hint of anticipation. Bai Mei craned her neck to look, and her expression changed.

A whole box of top-grade cordyceps! It instantly outshone her and Tang Hai’s sea cucumbers!

While everyone’s attention was focused on admiring the cordyceps, Dang Yu quietly asked Jun Cheng, “Well done, Prime Minister, where did you get this?”

Jun Cheng whispered back, “Before going to the airport, my dad’s friend asked me to pick something up for my dad. I was too lazy to take it home and then go to the airport, so I just stuffed it in my suitcase. Who knew it would come in handy here? It’s fate that allows the Prime Minister to shine wherever he goes, hehe!”

Dang Yu felt a sweat drop forming on her forehead.

“How will you explain this to your dad later?”

Jun Cheng nonchalantly replied, “I’ll just tell the truth. My parents always support any sacrifices I make for the sake of face when I’m out. If they knew I lost face in a situation like this, they’d beat me to death, hah!”

Dang Yu thought the Jun family was truly eccentric.

After admiring the gift and Bai Mei’s mother joyfully thanking Jun Cheng for the cordyceps, dinner officially came to an end. Bai Mei’s mother stood up to clear the dishes, but Dang Yu quickly stopped her: “Mom, don’t move. Jun Cheng told me he’d do the dishes after dinner.” She turned to look at Jun Cheng, “Right?”

Jun Cheng stared blankly at Dang Yu, unsure of what expression to wear on his face.

This troublemaker! At home, he didn’t even have to pick up chopsticks if they fell on the floor. Now she wanted him to wash dishes?! Who did she think he was?!

He wouldn’t give in so easily!

He was preparing to say “no.”

But then Dang Yu mouthed to him: “Equipment!” After a pause, she mouthed again, “More money!”

Jun Cheng tossed his head and stood up: “Auntie, please don’t move. You and Uncle go watch TV in the living room, I’ll take care of this!”

Bai Mei’s mother and Dang Yu’s father left for the living room with smiles on their faces.

Bai Mei looked at him and Dang Yu with a slightly sour expression, glanced at them a couple of times and then stood up to return to her room. However, she noticed that Tang Hai was still sitting there, not moving.

She became unhappy and exclaimed, “Tang Hai, let’s go. What, are you planning to help my sister’s ‘new’ boyfriend wash dishes?”

Jun Cheng thought the word ‘new’ sounded strange, with quite a peculiar flavor to it.

Tang Hai stood up and left, but not before casting two glances at Dang Yu, looking as if he had something to say but couldn’t.

Jun Cheng felt that strange atmosphere brewing again.

Dang Yu began to regret asking Jun Cheng to wash the dishes.

On average, he managed to break eight out of every ten dishes.

Standing by the sink, listening to the crashes and looking at the shards of broken bowls on the floor, Dang Yu felt a headache coming on.

“You’re doing this on purpose,” she stated firmly.

Jun Cheng looked back at her, his eyes as clear and sincere as autumn waters: “Trust me, if I were doing it on purpose, I’d have smashed all ten bowls clean, not a single one would be left!”

Dang Yu felt her liver tremble. She narrowed her eyes at him: “You’re paying for the bowls.”

Jun Cheng rolled his eyes: “You told me to wash them!”

Dang Yu ignored him: “The cost of the bowls will be deducted from your rent. Just letting you know.”

“What the hell! Is this how we’re playing now? Want to bet I’ll go in there right now and expose you, tell them I’m not your boyfriend, that you hired me because you’re too proud to admit the truth!” Jun Cheng said as he dropped the last two remaining bowls into the sink.

As his words faded, two more crashes were heard, and two more broken bowls joined the others in the sink.

Jun Cheng looked at the sink, his hands hovering awkwardly, not knowing where to put them.

“Well, well, well… how come the bowls in your house break so easily, hehe…”

Dang Yu looked at him expressionlessly: “Tell me, how did you manage to do something so stupid?”

Jun Cheng quickly hid his embarrassed expression and put on a defiant face: “Anyway, if you dare to deduct money from me, I’ll rush in there and tell your dad the truth! Think carefully if you want to shock him like that on New Year’s!”

Dang Yu let out a cold laugh: “If you dare tell my dad about our arrangement, I’ll go tell your mom exactly how much money you’ve spent on online games through phone bill top-ups!”

When Jun Cheng heard this, he was so shocked it was as if his soul had left his body.

“Holy crap, how do you know my mom doesn’t let me play online games? Who are you? Tell me, tell me quick!” He pointed his index finger at Dang Yu’s nose, asking hysterically.

Dang Yu grabbed his finger and bent it backward towards his hand: “You told me yourself.”

Jun Cheng was almost in tears from the pain: “I didn’t!”

Dang Yu applied more pressure: “You did!”

Jun Cheng’s voice was almost trembling: “I didn’t!”

Dang Yu doubled the force, inhumanly bending the finger: “You didn’t say it?!”

Jun Cheng’s voice now had a pained cry in it: “I did! Let go!”

Dang Yu released his hand.

Jun Cheng cradled his finger, blowing on it hard.

Dang Yu pricked up her ears and heard him muttering as he blew: “…What kind of person is she! How can she bully you like this? Look, she almost broke you! She’s worse than a beast!…”

Seeing him talking to himself like this, Dang Yu suddenly smiled.

She had thought this New Year would be torturous, but unexpectedly, because of this clown, she didn’t find it so difficult anymore.

After finishing the dishes, Jun Cheng went to the living room to watch TV with Dang Yu’s father. Bai Mei’s mother, Bai Mei, and Tang Hai had gone downstairs, while Dang Yu was in her small room surfing the internet.

Dang Yu’s father suddenly turned up the volume on the TV a bit, then turned to Jun Cheng with a smile: “Son, do you have a nickname?”

Jun Cheng blinked after a moment of surprise: “My friends all call me Da Jun. Uncle, you can call me Da Jun too.”

Dang Yu’s father nodded: “Da Jun, I need to ask you something. If possible, please be good to our Xiao Yu in the future. She’s suffered a lot since she was young, and I, as her father, owe her a great deal.” As he finished speaking, there was a hint of sorrow in his expression.

Jun Cheng thought that since he was being paid to play a role, he should do it properly. So he quickly employed his silver tongue, using the same tactics he used to sweet-talk his mother at home, mixing lies with flattery and jokes, making the old man laugh heartily.

This conversation with the old man gave him a deeper understanding and insight into Dang Yu’s complex family structure, and the emotion called “surprise” in his perception rapidly exploded into a flame of excitement.

It turned out that Tang Hai and Dang Yu were originally a couple!

Based on Dang Yu’s father’s description, combined with his own comprehension and reasonable imagination, Jun Cheng believed the course of events must have been like this—

When Dang Yu and Tang Hai were more than friends but not quite lovers, in that ambiguous state before they had clarified their relationship, Dang Yu invited Tang Hai to visit her hometown during a holiday. As a result, Tang Hai was immediately targeted by Bai Mei.

It’s unclear when she asked Tang Hai for his contact information, but after Tang Hai left, Dang Yu felt him becoming more and more distant. Not long after, Bai Mei announced that she and Tang Hai were together.

Jun Cheng thought with mixed feelings that when Dang Yu heard this news, she must have felt like she had been struck by lightning.

He looked at Dang Yu’s father; the old man’s eyes were a bit red.

“Xiao Yu isn’t a pushover. If this had happened to someone else, if another girl had stolen her boyfriend, she definitely wouldn’t have remained silent and just given in. But this person happened to be Xiao Mei. My health hasn’t been good for nearly ten years, and I’ve been relying on Xiao Mei’s mother to take care of me. I know Xiao Yu endured it for my sake; she didn’t want me to be left without care.”

Taking a breath, Dang Yu’s father composed himself and continued: “I’ve also thought about it. For my daughter’s sake, I could just throw caution to the wind and let her be with Tang Hai. If Xiao Mei and her mother didn’t like it and wanted to leave this family, I could live on my own. But this idea isn’t realistic; my health doesn’t allow me to live independently. If I went to Beijing, wouldn’t I just be a burden to Xiao Yu? In the end, I couldn’t do anything but watch as the younger sister stole the older sister’s boyfriend!”

Dang Yu’s father raised his hand to wipe his eyes: “Da Jun, I’ve seen all of Xiao Yu’s pain over the past year and more. Now that she’s finally able to accept a new relationship, I’m begging you as her father, please treat her well, okay?” Dang Yu’s father’s eyes were red, filled with a father’s love for his daughter.

Jun Cheng was moved by the sight and instinctively blurted out: “Uncle, don’t worry, I’ll treat her well!”

Before going to bed, Dang Yu arranged a room for Jun Cheng to sleep in and brought two quilts to help him make the bed.

As she was making the bed, Dang Yu said, “Let me tell you, these two quilts are from my bed. In other words, I’ve shared my quilts with you, I’ve selflessly shared my warmth with you, so you should be grateful, you know!”

Jun Cheng snorted: “Come on, the relationship between us is purely about money. Talking about gratitude in this kind of relationship is too pretentious!”

Dang Yu stopped making the bed, picked up the half-spread quilt, and stood up straight: “If that’s the case, I’ll take the quilts back. If you’re afraid of the cold, sorry, you’ll have to rent quilts from me.”

She started walking towards the door with the quilts, but Jun Cheng spread his arms like a mother hen and blocked her.

“How can you be like this? Why can’t you understand a man’s way of saying one thing but meaning another? Do you believe everything I say? Can’t you use your heart to see how grateful my heart is!”

As he spoke, he snatched the quilts from under Dang Yu’s arms and threw them on the bed, then came back to push Dang Yu towards the bed: “Come on, continue making the bed. Make it nice and neat for me, and I’ll stand beside you, watching gratefully.”

Dang Yu looked at his shameless behavior and rolled her eyes helplessly.

She made the bed again and was about to leave, but Jun Cheng blocked her once more.

“Stay a bit longer, keep me company for a while. I tell you, I have trouble sleeping in new places. But if I chat with you and get bored, I might just fall asleep.”

Dang Yu: “…”

Jun Cheng pulled her to sit down: “Let me ask you a question.”

Dang Yu snorted: “Go ahead, but I don’t guarantee I’ll answer.”

Jun Cheng clicked his tongue: “That’s not fair! I gave the cordyceps to your stepmother to save your face!”

Dang Yu’s brow twitched: “Fine, ask your question, but only one.”

Jun Cheng sat across from her, looking gossipy: “I know about you, Bai Mei, and Tang Hai. Your dad told me.”

Dang Yu’s face darkened: “Why does my dad tell you everything!”

Jun Cheng chuckled: “Don’t blame your dad. He hopes you’ve found a good man this time who won’t be stolen by your sister and will treat you well.” After a pause, he asked, “I wanted to know, how did you and Tang Hai meet?”

Dang Yu looked at him, expressionless, and replied: “We met playing a game.”

Jun Cheng immediately clicked his tongue endlessly: “You’re unreliable! Can you meet good people in games?”

Dang Yu glanced at him: “You’re right, like you!”

Jun Cheng choked: “I’m an exception!”

Dang Yu let out a cold laugh: “Because you’re not human?”

Jun Cheng laughed too: “You’re right, I’m not human, I’m a god, a male god!”

This time it was Dang Yu’s turn to choke: “Brother, do your family members know how nauseating you can be?”

The next day was New Year’s Eve. Around midnight, the four young people went downstairs to set off fireworks.

The two couples set off their fireworks. Later, for safety reasons, Jun Cheng went to a more distant spot to set them off, while Dang Yu stood watching. Bai Mei said her stomach hurt and ran upstairs to use the bathroom, while Tang Hai waited for her downstairs.

Amidst the deafening sound of firecrackers, Dang Yu heard a voice ask her: “You never logged into that account again.”

She turned her head to see Tang Hai standing beside her.

She smiled at him: “That was your account, not mine. I won’t use it again.”

Tang Hai’s brow furrowed slightly, and after hesitating, he asked: “Are you not playing that game anymore?”

Dang Yu’s voice was light and breezy: “I am, but I’m leveling up a new character. You probably won’t notice me at your level.”

Tang Hai quickly said: “Leveling up a new character isn’t easy. Let me help you.”

Dang Yu chuckled: “No need to trouble yourself. Someone’s already helping me.”

Just then, Jun Cheng finished lighting the last firework and was running back towards them. Dang Yu pointed at him and said to Tang Hai: “See, he’s the one helping me.” After a pause, she turned to look at Tang Hai and said clearly, word by word, “Oh, by the way, his in-game name is Da Cheng Xiang (Prime Minister).”

Tang Hai’s face immediately showed shock, his eyes widening as he asked: “It’s him?!” In his astonishment, he muttered, “No wonder… no wonder he could use that ultimate skill too.”

Jun Cheng had run up to them by now. He looked at Tang Hai, then at Dang Yu, squinting his eyes and asking: “What are you two talking about? Why is the atmosphere so strange?” He fixed his gaze on Dang Yu and asked, “Beautiful lady, come on, tell me, was someone just trying to seduce my girlfriend?”

Tang Hai’s face instantly stiffened. But Dang Yu burst out laughing. Her smile, illuminated by the fireworks, was truly radiant.

“No one was seducing your girlfriend. We were just talking about your girlfriend’s boyfriend.”

Jun Cheng looked at her smile, momentarily stunned.

This was the first time he had seen her smile so brilliantly since meeting her in person.

The first day of the Lunar New Year was the Dang family’s annual day for paying respects at the ancestral shrine.

At breakfast, Bai Mei said: “Tang Hai has a friend in X City who can lend us a car, but it’s a Buick sedan and might not fit everyone, so two people will have to follow by taxi.”

Bai Mei’s mother said: “Oh my, we’re just going to pay respects, let’s not borrow such a nice car. What if we scratch it?”

Bai Mei smiled sweetly: “It’s okay, Mom. Tang Hai is a good driver. We’re planning to buy a car ourselves in the future, so you can help us see how this model feels. If it’s comfortable, we’ll buy this one.”

Bai Mei’s mother still hesitated: “But two people will still have to follow by taxi…”

Dang Yu was about to say that she and Jun Cheng could take a taxi, but Jun Cheng cut in before she could speak.

“No need to make it so complicated. I just remembered I have a friend here too, and my friend’s car is bigger. It can fit all of us.” After saying this, he went out to make a phone call, and when he came back, he told everyone “Everything’s settled.”

Bai Mei didn’t look too happy, but Jun Cheng ignored her completely.

Soon, everyone finished breakfast and went downstairs to wait for the car.

While waiting, Bai Mei said to Jun Cheng with a smile: “I wonder if the car brother-in-law called is as comfortable as a Buick? My parents are delicate, they can’t handle an uncomfortable ride.”

Dang Yu frowned nearby, understanding Bai Mei’s implication: If you can find a car, don’t find one inferior to ours!

She was a bit worried and quietly asked Jun Cheng what kind of car he had found.

Jun Cheng pointed to a luxurious Ford business van turning the corner not far away and said: “Oh, here it comes, look that one!”

Dang Yu’s jaw dropped. She had seen that kind of business van in Beijing before, it cost about two million yuan.

In her hometown, this small scenic city, there weren’t many people who could drive such a modern and impressive car. She turned to look at Jun Cheng, thinking this guy didn’t aim low!

She then glanced at Bai Mei, whose face had turned quite unpleasant. Bai Mei was looking up at Tang Hai, complaining about something, while Tang Hai frowned, his brow showing signs of patience wearing thin.

Dang Yu moved closer to Jun Cheng and said quietly: “Impressive, you even have such connections in our town!”

Jun Cheng raised one eyebrow, making it jump up and down: “Of course! Is there anywhere I can’t make things happen?”

He bustled about getting everyone into the car, then sat in the front passenger seat and chatted with the driver for a bit. It was clear they knew each other, but the driver’s attitude towards him seemed somewhat respectful. Their way of chatting surprised everyone except Dang Yu.

After a while, Jun Cheng’s phone beeped.

He looked down at it.

The screen lit up with a line of emotionally charged text: “You little brat, your dad wants me to ask you, why are you privately using the branch company’s car?!”

Jun Cheng’s fingers tapped rapidly on the screen as he acted cute: “It’s like this, Mom. I came to X City to play, but someone here is trying to show off! You tell me, how dare someone try to show off to the Jun family? Shouldn’t I put them in their place?”

A minute later, he received a reply: “You must put them in their place! Mommy’s dear Cheng, next time you encounter something like this, don’t just use some business van. If we’re going to make an impression, let’s make the deepest one possible! Just tell Mommy directly, and Mommy will send our family’s plane over!”

Jun Cheng grinned as he tapped on the screen, trying his best to act cute, flirtatious, and obedient all at once: “Mom, you’re the best! Mom, you’re the most beautiful! Mom, I love you! Mom, can you put some money in my card?”

Another minute later, the screen displayed the reply: “Get lost, you brat! Give you money to play games? Wait until I get Parkinson’s before you bring this up again! As long as I’m clear-headed, don’t think you can trick me into giving you money to play online games!”

Jun Cheng let out a “hmph” and put away his phone.

Mother’s love was unpredictable, sometimes overflowing and sometimes scarce, how annoying…

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, early in the morning, Dang Yu grabbed Jun Cheng and instructed him: “Today is traditionally the day to visit the mother’s family. Although Bai Mei and I aren’t married yet, we both need to give her mother a gift.”

Jun Cheng, still bleary-eyed, said: “Oh, and then?”

Dang Yu said: “In the past, we gave gifts separately, but this year we’ve both brought back boyfriends, so the gifts should be from each of us and our respective boyfriends together.”

Jun Cheng thought for a moment and said: “Didn’t we already give a gift on the first day we arrived?”

Dang Yu shook her head: “That doesn’t count. That was a meeting gift. Today’s gift is for the second day of the New Year, for the mother’s family.”

Jun Cheng yawned: “Waking me up so early, how annoying! Alright, I got it. I’ll help you arrange another gift for the mother’s family.”

Hearing this, Dang Yu’s face didn’t show any joy. Instead, she became tense and serious. She shook Jun Cheng’s shoulders vigorously: “Wake up! You didn’t understand what I meant! Of course, I haven’t told you what I meant yet, so naturally, you don’t understand! Listen to me, what I want to tell you is, I already arranged the gift yesterday. It’s a gold necklace, considered to be from both of us. Don’t go causing any more trouble trying to steal the spotlight. If we outshine Bai Mei’s side, her mother will lose face, do you understand?”

Jun Cheng blinked: “A gold necklace?” He looked thoughtful for a moment, then rolled his eyes, “I never intentionally try to steal the spotlight. My brilliance is innate, it can’t be hidden!”

Dang Yu felt like she was going to be sick listening to him.

Jun Cheng blinked again: “Besides if you don’t want me to steal the spotlight, you could just say so nicely. You don’t need to use foul language.”

Dang Yu was stunned for a moment, then recalled the coincidental use of the phrase “her mother’s” (which in Chinese can sound like a curse)… She began shaking Jun Cheng even more vigorously, at a frequency that could make someone vomit.

That’ll teach you to be so glib…

After Jun Cheng got up and finished washing, he said to Dang Yu: “I need to go out for a bit.”

He returned before lunch.

As soon as lunch began, Bai Mei took out a long red velvet box and handed it to her mother, saying: “Mom, this is a gift from Tang Hai and me, a gold necklace. We chose the style together, you can’t say it’s not pretty!”

Bai Mei’s mother took the box, looking at her daughter with a smile that wouldn’t quit: “Of course, it’s pretty if it’s from my daughter and son-in-law!”

Meanwhile, Dang Yu was dumbfounded.

Yesterday, Bai Mei had asked her what gift she was planning to give, saying she wanted to avoid getting the same thing. She had said she was thinking of a gold necklace. She never expected Bai Mei to not only prepare a gold necklace as well but also to seize the initiative and give it first.

Dang Yu looked at Bai Mei’s beautiful and innocent face, saw her smiling sweetly at her, and felt her heart grow cold once again.

Her sister, it seemed, would never be able to stop targeting her in this lifetime.

Now, everyone was waiting for her to bring out her gift. She sighed, preparing to reluctantly take out the gold necklace she had prepared.

Just as she was about to stand up, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Jun Cheng winking at her.

He mouthed to her: “More money!”

Then he took out an elegant and luxurious jewelry box from under the table, turned to Bai Mei’s mother with a graceful smile, and said: “Auntie, this is what Dang Yu and I prepared for you together. It’s a small gift, not much, but if you don’t mind, please wear it for now. If we come across something better in the future, we’ll get that for you.”

Bai Mei’s mother took the box, opened it, and her face instantly lit up with delight.

“What is this? It’s so beautiful!”

Jun Cheng smiled and told her: “This is a Burmese ruby. I had a friend arrange it, custom-made and one of a kind. You can wear it with confidence, guaranteed to be unique in the world!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of everyone else at the table showed varying degrees of surprise.

Bai Mei’s face turned pale with shock and displeasure: “If it’s that rare, it must be something truly exceptional. How could such a valuable item just appear in an ordinary household like ours? Brother-in-law, I hope you haven’t been fooled. I suspect this thing is probably fake!”

Jun Cheng’s smile exuded a natural air of nobility: “Don’t worry. I may not be great at judging people’s hearts, but I never make mistakes when it comes to these stones. My mother loves these things, and I practically grew up surrounded by all kinds of stones.”

Bai Mei’s face turned whiter and whiter.

Dang Yu watched as Bai Mei’s mother couldn’t take her hands off the Burmese ruby. Her legs began to tremble uncontrollably.

As soon as lunch was over, she dragged Jun Cheng back to their room. Grabbing his shirt collar, she pushed him against the wall and demanded, “Didn’t I tell you not to show off anymore?”

Jun Cheng stuck out his tongue and replied nonchalantly, “Oh, and then watch you bring out a gold necklace, embarrassing yourself and your father?”

Dang Yu’s gaze wavered for a moment, at a loss for words. But an instant later, she tightened her grip on Jun Cheng’s collar and fiercely asked, “Why do I feel like you were prepared for this in advance?”

Jun Cheng pried her fingers off, straightened his collar, and said, “Of course I was. Do you think I’m as foolish as you? Not letting me show off, hah! If I hadn’t foreseen this, you’d be crying from embarrassment today! Yesterday, I overheard your white lotus sister and that fence-sitting brother-in-law of yours planning to buy a necklace from the gold shop!” He added with a smug expression, “It seems this was meant to be. Heaven wanted me to be the hero who foils the villains’ plans!”

Dang Yu nearly vomited.

After a moment’s thought, she glanced at Jun Cheng and asked, “Is that gemstone real or fake? Don’t you dare give Bai Mei’s mother a fake one to fool her? I can’t bear the shame if we’re exposed!”

Jun Cheng scoffed, “Look at your limited knowledge! Just by the dazzling brilliance that ruby emits, how could you even question its authenticity?”

Dang Yu’s legs started trembling again.

“If that thing is real, how much is it worth? Let me tell you, I’m renting you as a person. Whatever you bring along is your own decision. I’m not responsible for paying for it!”

Jun Cheng rolled his eyes, “As if you could afford it even if you wanted to pay! Tch! Look at how petty you are! Let me put your mind at ease. Today, Big Brother here is doing charity work, purely giving without expecting anything in return. I won’t force you to sell yourself to repay me or anything, so relax! Come on, stop shaking like you’re on drugs. It’s ugly!”

Dang Yu grunted and left his room on wobbly legs.

That evening, Jun Cheng received a text message from his mother.

“Mama’s dear Cheng-baby, you had the family jet air-transport a ruby to X City district today. Now Mama wants to know, did you win this round?”

Jun Cheng replied, “Of course I won! With Mama’s ruby, I’m invincible!”

A minute later, Jun Cheng’s mother texted back, “Mama’s good boy, as long as you promise Mama you won’t play online games anymore, Mama will make you invincible every day!”

Jun Cheng excitedly typed, “Mama, I don’t need to be invincible every day. I just hope you and Dad can acquire Qian Sheng. I want to see that little brat Li Yifei kneeling and crying before me!”

The reply came quickly and decisively, “Alright, baby, let’s not talk anymore. Mama and Papa are going for a night swim.”

Jun Cheng grunted unhappily and tossed his phone aside.

His mother was so annoying. Every time he brought up acquiring the Li family’s business, she’d act like this, as if she hadn’t heard him. She lacked maternal love!

After the third day of the Lunar New Year passed, Dang Yu and Jun Cheng set off back to Beijing.

On the plane, Dang Yu heaved a long sigh of relief.

This New Year had finally passed, full of tension but without incident.

Just before disembarking, Dang Yu took out a stack of pink bills she had prepared in advance and handed them to Jun Cheng. “This is the rent for having you come home for the New Year. As per your request, it’s 30% more than the initially agreed price.”

Jun Cheng gleefully accepted the money. This was what he had earned through his efforts!

Dang Yu watched his money-grubbing behavior, her mouth twitching. “You say getting a unique ruby is a matter of minutes for you, so how come you’ve made yourself so desperate for money? I’ve never seen anyone so excited over cash. It’s quite an eye-opener!”

Jun Cheng glared at her, “You don’t understand. I have a legitimate reason for using the ruby, and my mother won’t scold me for it. She’s even willing to support me. But if I ask her for money to play online games, she’d probably kill me!”

The day after returning to Beijing, Dang Yu returned all the equipment to Jun Cheng and stopped letting him help her level up.

Looking at his beloved equipment that he had lost and regained, Jun Cheng suddenly felt a sense of loss, as if something he had been looking forward to was gone. Then, glancing at the stack of pink bills Dang Yu had given him, he suddenly felt a pang of anxiety.

This feeling of a completed transaction made it seem like they would have no further connection.

He tucked the stack of pink bills into a thick Kangxi Dictionary and placed it beside his pillow. His method of inserting the money was peculiar—he counted carefully, inserting one bill every five pages. After inserting all the money, the dictionary was noticeably thicker than before.

When the housekeeper came to tidy his room, she tried to return the rather valuable dictionary to the study, but he loudly stopped her, startled.

He didn’t let the housekeeper touch the dictionary, keeping it by his pillow. Sometimes when he couldn’t sleep due to anxiety, he’d toss away his pillow and rest his head directly on the brick-like dictionary. It felt uncomfortable and bumpy. But he didn’t know if his masochistic tendencies had increased; as he lay on it, he eventually fell asleep.

And so, those pink bills remained flat and crisp in the dictionary, as neat as if they had just been withdrawn from the bank.

He continued to play games behind his mother’s back, but no matter how short he was on gold ingots in the game’s warehouse, he never touched the bills in the dictionary to top up his phone.

His daily life was the same as before, but somehow, he felt that something had changed.

He didn’t know what Po Ming had been busy with lately, but their online times never seemed to coincide. He wondered if she was avoiding him, perhaps fearing he might ask her to pay for the ruby or something. Heh.

Gradually, he exchanged everything he could for ingots, squeezing out every last bit of resources from himself.

He simply couldn’t play games without burning money, so under the pressure of being broke, he simply stopped playing online games and started playing CS to satisfy his cravings.

He had played CS for a while before, until the online game he was currently playing became popular, and he relegated CS to the back burner.

When he used to play CS, he was a real expert. It was the only game where he wouldn’t lose to Li Yifei.

But playing CS alone with a bunch of strangers, being invincible without anyone to appreciate it, felt boring.

After some thought, he sent a text message to Dang Yu, pestering her: “Why don’t I teach you how to play CS?”

Dang Yu quickly replied: “I’m afraid you’ll cry and cling to my leg if you lose.”

Jun Cheng let out a “Ha!” and perked up.

“Me, lose?! If I lose, time itself would be shocked into stillness!”

A minute later, Dang Yu replied: “How about this, if you lose, and if I still haven’t found an official boyfriend by next New Year, you’ll have to give me a 20% discount on this year’s rent for me to continue renting you to come home for the New Year.”

Jun Cheng let out another “Ha!” and typed on his phone screen: “What a beautiful dream you’re having! You’re getting ahead of yourself! If you can beat me, forget about a 20% discount, I’ll play the role of the perfect boyfriend for free next year!”

After this exchange, in the evening after dinner, Jun Cheng and Dang Yu began their showdown in CS.

Jun Cheng was full of confidence and tried to give Dang Yu some guidance before the battle.

However, Dang Yu scoffed at his well-intentioned instructions: “I already know all of this, stop rambling, and let’s start the battle!”

Jun Cheng felt a little hurt that his loving attempt to teach a newbie as the supreme CS champion was brushed off. He decided to teach Dang Yu a lesson in the game, to let her know the price of disrespecting the King of CS would be getting headshot after headshot after headshot!

But the result…

After the game started, the one constantly getting headshot after headshot after headshot was himself!

Jun Cheng was shocked to the point of madness!

He shouted in the voice chat: “Dang Yu, are you using cheats?!”

On the screen, Dang Yu smugly switched her gun for a knife, rushing over to stab Jun Cheng to death once again.

“A bet’s a bet. If you’re not as good, you have to admit it. The lesson sister is teaching you today is that there’s always someone better out there! Look, sister doesn’t even need a gun, just a knife is enough to kill you!”

Jun Cheng was almost ready to throw away his keyboard.

“Are you even a woman?! Playing CS is more manly than most men! How can you find a boyfriend like this? Don’t dream on! Prepare your money to rent me for life!”

He roared into the voice chat. Meanwhile, Dang Yu killed him twice more with a small dagger.

When they quit the game that night, Dang Yu said in the voice chat: “Don’t call me to play this again in the future. Your skill level is so low, it makes me feel like I’m wasting my time playing with you.”

Jun Cheng, holding back the blood that had rushed to his throat, said hoarsely: “If you’ve got the guts, let’s both go back to the online game tomorrow. Watch how my high-level character makes you cry!”

So from the next day on, Dang Yu’s time in the online game once again synchronized with Jun Cheng’s.

After re-synchronizing their game time, some phenomena made Jun Cheng quite displeased.

For instance, if Po Ming teamed up with others to kill monsters and level up, he would become very unhappy. He would find all sorts of reasons to break up that team and then use various benefits to lure Dang Yu into joining his team instead.

For example, he’d say: “If you join my team, I’ll let you ride my mount! I know someone who’s been drooling over my mount!”

As this continued, gradually, the equipment that Dang Yu had returned to him unknowingly found its way back into her hands… and it was all willingly given by him…

At the beginning of the month, when he had given away almost all his equipment and was about to run out of enticements, Jun Cheng’s despicable friend, whom he had sworn to cut ties with, brought him some warmth from the human world.

The company he co-owned with Li Yifei had received a payment, and his card finally had money again!

However, although the card was his own, when he originally opened the account, under his mother’s pressure, he had left her phone number as the contact. This meant that his mother would know about every transaction he made immediately. So he couldn’t directly transfer money online to recharge his game card. He had to take a roundabout way, first topping up his phone credit, then using the phone credit to exchange for equipment and ingots in the game.

The day after the money arrived in his account, he happily went to the mobile company to top up his phone credit.

When he arrived, his VIP exclusive customer service manager happened to be out. He called the manager, asking him to find someone else to handle it as he didn’t want to wait too long. The manager said he would arrange for the lobby manager to find someone to resolve this matter.

Shortly after hanging up, he heard the lobby manager call out loudly: “Dang Yu, Manager Wang is out. There’s a VIP client of his here. Come over and help receive him!”

Hearing the first two words, Jun Cheng’s mouth formed an ‘O’ shape.

Jun Cheng finally understood why Dang Yu knew some things about him before. She had stubbornly insisted that he had let it slip himself, which was such nonsense! She knew all along!

He watched as Dang Yu gracefully walked towards him. She was wearing the uniform, with a silk scarf around her neck. Her uniform was tailored perfectly at the waist, accentuating her figure.

He thought she looked really good dressed like this, almost like a flight attendant.

She smiled at him with pursed lips. He squinted his eyes, staring at her.

After completing the top-up process, Dang Yu asked, “Do you need any gifts? Tea leaves, perhaps?”

Jun Cheng grunted, looking at her, and said lazily, “Tea leaves it is then. I can mail them to my father-in-law. He loves drinking tea, doesn’t he?”

Dang Yu’s professional smile twitched slightly as she lowered her voice to tease him, “Oh, you’ve got a father-in-law already? Who’s your father-in-law?”

Da Jun squinted his eyes, smiling without mirth, “Isn’t it your father?”

Dang Yu chuckled, “What, you’ve taken a liking to my sister?”

Da Jun spat, “I’ve taken a liking to your sister’s sister!” After a pause, he said, “I’m treating you to dinner tonight, my sister’s sister!”

Dang Yu continued chuckling, “What’s going on with you?”

Jun Cheng rolled his eyes, “I’m trying to woo you, you idiot!”

Dang Yu rolled her eyes back at him, “We can talk about this when you can beat me in CS!”

Da Jun slapped the table, “How can I beat you in CS if you don’t give me a chance to play with you?”

Dang Yu smiled at him affectedly, “I’ll give you a chance to play CS with me after I beat Mo Gaofeng.”

Da Jun exclaimed, “Damn! You still haven’t given up on that dream? Did I tell you the American president’s example for nothing? You need to be more down-to-earth, sister! Like having dinner with me tonight or something…”

With money, Jun Cheng started buying super-powerful equipment to give to Dang Yu.

When giving them, he would add, “Quick, hurry up and defeat Mo Gaofeng, then we can battle in CS!”

Faced with this neurotic patient, Dang Yu could only chuckle.

About a month later, an earth-shattering event occurred.

Mo Gaofeng suddenly issued a challenge to Da Chengxiang, causing all the players on the server to come and watch.

Jun Cheng accepted the challenge and complained to Dang Yu in YY, “Why do I feel like your goal of the struggle is also going to use that ultimate move against me? He’s petty!”

Dang Yu’s answer, however, was completely off-topic, “I haven’t told you about the connection between me, my sister, and that brother-in-law, have I?”

Jun Cheng was stunned for a moment and asked, “Ah, isn’t your brother-in-law’s original identity his own sister’s husband?”

Dang Yu choked and said, “Not just that, listen carefully and don’t interrupt.”

“I used to have another account, very powerful, so powerful you couldn’t guess who it was. Tang Hai and I met in this game. After playing together for a long time, we developed a mutual appreciation. At first, he was quite clumsy, so I led him, and together we dominated the entire server. I was playing a transgender character, and he called me brother. Later, during a city attack, we got on YY, and he found out I was a woman. Then we exchanged photos, and after that, we both developed vague feelings for each other.

“Later during a long holiday, I went home, and he came to my city for a tour. We met. Bai Mei also came along when we met.

“After his trip, Bai Mei also started playing the game. She asked me to lead her, so the three of us leveled up together in the game.

“Then suddenly one day, Tang Hai told me he wanted to switch accounts with me. By that time, his account was also very powerful, but still not comparable to mine. I asked him why he wanted to switch, and he said he wanted to learn how to use powerful ultimate moves like me. I agreed and switched accounts with him, then taught him how to use the ultimate move.

“Then it gradually developed into Tang Hai using my original high-level account to help Bai Mei level up. After that, I found out that they had gotten together, and it was Bai Mei who had instigated Tang Hai to switch accounts with me.

“When I found out about this, I could only laugh coldly. Was it necessary? If they had directly said they wanted my account, I would have given it to them willingly. Something like a game account, if you can’t level up from scratch yourself, I do, so why use such scheming tactics?

“I completely withdrew from their relationship. I disdained to have a fence-sitter. Since they went to such lengths to deceive me and switch my account, I decided to level up another account to defeat them, to let them know that the account was only invincible in my hands. Or rather, to make them understand that I was invincible, and the account was just something that could be re-leveled if lost.”

Jun Cheng listened quietly from the beginning, becoming more and more shocked as he listened. He felt that something was already obvious, but he couldn’t quite grasp it.

He asked, “After switching accounts, were the two of them hard to defeat?”

Dang Yu said, “Yes, very hard to defeat. After all, the empire they now possess was once conquered by me.”

Jun Cheng wanted to roll his eyes. This girl could brag even more disgustingly than him.

“You’re putting on airs!” He couldn’t help but sneer, “How powerful could the empire you conquered be! Don’t tell me you’re more powerful than Mo Gaofeng?”

As soon as he finished speaking, Dang Yu’s eerie laughter came through the headset.

Jun Cheng was irritated by her laughter, “What are you laughing at!”

Dang Yu continued chuckling, “I’m laughing at how impressively low your IQ is. Tang Hai and Teng Hai, Bai Mei and Bai Mei, don’t these spark any associations for you? Also, I taught you the ultimate move that Mo Gaofeng uses.”

Listening to her words, Jun Cheng was stunned. It took a full minute before he came to his senses.

He slapped his thigh and exclaimed, “Don’t tell me your transgender account’s ID was Mo Gaofeng!”

Through the headset, Dang Yu’s laughter was so eerie it could seep out black water, “Congratulations, you finally got it right this time! It seems Risperidone and Olanzapine saved you!”

On this side of the headset, Comrade Da Chengxiang was already stunned into idiocy.

Two days later, it was time for Jun Cheng’s battle.

Before preparing for the battle, Dang Yu said to him YY, “Why don’t you let me do it today? I’ve wanted to defeat him for a long time.”

Jun Cheng gave the account to Dang Yu without much hesitation.

This time, besides the ultimate move, Mo Gaofeng also used a money-burning skill. Da Chengxiang’s level was much lower than his, and when the opponent also started burning money, Dang Yu felt she couldn’t hold on much longer.

In Jun Cheng’s warehouse, all the gold ingots had been used to buy equipment for Dang Yu earlier.

For a while, Da Chengxiang under Dang Yu’s control was killed several times by Mo Gaofeng.

Jun Cheng watched the battle situation, and when he saw Da Chengxiang being killed again, he became anxious.

He grabbed his phone and called his dear mother.

“Mom! Mom! Mommy! I’m about to lose face in the game, can you quickly transfer some money so I can buy skills? If I can win this time, I promise I’ll never play online games again! I’ll keep my word! If I don’t, may I be childless, okay?”

His mother’s angry roar came through the receiver, “You little calf, are you cursing yourself or cursing me?” After a pause, she said, “Our Jun family can’t lose face to others! Mom will give you the black card to use later, you can swipe as much as you want, and Mom will cover however much you swipe. Just don’t lose, understand?”

Jun Cheng happily hung up the phone, received his mother’s card number and password, and happily started burning money to send gold ingots to Dang Yu.

That night, the entire server witnessed a miracle.

An expert and a super expert, using superb operations and ultimate moves that bloomed from burning real money, fought a life-and-death battle. The scene of the slaughter was even more dazzling and moving because of its extremely high gold content.

And in the end, the victor was Da Chengxiang, who was much lower in level.

Shortly after that duel, a rumor began to spread on the server.

It was said that on the night of the decisive battle, Mo Gaofeng burned a lot of money to win the battle, but he didn’t expect that Da Chengxiang was even richer. In the end, to resist the wealthy Da Chengxiang, his credit card was maxed out. So while he was stepping down from his undefeated throne, he also received a huge bill from the bank. Later, to pay off the bill, his family even had to sell their villa.

Not long after, Mo Gaofeng and Bai Mei divorced in the game.

On the day of the divorce, Mo Gaofeng announced that unless Teng Hai came online, he would no longer log into the game using the ID “Mo Gaofeng”.

The players on the server were in an uproar.

They thought it was a love triangle, but it turned out to be a BL drama in the end! This was truly a thrilling twist!

Amidst the excitement, people began to discuss who was the real winner in this battle.

The conclusion was that the company that made this game was the one that benefited the most as a bystander.

After that night’s battle, Jun Cheng kept his word and indeed never touched online games again. His mother was so excited that she went to the temple to burn incense for three days to fulfill her vow.

And Dang Yu, having successfully defeated Mo Gaofeng, also lost interest in continuing to play this game.

With nothing to do, Jun Cheng asked Dang Yu on YY, “How about we have a CS battle?” After thinking for a moment, he asked again, “Hey, if it’s just the two of us playing, it shouldn’t count as playing an online game, right?”

Dang Yu’s clear and crisp laughter came through, “It doesn’t count!”

They connected to the network and started battling in CS.

Dang Yu secretly let Jun Cheng win.

Jun Cheng happily shouted at YY, “To celebrate this hard-won victory, come on little girl, I’ll treat you to something good to eat!”

Dang Yu laughed and agreed.

After that, Jun Cheng would drag Dang Yu to play CS every day, and after winning, he would take her out to eat something delicious.

This went on for about a month, and then Jun Cheng said to Dang Yu, “Um, my mom wants to meet you.”

Dang Yu asked, “Does your mom want to give me a check to make me go away?”

Jun Cheng shook his head vigorously, “Of course not! My mom doesn’t like to throw checks at people’s faces! My mom said that the girl who could make her son quit online games must become her daughter-in-law! And she even had someone do a fortune-telling, saying that you and I are a match made in heaven, hahahahaha!”

Seeing his utterly foolish appearance, Dang Yu’s mouth twitched, “Doesn’t your mom blame me for ruining your family? Making you burn so much money during that night’s battle.”

Jun Cheng’s mouth spread even wider, “Didn’t I tell you? This game was jointly invested and developed by me and my despicable friend who I’ve sworn to cut ties with.”

Dang Yu looked at him, stunned for a long while, then burst out laughing.

They say fools have good fortune, but she didn’t know if that referred to him or herself.

Taking advantage of her hearty laughter, Jun Cheng winked at her and called out, “How about it, little girl, want to be my girlfriend?”

Dang Yu looked at him, her smile becoming even more radiant, “Sure! I’m free anyway, so let’s give it a try!”

Jun Cheng let out a howl of joy, happily picked up the phone, quickly dialed, and told the other end, “Mom, I’ve done it!”

Dang Yu watched this pure, kind, and slightly silly man from the side, feeling for the first time a heavy, solid sense of happiness in her heart.