Chapter 688 [(*^▽^*)]

Lin Leyou briefly told Xue Rui the names of two dishes, then asked, "What about you? What are you having for supper? Are you out socializing again and forced to eat supper?"

Xue Rui was silent for a while before saying, "It's not like that now."

Lin Leyou was speechless. He really was forced to eat a midnight snack!

"Yes, now that I'm eating with you, you're not being forced to attend social events anymore?"

Xue Rui, "I like it..."

Lin Leyou was taken aback. "Huh? You've been drinking?"

Xue Rui sounded like he was drunk, but both of them have maxed-out physical attributes, so it shouldn't be possible for them to be drunk, unless... he's not in a good mood right now.

Lin Leyou glanced at the robot busy in the kitchen. "Do you want to see me now?"

With just over ten days left until the twenty-five-day deadline, if Xue Rui wants to see him, he'll have to come to the Happiness Community instance, or rather...

Oh right, or rather, can I use my two travel vouchers now?

Xue Rui: "I want to see you."

Lin Leyou, "Are you home?"

Xue Rui glanced at where he was, calmly picked up the refilled wine glass beside him, and continued to clink glasses with the person sitting in front of him. As long as one of them didn't pass out, he definitely wouldn't let them leave. "Not yet, soon."

Lin Leyou, "Do you remember the ranking list I told you about before?"

The first thing Xue Rui thought of was one of the rewards Lin Leyou had mentioned to him before: two random travel vouchers that they could choose to travel to.

Xue Rui: "I remember."

Lin Leyou: "I've been looking for places suitable for the two of us to travel to, but I haven't decided yet, so I haven't told you. After all... you're quite busy."

“If you choose a place for a few days of tourism, you definitely won’t be able to find the time, since the tourism period should be synchronized with your local time.”

"But... if we look for a place with limited time, like a place where we can only spend a day, that would be a bit of a waste, and... I don't know if you can spare a day to come here."

Xue Rui was about to say that he could make time, no matter how much time he had, but Lin Leyou's next words made him fall silent.

“I know you’re probably thinking that as long as you’re with me, we can have time no matter what, but I don’t want to disturb your normal work. Otherwise, I’ll feel guilty.”

Just kidding. Given the current situation of the Xue Group, it's impossible for them to be without Xue Rui for even a few days, or even a single day. Only after everything is on track and he truly becomes someone trusted by the group's top management will he have some private time.

What's more, Xue Rui is still in school... wait, shouldn't it be summer vacation now?

If it's summer vacation, he'll definitely stay at the company the whole time. Can he leave for even a day? Not even for a few hours, right? Lin Leyou felt that his idea was definitely correct.

Xue Rui looked at his portly business partner in front of him, who was already quite drunk, but he himself remained sober. He knew perfectly well that he could never get drunk.

"Hahaha... As expected of Old Master Xue's grandson, he can really drink, he can really drink! I... I admit defeat, ahahaha... I... I..."

As they were talking, the other person slumped onto the table and fell asleep. Soon after, his assistant apologized to Xue Rui and left with their boss. Xue Rui also left the hotel with his men.

He didn't return to that cold, lifeless place; instead, he went back to the company and to his office.

He dismissed his assistant and moved into the back lounge. For a long time, he lived and ate at the company, except when he went to school.

Xue Rui remained silent until he sat on the bed before speaking to Lin Leyou, "Thank you."

Lin Leyou thought he was angry because of what she had just said, but to her surprise, he not only wasn't angry, but also thanked her. Did he say something special?

Lin Leyou, "Are you home?"

Xue Rui looked at the lounge, which was indeed very luxurious. Even though it was just a temporary rest area, it was lavish and clearly a place built with money.

This place isn't home; it's just a place to live. And the villa he lives in now after moving out of that so-called home is also just a place to live.

The only place that still feels like home to him is probably the old house where his grandfather lived, but his grandfather... didn't really like him either.

Although his grandfather treated him so well, it was only because he was a legitimate son born in wedlock and a legitimate heir, while the one Xue Zhengyang was raising was an illegitimate child.

If Xue Zhengyang could persuade his grandfather to acknowledge Xue Qian's legitimate status as a legitimate son of the Xue family, then Xue Zhengyang and his current wife, Du Anxian, would have the opportunity to intervene in the group's affairs on Xue Qian's behalf.

Xue Rui knew that this was absolutely impossible.

My grandfather was a traditionalist; what he valued most in his life was face. He would never throw his face away just because of blood ties.

The older he gets, the worse his temper becomes. He even kicked Xue Zhengyang out of the house. Anyway, Xue Rui is a legitimate member of the Xue family, and his grandfather is quite at ease handing the company over to him.

Xue Rui is particularly outstanding in this regard. Xue Qian, who took over the company after graduating from high school, not only did not mess things up, but also used all his spare time to learn how to manage. He even put forward many practical and useful suggestions to improve the company's management and operation models.

Even though it had only been a few months, many of the company's senior executives had already silently acknowledged their "Young Boss Xue" in their hearts.

As time went on, Xue Rui clearly felt that he was handling his work at the company more and more smoothly. When he walked around the company, more and more people greeted him, and he looked very relaxed.

Xue Rui knew that the people who worked here could only prosper if the company did well, and they could only make money if the company made money. Sometimes they would even receive bonuses, so it would be strange if they weren't happy.

Xue Rui came to his senses, then took off his coat and threw it on the ground; he reeked of alcohol.

Lin Leyou looked at the late-night snack in front of him, opened a small can of beer, and asked, "Xiao Rui?"

Xue Rui was already taking a shower in the bathroom. His clothes were scattered all over the room after he took them off, looking messy, but he had no time to clean them up.

Lin Leyou's voice came through his ear again. Xue Rui missed him so much that he couldn't resist taking care of himself in the bathroom. "I'm here..."

Lin Leyou was startled when he heard the voice. The voice... was a bit ambiguous.

He and Xue Rui had done this several times in the previous seven days of the Happy Community instance, so Lin Leyou was quite familiar with this kind of sound and quickly figured it out.

He didn't continue speaking, but waited for Xue Rui to finish before saying anything.

Lin Leyou chose a TV series he liked to watch, drank some beer, and ate some snacks. He waited for more than an hour. During that time, he went to participate in a costume NPC role-playing activity, came back, and then ate a late-night snack. Only after he finished eating did Xue Rui speak up again.

"Leyou, I really miss you."

Lin Leyou, "Are you in bed now?"

Xue Rui paused slightly, wondering how he knew.

Lin Leyou suddenly chuckled, "Judging from your voice, I can tell you just finished. Did you enjoy yourself? Do you want to come find me at Happiness Community?"

Xue Rui certainly wanted to go, but... he also felt a little scared.

He was happy every time he saw Lin Leyou, but every time it was time to part, his sense of loss would be even stronger than before.

Every time he returned to the real world, he felt that this world was hell, and only when he met Lin Leyou was it truly real.

So now he's a little scared. What if one day, the endless world suddenly disappears from everyone's lives?

Although he had never considered this possibility, he would often find himself thinking in that direction, always wondering what would happen if the worst-case scenario occurred.

He was terrified, and this fear deepened over time. He was on the verge of collapse and went out drinking today, but no matter how much he drank, his mind remained perfectly clear.

Xue Rui suddenly said, "Leyou, I wish I could go to your place."

Lin Leyou was somewhat taken aback by his words. "Why do you think that? Don't you ever think about getting me to your side?"

Xue Rui stared wide-eyed at the ceiling. "That works too, but..."

But no matter which method he used, he couldn't think of a solution. "Is there such a tool?"

Lin Leyou thought for a moment, "I don't know if such a prop exists, but I can ask Teacher Qin. I'll ask her tomorrow and tell you what I think."

Xue Rui blinked. "Can't I ask now?"

Lin Leyou sighed, "Fine, I'm really fed up with you."

He returned to his room, lay on the bed, and returned to the Endless World. Then he took out his phone and sent a message to Qin Xingyu. Of course, he didn't need such a prop, but since Xue Rui had asked, he had to find out the answer.

Qin Xingyu was resting at home when Lin Leyou, whom he had trained to return like a ghost during the day, asked him such a question.

He didn't reply to the message, but instead called directly, asking, "Why are you asking me this?"

Lin Leyou said, "I was just asking. You know my boyfriend has always wanted to be with me."

Qin Xingyu was finally completely relieved. "So that's how it is. I thought you were going to his place. Since it's him coming, then it's alright."

Lin Leyou: "So, Teacher Qin, is it yes or no?"

Qin Xingyu: "Of course there is, but I can say this: you and he have absolutely no chance of obtaining this item within the next thirty years. Give up."

Lin Leyou blinked, "My God, there really is one!"

"Teacher Qin, please don't! It's come to this, please tell me!"

Qin Xingyu: "It's fine to tell you, but you definitely won't be able to get it anyway."

Lin Leyou was very excited, "Mhm."

Qin Xingyu: "It's actually very simple. You know that the highest difficulty level for dungeons right now is 3S, right?"

Lin Leyou said, "Yes, I know this is the highest difficulty level. Wait! Is there an even higher one... Right, there definitely is. I think I've heard about it before."

Qin Xingyu: "Of course there are. Above that is the Super Star difficulty dungeon, but this difficulty dungeon is really rare, and the opening time is uncertain. It may open only once every few years, or it may open only once every few months. If it takes even longer, it may be more than ten years before you can encounter it. Moreover, the system will verify your assets when entering this dungeon. Only people with total assets of more than 10 billion points can enter."

"Moreover, 10 billion points is the minimum. If you complete the mission in this instance, you can get at least 1 billion points, which is the minimum. If you fail the mission, you will lose ten times the points rewarded by the main mission, which is 10 billion. So 10 billion points is the very minimum."

Lin Leyou gasped. Failing a mission in a 3S-level difficulty dungeon deducts five times the points rewarded from the main quest, and ten times the points for higher-level dungeons, with a minimum of 10 billion points!

The main quest reward is 5 billion points, right? If you fail, won't you lose 50 billion points?

Lin Leyou asked, "Teacher Qin, is there a limit to the rewards for the main quest in this difficulty level?"

If there's no upper limit, then we're really doomed.

Qin Xingyu: "Don't worry about that. There's a limit. The main quest reward is a maximum of 10 billion points. That means if you just fail a quest, you'll only lose 100 billion points."

Lin Leyou asked uncertainly, "Is it just a mission failure?"

Qin Xingyu: "Yes, have you forgotten that there are some places in the dungeon that will deduct points? Haven't we encountered similar situations before?"

Lin Leyou knew that the Ten Thousand Souls Pit in Xiushan Village was the same situation. Staying inside would deduct points, and the deducted points would turn into resentment to replenish the yin spirits in Xiushan Village.

"Phew... 100 billion points, how long will it take to accumulate that?"

Qin Xingyu: "You don't need to think about this right now."

Lin Leyou, "Hmm?"

Qin Xingyu said, "Have you forgotten what I said before? The opening time of this difficulty dungeon is random. You don't need to think about it now. Just focus on steadily improving your strength. Don't think about anything else."

"Also, it's not like everything will be fine once a dungeon of this difficulty is opened. You also need to obtain a special key item that allows you to enter a certain dungeon."

After saying that, he hung up the phone without waiting for Lin Leyou to speak. Lin Leyou looked at her phone screen, tossed it aside, and returned to the real world.

He lay in bed, clutching the soft blanket, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. Was it because he wasn't used to living in such a big villa?

Lin Leyou sighed deeply. He was truly not destined for wealth and privilege. He had finally managed to live a good life, and yet this happened...

Okay, he admits, it's really because he didn't know how to tell Xue Rui.