Chapter 40 Online Dating 7
Although Yuan Ying's university was second-rate, it was very wealthy. The campus was newly built and exuded a luxurious atmosphere. Under this policy, Cainiao Post Stations stood next to the dormitory buildings, like large supermarkets. Every time classes ended, huge crowds would flood in, carrying full boxes of express deliveries back to their dormitories like shoppers.
The sun was blazing, and the air conditioning in the rest stop was barely effective. The crowd was so dense that the heat was rising rapidly.
Yuan Ying squeezed out of the delivery station carrying the package and returned to her dormitory under the blazing sun.
My roommate wasn't home, so I immediately turned on the air conditioner. I lifted my shirt to reveal my abs covered in sweat, my hair completely soaked, and my hands and wrists smelling strongly of cardboard boxes from carrying packages all the way.
I might as well take off my clothes and quickly take a cold shower.
With wet hair, Li Wen opened the package just as his roommates returned from playing basketball. Seeing the cardboard box on the floor and the microphone standing on the table, he asked curiously, "Yuan Ying, you bought a microphone?"
He knew Yuan Ying was addicted to games and skipped classes every day. When he was in the dorm, Yuan Ying would sit in front of the computer, and after class, she would still sit in front of the computer, never interacting much with the others. Li Wen also played games; it was fun to relieve boredom occasionally, but asking him to do nothing but play games all day would be unbearable for him—it was too torturous.
Du Chengfeng followed Li Wen in, and his first words upon entering were, "Awesome!"
Just pull off your shirt and stand in front of the air conditioner vent.
Yuan Ying was right next to him, her sweat from exercising giving off a faint, pungent odor. With her back to Du Chengfeng, Yuan Ying closed her nose, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes, but she said nothing.
Du Chengfeng glanced at the game screen and knew Yuan Ying was playing Endless Mode, but on a different server. These kinds of games have a strong social element, and playing dungeons with online friends usually requires using a microphone, so buying one is a normal necessity. But Du Chengfeng had never seen Yuan Ying make any new friends in all this time, guessing he was an extreme solo player, and this sudden purchase of a microphone…
I couldn't help but think to myself, "I asked you to join during the public beta, but you wouldn't listen. I don't know what you were pretending for."
A sly smile appeared on his slightly flat face. He nudged Yuan Ying's shoulder and joked, "You little rascal, you're not having an online romance, are you?"
Li Wen was not interested at first, but when he heard Du Chengfeng's words, he stopped packing his things and turned around to observe Yuan Ying's reaction.
Du Chengfeng, with a gossipy nature, said: "Hey, tell me, I'll give you some advice."
After saying that, he jokingly looked at Yuan Ying for a long time, but his roommate didn't open up. Yuan Ying seemed not to have heard him at all, and looked down at the instruction manual to adjust the Bluetooth.
Du Chengfeng: ...
Seeing the fat man standing there awkwardly, Li Wen smiled and said, "I'll take a shower first."
They had a long lecture later and wanted to go back to the dorm to change their clothes.
"Damn it!" Du Chengfeng stopped, the smile on his round face vanished instantly, a hint of ferocity creeping into his brows, and he muttered under his breath, "Is he mute?"
After Li Wen finished showering, Du Chengfeng quickly squeezed into the bathroom for a quick shower. In this hot weather, wet hair would dry easily in the sun. The two of them slung their backpacks over their shoulders and headed out.
They are not in the same major as Yuan Ying, and they have many courses and club activities, so they are often not in the dormitory.
"What's he pretending for?" Du Chengfeng sneered. "He skips class every day, thinking he's so great, but all he wears are cheap, cheap shoes that cost a hundred yuan a pair. Last time his dad called, all he could say was money. With a family like that, they're probably going to ruin themselves playing video games."
Aren't you wearing fakes too?
How much superiority can a pair of counterfeit goods costing 200 yuan have compared to a pair of cheap street vendor goods costing 100 yuan?
Li Wen concealed his disdain, his expression softening considerably as he said, "Yuan Ying comes from a single-parent family. People from such families either strive for success or succumb to depravity. He's introverted, and it seems he's using games to numb himself and escape reality..."
He shook his head and sighed, "But what's the use? Sooner or later we'll have to face reality."
Du Chengfeng: "What career path is there for someone like him after graduation besides manual labor? Sales? He can't even utter a single word, who would want him?"
“He comes back to the dorm every day and just sits there typing on his keyboard. It really annoys me. Nobody owes him anything, right? It’s like he’s cutting off a piece of his flesh when he says a word. He must have some mental problems.”
As Du Chengfeng entered the classroom, the gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a cheerful smile. Passing by his classmates, his voice inadvertently rose: "Yuan Ying, he's definitely having an online romance. Even if he didn't tell me, do you think I wouldn't have noticed?"
“However, this kid might be in his first relationship. Who knows who’s on the other end of the line, especially online?” He shook his head, sounding genuinely worried. “These days, there are too many gold diggers. Men can use voice changers to impersonate women and scam money.”
Li Wen put down his book: "Think of something better."
Du Chengfeng raised an eyebrow and smiled: "We can't not worry! With that kid's personality, even if the other woman is a normal girl, she'll dump him after a short while. We need to plan ahead to prevent him from being scammed out of everything and ending up drowning his sorrows in a bar."
...
Even on weekdays, Endless Walkway remains bustling with activity.
Lu Xuejin was logged into YY (a voice chat platform) checking out the new outfits in the shop. The art style of Endless Return was excellent, with no major issues so far. However, in the realm of ancient-style MMOs, male outfits always seemed a bit lacking compared to female outfits. Looking at the beautiful female outfits on the display screen, Lu Xuejin regretted not creating a female character during the open beta.
The keyboard clattered loudly in YY (a voice chat platform), with occasional bursts of angry chatter. After a while, things calmed down, and people started talking about the new dungeon that was being announced.
"This dungeon looks really beautiful. I bet a lot of people will be taking pictures inside."
"Not as good as the Jade Pool."
"A new dungeon? What are its mechanics?"
"He didn't say. He's always hiding something, I don't know what he's hiding."
"I wonder what attributes this title will grant. Game planners, please add some attack power!"
In the Endless Quest system, each expansion features three major dungeons. Due to their high difficulty, abundant loot, and additional title bonuses, they are jokingly referred to by players as the "Three Kings." Whenever a King dungeon is released, the strategy teams of various guilds work overtime to achieve the first clear. This is not only because the world announcement and system record after the first clear is a great publicity stunt, but also because the drops from the first clear are more valuable, potentially including rare costumes, mounts, and materials.
Such strategy teams have high requirements. Sharp skills and top-notch equipment are just the threshold for entry. They also need to be able to follow orders and withstand pressure. Most importantly, they need to be trustworthy high-level players in the guild. Just look at how the previous Heavenly King dungeons turned into Mission Impossible and 007-like events, with thousands of posts of flame wars on the forums.
Previously, Lai Si was in charge of leading the raid team. But this time, Lai Si declined the invitation from the guild leader, Fox, and instead recruited several other players from within the guild. These players had previously grown tired of the high-pressure life of raid teams, which lasted for days and nights, but now they were swayed by the promise of money—each person would receive 50,000 coins for each dungeon run, regardless of success or failure, plus additional valuable costumes as a bonus. Who wouldn't be tempted by that?
In a private channel, a few people discussed the reasons.
"Who is the last spot on the team? If no one is available, I have a close relative or friend who I know well. I wonder if they can get in?"
"You're overthinking it. There's still another spot for Luo Ying. You don't know, Lai Si specially formed a separate team just to carry Luo Ying through the game!"
"Holy crap, that's a huge investment! To clear the dungeon, you'd have to go back and forth at least a dozen times, and each person would spend 50,000 per run... Even if Reis manages it well, it'd still cost several hundred thousand. Just who is this Tianyi? Reis is treating her so well."
During this period, Lai Si stopped playing in the arena, dungeons, and guild wars. Instead, he personally guided Luo Ying through quests and dungeons to level up every day, giving her equipment, costumes, and mounts. Just a few days ago, Luo Ying was a new account dressed in a drab school uniform, but now she is dazzling and gets noticed wherever she goes because of her costumes.
The way the fallen petals were treated would make anyone's eyes bleed with envy.
What's even more controversial is that Luo Ying accepted all of Lai Si's generosity without hesitation. Although she always cried out, "May God grant me a rich woman to save me, I am willing to be a kept woman for all eternity," she is not shameless. It's okay to accept gifts, but to accept them all without any other expression of gratitude is simply unseemly.
Some people in the heavens saw this and, though they didn't say anything, they already had some reservations, feeling that Luo Ying's character was questionable.
"Why is our Nais so unlucky? The apprentices she chooses are either super male, green tea, or male-dominated. She finally got a female character, but she's so unlucky."
"She hasn't spoken on the microphone yet, so who knows if she's a man or a woman."
Now that you mention it…
Just then, Luoying came online.
"Is everyone here?" Lu Xuejin checked the team members and their equipment. Once the update was complete at six o'clock, everyone immediately entered the dungeon. After glancing at the initial instructions, Lu Xuejin walked ahead. "The mechanics are quite complex, let's go through it once first."
The team didn't even get to see the leader before being ambushed and killed by the unpredictable traps in the tunnel.
"So sinister?"
The team members groaned, thinking they were about to suffer again, but Lu Xuejin figured out the mechanism on her second try and successfully led the team to the boss.
"Wow, the boss is awesome!!"
"The guild leader is still working on it, and we've already reached the first boss. It'll still be our turn to think about it!"
"We worship you, Lai Si!"
Lai Si chuckled softly into the microphone, and the person wearing the earphone felt a tingling sensation in their ears and a skip in their heartbeat—Lai Si's voice was still so captivating, her laughter was mesmerizing, no wonder so many people were eager to become the deputy's wife.
When she reached the old man, Luoying fell down as expected.
Lu Xuejin said, "Luoying, don't get up yet."
The microphone rang: "Okay."
Everyone: ...
That sound...
The team chat was calm, but the private chat channels were anything but – everyone was shouting and playing simultaneously.
"Absolute Voice Changer!!"
"I swear on my twenty years of online dating experience, if it's not a voice changer, I'll eat shit!"
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