Chapter Twenty-One: The Banquet

Page (1/3)

Xu Lin was the first to rush out of the room, her face flushed with excitement. When everyone had gathered, she finally announced a big piece of news: “I just defeated an eight-level green mage and got leggings that add three points to intelligence!”

Xue Han laughed, “But this morning, Lin Fan got a staff that adds seven points to intelligence~”

Xu Lin looked at me with delight, “Xiao Lin, is that true?”

After I nodded, Xu Lin immediately waved her hand generously, “Let’s go for a feast! Don’t hold back, eat as much as you like—it’s all on me!”

“Really? I haven’t had abalone in ages, those bowl-sized abalones!” Xin Yu rubbed her hands together, her cheeks glowing with anticipation.

Xu Lin locked the door and took the lead as we went out. At five in the afternoon, the hotpot restaurant wasn’t too crowded. Our group picked a private room, ordered a beef hotpot along with a mountain of dishes, and even the wine was eighty-eight yuan a bottle. Clearly, Xu Lin was determined to splurge today; my six hundred yuan paled in comparison to such a grand meal.

After handing the menu to the waiter, Xu Lin turned to ask me, “What level are you now? I’ve already reached level ten—the staff only requires level eight, right? Why not trade me the staff and those bracers that boost health? I’ll head to Gale City after we get back.”

I nodded, “I’m already level fifteen, and Xue Han is at thirteen. Everyone needs to work hard!”

“What? You’re already level fifteen? That’s so fast…” Li Qing was astonished, then remarked, “Shouldn’t you be ranked first in the world by now?”

“Pfft!” Xin Yu let out a vulgar word, glanced at me, and continued, “The highest level now is a Chinese player at eighteen; second place is also Chinese at seventeen.”

“That’s insane!” I muttered.

Xin Yu chuckled, scooting her chair over to sit beside me, whispering in my ear, “It doesn’t matter. Those people probably have help leveling up so quickly, but you did it all yourself.”

Xu Lin nodded, “Yes, the top-ranked player is called ‘Trade Husband for Candy.’ Seems to be a female player—I heard she used to be the leader of a Starcraft club in Beijing. Her teammates are all supporting her, which explains her rapid progress. Second place is ‘Autumn Leaves Know Fall,’ but their identity is unclear.”

Autumn Leaves Know Fall? Could it be that kid Ye Qiu?

I immediately picked up my phone and dialed Ye Qiu.

“Hello, Ye Qiu? It’s Lin Fan!”

Page (1/3)

Page (2/3)

“Ah!! Lin Fan, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick!”

“I wanted to ask you something. In ‘Yueheng,’ is ‘Autumn Leaves Know Fall’ you?”

Ye Qiu sounded surprised, “Huh? You’re playing ‘Yueheng’ too? My ID isn’t Autumn Leaves Know Fall—it’s ‘Little Ant on the Leaf.’ Hey, don’t hang up! What’s your ID? Let’s play together!”

…

“Click!”

I snapped the phone shut. I didn’t want Ye Qiu to recognize me in ‘Yueheng.’ But since he’s playing too, he’s definitely not just an ordinary player. Sooner or later, we’ll meet.

Seeing I’d ended the call, Xu Lin continued, “Tonight at midnight, the server will undergo a scheduled two-hour maintenance. I heard they’ll open a feature for buying equipment with real money online, directly involving Alipay in the game. Bank account currencies and in-game equipment can be traded directly. This will save us a lot of trouble—selling equipment won’t be such a hassle anymore. Any surplus gear can be consigned at the city auction house, and every game account’s transaction records will be tracked online, making it easy for us to calculate commissions. I think we should settle commissions at the end of each month. Anyone have other suggestions?”

Xu Lin’s proposal was reasonable, so of course everyone had no objections. At that moment, dish after dish began to arrive, steam billowing from the enormous hotpot.

Xue Han, seated to my left, blinked, “Can we eat now?”

Xu Lin couldn’t help but laugh, “Of course! Everyone, dig in~!”

Xin Yu immediately stood up, cradled the wine bottle, and poured for everyone, then hurried to my side, “How about we have a toast first?”

“Give me a good reason!”

Xin Yu puffed out her chest, grinning, “Because I like you—is that reason enough?”

“…”

I was left speechless and drained my glass.

Xue Han, unable to handle alcohol, refused to touch her cup. Xu Lin had no choice but to drink with the others. Xu Lin’s tolerance was impressive—she downed four glasses with each of the six of us before finally drinking alone.

Page (2/3)

Page (3/3)

Xin Yu was acting unusually, drinking one glass after another as if venting something. Her lovely face soon turned completely red, looking irresistibly cute in the dim light. Who would have thought she was actually a hostess…

By eight in the evening, everyone had drunk their fill. Xu Lin, swaying, went off to pay the bill aided by Li Qing. Xue Han and Guozi, who hadn’t drunk, helped two other girls who had overindulged.

It was a strange night. Liu Yun, usually quiet and cold as an iceberg, was drunk and mumbling as Guozi helped her home. Xin Yu, despite drinking as much as Xu Lin, remained clear-headed. She took my arm, greeted Xue Han, and headed out.

I glanced back at Xue Han’s concerned gaze, could only respond with a wry smile, and followed Xin Yu out the door.

…

The moon was cold, stars sparse. Late-night pedestrians hurried past. Xin Yu said nothing, just quietly linked her arm with mine as we walked down the street. Since she was drunk, I didn’t bother to fuss.

“Brother, would you like to buy some flowers?” A little girl stopped me, her face tinged purple from the cold, small hands trembling as she held out the flowers.

“Buy one for your sister,” she said.

I turned, pulled Xin Yu along past the little girl, and murmured, “Such things are for the young…”

Xin Yu gave a faint smile, her beautiful face clouded with complex emotion.

We walked on, climbing the city’s only bridge. The wind grew colder. Xin Yu’s elegant long hair fluttered gently on her petite shoulders; she remained silent, leaning against the railing, gazing up at the dazzling stars.

“Xin Yu, it’s too cold. Let’s go back,” I said softly.

She had been resting her face against my shoulder. Now she looked up at me, slowly turned around, and threw herself into my arms. Under the starlight, her beautiful eyes sparkled with a moving radiance…