Chapter Sixty-Four: The Mourning Legion’s Leader

Murong Shanshan had changed into a pink scarf, making her already lovely face look even cuter. Both Keke and her friend could be considered classic beauties themselves, but when compared to Murong Shanshan, they seemed to pale in comparison. What puzzled me at the moment was why Murong Shanshan had brought Keke and her friend along. Was she afraid I might try to take advantage of her?

As I was lost in thought, Murong Shanshan came over, smiling sweetly. “Let’s go see Dynamite Hotpot. He’s still over there hosting an event. I heard there’s even an autograph session.”

I was taken aback. “An autograph session? Who’s signing for whom?”

“Of course Dynamite Hotpot is signing for his fans! Unless you think I should sign for him?”

I chuckled to myself. With someone as captivating as Murong Shanshan standing in front of that fool Dynamite Hotpot, he might just ask her for an autograph instead.

“What are you laughing at?” Murong Shanshan glanced at me sideways.

“It’s nothing. Keke, you all want Fire’s autograph, right?” I turned to the other girls.

Keke looked at me in surprise. “Lin Fan, how did you know the top player’s name is Fire?”

I froze for a moment and quickly explained, “Shanshan must have mentioned it to me before. Don’t look at me like that, I don’t know him personally.”

Keke giggled. “Let’s go, let’s go! If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late!”

She waved down a taxi and hopped into the front seat, turning back to beckon to me and Murong Shanshan. The other girl got in the back, and Murong Shanshan followed, smiling as she called, “Come on, sit next to me.”

I hesitated, then climbed in, only to realize the girl next to Murong Shanshan was so voluptuous she nearly took up half the seat, pushing Shanshan so close she was almost sitting on my lap. Fortunately, Shanshan was petite, and I’m not exactly a big guy, so the crowded little taxi just barely fit the three of us.

It wasn’t until a while later that I remembered the real purpose of this outing. “Shanshan, how did you finish your quest? Tell me! I still need a high-attribute weapon.”

Murong Shanshan glanced at me and said, “That quest is unique. I forgot to tell you, sorry~”

Sensing my slightly annoyed glare, she stuck out her tongue and added, “Don’t be so stingy. If I hadn’t said that, you wouldn’t have come out, and you’d miss the chance to witness the world’s number one player in action.”

“Wow, so I should be grateful to you for this?” I replied.

“That’s right! At most, I’ll treat you to Dai Mei Hotpot later!”

I thought about it and could only nod. “Since I’m here already, never mind. But I need to get home early.”

“Is it because your beautiful co-worker won’t let you stay out too late?” Murong Shanshan teased, laughing.

I quickly retorted, “Of course not. Besides, we’re just colleagues.”

Murong Shanshan raised her elegant brows, glancing at me with an ambiguous smile. Meanwhile, Keke was whispering to the other girl, “Why did Shanshan insist on bringing Lin Fan along, anyway?”

“I don’t know. Maybe her heart’s been stirred…”

The two girls chattered as if no one else was around. Murong Shanshan gritted her teeth, “If you two brats keep talking nonsense, I’ll twist your heads right off!”

Keke stuck out her tongue and fell silent. By then, the taxi had stopped by the street, and we could see the flickering lights in front of Suning from afar. A flamboyant host dressed in a seductive outfit was on stage announcing the event.

Getting out of the car, Murong Shanshan couldn’t help but exclaim, “Oh my, are cow-patterned outfits in style for hosts these days?”

I chuckled and whispered, “Are you jealous?”

Murong Shanshan shot me a glare and then thrust out her chest, drawing the attention of several nearby guys. I couldn’t help but be a little surprised—if this girl really tried to be seductive, she might even outshine Xinyu. Compared to her, the curvy host on stage seemed downright ordinary.

Keke and the other girl squeezed into the crowd by the stage, which was packed mostly with men, their eyes glued to the host’s ample chest and rounded hips. If there weren’t snow on the ground, I’m sure we’d hear drool hitting the pavement.

“Hey, let’s get in there! What are you staring at?” Murong Shanshan, blushing, dragged me into the crowd.

“Look! Fire’s about to come out!” At some point, Keke had managed to squeeze her way to Shanshan’s side, face alight with excitement.

I wasn’t sure whether Murong Shanshan was also a fan of Fire, the top player, but Keke was clearly obsessed. Why someone not particularly handsome, not especially clean, and fond of Japanese AVs was so popular with girls, I had no idea. Was it simply because he was the number one player in “Moonmark”?

Fire appeared!

Dressed casually, he gave a suave smile to the crowd of girls below, instantly provoking a round of piercing screams. But I caught a slight shiver—of course he was cold, wearing so little in this weather!

Fire took the microphone from the host and briefly introduced himself before launching into a detailed presentation about the product being promoted. Halfway through his speech, Murong Shanshan tugged at my sleeve and whispered, “I didn’t expect it to be so boring. Dynamite Hotpot isn’t much to look at either. Lin Fan, you’re better looking than he is…”

I grinned broadly. “Thank you, thank you~”

“Are you hungry?” Murong Shanshan blinked her beautiful eyes at me.

“A bit. Are we going to eat now?”

She nodded. “Let’s go. Keke and the others won’t be having dinner with us.”

…

Just as we turned to leave, Fire suddenly tossed aside the microphone, jumped off the stage, and tried to push through the crowd, only to be surrounded by a throng of fans. He had no choice but to return to the stage, apologizing, “Sorry, I thought I saw an old friend I haven’t met in a long time.”

The host joked, “Who could possibly make you so nervous, Fire? Can you tell everyone?”

Fire smiled softly. “It’s nothing, really. A year ago, the TOT team’s TOT_Lin—does anyone remember? I just saw someone who looked a lot like him, and there was a beautiful girl with him. But I guess I was mistaken; that girl wasn’t Xiaoyu…”

Keke turned to her friend, puzzled. “Who’s TOT_Lin?”

The other girl looked just as confused. At that moment, a handsome guy nearby explained with a smile, “You don’t know TOT_Lin? He was last year’s most popular AR3 pro player and the leader of the Mourning Corps. But halfway through this year’s CG qualifiers, he suddenly vanished from the scene. He probably ran into some trouble. I think Fire really did mistake someone for him just now.”