Shen Buyao's sudden restraint in her words actually made Lin Yu feel a bit embarrassed.
Such obvious concern for her image was hard for him to ignore.
Besides, Shen Jiuyi was also present, and she was no pushover either.
After a moment of thought, he shrugged it off.
Whatever.
Ever since their return from the old house, Shen Jiuyi must have pieced things together anyway.
As long as he toned it down in front of her, there was no point in overdoing the secrecy.
Lin Yu leaned his arm on the counter, shrugged, and said:
"It's fine, you can keep cursing. I heard everything I needed to hear."
"It's just a game. If you don’t vent, what’s the point? Might as well let loose."
That’s what he said, but Shen Buyao herself was surprised.
She never cared about others’ opinions—no matter who it was.
If she was unhappy, she’d just curse outright.
But lately, around Lin Yu, it was like she’d been possessed.
She actually started wanting to change her image—at least not come across as some "crude brute."
Even though Lin Yu told her to keep cursing, Shen Buyao still felt the words stuck in her throat, unable to continue.
As for saving face, she thought of a much more effective method.
Shen Buyao raised the standing mic and boldly challenged:
"Hey, Sun Thief, you think you’re so tough, huh?"
"You dare to 1v1 me?"
"Shipment map, sniper duel, or full-map deathmatch—your pick."
"Use whatever gun you want, first to 30 kills!"
"I’ll make you call me daddy—you in or what?"
Lin Yu: "…"
Hearing Shen Buyao’s confident tone, Lin Yu instantly understood.
The one who’d actually be fighting that guy in a full-map deathmatch was probably him.
Just as he expected.
After Shen Buyao finished her taunts, she turned on the speaker for all to hear.
A shrill-voiced man on the other end angrily snapped:
"Whoever backs out is a grandson!"
"I’ll make the room now. You two can join together if you want. Sent you a friend request—invite’s coming soon."
Shen Buyao smugly stood by the chair, hands folded at her sides.
She gave Lin Yu a playful bow and gestured to the seat.
Lin Yu: "…"
Honestly!
If tonight’s "special reward" meant "Antique Sister" serving him like this the whole time, then showing off a little now was no big deal.
Lin Yu walked around the counter, sat down at the computer, and adjusted the mic before muting it.
"Calling it a ‘father-son match’ but bringing in a ringer? Yao Yao, that’s kinda unfair, don’t you think?"
Shen Buyao immediately started massaging Lin Yu’s right arm, kneading it like pre-game prep.
She even defended herself with a straight face:
"What do you mean ‘ringer’? Explain yourself!"
"I only said we’d 1v1—I never specified who’d be fighting."
"Even if we took this to the heavens, my words hold up just fine."
"Mr. Gun God, didn’t you tell me you play this all the time?"
"If you’re this good at Dance Revolution, shooting games should be no problem, right?"
Before Lin Yu could respond, a familiar voice came through the speakers:
"Yao Yao’s hubby, why can’t I hear you?"
"Did you mute the mic? Hahaha, is Dayu there?"
"You’re acting all cocky—I bet your man showed up!"
Shen Buyao: "…"
Lin Yu: "…"
Whatever.
No point explaining to the Queen of Dirty Jokes.
The more you tried, the worse it looked in her eyes.
Huang Feirong was too sharp to fool.
Even muting the mic didn’t throw her off.
Lin Yu unmuted and replied:
"Evening, Rongrong-jie."
"Wasn’t the Dance Revolution event at 11?"
"Why are you two still messing around with a grudge match instead of logging in?"
Huang Feirong put on a teasing voice, deliberately provoking him:
"When it’s just the two of us, you call me ‘Little Rongrong.’"
"But now that there’s company, it’s ‘Rongrong-jie’? You heartless Dayu~"
Lin Yu: "…"
He shouldn’t have responded. The Queen never missed a chance to floor the gas.
Shen Buyao opened her mouth to curse but hesitated and shut it again.
If she snapped back now, wouldn’t that just confirm she cared about Lin Yu being teased?
After a few seconds of thought…
Wait, no—even if there was nothing between her and Lin Yu, wouldn’t she still curse at Huang Feirong for acting like this?
She opened her mouth again… then closed it once more.
She really wanted to curse, but what if Lin Yu thought she was too vulgar…
Fine.
If she couldn’t curse, she could at least expose the truth.
"The event was supposed to be at midnight, but Rongrong here tricked me into saying it was an hour earlier just to lure you in."
"I fell for it, thinking… well, gaming’s more fun when you start early, right?"
Lin Yu wasn’t upset. He glanced at Shen Buyao, silently impressed.
She held back again!
For anyone else, this might be nothing.
But for "Antique Sister," this was a huge step!
Soon, the game’s duel invitation popped up on-screen.
Lin Yu reminded them:
"Rongrong-jie, I’m gonna stay muted for now."
"You two go ahead and use the most toxic, mocking trash talk to tilt the other guy."
"It’s a game—if you’re not cursing your heart out, what’s the point?"
Shen Buyao: "Got it!"
Huang Feirong: "Hahaha, leave it to us!"
Being "officially permitted" to trash-talk made them both instantly hyped.
Meanwhile…
The "veteran gamer" in the shop was going crazy.
Shen Jiuyi, sitting not far away, felt like a million ants were crawling under her skin.
She couldn’t focus on her movie anymore—her mind was fixated on whether she should go take a closer look.
Watching Shen Buyao and Huang Feirong play CrossFire? Zero interest.
She knew their skill levels—seeing them get stomped was no fun.
But Lin Yu was different!
Yesterday at the apartment, they’d faced off in Yu Yu Hakusho.
Even in a game he wasn’t familiar with, he’d adapted mid-match and pressured Shen Jiuyi relentlessly.
What would happen in a game he actually excelled at?
The bigger concern was—if she went over now, wouldn’t that just tell Lin Yu she was intensely curious about him?
Would he push boundaries even more later?
From the moment Lin Yu sat at the computer, Shen Jiuyi’s mind had been at war.
Her eyes kept drifting over against her will.
From behind the counter, she could only see Lin Yu’s focused profile.
But during one glance, Lin Yu suddenly turned and locked eyes with her.
Shen Jiuyi instantly looked away: "!!!"
Crap!
Why did she panic? Looking away just made her seem guilty!
"Xiao Jiu, wanna come watch?"
Lin Yu asked, smirking.
...
(Second update today—more coming later! Hope you’ll keep supporting with your love and energy!)
Cheng's father told him he was getting remarried—to a wealthy woman. Cao Cheng realized his time had finally come: he was about to become a second-generation rich kid. Sure, it might be a watered-down version, but hey, at least he'd have status now, right? The wealthy woman also had four daughters!! Which meant, starting today, Cao Cheng gained four stunning older sisters?? But that wasn't even the whole story... "My name is Cao Cheng—'Cheng' as in 'honest, smooth-talking gentleman'!"
] [Lone Wolf, No Male Gaze] [Protagonist is pursued early on; extreme protagonist-stans, stay away!] The "Carnival Paradise" descends and slowly devours the real world in the form of a game. By chance, Zhu Yan awakens the talent [Roleplay], becoming one of the first beta players. He thought he could develop safely, but after clearing the first instance, he is branded by humanity as the chief culprit behind the game's spread—a traitorous villain. A villain? Who would ever... become one! He'll be the villain! From then on, Zhu Yan is not only a player but also a lackey for the Carnival Paradise. Between the straight path and the crooked path, he chooses the con. With his left hand, he dons the villain's mantle, staging scenes within instances, infuriating players who decry him as a despicable traitor, all while the game happily promotes him. With his right hand, he joins the non-human organization "Fangcun Mountain," which opposes the Carnival Paradise, transforming into a mysterious player who slaughters game bosses, earning cheers of "Long live the expert!" from fellow players. Gradually, Zhu Yan rises to become an S-rank human player in Fangcun Mountain's archives, while also being the Carnival Paradise's certified top game Boss. But when the final war erupts and both major factions place their hopes in him— Players tag his various aliases: "Experts, this offensive depends on you." The Carnival Paradise's supreme Boss throws an arm around his neck: "Bro, you're the iron, I'm the steel; you can't let me down again!"
grated, and just when he finally managed to get into an elite academy, he discovered that he actually had a system, and the way to earn rewards was extremely ridiculous. So for the sake of rewards, he had no choice but to start acting ridiculous as well. Su Cheng: "It's nothing but system quests after all." But later, what confused Su Cheng was that while he was already quite ridiculous, he never expected those serious characters to gradually become ridiculous too. And the way they looked at him became increasingly strange... (This synopsis doesn't do it justice, please read the full story)
with countless casualties. As a top-tier gamer, Liu Xuan volunteered to join the fight, intending to dominate with his skills, but instead he obtained the hidden class: [Pacifist]. Unable to attack. Unable to use active skills. Fortunately, with each level gained, he acquired a new passive skill. And so, armed with a body full of passives, Liu Xuan slaughtered his way through the battlefield of ten thousand races! [You attacked Liu Xuan] [You gained the debuffs: 'Poison', 'Fear', 'Burning', 'Bleeding', 'Freeze', 'Silence', etc.] [Your attack speed has been reduced by 99%] [Your armor and magic resistance have been reduced by 99%] Warriors of the Ten Thousand Races: How the hell am I supposed to fight this?!
