Jiang Shi hadn’t realized he’d been browsing the forums all morning unconsciously. Indeed, whether it was his own gossip or others’, as long as there was juicy gossip to consume, it always managed to uplift his mood.
After finishing lunch and returning to his room, Jiang Shi’s gaze swept past the adjacent virtual cabin. For the first time, he unexpectedly felt no rush to go online.
His reply to Yu Weize last night had been “haven’t thought about it yet.” And these four words still resonated with his current thoughts.
He didn’t know how to respond, meaning he didn’t know how to face someone.
After a moment of contemplation, Jiang Shi found a comfortable position on the sofa and decided to lie down, pulling out his phone once again to leisurely scroll through the posts.
The act of indulging in gossip brought happiness, yet it could also lead to moral degradation, making one neglect all the troubles in life.
Jiang Shi decided to start from the posts five years ago, slowly going through all the replies, ticking away minutes and seconds.
He couldn’t count how many posts he’d opened until a short message suddenly popped up: “At home? Want to meet for afternoon tea?”
Sender: Han Yuze.
Jiang Shi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Not bad, going straight to pursuing offline?
What Jiang Shi didn’t know was how much careful consideration Han Yuze had put into sending that message.
Primarily, it was because he had logged in early today and waited for Poisoned Milk in regular hours, but surprisingly, for the first time in history, Poisoned Milk hadn’t logged in. Considering the circumstances leading up to the previous five years’ broken appointment, Han Yuze felt a bit psychologically shadowed.
Han Yuze was indeed unsure of Jiang Shi’s thoughts. After much thought, he decided to employ the identity of “Han Yiyuan’s cousin.“
As for the excuse to meet Jiang Shi, it was already figured out: he would say that his uncle and aunt heard that Han Yiyuan had a good relationship with Jiang Yan and asked him to come and understand the situation.
It had to be said that even Jiang Shi would find this reason acceptable. It left him no room to refuse, morally or ethically.
Considering there weren’t many suitable places for afternoon tea around, he ultimately agreed to meet Han Yuze at the affiliated tea bar of the dark gray holographic-themed internet cafe.
After tidying up a bit, Jiang Shi went downstairs and headed out. Shortly after he stepped into the internet cafe, he saw Han Yuze entering through the door.
The speed was so fast; it seemed like Han Yuze had been waiting nearby since sending the message.
It could be confirmed that before this outing, Han Yuze had definitely put a lot of effort into tidying himself up.
From Jiang Shi’s perspective, the first impression was akin to seeing a peacock displaying its feathers in place.
This made him involuntarily take a closer look.
Just like the impression he had of Han Yuze at the birthday banquet, speaking solely about appearance, this person did indeed belong to the type that appealed greatly to him.
After glancing at Han Yuze’s face a couple of times, and thinking about how this person had set off fireworks amidst a crowd’s attention the night before, a subtle curve formed at the corner of Jiang Shi’s mouth.
After exchanging pleasantries, when Han Yuze took a seat nearby, he asked, “What would you like to drink?”
“Whatever you’re having,” Han Yuze smoothly seized the opportunity to inquire about Jiang Shi’s preferred drink without making it obvious. Adjusting his posture to face Jiang Shi directly, he continued, “You seem quite familiar with this place.”
“Yeah. I’ve known the shop owner here for over ten years,” Jiang Shi answered with a smile, looking at Han Yuze and quietly waiting for him to start today’s performance.
Han Yuze didn’t forget the reason he had asked Jiang Shi out and promptly began by discussing Jiang Yan’s and Han Yiyuan’s situation. However, the topic started and ended quickly.
By the time a few sentences had passed, the conversation content had seamlessly shifted to Jiang Shi.
It was only now that Jiang Shi realized Han Yuze was indeed skilled at steering conversations, at least in the way the transitions occurred without any discomfort.
Unconsciously, they had been chatting for quite some time, almost naturally circling around to understand each other’s preferences.
As the time was almost up, they finally got into the main topic.
Han Yuze: “Did you play ‘Genesis‘ this afternoon? I suddenly invited you out; I don’t know if it affected your game.”
Just from the tone of this sentence, it felt quite sincere.
Jiang Shi lowered his gaze, wearing an understanding expression. “Oh, I didn’t play today.”
Han Yuze asked, “There have been quite a few events these days. Why didn’t you play?”
Jiang Shi replied, “It’s nothing much, just found something more interesting. Lost track of time without realizing.”
Curious, Han Yuze asked, “What’s so interesting?”
Jiang Shi smiled faintly at him. “It’s the official player forum. Many new threads have popped up these days. You’ve probably heard about the gossip that exploded last night. It’s still being discussed. Among them, some users claim that Poisoned Milk and Yu Weize have already registered for marriage. Isn’t that interesting?”
“Cough, cough, cough.” Han Yuze happened to take a sip of tea, choked inadvertently, and coughed a few times. “Is it that shocking?”
Jiang Shi innocently smiled, “Yes, it’s quite thrilling.”
After Han Yuze recovered from his coughing fit and took a few more sips, when he finally steered the conversation toward a new topic, he unexpectedly met Jiang Shi’s gaze. His words caught in his throat.
Just like before, Jiang Shi sat calmly in his place, only changing his posture slightly by lightly resting his chin on the back of his hand, glancing sideways. Those deep and slender eyes looked straight at him.
Though still with that gentle smile, paired with the sudden sunlight that fell behind him, it was unexpectedly enchanting.
Han Yuze: “…Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Nothing,” Jiang Shi replied while maintaining the same posture, slowly blinking. “Just, thinking about that big gossip from last night. Suddenly, I’m wondering, is your behavior today a way of pursuing me?”
Upon hearing that last sentence, Han Yuze visibly paused, then smiled, “Of course, why wouldn’t it be?”
After this exchange, the atmosphere between them undoubtedly became somewhat ambiguous.
Han Yuze was very adept at leaving some space between them. He chatted casually for a while longer, then ended their meeting before the atmosphere could escalate further.
Considering the situation in the afternoon, whether in attitude, etiquette, or comportment, Han Yuze was very certain that he had handled everything quite well.
But after the “date,” he didn’t need to wait until he got home. Just as he got in the car, in the spacious environment where he was now alone, he felt a headache creeping up.
One could only say that Jiang Shi’s sudden question had been a bit too abrupt, leading him to, in such an atmosphere, involuntarily give a response.
At that moment, he had clearly overlooked a crucial issue—Jiang Shi didn’t know he was Yu Weize.
If Yu Weize pursued PoisonedMilk and he, Han Yuze, pursued Jiang Shi, knowing that both were the same person, there wouldn’t be any issue.
However, if there was no prior knowledge and the relationship between the two was ‘or’ rather than ‘and,’ in the end, either Yu Weize or Han Yuze would have to face a breakup.
In simple terms, whether the pursuit was successful online or offline, the result seemed to be a case of “greening oneself.”
Han Yuze: “…”
Why did it feel like his initial plan of a two-pronged approach was backfiring?
Right now, this relationship seemed somewhat tangled! –
After Han Yuze left, Jiang Shi didn’t rush home.
He had coincidentally met Bi Binghuo as soon as he entered the internet cafe, who, upon hearing about Jiang Yan, casually made a comment, “Is that your date for today? Looks pretty good; seems like your type.”
Jiang Shi replied, “It’s not a date. He’s the cousin of my sister’s boyfriend, a doctor, asking about something.”
Bi Binghuo’s fondness for Jiang Yan was no secret, so being caught off guard by Jiang Shi’s comment, he instinctively covered his chest, “Enough already. Don’t rub salt in my wound just because I don’t have the same experiences as you.”
Jiang Shi chuckled, “So, what brings me here?”
“Just, to know the situation,” Bi Binghuo sighed, “I’m not like you, pursued by so many people online and offline. Failing in love can only drive me to focus on my career.”
Although in essence, there’s only this one person pursuing him, from an outsider’s perspective, it seemed to create a slight illusion of “having many suitors.”
Jiang Shi couldn’t help but smile and ask, “What does my career development have to do with you? Even if you wanted to expand this internet cafe, I don’t have spare money to sponsor you.”
“With your miserly personality, I don’t expect you to sponsor me.”
Bi Binghuo stood up, a mix of irritation and amusement on his face, pulled a sign from the wall, and brought it over. “There’s an identical poster at the entrance. Seems like you didn’t even notice it when you entered, right?”
Jiang Shi indeed hadn’t noticed before, but now he read the content on it, “Nianhua Cup registration opened?”
“Yes, it starts from the middle of this month until next month, an unlimited registration period across the internet. Then, the official competition’s first round starts in mid-September.” Bi Binghuo was attentive to Jiang Shi’s expressions as he spoke, rubbing his hands with a smile. “How about it, Master Poisoned Milk? I see your old friends from the past are gathering quite well. Forming a team like this shouldn’t be a problem, right? Back then, before quitting the game, you didn’t experience professional leagues. Now that you’re back, aren’t you interested in giving it a try?”
It wasn’t that he lacked interest. Even though he hadn’t thought about it before, Bi Binghuo’s suggestion suddenly seemed quite appealing.
However, Jiang Shi found one thing a bit puzzling, “What does my participation or non-participation have to do with your career?”
“There’s something called first-person perspective live streaming rights.”
This was Bi Binghuo’s professional field, and as he talked about it, he was unstoppable. “The Nianhua Cup is different from the Century Cup. Although it’s said to be a secondary event for screening entries for the latter, everyone knows it’s not just any ordinary tournament. Just the clause ‘all guilds have the qualification to register‘ shows how inclusive it is.”
“Even though there will be official live streams, those will be generic perspectives. To satisfy the guild fans’ demands, of course, the priority is the primary team’s first-person perspective. The professional guilds in the Century Cup have established streaming platforms, so they won’t need to worry. The top teams in the Nianhua Cup are hard to take down as well. However, for those weaker teams that will be out after one or two rounds, obviously, there’s no need for partnerships. Compared to others, your team is the most suitable. If you’re really going to participate, it would be the best scenario.”
Jiang Shi understood, “You want to secure the streaming rights for the Seven Silver Coins.”
“Exactly, all chain internet cafes and synchronized broadcasts in online streaming rooms. My main aim is to boost visibility. Maybe the down payment won’t be substantial, but to show sincerity, I’m willing to split the live streaming profits eighty-twenty. You get eight, and I get two.”
Although Jiang Shi wasn’t aware of the cooperation status of other participating teams, considering his understanding of Bi Binghuo, if this man was this confident, it was definitely a sincere offer.
After a moment of thought, Jiang Shi nodded, “Alright, I’ll ask them for their opinions when I get back.”