After the signing of the live streaming rights contract, it can be considered a major accomplishment.
So the most important thing now is to devote ourselves wholeheartedly to the preparations for the Century Cup.
Of the few people in the Seven Silver Coins, except for Han Yuze, none of them have participated in professional competitions. It is inevitable that they feel very excited to try it out.
However, their excitement turns out to be misfortune for members of other guilds.
They helplessly watch as the returning players continuously change their gear and climb up the equipment ranking list. More importantly, it’s the weekly wild boss hunt that causes the most impact.
When the Seven Silver Coins team was just making a name for themselves, everyone thought their boss kills were merely lucky chances. But now, their guild’s name proudly hangs on the leaderboard for wild boss kills, almost becoming as stable as other prestigious guilds.
The number of wild bosses is limited. With Seven Silver Coins’s rise, other guilds naturally have no chance.
Is there resentment? Certainly!
But even if they resent, what can they do? Secondary guilds that occasionally relied on luck to snatch a wild boss had initially thought to unite against them. However, they quickly realized such alliances were meaningless. Whenever Seven Silver Coins set their sights on a map, they inevitably claimed the final kill, leaving opponents frustrated and seething with suppressed rage before departing.
After several attempts, some guilds no longer wish to vie with Seven Silver Coins for anything.
It’s not just about losing the fights; it’s the leader of their opponents’ group whose style is excessively shrewd!
Even when considering approaching prestigious guilds, the most that could happen would be getting overwhelmed by their strength. However, when facing Seven Silver Coins, despite their lower numbers and overall member quality, they always end up feeling played, questioning their own existence post-match.
This is no leisurely retirement guild; it’s more like an old, cunning guild!
Jiang Shi naturally heard from What Pen Carries Fragrance that their guild recently gained substantial attention on the official forum’s rivalry section. Some overly eager netizens even expressed their desire for other guilds to declare war on them.
As absurd as it sounds, genuine guilds wouldn’t incite hostility based solely on recognized wild boss kills—how immature.
Of course, if any guild actually does something so immature, Jiang Shi would be more than welcoming.
During this period of gearing up with various equipment updates and team bonding, if a guild were to declare war, it would be the perfect time to evaluate their phase achievements.
After coming out of the latest top-tier 15-member dungeon in the current version, they gained a substantial amount of experience, and everyone’s levels noticeably rose.
As the guild members who joined temporarily began to leave the team, What Pen Carries Fragrance suddenly cleared his throat in the team voice chat: “Um… the preliminary round of the Century Cup is about to begin. Considering we’ve cultivated this bond for so long, shall we think about finding a time to meet offline?”
[[Team] Deep Well Ice Player: No way!]
As expected from someone with severe social anxiety, the refusal came without surprise. In the next moment, What Pen Carries Fragrance directly ignored it and eagerly looked at others, asking, “What do you think?”
[[Team] Deep Well Ice Player: …]
Gentleman Fan nodded while fanning himself: “Sounds good.”
“Sounds good +1.” Although Serious Young Man’s tone copied Gentleman Fan’s, his slightly gleaming eyes looking at Jiang Shi exposed his deep anticipation of meeting his idol.
For Scavenger and Muchuan Pants, there were no objections. Even the nearby Green Fanatic raised both hands and feet in agreement, expressing a desire to join in the fun.
What Pen Carries Fragrance smiled satisfactorily: “It just so happens that the exclusive live streaming partner has invited us. I’ll contact Boss Bi later, and we’ll meet at his place.”
When he said this, he thought of something and looked at Jiang Shi. “Brother Milk, you and Boss. Bi seem to be in the same place, right? Then we can save the travel expenses at that time.”
“Yes, we are in the same place. You can just find Bi Binghuo to arrange it.
Jiang Shi replied, noticing What Pen Carries Fragrance happily contacting Bi Binghuo and couldn’t help but chuckle.
Glancing back and noticing Han Yuze’s persistent silence, he approached and asked, “What’s wrong? You seem hesitant about the gathering.”
Han Yuze forced a smile: “No, I also feel it’s necessary for a get-together before the competition.”
Jiang Shi glanced at Han Yuze’s somewhat forced smile and lowered his eyes slightly, understanding his concerns instantly.
And after understanding, a hint of curiosity arose.
During the offline gathering of the Seven Silver Coins team, how would this “God Yu,” known as “Han Yi Yuan’s Distant Cousin,” handle his own identity?
It’s genuinely something to look forward to.
This anticipation reached its peak when Jiang Shi met Han Yuze again.
Ever since the day Han Yuze admitted his pursuit, he frequently invited Jiang Shi to dine out or have afternoon tea.
This time, faced with a new dilemma, it was evident that Han Yuze hadn’t figured out a proper solution, making him absent-minded throughout the encounter.
Jiang Shi understood without needing it to be verbalized.
As he savored a piece of sushi, he chewed it slowly, ensuring his smile didn’t appear overly pronounced.
After a while, Han Yuze finally snapped out of his absent-minded state and glanced at Jiang Shi, saying, “You seem quite cheerful lately.”
“Yeah, not bad,” Jiang Shi smiled faintly, “I’ve planned an offline gathering with a few friends from the game. We should meet in a few days.”
A typical case of avoiding the obvious topic.
There was a momentary pause in Han Yuze’s expression, then he cleared his throat, “That’s… great.”
Jiang Shi took another bite.
After a while, Han Yuze seemed casually disinterested as he mentioned, “Speaking of the game, you seem to have never known my in-game ID, right?”
“No rush. Whenever you decide on your future career direction and feel like sharing, you can tell me.” Jiang Shi’s smile seemed innocuous, but each word carried hidden implications, filled with subtle cunning.
He neither admitted knowing nor denied not knowing. It was ambiguous, not exactly lying, rather exuding an understanding tolerance.
Han Yuze had been hesitating about when to reveal his gaming alter ego. With Jiang Shi’s smiling gaze, he contemplated that in the next moment, his smile might disappear entirely, rendering him unable to say anything.
After a moment of silence, he stood up, “I’ll pay the bill.”
Jiang Shi reminded him, “Remember to bring back the bill. We’ll split it, and I’ll transfer my share to you later.”
“Okay, got it,” Han Yuze replied.
Although it seemed on the surface that he was pursuing Jiang Shi, in reality, after each outing, they evenly split all expenses between them.
After settling the bill at the cashier, Han Yuze handed the receipt to Jiang Shi and opened the payment code on his phone. Standing behind the chair, he bent down, presenting the phone screen to Jiang Shi.
With this sudden proximity, their faint breaths seemed to brush past Jiang Shi’s face for an instant. He paused slightly, then continued the transaction.
After finishing dinner, they casually strolled in the nearby commercial area for a while before heading home separately.
Observing Han Yuze’s demeanor during dinner, Jiang Shi had several times thought he was about to disclose something. Surprisingly, this person’s patience somewhat exceeded his imagination.
This made him very curious. With the dinner date set for next week, he wondered when this person would finally come clean.
Back home, Jiang Shi, full and content, lay down on the sofa.
Thinking about Han Yuze’s situation, he browsed the official forum for the latest gossip.
At first glance, he saw a prominently marked new post on the homepage: [Shocking! Suspected Poisoned Milk Offline Date!]
Jiang Shi paused, clicked on the post, and saw the photo in the opening post.
The photo was taken from a distance, but it didn’t affect the clarity when zoomed in.
Two figures in the picture, one seated on a chair, holding a phone and scanning the screen of the other’s phone. From this angle, the screen clearly displayed a payment code.
Jiang Shi immediately recognized it was the scene after he and Han Yuze finished dinner. His expression involuntarily stiffened for a moment, realizing that it was his own face causing trouble.
This story tells us that even in a holographic online game, it’s best not to be lazy and use your actual appearance directly.
Even if you do, at least make some modifications to the parameters as much as possible.
Jiang Shi’s delightful mood from teasing Han Yuze was instantly erased. With one hand cradling a soft cushion, the other continued scrolling down the page, quickly reaching the replies.
[8L: Ahhh, I specifically compared the in-game images, it’s really a Poisoned Milk!]
[19L: What’s going on here, guys? I see them scanning a QR code? Cough cough cough, boldly speculating, could it be that kind of “transaction” I’m imagining?]
[23L: D*mn, the previous guy, your thoughts are dangerous! But the guy standing behind the chair with Poisoned Milk actually looks good, they seem quite compatible.]
[32L: The point isn’t about looks, isn’t God Yu supposed to have shown affection for Poisoned Milk recently? What’s happening here?]
[45L: Maybe the bigger the commotion back then, the greener it is now?]
[48L: Why isn’t it green? The earlier talk of “transactions” or not is pure speculation, but I know this restaurant mainly focuses on the theme of love, so a date is undoubtedly inevitable! I wonder if Poisoned Milk rejected Yu Weize or not. Otherwise, at least, playing both sides will be exposed!]
[100L: Come, place your bets! The Century Cup hasn’t officially started yet, will God Yu feel disheartened after seeing this post, then angrily quit the Seven Silver Coins? Ahahaha, I’m so looking forward to it!]
[108L: Although reason tells me that after signing up, there’s no way to withdraw, my emotions absolutely won’t allow God Yu to suffer this injustice!]
[122L: Laughing so hard, hasn’t Yu Weize been showing enough signs of being love-struck recently? Wait and see, even if the situation gets big, he definitely won’t withdraw from the competition. Not only will he not withdraw, but he’ll also make an extra effort to perform well.]
[47L: Pah, what’s wrong with the support profession being a little fickle? They haven’t agreed to be together, it’s just mutual pursuit. Why all the green envy?]
[88L: …Wait a minute, am I the only one concerned that Poisoned Milk actually used their real face?! That appearance, absolute beauty in this era!]
[92L: In response to 88L, I’m also wondering, if I can join the fan club just based on this face!]
All the players in the post had different focuses, leading to an entirely fragmented discussion style.
Jiang Shi: “…”
Can this get any more absurd?
He silently returned to the main page and pressed the report button.
Reason for reporting: [Spreading baseless rumors, warning with a legal letter.]