Chapter 61: I love you

Guan Miao quickly tried to ease the tension. “We’re out of chopsticks. How are we going to eat later?”

Lin Kuo glanced at Sheng Wen, unwilling to lose face. He took the pair of chopsticks Lin Zhi handed him and tried to snap them.

Sheng Wen tried to hold back his laughter, but the corners of his brows lifted from amusement.

Lin Kuo tossed the chopsticks to Sheng Wen.

Sheng Wen caught them, braced one end against his knee, and with a firm press of both hands—crack! The sound echoed in the hall. Sheng Wen proudly displayed his handiwork. “Boyfriend, satisfied with what you see?”

Lin Kuo: “…”

Now they were left with no chopsticks to eat with.

Sheng Wen set the broken chopsticks on the table. “I’ll go borrow some from another table.”

Just as he was about to stand, Zhang Mengnan jumped at the chance to curry favor. “Brother Sheng Wen, I’ll go!”

Before Sheng Wen could respond, Zhang Mengnan had already left to borrow chopsticks. But it turned out to be far more difficult than she expected.

Their six-person team had come to the “Hundred Ghosts Scroll” with the mindset of if we can win, great; if not, no big deal. But the other teams clearly weren’t so casual. The ones gossiping about them earlier were people from lower city districts. Those from the higher districts, however, saw things differently. The title of “initiator” implied strength, and anyone bold enough to bring only six people into the Hundred Ghosts Scroll had to be skilled. Many even recognized Guan Miao’s name. From the moment Lin Kuo’s group entered the main hall, they’d been under watch. Any unusual behavior would naturally raise suspicions.

Now that Zhang Mengnan was asking to borrow chopsticks, most people assumed there was a trick and refused outright.

Some were even openly hostile: “Get lost.”

Zhang Mengnan flushed with embarrassment. Just then, Wu Tingting—the only woman among the three initiators—pointed outside the hall and said kindly, “The NPCs are over there. You can try asking them.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Zhang Mengnan obediently followed her suggestion. But as she turned her back, Wu Tingting poured the hot tea from her cup, then flung the cup straight at Zhang Mengnan’s head.

Smash!

Zhang Mengnan hadn’t expected anyone to attack her. Even if she’d been facing them, dodging that cup would have been nearly impossible. It was clear Wu Tingting had some real skill—her throw was sharp and precise. The cup struck Zhang Mengnan’s head, sending her straight to the ground.

Wu Tingting looked mildly surprised. She’d only meant to test Zhang Mengnan’s strength, not actually hurt her. Seeing Zhang Mengnan collapse so easily, she stood up and offered a half-hearted apology. “Miss, are you okay? I didn’t mean it. Sorry.”

The five people at Lin Kuo’s table all darkened visibly.

In the “Material Story” dungeon, Lin Zhi may not have liked Zhang Mengnan, but since they were teammates now—and she’d been invited by Lin Kuo—Lin Zhi considered her one of their own. Lin Zhi’s sharp tongue came out at once: “Wow, miss. If you’re not brain-damaged, I might actually believe you didn’t mean it. So, are you brain-damaged?”

Wu Tingting had already given Zhang Mengnan as much face as she was willing to. Lin Zhi’s comment made her laugh coldly. “I did it on purpose. Now you have your answer. What, do you want me to kneel and beg forgiveness next?”

Jiang Sheng hurried to help Zhang Mengnan up, while Lin Zhi squared off against Wu Tingting, ready to verbally tear her apart. Guan Miao, having seen Lin Zhi moderate a few chat rooms before, was still shocked at her ferocity in person. He finally turned to Lin Kuo for guidance.

Lin Kuo placed a hand on Lin Zhi’s shoulder. “That’s enough.”

This dungeon wasn’t difficult because of its mechanics, but because of the other players. Once they entered the illustrated scroll, the teams would split up. Lin Kuo was worried that if they antagonized people now, they’d retaliate later when he wasn’t around to protect Lin Zhi.

Lin Zhi understood his reasoning, but she was still fuming. She turned to Sheng Wen. “…Sister-in-law.”

Sheng Wen nodded. “Got it.”

“Boyfriend, actually—”

“Don’t meddle,” Lin Kuo cut him off.

“…Okay,” Sheng Wen said sheepishly.

When Jiang Sheng brought Zhang Mengnan back, Lin Kuo went to ask an NPC for more chopsticks. As soon as he left, the hall buzzed with hushed conversation. Everyone who had assumed Lin Kuo’s team was powerful was now laughing at their passivity.

“Lower city folks, huh. No surprise they’d rather swallow their pride than start a fight.”
“But seriously, with skills like that, what are they doing in the Hundred Ghosts Scroll?”
“Who knows. Maybe they’re just stupid. Isn’t there a gay couple in their group?”
“Eh? For real?”
“Yeah, the initiator and…” Someone gestured toward Sheng Wen.
“Hey, don’t point, man. He’s glaring at you.”
“Oh, right. Haha.”

Guan Miao hung his head. Great. Here we go. Lin Zhi, overhearing the blatant gossip, fumed and made to confront them.

Sheng Wen stopped her. “Sis-in-law, let me handle this.”

He adjusted his clothes, walked over to the gossipers, and casually gripped both of their necks. They froze immediately. Sheng Wen held them there, his eyes fixed elsewhere.

“Upper A district… upper B district…” one of them choked.

Others moved to intervene but froze, sensing real danger.

Sheng Wen glanced at Wu Tingting. “Where do you think we rank?”

He tightened his grip.

The two men’s eyes rolled back, showing the whites.

Wu Tingting faltered. “…Are you insane? You can’t kill other players in a dungeon!”

“Right. But nobody said I couldn’t maim them.” Sheng Wen’s voice was calm as he squeezed harder. “One’s an A-tier. One’s a B-tier. So these two are your team’s backbone? Too bad. Now you don’t have a backbone.”

Wu Tingting sneered. “You’re what, C-tier? You have enough points to pay for this?”

In the Walled City, maiming another participant inside a dungeon cost a hefty chunk of points.

“Let’s find out,” Sheng Wen said casually.

With a final twist, he slammed both men down onto the table. A sharp warning tone immediately followed:

“Participant Sheng Wen has inflicted first-degree incapacitation on two individuals. This is not his first offense. Five hundred thousand points have been deducted as penalty. Let this serve as a warning!”

Sheng Wen smirked. “Ah, only fifty thousand. Not bad.”

He wiped his hands as if they’d touched something filthy. “I budgeted for half a million, so I can still…”

“Sheng Wen.” Lin Kuo’s voice stopped him.

Sheng Wen turned to look. In that split second, the shadowy menace in his expression vanished. He put on a look of wide-eyed innocence, like a kid caught misbehaving.

Lin Kuo stared at him, silent for a long while.

“I…” Sheng Wen started.

“Eat,” Lin Kuo said flatly, turning away.

Sheng Wen wilted. “…Okay.”

Lin Kuo handed out chopsticks. Lin Zhi, knowing her brother well, whispered, “Brother, actually, he—”

Lin Kuo shot her a look.

“…Never mind,” she muttered, giving up on defending Sheng Wen.

Dinner was anything but pleasant. Nobody felt like exploring afterward, so everyone returned to their rooms.

Under the eaves, Sheng Wen and Guan Miao watched Lin Kuo go inside first. Guan Miao patted Sheng Wen’s shoulder. “Bro, you might be homeless tonight.”

Sheng Wen snorted. “No way.”

“Hey, if you can’t get in, I’ll let you crash in my room. Only two thousand points.”

“Wow, thanks,” Sheng Wen said dryly.

“Seriously though, you’ve got to work on that temper.”

“Yeah, yeah. Shut up. Time to face the storm.”

“Good luck, brother!”

Sheng Wen entered cautiously, heart pounding. Lin Kuo stood inside, waiting. Sheng Wen blurted, “Baby, don’t scold me yet. Those two idiots—”

But Lin Kuo took his hand.

The warmth of Lin Kuo’s palm made Sheng Wen pause. “Are you gonna hit my hand? Fine, I deserve it.” He chuckled nervously. “Just go easy.”

Lin Kuo glared at him, then slowly wrote in his palm: Didn’t you say revealing your identity would get you killed?

Sheng Wen’s lips tightened. A ripple spread through his heart.

Lin Kuo continued writing: Fifty thousand points is a lot. What if they figure out you’re S-tier?

A tingling sensation spread from Sheng Wen’s palm to his chest, a teasing kind of warmth that left him parched. He licked his lips, voice husky. “So… you’re mad because you’re worried about me?”

Lin Kuo nodded. “Yes.” He didn’t want Sheng Wen to think he was just a pushover. “The NPC gave me a bead. It shatters if its owner dies. But they also asked us to cross out the dead players’ names in the ledger. A redundant system like that? Something’s wrong. That ledger is out in the open. Easy to tamper with. Lin Zhi, Zhang Mengnan, Jiang Sheng… they’re all weak. I can’t risk putting a target on their backs over a moment of pride.”

“I get it,” Sheng Wen said softly. “You don’t need to explain.”

He flipped their hands, tracing something on Lin Kuo’s palm.

Lin Kuo stiffened, the tips of his ears turning red.

Sheng Wen frowned. “Why’s your face red?” He reached for Lin Kuo’s forehead. “You feeling sick?”

Lin Kuo froze. “No… It’s not that. Did you write…”

Sheng Wen blinked. “What did I write? Did you misread it?”

Lin Kuo flushed harder. He was certain of what he’d felt. “Wasn’t it ‘520’? I love you?”

Sheng Wen grinned. “Baby, I love you too.”