Chapter 70: A Strategic Amusement Park Trip

Just before I closed the door, a sudden thought made me glance back at her. Something felt amiss. Yet, I couldn’t quite pinpoint it.

Shaking my head, I dismissed the fleeting unease. Finding nothing genuinely amiss, I closed the door and stepped out.

With Huang Beifeng effectively neutralized, I could finally settle down for a worry-free gaming session.

Though the hour was growing late, signaling it was time for dinner, I decided to let Huang Beifeng remain bound for a while longer. Mu Rong Xin Xue wouldn’t be home to eat, and I wasn’t particularly hungry myself. Under such circumstances, cooking could certainly wait; a few rounds of gaming took precedence.

The memory of losing my recent promotion match left a bitter, unspeakable taste in my mouth. No, this loss simply would not stand; I had to reclaim my victory. Even recalling the deleted photos, I found that the game held far greater importance.

However, as I returned to my computer desk and gazed at the screen, I found myself utterly speechless once more.

‘Ah, how could I have forgotten this crucial detail?’

Having just been reported by all four teammates, I was now banned from playing. Well, if I couldn’t play, perhaps I should simply scrub the deck instead.

Before I could even retrieve my phone to log into the game’s bridge, the penguin icon in the bottom right corner of my computer screen suddenly flickered. Clicking it open, I discovered a new friend request.

‘Hold on, let me see who this is. Why would someone add me out of the blue?’

What I saw next truly surprised me, leaving me momentarily stunned. The request clearly stated the sender was Tang Xiao Rou. ‘Wait, how did Tang Xiao Rou even get my QQ account? I’m certain I never shared that information with her.’

After accepting the request, I pulled up our chat interface. Sending a simple greeting emoji, I then patiently awaited her reply.

Perhaps it was the anonymity of the internet, but here, Tang Xiao Rou didn’t appear nearly as shy. Still, her responses were slow in coming, as if she were either typing painstakingly or wrestling with her thoughts.

Despite the silence, I didn’t close the chat window. Instead, I simply logged into the game’s bridge, mindful that tonight was the Abyss settlement, and I still needed to secure my Red Lotus rank.

Just then, Tang Xiao Rou finally sent a flurry of messages, though they were mostly flash images. Counting quickly, there seemed to be about seven or eight of them.

Unable to view flash photos on my computer, I simply switched to my phone to examine them.

Without exception, every flash photo was a selfie of her, revealing the adorable, childlike figure of Tang Xiao Rou. However, each picture presented a different image, likely due to a change in outfits.

After I had viewed each photo, a text message from Tang Xiao Rou appeared.

[Tang Xiao Rou: Mu Rong Luo Ye, which outfit do you think I should wear out tomorrow?]

‘So that’s the reason! I wondered why she suddenly sent so many selfies. Wait a minute, now I finally understand why Huang Beifeng had me try on so many clothes earlier.’

‘Hmph! It’s all just a ploy, but fortunately, the initiative is firmly in my hands now. I have nothing to fear. Hehehe.’

Redirecting my attention to the phone screen, I realized I genuinely didn’t know which outfit was best. It seemed most straightforward to simply be honest.

[Mu Rong Luo Ye: They all look quite nice.]

The instant my message was sent, Tang Xiao Rou replied. ‘She clearly possesses such swift reflexes, so why did she take so long to respond earlier?’

[Tang Xiao Rou: Then, Mu Rong Luo Ye, which photo is your absolute favorite?]

‘Let me consider. If I had to choose, the third one truly seemed the best. I’ll tell her that.’

[Mu Rong Luo Ye: The third one is quite good. Let’s go with that.]

[Tang Xiao Rou: Alright then, that’s what I’ll wear tomorrow.]

[Mu Rong Luo Ye: Oh, by the way, if we’re going out tomorrow, I think the amusement park in the west of the city would be a great choice. Shall we go there together?]

[Tang Xiao Rou: Sounds good! I’ll go tell Can Ye in a bit. See you tomorrow then!]

[Mu Rong Luo Ye: OK.]

With our brief exchange concluded, I felt a sense of satisfaction. Choosing an amusement park was a strategic move, designed to prevent a repeat of our disastrous trip to the commercial street. Now, with the upper hand, I wondered what new schemes Huang Beifeng could possibly concoct to torment me.

‘Hmph!’

Conquering the Abyss, battling through the warzone, and depleting my stamina had consumed a significant amount of time. Glancing at the sky, I realized it was indeed time to begin preparing dinner.

Yet, just as I descended the stairs, the main door unexpectedly swung open. With its opening, Mu Rong Xin Xue’s figure emerged into view.

“Oh, Xiao Ye, are you heading to the kitchen to cook?”

Noticing my trajectory toward the kitchen, Mu Rong Xin Xue couldn’t help but inquire.

“Indeed. But, Sister, didn’t you mention you’d be home quite late? It doesn’t seem like much time has passed at all.”

“The matter concluded earlier than expected, so I returned ahead of schedule. Since you haven’t started cooking yet, please prepare a portion for me as well.”

I simply murmured an acknowledgment. Just as I was about to continue toward the kitchen, Mu Rong Xin Xue suddenly spoke once more.

“Oh, Xiao Ye, where is Huang Beifeng? I haven’t seen her around.”

‘Huang Beifeng? Could I really tell Mu Rong Xin Xue that I’d tied her up? Hmph, no, absolutely not.’

“Ah, Huang Beifeng? She’s likely in her own room, I presume.”

“Alright then, you go ahead and cook. I’ll go look for her.”

“What? No! Absolutely not!”

‘Damn it. In that heated moment, I just blurted it out.’

‘Now, I’m truly doomed.’