Chapter 85: The Art of the Game: Charms and Information

Given her heavy schoolwork and, more critically, the unstable internet at school, Lin Duo knew her next opportunity to play online games would only come when she returned home for the weekend. She wasn’t idle in the meantime, however. Instead, she used her phone to research game terminology and strategies, hoping to cultivate more common topics with Lin Cheng.

Soon enough, the next Saturday arrived. Lin Duo, as before, retreated into her bedroom to log into the game, quickly receiving a private message from Lin Cheng.

“Are you max level yet? Come on, I’ll take you through a dungeon with a few friends.”

And so, Lin Duo embarked on her first high-level dungeon adventure. This journey, however, was far from enjoyable; she was constantly being taken down by bosses or minor mobs in various ignominious ways, left to lie lifelessly on the ground.

Of course, while she couldn’t fight, Lin Duo could still charm her way through. She activated her voice chat and began singing soft pop tunes, her sweet, endearing voice causing her teammates’ adrenaline to surge. They furiously hammered their mice and keyboards, actually defeating the boss faster than usual.

Afterward, they revived the prone Lin Duo, allowing her to claim the clear rewards. Lin Duo shamelessly accepted all the loot, not forgetting to play innocent.

“I’m so bad at this, did I hold you guys back?”

Naturally, her teammates didn’t mind in the slightest, offering comforting words over voice chat to the newcomer. “Your gear is terrible, and you’re new to the dungeon, so it’s easy to die. Just do a few more runs with us, and you’ll be fine! Plus, your voice is lovely. You should be our guild’s songstress from now on!”

[Cute Little Fish (Joyful Lin Duo): “Thank you, big brothers! So, how do I get equipment now?”]

[Bury Love, Dragon Young Master (Lin Cheng): “Only by recharging can you become stronger.”]

[Cute Little Fish (Hesitant Lin Duo): “But… my parents give me very little pocket money. They say they’re afraid I’ll spend it recklessly.”]

[Bury Love, Dragon Young Master (Lin Cheng): “How about this? We’ll all chip in a bit to help you get a basic set of equipment, at least so you don’t die after two hits from a mob.”]

Under the guild’s sponsorship and guidance, Lin Duo acquired a relatively basic set of equipment. After lying ‘dead’ through a few more dungeons, she finally logged off.

****

The following Sunday morning, Lin Duo had barely logged on when she received a party invitation from Lin Cheng.

Sure enough, the man’s inherent nature as a flirtatious charmer hadn’t changed a bit.

Lin Duo silently accepted the invitation, opened the team voice chat, cleared her throat, and spoke in a soft, gentle voice, “Good morning, big brother!”

During the year she had been away from home, Lin Duo’s voice had changed considerably. It had transformed from the unbroken voice of a child to the clear, melodious tone of a young girl. When she deliberately spoke softly and gently, it sounded like the quintessential sweet, innocent girl’s voice.

Lin Cheng was clearly quite taken with this voice. After a brief chat about game equipment choices, he couldn’t resist dropping a hint. “Click on the mailbox in the bottom right corner. See if you’ve received anything.”

This was the first time Lin Duo had learned about this feature. Upon clicking it, a system prompt appeared: [Congratulations! You have received a gift from ‘Bury Love, Dragon Young Master.’] It turned out to be a game outfit.

Lin Duo sneered inwardly, yet quickly dressed her game character in the new attire. “Thank you, big brother! It’s beautiful!”

Lin Cheng was silent for a moment before speaking. “It seems your school’s dormitory rules are very strict. I haven’t seen you online on a weekday.”

“That’s right. Dorm life is actually quite boring, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“How about this? I’ll add you on QQ. That way, if there’s any news from the guild, I can notify you immediately.”

Just as expected, the flirtatious charmer was making his move. Lin Duo was well-prepared; she feigned hesitation for a moment before agreeing to Lin Cheng’s request.

Of course, this QQ account was one Lin Duo had newly registered after settling in Nan’an City, and her friends list consisted solely of people she’d met there. To be safe, she password-protected her photo albums and double-checked her past posts and replies before accepting the friend request.

After adding her as a friend, Lin Cheng remained silent for a long while, presumably sifting through her posts and other information. After some time, he finally replied: [Why are all your photo albums password-protected?]

Lin Duo scoffed as she typed: [Because I’m very ugly, and I’m afraid I’ll scare people!]

[But all the comments on your posts call you beautiful, a goddess!]

[That’s just my friends joking around!]

[I don’t believe it. Your voice is so sweet; you must be beautiful in person.]

[Hmph, believe it or not!]

After a few more casual exchanges, Lin Cheng couldn’t hold back any longer: [Little Fish, will you be my CP?]

[CP? What’s that?]

[It means in-game boyfriend and girlfriend. I’m a handsome guy in real life, want to video chat?]

‘Video chat?’ ‘What if I get recognized?’ Lin Duo decisively typed her refusal: [No way, I told you I’m ugly!]

[So you do believe me then? If you become my girlfriend, I’ll take you through all sorts of dungeons, teach you PvP, and help you get equipment. How about it?]

If she didn’t agree, it would be difficult to get closer and extract information. However, Lin Duo, now a budding expert in the art of romance, knew a girl had to maintain some decorum: [Mmm… let me think about it, okay? It’s all so sudden!]

[Of course, no problem!]

Watching the various cute emoticons and ASCII art on the screen, Lin Duo’s emotions were rather complex. She never imagined she would one day be coquettishly charming her own biological brother.

Lin Cheng had always been very concerned about Lin Duo’s personal information, and Lin Duo’s answers were a mix of truth and fabrication. Seizing this opportunity, Lin Duo finally steered the conversation to the main topic: [Oh, Big Brother Dragon, I just saw your status. Did your mother get sick last month? Is she okay?]

A few seconds later, Lin Cheng replied: [She’s fine, it was a minor surgery. She’s already been discharged.]

[What kind of illness was it? Was it serious?]

[Just gallstones, they were successfully removed.]

On the other side of the computer, Lin Duo let out a long breath. The heavy burden that had weighed on her heart for so long finally lifted.

Of course, Lin Duo didn’t rush to cut ties or abandon the connection. Instead, she kept Lin Cheng on her friends list, occasionally logging into the game on weekends. In essence, she maintained this valuable window, allowing her to stay informed about the situation back home and with her biological parents, even from over two thousand kilometers away.

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