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Chapter 114 The Understanding Young Lady

Today’s match continued until past five in the afternoon.

But after this, it would be hard for any subsequent matches to surpass the heat of this one from Linjiang University.

Not just today, but for the next two days as well.

Unless, of course, it’s the rematch and finals for this team.

After that game, no one would doubt their entry into the finals.

In fact, many people have already declared that they would win the championship.

Even after the game today, many students were still discussing its highlights, with most of the chatter revolving around Xia Xinyan and Ling Mo.

They had certainly gained a bit of fame.

Qiangzi, the guy who was replaced by Xia Xinyan, returned from the bathroom after watching the next match for a bit and was completely captivated by her skills— the only regret being that he hadn’t been able to watch the whole game because he had run to the bathroom three times.

But it was no big deal; the university league matches would be recorded and posted online. This event was quite the topic among the university students in Linjiang City, and many who couldn’t be bothered to attend in person watched the recordings instead.

Of course, a good portion of them weren’t really there for the game but to see how their own school fared in the competition.

After all, it wasn’t a formal competition, and if one had to say what the highlights were, there weren’t many.

But Qiangzi felt this time was different.

With Ling Mo and Xia Xinyan, they were bound to be the most eye-catching team in this university league!

So, he boldly decided to approach the captain right after the match to discuss having Xia replace him for the next games.

The captain was also on the same wavelength. Setting aside Xia Xinyan’s unique status, her skills alone warranted that she should keep playing.

However, she was a young lady from a wealthy family, so he wasn’t sure how to approach her, leading him to consider Ling Mo as his intermediary instead.

Ling Mo, having lived with Xia Xinyan for a while, didn’t think it was a big deal. Her identity as a young lady had faded quite a bit in his mind, so he didn’t have as many reservations as others and just told Xia Xinyan about it.

She agreed without hesitation.

Speaking of which, she hadn’t played in a while, and there might not be many chances to in the future, so why not take this opportunity to have some fun?

Bai Yu had already gone back a while ago, feeling the upcoming matches would be a bit boring. The ‘fatty’ (Qiangzi’s nickname) stayed behind because he hadn’t seen Ling Mo in a long time, and they intended to go and have some barbecue and catch up after the match.

Xia Xinyan also left early.

Ling Mo wanted to take her out for barbecue too, but Xia Xinyan said she was a bit tired and wanted to head back for some rest, so he let her go and decided to take the subway back later himself.

After Xia Xinyan left, the fatty couldn’t help but sigh and pat Ling Mo on the shoulder, “I really don’t understand how the hell you got so lucky to find such an understanding wife… sigh, I’m envious.”

Ling Mo shot him a sideways glance, “Understanding?”

He certainly knew Xia Xinyan was considerate, but he was curious about how the fatty figured that out.

Had this guy been keeping tabs on her?

Hearing the hint of suspicion in Ling Mo’s tone, the fatty raised an eyebrow, “What else? You think she really wanted to go back to rest? Isn’t it clear she was just being considerate so we could catch up? It’s a manly occasion, alright?”

Ling Mo couldn’t help but laugh, “Manly? If you’re playing gay, don’t drag me into it.”

“…What? How the hell am I gay?”

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know; you’ve always been rather… expressive.”

He recalled how this guy used to be all over his friends in high school; now he seemed a bit tamed, but…

Wasn’t there a Bai Yu beside him now?

Not much different, really.

Fatty: “???”

He didn’t get Ling Mo’s implication.

But Ling Mo was seriously pondering his words.

Xia Xinyan left early… Was it because she wanted to give him and the fatty a more comfortable space to catch up?

Indeed, with her there, he really wouldn’t know how to broach certain topics.

So true… Xia Xinyan really was quite understanding…

—At this moment, the understanding Xia Xinyan was standing across the street, holding a cup of milk tea under a tree wearing a hood, watching the two of them.

She almost concealed all her presence, blending into the surrounding scenery, with even the few passersby hardly noticing her in the dimming light.

This was the unique ability of her beast transformation skill—concealment of presence.

Well… she had already created such a good opportunity for that guy; let’s hope he doesn’t disappoint her…

Ling Mo and the fatty picked a barbecue stall not far from there.

The barbecue was quite tasty, and they both enjoyed their meal, chatting about silly things from high school and laughing every now and then, creating a nostalgic vibe.

It helped reconnect feelings that had faded.

The fatty was someone who liked drinking; he started back in high school, always sneaking a few beers. However, he wasn’t very good with alcohol, and he knew that; he could drink more but rarely got drunk.

—Because the only time he got drunk happened to be when his dad came to school to see him, and at that moment, he passionately sang “I’m Your Daddy” in front of his father.

Ling Mo still remembered how he got beaten up and cried on that day, it was heart-wrenching.

After a couple of rounds and feeling fine, the fatty’s mind began to float.

Ling Mo had a drink too but not as much; his face turned a bit red, but his mind was still clear.

As he reached for another skewer of barbecue, he casually asked, “I’ve heard you have quite a few fans on video now? Are you really planning to make money through this?”

“Well, of course. Otherwise, would I be foolishly working on construction sites?” The fatty, chewing on a lamb skewer, mumbled through it, clearly proud, “Let me tell you, the profits from just a few videos are almost in the thousands. Once I get good at gaming, I can swap all my gaming points for cash, isn’t a few tens of thousands a month a walk in the park? I must have been insane to suffer on the construction site.”

Ling Mo chuckled, “Looks like you’re quite motivated.”

“Of course! Otherwise, my videos wouldn’t look good, right?” The fatty smacked his lips, staring at Ling Mo for a moment, then suddenly said earnestly, “Hey, Ling, listen to me—you can consider this path too; life will definitely be easier in the future.”

Ling Mo took a sip of his drink, not responding to that but casually asked, “By the way, why do you want to play Battle Zone when the death penalty is so painful?”

“Not playing Battle Zone, then what, the Safe Zone? Have you even considered how little profit there is in the Safe Zone? Not even enough to fill your teeth.”

“As long as you look good, it’s all that matters, right? Isn’t that the effect you want with the videos? In Battle Zone, you have to dump all the game points into leveling up your character; when would you ever have spare points to swap for cash?”

“That’s different! Seriously, the time is of the essence.”

“What time is of the essence?” Ling Mo looked up at the fatty.

The fatty was about to say something when he suddenly paused, his half-drunken mind becoming much clearer: “…Ah, I’m just afraid that when my fans find out I’m playing in the Safe Zone, they’ll look down on me, right? All over the internet, they’re saying that only by battling in the Battle Zone can you be a real man. And the game just started—I have to seize this opportunity to rake in some fans, you know?”

Ling Mo narrowed his eyes slightly.

The fatty felt guilty under his gaze, cleared his throat, and suddenly lowered his voice, “Ling, listen to me—if you’re going to play this game, play Battle Zone. Even if it hurts, stick it out; it’ll be totally worth it in the end. We’ve been good brothers for years in high school; I won’t let you down.”

Ling Mo laughed, his expression unchanged, “Xia Xinyan was the one who wanted me to play Battle Zone from the start.”

“…Oh, right! Almost forgot you have a young lady!” The fatty muttered, then lapsed into silence.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the table fell silent.