Shao Lin expended a lot of effort before Lin Si agreed to sign the contract. After Ning Xinyao got her hands on it, she proudly went to find Yan Hebi.

After she left, Lu Qi spat and Lin Si also had a grim expression.

Shao Lin, however, spoke leisurely: "The contract isn't entirely foolproof. Once she gathers information about Xing Ye, tomorrow during the three rounds of gambling, we can take the opportunity to win back the contract from her, can't we?"

Lu Qi shot Shao Lin a glance and said, "What if the information she gathers is false?"

"If it's false, it means she’s useless, and won't be able to gather any real information," Shao Lin said, his face darkening. "Do you really want to keep pampering her?"

Lu Qi and Lin Si had originally been indulging Ning Xinyao because of her beauty. In the game world, since their avatars weren't their real bodies, and obedient players were either handsome men or beautiful women, the relationships in many teams were chaotic. Lu Qi and Lin Si had enjoyed some sweet perks, so they were willing to flatter Ning Xinyao to get more advantages.

But now, Ning Xinyao had become very shrewd, refusing to let them gain any benefits, and instead, she had managed to take points from them. Naturally, they were unwilling. Rather than sharing the rewards with Ning Xinyao, wouldn't it be a better outcome if the three of them divided her points, QR code, and initial skills?

Seeing the expressions on Lu Qi and Lin Si’s faces, Shao Lin knew they had already made up their minds.

Turning around, Shao Lin sneered. Indeed, human nature was like this—once there was a conflict of interest, he could manipulate all the players at will. These kinds of people still thought they could get past the final stage? Forget it—let them go back to the beginner world and waste time. As long as they became discouraged, ten worlds later, these people would turn into mere props.

As for Xing Ye, Shao Lin thought back to how, in the end, Xing Ye still cared about Dong San, Liu Yi, and Mu Ba’s initial skills, and was always looking out for Yan Hebi. Even knowing that Song Er might betray him, he still wanted to keep that person around.

On the luxury cruise ship, if there was anyone Shao Lin respected, it had to be Xing Ye. He acknowledged Xing Ye as a worthy opponent, but couldn’t understand his actions.

Clearly capable of crushing everyone beneath him, yet he chose to protect a group of people who didn’t deserve it, like a hen guarding its chicks.

Such actions would only lead to betrayal.

It was a pity—he had finally met a worthy opponent.

At this rare moment of sentimentality, Ning Xinyao had searched the entire cruise ship and finally found Yan Hebi in the high-end VIP area.

This area was different from the regular zones they could casually stroll through. Only members were allowed to enter, and even though Ning Xinyao said she could offer tokens to the attendants, they wouldn’t let her in.

Fortunately, she had already added Yan Hebi as a WeChat friend and called him out.

Outside the VIP area was a small lounge, a tea room where Yan Hebi arranged to meet Ning Xinyao.

When Yan Hebi saw Ning Xinyao, he was quite happy. He had gone through over 20 worlds with her in the chaotic battle world, often relying on Ning Xinyao’s help to find QR codes. After he reached the advanced worlds, he contacted his old teammates immediately, but to his surprise, no one was willing to respond. They said that in the advanced worlds, even teammates might not be in the same team, and it was better not to be in the same world than to face familiar people in battle.

Yan Hebi had accepted it; in the previous world, he hadn’t met a single old companion, and had gone solo through the levels.

When he encountered Ning Xinyao by chance in this world, he was happy. Fortunately, this world didn’t punish losers, so they could coexist peacefully without the need to fight each other.

Little did he know, Ning Xinyao was no longer the same, and had taken the initiative to distance herself from him.

Now that she came to find Yan Hebi, he was still willing to meet her, hoping that Xing Ye's strength would deter the red team, allowing them to pass without further internal conflicts.

Ning Xinyao first gently chatted with Yan Hebi about the melee battle world. Yan Hebi, recalling those times when he was still a fool, gradually softened his defensive gaze, thanks to Ning Xinyao’s help.

Seeing that Yan Hebi had lowered his guard, Ning Xinyao casually asked how things were going in his team. Upon hearing that Yan Hebi had given all his tokens to Xing Ye, she expressed concern, calling him foolish. Yan Hebi responded that Xing Ye wasn’t that type of person, and Ning Xinyao then asked how he met Xing Ye and why he trusted him so much.

The topic shifted smoothly, making Yan Hebi feel at ease, thinking that his former teammates still cared about him, while also subtly probing for information about Xing Ye.

Just when she brought up how they met, Yan Hebi’s face froze. He covered his chest, looking extremely pained, and shook his head, saying, "I don’t want to remember that world."

He had liked Xiao Yezi so much back then! That amnesiac, beautiful, and tortured "girl" who was still strong enough to not hurt herself, yet in the end…

No wonder he sang, "What use is this iron rod?"

The system wasn’t tormenting Xing Ye, it was him who suffered the most in that world!

Yan Hebi wiped his face and told Ning Xinyao, "I’m going to wash my face and calm down."

Ning Xinyao was confused: "???"

Why was Yan Hebi acting like he had just experienced a breakup? They were only talking about a world, why did he need to calm down?

Little did she know, Yan Hebi’s pure heart had shattered in the last world before advancing to the higher levels.

Yan Hebi walked into the VIP area’s billiards hall, where the washbasin was. He stared blankly at his own silly reflection in the mirror, feeling a little sad.

At that moment, a slender hand rested on his shoulder. Yan Hebi turned to see it was Mrs. Lin.

"Why so miserable?" Mrs. Lin was holding a thin cigarette. Yan Hebi wasn’t fond of smoking, but he had to admit that Mrs. Lin’s smoking posture was very elegant, exuding a lazy, noble aura.

"It’s nothing," Yan Hebi shook his head. "I was just thinking about a girl I liked."

"The one outside?" Mrs. Lin squinted and reminded him, "She’s not a good girl."

Yan Hebi hurriedly shook his head. "Not her, she’s just a friend. It’s another girl… that girl… she’s really amazing."

After saying that, he lowered his head, looking very dejected.

"Deceived?" Mrs. Lin playfully flicked the wet strands of Yan Hebi’s hair and said affectionately.

"No," Yan Hebi denied. "She didn’t deceive me, I was just too foolish to see clearly."

Mrs. Lin scoffed. "You’re really foolish. If you continue like this, you’ll be tricked by the girl in red outside. She’s no fool. I’m reminding you because you’re being so silly. Go talk to her now, and after you’re done, join us for a game of billiards. You look really handsome in that suit."

After saying this, she patted Yan Hebi’s tie, extinguished her cigarette, threw it in the trash, and sprayed some perfume before leaving elegantly.

Yan Hebi frowned as he watched her leave. Suddenly, he thought of something and quickly messaged Xing Ye: "Boss, Ning Xinyao came to find me and suddenly asked about how you and I met. I didn’t think much of it at first, but now something feels off. What should I do?"

Unknown to him, Xing Ye was currently listening to  Lu Mingze recounting what had happened in front of the washbasin. There was a big mirror where Yan Hebi washed his face, and Lu Mingze had been observing him the entire time.

Xing Ye replied: “What did you say?”

Yan Hebi: "I was just reminiscing about the past, I hadn’t even had the chance to say anything yet. She asked about how you and I met, but I didn’t say anything and came to the bathroom to send you a message."

Xing Ye: "Do you trust her?"

Yan Hebi thought for a moment and replied: "I want to trust her. We’ve been through more than 20 worlds together, and I really don’t want to become enemies with her."

Xing Ye: "Then test her. Tell her about me."

Yan Hebi was a bit stunned when he saw the long message Xing Ye had sent. Was Xing Ye asking him to lie to Ning Xinyao? Ning Xinyao might be from the red team, gathering intelligence, so was he supposed to lie to her as well?

Had their bond from fighting together turned into this?

Seeing that Yan Hebi hadn’t replied for a long time, Xing Ye sent another message: "Do as I say. As long as Ning Xinyao doesn’t betray me, when the game ends, I’ll make sure she gets enough points, and she won’t suffer any loss. But if she betrays you and me, even if I don’t take action, Shao Lin won’t let her off."

Yan Hebi gritted his teeth and replied: "Fine."

With that, he put down his phone and turned to walk out of the washroom.

Outside the billiards hall, he saw Mrs. Lin again.

Mrs. Lin glanced at his expression and chuckled: "The big boy’s growing up, learning to lie to women now."

"You, you, how did you know?" Yan Hebi took a step back.

"I’ve seen more men than you’ve seen female creatures," Mrs. Lin said as she reached out to fix his tie. "Men are so obvious, with just a blink, I know how much they want to take from me, how much advantage they want to get. Do you really think I let you fix my computer?"

Yan Hebi froze for a moment, then understood Mrs. Lin’s meaning and hurriedly said: "I didn’t mean that. I admit I like beautiful women, I think every man does, but it’s like admiring a beautiful painting, just wanting to take a few more looks. Also, I have someone I like... no, I have a type I like."

Mrs. Lin laughed: "I know, and I also know you're like central air conditioning. A man like you, if you were to get into a relationship, your girlfriend would be driven crazy."

Yan Hebi: "…"

He felt that continuing the conversation could be dangerous.

Mrs. Lin decided to let him off the hook and playfully pinched his chin: "Hurry up and go. When you come back, we’ll teach you how to deal with women who use old feelings to deceive you."

Yan Hebi: "…"

 

Translator : DarNan