Chapter 688: Dark Ritualist
Translator: alyschu
It was a night in late autumn, so the wind was rather chilly.
I pulled a gray coat over my shoulders and grabbed my car keys out of habit. When I arrived at the door, I saw that He Yi was shivering a little in the wind. The car that was supposed to fetch us hadnāt arrived yet.
"Eve, why are you dressed so lightly?" I asked after shooting her a glance. She was wearing a coffee-colored windbreaker and a black-and-white plaid shirt only. The pairing was simple, but it still made her look stylish and relaxed. Though, with class like hers, any clothes would seem fitting and beautiful on her.
She looked up from her spot and gave me a smile. "It was warm when we were inside the workshop. How could I know that our car would be late?"
"Yeah..."
Car keys still in hand, I walked up to her and brushed against her hand by accident. The moment I noticed that it was ice cold though, I couldnāt help but take her hand and say, "Itās really cold, isnāt it?"
"Mn," He Yi replied with a gentle nod and dazzling eyes.
I guided her arm toward me and stuffed both our hands into my coatās pockets, injecting both of us with a surge of warmth. He Yi gave me a beautiful smile before leaning closer to me. We looked like a pair of lovers waiting for their taxi in the wind. For a moment, it felt like time had frozen for us forever.
......
Murong Mingyue and Beiming Xue shot us a knowing glance and wisely said nothing. But when Beiming Xue turned to grab Murong Mingyueās arm, the latter immediately hugged the girl and lamented in mock sorrow, "Weāre the only two left now..."
He Yi burst into a giggle. "Cut the nonsense, you two!"
Beiming Xue asked smilingly, "Big bro, are you and Sister Eve a couple now? If you arenāt, you really should seal the deal already..."
I shivered at the same time He Yiās grip tightened around my hand. She chose to say nothing about Beiming Xueās question.
"Er..." I stuttered a little. "I suppose that I can consider it if Eve doesnāt think Iām unworthy..."
Eve looked up at me and smiled.
Murong Mingyue looked like she couldnāt stand me. "Your partnerās the former Asia Region Vice President of GGS, the current vice president of Raincube Corporation, and a gorgeous woman with almost 5 billion RMB in total assets, and youāre hesitating to accept her? People like you should receive a 24-hour shock treatment from psychiatrist Yang!"
My lips curled as I replied, "Lifelong matters should be treated with prudence!"
Murong Mingyue retorted, "Lifelong my ass, Eve might agree to become your girlfriend, but marriage? You have a long road ahead of you, dreamer..."
Unable to hold her silence any longer, He Yi faked a punch at Murong Mingyue while saying, "Are you suggesting that Iām not good enough to get married? Come here, you!"
Murong Mingyue dodged with a wide smile on her face. The atmosphere was warm despite the cold night.
A few minutes later, a brand new Buick minivan stopped next to us. It was none other than the car Lenovo had dispatched to fetch us. We went into the car and departed for the rumored Zijing Hotel.
......
We arrived at the hotel twenty minutes later. It wasnāt as luxurious as the hotel He Yiās second uncle, He Jin, had taken us to, but it was still an incredible place. At the very least, a 5-star hotel was more than capable enough to receive professional players like us. It showed that Lenovo valued its players. They couldāve treated us to a Dapanji at a stretched noodles shop and achieved the same results.
Rose was already waiting for us at the receptionist desk. She was wearing a black uniform and her work badge in front of her.
Beiming Xue and I exchanged a bitter smile with each other. Fuck, I canāt believe we forgot to bring our Lenovo badges for this meeting.
I jumped out of the car and led the girls to the receptionist desk. After greeting Rose with a smile, I asked, "Rose, we forgot to bring our badges. Will it be a problem?"
Rose giggled behind her hand. "Itās fine. At this point, who hasnāt heard of the Little Heavenly King Lu Chen, the guild leader of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls From Water, their best priest Murong Mingyue and the Dark Archer Beiming Xue? Why would you need a badge to identify yourself when your photos are plastered all over the forums? Come on, this way. Everyoneās waiting at the banquet hall already."
"Mn."
We went up the floors with Rose until we arrived at a rather large banquet hall. There was a surprisingly large number of people inside. There were players with badges identifying their real names and game IDs, Lenovo planners and media people with cameras. Obviously, Lenovo was planning to use this even to promote their brand. They did sign us for an obscene amount of money, so it made sense that they wouldnāt let their money go to waste.
After we went in, Rose introduced us to a couple of peopleā
"This is the Director of Planning, Rabo!"
"This is the Director of Sales Operations, Oska!"
"This is the logistic manager of our Heavenblessed rosters, Dina!"
"Oh, and this VIP here is the CEO of the East China region..."
He Yi shook hands with all of them. In fact, she turned out to be acquainted with the CEO. The plump man let out a hearty laugh while he was holding our guild leaderās soft hand. "Haha, arenāt you the Asia Region Vice President of GGS, Eve? I wasnāt expecting to see you here! This is truly an honor... are you here as a player?"
"Yes, I am." He Yi looked at me and saw me staring at her hand. She immediately sent me a concealed smile and withdrew her hand quickly. "In Heavenblessed, I am the guild leader of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, From Water. Lenovo wanted to sign our top players, and Iām just the extra. Speaking of which, I guess Iām your subordinate now, President Luo..."
The plump manās face was red with cheer. "Oh no, you flatter me too much, President Eve... I heard you left GGS and founded a company called Raincube Corporation? Itās an impressive company for sure, snapping up at least 4% of the current market shares the moment it was established. Did you know that the Hsu Corporation was forced to finance the creation of new market shares?"
He Yi smiled humbly. "Now youāre praising me too much. Me and my employees are just trying to make ends meet~~"
"If this is what you call making ends meet, then I might as well quit my job right now!"
"Hehe, you are exaggerating, President Luo~~"
While the duo were busy being courteous with each other, I was dragging Beiming Xue with me and looking around for food. My stomach was growling with hunger, and no amount of talking was going to fulfill its appetite!
......
"Lu Chen, wait!" Rose called out to me from behind before catching up to us. "The two of you should sit at the table #1. My colleagues from planning department would like to get acquainted with you two, and some of the members of our rosters would like to discuss season schedules as well."
"Sure, but when is dinner starting exactly?"
"Er... itās coming, itās coming..."
Rose looked dumbfounded as she led us to our tables. Anyway, the bald or half-bald Lenovo employees stared at us as we took our seats, but the way they looked at Beiming Xue made me feel especially uncomfortable.
A few minutes later, a couple more players walked over to us and sat down at the table as well. He Yi, Murong Mingyue, Beiming Xue and I were sitting together, and Rose was just a seat or two away from us. Smiling, she said, "The feast hasnāt started yet, so why donāt we take this time to introduce ourselves? Letās start by telling us your IDs. Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, if you may?"
Not affected by stage fright in the slightest, I stood up and smiled confidently. "Iām Broken Halberd Sinks Into Sand!"
On the opposite side of the table, a couple of female players immediately goggled at me and whispered among themselves, "Wow! I told you that that guy is Lu Chen. The Little Heavenly King is so handsome..."
Next, He Yi rose to her feet and introduced herself. "I am From Water."
The guys were almost drooling from their mouths.
Murong Mingyue didnāt stand up. She simply tapped the table with her glass and smiled. "I am Murong Mingyue of Ancient Sword."
Again, everyoneās gaze was trained on her. It was a good thing she didnāt stand up, or countless pure-hearted virgins would die at the sight of her giant breasts.
Beiming Xue stood up though. She was wearing a mini skirt and a pair of black socks, and there was about a 20-centimeter gap between them. There was just enough of her cream-colored thighs revealed to make anyone who was looking at her gulp visibly, and not even I was an exception to the rule. Beiming Xue had finished her first bloom, and it was only a matter of time before she became a beauty that could wreck countries with her smile alone, just like the Fruit Knife Goddess herself.
"I am Beiming Xue, and Iām an undead player just like big bro!" Beiming Xue then leaned affectionately against my shoulder before asking with a smile, "Do we look like siblings? We do, right?"
On the opposite side of the table, a young man asked shakily, "Are Beiming Xue and Lu Chen really siblings?"
Murong Mingyue replied expressionlessly, "One is surnamed Beiming, and the other, Lu. Even with your toes you should be able to figure out that they arenāt blood-related."
The young man nodded. "Youāre so smart, Murong Mingyue!"
Murong Mingyue: "..."
......
It was time for the others to introduce themselves. A brawny youngster rose to his feet and smiled genially. "I am Remains, a warrior from Vanished God City. Iām currently serving Blazing Hot Lips and my guild leader is Stranger of Three Lifetimes. Oh right, sheās pretty close to Lu Chen, isnāt she?"
I pursed my lips and cursed him on the inside. What the fuck man, youāre going to make He Yi jealous like this! My relationship with Stranger of Three Lifetimes is as pure as a white paper, okay!?
Next, a beautiful girl wearing a red shirt rose beside Remains. "I am Hidden Fragrance, a Level 149 magic knight. I am serving Purple Lily of Wind City!"
Then, a girl who looked to be about 18 years old next to Hidden Fragrance rose to her feet. To my confusion, she shot me a couple of weird looks before introducing herself timidly, "I am Butterfly Dance, a Level 144 Dark Ritualist. Itās a hidden mage class. I er... Iām from Wind City, but Iām from Candle Dragon. Please donāt hit me, Lu Chen..."
I nearly spat out the tea I was drinking. "And why on earth would I do that?"
"Arenāt Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls and Candle Dragon at war right now?" Butterfly Dance asked softly.
I shrugged and gave her a reassuring smile. "Youāve heard of the saying āenemies online, brothers offlineā, havenāt you? Itās very common to treat online and offline relationships as separate in the gaming world. Also, the feud between Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls and Candle Dragon really belongs to me and Candlelight Shadow only, so you donāt need to worry about it. As members of the same team, it makes perfect sense for us to be friendly with each other."
"Okay," Butterfly Dance replied softly with a nod.
"By the way, did you say you were a dark ritualist, a hidden class earlier? That sounds amazing. Do you happen to be interested in joining us?" I leaped on the opportunity to poach Butterfly Dance, and He Yi shot me an approving look. Apparently, she wouldāve done the same thing if I had chosen to keep my silence.
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