Chapter 111: Chen Baxian and I Are Very Close

The Aquatic Garden wasn’t the most upscale restaurant, but it made up for it with its serene environment and a few signature dishes that were quite good. Wang Ying never cared much for pomp and circumstance, so choosing this place suited her style perfectly.

Chen Hao and Ban Qianqian arrived at the restaurant entrance. Ban Qianqian hesitated slightly and said, “Brother, are you sure we don’t need to bring a gift? I’m not really familiar with your friend, and it feels a bit awkward not to bring anything for someone’s birthday, especially the first time.”

This was the nth time Ban Qianqian had asked. If it were any of Chen Hao’s other friends’ birthdays, she certainly wouldn’t have cared to come along. That day, Wang Ying had helped a lot, and because she was so startled, she forgot to thank her properly. She wanted to seize this opportunity to express her gratitude.

After Chen Hao repeatedly assured her that gifts weren’t necessary, Ban Qianqian accompanied him inside the private room Wang Ying had reserved. Four people were inside: besides Wang Ying, there were two beautiful women and one man.

The woman sitting to Wang Ying’s left was over five feet seven, wearing a green t-shirt printed with a cartoon pattern and a pair of jeans. She was Xia Weiwei, the one who had just spoken with Chen Hao on the phone earlier. On the other side sat a maturely dressed woman; Chen Hao almost didn’t recognize her at first. Noticing his surprise, she laughed and said, “Hey! Got a girlfriend now and you don’t even recognize an old classmate?”

“No way!” Chen Hao smiled awkwardly. “It’s just that you’ve changed a lot, I didn’t recognize you right away.”

“People grow up! Looks like I’m the first to change,” the woman said with a self-mocking smile, then gestured toward Ban Qianqian beside Chen Hao. “You’ve got such a beautiful girlfriend—aren’t you going to introduce her to us?”

Her name was Lu Feifei. Because of Chen Hao’s falling out with Zhou Shi, Lu Feifei had distanced herself from their old group of friends. She used to attend every Wang Ying birthday party, but after breaking up with Zhou Shi, no one knew what she had been up to.

After Chen Hao introduced Ban Qianqian to everyone, Xia Weiwei pulled her to sit beside her and teased, “Chen Hao, you’re such a beast! You don’t even spare underage girls.”

“Ha! It’s the trend now! Lolis have three advantages: light voice, soft body, easy to topple. Nowadays, men all have a taste for that,” said the man sitting next to Xia Weiwei. He was Wei Yunfeng, Chen Hao’s high school classmate. They often played basketball together, though their friendship was just casual. Near graduation, Wei Yunfeng suddenly asked if Chen Hao and Wang Ying were dating. After Chen Hao said no, Wei said he wanted to pursue Wang Ying.

Chen Hao always thought Wang Ying was exceptional and it was normal for someone to like her. He even complimented Wei Yunfeng’s good eye. But not long after, Wei Yunfeng came to Chen Hao, clearly upset after a basketball game, and said, “Why don’t you keep your distance from Wang Ying if you’re not dating her? Isn’t playing ambiguous feelings fun?”

Chen Hao was speechless. According to Wei Yunfeng’s logic, because he was pursuing Wang Ying, Chen Hao shouldn’t have any contact with her. If Wei Yunfeng were Wang Ying’s boyfriend, Chen Hao would just think he was jealous and would reduce their practice sessions not to interfere. But Wang Ying and Wei Yunfeng hardly had anything to do with each other.

Wei Yunfeng’s outburst was utterly unreasonable, and Chen Hao ignored him completely from then on. Since then, Wei Yunfeng harbored resentment toward him.

Wang Ying’s birthday parties never invited Wei Yunfeng, so Chen Hao was surprised to see him this time. Wei Yunfeng’s remark about men liking lolis was clearly sarcastic, but since it was Wang Ying’s birthday, Chen Hao didn’t want to argue.

He ignored Wei Yunfeng and smiled at Xia Weiwei, “Our Qianqian looks young, but she’s actually already eighteen.”

Xia Weiwei sneered, “Even if Qianqian is eighteen, you’re still an old bull eating tender grass.”

Wei Yunfeng, once again ignored by Chen Hao, seethed inwardly but hid it well. He feigned concern and said, “Chen Hao, as your brother, I advise you: as a man, the most important thing is responsibility. Whoever you’re with, be faithful. Don’t deceive a little loli’s feelings...”

Ban Qianqian grew increasingly uncomfortable and suddenly interrupted him, “Lolis aren’t fools. They know how to tell good from bad. Honestly, I’d rather have a more genuine boyfriend than a hypocrite full of virtue and morality.”

Wei Yunfeng lost face again. His expression darkened, but Lu Feifei smiled and tried to lighten the mood. “Enough about lolis. It’s Qianqian’s first time here, and you’ve been talking so much she’s getting shy. The game ‘War’ has been really popular lately—have you been playing?”

Xia Weiwei suddenly perked up. “I’ve been doing dual-sided missions in Northern Ji these past few days. I thought I could level up, but I died twice.”

Chen Hao was curious, “Weiwei, what’s your in-game name? What missions are you doing?”

“Butterfly Lovers, same as my QQ name. I’m doing missions issued by governor Nie Shicheng of Zhili, stopping the Boxers from sabotaging railways and cables. It’s a dual-sided mission; many players take the sabotage side because it’s easier, so more players choose that. That’s why I died twice.”

Wei Yunfeng laughed heartily. “Weiwei, you clearly don’t play often. For a dual-sided mission like that, you should always pick the side with more players; otherwise, you’re at a disadvantage.”

“Tch! The truth belongs to the few. I don’t like the usual path. Choosing the side with fewer players means more enemies, so you gain experience faster,” Weiwei retorted, clearly not convinced by Wei Yunfeng’s advice.

Wei Yunfeng began to show off his gaming knowledge, explaining the advantages of siding with the Boxers. Chen Hao watched his performance coolly. For ordinary players, choosing the side with more players in dual-sided missions made sense, but for expert players, the quickest way to grind experience was to pick the side with fewer players. Weiwei’s choice wasn’t wrong—she just lacked the skill.

“Trust me, Weiwei, experience is everything in gaming. Ever heard of the classic battle, the defense and assault on Qinghe Cathedral? In the game, I’m called Feng Yun. I took part in the attack on Qinghe Cathedral. The player teams failed twice and nearly lost the courage to continue. Later, I recommended Chen Baxian, who’s strong in close combat, to be the leader. I reminded him to use the large crossbow to target enemy shooting slits. Following my advice, he captured Qinghe Cathedral…”

Chen Hao was stunned listening to Wei Yunfeng’s boasting. He remembered the players who stood out during the Qinghe Cathedral battle, but there was no Feng Yun. Moreover, it was Lin Heir who arranged for Chen Baxian to be the leader, and the idea to use the large crossbow came from Chen Baxian himself, thanks to his future memory. What did Wei Yunfeng have to do with it?

After Wei Yunfeng finished, Chen Hao said calmly, “I also participated in the Qinghe Cathedral battle, but Chen Baxian becoming leader was an NPC arrangement, and using the large crossbow was his own idea. I don’t think others were involved.”

Wei Yunfeng didn’t expect Chen Hao to have joined the cathedral mission and stubbornly insisted, “You didn’t hear me remind Chen Baxian, but we’re very close and still keep in touch.”

Hearing Wei Yunfeng and Chen Baxian were close, Xia Weiwei’s eyes lit up. “Wei Yunfeng, you really know Chen Baxian? He’s quite famous recently. I love the game ‘War’ and want to find an expert to teach me. When I log in tomorrow, can you introduce me to him?”

“He’s been busy lately; I don’t know if he has time,” Wei Yunfeng replied vaguely, quickly changing the subject. “Chen Hao, you also did the Qinghe Cathedral mission? What a coincidence! What’s your in-game name?”

“I’m Fishing Passerby. I was the one who used the large crossbow to take out the enemies at the shooting slits. You should remember me,” Chen Hao said calmly.