“So, you’re giving up? I thought you were so strong!”
Seeing Lin Chen walking away, Wang Xuefeng wore a smug expression, clearly reveling in his victory.
Even though he had been nothing more than a supporting player throughout the game, in the end, his team had won.
An Yi glanced at Lin Chen’s retreating figure, wanting to say something to comfort him. After all, this poker-faced guy might end up being his subordinate in the future, so it wouldn’t do to let things get too awkward between them.
But Lin Chen didn’t give him the chance.
“Yi, you’re amazing, truly the King of Streetball in Jiangbei City!”
Wang Xuefeng looked at An Yi with admiration. He had heard of An Yi’s reputation before and had even seen him play once, but he hadn’t expected An Yi’s skills to be even more impressive than he’d imagined. The final showdown with Lin Chen had been nothing short of a clash of titans!
An Yi smiled modestly. “You’re too kind, really…”
As he spoke, he subtly rubbed his thumb and forefinger together, making a gesture that clearly meant something other than a heart sign.
Two grown men weren’t likely to be making heart signs at each other, after all.
Wang Xuefeng immediately understood and quickly pulled out his phone. “I’ll scan you.”
The sound of a notification chimed as 4,000 yuan was transferred into An Yi’s account.
An Yi’s smile widened as he put his phone away, feeling quite pleased with the unexpected windfall.
“Ahem, remember, those who witness it get a share!”
Liu Dachao stepped forward, clearing his throat meaningfully.
An Yi rolled his eyes at the three of them. “Relax, I won’t forget you.”
“By the way, would you guys be interested in joining the basketball club?”
Wang Xuefeng extended the invitation somewhat half-heartedly.
“Not interested.”
The four of them declined almost in unison.
Wang Xuefeng forced a regretful smile. “Really? That’s too bad.”
Truth be told, he was relieved. If An Yi and the others joined the school’s basketball team, there’d be no room left for him. An Yi aside, even Qin Shan and Liu Dachao’s skills were leagues above his. And as for that Bai Xiu guy—every shot he took seemed to go in! Whether it was dumb luck or real talent, Wang Xuefeng wasn’t sure, but he suspected Bai Xiu was no slouch either.
If these four joined the team, Wang Xuefeng would be completely overshadowed.
“Hey, I bought some drinks. Everyone, help yourselves!”
At that moment, Qin Yao walked over, carrying a large plastic bag filled with beverages. Her youthful and radiant appearance made her stand out like a breath of fresh air, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.
Wang Xuefeng was dumbstruck.
No way!
The campus goddess had bought drinks for him! This was the first time she’d ever approached him!
Could it be… was his springtime finally arriving?
“Wow, the campus belle herself buying us drinks!”
“Haha, this game was totally worth it!”
Qin Shan and Liu Dachao happily accepted the drinks, grinning from ear to ear.
The large bag was filled with enough drinks for everyone, even the players on the opposing team.
Standing so close to his goddess, Wang Xuefeng was so flustered he could barely string a sentence together.
Then, Qin Yao took out a bottle and handed it to… An Yi.
“That was an amazing game. You played really well!”
“It was alright,” An Yi replied, accepting the drink. “But why did you carry all this by yourself? There are plenty of guys here. You could’ve just asked for help.”
“It’s fine. You all looked pretty tired after the game.”
Qin Yao glanced around and asked, “Where’s that poker-faced guy? He’s gone. I even got him a drink.”
“Poker-face” was obviously referring to Lin Chen.
An Yi shrugged. That guy had been acting pretty weird lately. He had no idea why Lin Chen had suddenly quit the game.
“Ding! [Intercept] mission completed.”
“Ding! Mission reward: [Lockpicking Lv1], Evil Points +20!”
An Yi was stunned. That was it?
He hadn’t even done anything!
Ring ring~
A phone rang.
Qin Yao quickly swiped to answer. “Hello, Dad.”
“Yao, what are you still doing out? It’s a dangerous time lately. Be careful, and don’t let Lin Chen get too far from you.”
The stern voice of a middle-aged man came through the phone.
Qin Yao hung up and sighed, turning to An Yi. “I should probably head home now.”
“Y-you take care on your way back,” Wang Xuefeng finally managed to stammer out, seizing the opportunity to speak.
Qin Yao gave him a sweet smile. “I’ll be going then. Let’s stay in touch! Don’t forget!”
“O-okay, take care, Qin Yao!”
Wang Xuefeng watched her retreating figure with a lovesick gaze, his face flushing red with excitement.
“Bro Feng, the campus belle’s already gone!”
Someone chuckled, reminding him.
Wang Xuefeng snapped out of it and smacked the guy on the back of the head. “Shut up! I know that!”
With Qin Yao gone, Wang Xuefeng quickly reverted to his usual cocky demeanor. Still riding the high of being acknowledged by his goddess, he waved his hand grandly. “It’s noon already. Let’s go to the restaurant outside school. My treat!”
“Awesome! Long live Bro Feng!”
“Let’s go! Finally, we get to feast on the rich guy!” Liu Dachao grinned, inviting An Yi along.
An Yi hesitated, then shook his head. “Nah, I’ve got stuff to do at home. You guys go ahead.”
Shen Muxuan was still at his place!
He’d left the TV on for her in the morning, and now it was already afternoon. He had no idea how she was doing.
Bai Xiu yawned. “Sorry, I’m beat. I just want to sleep. You and Qin Shan go ahead.”
Qin Shan and Liu Dachao exchanged glances, both looking equally unenthused. “Why would we go with him?”
An Yi pulled out his phone. “You guys did well. Let’s split the money—1,000 each.”
“We were just joking. No need to split it. You’re so broke you can’t even afford a meal, and here you are pretending to be generous,” Qin Shan said, shaking his head.
They all knew An Yi was an orphan with barely enough to get by. Four thousand yuan was a fortune to him.
“Stop being so wishy-washy. I’ve got a bus to catch!”
Without another word, An Yi transferred the money to each of their accounts. “I’m off. I probably won’t be at school for the next couple of days. Cover for me if there’s roll call.”
As An Yi walked away, Liu Dachao couldn’t help but chuckle. “That guy’s a bit of a scoundrel, but he’s got a good heart. I like him.”
“Stop being so gay! Help me out here—Bai Xiu’s already passed out again.”
……
“Uncle, I’d like some buns.”
Walking down the street, Shen Muxuan looked at the steaming buns in the bamboo baskets and asked softly.
She was starving, her stomach growling loudly.
The bun shop owner glanced at the stunningly beautiful woman and swallowed hard before quickly reaching for the baskets. “N-no problem. What kind would you like, miss?”
“These, these, and these—I’ll take them all!”
Shen Muxuan pointed at the steaming baskets with her slender fingers.
The shop owner looked puzzled. “Are you ordering for a company? That’s a lot of buns!”
“No, they’re for me,” Shen Muxuan replied earnestly.
“Uh… haha, I guess today’s my lucky day!”
The shop owner laughed, delighted. It was already past noon, and he’d been worried about selling the leftover buns. Who would’ve thought this young lady would buy them all?
With the speed of a man who’d been single for over thirty years, the owner quickly packed the buns into separate bags. “That’ll be 10 yuan per basket. Fifteen baskets, so 150 yuan in total.”
Shen Muxuan bit her lower lip.
She remembered now—her master had told her that in the mortal world, transactions required money!
But she didn’t have any money on her!
“No cash?”
The shop owner, trying to be helpful, pointed to a QR code on the wall. “No worries, everyone uses their phones these days. Just scan this!”
Would scanning this thing let her take the buns?
Shen Muxuan looked curiously at the QR code, then carefully used her sleeve to wipe off the dust covering it.
The shop owner: “?”
After thoroughly cleaning the code, Shen Muxuan smiled slightly and pointed at the packed buns. “I’ve cleaned it. Can I take them now?”
The shop owner: “…”
What the hell?!