Morning of September 30th, Imperial Capital Airport.
A young woman, carrying several bags, walked into the airportâs departure lounge.
She appeared to be in her early twenties, with fair skin and a tall, slender figure, accentuated by a pair of strikingly long legs.
As she hurriedly jogged along forward, she called then out over her shoulder:
âSu Yuan, hurry up! weâll miss our flight if weâre any later!â
Following behind her was another young woman of a similar age.
The girl, who was on the shorter side, had a bob haircut, a sweet and adorable face, and a small tuft of hair sticking up atop her head.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she panted as she ran whilst complaining in a playful, whining tone,
âHaah, s-slow down⌠I donât have long legs like you, I canât run that fast you knowâŚâ
Hearing this, Zhou Menghan turned her head and shot her friend an annoyed glare.
âWho told you to stay up so late playing games last night, anyways? And if you did, why didnât you just sleep within the game? You knew we had to leave today! Good thing I came to the capital to find you, or else would you have kept grinding until tomorrow and skipped our meetup altogether?â
Su Yuan merely yawned in response.
âHaah⌠Didnât they say that recently, thereâs this superstition that if you play games while sleeping, itâs harder to draw a spot for the job advancement? So I figured Iâd just drink more coffee and stay awake to try it out myselfâŚâ
Hearing this, Zhou Menghan was left speechless. ĆreewebÉłovel.com
It was a surprisingly convincing reason, especially since Su Yuan was one of the lucky few players who had actually managed to secure a spot for the job advancement promotion early on.
âSo, did you get it?â
Zhou Menghan asked.
Su Yuan perked up and flashed a victorious smile, all the while holding up two fingers in a peace sign.
The source of this cđ¸ntent is freewebnøvel.coÉą.
âYep!â
Zhou Menghan gave her friend a surprised look and raised an eyebrow.
âNot bad. Not many players from the fourth-beta managed to get it.â
âHehe, of course! Who do you think I am? Iâm a devoted follower of the Goddess! Sheâs definitely watching over me, making sure I got the advanced job promotion! Hehehe, now I wonât fall behind you! Just give it some time, and Iâll be a high-level player too just like you!â
Su Yuan replied, her hands firmly on her hips and chest thrust forward, with a proud gleam in her eyes.
Seeing her friendâs antics, Zhou Menghan couldnât help but roll her eyes.
âCome on, enough showing off, or weâre actually going to miss the flight!â
âWell, if we miss itâŚthen we can just book another oneâŚyou know?â
âGet lost! Iâm not as rich as you!â
Zhou Menghan retorted.
Later that afternoon, at Yaodu Southern Station.
The standard, melodious announcements flowed through the air, echoing lightly above the constant hum of voices.
Every so often, a sharp train whistle would cut through the noise, punctuating the atmosphere with a sense of urgency.
The myriad of soundsâchatter, footsteps, whistlesâcreated a lively symphony that filled the station, making it feel like a living, breathing entity pulsing with the anticipation of countless journeys.
As the economic hub of the southern region, Yaoduâs train station were always bustling, full of energy and vibrancy.
Meanwhile, at Platform 8, a young man in his early twenties, wearing a denim jacket, walked out of the train car.
He had a sturdy build, a fresh haircut, and an average-looking face with a slightly round chin.
He stood still for a couple of seconds to check his surroundings before moving forward as he pulled along a medium-sized roller suitcase.
Although he looked a bit tired, with red-rimmed eyes, his spirits seemed high, and he appeared to be in a good mood.
Whilst glancing at the large sign that read âWelcome to Yaodu,â he let out a long yawn before breaking into a bright smile.
âWhew, Iâve finally arrived,â
He murmured in a voice filled with joy and a hint of nervous anticipation.
He glanced around once more before deciding to head toward a nearby restroom, dragging his suitcase behind him.
After a brief stop at the aisle, he stood before the mirror at the sink, carefully tidying up his appearance.
Hair style, perfect.
Smile, perfect.
ClothesâŚ.ehh, seems fine enough.
The only thing that bothered him was his slightly bulging stomach, which he couldnât quite hide despite wearing a loose sweatshirt.
âThis should still be presentable enough, right?â
He rhetorically mumbled to himself.
âBut the weather is a bit too hot for my liking. I didnât expect Yaodu to be this scorchingâsigh, I definitely dressed too warmly.â
He tugged at his denim jacket, recalling the sudden wave of heat that hit him as soon as he got off the train.
He really wanted to take it off but ultimately decided against it. Shaking his head in resignation, he knew that this jacket was the only item in his wardrobe that made him look slimmer.
Whilst touching his protruding belly, the man sighed with a tinge of regret.
âI need to lose weight. Iâve only been in college for a short time, and my once six-pack abs have now become just one big pieceâŚâ
âLi Mu, you bastard,â he muttered to his reflection in the mirror, âonce this trip is over, you better start running and working out, you hear me? Even your usually apathetic dad noticed youâve gained some weight when you went home for the Mid-Autumn Festival yesterday. Youâll definitely never gonna find a girlfriend if you donât lose some pounds soonâŚâ
He then let out a deep sigh and turned on the faucet, letting the cold water splash over his face.
âUgh, even though Iâve made plenty of videos online, actually meeting people in real life like this still makes me nervous. Especially when there are supposed to be quite a few female players coming this timeâŚâ
He murmured to himself, trying to boost his spirits by pinching his thigh as he attempted to snap out of it.
âFocus! Youâre here to meet the people youâre acquainted with, not to flirt and pick up girls!â he reminded himself with a rueful chuckle.
With a renewed sense of purpose, he picked up his suitcase, opened his phone, and spoke directly close into it:
âXiao E, Xiao E, navigate me to Tianchen Grand Hotel.â
In Yaoduâs Xinghe District, inside a three-story villa with a Western designâŚ
âAunt Liu! Aunt Liu! How does this outfit look on me?â
In front of a luxurious full-length mirror, a girl who appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen held up a purple dress, eagerly looking at the middle-aged woman behind her.
The woman, known as Aunt Liu, furrowed her brows slightly.
âGuoguo, donât you think this dress makes you look a bit too mature?â
Hearing this, the girl pouted, then grinned,
âThatâs the whole point! With me being the president, I need to look like Iâm in charge!â
Aunt Liu hesitated for a moment, then sighed.
âIf you want to appear more mature, you might want to change your hairstyle and put on a little makeup.â
The girlâs eyes lit up at the suggestion, and she quickly sat down at the vanity table.
âYouâre right! Please, Auntie Liu, help me fix up my look! I need to at least look like an adult!â
Seeing her nieceâs eagerness, Aunt Liu nodded with a resigned smile and began working on the girlâs hair.
âBy the way, have the preparations at the hotel been finished? There are a lot of people coming this time,â the girl asked.
âYeah Iâve heard no problem so far.â
Aunt Liu nodded.
After a brief pause, she added, âOne more thing⌠Guoguo, I need to remind you that while itâs fine to host events at the hotel since itâs part of our householdâs company, you still need to be mindful of the expensesâŚâ
âDonât worry, Auntie Liu. This offline event for our game only covers part of the attendeesâ costs. Most people are just getting a small discount,â the girl explained, counting on her fingers.
She then squinted slightly and added, âBesides, if you really think about it, with the number of people attending, Iâve already calculated that the hotel will still make a profit overall! Iâm even considering making these meetups a regular thing. Donât worry, the hotel wonât lose money, I promise.â
âIâm not some spoiled rich brat who canât budget. I know how to manage my finances. Even in the game, while I spent a lot of pocket money at first, Iâve cut back on asking for money, you know?â
Aunt Liu finally nodded, feeling somewhat relieved.
âWell, as long as you know what youâre doing.â
Just then, a melodious ringtone filled the roomâa tune the girl had set as her favorite piece of background music from the game.
She picked up her phone from the table, with her eyes immediately lighting up upon seeing the caller ID.
Excitedly answering the call, she sweetly said, âHello, Sister Birdy, itâs Miao Miao!â
âWhat? Youâre already here? Where are you? Iâll come get you right away!â
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ă OFFLINEMEETUP (PART ONE) ă
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