Chapter 21: Carried by a Wild Pro Player
After finally getting home, Lin Muqing did her usual routine, greeting the photos on the wall and telling them she was back.
She took a quick shower, changed into shorts and a T-shirt, finished her homework, and saved some time just for herself.
For Lin Muqing, this time was extremely precious. It was prime internet-surfing time.
She took out her slightly old phone, opened QQ, and sent a message to invite someone to come online and play games.
[Lin Muqing: FunnyFace.jpg]
After sending the sticker, Lin Muqing pushed herself away from her study desk using the wheels on her chair and slid toward her computer desk.
She made sure to keep her study desk and gaming desk separate, so her schoolwork wouldn’t be affected.
She skillfully rolled her chair over, turned on the power, booted up the computer, and logged in, smooth and efficient.
While the game was loading, she poured herself a glass of water and casually checked her phone messages.
[Old Iron: whatsup.jpg]
[Lin Muqing: I’m online, where are you? TeaseFace.jpg]
[Old Iron: Look who just invited you. Disgusted.jpg]
Seeing that message, Lin Muqing looked at her monitor and saw an invite to team up from Old Iron.
Whoa~ Didn’t expect Old Iron to be online already. She put her phone aside, clicked “Accept,” and got ready to explore the game.
After meeting up in-game, Lin Muqing noticed something unusual.
Their party, which was supposed to be just the two of them, had turned into a three-player team. There was an extra player, a greatsword user she didn’t know.
Curious, she clicked on the new player’s profile panel.
What she saw left her stunned. Their gear was all fully upgraded with maxed-out red-tier enhancements and limited-edition outfits.
You could tell right away this person was a pro. And not just skilled, super rich too!
She quickly picked up her phone and messaged Old Iron on QQ.
[Lin Muqing: Is this guy your friend?!]
[Old Iron: Yeah, kinda. He said he’d carry us through a few dungeons.]
After reading that, Lin Muqing nearly dropped her phone from shock. That was so sudden!
The “few dungeons” he mentioned were the hardest in the entire game. Huge rewards, very long reset timers, and brutal difficulty.
Basically, they were the playgrounds for rich players. Even spending money didn’t guarantee a win.
For someone like Lin Muqing, these dungeons were untouchable. Just the entry fee was enough to scare her away.
[Lin Muqing: LET’S GOOOO!!]
[Old Iron: Hold on, he said he’ll give you the entrance ticket. He gave it to me, trade with me.]
[Lin Muqing: This guy’s so rich it’s unreal!]
She quickly put down her phone, opened the trading system, and got ready to enjoy the ride through the game like a total freeloader.
The dungeon was tough, but the pro player wasn’t just rich, he had serious skills. Even with two teammates basically doing nothing, he managed to carry the team to victory.
Too bad the pro wasn’t much of a talker. Aside from giving commands during team fights, he said almost nothing. Lin Muqing even tried to add him as a friend, but he didn’t respond.
Oh well, she thought. A pro like him probably wouldn’t care about poor players like her anyway.
Once everything was ready, they entered the dungeon…
[Pro Player: Where’s the healer?! HEAL ME! Can you stop chatting for a second?! (Freaking out)]
[Lin Muqing: Oh, oh! I’m on it! (Panicking)]
[Pro Player: Crowd control! Where’s your CC?! (Losing it)]
[Old Iron: Coming. (Unbothered + lazy)]
The scene pretty much went like this. The pro player was carrying the whole team, while Lin Muqing and her friend were just “decorations”, doing nothing except making “whiny noises.”
After a whole night of playing, Lin Muqing looked at all the rare items and gear in her inventory and couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
She had a great time in the game. Even her friend “Old Iron,” who goofed around with her, added to the fun, though the same couldn’t be said for the pro.
After finishing the last dungeon, the pro instantly left the party without a word, vanishing like smoke.
Lin Muqing then looked over at the chat window, where Old Iron had sent her a message:
[Old Iron: Happy?]
[Lin Muqing: Of course I’m happy! We got carried by a pro! (happy.jpg)]
[Old Iron: Haha~ But what if I was the pro?]
[Lin Muqing: Then I’d marry you and never leave your side! (laugh.jpg)]
Still chatting, she glanced again at her inventory and smiled once more in contentment.
So satisfying.
Time flew by while they were running dungeons. Lin Muqing even forgot how late it was as she kept chatting happily with Old Iron.
It wasn’t until her phone screen lit up that she realized she had totally missed her planned bedtime.
[Lin Muqing: Gotta sleep, gotta sleep. Logging out now. Sleep time.]
[Old Iron: Sleep early. Good night.]
[Lin Muqing: Gotta protect this weak life.]
After tossing out one last sticker, Lin Muqing shut off her computer and hurried to bed. It was already really late, and she had to wake up early for school.
After tidying up, she lay under her blanket, thinking back on the day’s events.
There were both good and bad things, but overall, it wasn’t too bad.
“Hmm... should I buy a new bike?” she mumbled while tossing and turning in bed, feeling a little conflicted.
If she bought one, she could go to and from work by herself and better protect her secret, with fewer chances of slipping up.
But... that was a big expense. At least for her, it was.
“Emmm, whatever, time to sleep!”
She thought about it but couldn’t decide, so she just pulled the blanket over her head and went to sleep. She could deal with it later.
When in doubt, sleep it out.
The light in her room was still on, but Lin Muqing had already curled up under the covers, with only a few strands of hair sticking out.
The night grew darker, and a little lump formed on the light blue single bed.
After a moment of silence, the lump moved slightly, and a pair of shorts was tossed out from under the blanket.
Only then did she truly fall asleep.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, after Lin Muqing logged out, Ye Ziming didn’t turn off his computer right away. He chatted with a friend for a bit before logging off.
[?: You’ve got issues!]
[Ye Ziming: ?]
[?: You have top-tier gear but don’t use it. Instead, you put on newbie gear just to play games with a girl. And you made me help carry her! Tell me, do you or do you not have issues?!]
[Ye Ziming: None of your business. 🙄]
After reading the rant, Ye Ziming frowned in disgust and casually tossed over a sticker before reaching for the “Log Out” button.
But right as he was about to click confirm, the other guy suddenly sent a long reply.
[?: Oh, by the way, I’m planning to transfer to your school soon.]
[Ye Ziming: You’ve got issues.]
Same words, but coming from someone else? Totally different vibe.
After sending that three-word reply, Ye Ziming immediately logged out, his face full of disdain. He ignored any further messages.
Then he got up, tidied up a bit, and got ready to sleep.