Chapter 53: I Have Some Bad News to Tell You
“Also, don’t ever think that the inner circle of Ragnarok is a monolith. A friend told me that many core players in Ragnarok are strongly pushing for revenge against 'One Slash, One Soul,' especially after many found out you possess several pieces of blue-tier equipment.”
Zhang Ruolin continued, “It was ‘One Slash, One Soul’ who forcibly suppressed all opposition, which is why we ended up meeting you. In any case, all of us need to be more cautious when we go out from now on. The people from Ragnarok might very well target us.”
“Got it.” I gave them a few reminders to be careful over the next while.
After that, the two of them tacitly stopped chatting.
Around nine in the evening, the sound of the door opening came from outside. Lin Qingying finally returned. I still couldn’t understand why an intern at Xidong Electronics Mall was so busy, finishing work so late. On top of that, she even had an assistant—who even assigns an assistant to an intern?
So, resting my head on my arms, I cleared my mind and stopped thinking about Ragnarok and One Slash, One Soul. Once I did, the sounds outside grew clearer, including the sound of Lin Qingying turning on the shower.
Not long after, she came back to the room but didn’t sleep. Instead, she continued working on her laptop, occasionally taking one or two calls. The conversations were all work-related—publicity, marketing, client needs—things I couldn’t fully understand.
That’s how I drifted off to sleep amidst her calls, sleeping soundly until the next morning.
---
I woke up early, went downstairs for breakfast, and headed straight to the internet café.
“Ding Han!” Lu Xiaobei suddenly dashed out from an alley in the old town, carrying dozens of balloons on her hands and a vendor's pack on her back, smiling, “What a coincidence…”
“Why have you started selling balloons?”
“Well, the New Year’s coming up. These balloons with cartoon prints are quite popular with kids, so I stocked up a batch to see if it’s a new business opportunity.”
Goodness, she never stops thinking about how to make money—so ambitious!
“Oh, by the way, I have some bad news for you,” Lu Xiaobei said. “It’s about Zhao Yihang.”
“Ah!?” I shuddered. “Did Zhao Yihang die from appendicitis?”
“You…” Lu Xiaobei glared at me. “He’s alive and well. The bad news is for you. Zhao Yihang was discharged from the hospital last night and isn’t allowed to stay up late, so he handed over the night shift to Yingzi. But before night came, Zhao Yihang couldn’t make it over, so your day shift today gets postponed. You can only get off once Zhao Yihang arrives to hand over the shift.”
She chuckled, “So, sorry you have to work hard—I’m off to make money now~~~”
Before I could refuse, she had already disappeared into the alley.
Watching Lu Xiaobei vanish, I felt a bit absent-minded. Perhaps she was born to be free—such a carefree spirit is truly enviable.
Not like me. As a player in the world of Star Abyss, I seemed free, but in truth, I was constantly bound by the game’s rules: seeking quest triggers, leveling up, buying ammo, working to earn money. It seemed free, but I lived within countless constraints—there was no true freedom at all.
Fortunately, there was some good news that day.
Around noon, Sheng Xia, the editor from Yuan Dian Novel Network, messaged me, saying that my book, My 23-Year-Old Beautiful Boss, had no chance to make it onto Sanjiang’s recommended list but could be published by noon. That meant the book could finally start making money!
So from 12 p.m., I kept a close eye on the subscription numbers for the VIP chapter of the first chapter.
By four in the afternoon, the first chapter’s subscribers had staggered up to 200...
It failed miserably!!!
In the review section, the same person who had scolded me before appeared again, sarcastically posting, “Why can’t I see this book’s name on the new book subscription rankings? Has it been blocked? Hahaha~~~”
Soon after, Lu Xiaobei burst out angrily, denouncing that person’s shamelessness and nastiness.
I could almost imagine Lu Xiaobei crouching by her stall, furiously typing on her phone. It was rather amusing.
But it didn’t matter—failure was failure.
Who succeeds easily in this world?
---
As Lu Xiaobei said, Zhao Yihang didn’t show up for a long time, so I waited until after nine at night.
Finally, a lone, desolate figure appeared in front of the internet café.
Zhao Yihang had returned!
“Ding Han, you’ve worked hard…” He held a small bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts, looking a bit embarrassed. “Sorry for making you cover so many shifts these past few days. This bag of chestnuts is a small token of my appreciation.”
“Just keep it.” I looked up at him. “Are you feeling okay?”
“A bit weak, but overall alright.”
He sat down like an old man, supporting his waist, genuinely looking exhausted.
“Ding ding~~~” At that moment, my phone rang—it was Lin Qingying’s number.
“What’s up?”
“I forgot my front door key,” Lin Qingying asked. “Are you home?”
“No, I worked late today.”
“I’ll come get it. Send me the location of your workplace.”
“Okay!” I sent her the location of Feiyang Internet Café.
Looking at Zhao Yihang’s state, I said, “Forget it. Don’t work tonight. I’ll cover your shift until midnight, then Yingzi will come to hand over. You should go home and rest early.”
“That would be rude…” Zhao Yihang said, “I’ll stay here with you for a while. I have nothing to do at home anyway.”
“Up to you.”
---
Not long after, a white Bentley pulled over in front of the internet café. The window rolled down, and Lin Qingying looked over.
“Whoa…” Zhao Yihang was stunned. “Ding Han, look at that woman—so beautiful… And she’s driving a Bentley Flying Spur? How rich must she be? And why did she park right outside our internet café?”
“She’s here to see me.”
I peeked out.
“Sure, keep bragging,” Zhao Yihang laughed. “You’re in the same world as her? Women like that… people like us can’t even reach their hair, seriously. You have to know your limits, especially you.”
“…”
I was speechless, got up, and walked over to Lin Qingying, pulling the front door key from my pocket and handing it to her.
“Wait.” Lin Qingying called after me, picking up a plastic bag from the passenger seat. “My colleague gave me some fruit, but I don’t really like it, so it’s for you.”
It was a bag of dark-colored mangosteens. I’d eaten them a few times before.
I felt a bit embarrassed—accepting gifts without reciprocating isn’t right, and mangosteens aren’t cheap.
“I’m heading back now.” Lin Qingying shifted gears, ready to leave.
“Wait.” I called after her, then dashed back inside the café and grabbed the still-warm bag of sugar-roasted chestnuts from the counter. I didn’t really like chestnuts, so I handed the bag through the window. “Here, a gift in return.”
“Oh?” Lin Qingying hesitated, then accepted it and placed it on the passenger seat. “Alright, I’m off.”
“Okay.”
She slowly drove away.
---
“Bro, you’re really my big brother now…” Zhao Yihang slumped in his chair like a deflated balloon. “Where did you meet such a beautiful, classy, and super-rich woman? Can you teach me how?”
“That depends on talent. Not something I can teach.”
I placed the mangosteens on the table. “Try some. Fruit in exchange for chestnuts.”
“Exchange? Chestnuts don’t compare…” Zhao Yihang said, “My bag of chestnuts cost about twelve yuan, but these mangosteens are expensive. This fruit is costly in this weather, plus the label says they’re imported. This small bag probably costs at least three hundred yuan. Not something ordinary people can afford.”
“That expensive? Then I have to try.”
I peeled one open—it was indeed very sweet.
Zhao Yihang sighed sadly and sat down, furiously typing away. “Bro, a woman like that, I don’t stand a chance in this life. But it’s okay—I at least got to eat fruit she gave me.”
I glanced at him. “Can you stop being so pathetic?”
“This is my life—what else can I do? Planning to turn things around?”
Zhao Yihang smiled. “By the way, who exactly is that goddess? How do you know her? Can’t you tell me even a little?”
“Actually, I’m not that close to her,” I told the truth. “My previous roommate moved out, she’s my new roommate. We share the rent. She forgot her living room key today and came to get it.”
“Ah…” Zhao Yihang exhaled in relief. “So she’s not your girlfriend… Good, now I feel better.”
“Good for you!”
“Hahaha~~~”
---
Around eleven o’clock, Lu Xiaobei returned like a rebellious girl, sneaking upstairs quietly.
“Stop!” I shouted, halting her.
“W-what’s wrong?” She looked guilty.
“Why are you back so late?” I frowned.
“There’s a new bar in the old town. They asked me to be a model for photos, so I stayed a bit late…”
“Was it lucrative?”
“Quite a lot!” She perked up and smiled. “Eight hundred yuan for a photoshoot!”
Then her eyes landed on the few mangosteens left, and nostalgia flickered in her gaze. “Where did these mangosteens come from? It’s been so long since I last had mangosteens…”
“Take them all!”
“Alright!” Lu Xiaobei grabbed the bag and went upstairs.
“Bro, you should head back first,” Zhao Yihang said. “Yingzi will be here soon. If you keep staying to keep me company, I’ll feel bad.”
“Alright, I’m off. Handle things here yourself.”
“Okay!”
I left the internet café, stomach growling, walking the streets. I took out my phone and messaged Lin Qingying: “Just finished work. You still awake?”
“No, I’m in the living room. Knock when you get here.”
“Okay.”
---
After going upstairs, I knocked on the door.
Lin Qingying was cautious, asking from inside, “Who is it?”
“It’s me, Ding Han.”
After hearing it was me, she opened the door.
I glanced at the coffee table—there was a laptop and stacks of documents. The letterhead on some wasn’t from Xidong Electronics Mall but from Yue Ning Group.
I guessed she wasn’t just an intern at Xidong Electronics Mall. Otherwise, even the general manager there couldn’t afford a three- or four-million-yuan luxury car. After all, the mall wasn’t that big.
Opening the fridge, I took out a packet of instant noodles and an egg.
“Want some?” I looked back at her.
Lin Qingying was still busy, just shaking her head and returning to her work.