Resented by Tang Rou.

The second round of the solo match began again. This time, Tang Rou played much more cautiously. Although her extraordinary speed was evident, with her keyboard clattering loudly, she didn't recklessly unleash all her skills like in the first round. 

The two engaged in a back-and-forth battle, exchanging fire in a tightly contested match. 

Liu Hao could see through it—Tang Rou had little understanding of Glory. She only knew the basics and relied on her high-hand speed and quick reflexes to compete with Chen Guo. On the other hand, although Chen Guo's reflexes and hand speed weren't as fast as Tang Rou's, her game awareness and understanding of Glory were far superior, completely overwhelming Tang Rou. 

In the end, Chen Guo won the match with about 20% of her health remaining. Tang Rou had improved a lot, but she still wasn't a match for Chen Guo. 

After the match, Chen Guo clearly sensed a change in Tang Rou's mood. As Tang Rou's close friend, how could she not know Tang Rou's competitive spirit? 

"Little Tang, you're still amazing. Even though you don't play Glory much, you managed to hold your own against me, a five-year veteran, and nearly won," Chen Guo said, worriedly looking at Tang Rou. 

Tang Rou's expression was calm as she stared at the post-match stats. 20% health—the gap wasn't that big. She felt she could win if she pushed a little more complicated. 

"Guoguo... I want to go again. I feel like I've gained a new understanding of the Gunner class," Tang Rou said softly. 

"How about... we call it a day and grab something to eat?" Chen Guo suggested, but when she met Tang Rou's earnest gaze, she knew she couldn't escape. 

How could she not understand this girl? Tang Rou wouldn't give up until she won. Chen Guo thought that she should never have suggested the solo match in the first place—now she was stuck. Maybe she should deliberately lose to Tang Rou to end it? 

Chen Guo's eyes lit up—yes, she could end the solo match by losing on purpose! 

As if guessing Chen Guo's thoughts, Tang Rou smiled and reminded her, "Guoguo, you cannot deliberately lose to me. Give it your all, or I'll get angry." 

Caught red-handed... Chen Guo sighed. "Alright, but this is the last match." 

Tang Rou nodded. 

The scene shifted, and the third solo match began. 

Liu Hao thought Tang Rou would improve again in this match. Even if she couldn't win, her high hand speed should at least reduce Dawn's Mist's health by 90%. But to his surprise, Tang Rou performed worse than in the previous two matches. She was defeated before even depleting half of Dawn's Mist's health. 

Chen Guo didn't expect this outcome either. Since Tang Rou had warned her not to hold back, Chen Guo went all out, expecting Tang Rou to play even more aggressively. But unexpectedly, Tang Rou underperformed significantly. 

"Little Tang, you... played well." Chen Guo didn't know what else to say and offered a common post-solo courtesy. 

Tang Rou, expressionless, stared blankly at the screen. Just as she was about to suggest another match, Liu Hao interrupted, "That's enough. No matter how many times you play, you won't beat Guoguo." 

Tang Rou turned to Liu Hao and asked, "Why? My hand speed is fast, and it can get even faster. I almost won the second match—I just didn't adjust well for the third one." 

Liu Hao shook his head. "The Gunner class doesn't rely much on hand speed. At 400 actions per minute, you can max out the Gunner's potential. I calculated your speed in the three matches—around 550 actions per minute. Even if you push it to 600 or 650, it won't significantly improve your Gunner's performance." 

"Okay, okay," Chen Guo hurriedly cut Liu Hao off, clearly sensing Tang Rou's displeasure. Tang Rou hated being underestimated. 

Liu Hao waved it off, explaining, "Of course, I'm not saying you're bad. Reaching 600 actions per minute puts you ahead of 99.9% of Glory players. But Glory isn't a game where you win solely on speed. It requires game awareness and understanding. Guoguo has five years of Glory experience and completely outmatches you in those areas. You're playing against Guoguo using her most familiar class, the Gunner—the outcome was inevitable. This match was like an old master toying with a child." 

Chen Guo's face stiffened as she helplessly covered it with her hands. It's over—everything's over. The world should just end now; she's exhausted... 

Hearing Liu Hao's words, Tang Rou's face darkened. "An old master toying with a child?" Although it wasn't vulgar, the insult was particularly harsh. She had initially had a good impression of this handsome guy, but now, she loathed him. Even though Liu Hao was Chen Guo's boyfriend, she despised him! 

Noticing Tang Rou's darkening expression, Liu Hao suddenly felt a chill and regretted his words. He had only wanted to persuade Tang Rou to stop playing, as continuing was pointless. But he seemed to have forgotten that Tang Rou was Chen Guo's close friend, and his words had angered her. Would she hold a grudge and secretly badmouth him to Chen Guo? 

Everyone knows you should never offend your girlfriend's best friend. Otherwise, you'll never know what might lead to a breakup. 

Liu Hao swallowed nervously and cautiously tried to make amends, "Of course, even though you can't beat Guoguo now, you have talent. With some practice, you might win in a solo match." 

But Tang Rou ignored his attempt to smooth things over and coldly asked, "You said the Gunner class doesn't rely much on hand speed?" 

Why couldn't this girl grasp the main point? What I meant was that your game awareness and understanding are too poor, and that's why you can't beat Chen Guo—it has nothing to do with hand speed... Liu Hao still nodded. "Yes, the Gunner is a ranged combat class that relies mainly on accuracy, anticipation, and shooting rhythm." 

"Which class relies heavily on hand speed?" Tang Rou asked. 

Liu Hao was stunned. Was Tang Rou planning to switch classes and solo Chen Guo again? 

Before Liu Hao could respond, Chen Guo jumped in, "Many classes rely heavily on hand speed: Battle Mage, Striker, Assassin, Ninja, Swordsman—they all require fast hands!" 

"Battle Mage? That sounds familiar," Tang Rou muttered. "Isn't your idol... that 'One Leaf' guy a Battle Mage?" 

"Yes, yes, the Battle God One Autumn Leaf!" Chen Guo said excitedly but quickly became dejected. "But Lord Ye has retired, and One Autumn Leaf has been handed over to another player." 

Tang Rou didn't play Glory, so she couldn't empathise with Chen Guo's feelings about Ye Xiu's retirement. She hadn't given up yet and wasn't ready to surrender. Liu Hao's words made sense to her—if she couldn't win with the Gunner, she'd switch classes and solo Chen Guo again. 

"Guoguo, I want to try the Battle Mage," Tang Rou said. 

Chen Guo's heart sank, but she couldn't refuse. She reluctantly pulled out a max-level Battle Mage account card from the drawer. 

Chen Guo knew she would have to be Tang Rou's sparring partner today. Tang Rou wouldn't give up until she won, and she wouldn't let Chen Guo hold back either. Now, Tang Rou might go through all 24 classes in Glory. Chen Guo hadn't even eaten breakfast, and her stomach was growling. 

Chen Guo looked at Liu Hao, hoping he could save her from this solo match nightmare. 

Liu Hao twitched the corner of his mouth, thinking, "I've already pissed off your best friend, and now you want me to intervene? You're pushing me into the fire!" Liu Hao knew Tang Rou wasn't just Chen Guo's friend—she was also the daughter of the Tang family business empire. If she held a grudge against him, his dad might be out to get him. 

It's not that Liu Hao was disloyal; it's just that a guy shouldn't get involved in a fight between two women. 

"Um... you two go ahead. I'll get us breakfast and some juice," Liu Hao decided to escape. 

"No loyalty!" Chen Guo cursed inwardly but had no choice but to look at Tang Rou pitifully, pleading for mercy. 

Tang Rou smiled gently. "Guoguo, didn't you really want me to play Glory? I used to think this game was too simple and boring, but now that I'm finally interested, you won't refuse to play with me, will you?" 

Great, now she was on the hot seat. Refusing wasn't an option! 

Helpless, Chen Guo resigned herself to another round of solo matches with Tang Rou. 

... 

Liu Hao returned with breakfast, deliberately taking his time, only to find that the customers hadn't dispersed, and the two women were still in the middle of their solo matches! 

Liu Hao, holding the breakfast, squeezed into the crowd and gently patted a nearby customer, whispering, "What's the situation now?" 

"Oh man, you missed out! I never thought a solo match between two women could be this intense.

!" The guy spoke excitedly. "This girl, Tang Rou, is using the Battle Mage. At first, she wasn't familiar with the class, but after six or seven matches, she got the hang of it, and her hand speed was insane—she even beat the boss lady!" 

"She won? Shouldn't it be over if she won? Why are they still playing?" Liu Hao was confused. 

"After Tang Rou won, the boss lady really didn't want to continue and was about to pull out the card. But then Tang Rou got all fired up, saying she had a new insight into the Battle Mage, and dragged the boss lady back into another solo match!"

Liu Hao's mouth twitched, thinking to himself, "Is Tang Rou getting... addicted?"

The guy next to him continued with great enthusiasm, "You wouldn't believe how intense their match was! The boss lady won seven rounds against Tang Rou's Battle Mage at first, but then Tang Rou finally won one. So, they played another round; the boss lady won again, then another round and Tang Rou won. It seemed like the boss lady got hooked too, so they played another round, the boss lady won, and then they started again..."

"Stop, stop, stop!" Liu Hao interrupted, "Bro, I just want to know what's happening now; you don't need to tell me the match records."

"Now? See for yourself! They're still going at it!"

Liu Hao looked at the two pretty girls sitting at their stations, smiling brightly and incredibly energised. He was puzzled; after so many rounds, shouldn't they be frustrated and worn out? Why are they still smiling? And so beautifully, too? The current match ended with Tang Rou winning.

Tang Rou smiled, "Guo Guo, Glory seems pretty interesting. I think I'm starting to like it."

"That's great! Now, the two of us can team up for dungeons!" Chen Guo was equally thrilled. She initially thought this solo match would never end, but she didn't expect Tang Rou's talent to be so remarkable. After mastering the Battle Mage's skills, she could actually beat her. The best part was that Tang Rou now showed a considerable interest in Glory, which was an unexpected bonus.

"Let's go for another round," Tang Rou suggested.

The customers behind them heard this and quickly chimed in, "Yeah, let's go for another round! We haven't had enough yet, and Tang Rou has already won four in a row. Boss lady, are you willing to admit defeat?"

Chen Guo turned around and jokingly scolded the group of onlookers, "Get lost! We've already played over twenty rounds, and you still haven't had enough? Keep playing? My hands are about to cramp up!"

Chen Guo rubbed her sore hand muscles. Although she wanted to keep going, after more than twenty rounds of high-intensity solo matches, her hands were almost at their limit.

Chen Guo envied Tang Rou's hands. With only a hand speed of around 120, Chen Guo was already struggling, while Tang Rou consistently hit over 500 hand speed, and still looked entirely at ease. No wonder she was a piano player; her basic skills were excellent.

Tang Rou finally noticed Chen Guo's fatigue and felt guilty, "Sorry, Guo Guo, I think I got a little too into it. How about we call it a day?"

Chen Guo looked at Tang Rou, who still had an unsatisfied expression. How could she not know that Tang Rou wanted to keep playing? But unfortunately, her hands were just too tired to continue.

At this moment, Chen Guo noticed Liu Hao coming over with breakfast. She excitedly stood up, grabbed the breakfast from Liu Hao's hands, and pushed him into her seat, "Dear, I'm exhausted. You take over and satisfy Xiao Tang for me; I'm off to eat breakfast!"

What kind of nonsense is that? What do you mean by "satisfy her"? Liu Hao mentally complained. He really didn't want to get involved, and it is evident that Chen Guo was deliberately getting back at him for making excuses to escape earlier.

Tang Rou glanced at Liu Hao. Although he was Chen Guo's boyfriend, she still disliked him because Liu Hao had previously called her "an old man playing with a child," which was incredibly insulting.

Women are usually petty creatures, and since Liu Hao had hit her sore spot, she would hold a grudge against him for a long time.

"Guo Guo said you're a professional player..."

Before Tang Rou could finish, Liu Hao quickly reached out and covered her mouth. With so many people around, Liu Hao had no intention of revealing his identity. He instinctively touched his mask, ensuring it still covered his face and that no one recognised him.

Liu Hao whispered, "Don't expose my identity!"

Tang Rou blushed and forcefully pushed Liu Hao's hand away. Now, she disliked Liu Hao even more. Even if you don't want to reveal your identity, you can't just cover a girl's mouth with your hand, right? Don't you know the principle that men and women shouldn't touch each other? Especially since you're Guo Guo's boyfriend.

Noticing Tang Rou's aggrieved expression, as if she'd been wronged, Liu Hao's heart sank. Great, now he had offended Tang Rou entirely. Even though he was a villain, it seemed way too easy for people to hate him.

(End of chapter)

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