Liu Hao's Foreshadowing, the Storage Room  

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, and the cold wind cut against Ye Qiu's face like icy blades. Ye Qiu stuffed his hands into his pockets, but they still turned red from the cold. He glanced around and then entered a brightly lit internet café.

The name of the café—is Happy Internet Club.

"Can you open a machine for me?"

"ID card, please."

Ye Qiu pulled his ID card out of his pocket and slapped it onto the counter. The young female attendant swiftly opened a machine for him. "Zone C, Number 47. Please keep your ID safe."

Ye Qiu pocketed his ID and walked into the café, muttering the machine number to himself. When he reached Number 47, he saw that a woman was already sitting there, engrossed in a game of Glory.

Her side profile was beautiful, with light makeup, resembling a delicate porcelain doll, yet she exuded the charm of a mature woman.

Of course, Ye Qiu's main focus was on the game. Although her hand speed was slow, around 120 actions per minute, her moves were precise and relentless, completely dominating her opponent.

Her playstyle seemed familiar. It looked a lot like Su Mucheng's. Could this person be a fan of Su Mucheng?

Chen Guo casually destroyed her opponent and felt someone standing behind her. She turned around and saw Ye Qiu smiling, "Ye Xiu, you're here!"

Ye Qiu was taken aback. This woman knew him? Wait, he had seen her before. She seemed to be Liu Hao's girlfriend. Her name was... Chen Guo?

"Hi, I..."

"You want to use the machine, right? I'll move." Chen Guo stood up with a smile.

Ye Qiu thanked her and had just sat down when Chen Guo curiously asked, "Did you retire?"

Ye Qiu froze. He had just been kicked out of Excellent Era, and she already knew? How did the news spread so fast?

"Don't be surprised," Chen Guo guessed what Ye Qiu was thinking and explained, "Your vice-captain told me. He said you retired today and had nowhere to go, so you'd definitely come here."

Ye Qiu fell silent. He knew Liu Hao was good at predictions, but wasn't that limited to the game? How did Liu Hao predict he would come to Happy Internet Club?

"Also, your vice-captain told me that you're out of a job and have nowhere to stay after retiring, so he asked me to offer you a job with accommodation." Chen Guo said with a playful smile. "Ye Xiu, would you like to work here as an attendant? I'm the owner. It's a night shift job, with meals and accommodation included. You can play on the computers whenever you want, and the pay is 1,800 a month. Since it's a night shift, I'll add another 500."

Ye Qiu was a bit dizzy. Your vice-captain? Was she talking about Liu Hao? Was he really being arranged by Liu Hao to work for his girlfriend?

Something didn't feel right about this, but he couldn't put his finger on it. Still, working as an attendant didn't sound too bad—free meals and accommodation, plus pay and access to the computers whenever he wanted.

"Thank you, Boss Lady. By the way, what should I call you?" Ye Qiu asked.

"Chen Guo. Just call me Chen Guo."

"That doesn't seem right. I'll call you Boss Lady," Ye Qiu said.

"Suit yourself." Chen Guo laughed. "Since you're going to be an attendant, let me show you around the place."

Ye Qiu wasn't in a rush to play anymore. After all, he'd be working here now and wouldn't have to pay for internet time. He stood up and followed Chen Guo around the café.

Happy Internet Club was quite large, and thanks to Liu Hao's private promotion efforts, business was booming. Nearly all of the thousand machines were occupied.

Chen Guo explained the various duties of being an attendant, and Ye Qiu nodded repeatedly, though it was unclear how much he actually absorbed.

After the tour, Chen Guo led Ye Qiu upstairs.

Happy Internet Club had two floors. The first floor was the internet café, and the second floor was Chen Guo's home and the employee dormitory.

"Next, I'll arrange your accommodation," Ye Qiu said as he looked around. "The place is nicely decorated. Oh, there's even a TV in the living room. The bathroom is luxurious, too. It even has a bathtub... a two-person massage bathtub, no less."

After a tour, Ye Qiu finally asked the crucial question, "So, Chen-jie, where will I be staying?"

"I'm sorry, but the employee dormitory is full, so I'll have to put you here temporarily." Chen Guo pointed to a small, cramped storage room at the end of the hallway.

When Ye Qiu opened the door, he was stunned. The rest of the place was so well-decorated, but this room was a mess!

Chen Guo blushed slightly. She had recently renovated the second floor, and she had planned to renovate the storage room as well, but Liu Hao had objected.

Liu Hao said the storage room didn't need renovating because it would be of essential use in the future.

Chen Guo didn't understand what use a messy storage room could have, but since Liu Hao requested it, she followed his advice.

Ye Qiu was a bit resistant to the room but still held onto some hope. He asked, "When I was coming in, I noticed an empty room. Is that Liu Hao's room?"

Ye Qiu knew Chen Guo was Liu Hao's girlfriend. Back in the Excellent Era, Liu Hao would often mock Su Mucheng for being single, which really upset her.

Chen Guo explained, "That's my friend's room. She's coming back tomorrow, so I tidied it up today."

What Chen Guo didn't mention was that Liu Hao actually stayed in her room when he came to Happy...

Ye Qiu sighed and accepted reality. At least he had a place to stay.

What Ye Qiu didn't know was that the storage room had originally been relatively clean. However, at Liu Hao's request, Chen Guo had added more clutter, making the already cramped room even more negligible.

Hearing Ye Qiu agree so readily, Chen Guo felt a bit guilty. However, since it was Liu Hao's request, she had to comply, even if it meant inconveniencing Ye Qiu.

Ye Qiu walked into the storage room and took a closer look. On the west wall, there was a small window offering a clear view of the street outside under the streetlight.

Wait... that person looks familiar. Isn't that Liu Hao? Why is he here, too? Ye Qiu was puzzled, but he didn't dwell on it. He had left Excellent Era, and there was no animosity between him and Liu Hao anymore. Surely Liu Hao wouldn't come after him just to cause more trouble, right?

Ye Qiu chuckled to himself, thinking about how his career had come to this point—what a sad fate for a professional player.

Watching Ye Qiu's changing expressions, Chen Guo thought to herself that this obscure little substitute player was way too sentimental. In TV dramas, people like this always have big stories behind them.

"How about it? Want to get used to the job by pulling an all-nighter tonight?" Chen Guo asked. "Of course, since you retired today, you could start working tomorrow instead. You could just rest early tonight."

Ye Qiu shook his head. "No need to rest. I'll stay up all night. Besides, tonight is the launch of the tenth server."

"Now that you mention it, I almost forgot!" Chen Guo exclaimed. "I won't sleep either. Let's join in the fun in the new server."

The two of them went downstairs. Ye Qiu headed for the smoking section, while Chen Guo casually picked a machine in the non-smoking section and waited for the server to open.

…

Liu Hao entered Happy Internet Club wearing a mask. He waved at the front desk attendant, who recognised him immediately and pointed inside. "Chen-Jie is in there."

"Thank you."

Liu Hao made his way to Zone C and spotted Chen Guo sitting in a corner. He walked over and sat beside her.

"Why are you here?" Chen Guo asked in surprise. When Liu Hao called her earlier to arrange Ye Xiu's job, she had assumed he wouldn't be coming over tonight.

"I missed you. Can't I come to see my girlfriend?" Liu Hao smiled.

"Seriously? With the great beauty Su Mucheng by your side, you'd still miss me?" Chen Guo pretended to be angry.

Liu Hao chuckled helplessly. Women really were creatures of insecurity. As long as there was another female around their boyfriends, they'd get jealous—even of a kitten.

"How about I transfer to Blue Rain? Blue Rain is a monastery; not only are there no female players, but there aren't even any female trainees. That way, you won't have to worry anymore." Liu Hao teased.

Chen Guo burst out laughing and lightly patted Liu Hao on the head. "Come on, you really think I'm jealous? And if Yu Wenzhou heard you badmouthing Blue Rain like that, he'd definitely come after you next time."

Liu Hao spread his hands and said calmly, "Yu Wenzhou? He's just a cripple. I can beat him with one hand."

"Talk about being full of it," Chen Guo laughed. "By the way, speaking of hands, is yours really okay now?"

Liu Hao shook his head. "It's fine. I'll be back in the starting lineup next match."

The real reason for Liu Hao's break wasn't something he had told Chen Guo. He didn't want her to know about the dark side of Excellent Era just yet, so he lied, saying he had injured his hand while working out and was temporarily unable to play.

When Chen Guo first heard about it, she was heartbroken and pampered Liu Hao like a prince for two weeks. After seeing that his hand didn't seem seriously injured, she finally felt reassured.

"I'm so glad you can play again," Chen Guo said, beaming with joy.

"Has Ye Xiu arrived yet? I haven't seen him," Liu Hao suddenly asked.

"He's here, in the smoking section. He looks a bit down as if he's been through something rough," Chen Guo replied.

Of course, he's been through something rough. After years of hard work at Excellent Era, with both accomplishments and contributions, he was kicked out like a stray dog. Even his character, One Autumn Leaf, was handed over to someone else… Liu Hao didn't want Chen Guo to know the whole story. If she did, given her admiration for Ye Qiu, how would she look at him?

Though it wasn't Liu Hao's intention to kick Ye Xiu out, he certainly had contributed to it. But there was no point in dwelling on that now. What was done was done.

"What time is it?" Liu Hao asked.

"Why? Are you in a hurry? Not tonight. It's the launch of the tenth server," Chen Guo grinned. "How about joining me on the new server? With a Glory expert leading the way, maybe we can snag a couple of dungeon first kills!"

"Let's do it." Liu Hao readily agreed.

…

When the clock struck midnight, the tenth server opened right on time. Almost all the Glory players in the café logged in simultaneously, their cursors hovering over the server selection screen, eagerly clicking to enter the new server.

Upon entering a new server, players typically compete for rankings, race for first kills in dungeons, and vie for speedrun records. Besides the leaderboard rewards, the most crucial part is that once someone achieves a first kill or sets a clear record for a new dungeon, their character ID is broadcast across the entire server, which is commonly referred to as "getting on TV."

If winning a championship is the greatest glory for professional players, then "getting on TV" is the most incredible honour for regular players.

Liu Hao had little interest in this sort of thing, but since Chen Guo wanted to get on TV, he would do his best to help her.

Chen Guo's eyes were wide open. Ever since receiving the Gunner strategy guide from Liu Hao, her skills have improved dramatically, and her ability in Glory has reached the level of an elite player. Though she couldn't yet perform advanced techniques like gun pressing, she had already mastered most of the high-level tricks for a Gunner.

Newbies often lose interest in games quickly, but for experts, it's a whole different story. Now, Chen Guo was deeply obsessed with Glory and usually dragged Liu Hao to play with her during their breaks.

One must spoil one's girlfriend, right? So, Liu Hao would secretly help Chen Guo play online games even during training sessions. Ye Qiu wasn't happy about it, but Liu Hao didn't care. He was the villain, and he was glad to be one! Besides, with no matches to play, he had plenty of free time!

…

Chen Guo created a new account, still named "Chasing Haze," and chose a heavy cannon as her weapon. Liu Hao followed by creating an account called "Grieving Haze." Initially, he had thought of using "Soft Mist," but then decided to leave that name for Tang Rou.

Liu Hao wasn't too familiar with the progression of a new server; so under Chen Guo's guidance, he followed the steps to accept and complete the quests. Before long, he had reached level seven.

Liu Hao's weapon of choice was a pair of automatic pistols. He was tired of playing Spellblade, so he wanted to try out a new class.

When they arrived at Green Forest, Chen Guo started yawning. She wasn't good at staying up late, but with Liu Hao by her side, she was reluctant to go to sleep.

"Let's get a first kill, then go to bed. Staying up late gives girls wrinkles," Liu Hao said softly.

Chen Guo softly responded with an "Mm," nodded, and said, "Then tonight, I want you to hold me while we sleep~."

Before Liu Hao could respond, a disdainful "Ugh~" suddenly came from nearby. Startled, Chen Guo realised she hadn't muted her mic and blushed.

"Couples showing off their affection in online games will be hunted down across the entire server!" someone growled from behind, clearly jealous.

Liu Hao turned around and saw the ID floating above the sword-wielding character's head, causing him to burst out laughing.

Sleep Admist Joy! Little Moon Moon!

"Looks like you two are newbies. How about I, a big expert, carry you?" Sleep Admist Joy offered with a smile, though inwardly, he added maliciously, "Once we're in the dungeon, I'll definitely make sure to sabotage you two lovebirds."

Liu Hao knew Sleep Admist Joy' tricks well. This guy loved sabotaging his teammates to hog the boss's rewards, but his acting was too poor and had already been seen through by Ye Qiu.

Liu Hao thought to himself, "If it were me acting, I'd make sure to trick my teammates to death, and they'd still be grateful! Even Ye Qiu would realise it only after I had fooled him."

"Sure, we're short of people. Let's form a team," Liu Hao smiled, looking as innocent as a harmless young boy.

Chen Guo, however, raised her eyebrows. A newbie? She was a top-tier online player, the renowned captain of Team Seven of the Excellent Era in God's Domain, Chasing Haze. 

Chen Guo was about to proudly announce her name when Liu Hao hugged her and covered her mouth.

"Play along and pretend to be a newbie," Liu Hao whispered. "Trust me, you'll love the feeling of showing off and smacking him down later."

Hearing this, Chen Guo nodded enthusiastically. Smackdown Sleep Admist Joy? That would be awesome!

Just as the three of them finished forming their team, another character carrying a giant umbrella approached, speaking in a sleepy tone: "Yo, short on people? Count me in."

Sleep Admist Joy looked at the strange weapon in the hands of the character named Lord Grim and laughed, "Sure, brother, you're in!"

And so, Lord Grim joined the team.

Liu Hao, knowing the storyline, instantly recognised that Lord Grim was actually Ye Qiu. But Chen Guo didn't realise it; she hadn't recognised that Lord Grim was actually her newly hired network manager.

"What's that weapon? I've never seen it before," Chen Guo whispered to Liu Hao. "Is it some new promotional weapon from the official website? Why didn't I get one?"

"Oh, that's a Silver weapon," Liu Hao replied.

"Silver weapon!" Chen Guo's mouth dropped open. A big shot with a Silver weapon on the first day of the new server? Wait a minute; it's impossible to craft a silver gun as soon as the server launches. How did he do it?

Sleep Admist Joy had been waiting for ages but couldn't get a final player to join. Seeing the couple IDs "Chasing Haze" and "Grieving Haze," he understood: who would want to join a team with a pair of lovebirds?

No longer willing to wait, Sleep Admist Joy shouted, "Let's start the dungeon!"

At that moment, an unsettling voice cut in: "How do we divide the loot if a hidden boss appears?"

Liu Hao and Chen Guo didn't care much about the loot since they were just playing for fun, but Ye Qiu needed materials from the dungeon bosses, so he wasn't going to ignore this issue—especially since Sleep Admist Joy was the team leader.

(End of Chapter)

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