Chapter 48: A Public Apology
Everything that happened afterward was still crystal clear in Chi Zhen's mind, as though it had happened only yesterday.
Back then, the game had built-in voice chat for party members. Qianli Jiangling was incredibly patient. Whenever Chi Zhen didn't know which way to go, he'd simply tell him to follow behind him. Before every boss fight, he'd carefully explain the boss's mechanics—what attacks had to be dodged, what skills needed to be interrupted, and how an Archer should chain their abilities together.
Only then did Chi Zhen realize that Qianli Jiangling hadn't really "heard that an Archer's Repeating Crossbow was strong." He already knew Archers inside and out. He'd only said that to help Chi Zhen save face.
Qianli Jiangling was amazing.
It was the first time Chi Zhen had truly understood what a high-level player was. For the first time, he realized that playing games wasn't just about mashing buttons. It required thought. Strategy. Game sense. Working together with teammates. Understanding your teammates. You couldn't simply charge in and attack.
Qianli Jiangling's commands were always concise and easy to understand. As long as everyone followed his instructions, dungeon runs became unbelievably simple. Before Chi Zhen even realized it, they'd already cleared the dungeon with ease.
Qianli Jiangling told him that it was perfectly normal for new max-level players not to know what they were doing. He suggested looking up game guides, and if there was anything Chi Zhen didn't understand, he could always ask him.
The other party members called him a pro and told Chi Zhen that Qianli Jiangling made game guide videos on Bilibili. He should go watch them.
Chi Zhen really did.
The creator's ID on Bilibili was still Qianli Jiangling. His newest videos were all about this mobile MMORPG. Scrolling further back revealed guides for all sorts of other games.
Chi Zhen started watching them one after another.
The guide videos reflected Qianli Jiangling's leadership style—clear, straightforward, and easy to understand. Chi Zhen learned a tremendous amount. He added Qianli Jiangling as a friend in-game. The two even agreed to play together whenever they had the chance.
From then on, Chi Zhen became obsessed with studying game guides online. Learning. Practicing. Improving.
Qianli Jiangling's online schedule barely overlapped with most players'. At first, Chi Zhen rarely ran into him. Later, he gradually noticed a pattern. Qianli Jiangling usually logged in around seven or eight in the morning and logged off before noon. Occasionally, he'd come online at three or four in the morning. But after noon, he was almost never around.
He didn't seem like a student. Nor did he seem like a typical office worker. Eventually, Chi Zhen guessed that he probably worked afternoon or night shifts. Maybe he'd play games after getting off work before going to sleep.
Playing with Qianli Jiangling was incredibly fun. Whether it was running dungeons or PvP, every experience was enjoyable. Everything felt easier with an expert by your side. When he gave commands, he never lost his temper. Instead, he constantly praised everyone. Not empty compliments, either. He pointed out exactly what each person had done well. It was as though he could always see everyone's strengths. Even on days when someone performed terribly and made mistake after mistake, he never got angry. He would simply laugh and say, "Today's been especially challenging. Not bad."
Gradually, Chi Zhen adjusted his own schedule. He started logging in at three or four in the morning. He skipped daytime classes. After gaming all morning, he'd sleep in the dorm all afternoon.
Qianli Jiangling wasn't online every day. Chi Zhen figured his work schedule must have been irregular. Some days were day shifts. Some were night shifts. Sometimes he simply needed to rest.
Whenever the expert was online, Chi Zhen never dared initiate a conversation. Even if he wanted to, he had no idea what to say. So he'd quietly wait until Qianli Jiangling typed in the guild chat: "Anyone want to run a dungeon?" Only then would Chi Zhen appear. Over time, things changed. Eventually, whenever Qianli Jiangling saw him online, he'd ask first. "Shouhu, want to run a dungeon?"
After they'd played together several times, the guild gradually realized Chi Zhen was actually pretty skilled. More and more people added him as a friend. But he rarely chatted privately with any of them. Nor did he often play with anyone else.
Back then… He only wanted to play with Qianli Jiangling. It was strange. Almost like a duckling imprinting on the first person it saw.
Deep down, he'd always thought of Qianli Jiangling as his mentor.
That period lasted three or four months.
By then, his teachers had already given up on him. They informed him that once his absences reached the limit, the school would expel him outright. His classmates had stopped bothering with him, too. Whenever they left for class, no one even tried waking him anymore.
Chi Zhen didn't care. If he got expelled, he'd just find a job. He'd be even freer then. He could play games whenever he wanted. No one would be able to stop him. Maybe he could even find a night-shift job. Then he'd always be able to play with Qianli Jiangling.
But… That was nothing more than wishful thinking.
Later, Qianli Jiangling added his Weibo account to the end of one of his game guide videos. After following it, Chi Zhen discovered the truth. The expert wasn't some ordinary worker. He was an international student pursuing a master's degree at a prestigious university.
Not long afterward… Qianli Jiangling quit the game because he became too busy with his studies.
Chi Zhen quit as well.
He cut off his messy hair. Started attending classes on time. Studied with everything he had. And set himself the goal of getting into university.
Everyone was shocked. His teachers. His classmates. His parents.
And now… They had met again in Wendao Qingtian.
Sometimes Chi Zhen felt as though he were dreaming.
Qianli Jiangling— Now known as Wujin Shi— Still gave him the same joyful gaming experience whenever they played together. But at the same time… He constantly filled Chi Zhen with a deep sense of inadequacy.
He didn't know why.
He never felt that way when playing with Qingtian Wai, Gou-jie, or Qian Yu.
[...? Are you just zoning out on stream?]
[Hurry up and party with your husband already!]
[Come on, give us some romance drama. I've worked all day—I need some emotional healing, thanks.]
[HOLY SHIT! WEI YU NING QIU!]
Chi Zhen had been lost in thought when an invitation suddenly popped up on his screen.
[System] Player Wei Yu Ning Qiu has invited you to share a pleasure boat ride. Accept?
An ornate pleasure boat was moored directly in front of Qingzhou Yiguo, waiting for his response.
Chi Zhen stared in disbelief. What was Wei Yu Ning Qiu trying to do?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Get on. I need to talk to you.
Chi Zhen thought it over for two seconds before clicking Accept. After all, he was a game streamer. His chat was flooding with messages telling him to board the boat—they wanted drama. Besides, PvP wasn't allowed in the main city. And Wei Yu Ning Qiu was a healer. She couldn't beat him up even if she wanted to. What was there to be afraid of?
After boarding, Chi Zhen quietly adjusted the camera and secretly admired Wei Yu Ning Qiu's luxurious pleasure boat.
It was the most expensive boat sold in the cash shop, costing a whopping 998 yuan. It served absolutely no purpose. It was simply for leisurely cruising around the river in the main city.
Still… For something that cost 998 yuan, it truly was exquisite. Standing at the rail, with shimmering reflections dancing across the water and lantern-lit buildings lining both riverbanks, the atmosphere was undeniably romantic.
Chi Zhen rotated the camera again and glanced at the space above Wei Yu Ning Qiu's head. The spot where her guild name should have been was completely blank. No guild had accepted her yet.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: I'll say this first—I'm streaming.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: I'm looking for a guild. Your team needs a healer. Why won't you let me join?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: ...
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Are you still angry about being hunted? I've already apologized to you. Besides, I was the only one who put you on my kill list. I never told anyone else to hunt you down.
[This tea-spilling logic is giving me a brain hemorrhage.]
[The audacity of this girl... wow.]
[But we have to admit, her mechanics really are excellent.]
[If Wei Yu Ning Qiu joined Wujin Shi and Xiao Chi's team, I can't even imagine how incredible this year's Wendao Tournament would be.]
[I refuse to believe there isn't another healer on this server who's just as good.]
[That assumes they'd even want to join Wujin Shi's team. The really good healers already belong to established guilds. Who'd join your newbie guild?]
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: I'm not angry anymore. I don't really care.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Then let me join Xiao Cai Guild.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: I'll just ask directly. Do you want to join Xiao Cai Guild because of Wujin Shi?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: ?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: Otherwise, you can't find a guild anywhere on Moonfall Starsinking Server. Why not just transfer servers?
That was true. Why not transfer?
Normally, when someone became infamous on a server after a huge public scandal, they simply moved elsewhere. If they didn't want to start from scratch, they could either buy another player's account or pay to transfer their existing character to a different server.
Wouldn't it be much easier to play somewhere nobody knew her?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: If I really can't find a guild, I do plan on transferring.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: ...Then transfer.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: It's just that I think Wujin Shi's team looks interesting. Besides, he invited me before. I turned him down back then. If I accept now, what's wrong with that?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: Why did you reject him before?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Oh. Because I told him I'd only join if he became my cultivation partner.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: He refused.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: ...
[I've officially surrendered to this woman.]
[Why does Wei Yu Ning Qiu seem so completely carefree?]
[Is she seriously trying to stir up another storm on Moonfall Starsinking Server? Why is she telling Xiao Chi all this now?]
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Way of Heaven and Dominate the Firmament hunting you down had nothing to do with me. Han Jian Ying and An Yu acted on their own.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Oh... maybe not An Yu. Maybe it was his dao companion.
Chi Zhen almost laughed from sheer exasperation.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: How could it have nothing to do with you? At least Han Jian Ying did it because of you.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Isn't that just how role-playing games work?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: ...
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: That's what makes games exciting—online romances, fighting over people, stuff like that.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: You're not still in elementary school, are you?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: ? I'm a university student.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: I came to you because I don't really want to transfer servers. I think both you and Wujin Shi are really good. Playing with you two is fun.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Of course, if you insist on not letting me join, then I'll just transfer.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: Recruiting me is your best option. You might not find another healer as good as me.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: What about Han Jian Ying?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: What's Han Jian Ying got to do with this? Are you worried he'll cause trouble for your guild?
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: He won't. He already told me that whatever happens to me from now on has nothing to do with him, and he won't bother whatever guild I join next.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: If it's Dominating the Firmament, though, there's nothing I can do. An Yu's dao companion is kind of ridiculous—she keeps picking fights with me.
Reading Wei Yu Ning Qiu's messages, Chi Zhen recognized every single word. Yet somehow, when they were put together… He couldn't understand her way of thinking at all.
Wei Yu Ning Qiu didn't seem to care about anyone. Just as the viewers had said— She was utterly carefree.
To her, Wujin Shi...Han Jian Ying...An Yu… They were all just sources of amusement while playing a game.
When Wujin Shi rejected her, she hadn't truly been heartbroken. After hurting Han Jian Ying and getting kicked out of Way of Heaven, she hadn't genuinely cared either.
Maybe Wei Yu Ning Qiu really was an exceptionally beautiful woman. Maybe games were simply entertainment to her. Nothing that happened in-game truly mattered.
If things went badly, she'd transfer servers. Or quit altogether.
Chi Zhen felt strangely numb.
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: Have you ever considered that Han Jian Ying genuinely likes you?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: Have you ever considered that when you dismissed An Yu's feelings in front of so many people and mocked his username, Liuli Xin would be hurt? Because unlike you, she really does love An Yu.
[Nearby] Wei Yu Ning Qiu: ?
[Nearby] Qingzhou Yiguo: If you want to join Xiao Cai Guild...Then apologize publicly to Han Jian Ying and An Yu in world chat, in front of the entire server.
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