Chapter 100 – The Strong Arrival

It wasn’t a question but a statement, not Milk Mom but Fang Zheng. Each word was calm, yet each word cut like a knife, making one feel an inexplicable sense of duty—”I must be the shameless adulterer.”

Polly was usually a man of few words. The fact that he had gone out of his way to send a private message like this meant he was already ten times sure. Playing dumb and acting cute depended on the situation and occasion. At this moment, Polly gave Xiong Yun a sixth sense that if he wasn’t honest with his words, his brains would be eaten. Based on this brutal sensory experience, he decided to play the traitor.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Yep.

Polly was silent for a long time before sending a second message—

[Whisper] Polly: Living together?

Diamond Bear couldn’t see any difference between this and the previous opener. If they were together, they must be living together, right? Unless they were so into visiting each other that they pulled out a notebook mid-hug and said, “Let’s play a round, go!” That’s not… wait! Diamond suddenly realized something, quickly deleting the word “of course” he had already typed and tremblingly inputting—

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: We do live together, but not in the way you think! There’s absolutely nothing improper between us!

Damn, I almost fell into that pit TAT

[Whisper] Polly: Then what’s the relationship?

Fatty, sorry >_<

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: A business partnership. We’re planning to expand the power-leveling business, and his place is the temporary base, so I came here for an on-site inspection and negotiations.

Meng Chudong froze. The moment Diamond replied with “yep,” a tidal wave of deductions had surged through his mind, but none of them matched this answer. In reality, it was perfectly normal for a twenty-five-year-old man to want to start something. When he partnered with Lu Yue, he was around the same age. Though Lu Yue had approached him first, he had also felt it was time to do something and stop idling around, which was why they hit it off. But for Fang Zheng, he had never thought about these things. Even with daily Morning Calls, the game was still the most important thing. He simply assumed that person would always be in the game, logging in to see him, gathering to grind mobs and run dungeons—as if that was life, or even the entirety of life.

Ultimately, did he like Fang Zheng, or did he like Milk is Mom?

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Well, I’ve told you everything I know, but don’t let Milk Mom know. He made me promise to keep it a secret.

[Whisper] Polly: Okay.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: I figure he wants to make it a success before revealing it, make it look good, maybe even surprise you. If it fails, he can just pretend it never happened and save face.

[Whisper] Polly: I understand.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Pfft, without my explanation, you’d understand?

[Whisper] Polly: Yes.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Yeah, right.

[Whisper] Polly: No need to be nervous.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Huh?

[Whisper] Polly: I mean, you don’t have to be nervous talking to me.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Nervous your ass!

[Whisper] Polly: Your usual flirty tildes are gone.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: ……

What kind of messed-up legion is this?! The Commander is a meatball! The Vice Commander is a devil!!! TAT

[Whisper] Polly: By the way, give me the address.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Milk Mom’s place?

[Whisper] Polly: Yeah, I’ll give him a little surprise first ^_^

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Polly, don’t smile like that, it’s creepy =_=

Although Fang Zheng had picked them up from the station, just in case, he had sent his home address to Diamond and Fifth Brother beforehand. So, quietly digging out the text message, Diamond sent the address over via whisper.

Polly said thanks and didn’t bother with any more chatter.

On the other hand, Diamond sat there mulling it over for a long time. The more he thought about it, the more interesting the whole thing seemed. The earlier tension of “being caught in an affair” quietly dissipated as his gossipy heart swelled.

The boss fell, and the system announced the First Kill. Unfortunately, the loot was terrible—nothing good dropped. Because of the carpet search that night, many new bosses had been taken down, so this one’s fall didn’t cause much of a stir. Plus, it was getting late, so Fang Zheng announced they’d disband for the night and regroup tomorrow.

Working folks like 2B Fighter Jet and Your Uncle logged off to sleep, while student types like Drink Your Sister 3X would still wander around for another hour or so. Fang Zheng didn’t log off but just went AFK, sprawling in his chair. “Damn, I’m exhausted. Where the hell is that godforsaken level 70 quest~~~~~~~~~”

The Commander’s lung capacity was no joke—the lingering, drawn-out whine perfectly expressed his frustration and despair.

Fifth Brother, holding his laptop, flopped onto the sofa. “Instead of howling, why not check 58 Tongcheng to see what the rental and hiring prices are like now? Don’t forget why we’re here.”

Fang Zheng facepalmed. “Why weren’t you this righteous when we were fighting the boss earlier…?”

Fifth Brother: “Times change, circumstances differ.”

Fang Zheng: “Fine, I’m hungry.”

Fifth Brother: “Damn it, what does that have to do with anything?!”

The hungry Commander resisted the urge to eat through sheer willpower, but the gossipy teammate could no longer hold back. Taking advantage of the fact that Birdy hadn’t logged off yet, he sent a whisper—

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Have you met Milk Mom before?

Meng Chudong was about to go AFK and watch a movie when he saw Diamond’s message. After a moment’s thought, he replied.

[Whisper] Polly: No, just seen photos.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Oh? What were the photos like?

[Whisper] Polly: Just an ordinary fat guy, nothing special.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: ……

[Whisper] Polly: Don’t worry, I won’t be so heartbroken when I see the real thing that I cover my face and run away, never to meet again.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: What’s there to worry about? I’m not concerned about that fatty! I’m just being nosy!

[Whisper] Polly: Heh.

Why does it feel like this guy can read minds? =_=

Diamond subconsciously looked up at the corner of the ceiling—of course, there were no surveillance devices there.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Like you said, even his fatness isn’t special. So what do you like about him?

City Toppling Beauty had asked this before, and Birdy still clearly remembered his answer. He had said Fang Zheng was interesting—unconsciously silly yet completely unaware of it. He said he wanted to see him happy, preferably forever smug and cocky. He had even boldly declared that if Fang Zheng was willing, he’d let him be Peter Pan forever.

But the reality was that Milk Mom had been letting Polly be Peter Pan in the game—carefree, simple, and happy—while Fang Zheng, outside the game, was thinking about how to survive in real life.

[Whisper] Polly: I don’t know, which is why I need to go inspect the goods.

[Whisper] 2nd to No1: Are you excavating artifacts or something…?

Originally planning to log off and find a movie, Meng Chudong closed his computer right after chatting with Diamond.

The girl at the internet café saw him heading upstairs and asked in surprise, “Boss, calling it a night so early?”

Meng Chudong smiled. “Yeah, gonna pack. Heading out tomorrow.”

“You’re so toxic, so toxic, so toxic, wuwuwu~~~”

Though it had only been one day, Diamond had already learned to calmly reinterpret this sleep-disrupting ringtone as “Chubby, wake up, wake up, wake up, up, up,” instantly neutralizing its lethality. Rolling over, he could peacefully return to sleep.

Fang Zheng had also grown more composed. Knowing Diamond wouldn’t cause trouble, he answered the phone as usual, his half-asleep voice silently condemning the caller’s inhumanity. “I’m up, I’m up. Life goes on, dieting never ends.”

The person on the other end seemed to chuckle softly, then Fang Zheng heard a voice dripping with affection: “Good boy.”

Still not fully awake, he wondered if this so-called affection was just his imagination. But after a few more sentences, he could tell—the other person was in an exceptionally good mood.

Had something good happened?

But Birdy didn’t give him a chance to probe. After confirming the Commander would get up to exercise, he ended the call as briskly as usual. Fang Zheng didn’t dwell on it, getting up to wash up before heading out for a jog in the morning sun.

Jiang Yang’s call came at noon. Fang Zheng was in the middle of boiling noodles for the two masters when the water started bubbling. Just as he tossed in the noodles, before they’d even softened, his phone on the coffee table rang.

Seeing the caller ID, Fang Zheng paused before answering, asking uncertainly, “Mad Lad?”

Soon, Jiang Yang’s cheerful voice came through: “Please address me by my full, illustrious name.”

“Alright then,” Fang Zheng laughed. “Mr. Jiang Yang, to what do I owe the pleasure?”

“I’m on a business trip.”

“I know, Crossplayer told me.”

“And I just happened to pass by your place on the way back.”

“……”

“So I thought…”

“Screw off! Even if you paid me eight million, I wouldn’t meet you! You left me with scars that will never fade! Never fade, understand?!”

“Understood.”

“Hmph.”

“So, wanna grab a meal?”

“……”

Clear waters harbor no fish; shamelessness makes one invincible. Fang Zheng had once relied on these words to dominate the online world. Now, his Ghost Server comrades had all learned them =_=

But meeting Mad Lad this time was completely different from the last. The most obvious change was that he no longer agonized over what to wear—just threw on whatever was presentable and called it a day. His mood was the same. Gone was the nervousness and anxiety from before, replaced only by the anticipation of seeing an old friend—and the urge to grind his teeth.

If he didn’t bleed that guy’s wallet dry, he’d have failed as a pitiful “looks-like-shit-in-person” victim >_<

…

Meng Chudong stood quietly in front of the rickety security door with his backpack, taking deep breaths over and over until he felt he’d adjusted to the best possible state, then finally raised his hand to ring the doorbell.

“Who is it—?”

Through the door, Meng Chudong couldn’t quite tell if the voice was Fang Zheng’s, but his heart began racing uncontrollably.

Fortunately, the person inside didn’t wait for an answer, swinging the security door open without hesitation.

A handsome face!

The Deputy Commander was disappointed ╮(╯_╰)╭

“Does Fang Zheng live here?” The disappointment seeped into his tone, making it less enthusiastic.

But it was this very indifference that triggered Xiong Yun’s memory: “Polly?!”

Meng Chudong also recognized the voice: “Diamond?”

Mutual identification didn’t make the comrades inside and outside the door any friendlier. They stared at each other, brains working overtime.

Xiong Yun thought: Holy shit, did this guy take a rocket here or does he live in the next village? I feel like singing him a song—”Let’s go when we say go~ charging through the world with fiery passion~~~”

Meng Chudong thought: Quietly finding a business partner without telling me—fine. Living with said partner—no problem. Said partner being this handsome… Fatty, you’re dead.

Finally, Diamond Bear remembered to let the Vice Commander in. “Don’t just stand there, come in. Milk Mom went out to meet a friend. Said he’d be back after a meal, so he should be back soon.”

“Meet a friend?” In Birdy’s memory, Fang Zheng didn’t have much of a social circle. When they first met, he might’ve had two friends, but later, judging by how Fang Zheng was always online, it was clear he didn’t hang out with them much. Was today a sudden whim?

“Yeah, said it’s someone from out of town, just a meal and they’d leave. I thought it was you, so I was pretty scornful of this so-called ‘surprise.'” Diamond pulled over a chair for Polly to sit, then handed him a glass of water before plopping back onto the messy sofa.

Meng Chudong set the water on the coffee table, looking around before his gaze landed on the cot in the living room. “You sleep here?”

“Nah,” Diamond answered without thinking. “I sleep in the room.”

Meng Chudong’s eyes narrowed slightly. “He sleeps here?”

Diamond suddenly felt a chill and quickly shook his head. “No, Milk Mom sleeps in the room too.”

The Deputy Commander’s eyes narrowed completely.

Diamond felt his frail body was about to be frozen by that icy gaze and hurried to explain, but the bathroom door slid open with a clatter. Fifth Brother, fresh from a shower, came out shirtless, wearing only tight briefs, completely unabashed.

Explaining the relationship between the three of them drained Diamond’s energy. By the time Birdy’s expression softened, his mouth was parched. In the end, it was Fifth Brother’s 32GB collection of virtuous and talented Japanese actresses that dispelled the Vice Commander’s doubts, successfully turning an enemy into a friend.

The sound of keys turning in the lock came from the entrance just as the three comrades were happily playing Landlords together.

“Guess who’s here? You’ll never guess!” The Commander’s voice arrived before he did.

Diamond and Fifth Brother exchanged glances, thinking this should’ve been their line. The next second, Fang Zheng walked in, followed by a suave businessman.

“Jiang Yang—Mad Lad. When he heard you two were here, he insisted on coming to say hi. Surprised? Thrilled~~~”

Fifth Brother and Diamond turned to Birdy in unison.

Yep. Very surprised. Very thrilled. No amount of 500GB Japanese actresses could salvage this now.