Chapter 223 – Reunion with an Old Foe

The challenge from No Birds Over a Thousand Mountains sank into oblivion after repeated failed attempts to schedule a fight. Rumor had it that he had originally planned to follow the Commander’s example and take a trip to relax, but since servers were still eyeing Holy Light Sanctuary’s City Gate Tower covetously, losing one Commander was already the limit. Reluctantly, he stayed behind, but unless absolutely necessary, he refused to take action anymore. Instead, he spent his days sitting atop his own City Gate Tower, watching the clouds, admiring the moon, and enjoying the breeze, seeking inner peace in the vast beauty of nature.

Whether it was the Dutch Chamber of Commerce’s silence that dampened other servers’ enthusiasm for Huaxia Summit or whether the failed Dutch Chamber of Commerce or Iceborn had spread some terrifying rumors when they returned, for a long time afterward, no one dared to attack Huaxia Summit again. The Summit server’s players finally relaxed their tense nerves. Although the Summit Assault Team still occasionally tested Holy Light Sanctuary, defenders like the Ghost Server Legion were completely idle. Aside from occasionally running dungeons or bullying world bosses, they spent most of their time gathering materials, refining demons, browsing the Item Mall, and flirting.

Fang Zheng and Meng Chudong, meanwhile, devoted more time to the studio. The prices of accounts for the new game had already peaked, and invitation codes were nearing astronomical prices—though the latter were practically impossible to sell, changing hands only once every ten days to half a month. So, the studio’s members focused on accounts, working overtime to level up like crazy, hoping to sell all their max-level accounts while prices were still high. Otherwise, as the open beta date approached, prices would inevitably drop.

After several spring rains, the weather warmed up completely.

Fang Zheng swapped his sweater for a T-shirt and realized that clothes that had fit snugly last year now seemed a bit loose. While they didn’t swing around like sacks, the style had shifted from casual to hip-hop. Thrilled, Fang Zheng spent the next few days cycling through all his T-shirts, wearing a different one each day and enjoying the novelty. Unfortunately, the audience didn’t share his joy. If it had been streetwear fashion, they could’ve at least admired the clothes if not the model, but these looked like cheap roadside stall purchases—today a giant “忍” (Endure) on the chest, tomorrow a fierce tiger coming down a mountain on the back—dragging down the entire studio’s aesthetic. Eventually, his coworkers couldn’t take it anymore and sent Fifth Brother as their representative to complain to Birdy about the partner’s questionable taste. After listening, Birdy tilted his head thoughtfully and said, “I think it’s cute.” At that point, Fifth Brother fully understood: love isn’t blind—it has no sight to begin with.

Fang Zheng remained blissfully unaware of these minor dramas, cheerfully changing outfits daily and enthusiastically leveling up. The studio’s profits rose steadily alongside the accounts’ levels. Everything was smooth sailing, seemingly headed toward a bright future—until one gloomy morning…

Hou Cong¹One of the two new employees introduced in chapter 126, if you need a refresher. ran away.

Hou Cong’s disappearance came without warning. The night before, during the daily work summary meeting, he had calmly reported his account progress and diligently outlined the next day’s plan. But after a night’s sleep, he was gone. At first, everyone frantically searched for him, but his phone was always off. Fang Zheng was on the verge of calling the police when Meng Chudong found a clue in the new game accounts Hou Cong had left behind, cracking the case.

Hou Cong had four new game accounts—two max-level and two still leveling. Though he’d fled, he hadn’t changed the passwords, likely knowing it would be pointless since they could be recovered. Meng Chudong logged into each one, communicating with the accounts’ friends. Since these were leveling alts, they shouldn’t have many friends—most were added for leveling or trading purposes. In just a few sentences, Meng Chudong uncovered the truth from one of the max-level account’s friends.

At noon the day before his disappearance, while Hou Cong’s second account was about to hit max level, his party killed a world boss and dropped a Legendary Weapon usable only at max level. By sheer luck, he won the roll and immediately announced in World Chat that it was for sale to the highest bidder. On an alpha test server, whales were everywhere. Within an hour, the weapon sold for 500,000 in-game currency—to this very friend. According to him, Hou Cong spent the rest of the afternoon shouting in World Chat, selling the currency at a discount instead of leveling. By evening, he’d stopped. The friend estimated that 500,000 in-game currency normally exchanged for around 20,000 RMB, and even with discounts, Hou Cong likely pocketed at least 15,000.

The studio’s accounts never saw a dime of that income. Clearly, Hou Cong hadn’t left empty-handed—he’d taken the money with him. The leveling accounts were registered on different servers to avoid clustering max-level accounts and hurting sales, but this convenience had now facilitated embezzlement.

When he learned the truth, “Friend-kun” first reaffirmed his ownership of the Legendary Weapon, insisting that regardless of the seller’s ethics, the transaction was legitimate. Meng Chudong repeatedly assured him they wouldn’t reclaim the weapon and even sweetened the deal by promising not to publicly shame him for “aiding and abetting a criminal’s money laundering and offering post-sale services (certifying the gear’s legality and keeping the price confidential).” Touched, “Friend-kun” enthusiastically volunteered to become the studio’s walking advertisement, vowing to bring friends to patronize them in the future.

With that, the incident was resolved.

But the studio members couldn’t calm down. That night, the five of them went to a restaurant and started drinking.

Of the five, Fifth Brother was the angriest because he’d been Hou Cong’s biggest supporter. The deeper the love, the worse the heartbreak. After three rounds of drinks, Comrade Ma Jianfeng couldn’t take it anymore. He slammed the table and cursed Hou Cong’s ancestors for eighteen generations.

Meng Chudong remained calm throughout and now tried to console him: “He’s gone, let it go. And we should actually thank him for being so greedy. If it were me, I’d stay undercover, selling whatever I looted, quietly skimming for a year or two—not just 15,000.”

Fifth Brother stared at Meng Chudong for a long time before concluding: “Thank fuck you’re the boss!”

With one of two employees gone, the remaining one naturally became the focus of attention—especially since his quiet demeanor perfectly matched the “undercover” profile…

“Brother Ma, don’t look at me like that! I’m really a good guy!” Chang Xiaohu was more wronged than Dou E. Sure, he dressed flashy and was a bit gloomy and quiet, but was it a crime to embrace contrast-cuteness? TAT

“Xiaohu, I believe you.” Fifth Brother clapped him on the shoulder. “Come on, bottoms up!”

Chang Xiaohu sighed. Could he refuse? This wasn’t just a drink—it was trust!

As the “healing dinner” wound down, the bosses finally turned to the issue of recruiting a replacement.

“Right now, leveling is intense. Xiaohu alone won’t be enough,” Diamond analyzed coolly.

But Fifth Brother disagreed: “Hire someone else? Next time, they’ll steal our retirement funds too!”

“Don’t assume everyone in the world is so awful~~~” Fang Zheng was more optimistic.

Meng Chudong remained neutral, but he noticed: “Xiaohu, do you want to say something?”

Chang Xiaohu, who’d been silent for the latter half of the meal, finally spoke hesitantly: “Um, I have a friend looking for work. Should we… give him a try?”

Burned by Hou Cong’s betrayal, the four partners were now on high alert. They cleared a space in the living room, lined up four chairs, and—in the ultimate overreaction—Fifth Brother turned his back to the door: “I won’t look first. If you all think he’s okay, I’ll turn around for the final vetting. How’s that?”

His coworkers facepalmed. Meng Chudong asked seriously, “Should we have the candidate sing a couple of songs too?”

Fifth Brother had no choice but to sheepishly turn his chair back around.

After over an hour of this, Chang Xiaohu finally brought his friend over. The sound of keys turning made all four partners tense up, as if they were the ones being interviewed instead of the candidate =_=

The security door opened, and Chang Xiaohu entered first, then stepped aside to reveal his friend. According to Chang Xiaohu, this guy was named Zheng Xi, a close friend who loved gaming and had solid skills. But the person at the door was nothing like Chang Xiaohu’s edgy style—white T-shirt, jeans, sneakers, simple yet fresh, quiet with a touch of warmth. His head was still bowed, so his face wasn’t fully visible… Ah, he looked up. Neat short hair, fair skin, bright eyes, thick lashes… Okay, from this distance, lashes weren’t visible, but everyone appreciates beauty (especially male beauty), so imagination was allowed ╮(╯_╰)╭ The only flaw was a prominent scar on his forehead, marring this clean… Wait, this figure, this scar, these eyes, this gaze locked onto him…

“Fuck—”

Huh? He hadn’t shouted that yet, so that meant… the other guy?!

Dude, you stole my line!!!

Fang Zheng shot to his feet, about to speak, when the “old acquaintance” across from him—who’d recognized him first—suddenly turned and bolted out the door!

Fang Zheng’s first reaction was to yell: “Everyone check your wallets!!”

The room was baffled. Only Meng Chudong raised an eyebrow, still looking mildly surprised.

Chang Xiaohu froze, glancing between his fleeing friend and his horrified boss, wanting to ask but not daring to speak.

Fifth Brother and Diamond were completely confused. They hadn’t gotten a clear look at the guy’s face, let alone recognized him as someone from the past, so they didn’t understand why they—who’d stayed far away—needed to check their wallets.

After that chaos, the escapee actually returned—though he didn’t fully enter, instead clinging to the doorframe like a wary fox peeking in.

Chang Xiaohu, keenly sensing the electric tension between his boss and friend, wisely stepped aside.

“Why’d you come back?!” Fang Zheng tilted his now slightly defined chin up, looking down his nose at the other. As the righteous party, he had to maintain dominance. “Here to see how your victim’s doing?”

Still clinging to the door, Zheng Xi frowned uncertainly. “Hey, was it really you that day?”

Fang Zheng was furious: “What kind of tone is that?! If it wasn’t me, who else?! I literally threw myself on top of you, and you still forgot?!”

Fifth Brother whispered to Birdy: “What’s going on?”

Birdy summarized: “He’s the kid who stole money that night.”

Fifth Brother: “…”

Truly, clothes make the man. With a change of outfit, he was completely unrecognizable!!!

While Fifth Brother failed to recognize him, the “former pickpocket” hadn’t either: “It’s really you? How’d you lose so much weight?”

Fang Zheng: “…Uh, I’ve been dieting~\(≧▽≦)/~”

Everyone present swore they saw the Commander’s aura of righteousness instantly deflate.

“Why’d you come back?” Seeing Fang Zheng lost in self-congratulation over his weight loss, Birdy took over the questioning.

Zheng Xi pursed his lips before reluctantly answering: “You guys paid my hospital bill that night, right?”

Birdy shook his head.

Zheng Xi was stunned: “No? But Guo Aimin said you did! I even gave him 1,000 to pay you back. Did he not give it to you? Who’d he give it to then? Or did he pocket it? Damn, what a scumbag. I need to find him—”

Watching the pristine reputation of their friendly neighborhood cop about to be dragged through the mud, Birdy abandoned his plan to deny involvement. Mentally replacing the officer’s baby face with the three stern characters “Guo Aimin,” he sighed: “He gave it to us.”

“Then why’d you say it wasn’t you just now?!” Zheng Xi scowled, annoyed.

Birdy shrugged: “Oh, I was lying.”

Zheng Xi sweatdropped. This was his first time encountering someone who lied so brazenly while radiating an aura of, “Yeah, I lied. Wanna fight me?” But the motive wasn’t hard to guess: “You don’t want anything to do with me, right?”

A flicker of surprise crossed Birdy’s eyes. He immediately whispered to Fang Zheng: “Quick thinker. We might actually consider him.”

Fang Zheng was speechless. Before he could reply, Zheng Xi cut in: “If you’re considering it, just say it outright. Don’t whisper.”

Birdy’s surprise turned to delight: “See? He can read lips too.”

Fang Zheng was utterly defeated. Zheng Xi, meanwhile, couldn’t tell if Meng Chudong was genuinely praising or mocking him. Bewildered, he could only respond with a neutral: “Fuck.”

This expletive snapped Fang Zheng back to reality, finally reconciling this person with the keyboard-smashing, money-stealing hothead from that night. Connecting this to Zheng Xi’s earlier question, he ventured an unlikely guess: “So you’re here to pay back the remaining 300?”

Even as he asked, Fang Zheng didn’t believe it. If Zheng Xi had returned 1,000, why wait until this coincidental face-to-face meeting to settle the trivial balance?

Zheng Xi’s reply left him dumbfounded: “I don’t have money.” Not just blunt, but unapologetic.

Fang Zheng was beside himself: “Then why the hell are you clinging to my doorframe?!”

A faint blush flashed across Zheng Xi’s pale face—so brief Fang Zheng was sure he’d imagined it.

If this guy knew shame, Your Uncle could broker world peace!

“I’ll work the first month without pay to cover the rest,” Zheng Xi finally said, with rare sincerity. “Try me out. If I’m no good, kick me out. I’ll leave my ID with you. If money goes missing again, arrest me—or call Guo Aimin right now and tell him I’m here. He can supervise.”

Fang Zheng frowned. Though the offer sounded earnest, the lesson from Hou Cong was too fresh…

“Brother Fang,” Chang Xiaohu suddenly tugged his sleeve, whispering, “Can we talk inside?”

Zheng Xi might be guilty, but Chang Xiaohu was innocent. Plus, the guy barely spoke—if he wanted to say something, it must be important. After a moment’s thought, Fang Zheng followed him into the inner room.

Once the door was closed, Fang Zheng turned to him: “Go ahead.”

To his surprise, Chang Xiaohu started with an apology: “I didn’t know the money he stole was yours. I’m sorry.”

But what shocked Fang Zheng more was: “You’re close enough that he told you about this?”

Chang Xiaohu struggled to explain: “We grew up together, used to hang out all the time. After my family moved, we lost touch. But he doesn’t have many friends, so we still talk sometimes. Last week, he heard I was doing power leveling and asked if I could get him in. Back then, the studio wasn’t hiring, so we talked about other things. That’s when I found out his grandma died. She’d been sick since before New Year’s. He’d wanted to steal money for her, but before he could, he got arrested. By the time he got out, she was gone. I only just realized today that it was you he stole from. Brother Fang, he’s had it rough. His mom left when he was two, and his dad didn’t care about him. His grandma raised him, and now she’s gone too… He’s not a bad person at heart—he just made a mistake. After getting out of jail, he’s been trying to find honest work, taking any hard labor he can get. If you don’t trust him, hold my pay too. If he does anything to hurt the studio and runs, I’ll work my ass off to pay you back!”

Fang Zheng knew Chang Xiaohu had pulled him aside to plead for Zheng Xi, and he’d resolved to stay firm no matter what. Yet here he was, wavering. As the saying goes, a prodigal’s return is priceless—though prodigals who truly reform are rarer than pandas. Still, believing is happier than doubting. And another saying goes: appearances deceive. Hou Cong, who’d seemed the perfect employee, had run off with their money, while the edgy-looking Chang Xiaohu was dependable. Maybe this seemingly reformed (if slightly sketchy) Zheng Xi had truly turned over a new leaf?

After fifteen minutes of internal struggle, Fang Zheng and Chang Xiaohu returned to the living room.

Birdy, Fifth Brother, and Diamond were still seated, while Zheng Xi had abandoned the doorframe to stand at attention, studying his toes.

As Fang Zheng entered, all four turned to him expectantly.

Suddenly nervous, Fang Zheng swallowed before speaking: “Uh, this is just a suggestion. You can veto it…”

Diamond and Fifth Brother got it immediately: “You’ve decided to hire him, huh?”

Fang Zheng was surprised by their readiness: “You’re okay with it?”

Diamond chuckled: “You’re the victim. If you’re willing to give him a chance, I’ve got no objections.”

Fifth Brother shrugged: “After that bastard Hou Cong, the more obviously shady someone is, the safer I feel.”

“And the most valuable things in this room are our computers,” Birdy added. “The only things he and Fifth Brother could steal are each other.”

Fang Zheng disagreed: “You can insult their finances, but not their sexual orientations.”

Diamond: “…”

Fifth Brother: “…”

The four partners chatted so cheerfully that they missed the silent telepathic exchange overhead—

[What the hell are they talking about?]

[No idea. They often discuss things I don’t understand but sound profound.]

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  One of the two new employees introduced in chapter 126, if you need a refresher.