Chapter 80

Chapter 80

In the boundless darkness, notifications kept refreshing in Qiao Yu’s Live Stream Room.

[Congratulations to the streamer for successfully eliminating the Instance’s Aberration Source. I’m Your Dad’s Blue Name Live Stream Room completion rate: 33%…]

[The reward for resolving the Aberration Source has been issued. Congratulations, streamer, you have obtained the title-Silver Tongue. (Equipping this title isn’t very useful, but it makes you insanely good at cursing people out.)]

Qiao Yu: ??

[Live Assistant 9999999: This title has been detected to have over 50% fusion compatibility with the title “You Sneaky Bastard.” Streamer, would you like to fuse the titles?]

Fuse it, fuse it, fuse it! No way was he keeping that sucker of a title.

Qiao Yu immediately tapped confirm, eagerly hoping the fused title would make him twice as sneaky.

[Ding-Title fusion successful. Congratulations, streamer, you have obtained the S-rank Blue Name title: Sharp-Tongued Old Six!

When this title is equipped, the streamer may transform into a zombie for three minutes: indestructible, sharp-toothed, and sharper-tongued.

(Note* The higher the title’s rank, the greater the side effects. For example… seeing attractive people might make you want to go up and take a couple of bites? So please use this title with caution. Title activation cooldown: 72 hours.)]

A zombie??

For some reason, Qiao Yu felt a little disgusted…

In the next second, the clouds parted and the fog cleared, and Qiao Yu returned to the dorm.

He was a little curious. Why had he returned to the dorm this time?

[Live Assistant 9999999: Because an intermediate Instance forms its own Domain Plane.]

“Perfect. There’s something else I wanted to ask you.” Smiling, Qiao Yu pulled two Review Card items out of his pocket. “Do you guys buy these back? Half price is fine.”

[Live Assistant 9999999: …….]

It was a little stunned. Other streamers had a hard enough time obtaining a single Review Card.

Why could its streamer just casually pick up a handful?

And… even if he had no chance to use them, it had never heard of anyone asking the Live Stream Room to buy them back.

“Don’t play dead. If half price doesn’t work, 30% of the original price is fine too!”

[Live Assistant 9999999: Sorry, I’ve never encountered this kind of situation before. I need to submit an application first.]

Qiao Yu narrowed his eyes. “Fine.”

Looked like there was a lot going on behind the scenes. Who knew whether the one running the Live Stream Room was human, ghost, or… something else entirely.

While waiting, Qiao Yu noticed the sunlight outside the window was just right. He stretched, then glanced at the digital clock on the desk.

The date was still the day he’d left. It was only one-thirty in the afternoon.

Qiao Yu rubbed his stomach, then turned his gaze to the serving of crispy fried pork on the desk that had long since gone cold. He picked it up and opened it.

Then he grabbed a piece and stuffed it straight into his mouth.

Click-the door lock turned just then.

Shang Yan entered and saw Qiao Yu eating the crispy fried pork he’d bought that morning. His brows drew together slightly. He walked over, reached out with two fingers, and pinched Qiao Yu’s cheek, his voice a little cold. “Spit it out.”

Qiao Yu blinked. His words came out muffled. “Things I spit out don’t look very pretty. Are you sure you want me to spit it out?”

Shang Yan pulled a tissue from the desk and spread it open. “Spit.”

Qiao Yu: “……”

Now it was his turn to scrunch up his whole face. Unwillingly, he spat out the food in his mouth.

The other man folded the tissue closed and tossed it into the trash can. Then he sat down beside him, crossed one leg over the other, and asked lazily, “What do you want to eat?”

“Malatang.”

“Pick something else.”

“Fried skewers.”

“Can you not eat a proper meal?”

“How are those not proper meals?” Qiao Yu retorted, a hint of dissatisfaction in his tone. “Which one of those isn’t more proper than you?”

Shang Yan paused, then straightened. “Qiao Xiaoyu, what did I do to offend you this time?”

Qiao Yu said bluntly, “You lied to me!”

“What did I lie to you about?”

“You said the Live Stream Room couldn’t be opened.”

“Because I illegally invaded it. I really couldn’t open the Live Stream Room. It needs forty-eight hours before it can return to normal.”

“Then I want Spatial Grid.”

“Fine. I’ll give you three. One for food, one for daily necessities, and one for you to put things you like in?”

Put what in it? Money, of course!

Shang Xiaoyan was being pretty tactful.

Qiao Yu nodded. This matter could barely be considered over.

Shang Yan was a man of his word. In just a few short seconds, the Live Assistant sent over a notification sound.
[Live Assistant 9999999: Black-Name Streamer Bu Yan Er Yu has sent you a trade request. Accept?]

Qiao Yu tapped confirm and saw three storage buttons appear in the backend in the blink of an eye.

Of course, the whole “it’s hard to be tough after taking someone’s gifts” thing did not apply to Qiao Yu.

“You freaking lied to me again! Aren’t you called Shang Yan Ni Zhen Sao?”

Seeing that the person he had just coaxed back down was about to bristle all over again, Shang Yan was speechless. “Who besides you would come up with an ID that bizarre?”

Qiao Yu: “……”

**

Early morning. Outside the window, layers upon layers of dark clouds blocked out the sun without leaving so much as a crack.

The fine drizzle fell in an endless curtain, filling his ears with the shushing white noise of rain.

It felt as though time itself had been dragged to a slower speed.

Rainwater slid down from the umbrella above his head, dripped onto the lush green leaves by the roadside, then slowly traced the veins of the leaves before finally bursting into thin little splashes by his feet.

Qiao Yu glanced at the time and realized there were only three minutes left before he was late. He wolfed down the bread in his hand in a few bites, clapped his hands clean, then got into a running start.

Just as he nimbly climbed onto the low wall in front of him, he noticed that the usually deserted alley was unusually lively today.

The person being shaken down by the punks below seemed to be the transfer student who had just joined their class yesterday.

It should be him. The guy sat right next to him, with a face even more eye-catching than the school belle’s. His name was something like… Shang Yan?

Qiao Yu crouched on top of the wall with his umbrella over his shoulder and watched for a while.

When Shang Yan, under pressure, was about to take out his wallet, Qiao Yu hurled the umbrella in his hand straight at the punk in the lead. “Baldy, how are you getting worse the older you get? You’re robbing students now?”

Baldy covered his forehead and looked over. When he saw it was Qiao Yu, his scarred face filled with fury. “What the hell does it have to do with you? Qiao Yu, aren’t you sticking your nose too far into other people’s business? Don’t think just because you run with Qian Lao Qi, you can throw your weight around over my head. If you know what’s good for you, get lost!”

Qiao Yu pointed at the young man standing below the wall, straight and slender like a little white poplar, and curled the corner of his mouth. “He’s my classmate. How does that have nothing to do with me?”

Baldy was so angry the scar on his face looked even more savage. “You’ve got so many classmates. What, your classmate can’t be robbed? You’re nothing but one of Qian Lao Qi’s dogs. Who the hell do you think you are, teaching me how to do things?”

Qiao Yu was not angry at being cursed at in the slightest. He simply shrugged, then lifted his chin at the “poor little thing” standing by the wall. “Need me to protect you? Only five hundred yuan.”

The young man raised his head, his handsome features made all the more delicate and striking by the rain.

Qiao Yu was dazed for an instant. Then, the moment he heard the word “Okay,” he jumped straight down from the wall. Before anyone could react, he grabbed his schoolbag and smashed Baldy with it.

Baldy was struck dizzy by the sudden blow, his eyes going unfocused.

There was no helping it. Qiao Yu never brought anything to school. Every day, he just ran around the streets with a thick, heavy Cihai dictionary in his bag.

After all, that thing was sturdier than a brick.

The next second, he hooked the strap of his schoolbag around Baldy, who was sprawled on the ground, looped it once around his neck, and yanked it back tight.

Baldy was forced to lift his groggy head. His strangled throat left him unable to breathe, and his neck all the way to his chin flushed red. Instinctively, he began clawing at the schoolbag strap around his neck.

Qiao Yu looked darkly at Baldy’s two lackeys standing in front of him. After a long moment… he suddenly laughed.

The smile was innocent, but his eyes were frighteningly unhinged.

The two were terrified by the malice in his gaze. They subconsciously took a step back, their eyes full of horror.

Qiao Yu’s hand was still tightening. Just as the scene was about to spiral in an uncontrollable direction, his hand was suddenly covered by a slender, warm palm. That hand slowly but firmly pried open his fingertips, which had gone faintly white from the force he was using.

Baldy immediately collapsed on the ground like a fish thrown out of water, gulping down air in great heaves.

“Don’t kill anyone.”

He sucked in a deep breath, his bloodshot eyes falling on the bright, refined young man beside him.

The other boy smiled softly and repeated in a quiet voice, “Qiao Yu, don’t kill anyone…”

All of a sudden, Qiao Yu’s eyes snapped open. Panting heavily, he stared at the ceiling above him through the moonlight, lost in thought.

In the end, he realized he had insomnia.

After a long while, he forcefully turned over and cursed under his breath, “Fuck, I only just remembered. That bastard still owes me five hundred yuan!”