Chapter 56
Now, everyone seems to be waiting for February 22. If there really is a fourth internal test on that day, they can just go into the game and buy what they need. Unlike the nearly thousand pieces of equipment, which are too expensive to acquire all at once, potions are cheap. The Su family can scrape together five gold coins if necessary. If it comes to that, they can just head to the apothecary and buy a bottle for just one silver coin.
Lost in thought, Yu Qingshan walked over and sat down beside her. After a few words filled with paternal concern, he got to the point: “Daughter… do you still have any gold coins? Can you lend your dad a little?”
Yu Xunge glanced at Yu Qingshan and pulled a gold coin from her pouch, handing it to him. “The special affairs bureau hasn’t settled my pay for this month yet. Just take this for now, and don’t talk about lending or borrowing.” Ever since Yu Qingshan became a player and gained his divine talent, Yu Xunge had stopped lying when they spoke face to face. This wasn’t a lie; she had only signed her contract at the end of last month and submitted a batch of skill crystals on the 15th. Those crystals wouldn’t be settled until the end of February.
Though it was less than she had expected, Yu Qingshan had communicated with other players and even played the game himself, so he knew how hard it was to earn gold coins. Many people considered themselves wealthy if they had a few dozen silver coins. He patted Yu Xunge on the shoulder and said a bunch of heartwarming things.
Yu Xunge played along, acting the part of a dutiful daughter.
Before long, Yu Xunhuan entered with five friends in tow.
**Chapter 72: A Shield?**
Yu Xunge immediately spotted Lin Chengze, who was wearing an eye patch. The eye that was visible was blue and quite striking, making one want to dig it out. She quickly used her detection skill.
**Magic Eye** (A-Rank): A magical eye orb from Pitri, which has accompanied him on ocean adventures for decades.
**Skill 1: Time Rewind**: After using it on a target, you can “see” the target’s experiences from the last five hours. Each use consumes 20% of mana, with a cooldown of 24 hours.
**Skill 2: Mind Reading**: After using it, you can gaze directly into the target’s eyes to read their thoughts. Each second of use consumes 10 mana points.
**Note**: Must be placed in the eye socket to be effective.
Upon seeing the description of the Magic Eye, Yu Xunge was taken aback.
She had just broken into a cold sweat, but then thought to herself that with Soros, she should be able to resist such prying skills. Besides, Lin Chengze wasn’t even a player; he had no mana and couldn’t use that item. She could confidently assert that the only reason he could see with that Magic Eye was that a player had used a healing skill on him.
But she had to get that Magic Eye, even if she couldn’t use it herself; she needed to snatch it.
While Yu Xunge was examining the Magic Eye, Lin Chengze was also looking at her. In an instant, he came up with a brilliant idea—one that would allow him to stay close to Yu Xunhuan without drawing Su Yitong’s attention! He intended to use Yu Xunge as a shield…
During dinner, Lin Chengze began to curry favor.
Not just Lin Chengze, but the others were also somewhat taken with Yu Xunge. After all, her charm and beauty were exceptional, but none were as quick as Lin Chengze. Just as he poured her a glass of wine, Yu Xunge stared at him thoughtfully.
Lin Chengze suppressed his smugness, smiling shyly in delight.
Why wait for someone to strike first when you can preemptively resolve potential issues? Yu Xunge said, “I feel like I’ve seen you before. Didn’t you have a conversation with Lan Cheng?”
Her words hit like thunder, plunging the table into silence.
Lan Cheng, a talented male star known for his acting skills, was a regular at Hengdian and a model worker in the industry. Not just the younger crowd like Yu Xunhuan and Ye Dong, even the older generation like Yu Qingshan and Yi Qiu had seen his dramas.
Lin Chengze panicked for a few seconds before angrily retorting, “How can you say that? You’re slandering me!”
Yu Xunge feigned realization and quickly poured him another drink. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to offend. It was my mistake.”
She even patted her mouth in frustration and then pulled out a fine-quality belt, handing it to him. “This is an apology gift. I truly feel terrible about it.”
She kept apologizing but never admitted that her previous comment was a lie.
She might as well have shouted in support of LGBTQ rights.
Lin Chengze didn’t say a word as he was handed a piece of equipment. He wasn’t even a player, so he couldn’t wear it, but he didn’t have time to think about that. His mind was filled with thoughts of Yu Xunhuan. He worried that once Yu Xunhuan found out he was gay, she would distance herself from him. He kept an eye on her expression, and when he noticed only surprise and no disgust on her face, he finally relaxed.
In fact, Yu Xunhuan was lost in her own thoughts, preoccupied with her lost attribute points and the A-Rank Magic Eye temporarily residing in Lin Chengze’s eye socket.
However, Yu Xunhuan’s calm demeanor didn’t affect Lin Chengze’s growing disdain for Yu Xunge. At the same time, he abandoned the idea of using her as a shield, as he indeed had spoken with Lan Cheng… but very few people knew about it.
He couldn’t help but feel a bit frustrated. How could he forget that Yu Xunge had also been in the entertainment industry? While outsiders might not know about his connection with Lan Cheng, gossip spreads like wildfire in the industry. It was possible that Yu Xunge had heard something and taken it seriously.
This wasn’t entirely his fault. In his previous life, although Yu Xunge hadn’t made it big, she had still been in the entertainment circle. When Yu Xunhuan introduced her, he would mention her notable works. When Lin Chengze arrived, he had tested the waters to confirm she didn’t know about his connection with Lan Cheng before deciding to use her as a shield.
In this life, Yu Xunge had left the industry early, so Lin Chengze didn’t think much of a third-tier star. He just found her a bit familiar and unilaterally decided to pull her in as a shield.
As for this secret, Yu Xunge had discovered it in her previous life because Lan Cheng was the one who ultimately joined the male lead’s core team…
He and Lin Chengze had a complicated history. In her previous life, Yu Xunge had sensed something was off between the two, which led her to realize Lin Chengze was gay.
One could only say that the author of this story had thrown in all sorts of trendy elements…
Without considering whether the audience of this genre could accept a gay character secretly in love with the male lead.
This little awkwardness was quickly smoothed over by Yu Xunhuan’s light-hearted banter.
The others didn’t hold it against Yu Xunge either, as she was a player and Lin Chengze was not. Plus, she had given him a piece of equipment, a belt that emitted a faint green glow, clearly a fine-quality item. This apology was quite sincere.
Whether it was equipment or potions, even though everyone knew they would depreciate over time, they were exactly what players desperately needed right now, and they were extremely scarce in the market. Many people wanted to spend money but couldn’t find them.
Even Lin Chengze couldn’t say much. Though he disliked Yu Xunge’s lack of tact, he calmed down, thinking she was just a bit too blunt…
After dinner, Yu Xunge took her leave, generously gifting each person a basic healing potion as she departed from the Yu family home, leaving them with warm regards.
She began to understand Yu Qingshan and Yu Xunhuan. With a small token that was of no use to herself and wouldn’t change anyone’s fate, she could create a good image. It was indeed a worthwhile trade.
Yu Xunge left a small spider controlled by the skill **“Only the Dead Will Listen”** by Yu Xunhuan’s car before driving off in her own.
Tonight, she had to get that Magic Eye.
She felt that the Magic Eye must have been useful to Yu Xunhuan in her previous life. Even if she couldn’t use it herself, it would surely be useful for his brother or wife. How had she never seen it before?
It couldn’t be that he had hidden it away, could it?
Forget it; she’d get her hands on it first and study it later.
The little spider had already crawled into Yu Xunhuan’s car, hiding behind the back seat. Under the spider’s watchful gaze, Yu Xunge knew as soon as Lin Chengze and his group left the Yu family villa.
Though they were all brothers, they only worked together during the day at Yu Xunhuan’s apartment. At night, they returned to their own homes. Yu Xunhuan dropped each of them off, leaving only Ye Dong and Lin Chengze. The former had been living in Yu Xunhuan’s apartment since arriving in S City and had grown too lazy to find a place of his own. The latter didn’t want to return to the Lin family, fearing that the others would dig out his eye. At least in Yu Xunhuan’s apartment, Ye Dong could protect him.
Yes, the friendship of the main characters was truly touching. Lin Chengze believed in these brothers he had known for only a few months, but he didn’t trust the Lin family members who risked offending others to seek compensation for him.
**Chapter 73: What’s Wrong with You, Are You Blind Again?**
At 2 AM, this time had almost become Yu Xunge’s biological clock. Lately, even on nights when she didn’t stay up late, she would wake up at two.
Using her disguise skill to transform into a goblin, she made today’s three gold coins and then donned gloves to use the **Phantom Shift** spell to teleport to the apartment. First, she activated **Hunting Eye** to check for any ambushes nearby. Once confirmed, she went to the next room and knocked Ye Dong out cold. Passing through the living room, she also checked on that figurine.
Perfect, the arm was gone, and the scalp was missing. It still looked good this way.
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