Night, with a cool breeze.
Dark clouds obscured the moonlight. Not far away, it was pitch black, so dark you couldn’t see your own hand in front of your face.
However, around the dungeon, the light emitted by the barrier illuminated the surroundings.
The night was silent.
Apart from the murmurs of a few players, all that remained was the howling of the cold wind.
Zhao Longjun felt the temperature tonight was exceptionally cold, so cold that his teeth chattered and his back felt icy.
These sudden, successive waves of killing intent had caught him completely off guard.
What had he done?
Why was everyone looking at him so fiercely?
Especially Mu Qingxue. Her icy gaze, as if looking at a dead man, made Zhao Longjun shiver uncontrollably, terrified that his head might roll the next moment. As a sword cultivator, Mu Qingxue’s cultivation was centered on intent—Sword Intent.
Her sharp, imposing aura was unmatched by anyone present.
Zhao Longjun forced an awkward smile, quickly retreating to the side, putting distance between himself and Chen Xiaoyan. Only then did that terrifying killing intent fade away.
This left him extremely frustrated.
‘When women get jealous, it’s truly terrifying.’
“Qingxue, this guy, he—”
Chen Xiaoyan had just opened her mouth when Mu Qingxue, already knowing her intention, directly cut her off. “No.”
“Huh?”
Hearing Mu Qingxue’s icy tone, Chen Xiaoyan was left dumbfounded.
‘Why is she suddenly angry out of nowhere?’
‘Could it be because of this fat otaku?’
‘But no, her Yannü Syndrome in the game isn’t nearly as severe as in reality. It’s practically negligible. When we ran dungeons before, Six Paths was there too. That’s proof enough. So why is it different today…?’
Chen Xiaoyan had no choice. She looked at Zhao Longjun and gave him a ‘you’re on your own’ look.
The latter shrugged, indicating he was helpless too.
“I think Sister Qingxue is right,” Chong Chong chimed in from the side.
‘Sister Qingxue?’
Chen Xiaoyan gave the girl a strange look. ‘How can you bring yourself to call her that?’
Xianyun slightly opened her small mouth, wanting to say something, but after a moment’s hesitation, she ultimately remained silent.
Meanwhile, Hong Chen Ru Meng quietly watched this scene, yawning and letting out a soft sigh.
‘Sometimes, being too popular is also a sin.’
“Fat Otaku, you should leave the party first. I’ll find a few experts from the guild to run the dungeon with you.”
Being stared down by this big shot, with that obvious ‘I want to kill you’ look in her eyes, Zhao Longjun had long wanted to slip away. Hearing this, he didn’t hesitate for a second and nodded. “OK.” He pulled up the party interface and clicked ‘Leave Party’. “Bro, I’m outta here then.”
“I’ve already called Yutian and Zhenwu Xiaoshimei over. He can start the dungeon with them.”
“So fast?” Chen Xiaoyan looked at her in utter surprise. ‘I just said the words and you’ve already notified them?’
Mu Qingxue gave a slight smile but said nothing.
From the moment she saw Zhao Longjun, she had already notified the two managers.
‘This man is Xiaoyan’s friend. Making him leave for no reason would be inappropriate. But letting him stay in the party makes me uncomfortable. So, a compromise: arrange a backup plan for him first, then tell him to get lost. That way, I won’t seem unreasonable.’
“Yutian and Xiaoshimei are both experts. Taking you through the Abyss Canyon shouldn’t be a problem,” Chen Xiaoyan said, turning back to Zhao Longjun.
She couldn’t just pretend not to know this close friend because she had changed genders.
She was both Chen Xiaoyan and Chen Xiaoyan.
Even though Chen Xiaoyan had become the past, that didn’t mean he could be treated as if he never existed.
“Yanzi, thanks,” Zhao Longjun said, making his habitual gesture again—flicking two fingers in front of his forehead.
Chen Xiaoyan grinned, unable to hold back a laugh. “Call me ‘Dad’.”
“Sure, Da—”
Watching their interaction, Mu Qingxue frowned slightly.
‘Their relationship seems closer than I imagined. By doing this… will Xiaoyan hold it against me?’
“Hey!”
Suddenly, a sharp cry interrupted Mu Qingxue’s thoughts. She looked up to see Chong Chong walking up to Zhao Longjun with a serious expression.
“Chongchong Girl, what’s up?”
“Chong Chong, what are you doing?” Chen Xiaoyan thought she was going to cause trouble for Zhao Longjun and quickly stepped forward to pull her back.
“Sister Xiaoyan, why are you pulling me?”
“I should be asking you what you’re doing!”
“I’m not doing anything!” Chong Chong said, looking utterly speechless.
“Really?” Chen Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow, clearly not believing her words.
“Do we really have so little trust?” Chong Chong pouted, looking very wronged.
“Where did that come from? You’re overthinking it.” Chen Xiaoyan let go of her and chuckled awkwardly.
“Hmph! But facts speak louder than words!” With that, Chong Chong turned around, planted her hands on her hips, and glared fiercely at Zhao Longjun.
Just as everyone thought she was about to say something harsh to him, Chong Chong’s next sentence made them all want to spit blood.
With the fiercest possible demeanor, she said the softest words: “Handsome guy… can you call me ‘Mother’?”
Zhao Longjun: “…”
Chen Xiaoyan: “…”
Hong Chen Ru Meng, Xianyun, A Curtain of Dreams: “0_0”
Mu Qingxue: “( -_- )”
Xueyan Pavilion Players: “→_→ ←_←”
“Ahem. It’s time to start the dungeon. Let’s finish early and log off to rest.” Mu Qingxue pretended to cough and swiftly changed the subject. “I Am the Master of My Fate, Not Heaven, go wait outside. Managers Yutian and Zhenwu Xiaoshimei will be here soon.”
“Oh, oh.” Zhao Longjun nodded awkwardly and hurriedly scampered away.
“Hey, hey! You haven’t called me ‘Mother’ yet! Don’t go!” Chong Chong watched his retreating back, her eyes full of longing.
“Chong Chong!!” Chen Xiaoyan stepped forward with a stern face and directly gave her a flick on the forehead.
“Ouch! Why did you hit me, Sister Xiaoyan?” Chong Chong covered her forehead, looking at her with pitiful委屈.
“Stop messing around,” Chen Xiaoyan said seriously.
“How am I messing around? He calls you ‘Dad,’ right? So me being ‘Mother’ works too!” Chong Chong retorted, hands on hips.
“We’re just joking around! Can’t you tell?” Chen Xiaoyan facepalmed, completely exasperated.
Chong Chong pouted and muttered quietly, “As if I wasn’t joking around too…”
“Alright, you two. Settle down. Don’t you want to have dinner?” At Mu Qingxue’s sharp command, the two immediately quieted down.
—
After glaring at Chong Chong one last time, Chen Xiaoyan walked into the dungeon barrier, ready to start the challenge.
Zhao Longjun’s departure left the party one member short. Chen Xiaoyan casually pulled in a player from the Xueyan Pavilion.
She deliberately chose a male player to observe Mu Qingxue’s reaction.
However, from the start to the end of the dungeon run, it seemed she observed no reaction at all.
This left Chen Xiaoyan somewhat puzzled.
‘Is the in-game Yannü Syndrome only effective against that fat otaku? Or does it have nothing to do with Yannü Syndrome, and Qingxue simply dislikes him personally?’
Though filled with questions, she didn’t ask.
Whether it was one or the other didn’t really matter. That guy and she definitely wouldn’t be walking the same path from now on.
Chen Xiaoyan didn’t want to change anything either. In her current state and situation, it really wasn’t suitable to treat him as a ‘brother’ anymore.
‘…Let’s just be ordinary friends.’
“Leaving?” Mu Qingxue asked. “You’re sighing… Are you blaming me for making your friend leave earlier?”