So Sweet

Seeing Lin Qingying's message instantly lifted my spirits!

"May I?"

I sent a shivering emoji.

"Um."

Lin Qingying spoke concisely as always, "I can let you stay for free, but you must promise to do one thing for me."

"What's up?"

You don't need to know right now.

"It's not something immoral or against chivalry, is it?"

"..."

She clearly didn't know how to reply to me, and after a long while, she finally sent a message: "Deal?"

"Good!"

I agreed without even realizing it.

Actually, I had already gotten used to sharing an apartment with Lin Qingying when I was in Creek City. As for why I got used to it, I'm afraid I can't explain it myself.

"When should I move in?"

"Tomorrow, I'll leave work early."

"Okay, I'll wait for you downstairs, the usual place."

"Okay, stop bullying Li Xiang."

"That wasn't bullying him, it was a way of giving him a hint!"

Lin Qingying sent an eye-rolling emoji, and then didn't send any more messages.

With a major matter on my mind settled, I can finally sleep peacefully.

The next day, everything was as usual. I spent a crazy day at Luo Mei's after-sales service department, gaining countless Skill Experience!

After work, Fatty went on a date with Shen Yue, while I continued to squeeze onto the bus to return to my neighborhood.

I suddenly miss Feiyang Internet Cafe.

The 8 am to 4 pm schedule is more relaxed.

Also, I wonder how Lu Xiaobei is doing now.

Downstairs in the residential complex.

Li Xiang was already there, playing an arcade game called "Journey to the West: Chaos Exorcism". He had chosen the White Dragon Horse character. He didn't know any other skills, only the "down + B" dash move. He had the air of someone who could rely on one skill to succeed. Unfortunately, he was already struggling when he reached the BOSS. His face turned pale and he started sweating.

"You're really bad, Li Xiang..."

I sat down to the side, and smoothly completed the action of inserting a coin to select a character. I chose Sun Wukong, then gathered my energy and casually unleashed three bursts of energy to cut down the King Golden Horn.

"Li Xiang, you can't even play Journey to the West without understanding its mechanics, what's the point?"

"I..."

Li Xiang's face flushed red, then he suddenly took two steps back and knelt down with a thud, kowtowing. "Please, Master, teach me..."

"You are a promising student! Rise! Let me explain in detail!"

I beckoned him over and started teaching him how to use volatility trading. The two of us then engaged in a fierce battle, fighting our way from Pingdingshan to Shituoling, and then to Xiaoxitian, until Red Boy fell silent and the Bull Demon King shed tears.

The moment the Bull God let out a mournful howl and collapsed, a figure appeared beside me.

Lin Qingying, panting, said, "The temporary parking spaces in the community are all full, so I have to park in the outdoor parking lot."

"All right..."

I stood up and said, "Let's go get some rice noodles? It's on me. After we eat, you can help me move."

"Um."

After we finished our rice noodles, Grandpa Li returned. He was still pedaling his tricycle collecting recyclables, and he was using the prosthetic leg I had given him. "Ding Han, Ding Han..."

Grandpa Li picked up a bag of oranges from the back of his tricycle and said with a smile, "I bought these by the roadside. Take them home and try them. I heard from Li Xiang yesterday that you were back, but I only just met you today."

"Oh, that's not a good idea..."

I was going to be polite, but Lin Qingying stepped forward and accepted the oranges with a smile.

"Goodbye, Brother Ding Han and Little Ying Sister!"

Li Xiang skillfully hopped onto the tricycle and headed towards another building with his grandfather.

"If you don't accept it, Grandpa Li will be disappointed."

Lin Qingying, carrying the oranges, explained, "This is a token of his appreciation."

"Um."

I picked up an orange, peeled it, tasted a segment, and laughed, "It's very sweet."

"Real?"

Lin Qingying looked at the green-skinned orange and expressed disbelief.

"Try a bite if you don't believe me."

I tore off a piece and held it to her lips.

Lin Qingying hesitated for a moment, then opened her mouth and bit into the orange. Her facial expression then twisted as she looked at me in disbelief, probably because she hadn't expected that I would not only trick Li Xiang, but also trick her.

Arriving at Building Fourteen, we went upstairs.

The moment I opened the door, a pungent smell of instant noodles and smelly socks hit me.

Lin Qingying frowned slightly, but surprisingly, she held back.

I grabbed a large plastic bag from the supermarket, put my change of clothes, toiletries, and other necessities inside, then slung my guitar over my shoulder and hugged my cactus.

Lin Qingying helped me carry the skateboard, then glanced at the plastic bag and said, "You don't even have a suitcase?"

As a gamer, what's the point of having a small suitcase? My Dimensional Storage Space is my suitcase!

"No!"

You definitely can't say this out loud.

"Oh..."

Lin Qingying's eyes showed surprise, probably because she was surprised that I could respond to such a thing so confidently.

"Aren't there any bedding either?"

She asked again.

"No..."

I explained, "When I was in Jiangning City, I lived in a sanatorium and used the blankets provided there. I left in a very rushed manner, so I hadn't bought my own bedding yet."

"It's alright, I have spare bedding in my room, I'll get you a set in a bit."

"Good."

I nodded, thinking to myself that I owed her a lot more than ever before.

Downstairs.

"Hey? Aren't these Ding Han and Comrade Xiao Lin?"

Grandpa Li, who was playing chess in front of the convenience store, looked up and gave a meaningful look. "So you two are living together again?"

"Ah, yes..."

I responded with one sentence.

Lin Qingying bit her red lips and remained silent, her expression somewhat awkward.

"I knew it..."

Behind them, they heard Grandpa Li muttering to his chess friend Grandpa Zhao: "Ding Han and Xiao Lin seem like a perfect match, they'll be together sooner or later, and look... they're living together again."

Grandpa Zhao said, "Old Li, you really have to admit, back in the day, you had the sharpest eye in the whole area. You could tell at a glance which girl and which boy would end up together."

Grandpa Li laughed heartily.

I felt a chill run down my spine and stole a glance at Lin Qingying.

She just walked with her eyes on the ground, not daring to lift her head.

Push open the living room door.

I put the plastic bag on the table, then hung the guitar up, poured a little water on Zhang Wansen, and placed it on the balcony.

Lin Qingying carried a quilt out the door, and I hurriedly helped her.

Then the two of them tidied up my room together. The conditions here are slightly better than in Creek City. Although it's also an old house, the space is much larger, and the interior decoration is nice, which will reduce a lot of inconvenience for me.

"Are there rats here too?" I asked.

"No."

Lin Qingying her head.

"That's good."

I put on the duvet cover and then plopped down next to Lin Qingying.

She opened her laptop and was organizing documents. On the cover, she immediately saw the words "Yue Ning Mall." Sure enough, she really did work at Yue Ning Mall.

To be honest, it's just a stone's throw from my workplace, and we're even competitors!

After thinking about it, I ultimately decided not to reveal that I worked at Luo Mei.

"Drop!"

A message came from Fatty: "Where did you go? Why did you pack all your things?"

"I forgot to tell you, I moved out, but I still live in the same neighborhood, very close by."

"Holy crap, that was fast?"

The fat man was a bit speechless. "I just asked my roommate to open the door, and you still have the room key."

"Okay, I'll bring it to you right away."

I stood up and looked at Lin Qingying: "I'm going out for a bit, could you give me a copy of the key?"

"The key is in the drawer, get it yourself."

Without even looking up, she was already in work mode.

I didn't bother her, and went out by myself. I saw Fatty downstairs at Building 14, and handed him the keys. "Why are you back so early? Didn't you go to the movies with Shen Yue?"

"No, there aren't any good movies to watch lately."

"Alright."

I glanced at the time and said, "It's still early, how about we go to the Player Black Market?"

"Can."

So I sent a message in the group chat. "Tomorrow's the weekend, how about we meet up at the Player Black Market now, stock up on supplies, and then pick a map tomorrow and go out to loot?"

"Sure!"

Cai Cai sent an excited emoji. "Brother, I've been waiting for this day for so long!"

Kou Mei said, "I'll listen to the boss, and I'll always be the boss's lackey!"

Zhang Ruolin sent a voice message, laughing, "Alright, let's set off together then. Our destination is the Player Black Market in the South City District. You all know where the Player Black Market is, right?"

Where?

I really don't know.

"The Destroyer Bar: After entering the bar, go through the lobby to the parking lot. Behind the parking lot, there's a small path. Walk about thirty meters in and you'll find a security booth. After your identity is verified at the booth, you can enter. On the surface, it looks like a factory, but it's actually Player Black Market, and there's even a large Phase Teleportation Array."

"Um."

I sent a voice message: "Actually, there's something that's really confusing me. Why are player trading venues all called black markets? Don't we have any normal trading markets?"

"Maybe... it's because the merchants there are all shady..." Cai Cai said, trembling.

Fatty and I hailed a taxi and headed straight for the Destroyer Bar.

About ten minutes later, the taxi stopped in an old town area. Heavy metal music could be heard in the distance. A bar that was out of place in the old town appeared there. Steel statues holding long swords and wearing full armor stood on both sides of the door. Their faces were not visible under their helmets, only a pair of blood-red eyes.

Once inside, it was very noisy.

With Fatty by my side, I walked straight through the bar lobby, leaving the noise behind, and arrived at the parking lot. After crossing the parking lot, I found the inconspicuous sidewalk. Sure enough, there was a security booth a few dozen meters away, with two burly men standing there.

"Stop! No unauthorized personnel allowed!"

The two of them simultaneously reached out to stop them.

"One of our own."

I've seen this kind of thing many times. I quickly switched to Combat Form and showed my health bar.

"Holy crap, it's the Shadow Chaser?"

One of the burly men looked astonished.

I nodded and smiled, then looked at the fat man. "Show me your health bar?"

The fat man did as instructed.

Afterwards, the two passed through a small alley and entered the Player Black Market in Huaining City. The place was bustling with people, and many players had their health bars on and were showing up directly with their game IDs, which was very Zhang Yang.

Inside the trading market, I spotted a familiar figure and grabbed him in a flash. "Old Ma?!"

"Holy crap, Ding Han?!" The other party was dumbfounded.