Sweating Bullets

"I'm going back to my hometown, Tengshan, for the Spring Festival. Where else can I go?" I replied.

"Oh!"

Lu Xiaobei sent a moon emoji. "I'm going to sleep, goodnight!"

What a strange woman.

After putting down my phone, I continued to try to fall asleep, and soon drifted into a dream. In the dream, I was wielding a dazzling S14 Origin Grade Power Sword, furiously beheading the Dark Tide leader, trampling Tenth-order Demon Spirit and Tenth-order Insectoid Race under my feet, my cloak billowing behind me, exuding an aura of invincibility. Then, with a single sword strike, I cleaved a rift in the sky and shouted to the other side of the world, "I'm back!"

After that, it will be unparalleled in the world, and world peace will follow!

The following afternoon, in Luo Mei's office.

"Drop!"

A message came from Lin Qingying; she sent a photo of the conference room.

"Slacking off in meetings?"

"Um!"

She sent a picture of Confident Face wearing sunglasses and said, "I was thinking, should we buy some gifts for my uncle, Second Uncle, and Second Aunt when we go back, like clothes or something?"

"Is it alright?"

I scratched my head. "They don't lack food or clothing."

"Just a small token of my appreciation."

"Okay, you decide."

"I'll go with you to the mall tonight to pick something out."

"Okay, you focus on the meeting!"

"Oh..."

I had just finished chatting with Lin Qingying when my phone suddenly popped up with a video call. The person who would do something so abrupt was naturally an elder in the family. I glanced at it, and sure enough, it was my Second Aunt.

After the video call connected, my Second Aunt's big face appeared, and behind her were my dad and Second Aunt still drinking their lunch.

"Ding Han, when are you and Xiao Ying coming back?"

"We'll leave on the morning of New Year's Eve and arrive around noon," I said.

"Couldn't you have gone earlier?" Second Aunt said. "There might be traffic jams on the highway on New Year's Eve. If you go a little earlier, you won't be in such a rush, right?"

"I'd like to too, but Xiaoying is too busy with work and just can't find the time. It's already good enough that she can go home on New Year's Eve."

"Look at you..."

Second Aunt said, "What kind of job does Xiaoying have that makes her so busy? We didn't even ask. Look at our Ding Ying, she got home at noon, unlike you guys who are always in such a rush."

Ding Ying, the daughter of her Second Uncle and Second Aunt, was cherished by the two elders.

"Elder brother!"

A familiar face came into view; it was indeed Ding Ying. She had grown up a lot and matured considerably, but she still smiled so broadly her eyes almost disappeared, just like when she was a child. "I'm waiting to see my sister-in-law! Mom and Dad say she's a great beauty!"

"Cough cough..."

I didn't say anything.

Second Aunt continued, "By the way, Ding Han, I have some good news for you. Your younger sister, Ding Ying, is also in Huaining City. She just graduated not long ago and was hired by a big company there. What's it called again?"

"Yue Ning Group," Ding Ying said quickly.

"Yes, yes, Yue Ning Group!"

My Second Aunt said, "I heard that the benefits at this group are really good. If you're not happy working there, have your sister introduce you to a job at Yue Ning Group. There's more room for advancement there, and we'll feel more at ease knowing that you two siblings are working together."

"That's right."

My Second Uncle, his face flushed, said, "The career prospects at a big company are definitely better; you should take this to heart."

"..."

I was completely numb. After saying a few perfunctory words, I hung up the phone as if I were escaping.

I was sitting in the chair, feeling like I'd just fought a huge battle; I was drenched in sweat.

I wonder what they would think if they knew that Lin Qingying, whom I brought back, was the CEO of Yue Ning Group.

As for Ding Ying, she should be fine. She's just a newly hired intern, so she probably doesn't have access to Lin Qingying's circle. If she doesn't pay attention, she might not even know who Lin Qingying is. Hopefully, otherwise, she might be exposed.

I left work early in the evening.

After treating Lin Qingying to Pizza Hut, the two of us went shopping at a nearby mall. She bought two down jackets for my dad and Second Uncle, priced at around 2,000 yuan each, which is quite high-end for current prices. She also bought a women's winter coat for my Second Aunt, and I carried all of them.

As I walked out of the mall, I glanced into the distance and spotted a bookstore.

"Cough cough..."

I looked at her and said, "I want to buy a book, do you want to come with me?"

"Okay, I'll go with you."

Upon entering the bookstore, I bypassed the self-help, career, and novel sections and went straight to the technical books section at the back, where I picked out a book titled "Fundamentals of Communication and Network Theory."

All along, I've only learned programming in <Star Abyss>, but I've neglected knowledge of communication and networking. This is like having only one leg, which isn't ideal. Now that I've reached level 46, I plan to use one of my precious skill points to fill in the gaps in my knowledge of communication and networking.

On the one hand, it can enhance one's "hacking" skills, and on the other hand, it can increase one's Mental Power. After all, past battles have shown that the higher one's Mental Power is, the stronger one's resistance is when facing Psionic System enemies. Currently, it is only the early to mid-stage of the game. Who knows what kind of terrifying Psionic System monsters we will encounter later? If our Mental Power is insufficient, we will easily fail!

Turning around, she saw Lin Qingying in a smart work outfit, standing in front of a bookshelf flipping through a history book. Not far away, a bespectacled, somewhat refined-looking boy was staring intently at her, probably already smitten.

Unfortunately, Lin Qingying's aura was too strong, and the boy didn't even have the courage to ask for her WeChat.

"Xiaoying, I've made my choice."

"Um."

Lin Qingying put away the book she was holding, intending to buy it. She looked at my book and smiled, "Ding Han, you're so interested in technical books, why don't you consider coming to Yuening? Our Yuening R&D department is highly competitive even in China. If you're really interested in technology, you can come and train with us."

"Cough cough..."

I picked up the books she had chosen, put them together with the payment, and said, "These are purely personal hobbies. They're far from suitable for research and development. Besides, as someone who loves freedom, I'm not sure I could adapt to the work pace of a large corporation like Yuening."

"All right."

She was somewhat disappointed, but didn't press the matter.

Night.

After returning home, Lin Qingying began packing her clothes. We would be leaving Huaining City early tomorrow morning for Tengshan City, my hometown, which I had never been to before.

"Beep beep~~~"

Shortly after, Lin Qingying received a phone call. The call was brief. After hanging up, she looked at me and said, "The wine has been delivered downstairs. Let's go down and put it in the car."

"Good."

As the two went downstairs, they saw a young man in a suit standing in front of a black Buick Regal. He respectfully greeted him as "Manager Lin," then quickly opened the trunk and took out a case of liquor.

I hurriedly stepped forward, took the bottle, and discovered that although the outer packaging was grayish-brown, the words on it said "Maotai".

Sure enough, the wine Lin Qingying bought for her dad and Second Uncle was very expensive; it was the kind of wine that neither Fatty nor I could afford.

After putting the wine in the trunk, I went upstairs.

Lin Qingying took advantage of the last few things to finish her work, while I read a book. About an hour later, I quickly finished the entire book, and the overall framework of the corresponding technology immediately appeared in my mind. The next second, a new skill emerged—

[Congratulations! You have acquired the skill: [Fundamentals of Communication and Network Theory Lv1] (Level A)!]

Upgrade directly using Skill Experience, and the upgrade light flashed continuously, quickly advancing to the advanced level, then to the expert level, and in the blink of an eye, you reached the level 10 Expert-level Communication and Network Theory, gaining 24 points of Mental Power!

"Knock knock~~~"

Just after I finished mastering the skills, there was a knock on the living room door.

"Ding Han, please open the door. It's Shen Man." Lin Qingying continued typing on her laptop.

"Oh!"

I got up and opened the door, and saw Shen Man walk in looking travel-worn.

"Ding Han!"

She smiled at me and greeted me, "Are you going to Tengshan tomorrow?"

Yes, that's right.

It seems that Lin Qingying didn't hide the fact that she was going to Tengshan with me for the Chinese New Year from her assistant.

"Shen Man, what's wrong?" Lin Qingying asked.

"The chairman has just returned from abroad."

Shen Man sat to the side, frowning, and said, "I was dealing with matters concerning Huafeng Group at the company just now, and the chairman came directly to me to ask about your annual leave."

"Does he have a problem with it?" Lin Qingying asked.

No, not at all.

Shen Man smiled and said, "I just wanted to let you know he's back, and he also came to see how your preparations are going."

"Um."

Lin Qingying asked, "Are you going home tomorrow too?"

"Yes..."

Shen Man said, "Actually, I don't want to go back at all. Every year when I go back, I'm pressured to get married, and I'm even asked to go on blind dates. It's like this every year, and now I have a psychological trauma from it."

Lin Qingying chuckled and continued working.

"Okay, I won't bother you anymore."

Shen Man said, "You're leaving early tomorrow morning, so get some rest and make sure you're well-rested."

As she spoke, she looked at me and said, "Ding Han, please drive a little longer on the road. Consider this precious time as a vacation for Manager Lin. She should rest well and not overwork herself."

Don't worry.

I gave him an OK sign. "Take care of your Manager Lin with me!"

"Alright, see you after the New Year!" Shen Man smiled, waved, and left.

Around 10 o'clock, I urged Lin Qingying to go to bed early, so the two of us went back to our rooms and rested early.

The next day, at six o'clock, the alarm clock rang.

He quickly got up, washed up hastily, and woke Lin Qingying to get up and wash up as well. He went downstairs to buy breakfast, and after the two of them ate, he turned off the power to the house and drove away.

Guess what? Before we even left Huaining City, we got stuck in traffic at the highway entrance in the new district!

Fortunately, the traffic congestion eased considerably after getting on the highway, and I was able to maintain a speed of approximately 100 kilometers per hour. After driving for over two hours straight, I entered the Tengshan City area, at which point a sound came from the navigation system—

"Any female gamers in Tengshan City? I'm a level 43 Firepower Specialist, good-looking, with no bad habits, and I'm looking for honest friends. Those interested can contact me..."

'Damn it...'

I frowned, casually closed the star chart, and ignored it.