What Would I Dare?
The next second, the BOSS's attributes appeared out of nowhere.
[Nether Captain] (Pink BOSS)
Level: 65
Attack: 9000-10500
Defense: 4500
Qi and Blood: 15,000,000
Skills: [Shooting Master Lv10] [Slaughter Enhancement Lv10] [Plasma Shield Lv10]
Details: Nether Captain, the former captain of the Ghost Ship, a great warrior skilled in hand-to-hand combat, shooting, and swordsmanship, lost his sanity after the starship's fall, ultimately becoming a slave to death, his soul sinking into the depravity of eternal life.
As expected, the biggest challenge in the current version of the five-star dungeon comes from the final boss!
Although the Nether Captain's attributes are slightly inferior to the Pink BOSS on the world map, its attack, defense, and health are much lower than those of the Claw Bug of the same level.
However, for most players at this stage, taking on such a boss solo is still an impossible task!
"Die!"
Nether Captain suddenly turned to the side and pulled out a thick, long Explosive Gun from under his wide cloak!
"Holy crap!?"
I tensed slightly and quickly ducked and moved sideways to dodge. Instantly, bullets from a 30mm caliber Explosive Gun came whistling through the air. Perhaps, at that caliber, they could no longer be considered bullets, but rather artillery shells!
I felt intense pain in my abdomen and legs. The BOSS's shooting skills were very high, exactly the same as mine. It was almost a lock-on attack, and there was no way to avoid the shots by moving around!
As bullets from the Explosive Gun flew, the damage numbers above his head rose and fell.
"4873!"
"5089!"
"4999!"
"5045!"
He was hit by about ten bullets in an instant, and his health bar dropped to less than half!
I can't take it anymore, let's fight!
With a "whoosh," the Step Slash was activated, forming a shield to briefly block the attack. Then, wielding the Power Sword, it lunged forward, unleashing a combination of Battle Roar, Tian Gong Kai Wu, and Overpowering Momentum. With a wave of its hand, it cast Dragon Binding Rope to imprison the BOSS, and then unleashed a series of combos!
"Buzz~~~"
Unexpectedly, the device mounted on Nether Captain's waist roared to life, activating the Plasma Shield skill. Instantly, a thin, deep blue shield blocked the Power Sword, accompanied by a series of clanging sparks, and it was impossible to penetrate it!
Suddenly, a chill ran through me.
A miscalculation!
"My turn!"
Nether Captain laughed heartily, then turned and fired his Explosive Gun at close range!
This is outrageous!
After feinting with his sword, he quickly used Step Slash and running to instantly appear behind Nether Captain, unleashing more than ten powerful sword strikes. At this moment, a resilience bar for the Plasma Shield finally appeared.
"You insignificant nobody from some unknown planet, do you think you can defeat me like this?"
Nether Captain roared, his entire body surging with crimson light as he entered a state of Slaughter Enhancement intent!
"Bang bang bang~~~"
The Explosive Gun bombardment doubled the damage when it hit the body again, with each shot dealing approximately 10,000 damage!
Is this even playable?
A chill ran through me, and without thinking any further, I directly consumed 50 points of Essence Points to unleash my Invincible Burst Skill!
"Whoosh~~~"
A golden light enveloped him, and without a moment's delay, he turned and unleashed a barrage of attacks on the Nether Captain, focusing all his strikes on the miniature shield generator hanging from his waist... no, I mean the one!
"You audacious little bastard, don't even think about it!"
Nether Captain roared, his right hand firing an explosive shot, while his Left Hand opened, attempting to grab me.
Whirlwind Slash!
A whirlwind surged around him, and in an instant, he successfully passed through the monster, appearing directly behind Nether Captain!
Turn around and chop again!
Seven seconds later, the Plasma Shield finally went out with a "whoosh," and in the next second, a lightning-fast Dragon Blade, accompanied by a dragon's roar, swept across the opponent's waist!
"Snap!"
Sparks flew everywhere, and the plasma generator was cut in two, hissing and spitting out sparks.
It's done! I can finally deal damage!
"You bastard!"
Amid Nether Captain's furious roar, I launched him into the air with a single Rising Dragon Slash, followed by an Ash Sweep took away over 200,000 of his health, while simultaneously restoring my own health to full.
You can't beat me!
Nether Captain got impatient and started barking like a dog.
I laughed. The opponent's Plasma Shield skill icon had cracked, meaning the skill was permanently disabled and would no longer be effective. So there was nothing to fear, and I could just use my Power Sword to hack and slash!
With such high melee attack power and 34% life steal, the damage from the BOSS's Explosive Gun is indeed high, but the amount of health I can recover from melee attacks is even higher!
In an instant, every sword strike sent blood and flesh flying everywhere!
In reality, Nether Captain is a spirit, so the "severing" effect of the Power Sword is ineffective. Even after his arm is severed, there are still countless blood-red threads connecting it, and it heals in the blink of an eye, making it impossible to use skills such as Crippling Blow strike or decapitation.
I can only slowly chip away at it, but fortunately my attack power is high enough that the clearing speed isn't too slow.
After nearly 30 minutes of close combat, Nether Captain's health bar finally disappeared, and he slowly knelt down, his body transforming into wisps of crimson light that rose up!
"You think that's all?!"
The next second, the image of Nether Captain appeared from the crimson spirit and pounced down, actually trying to fight back even after he was dead!
"Buzz~~~"
But at that moment, the Essence Furnace roared, and Yuan Power surged out of the body, exploding with a loud bang, directly shattering the ghost of the Nether Captain into pieces!
Sure enough, the SS-rank Essence Furnace has done a great job again!
Carrying his Power Sword, he retraced his steps.
The beautiful female warrior in a spacesuit with short hair smiled and said, "Young warrior, your courage makes me very happy. The storm on the ghost ship has finally subsided. Here, this is your reward!"
[Congratulations! You have completed the solo Instance Crystal Ghost Ship (Epic ★★★★★)! Rewards: 45 million character experience and [Starry Sky Bracer] (Quality: Pink)!]
Sure enough, it produced powder!
I was overjoyed and quickly opened the Dimensional Storage Space.
In a corner of the space, a set of exquisitely crafted armor, consisting of arm guards, wrist guards, and hand guards, lay there. Its entire body shimmered and rotated, with starry sky patterns on the surface. The arm guards were adorned with delicate vine carvings, giving it a very tasteful appearance.
After a brief glance, the wristband's attributes appeared—
[Starry Sky Bracer] (Quality: Pink)
Grade: Fifth Tier
Defense: 780
Strength: +60
Agility: +57
Spirit: +55
Blessing: Damage Reduction +4%
Specialty: Attack damage +17%
Blessing: Resilience, increases own health by 7500 points.
Burst Skill: [Star Vine], sacrifices a large amount of elemental energy to activate Star Vine, causing a binding effect on targets within a 40x40 area for 5 seconds. Cooldown: 10 minutes. Costs 30 Essence Points.
Biography: A pair of exquisite wristbands from an unnamed planet, said to contain an ancient power that, once awakened, would be quite astonishing.
Strength required: 1050
Required Agility: 500
The basic stats of this bracer are only average. The damage increase and Damage Reduction are indeed maxed out, but it lacks both the attack and defense attributes of Might and Rock. For Pink Equipment, it can only be considered mid-range.
Fortunately, it actually has a ranged control Burst Skill!
This Star Vine has an extremely large control range, instantly controlling a 40x40 yard area, which will be very useful in team battles.
No more talk, let's equip!
A Teleportation Gate appeared behind him, allowing him to return directly.
I glanced down at the short-haired NPC leaning leisurely against the transparent pod of the starport, and chuckled, "Comrade, I'm off now. You can stay here and keep watch."
"Snort!"
She crossed her arms, a smile playing on her lips, and scoffed, "You brat..."
Turn around and leave through the Teleportation Gate!
"Whoosh!"
His figure appeared at the street corner not far from the Player Black Market. He glanced at the time; it was almost five o'clock. After sending a message to Lin Qingying to let her know he was safe, he said in the Team Channel, "I'm back. Has the Gene Warrior booked a restaurant yet?"
"It's settled!"
"Unarm Me" hurriedly sent the location to the group chat, saying, "Since the boss is already finished, let's head over there and start drinking as soon as possible?"
"Can."
Everyone agreed.
So I walked into the alley, quietly took out my beloved little motorcycle, and sped off towards the restaurant I had booked. The location wasn't too far, and it was quite close to Yuening.
We arrived at the restaurant shortly afterward and went upstairs to a private room.
"Your Majesty, the one Unarm Me enthusiastically. "What happened, sir?"
"A pink wristband, not bad."
"Hiahiahia, all that's good that the goods have been shipped!"
"Really."
I nodded. "Have a seat. They should be here soon."
"Um!"
A few minutes later, everyone arrived, and the private room became lively.
Everyone introduced themselves, but Cai Cai, Fatty, and the others didn't know how to address Unarm Me.
"Hey kid, we've chatted before," Cai Cai said.
"I know, Brother Cai Cai!"
Unarm Me repeatedly, knowing that Cai Cai was one of the core players in the team and her words carried weight. If Cai Cai didn't agree to let him join the team, things would be in trouble.
However...
Cai Cai said, "I'm not trying to be mean, but what are we supposed to call you with that weird game ID? Should we call you 'I, the Emperor'? Or 'Unarmored'? Both sound awkward and unfriendly! Look at my ID, it's perfect, just call me Cai Cai."
How about this?
The chubby guy, who was good at naming things, said, "He is the first Gene Warrior in our Ding Han Squad, and to be honest, there are very few Gene Warrior in our Crimson Dragon Country camp, and it is even rarer to have such a high-level Gene Warrior!"
He pondered for a moment, then said, "Since he's one of the best Gene Warrior, why don't we call him Aji?"
"Ah?!"
Aji looked completely bewildered. "If you don't say 'ki,' then... civility..."
"That's a good name."
I nodded. "Then I'll change your contact name to Aji."
"Okay, since the boss said so, if they issue name change cards in the future, I'll change my ID to Aji for easier identification." This guy seemed to agree readily.
Ruolin said, "How about we order some food first?"
"Okay, order whatever you like!"
Aji was quite confident, saying, "To be honest, farming equipment isn't difficult for me; it might be slightly easier than for everyone else."
"What's the story behind this?" The Telling a Story squinted.
"Actually, there's no special technique. It's just a combo of Sacred Blood Boiling + passive Life Spring. As long as the BOSS's damage isn't too high and can't kill me instantly, I can slowly wear it down. The only pink-grade equipment I had, as well as the five-star Instance Crystal I gave to my boss, all dropped from a Pink BOSS in this way."
"Awesome!"
Huo Bingzhi Ri gave a thumbs up and said, "Aji, we can team up and go out for some extra training to catch up on levels. It'll be so much fun with you as our tank!"
"Holy crap, that's exactly what I was thinking!"
Aji exclaimed with delight, "Damn, having family really makes a difference! It's true what they say, being a lone wolf for too long makes you feel lonely."
"Stop talking, let's order!"
So, everyone started ordering one or two dishes they wanted to eat each day, and soon they had ordered more than a dozen dishes. But Aji seemed to have plenty of money, so no one felt guilty.
Aji brought out a case of Guoyuan (a brand of cigarettes), and everyone started drinking, while I continued to drink Heineken.
After a few rounds of drinks, everyone except the two girls, whose faces turned red, started to get into the swing of things. In particular, Faye, Bingzi, and Gushi, who were all newcomers to the team, looked like they had known each other for a long time and wished they could become sworn brothers with Aji right there and then.
"Ding Han, how many pink outfits do you have now?"
Suddenly, Ruolin asked this question lightly.
Suddenly, everyone stopped chatting, their expressions turned serious, and they stared straight at me.
"Let me see!"
I opened the equipment panel, glanced at it, and said, "Sword, Explosive Gun, sniper rifle, helmet, chest armor, and bracers—six pink-tier items in total. That doesn't seem like much."
"Isn't that enough?"
Huo Bingzhi Ri stared wide-eyed, looking as if he had seen a ghost.
"Well..."
Fey Courtier sighed, "The equipment is so damn hard to get, really. I feel like my goal of getting a full set of blue gear is still a long way off, but look at our boss, he's almost halfway to getting a full set of pink gear."
"Actually, the most important thing is... the boss's pink sword is Power Sword, it's too deadly..." he grinned as Telling a Story.
"Really."
Cai Cai looked at Fey Courtier and said, "Fa Ye, don't have so many complaints. To be honest, once we Firepower Specialist get through the early stages, we'll soon enter an awkward phase. I'd like to take this opportunity to ask the boss for some advice, suggestions, and direction for us Firepower Specialist."
"How so?"
Fey Courtier was speechless. "Even the top Firepower Specialist of Huaining City has troubles?"
"There are so many troubles."
Cai Cai said, "First of all, Fa Ye, your equipment is a cloth spirit set. These kinds of equipment generally have very low requirements, the biggest requirement being spirit. But you Star Speaker all allocate all points to spirit, so there's no problem for you. Now look at us Firepower Specialist, our equipment is the same as our melee equipment, we can all wear armor, but..."
He paused, a helpless expression on his face. "Blue-grade equipment often requires 600, 700, or even 800 points of strength, plus 400-500 points of agility. But our Firepower Specialist's attributes are scattered; we need to add a little to strength, stamina, agility, and spirit. Do you know how difficult it is to reach 800 points of strength?"
"I don't know..." Fey Courtier grinned wildly, looking smug.
I nodded, completely agreeing with Cai Cai's statement. Take the Starry Sky Bracer I just got, for example. It requires 1050 points of strength and 500 points of agility. It's a piece of cake for me, since I'm a player who maxes out all my stats and has a high level of Essence Furnace. My strength has already reached 1300+. But it's a different story for Firepower Specialist.
"Based on the current development, I estimate that I can only wear one set of cyan equipment at most, and then I won't be able to wear the later armor-type equipment."
Cai Cai said with distress, "My furnace is a near-S-grade A-grade Essence Furnace with a 90% conversion rate, and I can barely wear my cyan equipment anymore. Isn't that ridiculous?"
The fat guy said, "My equipment isn't as good as Cai Cai's, so I haven't encountered this problem yet, but it will be soon."
Optimizing the class system has always been a problem for players in Star Abyss, but since the game has long passed the beta version, no one has experience and everyone is feeling their way forward.
"Boss, your equipment is far superior to ours, and you have a better understanding of advanced equipment. What's your opinion on this?" Cai Cai asked.
"My suggestion is to forgo allocating points to Stamina and Spirit, and instead focus the remaining attribute points on Strength and Agility."
"Ah?"
Cai Cai said, "Then were the points I added before a mistake?"
"That's not entirely wrong. Stamina and spirit are both effective attributes for Firepower Specialist, so the previous stat allocation was fine."
I glanced at Cai Cai and Fatty and said, "But the equipment requirements in Star Abyss are really higher as the grade increases. In my opinion, what is the value of Firepower Specialist? Of course, it's output. Only with output can you have a place in the team. Otherwise, what's the point of a team having Firepower Specialist? Moreover, not only does the armor require strength, but you also need strength to pick up Heavy Firepower weapons in the mid-to-late game. In addition, armor equipment has a Damage Increase effect, which is very important for Firepower Specialist. So don't hesitate, increase your strength, and get the equipment first!"
Ruolin and Kou Mei nodded in agreement.
"Understood!"
Cai Cai laughed heartily, "Thank you for your guidance, Boss. From now on, I'll focus on increasing my strength."
Afterwards, everyone continued chatting, talking about everything under the sun, having a great time. They drank until after nine o'clock, when the party ended and everyone went home to sleep.
The next day, I continued working at Feiyang Internet Cafe, writing code like crazy in my spare time to improve the core algorithm of Yue Ning Mall as soon as possible.
Lu Xiaobei once again transformed into a street hustler, driving the company's Cayenne to East Lake and frantically taking photos. Her inn photos had high commercial value, and the inn owners were willing to spend money on them. It was said that a set of photos was now worth tens of thousands of yuan, which made Zhao Yihang very envious. He also wished he could become a male model and go out with Lu Xiaobei to make money.
Life returned to normal. Chen Xiaoman and Zhao Yihang were mainly in charge of the Flagship Store, while Lu Xiaobei and I were just doing our jobs. Old K, on the other hand, continued to immerse himself in games with his girlfriend Xiao Mei. Apparently, she was already a key member of the guild, staying up all night every day to help the guild leader get first kills and other similar items.
Evening.
"Drop!"
A WeChat message from Lin Qingying: "Ding Han, I got off work early today, come pick me up."
"Alright, I'm coming, wait for me!"
"Um!"
I drove my little motorcycle directly to Yue Ning Group. After entering the underground parking garage, I used the recall function to send the motorcycle back to the Dimensional Storage Space with a drift in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. Then I landed with a cool flip in the air, like a knight-errant in a martial arts movie who leaps off his horse and kills without leaving a trace. It was so cool.
I took out my work badge, swiped it on the access control, and went upstairs.
He swaggered into the administration building, ignoring the group of presidents and directors, and headed straight for Lin Qingying's office.
"Snap!"
The moment I opened the door, Lin Qingying had just finished packing her bag and laptop, and I casually put those two items into the storage space.
"Wow..."
Lin Qingying was amazed and chuckled softly, "Is this what players' storage compartments are like?"
"That's right, isn't it amazing? Time is relatively frozen inside the storage space, so even if you put milk tea in it, it won't get cold."
"From now on, you're in charge of storing the milk tea."
"Hmm, off work?"
"Get off work!"
Lin Qingying naturally took my hand and said with a smile, "Ding Han, how about we go to the market? I haven't had your cooking in a long time, and I'd like to learn how to cook from you so that when you're busy in the future, I can cook a whole table of dishes for you when you come home."
"Good."
For no apparent reason, her words warmed my heart.
It was rush hour, Lin Qingying let go of the elevator hand before entering, probably because she was worried about making a bad impression.
The elevator was crowded with people. She and I stood in a corner. The other executives didn't dare to approach at all, and just awkwardly greeted us. Lin Qingying responded awkwardly as well.
Parking Garage.
Seeing that no one was around, Lin Qingying took his hand again.
"Oh my, isn't this Xiaoying?"
At this moment, two people walked in from another direction. Both of them looked to be over 50 years old, one of whom was Xie Zheng, the current chairman of Yue Ning Group.
The other person was unfamiliar, but his brows revealed a deep-seated worldliness.
"Chairman Xie, are you off work?"
Lin Qingying responded with a smile, then looked at the other old man and said, "President Zhong, you're here today too?"
"Hmm, it's a board meeting today, Manager Lin, didn't you know?"
Lin Qingying's expression visibly changed for a moment.
I can truly empathize with her feelings right now. Lin Qingying inherited her parents' shares and is currently the largest shareholder of Yue Ning Group. However, Xie Zheng, along with a group of shareholders, changed the rules and used various means and excuses to prevent her from being on the board of directors. This prevented Lin Qingying, the largest shareholder, from being on the board and forced her to serve only as a CEO.
In essence, a CEO is still just an employee, albeit a top performer among them.
The other old guy, if nothing unexpected happens, should be Zhong Baiyan, the boss of Xiajiang Group, a big shot in the business world of Huaining City, who took advantage of the Yue Ning Energy Crisis to invest in Yuening and, with Xie Zheng's cooperation, bought up a lot of high-quality shares of Yuening in order to dilute Lin Qingying's shares.
"Hey, who is this young man?"
Zhong Baiyan tilted his head and looked at me, then smiled and said, "You look a little unfamiliar?"
"Mr. Zhong, this is my boyfriend Ding Han."
Lin Qingying immediately introduced him with grace and poise, "Ding Han, this is Mr. Zhong, the major shareholder of our Yue Ning Group and the chairman of Xiajiang Group, a senior figure in the Huaining City business world."
"Hello, Mr. Zhong."
I reached out and shook hands with him.
Zhong Baiyan smiled warmly, "Such a handsome young man, you can tell at a glance that he's destined for great things. Ding Han, may I ask where you are currently working?"
Sure enough, this question came out of his mouth.
"Ding Han, he..."
Lin Qingying was probably afraid that I would be looked down upon, so she was about to reveal my identity as the planner of Feiyang Chain Internet Cafe and Esports Hotel, but I shook her hand and stopped her.
Whether it's an internet cafe event planner or an e-sports hotel founder, these identities are insignificant compared to Zhong Baiyan's net worth of hundreds of billions.
"Mr. Zhong, I'm currently unemployed. My main job is being Xiaoying's boyfriend, and my secondary job is being her strategist."
"Military adviser?"
Zhong Baiyan was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "Young people these days are much more interesting than we were back then."
"Of course."
Xie Zheng smiled and said, "However, I was quite shocked when I heard that you and Ding Han were together. You don't know, my niece is a true gem. Not only is she beautiful, but she's also incredibly talented. Countless people envy you for being her boyfriend. You must cherish her and not let this hard-won relationship go to waste."
"Manager Xie, I cherish Xiaoying very much."
I looked him straight in the eye and said, "In the near future, I will fight for her without hesitation!"
Xie Zheng was taken aback at first, then laughed and said, "Alright, alright, I'm relieved to hear you say that. Well then, we two old folks are going to enjoy our retirement life. We won't disturb your date. Go ahead."
"Okay, goodbye Manager Xie and Mr. Zhong."
Lin Qingying and I bid farewell to the two people, maintaining the politeness expected of juniors.
After getting in the car, I started it and muttered, "Those two old foxes, they're actually quite friendly."
Lin Qingying chuckled, but said nothing.
Xie Zheng was Lin Junting's partner and comrade-in-arms, so when Lin Junting was alive, Xie Zheng treated Lin Qingying like a niece.
However, once Lin Junting and his wife left, Xie Zheng, lured by the enormous profits of the Yue Ning business empire, revealed his true colors and used various means to prevent Lin Qingying from returning to Yue Ning. It was practically a bloodless war.
Sometimes, I really feel sorry for Lin Qingying.
Soon after, at the vegetable market.
The two strolled hand in hand through the market. Lin Qingying, lacking relevant experience, maintained the poise and composure befitting the CEO of Yuening, while I instantly transformed, revealing the shrewdness of a petty bourgeois, haggling with the vegetable vendors and arguing back and forth with the fishmongers.
"This mandarin fish weighs a full two pounds, it's wild, and it's at least a hundred yuan per pound. Young man, do you even know that?" The fishmonger gave Lin Qingying a deep look before quickly starting to mock her boyfriend.
"I don't understand?"
I immediately retorted, "Wild mandarin fish are slender and appear somewhat thin because their food sources are not fixed in the wild. They certainly won't be too fat when they're sometimes hungry and sometimes full. Also, they need to avoid predators, so they swim a lot, which naturally makes them slender. Look at yours, how fat is it?"
Lin Qingying was stunned for a moment, then looked at me with Worshipped.
The boss Wu Yan.
"I want that one!"
I picked up the net and scooped up another mandarin fish that weighed at least three pounds. The owner had hidden this one on the inside, probably planning to sell the farmed ones first and keep the wild one as a prized possession, which was a bit excessive.
After weighing the items, I paid and then took Lin Qingying to another stall.
I bought wild mandarin fish and river shrimp, and also killed a free-range chicken and some spare ribs.
"Ding Han, didn't you buy too much?"
Lin Qingying asked, "What if we can't finish all that?"
"It's alright, I'll call Fatty later and ask him to bring Shen Yue over as a guest, we can eat together!"
"Uh-huh!"
On the drive home, I used the game's voice chat to talk to Fatty: "Xiaoying and I bought some groceries and are on our way home now. Bring Shen Yue over for dinner in an hour and a half."
"Ah?"
The fat man said, "Shen Yue just told me she wanted to go eat Lao Zao Tai Di Guo Chicken..."
"My braised chicken with edamame tastes even better. Just tell Shen Yue that your Manager Lin invited her over for a casual meal, and let's see what she says."
"Ahem, if you're going to use Manager Lin to pressure us, how dare Shen Yue say no? Okay, we'll be there on time in half an hour, or maybe we'll arrive a little earlier, please help us out?"
"No need. With Xiaoying helping me, can you give me more time alone together?"
"Tsk tsk, disgusting!"
"Haven't I been disgusted by certain people these past few months too?"
"Damn it, you brought this up again..."
Back home, I got busy.
I personally slaughtered the fish, my knife flashing coldly and ruthlessly, while Lin Qingying peeled garlic beside me.
"Ding Han, how do you plan to cook this fish?"
"Braise, steam, or stew—you choose one."
"Let's make soup, something light and healthy. We can braise it next time."
"Okay, I just bought tofu too."
I quickly got into cooking mode. After Lin Qingying helped prepare the ingredients, she stood by and watched my cooking process with wide eyes, afraid of missing any detail.
She's so smart; if she really puts her mind to learning, her cooking skills will definitely be excellent in the future.
After chopping vegetables with a "thump, thump, thump" sound, I turned around to get a bowl, but accidentally bumped into two soft mounds.
"Ah..."
Lin Qingying covered her chest with one hand, her face flushed. "What's wrong?"
"Cough cough... It's nothing!"
My face flushed red, and my heart started racing. After all, I'm a young man full of vigor, and it's impossible for me not to feel anything at this moment, but it doesn't seem appropriate to take anything further.
Firstly, I was afraid of being too forward, and secondly... this is Star Abyss Kitchen, not a erotic kitchen.
Before long, one delicious dish after another was cooked, and the aroma of rice wafted from the rice cooker.
"It smells so good..."
Lin Qingying leaned closer to the mandarin fish and tofu soup and took a sniff.
I handed him a spoon. "Want to try a bite first?"
"Isn't that inappropriate? The guests haven't arrived yet..."
"If I don't tell, and you don't tell..."
"All right!"
She couldn't resist the temptation, took a sip of the fish soup, and said her tongue was almost spitting out the deliciousness. Then she quickly washed the spoon and put it back, pretending nothing had happened.
"Knock knock~~~"
There was a knock on the door.
"Fatty Shen Yue has arrived, Xiao Ying, open the door."
"Um!"
As soon as Lin Qingying opened the door, she heard Shen Yue's voice. "Hello, Manager Lin..."
The CEO's intimidating presence was so terrifying that Shen Yue was always extremely nervous in front of Lin Qingying, even after the fat man told her that Lin Qingying was already with him, Shen Yue still couldn't control herself.
Unfortunately, Shen Yue comes from an ordinary family, and she might indeed feel somewhat inferior in front of Lin Qingying; this is something she can only overcome gradually.
"Holy crap, so much delicious food?"
The fat man went into the kitchen to help serve the dishes.
"What would you like to drink?" I asked.
Lin Qingying immediately said, "There's some Moutai in the trunk downstairs, a gift from a client... Why don't you two brothers have some?"
"No, that's too wasteful," I said.
"You son of a bitch..."
The fat man was almost in tears. "So, it's a waste for me to drink Moutai?"
"Damn it, the key's on the table, go get it yourself!"
"Okay!"
The fat man went downstairs and carried a case of Moutai back upstairs.
"Who the hell are you trying to drink to death?" I was speechless.
"Anyway, you're at home, so drink without worry! If you drink too much, just fall asleep. Manager Lin take care of you, so I feel more at ease," the fat man said.
Lin Qingying smiled and said, "Ding Han, why don't you have a drink too? It's alright, the room is right next door."
"Alright."
I nodded, no longer holding back, opened a bottle of Moutai, and poured a little for everyone.
"There needs to be a reason for this first cup..."
The fat man said, "Ding Han, shouldn't the first drink celebrate the fact that you and Manager Lin have finally confirmed your relationship?"
"Still calling him Manager Lin?" I asked.
"Cough cough..."
The fat man wore an apologetic smile and said, "Manager Lin, then... then from now on, when we're together in private, I'll just call her 'sister-in-law,' since I'm a few days older than Ding Han."
"Um."
Lin Qingying smiled and nodded, "Just call me that if it sounds natural to you."
"Alright, the first toast is to you two!"
The fat man looked at Shen Yue beside him and said, "Wife, why don't you change how you address him? From now on, in private, you can call him Manager Lin too?"
"Ah?"
Shen Yue looked flustered. "I... I..."
Asking her to call Lin Qingying seems a bit too much to ask.
"Shen Yue, why don't you just call me Xiao Ying in private?" I said.
"How could I dare..."
Shen Yue looked shocked and couldn't help but blurt out the truth.
"Shen Yue, it's alright, you can call me whatever you want, it's just a form of address," Lin Qingying said.
"Then I'll still call you Manager Lin..."
The fat guy and I both laughed speechlessly, "Never mind, let's finish this drink first!"
"Let's go!"
The four of them drank it all in one gulp.
"Eat the vegetables! Eat the vegetables!"
The fat man eagerly picked up his chopsticks.
Lin Qingying, on the other hand, turned her attention to the mandarin fish and tofu soup.
I knew she really liked this dish, even more than braised pork ribs, so I just placed it in front of her.
After taking a bite of the fish, Lin Qingying said with a happy expression, "It's really delicious. You should try it too. It's like garlic cloves of meat, so fresh."
"Um."
Of course I know that mandarin fish and tofu soup is delicious, but I didn't have the money before, so I couldn't bear to spend hundreds of yuan to buy such a big wild mandarin fish. Now that I've tasted it, I can't help but sigh, you get what you pay for, there's definitely a reason why it's expensive.
The food and drinks smelled delicious, the news was playing on the television, and all four of them were very happy and enjoying themselves.
And so, as I drank, I got tipsy, and the tipsiness came on more intensely than before. I only vaguely remember that before I lost consciousness, the fat man was quacking like a male duck, while Lin Qingying cupped my face and asked if I was done drinking.
Of course not, otherwise it wouldn't be called alcohol intolerance.
I woke up at six in the morning.
Lying on the bed, there was a glass of water beside her, which Lin Qingying must have put there.
No, I think I missed something when I was drunk.
So I entered the star map interface and checked the system announcements, and sure enough, there was one!
[System Notification: The new map "Ash Plain" (Levels 50-60) is now open. This map has a certain chance to drop Tier 3 and Tier 4 Skill Tome. All players are welcome to explore it!]
The level is too low, I'm not interested.