Chen Xu had nothing better to do, so he competed with them. As long as it was not one-on-one, but simply shooting contests, anyone who came up against him would have to kneel.
After several rounds, everyone, including Zhao Gang, lost with complete conviction.
He spoke modestly, but inwardly, he thought, If I showed you what I could really do, wouldn't I scare you all to death?
He had held back just now, deliberately missing several shots.
Although he had become rather full of himself lately, he still remembered the principle that one should not be too arrogant. He always left himself some room when doing things.
As for livestreaming, that was for making money. How could it be the same? Naturally, he had to go all out.
"What a pity. With shooting talent like yours, if you were another twenty centimeters taller, you'd definitely have a chance to play in the CBA," Zhao Gang said regretfully.
Chen Xu smiled and did not take it seriously. After talking with Zhao Gang, he had learned that this group were all streetball enthusiasts. They had met while playing streetball together.
Later, they had gathered and formed a team, mainly doing training and similar work. Their side business was making short videos.
Chen Xu could not help sighing. Short videos really were popular now. So many people were making them.
Zhao Gang and the others had far more followers than Dai Zixin. Their methods of monetization were simply different. They did not livestream; they mainly sold sporting goods.
They chatted while playing basketball, and before they knew it, noon had arrived.
"Let's call it here. It's almost lunchtime," Chen Xu suggested.
"Then let's go."
Zhao Gang and the others packed up their things and walked back to the hotel together.
As they were nearing the hotel, Zhao Gang suddenly said, "Chen Xu, I'd like to invite you to join our short-video team."
"Huh?" Chen Xu was very surprised. He had not expected such an invitation and did not know how to respond for a moment.
Zhao Gang added, "Our team usually shoots videos on weekends and holidays, so it won't affect your regular job."
Chen Xu thought about it and said, "How about this? I'll think it over for two days, then get back to you."
"Sure. We'll talk on WeChat then."
After arriving at the hotel, Chen Xu parted ways with them.
He said he would consider it, but he had actually already decided to refuse. He simply did not want things to become awkward, so he said he would think about it.
It was not that he had any issue with Zhao Gang. On the contrary, he thought they were a pretty good bunch—sunny, talkative people who could make good friends. But becoming partners was not so simple.
Zhao Gang had not mentioned payment. How much could Chen Xu get for appearing in a video? He could not exactly bring it up himself. He could only wait for Zhao Gang to decide what to give him.
If they gave him too much, he would feel bad about it. If they gave him too little, he would feel shortchanged.
Even if Zhao Gang was like Dai Zixin and did not care much about money, what about the other people on his team? Once benefits were involved, things would become extremely troublesome.
Think about it. After he joined them, how much value would he create? How many followers would he attract? How much would product sales increase? Was there any measurable standard for that? There was none at all. Dividing the profits would become an impossible mess to sort out.
He had no desire to wade into that muddy water.
Working with Dai Zixin was different. There were only the two of them, and once they reached an agreement, that was that. Besides, they split the money after every livestream, so the accounts were clear.
If Dai Zixin ever felt she was losing out someday, they could simply end the partnership and part on good terms. There would not be too many financial entanglements.
As Chen Xu pondered this, he arrived at the second-floor restaurant. All the other colleagues had already gathered and were waiting only for him.
After lunch, everyone returned to their rooms to pack their luggage, then boarded the same coach they had come in and began the journey back.
After returning from the Hot Spring hotel, Chen Xu did not see Luo Xiyun for several days. According to Secretary Guo, Liu Kun seemed to have forced her to stay home and recuperate.
By the time Luo Xiyun started coming to work again, he had begun running around everywhere every day.
Most of the department's advertising business had been outsourced to an advertising company, and Liu Kun had personally found that company. Chen Xu's main job was liaising with the people from the advertising company.
Before, while the advertising proposal had yet to be finalized, he had stayed at the company. During his free time, he had to help out with other tasks as well.
Now that the advertising proposal had finally been confirmed, he had to go out frequently. Secretary Guo was fairly loyal and assigned him a car.
One thing he had learned in the dreamscape finally came in handy: his familiarity with the surrounding roads.
However, it did not save him much time. This city was simply too congested. Worse, he often could not find parking. After driving for several days, he parked the car back in the company's underground garage and returned the keys to Secretary Guo.
Taking the subway was still more convenient and efficient. Of course, that was assuming he avoided rush hour.
Amid such busyness, a week quickly passed.
A month had finally passed since the previous dreamscape.
That morning, Chen Xu woke before dawn.
He eagerly activated the Virtual Dream Device. The familiar interface appeared in his field of vision, with an additional notification in the upper-right corner.
"It really appeared."
Excitement surged through him. When he focused his attention on it, another notification immediately popped up.
"Would you like to enter the dreamscape 'Beast Invasion'?"
That name...
He stroked his chin. It was in the same vein as Apocalyptic Survival, but it was definitely more dangerous. Judging from the information revealed by the name, he would most likely encounter monsters.
Was it really a virtual game?
He continued reading the notifications. They were similar to those from the first dreamscape, with three options. Only the provided items were somewhat different; the characters were still the same few.
Finally, he looked at the scanning option and felt a headache coming on.
To be honest, he still preferred copying someone from reality to accompany him. After all, he would have to stay in there for half a year. If he was alone, it would be too lonely. Only someone who had truly experienced it could understand how hard that was to endure.
As for choosing a companion from the system, he felt that he did not yet have the courage to develop an indescribable relationship with a purely NPC.
If he was going to find a companion, naturally she had to be pretty, have a good figure, and possess an elegant temperament. Even if nothing could happen between them during that time, she would at least be pleasing to look at.
In any case, it was only in a dreamscape, so he did not feel much burden in his heart.
One rule: I absolutely cannot choose someone I know. There must not be any future contact with her, either.
Actually, the easiest way to find someone who met all his criteria was to look for a celebrity. Domestic celebrities had too much exposure, and every one of them had scandals all over the place. It would be best to find someone overseas.
He was not particularly interested in Western women.
The women of Korea all seemed to come from the same mold. The most suitable choice would be actresses from Japan. It was not that they were prettier than domestic actresses, but at least their temperaments were more distinctive.
Unfortunately, it was already too late to apply for a visa. He could not wait that long.
Hmm, he would scout someone out on the street today.
And so, he made the decision happily.
PS: A word about updates. Before the novel goes premium, there will be two updates a day. If there are any extra chapters, I'll announce them in advance. Starting today, I'll try my best to update on time, so please keep an eye on the schedule. Finally, thank you all for your support.
Before you continue