I'm Already Tired of Games

Wang Yue had the feeling that if Zheng Wei was the female lead in this drama, then Lin Jing and Chen Xiaozheng were the first and second male leads. The sense of entanglement between them was simply overwhelming.

He felt Zheng Wei was the sort of person who, regardless of whether others loved her, only loved the person she loved. If he tried to fight for her over that little flutter in his heart, he might just end up becoming another Xu Kaiyang.

I came here to learn skills, Wang Yue kept reminding himself. He was not Xu Kaiyang; he had not fallen that deeply.

Besides, there were plenty of fish in the sea. Why obsess over a single flower?

Sure enough, in the days that followed, Wang Yue kept hearing stories about Chen Xiaozheng and Zheng Wei. Like some unstoppable flood or savage beast, they always found their way into his ears whether he wanted to hear them or not.

Fortunately, winter break arrived soon enough. Wang Yue boarded a northbound train at the first opportunity. Zhang Yang, Second Brother from his dorm, Fourth Brother Liu Lei, and Li Weijuan traveled with him.

One by one, they got off within Nanhe. Only Wang Yue continued north, returning to the familiar yet unfamiliar Balitun.

The moment Wang Yue returned to the village, he was greeted with the villagers' warmth. As the most handsome young man in the village, he was naturally also the most popular. If he had not been carrying his luggage, he might not even have made it home.

After relaxing comfortably at home for two days, Wang Yue made a trip to the capital. It was something he had arranged beforehand: there was a major job that required him to handle things in person. The client was the Boss who had paid Wang Yue his first earnings.

Although the Boss still shuddered whenever he remembered the shock of their first collaboration, he had become even more convinced of Wang Yue's abilities. After all, hacking had previously been nothing more than something he had heard about in legends.

It was not until the twenty-ninth day of the Lunar New Year that Wang Yue returned to Balitun. He brought back fifty thousand yuan, as well as a Dell business laptop the Boss had given him.

In the Boss's words, it was a treasured sword for a hero, and he hoped they could work together more often in the future. Wang Yue loved hearing that. Give him a dozen more bosses like this, please.

Before leaving for the capital, Wang Yue had already told his parents that, barring any surprises, he would make a lot of money this time.

The elderly couple had initially listened with smiles. Their son had grown up and could earn money now. But when Wang Yue casually pulled several stacks of cash from his shoulder bag, they were thoroughly frightened. Their son was their pride and their hope; they did not want anything to go wrong.

With no other choice, Wang Yue took out the contract he had signed with a certain Boss and handed it to Dad. The two of them huddled together, their hands trembling as they studied it carefully. When they finished, the old couple grinned so widely their gums showed, though who knew whether they had understood it or not.

The Wang family had a prosperous New Year, while the elderly couple spent it in a daze. It was only after Wang Yue drove back a whole load of fireworks and firecrackers on the family's little three-wheeler, amid the endless crackling explosions, that they finally came back to their senses.

Wang Yue had his fill of setting off fireworks this time. Ah, this era really was better. The constant firecrackers made the New Year atmosphere feel so rich. He had not experienced that feeling in many years.

Wang Yue stayed cooped up at home until after the Lantern Festival before returning to school. He could have gone back a few days later, but the house near campus had finished being renovated.

After seeing the plans Wang Yue had provided, the Boss had thrown himself into the job with enthusiasm. He wanted to finish early and see the results, seeming even more excited than Wang Yue. He had even had all the furniture shown in the plans custom-made.

Wang Yue hurried back to inspect the place and pay the remaining balance. On the day he arrived, the renovation company Boss personally picked him up at the train station. Wang Yue sighed to himself that if this Boss did not become rich, there was simply no justice in the world.

The renovation company Boss said that they only earned hard-earned money, while students like them were the ones who would make the real money. Wang Yue earnestly replied that many college students would work for him in the future.

The two spent the entire ride exchanging commercial flattery, making the honest-looking employee from the renovation company who accompanied them look even more foolish. Fortunately, traffic jams were unheard of in this era, and they soon arrived at Wang Yue's house.

After opening the door and looking around, Wang Yue opened his laptop and transferred the money to the renovation Boss through online banking. The Boss looked at Wang Yue's transfer receipt with some doubt, but said nothing. He could check with the bank tomorrow.

Only after everything had been settled did the renovation Boss awkwardly reveal his real purpose. He had found Wang Yue's designs fresh and fashionable.

He wanted Wang Yue to help him design renovation plans on a long-term basis. Wang Yue did not object when he heard this. He told the Boss to call the dorm phone whenever there was work, or send him an email.

But that only made the Boss more awkward. Helpless, Wang Yue told him that if he could not reach him through the dorm phone, he could come here. If he could not find him here either, he could go to Xiao Nan Bun Shop on the pedestrian street and leave a message for him. One of his classmates worked there.

Only then did the Boss leave happily, while Wang Yue remained behind, sighing that it was time to buy a cellphone.

Thinking of that, Wang Yue chased after him and had the Boss take him around town. By the time they returned, Wang Yue had a cellphone in his hand. The Boss had given it to him, repeatedly saying that he should use it for now and not mind that it was nothing special.

After winter break, once many students had returned to campus, most of them had computers, and all kinds of Online Games quietly began making their way into the freshman dorms.

"With such a great computer, playing games on it must be amazing!" Fourth Brother Liu Lei could not help sighing as he looked at Wang Yue's laptop.

"I got tired of games a long time ago. I'm afraid that if I play a game, the game itself will stop being fun!" Wang Yue told Liu Lei helplessly. "Want me to help you quit your gaming addiction?"

"Of course! But I also want to experience the fun of leveling up and farming gear." Fourth Brother Liu Lei was confused for less than a second before his thoughts snapped back.

"Fine, then. Go play that game first. I'll give you something good this afternoon!" Wang Yue looked at the kid who had studied so diligently last semester and wanted to save him.

So that morning, after Wang Yue downloaded the game Liu Lei was playing, he began a whole series of operations. Before afternoon classes, Wang Yue sent Liu Lei a small program he had made.

Following Wang Yue's instructions, Liu Lei first opened Wang Yue's software and then logged into his own game. After completing the sequence of operations, Liu Lei saw that his game character was actually doing quests on its own. His eyes immediately widened.

"Boss is awesome!" Zhang Yang said.

"Awesome, Boss!" Han Wen said.

"I love you to death, Boss!" Liu Lei said.

"Go to hell. I don't swing that way... Remember to keep this secret for me. And don't sell it to anyone else—it's illegal!" Wang Yue warned Liu Lei sternly.

"Absolutely!" Liu Lei happily followed them off to class.

When every operation in a game became automated, and all Liu Lei had to do was pay for game time, his original enthusiasm gradually faded away until it vanished entirely.

Later, whenever friends invited Liu Lei to play games, he would tell them he did not play anymore.

What Liu Lei did not tell them was that he was scared of their dorm Boss. He was terrifying. At first, that game had still required Liu Lei to leave his computer on.

Later, Wang Yue noticed that Liu Lei could not stop himself from looking at the screen, so he kindly made another optimization! After logging into the game, Liu Lei only had to press a button for the game to disappear.

The crucial part was that when Liu Lei logged into an alternate account, the character on that account would still automatically complete quests, kill monsters, and level up.

What was the point of playing games anymore? Better to study! Especially the software Wang Yue had made them learn—they did their best to familiarize themselves with it, afraid Wang Yue might make them quit computers too.