Judgment Guild | Instant-Death Card: A New Concept Proposed by Tang Muzhou

Chen picked up the exquisite jade cup on the table and turned it over in his palm.

That heavy gaze left Xie Mingzhe unsure how to respond.

Xie Mingzhe's impression of Chen was that he was a deeply dispirited young man who liked to smoke. His hair was a mess, his wrinkled shirt looked like scraps he had picked out of a trash heap, and stubble covered his chin—it was impossible to tell how long it had been since he had shaved. A typical gaming addict.

But when Chen spoke of his older brother, the sorrow on his face made Xie Mingzhe's heart tighten as well.

So even a dispirited man who spent all day in games working as a power-leveler had secrets buried deep in his heart.

Could his brother have passed away?

Xie Mingzhe did not dare ask, so he changed the subject. "Ahem, what time do you usually go to bed?"

"Full-dive games regulate players' online hours, so our schedule is quite regular. We sleep at midnight and start work at eight in the morning." Chen put down the cup, seemingly pulling himself free from his memories. He stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, then turned to Xie Mingzhe. "If I'm not mistaken, you're a university student, right? You're working during summer break to earn some living expenses, aren't you?"

"Mm." Xie Mingzhe answered frankly, "I'm a first-year student at Imperial Capital University across the street. Classes start on September 1."

"That's a good school. Study hard, and you'll definitely find a good job after graduation." Chen patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Once school starts, you can still come by whenever you have time. I'll pay you by the hour." It was not easy for a young man to work alone, and Chen wanted to take care of him while he could.

"Really?" Xie Mingzhe rubbed his hands excitedly.

"Mm." Meeting his bright eyes, Chen could not help smiling. "You seem pretty sharp. Hurry up and reach level 35 so you can come help me."

"Understood!" If he could really work part-time at this studio near the university for the long term, he would not have to worry about living expenses throughout college.

"To put both of us at ease, we should sign an employment contract." Chen led Xie Mingzhe aside and took out a contract template. "A contract protects both parties. You won't have to worry about me withholding your wages, and I'll be able to learn your background. I don't hire people of unknown origin here."

Chen taking out a contract clearly meant he intended to hire him formally. Xie Mingzhe immediately scanned his ID into the smart computer, then signed his name on the screen. Seeing that the salary field read 3,000, he asked, "Since I'll be an intern for the first month, do I get half pay?"

"You'll get the full amount." Chen signed his name as well and said readily, "With your aptitude, you learned this game in two days, so you'll receive the treatment of a full employee. Your base salary is 3,000. Orders you take yourself come with an additional 10% commission, and if business is good, there'll be dividends at the end of the month."

"Thank you, Chen!" Xie Mingzhe felt as though he had won the lottery.

"No need to thank me." The man's handwriting was exceptionally free and elegant. The name he signed on the contract was: Chen Xiao.

So his full name was Chen Xiao.

Xie Mingzhe silently remembered the name of this boss who had lent him a helping hand.

***

After settling his luggage, Xie Mingzhe followed Chen Xiao downstairs, where Chi Qing had already finished cooking the porridge. The vegetable and lean pork porridge looked delicious. Besides the porridge, she had also made two vegetable dishes, both easy to digest. Clearly, she had thoughtfully considered that Xie Mingzhe's stomach might still be weak after leaving the hospital.

Xie Mingzhe sat around the living room with everyone else and had a simple dinner.

Pang Yu wailed, "Just vegetables and rice porridge? I can't get full at all! You have to understand that a fat man's stomach is bigger than yours!" Then he looked eagerly at Chen Xiao. "Boss, can I take an hour off and go out to eat another pound of beef?"

Chen Xiao punched the fat on his stomach and laughed as he scolded, "What beef? It's time you lost some weight. Look at Little Xie—he doesn't even weigh half as much as you."

"..." Pang Yu was left speechless and simply gave up on himself. "I was born with obesity genes. Dieting is useless."

Jin Yue adjusted his glasses and turned back to mock him. "I think you're just lazy."

Pang Yu shamelessly grabbed Xie Mingzhe's arm. "Little Xie, you're so skinny. Want me to give you some of my meat?"

"..." Xie Mingzhe did not know whether to laugh or cry.

He had not expected the people at the studio to get along so well. They did not exclude him at all; instead, they looked after him quite a bit. He had been an orphan in both lives and had never had many friends. Watching this group tease one another and share such closeness, a faint warmth rose in his heart.

Perhaps finding a job like this after being reborn was a blessing from the goddess of fortune.

He had Chen Xiao, this tolerant boss, to thank for all of it.

But what exactly had happened to Chen Xiao's older brother?

Xie Mingzhe was deeply puzzled. Judging from Chen Xiao's attitude, something serious must have happened to his brother. Perhaps he had died, or perhaps there was another reason. In any case, he had left this place. Chen Xiao lived in his brother's house and had preserved the balcony his brother had arranged on the second floor. This way of "remembering someone" made Xie Mingzhe's heart ache.

Hopefully, it wasn't the irreversible outcome of death.

Xie Mingzhe pulled back his thoughts. For now, the most important thing was to reach level 35, join everyone's team, and help them farm materials.

After all, from the moment he signed that contract, he had become an official power-leveler.

Author's note: Chen is an important character, not some random passerby boss :)

Judgment Guild | Instant-Death Card: A New Concept Proposed by Tang Muzhou

At six thirty that evening, after dinner, the power-levelers entered the game together. As soon as Xie Mingzhe entered his personal space, he heard a system notification by his ear. "You have new mail. Please review it at the LCD screen in the living room."

Following the prompt, he walked over and opened his mailbox—

Official mail: "The tenth professional league season of the Star Card Professional League will officially begin on August 10. Ticket reservation channels are now fully open..."

Official mail: "To welcome the new season, log in for five days between August 1 and August 10 to receive an anniversary commemorative card..."

The long row of official emails made Xie Mingzhe dizzy.