When the gaming sect had its first sculpture that belonged solely to them, many players even went out of their way to take photos with it, praising him as a skilled player whose spending was less than others but whose combat power reigned supreme.
The praises of “boss” and “big shot” clouded the original protagonist’s judgment, and playing in dungeons with these big shots led him to believe he was just as important.
The game constantly updated to make money, introducing more and more systems for leveling up; as long as you didn’t spend money, you would fall behind.
Whenever the game was updated, the guild would discuss how many big shots had to spend this time.
The higher one’s level, the more expensive it became to raise it further. All the players who leveled up would spend money, and if you didn’t spend, you would be left behind—like a bottomless pit. Whenever the original protagonist considered stopping, the discussions in the game felt like a whip urging him to continue.
Eventually, the truth couldn’t be hidden forever; even when disguised, there were times when the truth would come out. The protagonist poured the money he earned from live streaming into the game, but it didn’t make a splash.
Ye Qiu’s relationship with Cen Chen was purely accidental. When the game’s hero relationship system was first released, he suddenly discovered that Cen Chen was ranked number one on the Elegant Rhythm leaderboard.
Being number one meant having many fashionable outfits—a sure sign of a wealthy woman. There were some expensive outfits in the game that Ye Qiu didn’t dare to spend on, always using the pretense that he only cared about fighting dungeons to avoid the topic.
With Ye Qiu intentionally trying to please him, Cen Chen quickly formed a romantic connection with the original protagonist and fell in love.
Cen Chen was completely unaware of Ye Qiu’s ulterior motives; for him, the game was simply a place to relax, and spending money was just a way to please himself.
Cen Chen mindlessly agreed to Ye Qiu’s pursuit, but it soon proved to be a mistake.
The two had just gotten together and hadn’t tasted sweetness for long when Ye Qiu learned that the wealthy woman he thought he had been dating was actually a man. He continuously demanded that Cen Chen spend money on this and that, trying to maintain his big shot image, not realizing that Cen Chen didn’t have much money and therefore paid little mind.
Naturally, they became a couple in real life, but Ye Qiu couldn’t accept the fact that Cen Chen was a man.
He never explicitly said it but would often criticize Cen Chen in a pitiful tone, secretly belittling him. Yet Cen Chen, during the sweet period of their relationship, believed everything was perfect. Sometimes, when Ye Qiu spoke harshly, Cen Chen would think of himself as the little wolf dog in the relationship, likely believing that it was his age that made him the elder partner.
“Why did you die again? Do you even know how many people I turned down just to take you into the dungeon?”
“I told you to be serious while playing, but you didn’t listen. Do you even realize how lucky you are to have someone take you into the dungeon when you’re this bad? You’re just an useless freeloader, but I won’t hold that against you, just be good.”
“What’s the use of using expensive gear if you can’t even execute the moves? You might as well give it to me.”
“Why are you talking about Yingmeng? She’s just my apprentice. Isn’t it normal for a master to take their apprentice into a dungeon? Besides, how long have I known her compared to you? If we had chemistry, where would that leave you?”
“Baby, I’m sorry. What I said yesterday was too hasty. I like everything about you.”
He often took advantage of Cen Chen’s age and the fact that he was a man incapable of having children to belittle him more. Gradually, Cen Chen only had Ye Qiu by his side, constantly bombarded by Ye Qiu’s emotional manipulation.
In secret, the original protagonist relied on Cen Chen’s money and went on dates with his female apprentice. One day, they were seen by Cen Chen while driving by. With a push on the accelerator, not only did all three lose their lives, but also innocent passersby were affected.
[System released mission: Mission One: Change Cen Chen’s original fate. Mission Two: Alter the storyline of the car accident.]
Ye Qiu clicked on the team voice chat, greeted by the soft and coquettish voice of his apprentice, Lu Yingmeng.
“Master, why are you idle? Take me to do this week’s dungeon; it’s the last one we need this week!”
Looking at the character still lying on the ground, he clicked to revive it.
“Hmm, I just went to get some water.” Ye Qiu picked up the mouse and keyboard.
The original protagonist played a fragile damage dealer; one mistake could lead to death. Even after he had died, this so-called apprentice didn’t revive him, indicating their relationship wasn’t as strong as the protagonist thought.
“Master, shall we go to the snowy northern region together later?”
Ye Qiu finished off the last bit of the boss’s health. “Where?”
Lu Yingmeng chuckled inwardly at her 2/5 hearts. So what if Cen Chen was rich? Her boyfriend still fell under the charm of her skirt.
In the snowy northern region.
“Today’s new fashion is so pretty, all pink…”
Before she could send her voice message, there was only Lu Yingmeng left in the team.
Lu Yingmeng: This development is not what I imagined.
Now the original protagonist had been doubted for not being able to keep up with the big shots’ spending and was suspected of being broke, while his female apprentice remained in a stage of ambiguous observation.
“Ah, it must be that master’s wife won’t let you spend time with others—2/5, right?” Her friend on the list continued to act cute, “Then forget it; we’ll talk about it when he’s not around next time.”
“This system is quite generous; all added benefits are real cultivation. How much do you plan to spend so I can follow you?”
“I just spent 5 times 648 and got 3 pieces of iron. How many more do you need to merge a legendary weapon?”
Ye Qiu looked at the ambiguous comments in the game group and clicked to log off. As he got up, his body couldn’t stop swaying.
The original protagonist’s experiences were not extensive; he had always adhered to the norm. Perhaps after witnessing the world of the wealthy in college, he fell into decline, fell in love with online games, and after graduation, evaded reality to become a game streamer.
For the past six months, he had been living in a rented room, with the farthest he traveled being to the nearby market for food and necessities, often surviving on just instant noodles and steamed buns. His body was severely malnourished; he could feel his spine clearly beneath the skin. No wonder the original protagonist only showed his collarbone or hands during broadcasts.
It really confirmed the online saying about distinguishing people: if a guy only sends photos showing his collarbone or hands, it means he likely has no other merits besides being a pretty face.
The blackened screen reflected Ye Qiu’s current appearance. His features were quite decent, and his shoulder-length hair was a bit unkempt, but combined with his emaciated body and deeply sunken cheeks, wearing a slightly yellowed white T-shirt that cost ten bucks from the market, he looked like a refugee.
The original protagonist was relatively smart; he knew he couldn’t afford the high rent in the city and rented a shared room in the suburbs, sharing the kitchen and bathroom with two other people.