Chapter 16: A Long-Awaited Return to the Main Quest

Chapter 16: A Long-Awaited Return to the Main Quest

The game interface loaded, ushering Chen Bai into the phase of seeking comrades. As he slid his mouse, he glanced at the barrage of comments, attempting to vindicate his beloved 39.9: "Wasn't my previous attire just fine?"

Economical and practical, made from durable cotton.

The barrage replied, "This outfit looks good, and your previous one was quite...clothes-like."

His efforts to clear 39.9's name were in vain, and with it being too early in the day—still the realm of the living—his usual companions weren't online. Chen Bai lowered his head, pulled out his phone, and opened WeChat to inquire about streaming partners.

He didn't bother to conceal himself, perhaps having forgotten that the camera was on, allowing the stream's viewers to glimpse the picture of last night's hotpot on his phone screen.

"So you went for hotpot behind our backs yesterday! Very well then!"

"Why must I see this before lunchtime! I'm starving! I want some!"

"Very well, seems like Erbai and Qingzhou have grown so close behind our backs."

Their relationship had indeed blossomed, but it hadn't earned a top spot on anyone's list.

Chen Bai had two pinned contacts: one was his great agent and money-making partner, the other was Comrade Little Xu, his good neighbor. Qing Zhou, due to being the most recently contacted person, was listed right below Comrade Little Xu.

Comrade Qing Zhou regretfully couldn't join in the game. He was currently helping out at the family store and didn't have access to a computer.

With no buddies available, Chen Bai had no choice but to go solo. Putting down his phone, he chose to queue for a quick match. In the meantime, he glanced at the previous barrage of comments, saying, "I did have hotpot with a friend."

"Right, it was this kind-hearted friend who lent me clothes."

The matchmaking concluded, and a swift team formation was successful.

Solo gameplay has its own style. Without teammates to coordinate with, Chen Bai could freely roam the vast terrain, popping out in odd places to take shots at enemies and chat casually with the live stream's comments.

"Can't you see? There's clearly someone over there... When do you plan to go offline," the person typing took a moment to check the time on his phone before continuing, "Probably around three or four in the afternoon. I have a job tonight."

"What kind of job? Just the usual, playing piano at a restaurant."

Chen Bai chuckled, seizing the opportunity to promote himself, "Friends in City A who need services can contact me. Skilled and professional, reasonable prices, satisfaction guaranteed, after-sales service included."

"Reporting for spamming ads, not really though."

"Restricted to City A, can't it be nationwide? [CryingCatEmoji.jpg]"

"Goodness, I didn't know you could play the piano."

"Wondering if Erbai is actually rich or not,"

This was the collective curiosity of the chatroom's viewers.

To say this person wasn't wealthy, yet he had top-of-the-line computers and his account bore traces of past lavish spending. Achieving professional-level piano skills also required significant financial investment. But to say he was rich, aside from special circumstances, this individual streamed every day without fail, rain or shine, opting for economical clothing, and worked additional jobs besides streaming, hardly the lifestyle one would associate with wealth.

Chen Bai glanced at the barrage of comments and tersely replied, "My ancestors lived lavishly; I owe four hundred million, and I'm diligently paying off the debt."

A series of "LOLs" flooded the screen.

Everyone assumed he was using hyperbole for a joke, praising him for his wit.

Humor in his nature, he wiped his face and swiftly took out a lurking figure with a well-aimed shot.

After two buns to tide him over in the morning, he downed a cup of black coffee for lunch, skipping the meal altogether. With the landlord present for today's lock-picking session, he streamed until the afternoon. He was tidying up before heading off to work when he signed off.

The restaurant where Chen Moubai worked required only that its employees have decent features and dress formally, with no restrictions on hair color. He went about his work as usual, clocking in and out at the designated times.

On his way back, while riding the subway, Chen Moubai briefly contemplated his schedule for the upcoming period.

The registration for the gathering had closed the day before, and the list of competitors was released today. The detailed arrangements were yet to be announced, but it was safe to assume they would take place in the second half of the month, conveniently after the magazine shoot.

He would be busy after mid-month, but there was still some free time before then.

With thoughts swirling in his head, his hand holding the phone involuntarily swiped across the screen, transitioning from the list of competitors to his personal page.

There was a new message in his inbox.

Lowering his head, he tapped into it to take a look.

It wasn't a system notification, but rather a private message. He read the one at the top, his pale gray eyes quickly scanning over it, the corners of his eyes subtly lifting.

The message came from a user named "Yuzu Riqing," whose tone was notably more formal than the joking manner of other viewers. She asked if he would be available, expressing her wish to hire him to play the piano on her mother's birthday, also mentioning the fee she was offering.

Being familiar with the chat comments from his streams, he recognized this username, knowing it belonged to a regular viewer of his broadcasts.

The offhand advertisement he gave during the livestream actually found an audience.

Checking the time mentioned in the message, he switched screens to glance at the calendar.

---

Days had passed since the last, and now a cold front brought another heavy rain to City A.

Even in the morning, the sky was so gloomy it felt like night.

His night shift ended in the morning. The usual route back was temporarily closed due to construction, so Xu Sinian left the film crew and took a detour, heading back via an alternate path.

This route coincidentally aligned with the road to the hotel where the rest of the crew was staying. Others who had also just left the set joined him on this path, their footsteps gradually blending with the sound of the rain.

An assistant, holding an umbrella and walking beside him, suddenly remembered something and asked, "Professor Xu, where did you buy those cookies last night?"

Hearing the question, others around them turned their gazes over as well.

They had been shooting through the night, and by halfway through, they were nearly famished.

The result was that the person who never carried any snacks for years mysteriously had a bag of small cookies, the packaging so plain it could even be described as crude, yet their taste was surprisingly good.

Unfortunately, they only managed to have two bites at the time, and forgot to ask where they were bought.

Xu Sinian said, "They weren't bought."

These were the fruits of someone's one-hour research from yesterday; these cookies, strictly speaking, should be considered the first batch of experimental products.

Today's weather was perfect for sleeping, and the person who had been busy for half a day yesterday would likely sleep through it all again.

"?"

After hearing the explanation, the assistants didn't immediately catch on, and quickly pondered over it for a moment.

If they weren't bought, and they certainly weren't made by Xu Sinian himself, there was only one possibility left.

An assistant said, "Turns out Master Xu's pastry chef has visited."

Raindrops fell onto the ground, and a glimmer of light came from afar.

The person who seemed to be a pastry chef didn't respond immediately, slightly lifting his cap rim, and the dark pupils beneath his messy hair looked in one direction.

The assistant followed his gaze and saw the quiet street that was almost half-obscured by the rain.

At the end of the street was a flower shop, its warm lights illuminating the raindrops.

A figure stood at the entrance of the store, holding an umbrella, wearing a clean shirt under a light-colored sweater, with a slender figure.

The figure smiled after receiving the bouquet from the owner, saying something.

The assistant couldn't recognize the person, only thinking that this person was quite good-looking.

The assistant didn't know, but Xu Sinian was clear; this was his neighbor whom he rarely saw during the mornings.

Without lingering, the person who received the bouquet quickly left the street, disappearing into the curtain of rain.

The person standing under the umbrella retracted their gaze, took out their phone, and looked down at it.

There were no new messages.

The assistant asked him, "Is there something you need?"

Xu Sinian pocketed his phone. "No."

"Swish—"

Still holding the flowers, Chen Bai had decided to splurge on a taxi after leaving the florist, rather than taking the subway. The subway ride would have wilted the flowers, and as the car door shut, it blocked out the sound of rain.

He had accepted Rainy Day Qing's invitation, and today was the day they had agreed upon.

If he took a job, he did it right. The flowers were for the client's mother, whose birthday was today, and he had already reserved them at the florist yesterday. Today's rain was so soothing that if not for the alarm clock's persistent ringing, he might have slept through it again.

Fortunately, this job included transportation costs, allowing him to take a taxi directly, sparing him from having to sprint in near-lateness.

Placing the flowers safely to one side, he nibbled on some cookies from yesterday that he had hastily grabbed for breakfast. After the busy morning finally ended, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't informed his good neighbor about going out to work or proudly announced his successful early rise. He reached for his phone immediately.

However, halfway through pulling out his phone, he remembered that his good neighbor was shooting overnight and should still be catching up on sleep. So, he put the phone back down and closed his eyes peacefully.

Early riser Chen Bai also caught a nap.

Upon waking from his nap, the taxi was just approaching its destination. He lowered his head to send a message to his financier.

After a brief silence, the vehicle slowly pulled over by the roadside. The driver turned to look at him, with an odd expression on his face, and double-checked: "Are you sure it's No.1 Muqiu Mountain?"

Chen Bai opened his eyes and nodded.

He had verified the location multiple times; it shouldn't be wrong.

And so, the driver let him out.

"..."

Stepping out of the car, umbrella in hand, Chen Bai stood amidst the rain curtain, his eyes lifting to gaze at the manor concealed within the downpour.

Lowering his sight slightly, he could meet the eyes of the gatekeeper looking his way.

Now, he understood why the driver had worn such an odd expression.

Typically, few people resided in such sprawling estates, and even fewer visited them.

At the very least, he wouldn't be arriving by taxi.

After Chen Bai squeezed through the gate, a security guard allowed a girl in a long white dress to peek out from behind it.

She held an umbrella in one hand and her phone, which emitted a faint glow, in the other. Her eyes widened slightly as she looked over here, asking uncertainly through the rain,

"Are you... Erbai?"

Chen Bai was indeed the genuine Chen Erbai, authentic or your money back threefold.

The gate opened and closed again, allowing the man with his authenticity guaranteed to enter the estate.

The girl introduced herself as Huo Qing. As she spoke, she couldn't help but take another glance at the person walking beside her. She gestured, saying, "You said you were just average-looking, so I..."

So when she saw the person standing outside the gate, she didn't recognize him right away, thinking he might be another of her brother's mistresses coming to call.

Thankfully, she had confirmed his identity first.

Chen Bai looked down. "Huo Qing?"

Huo Qing gently touched her slightly red ear and nodded.

--- Chen Bai finally remembered.

No wonder the name Mu Qiu Shan had sounded familiar to him all along; it turned out the reason lay right here.

Recently, he had been so engrossed in his part-time job that he hadn't followed the main storyline of the novel at all, nearly forgetting the original plot of the novel.

According to the book's progression, the supporting character, heavily indebted, saw Huo Chuan, known for his generosity, as his only lifeline, pouring all his thoughts and energy into pursuing the other. Over time, this developed into an unusual affection, leading him to seek out or contact Huo Chuan daily. After realizing their relationship could never advance further, he took a desperate gamble, learning somehow that today was Huo's mother's birthday, and insisted on being introduced to her by Huo Chuan.

General Manager Huo, swayed by the striking resemblance between them, agreed. Once back home, his sister, infuriated by the rogue brother bringing another stranger home, especially on their mother's birthday, exploded on the spot; their mother, overcome with anger, suffered a heart ailment and was promptly taken to her room by the doctor for recuperation.

The General Manager's sister is Huo Qing, residing in the estate located on Mu Qiu Shan.

In short, the scene was both chaotic and melodramatic.

Since arriving, he'd only met the God of Wealth twice, maintaining a normal business relationship up until now, far from the melodrama mentioned above.

Never did he expect that after all these twists and turns, this segment of the plot would unexpectedly unfold before him in such an eerie manner.

They crossed paths, but not entirely.

Chen Bai recalled that the ever-busy God of Wealth had originally planned to fly out of town for a project today, but due to Sidekick Brother's interruption, his departure was delayed, preventing him from making the trip.

With no interruptions today, God Huo should have successfully left for his business elsewhere, making more money as he went.

The more he earned, the better; the more he earned, the more Chen Bai could earn too.

Sure enough, Huo Qing said, "I have an older brother, but he's not here today. He's out negotiating deals and probably won't be back."

"So it is."

Chen Bai smiled slightly, saying, "What a pity."