Chapter 83

Chapter 83

Zhong Xiaye adhered to his own principles and had never been involved in any of those messy affairs. Still, he hadn't eaten pork, but he'd seen pigs run—he knew a thing or two, though none of it was something he actively sought to learn.

At this moment, hearing Bai Fuling's reply, which sounded like "it's all the master's orders," his brow furrowed. He hesitated, opened and closed his mouth, then finally said:

“…What do you mean? Did Olbert ask for this? What does he want you to do?”

Good question. What exactly did he need to do to join the Celestial Court? Bai Fuling wondered.

The half-breed fox man had left in too much of a hurry earlier—he'd taken an unknown call and rushed off, leaving the player no time to ask questions.

All the code names within the Celestial Court were based on flying creatures.

If that was the case, did the player need to pick a flying code name to join? Bai Fuling's thoughts wandered wildly.

Come to think of it, the player could already fly in a literal sense (spinning a pole and flapping your hands to take off was definitely a form of flight), so why couldn't they join yet?

—Decision made. Once he grinds his mutation value high enough to grow wings, he'd go apply again, claiming he was an angel arriving! Even if he just ended up as a mascot, that'd be fine.

The idea circled in Bai Fuling's head, but he didn't type anything into the chat box.

As a player who took the game seriously, Bai Fuling naturally paid attention to the finer details.

Although there was no clear system instruction requiring the player to keep secrets, common sense told Bai Fuling that the Celestial Court and that human-limit organization were not topics to be discussed openly.

Carelessly leaking info would either lower the player's reputation, make quests harder, or attract unnecessary enemies. None of those outcomes were what the player wanted.

So, faced with Zhong Xiaye's question, Bai Fuling deliberated for a moment before typing a tactful reply in the dialogue box: “Sorry, I can't say… It's a little inconvenient.”

The NPC's face instantly twisted into a weird expression—even though Zhong Xiaye was radiating multicolored light, the player could still tell his face had turned green.

…Wait, why was this guy making that face?

Are you poisoned, bro?! Your face is literally green pixels under that rainbow glow!

Bai Fuling was stunned for a second. He opened his mouth to ask more, but the NPC raised an arm, palm forward, making a rejecting gesture: “No, no. That's enough. Don't say any more.”

Zhong Xiaye had zero desire to learn about those totally un-wholesome things!

He'd really been blinded by appearances back then. That fleeting moment of attraction was a mistake—you can't judge a book by its cover. He never expected Olbert to be that kind of person in private.

Zhong Xiaye's face tightened, and his heart ached with disappointment. Letting go of a past crush was never easy.

…Alright. Alright. He couldn't blame or resent anyone for it. Maybe they just weren't meant for each other. What he'd liked was just a surface layer, and surfaces don't last.

Zhong Xiaye respected other people's preferences, but he couldn't understand or accept them.

Dejectedly, he turned around to get back in his car, but his gaze caught Bai Fuling in the wheelchair, and he stopped.

He wanted to ask, “Why are you suddenly in a wheelchair?” but was afraid of hearing about some weird roleplay he shouldn't know about.

Not seeing it was one thing, but now that he had, he couldn't just ignore it… Could he really leave someone in a wheelchair to struggle alone on the street?

The sun blazed overhead. The black-haired youth didn't know how long he'd been standing there frozen, his neck flushed red from the heat. Beneath his fine lashes, his dark eyes were moist and glossy, looking totally pitiful.

So, after hesitating a moment, Zhong Xiaye finally turned and said, “Alright, alright. Come on—please, little love rival. Get in. I'll give you a ride.”

The term “little love rival” slipped out on pure impulse.

Zhong Xiaye didn't know what else to call the guy in front of him. He remembered Olbert affectionately calling him “Bulingbuling,” but that was clearly not a real name—just a pet name between lovers. Zhong Xiaye sure as hell wouldn't use that.

And the name “antelope” in his head was even less appropriate to say out loud. Wouldn't that be way too intimate?

Though “little love rival” wasn't exactly suitable either… Were they still love rivals?

Zhong Xiaye didn't want to intrude on someone else's relationship. And now, he felt his feelings for Olbert weren't as strong as before.

What he'd witnessed today was like a specialized herbicide, killing the sprouts of love in his heart.

Zhong Xiaye's thoughts took a turn, and when he snapped back, he saw the guy propelling the wheelchair toward him with both hands.

The guy didn't hesitate at all. Zhong Xiaye couldn't help but think. If it were him, meeting someone who had a crush on his own boyfriend, he wouldn't be so friendly—he'd be lucky not to give them the cold shoulder.

Suddenly, Zhong Xiaye recalled the black-haired youth's abrupt confession earlier… That light, cheerful voice had been as airy as a bird flicking its tail feathers—if not for the string of “3P” remarks that followed.

His face darkened, and he didn't want to dwell on it. Instead, he stepped forward, grabbed the handles on the back of the wheelchair, and pushed Bai Fuling over to his sports car.

Zhong Xiaye's expression was grim, but his movements were surprisingly gentle. He pushed the wheelchair at a steady, unhurried pace—just perfect.

The sleek, elegantly contoured sports car had no trunk, so there was nowhere to stow Bai Fuling's wheelchair.

Zhong Xiaye said, “Leave your wheelchair under that tree over there. I'll make a call, and someone will come to handle it.” He added, “Give me an address, and I'll have someone send you a new one later.”

Wow, as expected of a Rainbow Rich Heir—his way of solving problems was so straightforward!

Bai Fuling could actually fold the wheelchair and store it in his backpack, just like he had taken it out.

But hearing this, he decided to hold off on showing off his compression skills for now. That way, he could score another wheelchair from the colorful tycoon.

A player always chose the option that maximized benefits!

Zhong Xiaye opened the car door. He turned to look at Bai Fuling in the wheelchair, his thoughts pausing briefly.

The other party was currently unable to move his legs, so getting into the car on his own would be difficult. So… should he carry him?

If it were an ordinary friend or a passerby, Zhong Xiaye wouldn't hesitate to help. But now, with their relationship as love rivals or former love rivals… it was a bit awkward.

Zhong Xiaye stopped in his tracks. Bai Fuling looked up from the wheelchair, and in his field of vision, the Rainbow Rich Heir was aligned with the sun, his glow dazzling to the point of dizziness.

“Can you—” Bai Fuling pressed the voice input button. He originally wanted to say, “Can you stop glowing?” but realized it was pointless to discuss such a setting issue with an NPC.

What he really needed was to contact customer service! As soon as he logged out of the game, he'd go find a human agent to report the NPC being too bright.

Bai Fuling's voice input cut off.

Zhong Xiaye heard the unfinished sentence. He clenched his fist, thinking: That must have been a plea for help, but the other party just couldn't bring himself to say it.

…Forget it. Zhong Xiaye's heart softened in the end. Since he had already helped this far, why bother dwelling on the details?

He didn't need to worry about whether carrying him was appropriate. As long as his conscience was clear, that was enough.

“I'll carry you into the car,” Zhong Xiaye said. He bent down, wrapped his arms under the other's armpits, and slowly lifted him from the wheelchair.

When he picked him up like this, he realized that the person in his arms was lighter and smaller than he had imagined. Truly like an antelope—a little mountain antelope.

Earlier, Zhong Xiaye's attention had been too focused on the content of the other's words to notice much about his physical details.

Zhong Xiaye lifted the person from the wheelchair, and during the process, he noticed that he didn't feel any downward weight… Even if the other was light, there should have been some weight, right?!

He looked down and saw Bai Fuling’s feet standing on the ground, his upper body dangling in his grip like a liquid cat.

Zhong Xiaye: “?”

—“A medical miracle!” The youth in the wheelchair had actually stood up!

Zhong Xiaye froze for a moment, then abruptly let go. The black-haired youth before him was still standing steady on his feet.

“Wait—your legs are fine?! If you can walk, why are you in a wheelchair?!” Zhong Xiaye couldn’t help but shout.

Bai Fuling: “Can’t I be in a wheelchair if my legs are fine?” He asked, genuinely confused. “This is my mode of transportation.”

Who the hell uses a wheelchair as a mode of transportation?! Zhong Xiaye’s handsome face twitched, his expression darkening with the embarrassment of being played.

He had thought this person needed help… just an overflow of pointless chivalry.

Zhong Xiaye turned and walked back to his seat, slamming the door shut with a bang. Then he heard another bang as someone settled into the passenger seat beside him.

“…What are you doing up here!?”

“Didn’t you just say you’d give me a ride?”

Zhong Xiaye was speechless. If he wanted to be technical, he couldn’t deny saying that—but that was based on the assumption that the other person had a leg injury!

Speaking of which… Zhong Xiaye’s gaze swept outside the car, and he squinted his eyes. “Where’s your wheelchair?”

In such a short time, that big wheelchair had vanished? Where did the antelope youth stash it?

“Wheelchair? I just packed it into my backpack,” Bai Fuling answered honestly.

He saw that the NPC seemed to be leaving without offering him the wheelchair, so he quickly followed along. Without overthinking, he grabbed the wheelchair and hopped into the car.

Too bad, players’ honest answers were always ignored by NPCs.

Zhong Xiaye looked like he hadn’t even registered what Bai Fuling said, or he dismissed them as too ridiculous to acknowledge.

He said sternly, “Get out of my passenger seat.”

Bai Fuling’s eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”

Zhong Xiaye looked away, avoiding those big, watery eyes, and kept his face forward, his face rigid like a prince in a painting. “Get out of the passenger seat.”

“Oh, alright then.” Bai Fuling didn’t argue. He just nodded, opened the door, and stepped out.

“…” Zhong Xiaye lowered his gaze, unsure how to describe what he was feeling, and then prepared to buckle his seatbelt and drive off.

Then, he saw the black-haired youth suddenly appear right outside his car door.

Zhong Xiaye jumped in surprise, his hand slipping and missing the buckle.

He watched as Bai Fuling casually pulled open the door, pushed him over to the passenger seat, and sat down in the driver’s seat himself.

Zhong Xiaye: ???

Because it all happened so suddenly, he was left slumped in the passenger seat, completely caught off guard.

“…What does this mean?” Zhong Xiaye sat up straight. “What are you doing?!”

Bai Fuling gave him a strange look. “Didn’t you just tell me not to sit in the passenger seat?”

Zhong Xiaye paused. “That’s right, but—”

“So,” Bai Fuling said, “I followed your instructions and came to the driver’s seat.”

Bai Fuling explained that he was a seasoned RPG player and knew that NPCs always spoke with hidden hints, and solving puzzles led to rewards.

Zhong Xiaye fell silent.

He tried to understand. He failed.

Telling someone to get out of the passenger seat was an invitation to the driver’s seat?

Hey, is this a normal person’s train of thought?! Aaaaah!!