Chapter 52: Can a Gloomy Extra Be Locked in a Dark Room? [18]

Chapter 52: Will the Gloomy Cannon Fodder Get Locked in a Dark Room? "18"

Hearing the guilt in 648's voice, Mu Jin stopped what he was doing and stared blankly into the void, confused.

"But what?"

648 cleared his throat a couple of times and brought up another interface for Mu Jin.

Looking at the ball of light floating in the void in front of him, Mu Jin grew even more confused, but he asked patiently nonetheless, "What is this?"

648: "Ah, well, this is our gacha system. Most mission props can be purchased directly with points in the system shop."

"But some special mission props can only be obtained by pulling from the gacha pool."

"If you want to return to your original world, you just need to pull a 'Return Card' from this pool."

Mu Jin nodded thoughtfully. "Oh, so that's how it is."

648 let out a few awkward chuckles, but his voice trailed off as he explained:

"The gacha costs 5,000 points per pull. If you're lucky, you might get it on your first pull."

"But that's not guaranteed. If luck isn't on your side, after ten pulls, you'll get a mystery box and can pick any prop card you want."

Mu Jin: "So I might finish the next mission, pull once, get the Return Card, and head straight home. And at worst, I need to save up 50,000 points and take a mystery box home."

648: "Yeah, that's right."

Mu Jin: "Well, that's not so bad."

648 paused for a moment. "Host, I thought you'd be angry."

Mu Jin shot back, "Why would I be angry?"

648 sighed: "Because most taskers who pull from this pool can only rely on the pity system, and end up having to use the mystery box to get their card."

"Besides, points are actually pretty tough to save up. Not every world has hidden plotlines, and some of the prop cards you need for missions aren't cheap either."

Mu Jin stayed calm: "Then I'll just save up slowly. Being able to visit different worlds and try different foods is pretty nice too."

As he said this, he glanced at his points screen.

"Points: 1,987"

Still a long way from 50,000, so he'd just take his time doing missions and saving up points.

Once he confirmed Mu Jin really wasn't angry, 648 relaxed a little.

Although most taskers who pulled from the gacha only got the pity reward, there were one or two lucky ones who got it on their first pull. What if his host happened to be one of the lucky few?

Mu Jin put that matter aside. Compared to saving points for gacha pulls, he was more curious about how to tail someone and take secret photos without getting caught.

Ji Fengyan basically just went back and forth between home and the office, with a driver shuttling him around, so Mu Jin had no chance to snap any secret photos anytime soon.

He could only wait for Ji Fengyan to go negotiate business deals like the plot said he would, or find an opening when Ji Fengyan had dinner with his friends.

However, before Mu Jin could even find a chance to tail him, Ji Fengyan came to him on his own—and it was about Wen Yihe's birthday banquet.

Ji Fengyan looked at Mu Jin, his gaze gentle: "Come on, let's go pick out a suit first, then we'll grab dinner after."

Mu Jin didn't refuse. He took the milk tea from Ji Fengyan and got into the car with him.

As soon as he sat down, Ji Fengyan shoved a bunch of snacks into his arms.

Mu Jin was a little surprised. He wasn't picky and could eat anything, but he did have his favorites.

And the snacks Ji Fengyan had prepared were exactly the ones he liked best.

Mu Jin just said "thanks," but a hint of a good mood tugged at the corner of his lips.

As for the suit, Mu Jin didn't really care, so Ji Fengyan did most of the picking.

Ji Fengyan had great taste, but the suits he picked all looked pretty similar.

Looking at his own suit and the one Ji Fengyan was wearing, Mu Jin felt something was a little off, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

Ji Fengyan said seriously, "A Jin, we're friends. It's totally normal for friends to dress like this."

Mu Jin stared at Ji Fengyan's red tie, then glanced at the finely crafted ruby brooch on his own chest, which bore the same pattern.

Ji Fengyan checked the time and added, "If you don't like this set, we can try something else."

"The restaurant I booked is almost at our reservation time, but going a little later and eating a little later is fine too."

Hearing about food, Mu Jin stopped worrying about the clothes: "It's fine, let's go with this set."

With his mind set on getting to dinner early, Mu Jin never considered why the two outfits fit so perfectly—after all, that was never something he cared about.

So much so that when he and Ji Fengyan showed up at Wen Yihe's birthday banquet the next evening wearing those matching suits,

and faced the looks from the crowd—some shocked, some strange, some meaningful—Mu Jin was confused and asked Ji Fengyan beside him:

"Why are they looking at us like that?"

Ji Fengyan's lips curled slightly: "Oh, probably just curious about why we showed up together. After all, we haven't appeared in front of them for a long time."

Mu Jin: "Makes sense."

"A Jin, Feng Yan, you're here."

Wen Yihe walked over to them with a smile. Seeing their outfits, his gaze shifted almost imperceptibly before returning to normal.

Mu Jin handed over the gift he had prepared: "Happy birthday, Wen Yihe."

"Thanks, A Jin. I really like it."

Wen Yihe personally took the gift from Mu Jin and opened it on the spot, his eyes full of delight—yet he casually handed the gift Ji Fengyan had brought over to a servant beside him.

Ji Fengyan didn't mind the difference in treatment.

Wen Yihe had been in the country all along and had already taken over the Wen family, so naturally, quite a few people attended his birthday banquet.

Although Ji Fengyan didn't like Wen Yihe, he wouldn't pass up the chance to network with others.

Mu Jin understood this as well—after all, this banquet was mentioned in the plot and was a big help to Ji Fengyan's career.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Mu Jin took the initiative to step away, leaving the space to Ji Fengyan and Wen Yihe.

After he left, many people approached Ji Fengyan to talk.

Mu Jin nibbled on a small cake, watching Ji Fengyan chat effortlessly with those people, watching their faces carry smiles while their minds were full of calculations.

He thought, no wonder he's the male lead—after this banquet, he'd probably land a few more deals.

Wen Yihe stood next to Ji Fengyan, occasionally chatting with a few other people.

As if sensing Mu Jin's gaze, he glanced over from across the room and gave a gentle smile.

Mu Jin nodded back with a polite smile, and once he confirmed everything was fine over there, turned around to get back to his cake.

So much so that he didn't notice Ji Fengyan glancing his way the moment he turned.

Mu Jin hadn't expected to run into Ye Luochen here—someone he hadn't seen in ages.

Ye Luochen looked noticeably more haggard than the last time they'd met, with faint dark circles under his eyes, like he hadn't been sleeping well.

Mu Jin was briefly surprised to see Ye Luochen walking toward him, but remembering the connection between Ye Luochen and Wen Yihe, he quickly recovered.

"Brother Mu, long time no see."

Ye Luochen stood in front of Mu Jin, offering a smile, but as he did, his eyes started to redden.

This sudden shift caught Mu Jin off guard.

"Long time no see... What happened to you?"

Ye Luochen shook his head slightly, his voice a little hoarse: "Nothing, just got locked up for a few days."

Ye Luochen took Mu Jin's hand, head down, making it hard to read the emotion in his eyes, and spoke in a choked whisper,

"Brother Mu, he said you don't like me, that you think I'm annoying, that you don't want to see me..."

"Brother Mu, I just like you, I just like you... Please don't hate me, alright?"

Ye Luochen's voice was pleading, but Mu Jin frowned.

Though Ye Luochen didn't say it outright, Mu Jin knew the "he" he meant was Wen Yihe.

He had indeed said he didn't like Ye Luochen, but he'd never said the kid was annoying...

Mu Jin suddenly remembered what Wen Yihe had said that day.

Since you don't like him, you should completely cut off Ye Luochen's hopes.

With that in mind, Mu Jin simply pulled his hand out of Ye Luochen's grip and didn't bother to refute him.

"Ye Luochen, you're still young. I don't know why you've developed these feelings for me, but maybe you should look at the people around you more, so you can figure out who you really like."

As he spoke, Mu Jin glanced over at Ji Fengyan.

He hoped Ye Luochen would understand that Ji Fengyan—the male lead who shines in any crowd—was the one he should be liking.

Not him, a cannon fodder who should be lurking in the shadows.

Ye Luochen noticed Mu Jin's gaze, then stared at Ji Fengyan with a sinister look, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"Brother Mu doesn't like me—is it because he likes him?"

Mu Jin: "???"

Mu Jin instinctively wanted to deny it, but 648 suddenly popped up to remind him:

"Host, don't forget, you're supposed to like Ji Fengyan. Don't break character again."

Mu Jin was speechless: [But I feel like if I admit it, the plot would go off the rails even more?]

648: "It's fine, Ji Fengyan can't hear us anyway. A little deviation in the plot is totally normal."

Mu Jin pushed down his hesitation and chose to stay silent.

Seeing that he didn't deny it, Ye Luochen suddenly smiled: "I get it, Brother Mu."

"But you're right, Uncle Ji may be a bit older, but he's really impressive—no wonder so many people like him."

"Brother Mu."

Ye Luochen's tone suddenly changed: "Can I hug you?"

"They're sending me abroad. I probably won't get to see you for a long time. I came today just hoping to get lucky, and I never thought I'd actually run into you."

Ye Luochen stared at Mu Jin, a hint of sorrow in his eyes, smiling bitterly:

"Brother Mu, let me hug you. Who knows when we'll see each other again."

That look made Mu Jin feel a little uneasy, but he still nodded.

"Okay."

It's just a hug, no big deal.

The moment Mu Jin nodded, Ye Luochen pulled him straight into a hug.

Mu Jin felt Ye Luochen's body trembling, and for a moment, he didn't know what to do, so he just let him hug him.

But the next second, across the crowd, he locked eyes with Ji Fengyan, whose gaze was deep and unreadable.