Chapter 8: Ruan Jiu Jiu wanted to give Cheng Jun a cold shoulder.
Ruan Jiu Jiu wanted to give Cheng Jun a cold shoulder.
Ruan Jiu Jiu nursed a grudge against his insensitive and infuriating behavior. She even forgot about her mobile game and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
The next day when Ruan Jiu Jiu logged on, she was dumbstruck by the updates. The best thing was that the buggy damn game finally fixed (!) its (!) bugs!
Seems like the devs were useful for once.
Once she logged on, she heard the cheerful in-game music and saw a banner announcement written in bold text. It was like one of those billboards on the side of the road: eye-catching and huge. Only, it was so ugly that Ruan Jiu Jiu couldn’t help but take a look.
The announcement had a few simple words: Pepehands I’m so touched. I have no words. Thank you Master! /salute /salute /salute
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
The game creator was becoming more confusing. Who would put out such an announcement? What the hell was this??
A speechless Ruan Jiu Jiu got online and discovered that everyone had been waiting for a while. They were hopping around in boredom. Up the building. Down the building. And so on. Only the party leader Yakult was standing in place, not moving. He seemed to be observing those numbskulls.
Ruan Jiu Jiu: “…”
Jiu Jiu Jiu: Hey, sorry I’m late
Yakult finally moved: Let’s go.
It had already become a daily habit for Ruan Jiu Jiu to log on and immediately start doing quests. Everyone was relatively carefree while gaming. It’s just that sometimes the chat was kind of weird and Ruan Jiu Jiu couldn’t figure out what they were talking about.
Ruan Jiu Jiu just chalked it up to coded guy talk.
Jiu Jiu Jiu: You guys know each other IRL?
Southern Black Sesame: Yeah yeah, we’re all good friends from the same company
It’s Good But It Ain’t No Dumpling: Our boss is the coolest guy ever. He’s such an upstanding bro he’ll definitely give me a raise by year end
Master Kang’s Sexy Instant Noodles: Yeah yeah, our boss is a wise and powerful god. He’ll definitely give a raise to us poor underlings
Ruan Jiu Jiu always felt like there was some hidden meaning behind their words.
Before she could think it through, Yakult said: Do the quests.
It had only been a few days but their party had shot up through the ranks. With their 100% completion rate, they had amassed a large number of puzzle pieces. Ruan Jiu Jiu was pleasantly surprised and suddenly started having thoughts about the grand prize.
Jiu Jiu Jiu: Can we try for the prize?
Master Kang’s Sexy Instant Noodles: We can try but it’s in the hands of RNGesus.
Ruan Jiu Jiu was a bit shocked. But seeing how confident they were, she also started harboring hope. When it came to prize drawings, she was always unlucky. She had never won money. If there were three entries and two drawings, she’d be the one left out.
Having money was one matter. That feeling of being blessed by RNGesus was another matter.
Ruan Jiu Jiu rolled up her sleeves and watched them do a lottery draw. The drawing was left to the party leader. Yakult collected all the pieces and did 10 pieces at a time.
First time, nothing. Second time, third time…
Ruan Jiu Jiu was a bit dejected but the others were unmoved. Their unshakable confidence was somehow infectious.
There were two more pulls. Ruan Jiu Jiu nervously stared at her screen.
… and nothing.
She sighed in disappointment. Just then, Yakult made the last pull. Suddenly the screen flashed gold and she heard a “Ding Ding Ding!” Ruan Jiu Jiu saw the notification of the grand prize and her jaw dropped.
My gosh! We really won it?!
Cheng Jun, who was in the study next door, heard the cheers coming from the other side of the wall. He slowly blinked and sent out a line in the group chat.
“Ship my portion to the company.”
This was the first time Ruan Jiu Jiu had drawn the grand prize so she was in extremely high spirits. She knew she was riding on the others’ coattails. Without them, she probably wouldn’t have gotten anything.
Ruan Jiu Jiu enthusiastically wanted to give everyone red packets, but was rejected.
“It’s just a game. If you’re happy then that’s good enough.”
“Yeah yeah, next time let’s play a different game together.”
“Sister-in-law don’t forget our IDs~”
[It’s Good But It Ain’t No Dumpling has been muted by the party leader.]
Jiu Jiu Jiu: …
Ruan Jiu Jiu had a strange feeling that they were Santa Clauses here specifically to realize her wishes. Once her wish was granted, it was time for them to quit the game.
But she wasn’t sad. Life was like that. You meet someone, and then you part ways. Some would stay for a while longer while others would be like the night-blooming cereus cactus and quickly fade away. Ruan Jiu Jiu texted a smiley face to the chat. She said her goodbyes and they all logged off together.
There were only four people in the WeChat group. Other than Cheng Jun, there was also Tu Nan (Southern Black Sesame), Jiao Fan (It’s Good But It Ain’t No Dumpling), and Fu Zi Cheng (Master Kang’s Sexy Instant Noodles).
Tu Nan lamented: Man, sister-in-law is so nice.
Jiao Fan let out a sigh that could only come from someone who had been forever alone since birth.
Fu Zi Cheng: Boss! When are you gonna let us see her! You stingy guy, aren’t you hiding her a little too well!
It had resulted in them believing mistakenly that their boss’s marriage wasn’t going well such that they didn’t dare mention it, in case doing so would lower their boss’s mood. But now look, they were dragged into playing games and had PDA shoved down their throats, yet they weren’t even allowed to see the real person. He was too heartless!
The person with the ID Cheng Jun didn’t respond to any of them.
The lonely bachelors didn’t know that their boss had already abandoned them and had answered his wife’s call for dinner.
To celebrate winning the laptop with no effort of her own, Ruan Jiu Jiu decided to drag Cheng Jun out with her to feast. It’d be on her.
The two of them went to a Yunnan cuisine restaurant. The amount of customers inside wasn’t that high, but for convenience, Ruan Jiu Jiu requested a private room so they could eat in peace and quiet. The young waitress’s face reddened when she saw Cheng Jun, but when she looked over at Ruan Jiu Jiu, the blazing flames in her heart were thoroughly extinguished, leaving only envy behind. As expected, the so-called “Golden couple”.
They ordered 5 to 6 dishes. Compared to the awkwardness of the time when they ate at that Western restaurant, this meal felt much more natural.
Ruan Jiu Jiu’s mood was so good there seemed to be a smile in her eyes.
“Is it yummy?” she asked while pouring a cup of water for Cheng Jun.
Under the dim lights, her eyes seemed to glisten like stars. Her mesmerizing peach blossom eyes curved slightly, the corners tilted upwards, creating a dreamlike vision charming enough to astonish the viewer. It wasn’t clear whether it was the redness of her lips or soft curve of her flushed cheek that made her look so extraordinary.
Cheng Jun stared for a moment longer before calmly looking away.
“It’s not as good as your cooking.” He spoke the truth.
The earnestness of his response made Ruan Jiu Jiu smile, “Thank you.”
The two continued to eat in silence. Though there wasn’t any conversation, the mood didn’t worsen.
※
A few Macbooks were shipped to the company addressed to Tu Nan.
Upon seeing the packages, An Rou helped Tu Nan carry them into the office. She struggled a bit. Seeing the short and weak An Rou brought even the boorish Tu Nan to his senses. He hurriedly lifted the packages. “I’ll take care of it. You still need to draw figures with your hand. Be careful not to hurt it.”
An Rou headed the character design department, and had done a lot for the company. She had studied abroad in Japan under a famous mentor. She had her own unique style. Though she wasn’t outstanding, her drawings were always up to par.
There wasn’t a hint of Cheng Jun in the office. An Rou looked around and was a bit crestfallen, though she didn’t show it.
She laughed lightly. “Ah right, what did you buy these laptops for?”
“Ah, we won these while gaming with Sister-in-law.”
“Sister-in-law?”
An Rou’s expression underwent a slight change. She squeezed out a smile and asked, “You guys game together? Since when? Why didn’t you tell me?”
The rapid succession of questions was a bit intimidating. Tu Nan scratched his head and said, “Boss told us not to gossip. Plus, it’s just a small matter.”
Only
An Rou bit her lip. “I thought we were closer than that.”
“Ah, what’s there to say. It’s just a game. We didn’t even get to see her in person.”
“Are you that curious about her? The boss wasn’t even willing to bring her out to take a look, which can only mean that he doesn’t have any feelings for her.” Tortured by jealousy, An Rou started to shoot off her mouth. But when she realized that Tu Nan’s expression was a little off, she quickly changed her demeanor and added, “What I’m saying is, you guys shouldn’t get your hopes up.”
Tu Nan rubbed his nose in thought.
“I think our boss treats his wife pretty well. It’s best that you…don’t think too much of it.”
An Rou silently balled her hand into a fist where he couldn’t see. She didn’t even notice that her fingernails were digging into her palm.
Author’s Note: Ruan Jiu Jiu: Love rival, love schmival. I don’t care.
Cheng Jun: I care.