On the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, it was tradition to "send away the poverty ghost."
Surprisingly, Ren Suo hadn't really been scolded by his mom up to this day. He committed grave sins daily—like lying around the house, playing with his phone, not doing any housework, or not showering until late—but his mom had remained calm and hadn't berated him once.
However, his mom did bring up certain topics with Ren Suo every day, such as, "Hey, what's the date today?" "Are you not going out today?" "The stores on the pedestrian street have opened," or "The delivery services should still be on break, right?"
Ren Suo sensed his mom really hoped he would go out and have fun, although she didn't seem to be pressing the issue. Coincidentally, his high school classmates had planned a gathering today. Although Ren Suo had absolutely no interest in such activities, after so thought, he decided to do his mom a favor, go for a stroll, and fulfill her eager expectation.
As expected, when Ren's mother saw Ren Suo changing clothes, applying hair gel, and putting on his shoes, she happily asked, "Oh, you're going out today?"
"Yeah, I have so things to do," Ren Suo said, slathering facial cleanser on his face. Even as a Cultivator, he wasn't impervious to grease. His hairstyle also required hair clay and hairspray to set, and his attire needed careful coordination to showcase his taste.
Ever since confirming that soone would want him even if his legs were broken—or rather, wanted him despite the risk of *their* legs being broken—Ren Suo had suddenly begun to pay attention to his personal appearance. He realized that looking handso required quite a bit of effort.
Don't even get started on how effortlessly handso Bai Ji is. That guy would still look dashing even with a prisoner's buzz cut. I can't compare at all.
Now, Ren Suo was striving for change, trying to reduce the influence of the "Evolution of the Cat." Even if he couldn't transform into a mysteriously charismatic CEO type, he aid to at least lean toward a sunny, boy-next-door look. In any case, he couldn't maintain his current cute kitty vibe.
I'm a hardcore Player, so how did I end up as soone who relies on being cute to get by? It must be because "Evolution of the Cat" twisted others' perception of . I'm actually super fierce!
Of course, apart from wanting to change his persona, Ren Suo had another, insignificant and rather embarrassing reason: even if he were to live off a Rich Lady, he at least needed to demonstrate he was qualified.
When I go out with Qiao Muyi, Dong Chengling, and Gu Yueyan, best case, people think we're dating. Worst case, they suspect I'm wealthy—either way, I don't look like a handso guy being kept by a rich, pretty woman. After much consideration, I'd still prefer to be mistaken for a kept pretty boy rather than be outshone by Dong Chengling and the others in looks and mistaken for an ugly, rich guy keeping beautiful girls.
"I heard that Bright Plaza has opened up, and all the costics and brand stores are in operation..." his mother ntioned casually.
"Huh? Mom, are you looking to buy costics?" Ren Suo glanced at his mother, feeling it was a bit odd. "Haven't you always just used Dabao face wash?"
Ren's mother's face darkened. "What, you think your mother's ugly, old, and sallow-complexioned, completely unworthy of using costics?"
Unbelievable. Could Mom finally be hitting nopause now?
But Ren Suo had been feeling that his mom was acting strangely these past few days, not scolding him at all, so he asked, "Mom, is there sothing you want to tell ?"
Ren's mother raised an eyebrow. "…No."
"Then I'm off," Ren Suo said as he kicked his Doc Martens into place. He hugged the Black Cat, whispered that he'd be back in the evening, then turned to see his mom's hesitant expression. He sighed and said, "Just tell what you want. What's there to be embarrassed about?"
"A DSLR cara."
"An SK-II Facial Treatnt Essence set."
"A brother who is both excellent and devoted."
Seeing his father, mother, and sister all making requests simultaneously, Ren Suo was taken aback. "Alright... Sis, you choose sothing else."
"Then let's buy the newly released ga 'Demon May'," Ren Xingi pouted and reached out to grab his hand. "Where are you going? Can you take with you?"
At this mont, Ren's mother asked, "Xing i, don't you also have plans to go out with soone later?"
Ren Xingi pursed her lips. "I have plans with Lin Xianyu later... but we can all go out and have fun with Big Brother!"
While looking at his phone, Ren's father looked up and said, "Since it's the holiday season, the crowds might make it unsafe for you two girls to be out alone. Son, if you're free, why not take them with you... I've sent you the details of the A7RIII cara I want to buy on WeChat."
Ever since he had a chat with Father Dong about photography, Ren's father had suddenly developed an obsession with it; you could say he was embracing a late-life hobby.
Attending the high school reunion was sothing I agreed to do to satisfy Mom's wishes in the first place. I personally have no interest in keeping in touch with classmates and am going purely for the al. Rather than just sitting around eating, I might as well bring Sis and Lin Xianyu. At least we could chat a bit, and I could use it as an excuse to leave early, avoiding awkward group photos and forced catching-up.
So Ren Suo readily agreed to take his sister out.
Once they had left, Ren's father turned to Ren's mother. "Why did you suddenly ask him to buy costics?"
"Weren't you just as sudden asking our son to buy a DSLR?"
"Mine wasn't sudden. That DSLR is quite expensive, and I've been planning this for a long ti. I was just looking for an opportunity to get so financial help from our son, so I seized the mont to ntion it."
"I've been planning for a long ti as well," Ren's mother said. "Just look at what date it is today."
"Huh...? Oh!" Ren's father realized. "You could have just told directly. Why beat around the bush?"
Ren's mother shook her phone. "They told not to say it outright. Plus, you've never bought makeup before. What's wrong with having our son buy it? You got a problem with that?"
"They told you not to say it, and you just didn't? What if our son really forgets? What then?" Ren's father skipped over the makeup issue.
"If our son really forgets…" Ren's mother blinked and said, "Wouldn't that be… kind of interesting?"
Ren's father was taken aback for a mont, then nodded.
"That's true…"
In the end, Ren Suo went to the class reunion alone.
When he and his sister found Lin Xianyu, Lin Xianyu refused to let go of his sister and adamantly declined to join Ren Suo at the darn reunion. Her reasons were quite valid: 'We don't know those people,' 'It's going to be awkward,' 'We're so pretty, what if those people co over and hit on us?' and 'Let's just have fun on our own.'
Then Ren Xingi pestered Ren Suo, asking him to ditch the reunion and hang out with them. At this point, Lin Xianyu chid in with more reasons: 'A man's word is his bond,' 'Big Brother Ren is sowhat of a celebrity now; his classmates might think he's showing off,' and 'We're going to karaoke, and Big Brother Ren doesn't like singing.' These completely convinced Ren Suo.
I didn't expect the usually carefree Lin Xianyu to have such a thoughtful side. It caused Ren Xingi to be a little upset. "Xianyu, do you dislike my brother?"
"Of course not! How could I possibly dislike Big Brother Ren? Didn't I make sense?!" Lin Xianyu argued righteously.
Ren Xingi raised her eyebrows and suddenly asked, "Could it be that you also like my brother but don't want to compete with the class leader and the others, so you're deliberately avoiding him?"
"How could that be, Little Star? I'm just like you; I love Big Brother Ren like a little sister would. I'm just thinking about what's best for Big Brother Ren!"
Ren Xingi was taken aback. So you an you really want to make a move on my brother?
However, Lin Xianyu did make a valid point, so they parted ways.
When Ren Suo entered the private room for the reunion and saw his high school classmates, whom he hadn't seen in four years, he didn't feel much. Soon, soone revealed that he was the 39th-ranked powerhouse among all Third-turn Cultivators in the country, which led to a flurry of complints. Ren Suo responded with lukewarm remarks, and they returned to their own conversations.
Ordinary people don't harbor that much malice or Jealousy; the fortunes and misfortunes of others are mostly just topics for gossip.
Finding the al boring, Ren Suo started playing with his phone, continuing his ga of "Light and Dark Traitor."
These past two days, he'd been constantly fighting a boss: Sega, the Bloodline Great Law of Posecia's Grand Duke!
It turned out that "Brutal Aura" far exceeded his imagination and couldn't be entirely countered by "Blind Brutality" and "The Demon King Returns." Los's attacks on Sega Great Law were like tickles; if Sega Great Law hit Los even a few tis, it could instantly kill him.
But "Blind Brutality" and "The Demon King Returns" weren't completely useless. Combined with the combat chanism's 'Instantaneous Offense' bonus, Los had the ans to contend with Sega Great Law.
Moreover, since "Brutal Aura" didn't enhance Physical Condition, as long as Los wasn't hit by Sega Great Law, he could potentially wear down this Bloodline Great Law!
Thus, Ren Suo had taken on Sega Great Law.
And that challenge had lasted a full two days.
Luck and skill were indispensable. The Action Cards drawn not only had to allow Los to dodge Sega Great Law's attacks, but also required strategic planning to prevent him from falling into its traps.
Bored, Ren Suo casually played on his phone under the table, leisurely arranging Los's movents.
Heh, "Mage's Instantaneous Movent Icefall Dragging Sword"—dodged it, and even managed to slow down Sega Great Law... Next up, "Demon King's Cross Lock"! It inflicted a round of stun, and I perfectly used the remaining field Attack Card, "Ice Encroaches Upon the Gods"...
When he saw Los shatter the Psychic Defense Barrier around Sega Great Law's ears and then ram a hamr through Sega Great Law's mouth, Ren Suo was stunned.
Huh? The boss I've been wrestling with for two whole days... I beat it during a casual al out?
At this mont, an action option appeared in the ga. After so thought, Ren Suo chose "Murder Leaves a Na."
Then, Los scrawled a ssage on the mansion walls before swaggering off—
"First kill Sega, then Sony must fall!"
Ren Suo put away his phone, ready to check Los's spoils later.
At this point, he heard his classmates discussing a topic that interested him: "…Ning Hai, I heard your sister is a VTuber now?"
Ning Hai? Ren Suo looked at the fair-skinned young man chatting. That na sounds familiar. Did I hear it earlier today?
Ning Hai smiled. "She's just ssing around online since she has nothing better to do."
"It's not just ssing around, is it? She seems pretty popular online. Although it's a new industry and not very stable, if she can get so ad deals and convert her traffic into inco, she might achieve financial independence in a few years..."
Ren Suo listened to their conversation for a while. As the reunion was ending, he approached Ning Hai and asked directly, "Can you tell how to beco a VTuber?"
Ning Hai looked at him in surprise. "Aren't you a Third-turn Cultivator? Do you also want to be a...?"
"No, I'm just asking for a friend."
This ti, it really wasn't one of those 'I have a friend who...' situations. Beforehand, Ren Suo had suggested to Luna that she chat online to alleviate her Loneliness. Discovering her enjoynt of live streams, he then proposed she beco a virtual broadcaster—that way, she could use an avatar without revealing her cat True Form.
After all, netizens would never guess that behind the virtual avatar was an actual cat.
However, neither Ren Suo nor Luna had any Knowledge about this, and online information was scarce. He had originally planned to use the internal network to research it after returning to Lianjiang. But now that he'd found soone in the industry, it was natural to ask him directly.
Ning Hai had no intention of withholding information. "First, you'll need to download an app like Wakaru to capture character movents, then you'll have to import your own MMD model..." He shared so necessary software and Knowledge with Ren Suo, then added him on WeChat. "I'll organize a list of the specific software and hardware you'll need and send it to you later."
Although Ren Suo wasn't particularly savvy in social etiquette, he knew he should Thank Ning Hai. So, he offered to treat him to a drink to continue their discussion.
Ning Hai didn't mind, and the two of them left the class reunion, heading towards a beverage shop near Bright Plaza.
While strolling, Ning Hai talked about his sister. "Fortunately, the Jedi Priest healed my sister's legs. Otherwise, she might still be in a slump..."
It was only then that Ren Suo rembered where he had heard the na Ning Hai.
"Although I don't quite approve of her being a VTuber, as long as she's happy, that's what matters. I never expected her to beco so successful. Maybe she won't need my help in the future..."
Ning Hai sounded slightly wistful as he said this, prompting an inward exclamation from Ren Suo. You really can't judge a book by its cover, and perverts are truly unfathomable! Could he actually be a sis-con?!
Arriving at Bright Plaza, Ren Suo suddenly rembered sothing and slapped his forehead. "Could you accompany for a bit? I promised to buy a gift for soone."
Ning Hai was taken aback for a mont, then smiled. "Right, it's about that ti... Buying a gift for your girlfriend? Have you thought about what to get her?"
"Uh," Ren Suo blinked. Seeing a ga store nearby, he said, "It's for my sister, and also…"
"You give your sister gifts on Valentine's Day too?" Ning Hai asked, a trace of excitent in his voice.
Ren Suo was startled, then it hit him. Of course! Today is the sixth day of the Lunar New Year, February 10th! In just a few days, it'll be a festival that had nothing to do with before but is now my doomsday!
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