Chapter 168: This is Gaha
Of course, Jiang He knew what the long socks were for.
That day, after dinner, she saw Liu Jingfang’s short skirt and stockings. When she got ho, she tried them on again—smooth and silky, incredibly comfortable.
But as soon as she imagined wearing them in front of Xu Qing, her courage vanished.
She was sure he’d cling to her and demand to see.
Jiang He was certain Xu Qing liked those socks. Especially since they made her calves look even longer after putting them on...
Her gaze fell on Xu Qing’s hands, which were busy massaging her legs. Thinking about how her sock-clad calves would feel in his hands, she instinctively pulled her legs together and drew them back slightly.
“I can wear this hat and show you,” Jiang He said, pointing to her character on the computer.
The hat was red with a fluffy pom-pom on top.
“You said it?”
“I… I did,” Jiang He stamred, feeling like she had just agreed to sothing montous.
Oh well, she thought. It’s not like he can beat anyway.
If people were like ga characters, Jiang He would be a max-level pro, while Xu Qing would be a lost newbie wandering the map. In that sense, he did resemble a guide NPC.
“This duel arena allows you to change equipnt. The more you win, the more gear you can swap out, making you stronger and stronger,” Jiang He explained.
She picked up a small notepad from beside the computer, scribbling on it while mumbling, “The clothes I bought mostly boost attack speed. The gear I’m switching to also increases attack speed, so I need to balance that out…”
“There’s a calculator on your phone,” Xu Qing helpfully pointed out as she struggled with basic arithtic.
“Really? That’s even better.”
Watching her calculate each piece of gear, Xu Qing shook his head. Every Dungeon & Fighter player was a math wizard.
In any ga, as long as numbers were involved, posting on the DNF forums would summon a horde of enthusiasts eager to calculate even down to four decimal places.
Players routinely obsessed over optimizing gear sets, endlessly discussing how to eke out an extra few thousand points of damage in a ga where hits dealt billions.
“In the land of Arad, there’s a legend,” Xu Qing said. “If you strengthen your equipnt to a certain point, a big demon monkey will appear and ask: ‘Young man, do you have a dream?’”
“I’m not a young man.”
“I know. I just ant to say—don’t bother with strengthening.”
“Strengthening costs gold. I’m not touching it,” Jiang He replied firmly. She had tried once but backed out when she saw the expense.
Gold equals money, and every coin she had was painstakingly earned by grinding weak monsters. She even hesitated to repair her equipnt, once trying to use junk weapons until they broke before selling them. That didn’t work either—shop prices dropped along with durability.
Old Ma, the profiteer.
Seeing Jiang He’s gaming career take off, Xu Qing felt a deep sense of relief. A hobody was far preferable to a wandering heroine. He no longer had to worry about her sneaking out at night to play ghost or storming the world with a bag and a sword.
Lunch that day had been spicy stir-fry, Jiang He’s first attempt. The dish, with its bold flavors, was easy to prepare and relied on the right mix of seasonings and ingredients.
As they ate, Jiang He considered whether to livestream a few more duels each day to speed up her gear upgrades. But glancing at Xu Qing, she decided against it, mindful that he’d have to accompany her.
Outside of streaming, she still had to grind for gold, scout the auction house, monitor prices, read guides, and learn better controls.
Her days were packed and productive.
Since moving here, Jiang He had made significant progress. If she went back now, the accountant could probably retire early. Not that retirent was a thing in the village—he’d more likely beco a teacher for the kids, teaching them to read.
Knowledge is power, after all. If everyone could read, their village might beco the wealthiest in the area.
Once, while dining out, Jiang He noticed fried locusts on the nu. Though too hesitant to try them, she researched recipes online. If there was ever a locust plague back ho, they’d know how to deep-fry the pests.
Holding her bowl, Jiang He’s eyes drifted to the red string around Xu Qing’s neck.
If she couldn’t go back, staying here to watch Xu Qing try to trick her didn’t seem so bad either.
In the afternoon, Xu Qing got a call from Qin Hao. After days of being busy, he had finally arranged to et Liu Jingfang to confirm his suspicions.
“I just hinted at it, and she spilled everything,” Qin Hao said. “Her family’s been pressuring her, and she—”
“Hold on,” Xu Qing interrupted. “What do you an, ‘spilled everything’? You make it sound like an interrogation.”
“Well… that’s basically what it was. Anyway, my first love ended before it even started. I haven’t told my dad we broke up yet, so don’t encourage him to set up again. Let enjoy so peace and quiet.”
Qin Hao issued this warning with a hint of relief. The lingering doubts that had been eating at him felt like a sword hanging over his head.
Now it was resolved. No more inner conflict—just the freedom of being single again.
“This could’ve been disastrous,” Qin Hao continued. “Imagine if she fell for over ti while flirting with soone else and even married . Who would suspect sothing like that? Who could prove it?”
“I suggest planting so trees on Arbor Day,” Xu Qing replied.
Ending the call, Xu Qing returned to the living room, where Jiang He’s ga music resud after a brief pause.
“What were you doing just now?” he asked, setting aside his thoughts on Qin Hao.
“Playing a ga,” Jiang He replied, her eyes glued to the screen.
“I an earlier—when there was no sound.”
Her sheepish expression was familiar. Xu Qing was reminded of classmates secretly opening flashy websites in computer labs while pretending to work.
“I was still gaming,” Jiang He insisted. The screen showed only one active window.
“Alright, but don’t get into anything weird. That guy on the phone just told his ex likes won. It’s creepy.”
“Yeah, pretty creepy,” Jiang He muttered, her attention on the ga.
Xu Qing wasn’t bothered by her indifference. Whether she was annoyed, confused, happy, or impatient, Jiang He always looked captivating—even her perfunctory replies were charming.
The afternoon passed quickly, and it was ti for Jiang He’s stream. She tied her hair back and put on a jacket, waiting for Xu Qing to turn on the TV before entering the duel arena.
Over the past few days, a few familiar usernas had co and gone in her streams. Despite low-tier matches, there were surprisingly regular viewers.
「Hu Big Tung Tree has entered the livestream」
This user always joined promptly at 7 PM with a “Here I am!” before falling silent.
Jiang He rarely spoke during streams, focused entirely on the ga. Whenever she did talk, viewers seed to leave.
Standing behind her, Xu Qing noticed that the cara angle made it look like Jiang He was sitting between a Zhong Kui statue on the right and himself on the left. Apart from ga sound effects, a faint female voice could occasionally be heard narrating.
「What’s going on here?」
A new viewer joined, puzzled by the static scene of Jiang He, Xu Qing, and the Zhong Kui statue.
Thankfully, the characters in the ga were still moving.
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