Jing Mian held the phone.
Perhaps this was the first time he had traveled far alone after marriage, so upon hearing Ren Xingwan’s voice, Jing Mian’s eyelashes trembled slightly, and he suddenly felt a bit homesick.
Although it wasn’t something he should inquire about, he couldn’t help but feel concerned. After a moment of hesitation, Jing Mian still asked, “Husband, who were you talking to on the phone?”
Ren Xingwan: “Phone?”
Jing Mian explained, “When I dialed your number just now, it said you were on another call.”
Silence and hesitation enveloped them. Even though the man didn’t speak, Jing Mian seemed to sense the pause in his breath.
“…There was no one else.” Mr. Ren’s voice was deep, sounding even more magnetic through the receiver. He said, “I was calling you.”
Jing Mian was slightly stunned.
So, the reason it showed he was on another call just now…
Was because they had coincidentally called each other at the same time?
A faint ripple of emotion stirred in his heart.
Jing Mian thought, what a coincidence.
Song Xianyang was still sound asleep. Jing Mian pulled the blanket up a bit higher. The moonlight blended with the night, making it softer. It turned out that hearing the voice of someone you wanted to see in the middle of the night could really ease the tension in your nerves.
Ren Xingwan asked, “Why aren’t you asleep yet?”
Jing Mian was momentarily at a loss. He couldn’t very well say that he couldn’t sleep because his husband wasn’t by his side.
So he lied, “Maybe I’m not used to staying in a hotel.”
Jing Mian countered, “Why aren’t you asleep yet, Husband?”
“…”
Perhaps he had touched on a sensitive topic.
There was a two-second silence on the other end. Then, Jing Mian heard Mr. Ren’s voice from the edge of the receiver, “I was waiting for your call.”
Jing Mian: “?”
The faint light from the screen illuminated Jing Mian’s profile, frozen and surprised. He clearly didn’t understand what Mr. Ren meant.
Jing Mian was puzzled, “Why were you waiting? It’s so late…”
“We agreed on it.”
Mr. Ren said, “After you left, we would call every day.”
Jing Mian’s eyes slowly widened as he listened.
His memory suddenly came flooding back.
He suddenly remembered that four days before leaving home, he and Mr. Ren had a late-night conversation. At that time, they had agreed that after he left Lin City, they would call each other every morning and evening.
They had even set a specific time: eight o’clock.
He had completely forgotten about it!
Could it be that… Mr. Ren had been waiting since then?
That’s why he was still awake at this hour.
Mr. Ren’s few words instantly filled Jing Mian with a sense of guilt. He pursed his lips and lowered his voice, “I’m sorry, I was caught up with my project and lost track of time. I forgot about our agreement.”
Mr. Ren said, “It’s okay.”
Jing Mian felt guilty, “You don’t have to wait next time.”
Mr. Ren’s voice was calm and steady, “But I did wait, didn’t I?”
Jing Mian’s throat felt dry, and he swallowed.
Perhaps Mr. Ren’s honesty had indirectly influenced him. After a brief pause, Jing Mian softly said, “Actually, it wasn’t a wrong call.”
“I was going to call you too.”
…
Surprisingly, the man didn’t press Jing Mian about why he hadn’t told the truth earlier. Instead, he asked, “Why did you call me at this hour?”
…The question he had just asked was now being thrown back at him by Mr. Ren.
Jing Mian curled up in the blanket, his eyelashes casting faint shadows under the screen’s soft light, like fleeting dust. He whispered, “Maybe… I’m homesick.”
Homesick.
And at home, there was only Mr. Ren.
These words seemed to imply that he missed Mr. Ren.
On the other end, whether Mr. Ren had heard clearly or the sound quality was unclear, Jing Mian did not receive an immediate response. Instead, he waited through a brief, delicate silence. Soon after, he heard the man say, “Home misses you too.”
Jing Mian was slightly taken aback.
He could hear the continuous rhythm of his own heartbeat.
After chatting with Mr. Ren for a while,
Maintaining the same posture for too long, coupled with the warm and comfortable environment, Jing Mian gradually felt drowsy.
He couldn’t even remember when he had drifted off.
Only when he woke up again and checked his phone did he realize that last night’s call had lasted a full hour.
Mr. Ren hadn’t hung up for a long time after he fell asleep?
The next day.
After having breakfast provided by the hotel and resting for a while, the team members followed their captain to the e-sports arena’s lounge.
They had visited the competition venue the day before to get a feel for the environment and the sensitivity of the equipment. It was worth mentioning that this provincial competition had adopted the holographic gameplay recently launched by Glory’s headquarters.
This time, the size of the screen was no longer a limitation for players. On the contrary, the introduction of holographic glasses allowed players to truly experience the various new maps developed by Glory and the immersive experience.
At the same time, it would also double the horror effects, as the haunted house in holographic mode would be more terrifying and realistic than usual. Accidentally matching with a relatively scary map would not only test their skills but also their courage.
Since Me. Club had already introduced several units, the team members quickly became familiar with this mode.
By around ten o’clock, the team members had all put on their e-sports uniforms.
Through the glass window, they could faintly hear the growing crowd and the rising noise at the e-sports venue. Unlike previous competitions, this one was even more grand.
It couldn’t help but make the team members nervous.
Soon, the players from both sides entered the arena.
The first team they were to face was from City C, neighboring Lin City.
It was said that the members all belonged to the same server. After a meetup, they temporarily decided to form a team and a club, similar to Me.’s model, starting from scratch and growing bigger.
However, currently, the best record of this team was reaching the third round of the provincial competition, and they had not yet truly entered the national competition.
Me. was somewhat similar, although they had entered the national competition, they wouldn’t go very far, equivalent to buying a ticket to visit.
Both sides took their seats.
Jing Mian put on the holographic glasses.
The map matched for the first round was quite familiar to Jing Mian; they had practiced it during team battles, so they played with ease.
In the end, without any suspense—
Me. Team won.
Song Xianyang was not included in the lineup by Xuan Cheng but was instead a substitute. After all, Sleepy had relatively little experience and hadn’t been playing Glory for long. During practice, he only had the highest coordination with Jing Mian, but his coordination with other members was lacking.
So for now, he was observing to get used to the atmosphere of the competition.
In this match, Jing Mian’s contribution was not MVP, which instead fell on Cen Xian.
Because in the second round, the map matched for the haunted house mode was the Terror Cruise.
Jing Mian: “…”
Whether during live streams or training, Jing Mian had always been somewhat resistant to this map.
In the past, when not in Holographic Mode, Jing Mian could grit his teeth and hold on until the end. But now, with the terrifying cruise ship combined with holographic projection, the fear was amplified.
Even though he had practiced countless times, knowing that the fear was getting closer still made his heart skip a beat.
Fortunately, in the end, they won the match.
That evening, the team didn’t go out to celebrate because they needed to conserve their energy and avoid any risk of stomach issues, as they would continue to compete in the next matches based on the results of other games.
Later that night, Jing Mian and his team received news:
The next day, they would be facing Greek’s Team!
This time, not only was Li Shengwen on the roster, but Greek was also clearly listed as a member.
…And as a starting player.
This meant that Jing Mian would inevitably face Greek.
Given the major conflict that had occurred just two days ago, which also involved Ash, Xuan Cheng was somewhat worried. Before the match, he asked Jing Mian if he wanted to sit out as a starter and wait for the next opportunity, in case his mindset was affected.
Of course, Jing Mian refused.
His current calmness was likely due to Ash.
The power of an idol was immense. At times, Ash, much like Mr. Ren, could inexplicably calm him down and make him feel secure.
Perhaps if Ash hadn’t intervened, Jing Mian might have been somewhat influenced by Li Shengwen and Greek. He didn’t care about the rumors, but he was concerned about being unable to continue competing, leaving the team and the club, being banned from the platform, and even losing his ability to stream.
But in reality, the forum’s sentiment had rapidly shifted, largely due to Ash’s strong challenge.
Using strength to shatter the public opinion, they turned the tide.
Now, as both teams entered the arena, the audience eagerly anticipated the showdown:
【Wow, just got crushed yesterday, and now they’re facing each other in a match.】
【This damn drama, I can’t look away.】
【You jerks better not bully our MianMian!!】
【No one would dare, he’s got Ash backing him.】
【Honestly, Ash probably won’t show up again, right…】
【@Ash, I’m begging you, take your wife to the national competition.】
【Seconded!】
【I’m already imagining it, thirded!】
【Fourthed.】
【I’m dying from the sweetness, fifthed!】
…
Despite the chat’s tone, when Greek actually entered the arena, the audience erupted into enthusiastic cheers.
Unlike the previous team, Greek’s appearance completely energized the atmosphere. Despite the unpleasantness of the last incident, his undeniable strength and popularity, ranking second on the PK leaderboard, remained unquestionable.
This also made Me. tense up.
As the clock struck the hour, the players put on their glasses and entered the game.
In the first shooting competition, they matched up on Sky City, the same map Jing Mian and Greek had played on last time.
Learning from their previous experience, Jing Mian didn’t give Greek the chance to break the cloud in front of the red door. Instead, he chose to assist Cen Xian and headed to the red door first.
However, Cen Xian was headshot by Greek.
Jing Mian took advantage of the moment when Greek ran towards the door to shatter the cloud in front of it, using the same move Greek had used against him earlier, returning it in kind.
“……”
Jing Mian walked up to Greek.
The two stood in silence.
Naturally, Jing Mian didn’t save Greek, watching as the other fell into the abyss. However, the only path to the next level was blocked, so Jing Mian had no choice but to make a gesture for a draw, automatically ending the match.
【A draw?】
【No way, I wanted to see a showdown!!】
【If it were Ash playing, Greek wouldn’t have had the chance to take the lead.】
【More than that, Ash wouldn’t even let Sheep and Greek face off alone.】
【Already forcing them into marriage?】
【Don’t ship them randomly… Not to mention Sheep is already married, and Ash has been retired for five years, so he’s probably already started a family…】
【What if they’re married to each other?】
【Upstairs, you’re not thinking clearly.】
【LOL, another one’s gone crazy.】
【Drag them away.】
……
The game interface began to transition.
Compared to the brilliance and brightness of Sky City, the view within the hologram turned to darkness and red, with intense, clashing colors intertwining, giving off a sense of Chinese-style horror.
Jing Mian’s pupils slightly contracted.
This time, they had matched into a rather special map called—
Bloodstained Wedding.
The two Teams would each represent the bride’s side and the groom’s side.
Their mission was the same: to safely escort the bride or groom to the wedding venue, witnessing them exchange rings and kiss each other.
It was at this moment that the wedding’s backdrop would begin to change, and the Red Gate would appear here. The first to reach it would be the victor.
Of course, if the players failed to kill the evil spirits they encountered along the way in time, the bride or groom they had painstakingly escorted to the wedding would actually have already been possessed by an evil spirit.
At the moment the kiss ended, they would revert to their original form, kill their lover, and wipe out the team that had escorted them.
The opposing team could then take this opportunity to enter the safe house and claim victory.
Moreover, the two teams would also need to race against time.
If they accidentally allowed the bride or groom to be possessed by an evil spirit along the way, it wasn’t entirely hopeless. They could arrive at the wedding venue early and infuse the evil spirit into the rings. Once the couple exchanged rings, the evil spirit would successfully transfer to the other party, completely reversing the situation.
The team Jing Mian was assigned to was tasked with escorting the bride.
Interestingly, in this map, a bride possessed by an evil spirit would use her cries to attract the groom, while a groom possessed by an evil spirit would whisper demonic words, luring the bride to run towards the groom.
So Jing Mian and his team not only had to guard against the appearance of evil spirits but also keep a constant eye on the bride to prevent her from suddenly running away during the journey.
Jing Mian and his teammates woke up in a thatched hut.
Just as they were getting familiar with their surroundings, the bride, not far away, sat at the dressing table, dressed in red. She glanced sideways, her thin red lips curving into a smile: “I’ve finished my makeup. Take me to the wedding. I can’t wait to see Ah Zhu.”
Jing Mian and his teammates: “……”
The five of them officially set off.
The thatched hut was located in a desolate forest, where the grass and trees were a dull gray, rustling softly as the wind brushed past.
Along the way, there were constant encounters with both major and minor monsters. The Me. team had a clear division of labor: one member was responsible for keeping a close eye on the bride, while the rest coordinated to fight the monsters. Another member was in charge of picking up equipment and replenishing their teammates’ health.
Jing Mian was the one leading the charge in fighting the monsters.
However, when the map showed that they had progressed two-thirds of the way, the bride behind them began to act strangely.
The bride turned her head, seemingly looking at something in the distance, and suddenly said, “Do you hear that sound?”
Everyone: “…”
The system automatically responded on their behalf: “No, what sound?”
The bride said, “It’s Ah Zhu calling me.”
“He says he wants to see me now and can’t wait for the wedding. I think I know where he is.”
“He must be so lonely.”
Hearing this, the team tensed up.
They could already guess that Greek’s side had run into trouble, and the groom had likely been possessed by an evil spirit.
This meant they had to speed up to prevent Greek’s side from reaching the wedding first and tampering with the ring.
Cen Xian’s character displayed a dialogue bubble above his head: “Little Red… calm down first.”
The bride shook her head, her footsteps suddenly halting as if she were under a spell. She whispered, “You go ahead, I need to find…”
Before she could finish, Jing Mian swiftly ran over to the bride and scooped her up in his arms.
The bride: “??”
The bride: “What are you doing?!”
Ignoring the bride’s protests and struggles, the team pressed on. The closer they got to the wedding venue, the more monsters appeared, and the harder they became to defeat.
They lost two teammates along the way, including Cen Xian.
Cen Xian, who had been a key player throughout the journey, met his end when the final boss appeared just before reaching the wedding. His health bar depleted, and he perished alongside the boss.
Jing Mian and the remaining teammate finally caught sight of the wedding venue’s fence in the distance.
But what was suffocating was that the groom was already standing on the wedding platform, smiling in their direction.
Jing Mian: “…”
They were too late.
Strangely, behind the groom stood only one player Jing Mian didn’t recognize, and there was no sign of Greek.
“Could it be? Greek didn’t even make it to the wedding this time? He was taken out on the way?” Jing Mian’s teammate muttered under his breath.
Jing Mian was also puzzled. “Let’s be careful.”
Teammate: “Right, hold onto Little Red tightly. Don’t let go.”
Jing Mian whispered, “Got it.”
The bride, with her legs dangling and her head tilted back: “…”
As Jing Mian and his teammate entered the wedding venue through the lantern-adorned gate, they seemed to trigger an NPC dialogue.
The groom looked at them and smiled, saying, “My Ah Hong, come to me quickly.”
Jing Mian was taken aback.
A wave of doubt surged within him.
Having played this map before, he knew full well that if the groom were possessed by an evil spirit, the NPC dialogue triggered when the bride entered should have been:
—”My beautiful bride, come and exchange rings with me.”
So, at this moment, the groom wasn’t possessed by an evil spirit?
This didn’t seem to make sense. Cen Xian had sacrificed himself to prevent the bride from being possessed, so the groom must have been the one chosen.
Moreover, for a player of Greek’s caliber to die fighting against the evil spirit, leaving only one teammate behind, and in the end, the evil spirit didn’t possess the groom’s body—this situation sounded too passive. For Jing Mian’s side, it felt somewhat too bizarre and easy.
Jing Mian, holding the bride, cautiously approached the wedding platform and slowly ascended the steps.
The groom gently extended the ring.
The diamonds on the two rings were transparent and light, sparkling brightly under the white lights. Based on past experience, if the rings had been infused with an evil spirit, a faint bluish-black aura would appear around them.
This was too strange.
How could both sides be untainted humans, free from possession?
At this moment, the groom urged Jing Mian, “Put Ah Hong down. It’s time for us to exchange rings.”
Jing Mian didn’t move.
A few seconds later, the groom’s tone grew impatient:
“Put her down!”
The teammate also sensed something was wrong.
He stepped forward, shielding Jing Mian, who was still holding the bride, behind him.
The groom shouted again:
“Put her down!!”
Jing Mian didn’t follow the command and remained still.
The situation seemed to have reached an unresolvable stalemate.
This time, the groom became noticeably more agitated than before:
“Put her down!! Can’t you understand what I’m saying!!?”
In the next moment, as the groom roared, his body began to transform. Black veins burst across his face, his eyes turned blood-red, and his limbs twisted in an unnatural direction. As he contorted, a swirling outline of smoke, like black mist, erupted around him.
“Damn it, I really hate you ungrateful guests…”