Players, Please Board the Train

”Someone you know?” Xu Huo asked.

Bian Yongyi tried his best to take long strides with his short legs. ”We had a bit of a falling out before.”

Xu Huo didn’t press for details, but when they arrived at the villa, they discovered a car parked outside. Seeing them, a short-haired young man waved at Bian Yongyi. ”So you really did manage to borrow a house. We’re staying here tonight. Give me the keys.”

Bian Yongyi’s face fell. ”Aren’t you here with Young Master Xie? What, he can’t even spare you a place to stay?”

The short-haired young man sneered. ”Well, well, Bian Yongyi, looks like you’ve grown some backbone. Forget what happened last time when you were stuffed into a toilet and forced to eat shit? Want me to help you remember?”

Bian Yongyi’s forehead immediately bulged with veins. ”This is the house of one of Chairman Chang’s players. I borrowed it. Do you dare stay here?”

”Whether I dare or not is none of a dwarf’s business.” The short-haired young man hopped out of the car, clenching his fists as he strode over.

Bian Yongyi quickly moved two steps behind Xu Huo.

It was only then that the short-haired young man seemed to notice Xu Huo. He let out a contemptuous laugh. ”So that’s why you’ve got guts now. You brought backup. A D-level player like you, what high-level player could you possibly know? Don’t tell me he’s also a D-level player!”

”What, you planning to stick up for this shrimp?””Personal grudges are none of my business.” Xu Huo paused, then added, ”But I am a bit curious. Is that story about you shoving him into a toilet actually true?”

”As a player, your methods of bullying others are not only lacking in creativity but also highly unsanitary.”

The short-haired young man had a hair-trigger temper. Upon hearing this, he cursed and lunged at Xu Huo.

The villa district had rules against physical altercations, so Xu Huo grabbed Bian Yongyi and moved to the villa entrance, taking the keys from his hand to open the door. Once inside, he made to shut the group out.

However, one player in the car moved with lightning speed, instantly teleporting to the door and pressing his hand against the panel. Unfortunately, before he could say anything, Xu Huo’s ”Like Repels Like” sent him flying backward, followed by a heavy slam as the door closed.

”Damn it!” The short-haired young man turned around and cursed. ”Bian Yongyi, get your ass out here, or I swear I’ll kill you!”

Inside the door, Xu Huo surveyed the well-secured house and said, ”They shouldn’t have the guts to damage a villa. Wash up and get some sleep.”

Bian Yongyi stared at him in astonishment. ”That’s it?”

”You’re welcome to go out there and fight them to the death.” Xu Huo headed straight for the living room, ignoring the cursing outside.

Bian Yongyi hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn’t respond to the commotion outside. Setting his jaw, he found a guest room and went to sleep.

The short-haired young man’s curses didn’t last long before they faded away. Whether he’d attracted the villa district’s security or been stopped by his companions, the sound of the car eventually receded, and the area fell back into silence.

The next day, Bian Yongyi, who had clearly slept poorly, came downstairs early and peered through the windows and doors. When Xu Huo came down, he hastily asked, ”No one lying in ambush outside, right?”

”No one.” Xu Huo opened the empty refrigerator. ”Any food?”

Bian Yongyi pulled out some bread and jerky. ”This is all we’ve got for now. If you want something better, you’ll have to go out. The villa district doesn’t allow food deliveries.”

Xu Huo casually took a couple of bites, then scrolled through Jiangjiang’s social media account. After spotting a selfie she’d posted of herself painting by a window, he took a sip of water and stood up. ”I’m going out to visit a neighbor.”

Bian Yongyi also stood up, shoving bread into his mouth. ”I’m coming too.”

Xu Huo didn’t mind. Based on the angle of the photo, he located the villa where Jiangjiang was staying, and under the watchful eyes of two players on the second floor, he rang the doorbell.

The door was opened by a long-haired young man. The moment the door swung open, he looked Xu Huo up and down before asking with a darkened face, ”Who are you looking for?”

”I’ve come to visit Jiangjiang. She invited me before.” Xu Huo said.

”That ’invitation’ was probably just her saying something offhand to show goodwill. For you to show up at her door the very next day, how is that any different from being a stalker?” The long-haired young man was clearly hostile.

Xu Huo smiled. ”Why don’t you let Jiangjiang decide?”

Only then did the long-haired young man reluctantly step aside, casting a disdainful glance at Bian Yongyi behind him. ”Jiangjiang is having breakfast.”

Xu Huo followed him to the dining room. Upon seeing him, Jiangjiang greeted him with delighted surprise. ”I didn’t expect we’d meet again so soon!”

”I left in such a hurry yesterday, I never got your name!”

”My name is Xu Zhi.” Xu Huo looked seriously into her eyes.

Jiangjiang’s brows curved into a smile, her expression carrying a purity that adults rarely possess. ”My name is Jiangjiang. So we’re officially acquainted now. We’re friends! Have you had breakfast? Song Xu prepared way too much food, I told him I couldn’t finish it all... If you don’t mind, why don’t you both join me?”

Bian Yongyi was flattered beyond belief, especially meeting Jiangjiang’s smiling face. He said with barely contained excitement, ”Miss Jiangjiang, I absolutely love your paintings! I’m your fan!”

”Thank you.” Jiangjiang invited them to sit down, then said to the dark-faced long-haired young man, ”Song Xu, would you pass me the milk?”

Song Xu poured milk for Xu Huo and the others himself, then dutifully took his position behind Jiangjiang.

Besides him on the first floor of the villa, there were three other players. They were stationed in the kitchen, the living room, and on the balcony beside the dining room respectively, moving with such silent precision that they didn’t seem like free agents who had chosen to protect someone on their own, but rather like well-trained bodyguards hired for the job.

Thoroughly domesticated, aren’t they?

”Try these sweet pancakes. Song Xu made them especially for me. I’ve been gaining weight eating these every day.” Jiangjiang enthusiastically shared her favorite food.

”You’re not fat at all.” Song Xu, who had nearly rolled his eyes at Xu Huo and the others, spoke to Jiangjiang with utmost tenderness. ”You stayed up all night painting a few days ago, and you actually lost a bit of weight.”

”Really?” Jiangjiang lifted her arm. ”But I feel like I’ve gained weight. Is the scale at home broken?”

”It’s not broken.” Song Xu replied quickly. ”Painting is physically draining. Eating a little extra sweets won’t hurt.”

”Eating too many sweets isn’t good for your health.” Xu Huo forked a piece of sweet pancake. ”Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and lean meat are the most suitable for a person.”

”What a shame,” Jiangjiang shook her head. ”I don’t like eating vegetables.”

”There are plenty of potions nowadays that can replace the nutrition from vegetables. It doesn’t matter if you don’t eat them. What matters most is being happy!” Bian Yongyi chimed in immediately.

Jiangjiang glanced at Xu Huo. ”Nutritional supplements taste even worse. Maybe I should just change my eating habits.”

With that, she turned back and smiled at Song Xu. ”See? You don’t have to worry anymore.”

Song Xu’s expression visibly relaxed.

After finishing the sweet pancakes on his plate, Xu Huo checked his email as well. The second detective had sent a message. Another girl who had emigrated abroad had taken her adoptive parents’ surname and changed her name to Liu Yi. She attended a very prestigious art school overseas. Six years ago, her adoptive parents passed away from illness, and the girl dropped out of school to apprentice under a famous painter. A year later, she debuted under the name she had used at the orphanage—”Jiangjiang.”