Chapter 112: Ban Qianqian Loses Her Temper

“Are you the random player known as ‘Fishing Passerby’?” Wei Rufeng was first startled, then burst into laughter. “A celebrity! In Qinghe County, no one wanted to team up with you for leveling; you went around tricking others into carrying you, and your reputation was ruined. The only time you made a splash was during the assault on the church. Brother, whether in reality or in the game, one should stand tall with integrity. A bad reputation makes it just as hard to get by in the game.”

Chen Hao was so frustrated he felt like vomiting blood. He hadn’t expected that ‘Fishing Passerby’ had such a terrible reputation in Qinghe County—so much so that even Wei Rufeng knew about it. Listening to Wei Rufeng’s mockery, he replied calmly, “I was just looking for a team to help me level up; I never cheated anyone out of equipment or money. Wei Rufeng, why are you so worked up?”

Xia Weiwei said, “I’ve seen the battle footage at Qinghe Church. The one wielding the large pike was you, Chen Hao! By the way, are you still in Qinghe County?”

Chen Hao shook his head. “Chen Baxian said his team still needed a machine gunner, so I followed him to Penglai. Now I team up with them every day to level up.”

“Really?” Xia Weiwei’s face lit up with excitement. “So you and Chen Baxian are teammates! Tell him to add me to the team too! I’m so pretty; he shouldn’t say no, right?”

Chen Hao chuckled. “I don’t know if he’ll accept you, but he went to Jibei today. Knowing his character, he’ll probably join the government forces to protect the railway cables. I’ll ask him to team up with you then!”

“Great! Great! Chen Hao, you’re looking especially handsome today. By the way, where’s Chen Baxian from? Does he have a girlfriend?”

Chen Hao broke out in a cold sweat. “I have no idea.”

Wei Yunfeng, unused to being ignored, cut in again. “Brother, you’re lucky to be rolling with Chen Baxian, but a man must have backbone—you can’t keep depending on others all the time...”

Chen Hao frowned. Earlier, Wei Yunfeng had proudly boasted about knowing Chen Baxian. Now that he knew Chen Hao was in Chen Baxian’s team, he was preaching about not relying on others. This hypocrisy made Chen Hao disdainful.

Today was Wang Ying’s birthday, and Chen Hao didn’t want to cause trouble. But beside him, Ban Qianqian had had enough. Suddenly standing up, she snapped, “Who do you think you are, some kind of professor? Always nagging here like a hypocrite. What right do you have to talk about my man?”

Ban Qianqian’s outburst caught everyone by surprise. Except for her, they were all adults, and such matters typically passed with a laugh. Wei Yunfeng had been targeting Chen Hao for some time. Ban Qianqian had held back but finally lost her temper.

Chen Hao stood up as well, putting an arm around Ban Qianqian’s shoulder. “Yingying, I’m really sorry. Usually, everyone has fun at your birthday, but today’s atmosphere isn’t right. Qianqian and I will leave first...”

He didn’t want Wang Ying’s birthday to be unpleasant, but since Ban Qianqian had stood up for him and openly confronted Wei Yunfeng, to avoid further embarrassment, they had no choice but to leave.

“Today is my birthday,” Wang Ying interrupted Chen Hao gently. “No matter what happens, I want you to sit back down.”

She stepped forward and took Ban Qianqian’s hand. “Qianqian, this is your first time celebrating my birthday. I don’t want you to leave. Chen Hao and I have known each other for many years, and we’ll all be gathering often in the future. There’s no need to get upset over irrelevant people. Come on, let me have a drink with you.”

Xia Weiwei raised her glass as well. “Qianqian, I like your straightforwardness. If something’s wrong, say it openly. I don’t like people who are two-faced.”

Lu Feifei also lifted her glass. “Heh! Chen Hao is one of our good sisters. Now that he has a girlfriend, she’s taking his place. The four of us sisters will drink a toast.”

Wei Yunfeng’s face darkened. Ban Qianqian was younger, so he couldn’t lash out at her. Hearing Wang Ying call him an irrelevant person made his expression even uglier. He had found out it was Wang Ying’s birthday and called her, fearing she might reject him. He knew she usually had a reunion with some old classmates on her birthday and wanted to join the fun.

Having said all that, Wang Ying couldn’t refuse his invitation and agreed, but she hadn’t expected it to lead to conflict. Seeing that Wang Ying and the others were all cold toward him, Wei Yunfeng resented it deeply. He stood up and said, “Wang Ying, I have some things to take care of today...”

It was hard for Wei Yunfeng to reconnect with Wang Ying, and he didn’t really want to leave. Earlier, Chen Hao tried to leave, but Wang Ying insisted he stay. So Wei Yunfeng thought if he feigned displeasure, Wang Ying would also try to keep him. To his surprise, Wang Ying merely smiled lightly and said, “We’re all adults with many things to do. If you’re busy, just go ahead. Don’t worry about us.”

Wei Yunfeng felt utterly dejected. Since he’d said he was leaving, he couldn’t backtrack. He left with a gloomy face. Once he was gone, the atmosphere improved considerably. Ban Qianqian was simple but clever and got along well with Wang Ying and the other two women. Chen Hao, by contrast, felt somewhat superfluous.

As the celebration wound down past midnight, Wang Ying and the three girls said they would stay together, so Chen Hao and Ban Qianqian left first. Shortly after stepping out of Shuiqiyuan, Xia Weiwei suddenly noticed a few sparkling tears on Wang Ying’s pale face. She gently wrapped her arm around Wang Ying. “Yingying, are you okay?”

Lu Feifei stepped forward and handed Wang Ying a tissue, sighing. “We always thought you and him would eventually end up together. We didn’t expect it to turn out like this.”

Wang Ying shook her head. “I’m fine. It’s rare to catch you two here; I want you to keep me company and drink.”

“Drink we shall. Who’s afraid of you!” Xia Weiwei poured drinks for everyone and raised her glass. “Yingying, wasn’t I right? You’ve always liked him deep down.”

Wang Ying downed her glass. “When he stood up to leave, ignoring the fact that today was my birthday because of his woman, my heart suddenly hurt so much. I love him. Now I’m absolutely sure.”

Lu Feifei shook her head. “Women can’t afford to get hurt. Let’s drop this topic. The three of us sisters won’t leave until we’re drunk.”

Xia Weiwei’s face showed concern. She knew Wang Ying well. Rational girls like her rarely got emotional, but once they liked someone, they found it hard to let go. Still, she didn’t know how to help Wang Ying.

Back at his place, Chen Hao picked up his phone and called Wang Ying but got a busy signal. Just as he hung up, Wang Ying called him. They had dialed each other at the same time.

“Sorry,” they said in unison.

Chen Hao smiled wryly. “I’m the one who ruined your birthday today. I should be the one apologizing. You don’t owe me anything.”

Wang Ying’s voice was hesitant. “Tod—today, I shouldn’t have let Wei Yunfeng come. You and Qianqian weren’t happy.”

“Yingying, are you drunk?” Chen Hao was surprised. In his memory, although Wang Ying drank, she drank less than Ban Qianqian and had never been drunk before.

“I—I’m not drunk. Chen Hao, in the game, you’re not ‘Fishing Passerby.’ You should be called Chen Baxian, right?”

“How did you guess?”

“I… I know you. In the game, there’s a clan quest. You’re so rational you wouldn’t use a name that doesn’t align with Chinese tradition. You must have used that fake name to hide… to conceal something. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone your game name because… because you’re the person I love most. I’ll never hurt you. When you log in, remember to look for Qiu Jin…”

After hanging up, Chen Hao sat alone for a long time. He had always considered Wang Ying his best friend and assumed she felt the same. Her words in her drunken state unsettled him. After a while, he went into Ban Qianqian’s room. Seeing her sleeping peacefully, he approached and gently kissed her forehead.

Suddenly, he recalled a Buddhist story he had read: regardless of whether he liked Wang Ying, what was missed was missed. The most precious thing was not what is lost or unattainable, but cherishing the person before you.