Chapter 21: Playing Games and Signing a Life-or-Death Contract!

Yang Jiaoyun chattered endlessly, but Lin Qingqing’s expression remained calm and unbothered.

Qin Yansen, however, listened to Yang Jiaoyun speak so disrespectfully of the old lady, and his face turned grim and frightening. The atmosphere around him grew increasingly cold.

Just as Qin Yansen was about to speak, Lin Qingqing looked at Yang Jiaoyun and Mu Yiyi and spoke first:

“Isn’t it fairness that you’re after? Fine, beat me first, and then we’ll talk. As long as you can win against me, I’ll publicly apologize. To ensure fairness, you’ll use my account, and I’ll use yours. How’s that? Dare to try, little girl?”

Yang Jiaoyun snorted and said with a laugh, “Why wouldn’t I? Just make sure you keep your word!”

Lin Qingqing crossed her arms and continued, “But if I win, you have to shout ‘Grandma, I was wrong’ ten times in front of me, and record a video of it to send to my phone.”

Yang Jiaoyun agreed immediately, “Sure! No problem! Today I, Yang Jiaoyun, will definitely expose your true colors!”

Yang Jiaoyun pulled Mu Yiyi toward the lounge area in the hotel lobby and sat down. Mu Yiyi clung to Yang Jiaoyun’s arm and whispered anxiously, “Jiaojiao, maybe we should just forget it. What if the old lady has a health issue or dies suddenly while playing? Then we’ll be in big trouble.”

Yang Jiaoyun replied firmly, “No way! That old lady dared to use cheats to bully young people—I have to eliminate her for the public good! Besides, look at how energetic she is. She doesn’t look like someone in her eighties who’s about to kick the bucket. I’m sure nothing will happen! And if she really drops dead here today, then that’s just the Qin family getting what they deserve!”

Mu Yiyi spoke more rationally, “I’m just worried we’ll get into trouble. What if the Qin family blames us and holds us responsible if something happens to her?”

Yang Jiaoyun’s eyes shifted, and she suddenly had an idea. “That’s easy to handle!”

…

“Grandma, please listen to me and go upstairs to rest. I’ll handle things here. Even if you can win once, you can’t win every time… And besides…” Qin Yansen’s voice grew weaker toward the end, and his gaze drifted uneasily.

Lin Qingqing sighed softly and said directly, “So you don’t really believe that Grandma didn’t use cheats, huh? You’re also worried that losing will be too much for my health and trigger some elderly illness. Also, you’re afraid that if I actually beat that Yiyi girl, it’ll embarrass her, right?”

Qin Yansen was clearly caught off guard by her accurate guess. His expression turned complicated as he looked at the old lady and spoke slowly, “Grandma… It’s not that I don’t believe in you. It’s just that this situation is really hard for people to accept.

“As for Mu Yiyi… I don’t think she’ll lose to you. She’s very capable. No matter the field, she performs outstandingly. So I’m more worried about you. I’m afraid that if you lose, you won’t be able to take it…”

Hopeless romantic indeed. To him, the female lead is the best in the world, and no one else compares—not even his own grandmother.

So in the end, her own grandson didn’t believe in her either. Just now, his instinctive rebuttal of Yang Jiaoyun had only been to preserve the old lady’s dignity in front of outsiders and Mu Yiyi.

Lin Qingqing smiled and said, “Don’t worry. Today, I’ll break that filter you have for me and Mu Yiyi.”

She planned to crush the original female lead in-game so thoroughly that Qin Yansen would no longer idolize her. Then he would stop doubting his grandmother’s abilities too!

Qin Yansen still didn’t believe her. He tried to stop the headstrong old lady, but she was determined, and there was no stopping her.

By the time Lin Qingqing sat across from Yang Jiaoyun and Mu Yiyi, Yang Jiaoyun was busy writing something with pen and paper.

A minute later, Yang Jiaoyun handed the paper to Grandma Lin and said with a smile, “Old lady, sign it. Once you do, we’ll officially start the game.”

Lin Qingqing raised her brows, curious. She took the paper and glanced at it. After reading it, she immediately burst into laughter.

Never in her life had she imagined she’d have to sign a life-or-death contract just to play a game.

Yang Jiaoyun smirked confidently. “This is a life-or-death agreement. If anything happens during the game, we bear no responsibility. All consequences are at your own risk.”

“Alright, no problem.” Lin Qingqing picked up the pen beside her and decisively signed her name.

A flash of surprise crossed Yang Jiaoyun’s eyes. She had thought the old lady would make a fuss and refuse to sign the life-or-death agreement. After all, someone who used cheats to bully young players would probably resort to all sorts of tricks.

But the old lady agreed so straightforwardly, without a word of protest. Her decisiveness and clean execution didn’t match the image of a willful, bitter, petty, and shameless old lady that Mu Yiyi had painted for her.

After both parties signed the agreement, Lin Qingqing looked at Mu Yiyi and said, “How about we switch accounts? You log into mine, and I’ll log into yours.”

Mu Yiyi didn’t think much of it. It was just a game account, not some social media profile. “Okay.”

Lin Qingqing logged into Mu Yiyi’s game account and immediately opened the friend list.

She remembered from the original plot that the male lead Lu Zeyan had secretly liked the female lead, Mu Yiyi, during their school days. The two of them had gotten to know each other through the game, and their in-game relationship status was “lovers.”

But being lovers in-game didn’t necessarily mean they would end up together. It was just some early romantic tension added for flavor in the plot.

Lin Qingqing clicked on the intimacy tab and, sure enough, saw Lu Zeyan still listed as a “lover.”

She deliberately nudged Qin Yansen’s arm and whispered, “Look, your Yiyi already has someone she likes.”

It wasn’t that she meant to stab Qin Yansen in the heart, but if she didn’t help him see the truth, he would probably never give up.

If Qin Yansen didn’t give up, their whole family would be doomed.

This was the original female lead, after all—not someone a villain family like theirs could afford to mess with.

Even if Qin Yansen gave Mu Yiyi his whole heart, she might not be touched. After all, her ending was destined to be with Lu Zeyan.

Qin Yansen stared at Mu Yiyi. The sunlight streamed through the hotel’s massive glass wall, bathing Mu Yiyi in warm light, giving her a soft glow that made it hard to look away.

With his heart full, he said, “So what? As long as she’s single, I still have a chance.”

What chilled him the most, though, was that his younger brother, Qin Jingshu, actually sided with Lu Zeyan.

That was what hurt him the most.

It was also the reason he deeply disliked and didn’t get along with Qin Jingshu.

His own brother siding with an outsider—who wouldn’t feel upset?

Lin Qingqing: “…”

Who did this lovesick fool inherit from?

Could it be that their old patriarch was also a hopeless romantic?

Lin Qingqing looked at Qin Yansen and patiently advised, “But you should have your own life. Life is short. You shouldn’t spend it living for someone else. There are so many wonderful girls in the world. One of them is bound to appreciate you even more than she does.”