Chapter 31

Yan Wan covered her face, her eyes wide with shock. In an instant, emotions like surprise, shame, and rage flashed across her face like a chaotic palette of colors.

Yan Ning, this despicable bitch, actually dared to hit her?

Even during her most humiliating and lowest moments in the Yan family, no one had dared to lay a hand on her. Yet, Yan Ning had actually struck her?

Yan Wan was both shocked and furious.

At this moment, all she wanted was to lunge forward, rip off Yan Ning’s clothes, bite her, claw at her, humiliate her, and torture her in the most violent and degrading ways possible—making her wish for death.

Yan Ning flicked her hand, her expression cold as she imitated Yan Wan’s earlier casual tone. “Ah, I overreacted a little and accidentally used too much force. Don’t take it personally, alright?”

“You—” Yan Wan was so consumed with hatred that she wanted to tear Yan Ning apart, drink her blood, and grind her bones into dust.

But just as she uttered a single word, she suddenly wilted like a withering plant. Her demeanor subdued, she lowered her head, adopting a frail and pitiful look.

The system, seeing Yan Wan losing control of her emotions and fearing she might do something irreparable on camera, hastily advised, “Master, please calm down. She’s just provoking you. Don’t fall into her trap.”

“I don’t care! I want to kill her right now and make her wish she were dead!” Yan Wan roared internally, like a wild beast that had lost all reason.

Suppressing a faint sense of irritation, the system continued to persuade her. “Master, millions of people are watching online. You must stay calm. She’s already taken the bait. All you need to do is guide the situation patiently and wait for the right moment. Then, you can ruin her completely. Why rush now? At this moment, the most important thing is to damage her reputation in the eyes of others. You know what to do, don’t you?”

The system’s words helped Yan Wan regain a sliver of rationality. Though she still felt stifled and furious, she was no longer as rabid as before.

Yan Ning had been quietly observing Yan Wan all along. She noticed her agitation, the veins in her eyes red with fury. But soon enough, that storm of emotions inexplicably settled.

“Ningning, I’m sorry. Please don’t be mad. It was my fault for speaking too much… Even if you didn’t mean to come between them, sometimes love can overcome everything. As long as you two are happy together, what does Senior Chen Nuan even matter? It’s just that she and this… junior didn’t have enough fate to be together, that’s all…”

Yan Wan lowered her hand and slowly raised her head, her brows slightly furrowed, tears glistening in her eyes. As she spoke, her gaze flitted back and forth between Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng, her meaning unmistakable.

A bright red handprint stood out on her cheek, contrasting with her pitiful, innocent-looking face—a look that easily stirred the sympathy and protective instincts of clueless onlookers.

At this moment, the livestream’s comment and barrage sections were in complete chaos:

【Wanwan Wife’s Little Wings】: What’s wrong with this woman, Ningning? She’s the one meddling in someone else’s relationship, and now she won’t even let others talk about it?

【Wanwan’s Only Husband】: You filthy wretch, how dare you hit our Wanwan! I’ll destroy your whole family!

【Just to See Wan Smile】: Where did this brain-dead woman come from? Is she tired of living?

【Blue Robe Dragon King】: I heard this Ning girl is 17 years old and still in 7th grade. What a brainless fool. Don’t bother with her, everyone. After all, arguing with trash only brings you down—hhhhhh.

—

Yan Wan’s most loyal followers, a group of male students, usually behaved like this when no adults were around to monitor them. Even at school, they acted the same way.

To curry favor with Yan Wan and suppress girls they didn’t like, their words were particularly vicious.

Unfortunately, this group had significant numbers, making it hard for anyone to challenge them. Those bullied at school either transferred or silently endured the harassment.

Over time, this unchecked behavior cultivated their arrogant, morally blind attitude, unable to tolerate even the slightest criticism or any negative remarks about Yan Wan.

Yan Ning’s actions were a direct affront to their biggest taboo. Once she returned to school, she’d likely face relentless retaliation.

However, the livestream from Angel Island Number four had a much broader audience than the small community of Minghua Middle School. Among the online viewers were many adults, whose perspectives and experiences differed vastly from those of these teenage students.

As a result, when Yan Wan’s die-hard fans began mocking Yan Ning online, they didn’t achieve their usual echo-chamber effect. Instead, a new wave of opinions emerged:

【The Nightingale and the Rose: Does Number four Wanwan come with her own fan club? A bunch of little boys, huh?】

【Pocket Meow: Not to mention anything else, but the insults here are truly vile. While Number one slapping someone might have been extreme, Number four’s comments do seem like an attempt to stir the pot. Calling someone a homewrecker without evidence? Seriously?】

【Long Night Bright Lamp: If someone with a white lotus face accused me of being a mistress without proof, I’d slap them too. Number one is my type—straightforward and satisfying!】

【Angel Island’s Wang Dachui: I usually only care about games, but Number four and Number six are clearly unprofessional. If you’re here to play, then just play. Bringing personal grudges into it and bullying others? That’s crossing the line.】

The user “Angel Island’s Wang Dachui” had been playing since the game on Angel Island Number four was first released, a dedicated veteran gamer who treated the game as his lifelong passion.

Having experienced a tumultuous love life in the past, he had become a top-tier “white lotus detector.” The comments in the chat rubbed him the wrong way, but he still maintained the restraint of an adult in his words.

Yan Wan’s fanbase, seeing someone dare to criticize her and call her out, immediately exploded.

The two sides began a heated argument, using the livestream’s chat and comment sections as their battleground, flinging insults back and forth, kicking up a storm of chaos.

In the shadows, Sese and Tutu—who secretly loved this kind of drama—had been enjoying the show for quite some time.

They found Earthlings’ arguments particularly amusing: tearing each other apart in an invisible, intangible space, causing a mess and mutual harm, only to end up disgraced themselves.

Yet, in the real world, these same people would act polite, well-mannered, and composed, showing none of the foul-mouthed behavior they displayed online.

The two penguin assistants giggled as they watched the drama for a while before stepping in to stir the pot even more:

【Sese: Oh my, oh my, why are we arguing now?】

【Tutu: All this fuss over such a trivial matter isn’t worth it. If it were me, I’d just shower my favorite streamer with gifts and push her to the top. Let’s see who dares to object!】

【Sese: Exactly! Let’s see who dares to object. If you’re not happy, then shower your streamer with gifts and push your rival down! Arguing with words? Anyone can do that. If you’re a real man, spend money and send your favorite woman to the top spot! Let’s see who’s still talking nonsense then!】

【Tutu: Yeah, yeah! If you’re going to argue, put your money where your mouth is!】

Down in the underground maintenance room, Zhao Xiaojue was completely floored by her two colleagues. At a time like this, they were actually encouraging viewers to send gifts…

This wasn’t just stirring the pot—it was full-blown chaos-mongering!

A large wave of data instantly came through the backstage system, converting into a considerable amount in RMB. Was this why the boss valued the two of them so much?

Gu Han glanced at Tang Chengtian and asked with feigned curiosity, “Your niece got hit. What do you think about that, Mr. Tang?”

Tang Chengtian sneered dismissively, “I don’t have such a niece…”

When Yan Wan was mentioned, Tang Chengtian’s expression darkened slightly, as if recalling an unpleasant incident from the past.

Still, the word “niece” triggered a fleeting thought in his mind, something he almost grasped but couldn’t quite catch.

—

When Yan Ning saw Yan Wan’s behavior, she immediately knew that Yan Wan hadn’t learned her lesson.

This realization also made Yan Ning suspect that Yan Wan had someone powerful backing her up, which explained her arrogance and spoiled nature.

Obviously, Yan Wan had never endured any real hardship. The moment someone challenged her, she couldn’t handle it and would immediately try to retaliate.

This put Yan Ning in a dilemma. She didn’t mind using harsher methods to deal with Yan Wan, but the issue was that they were in a livestream.

She didn’t want to risk affecting others. Even though her mental strength was suppressed and nowhere near its peak destructive power, she wouldn’t use her full strength on Yan Wan. But the scene would still get ugly.

With such a wide audience, there was no guarantee that someone wouldn’t be affected by her mental energy.

Sensing her hesitation, Lu Fengfeng walked over, took her hand, and smiled warmly at Yan Wan. “I wonder where this… classmate heard that Ningning interfered in someone’s relationship with me?”

Yan Wan froze for a moment. She had assumed that her words would at least plant a seed of doubt in Lu Fengfeng’s mind, even if he didn’t say it outright.

She didn’t expect him to step forward and openly side with Yan Ning, looking like he intended to defend her.

At this point, wasn’t it standard for guys to smooth things over and put all the blame on the girl?

What on earth was he thinking?

“So, it seems there’s no real source for your claim. Can I take it that this is all just your own baseless speculation?” Lu Fengfeng took advantage of Yan Wan’s momentary daze to continue, “Perhaps this is my fault. Maybe because I look a bit frivolous, people assume I’m promiscuous and indiscriminate. But for such misunderstandings to repeatedly cause Ningning harm—I’ve had enough. So, let me clarify things right here.”

“There’s no so-called third-party interference. Chen Nuan and I broke up over some unpleasant matters, and that was over a week ago. As for Ningning, she only agreed to my pursuit the day before yesterday. She had no interest in me initially—it was I who begged her endlessly. Now, I wonder, does this explanation satisfy you, Classmate Yan?”

When Lu Fengfeng finished, his gaze toward Yan Wan was devoid of warmth.

Although his words were gentle and polite, they carried a chilling undertone that made one shudder.

While the timeline between events was indeed close, there was no overlap, making Yan Wan’s accusations self-contradictory.

Her expression stiffened as she nodded awkwardly, too intimidated to speak further.

Lu Fengfeng took Yan Ning back to where the first-aid kit was, carefully applying medicine and bandaging her wounds. His eyes held a soft smile, but his heart was stormy with discontent.

These people were so irritating, constantly disrupting his time with Yan Ning. Especially those two women—they always seemed to find excuses to hurt her. He needed to figure out a way to make them behave.

Yan Ning, unaware of Lu Fengfeng’s thoughts, simply felt he was a reliable teammate. He made up for her shortcomings, achieving victory without needing to fight.

Having an ally like this was so refreshing.

—

Commentary Section

Sese and Tutu didn’t expect things to unfold like this. They thought Yan Ning would lose her temper and beat Yan Wan to a pulp.

The mere thought of two beauties pulling hair and spitting at each other on camera was both disillusioning and strangely exciting.

Unfortunately, the anticipated scene didn’t happen. Disappointed by unmet expectations, Sese and Tutu decided to take matters into their own hands, unleashing juicy gossip like a flood.

As elite gossip connoisseurs among the crowd, they prided themselves on having firsthand information, ensuring they always got the most authentic drama.

【Sese: Oh my, oh my! Who would’ve thought Number two Fengfeng could be so decisive? He gave Number four Wanwan no chance at all, landing a fatal blow. No wonder he’s so mad—everyone keeps trying to ruin his relationship…】

【Tutu: Sigh, his ridiculously good looks have brought him burdens he shouldn’t have to bear at his age!】

【Sese: To be honest, I’d lose it too. His ex cheated on him, and after breaking up, she couldn’t handle seeing him move on. Now she’s trying to push his little girlfriend into the sea! Who wouldn’t be furious?】

【Tutu: And that scar on his little girlfriend’s hand? It was from his ex stabbing her with a shoe heel. So tragic—it’s enough to make even me feel sorry for her.】

【Sese: If you’re feeling bad for Ningning, why not send her a big rocket gift? Ehehe~】

“Ehehe my foot! Boss, are you sure it’s fine for those two to act like this?”

Zhao Xiaoju couldn’t hold back anymore. He never understood what species these two penguin mascots belonged to, always wearing their ridiculous penguin costumes.

Their skills were solid, sure, but they were way too mischievous—daring to say anything, do anything. Yet somehow, the boss seemed to favor them.

Tang Chengtian, with a faint smile, waved off Zhao Xiaoju’s complaints. “It’s fine. Although they’re a bit wild, they know their limits. Besides, they’re amusing, aren’t they?”

The standoff between Yan Ning and Yan Wan reached a temporary conclusion, with a clear victor emerging. In the livestream chat, the audience also picked sides, and a winner emerged.

Lu Fengfeng’s explanation, combined with Sese and Tutu’s juicy gossip, lent credibility to his words. The tide turned quickly, and before long, Yan Ning shot to first place on the six-person popularity ranking.

After all, how could high schoolers’ wallets compete with those of already-working adults?

High schoolers had nothing but fiery passion and sharp tongues. For the first time, they felt the weight of money’s power at their age.

Meanwhile, Yan Yu, sitting in Yan Wan’s primary viewing zone, was furious. He had emptied all his savings, thinking it would surely help Yan Wan surpass Yan Ning, but it still wasn’t enough.

Over in Yan Ning’s primary viewing zone, Qiao Yingxue and Gu Tian spent tens of thousands on gifts for Yan Ning. The two wealthy young ladies then quietly shook hands and became allies in this battle.

—

On the island.

After the small conflict earlier, Yan Wan and Shu Yue were retreating step by step, both sulking at the moment.

The atmosphere became heavy and strangely tense, with the exception of the two people at the far end who still seemed oblivious to it all.

Yan Ning’s wound had been bandaged, but her clothes were still wet.

Since there were no spare clothes, Lu Fengfeng suggested she change into his clothes.

Yan Ning waved her hand dismissively, “The sun’s come out, and it’s not that cold. It’ll dry up after walking for a while.”

Lu Fengfeng couldn’t argue with her. Plus, there was nowhere nearby to change, so he gave up on the idea.

He packed up the medical kit and, using a handkerchief, gently wiped her hair. His brow furrowed slightly. “I still want to get you a new set of clothes. Let’s go ahead and see if we can find a way to get some.”

“Okay,” Yan Ning nodded.

They were wearing the standard athletic uniforms given by the staff. They were loose and easy to move in. But once wet, they became clingy and uncomfortable to move around in.

As Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng started walking, the others naturally followed behind them, forming a line, with Zhao Mingcheng bringing up the rear.

“Wuwuwu—Chiumi—Chiumi ya—”

After walking about a kilometer, the group left the wide, clean path and entered a dense forest area.

As soon as they stepped into the forest, they heard faint cries for help.

Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng exchanged a glance, both remaining calm.

But the others were clearly excited, especially Qin Li and Shu Yue, who rushed towards the source of the sound. They didn’t forget to draw their weapons from their equipment, as if preparing to fight a battle.

“Ah—”

“Ah—”

Two screams suddenly echoed through the air. By the time Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng leisurely arrived, the tree that originally had only one white, cocoon-like object hanging on it now had three.

Shu Yue and Qin Li were both caught by silvery white threads around their legs, hanging upside down from the tree.

As soon as Yan Wan saw their condition, she immediately ran over, as if afraid she wasn’t fast enough.

She was also holding a weapon, a slender laser sword that seemed quite fitting for her.

Waving the sword, she anxiously called out, “I’ll save you!”

“Don’t come—”

Qin Li had just shouted, when—whoosh—the cocoon-like objects on the tree transformed into four.

Yan Wan’s legs were also ensnared, adding her to the luxury lunch of the star-patterned spiders.

Yan Ning couldn’t help but click her tongue. “Tsk, that’s a bit spectacular.”

Lu Fengfeng nodded. “Indeed. What should we do? I’m leaning towards finding you some clothes first, I’m worried you’ll catch a chill.”

“Brother, what are you planning to do?” Yan Ning turned to look at Zhao Mingcheng, who hadn’t said a word yet.

Zhao Mingcheng thought Yan Ning was trying to push him, and was so startled that he plopped down onto the ground.

“Ah, don’t worry, I’m just asking. If you don’t want to talk, just follow us. You seem pretty calm, not like the others, so reckless.” Yan Ning said kindly.

Actually, the island’s environment made her somewhat excited. It had been a long time since she had been active, and her hands were itching a bit.

However, right after entering the first dungeon, three “rookies” had already rushed into danger, unintentionally leaving onlookers saddened and in tears.

But it wasn’t entirely their fault. Yan Ning, Lu Fengfeng, and Zhao Mingcheng had all lived in the interstellar world, and after entering the island, they realized that the island’s design was very similar to an interstellar virtual training ground.

The creatures there were also likely inspired by many interstellar species, but many Earthlings were unaware and mistook them for fictional creatures.

The three of them began their actions cautiously. Upon seeing the upside-down white cocoon, they immediately suspected that it could be a trap.

There is a type of giant spider in the universe, with beautiful star-shaped patterns on its back, known as the star-patterned spider.

This spider is very intelligent, skilled at using a live prey to lure in more prey. After capturing new prey, it leaves the freshest one as bait for the next hunt, eating the rest.

“The clothes are sticking to my skin, it’s really uncomfortable. Let’s go find some clothes first,” Yan Ning said, tugging at her clothes that were stuck to her skin, addressing Lu Fengfeng.

“Yan Ning, don’t go—” Qin Li couldn’t help but shout.

At this point, he realized how naive he had been. He thought the so-called real-life game was just a simple walk-through, a way to experience the feeling of adventure without any real danger.

Now, this strange situation made him feel extremely unsafe.

The three people below, two of whom were unfamiliar to him, made him uneasy. Although he viewed Yan Ning as a dangerous predator, if it came to lowering his head, he would still choose to lower it in front of her. He couldn’t quite explain why.

“Ahhh—” Shu Yue suddenly screamed, “Don’t come near, monster!!!”

Yan Ning, Lu Fengfeng, and Zhao Mingcheng all looked up, and they saw a star-patterned spider, nearly the size of a human torso, hanging from the tree trunk.

Its tail released silk, entangling the trunk. The details were incredibly lifelike, with its compound eyes looking very disgusting, and the fine hairs on its legs were clearly visible.

First one appeared, then two more. The massive bodies of the star-patterned spiders hung directly in front of Qin Li and the others, emitting a terrible odor.

Shu Yue completely broke down and started crying. Yan Wan wasn’t much better, constantly struggling, gritting her teeth to keep from screaming.

Qin Li fainted from fear.

Yan Ning picked up a few small stones from the ground and threw them—whoosh whoosh whoosh—cutting the silk threads from the spiders’ tails.

The spiders fell to the ground and started crawling toward Yan Ning and the others.

Yan Ning drew her weapon, a finely crafted and sharp spring knife.

As the star-patterned spider was about to close in, Yan Ning threw a small knife, which struck the spider’s head directly. The star-patterned spider died instantly, and its body vanished like sand. A light yellow crystal popped up from the ground.

Yan Ning bent down to pick it up and looked at the other two. “Did this drop equipment?”

Lu Fengfeng had also taken care of one. He looked down at the communicator on his wrist. “Seems like it. The experience bar went up. Looks like killing monsters can level us up.”

“Seriously?” Yan Ning also looked down at her communicator. The experience bar had indeed gone up, and her eyes were full of disbelief. “This is so much fun!”

“Stop playing around, can you let us down now?” Qin Li shouted.

Another star-patterned spider was dealt with by Zhao Mingcheng. They spent some time getting everyone down.

The last pure white cocoon, which had originally been used as bait, was peeled open, revealing an unexpected person.

“Meng Qing, what are you doing here?” Yan Ning reached out and pulled Meng Qing out of the web, her eyes full of surprise.

Qin Li was also very surprised because, during the competition, Meng Qing had substituted for him and done much of the work that was supposed to be handled by the student council president.

But he never expected to meet Meng Qing in the finals, let alone in this way.

Meng Qing dusted off the spider silk on his clothes and smiled wryly. “Long story short, I’m your guide for this adventure. I really appreciate you saving me. You can ask me any questions, and I’ll stick with you until the end of your journey.”

So he was a real NPC.

Is it even possible to play like this?

Meng Qing told them that to reach the next dungeon, they had to level up to level five first. He also told them where they could grind small monsters without taking damage. The group eagerly ran off to level up by fighting monsters.

Lu Fengfeng pulled Meng Qing aside. “Do you have any clean clothes? Ningning’s clothes are wet.”

Meng Qing took a set of clean women’s sportswear from his inventory and handed it to him.

Lu Fengfeng thanked him and went to find Yan Ning. Yan Ning took the clean clothes. “Ah, thanks. But how do I change?”

Lu Fengfeng looked around, then saw a tree that was big enough to be hugged by four people but hard to wrap around. He pulled Yan Ning over. “Wait here for a second.”

While saying that, Lu Fengfeng took out a very large checkered tablecloth from his backpack. He tied one corner to a tree branch, held the middle and the other end, and lowered his head, saying, “You go ahead and change, I’ll cover you.”

【Sese’s voice suddenly became lewd: Oh, oh, I never get tired of Number one and Number two! Why does the dungeon you two are doing look so different from everyone else’s?】

【Tutu: Damn it! Why wasn’t I that tree!】

The comments section and the barrage filled with “???” as everyone, as if on adrenaline, thought something inappropriate was about to happen.

The next second, Yan Ning emerged from behind the tablecloth, reached out, and gathered together herself and the dragonfly-shaped flying camera that had been following her and Lu Fengfeng.

She pulled out a wet plain checkered handkerchief from her pocket, tied the two cameras together, and covered their lenses.

Lu Fengfeng, seeing the handkerchief, squinted his eyes. His ears and cheeks burned as if they were on fire.

The handkerchief was the one Yan Ning had taken from him yesterday. He didn’t expect that she’d keep it on her and use it in this situation.

When the camera returned to normal, Yan Ning had changed into new clothes and joined the group grinding monsters to level up.

Lu Fengfeng lowered his head and followed her, not daring to make eye contact.

If one looked closely, they would notice the young man’s ears were still red, and his neck had a slight pink flush.

—

For the rest of the time, the whole internet was watching them, spending the day in the entry-level dungeon, using their first-tier weapons to fight wild boars. No one found it boring.

When Yan Ning picked up the light yellow crystal from the ground and Lu Fengfeng mentioned that his experience bar had increased, the reservations for the Angel Number four island’s real-life experience were already booked three months in advance.

In Yan Ning’s words: “This is so much fun!”

Grinding monsters, leveling up, picking up gear—exactly the same as in a game, but with a completely real-life experience.

The feeling was like becoming the protagonist of an adventure anime that they had admired as a child, unable to suppress the desire for adventure.

At the end of the day, the six of them, dragging their exhausted bodies, cleared a wide space in the forest, set up a simple camp, and started a fire.

Lu Fengfeng made a meat soup and served it with bread for Yan Ning.

Qin Li sat nearby, chewing on compressed biscuits, tears streaming down his face.

He thought this was the last “dog food” meal for the day, but then Yan Ning took something out of her equipment bag.

Qin Li immediately jumped up: “Please, you two, be human!!!”