Chapter 48: A Chance Encounter with Ding Guangyu

Today, Su Ning and the others were still headed out to hunt snakes. Although fighting ghosts had about an 80% chance of purifying Su Ning’s bloodline, they were only level ten. To fight ghosts, they’d need to be at least level thirteen or fourteen.

Purifying a bloodline wasn’t something that could be done all at once. So, they decided to take things slowly.

The East Gate station was bustling today—carriages of all sizes and styles, some luxurious, some simple, raced in and out. Su Ning thought that this was probably the busiest day the street had ever seen; inns, offices, and all kinds of establishments were crowded with newcomers.

“Don’t stare. If the streets are this crowded, it means people’s lives are still okay,” Qiao Duoduo said, pulling the curious Su Ning toward the outskirts of the city.

Su Ning, however, was full of curiosity. “Duoduo, if so many people can afford to rent, this isn’t forced promotion—it’s like inviting a bunch of wealthy landowners to boost consumption!”

“Maybe they’re deliberately staying here. In the newbie village, things are cheap, monsters are low level, zombies are humanoid, and daily necessities are fairly complete. So if a family stays together, the newbie village isn’t bad at all; life is less stressful,” Qiao Duoduo said, casting an envious glance at the families in the crowd.

“True, if I were at home, I wouldn’t be in a hurry either,” Su Ning said, and they continued briskly toward the outskirts.

The rain drizzled along the way, and the three of them strolled leisurely. Suddenly, Su Ning thought she heard someone calling her name and asked uncertainly, “Duoduo, did you hear someone call me?”

Qiao Duoduo listened carefully and shook her head, puzzled. “No.”

After hearing this, Su Ning didn’t think much of it.

The battle turned out differently than expected. Once the fighting started, movements increased. Rain gradually soaked their cheeks and pants. By afternoon, Huo Yang, responsible for most of the attacks, caught a cold again.

Qiao Duoduo worried, and the three of them decided to end their monster hunting for the day.

That evening, under umbrellas, they went to a restaurant to eat. Su Ning genuinely thought the food here was good, and although it had rained for two days straight, today’s crowd was large. Qiao Duoduo didn’t want to rest and decided to stay and help in the kitchen after the meal.

Unexpectedly, just as they reached the second floor of the restaurant, Su Ning heard a familiar voice—this time, it wasn’t a hallucination.

“Su Ning, Qiao Duoduo, over here!”

Su Ning looked toward the voice, still unsure who it was, when she heard Qiao Duoduo respond perfunctorily, “Ding Guangyu?” The tone was tentative, a mix of two parts surprise and three parts awkwardness.

Not far away, the man looked excited. “Yes, yes!” he said, walking quickly over and inviting them to share his table.

His enthusiasm made it difficult for Qiao Duoduo to refuse. The three approached the table, and Ding Guangyu warmly introduced, “This is my mother. Mom, these are my colleagues, Qiao Duoduo and Su Ning.” He glanced awkwardly at Huo Yang.

Qiao Duoduo quickly said, “Hello, Auntie, this is my boyfriend Huo Yang.”

“Hello, Auntie!”

“Hello, Auntie!”

Su Ning and Huo Yang also greeted Ding’s mother. The four-person table now held five people, as Ding Guangyu called a waiter to bring an extra chair. The seating order was: Ding Guangyu, Huo Yang, Qiao Duoduo, Su Ning, and Ding’s mother.

After some small talk, Ding Guangyu cautiously asked, “In all this time, have you seen Huanran?”

Su Ning suddenly realized—oh right, Ding Guangyu was Li Huanran’s official boyfriend. He didn’t know Huanran was with Fengji. At the same time, she noticed that mentioning Huanran caused Ding’s mother’s expression to stiffen.

“No, we haven’t seen her,” Qiao Duoduo said, then pretended to ask casually, “Have you never encountered her?”

Sisters… Qiao Duoduo had voiced what Su Ning was thinking. After all, she had not only seen Ding Guangyu’s girlfriend but also realized he had been cheated on. Such things were awkward to say out loud, especially with people they weren’t close to. A little harmless gossip seemed fine.

Hearing Qiao Duoduo’s answer, Ding Guangyu’s face showed disappointment. He glanced at his mother’s expression, then awkwardly said, “We were together at first, then we had a little argument, and she ran off. I never found her again.”

Su Ning noticed Ding’s mother’s displeasure—she clearly didn’t like Ding’s official girlfriend. Whether the argument was serious or minor, Su Ning didn’t press further out of curiosity.

After the meal, Ding’s mother set down her chopsticks, looked Su Ning over, and asked, “Su Ning, in these chaotic times, why aren’t you with your boyfriend?”

Su Ning thought this aunt was quite nosy, so she casually said, “Auntie, I don’t have a boyfriend.”

A slight smile appeared on Ding’s mother’s face as she continued, “Such a well-behaved girl, how come you don’t have a boyfriend?”

Su Ning froze, thinking, “Auntie, please don’t take a liking to me. You know how much prettier your son’s ex was compared to me. If you don’t fancy her and you fancy me, I’d be floating on air.”

Despite her inner thoughts, Su Ning smiled lightly and replied, “Auntie, I’m an only child from another province, so it’s inconvenient to find a boyfriend so far from home.”

“How far is that? Where are you from?” Ding’s mother asked.

Su Ning was speechless internally. “Northeast.”

“Northeast, that’s great—straightforward and generous,” Ding’s mother said, inspecting Su Ning. She continued, “What level are you? A young girl alone this far away—better to have a boyfriend. Look at Duoduo, with her boyfriend around, her family can rest easy.”

This made not only Su Ning but also Qiao Duoduo slightly embarrassed. They could only quietly hope for Su Ning’s sake.

Ding Guangyu quickly understood his mother’s meaning. “Mom, what are you saying? Su Ning and Qiao Duoduo with Huo Yang are fine—they’re safe.”

Ding’s mother looked at her son disdainfully. “You don’t understand. Huo Yang is Duoduo’s boyfriend; he protects her. Su Ning also needs someone to watch over her.”

“Auntie, it’s fine. I’m a support; I have little attack power, so I usually don’t go into danger. Duoduo will protect me too,” Su Ning thought, wanting to cry and laugh at the same time—how did she end up being noticed by someone’s mother just during a meal?

“Support is good! Supports are safe. It doesn’t look nice for a girl to be fighting all the time. Come, let’s add each other as friends. Our Xiaoyu is also very strong.”

Seeing Ding’s mother enthusiastically send a friend request, Su Ning “tearfully” accepted.