“Boss! Get up, let’s go fishing and dig for wild herbs!”

Qin Chengyue rushed into Yun Yuwei’s house, pulling him outside.

“What are you doing?! Why would I do these things?” Yun Yuwei struggled out of his grip, dusting off his hands in annoyance. “Where’s my food? I’m going on dates with Rourou, Xiaoting, and Minmin.”

Rourou, Xiaoting, and Minmin were all female NPCs whom players could pursue in the game. Yun Yuwei planned to cast a wide net, hoping that at least one of them would be successful.

“Don’t go on any more dates—you’ll starve if you do!” Qin Chengyue anxiously wrung his hands. “The stores in town no longer sell food. The real survival game has begun!”

“Thank goodness for your reminder to stock up on food, or else I’d have to go out with them and fight for resources now.”

“It’s not that I’m complaining, but the other players’ mobility is a bit too impressive. It’s only been a little while since the food supply stopped, but there isn’t a single wild vegetable left around the town. The entire riverbank is filled with people fishing.”

As Xiao Feng rattled on about the situation in town, Shen Xin glanced at the time—her potatoes and green beans were fully cooked.

The moment the aroma of the dishes wafted out, Xiao Feng shut his mouth.

“What is it? Is there something else?”

Xiao Feng watched as Shen Xin put away the two dishes into her backpack, then agonizingly closed his eyes.

“Nothing…”

It was just that the food in his bag suddenly didn’t seem so enticing.

When he heard that the stores no longer had bread, he had rejoiced at having stocked up on several dozen loaves, enough for him to survive for a while. But now, seeing how this big shot ate in style, the bread in his bag suddenly lost its appeal…

Xiao Feng left the farm in a daze, and perhaps because he wasn’t paying attention to where he was going, he accidentally bumped into a tall and skinny man outside the town.

“Ah, sorry.” Xiao Feng snapped out of it. The other person gave him a quick once-over, then said nothing as he walked off with his companion.

Fan Qing and Xiao-Jie had walked some distance away when Xiao-Jie asked, “Bro Fan, why didn’t you take that guy down?”

Fan Qing replied disdainfully, “He looked to be about our size. Taking him down would be a waste of time.”

As he spoke, he glanced toward the nearby farm, especially at the large patch of lush farmland, and increased his pace.

“Let’s go big or go home.”

“Tap tap tap.”

As soon as the door opened, Jing Yan’s throat closed up, and all the words he had prepared lodged in his throat, suffocated by the aroma of the baked potatoes.

“Ah… Eating again?” He craned his neck to peek into Shen Xin’s room. “You sure live a lavish life.”

Shen Xin shrugged. “Not that lavish. What about you? Did you get more random seeds?”

“Heh heh, not yet.” Jing Yan took out the fish soup he purchased yesterday. “Have you heard that this soup provides a buff?”

Shen Xin nodded, and Jing Yan continued, pulling out another bowl of fish soup. “I made this myself. Wanna try it?”

Shen Xin accepted the soup, took a sip, and swallowed with a frown. It was quite ordinary fish soup, but something else caught her attention more. “A +50 boost without any additional effects?”

“Mm-hmm.” Jing Yan nodded. “So I wanted to ask, how do you cook? Do you have a cooking skill? Or is it your kitchenware or ingredients?”

Shen Xin hadn’t delved into why her dishes provided boosts, so upon hearing Jing Yan’s question, she suddenly realized that the baked potatoes and green beans she was eating right now also lacked any additional effects.

Her cooking skill level was low, so there was no bonus to be gained. The tools were purchased from the store, and the ingredients… The fish, potatoes, and green beans were all common quality, but the radish used in the stew yesterday had been premium.

“Could it be the level of the ingredients…”

“What?” Jing Yan wanted more details, but two men burst into the farm.

Xiao-Jie was slightly shocked upon seeing Shen Xin and Jing Yan. “Hm? Isn’t this place only inhabited by one farmer? How come there are two people here?”

Fan Qing unsheathed his longsword. “So what if there are two people? We’re two warriors. What’s there to fear? Don’t forget, one of them is merely a farmer.”

“You’re right.” Xiao-Jie gripped his own blade’s hilt and called out to the two at the door, “Friends, these are special times. May we borrow some food?”

Given their attitude and words, it was clear they had no intention of returning whatever they “borrowed”.

“Wanna rob us?” Shen Xin didn’t budge, instead choosing to mock the two men brandishing their blades.

“Let’s ignore them first.” Jing Yan continued, “What were you saying earlier?”

“I added some premium seeds to the fish.”

The two continued chatting, leaving Fan Qing and Xiao-Jie dumbfounded on the side.

How arrogant!

They had already declared themselves to be warriors, yet these two players were so calm—did they look down on warrior players? Those guys dealt massive damage with their blades!

“Don’t push us to the point of having to use force! Our blades don’t have eyes!”

Fan Qing waved his blade around, attempting to scare the two off, but Jing Yan was faster. He blocked Fan Qing’s attack with a regular sword, then whipped out a scimitar and swept it toward Fan Qing’s waist.

Fan Qing froze. Wait, is this guy also a warrior?

Wait, why is his blade different from ours? It looks kind of premium!

As it turned out, it indeed was more powerful than the ones they used. The moment it touched him, Fan Qing lost a significant portion of his health points, crying out in pain.

Jing Yan pressed forward relentlessly, unleashing one move after another on Fan Qing and Xiao-Jie.

“Help! Bro! Stop, stop, stop!” If they kept swinging, someone was going to die.

These two weren’t actual daredevils, and they immediately admitted defeat upon encountering more skilled players.

Unfortunately, their cries came too late. The scimitar’s attack power was extremely high, and a few swings later, Fan Qing and Xiao-Jie vanished into data, leaving behind a dropped inventory of items scattered across the ground.

Shen Xin and Jing Yan exchanged a glance. So players also dropped loot upon death.

Jing Yan was silent for a moment before helplessly saying, “I didn’t think their HP would be so low, gone in two or three swings… Could it be that no one’s leveled up yet?”

Shen Xin looked at the dropped items. “Not only are they not upgraded, they’re quite poor.”

Though the items scattered across the ground were plentiful, aside from a longsword, they were nothing but some wild vegetables and miscellaneous goods. There were only six silver coins.

Not being able to afford food wasn’t an issue, but resorting to robbery was. Shen Xin said with disdain, “No wonder they’ve resorted to robbery. But seriously, with hands and feet, why not go fishing?”

Jing Yan sheathed his sword. “Mm-hmm, it’s just that they won’t sell bread, not that there’s a famine. These two have boxed themselves into a corner.”

In truth, Shen Xin could have protected the farm by himself, but Jing Yan had helped him anyway, so treating him to lunch was the least he could do.

“Ah, so these crops are actually high-quality ones…” Jing Yan munched on a potato as he asked, “Then is it too late for me to start farming now? How long does it take to harvest high-quality crops?”

Shen Xin paused, then said, “I’m afraid it’s too late. There’s a limit to the number of seeds the store has… All of them are here with me.”

Jing Yan was speechless for a moment before he said, “As expected of you. What, do you want to contend for first place?”

“That’s not my intent,” Shen Xin said frankly. “There’s a vote among the audience, so getting first place will be difficult. I just want to farm and fish as a means of experiencing the game’s joys.”

“A ‘Buddhist’ player, huh?” Jing Yan laughed. “What a coincidence, I play pretty casually too.”

The two “Buddhist” players chatted amicably with each other while the audience watching their streams was left speechless.

【 Please, someone tell these two big shots that their scores are first and second place, and that they’ve already left the third and fourth-place players in the dust! 】

【 Is this what Buddhist gameplay looks like? I believe it! 】

【 As expected of a big shot. I’m a fan of Bibi, but now I’ve decided to vote for Shen Xin. 】

【 Traitor! We agreed to vote for Bibi together, right? Are you still a Bibi fan or not?! 】

【 Wait, you’re a Bibi fan? Then why are you not in Bibi’s live-stream room? You’re also a traitor (shaking your head)! 】

【 To be fair, both big shots are telling the truth. Competing for popularity with celebrities is simply asking for trouble. 】

【 This makes me so mad! A game tournament should just be about the game. With this audience points system, it’s clear the champion has already been decided internally. 】

【 Anyway, I’m voting for Shen Xin. Potatoes and green beans cooked together are the most delicious dish in the world! 】

【 #When is Jing Yan going to debut# I don’t care if they play or not, I’m just here to look at pretty boys. 】

【 What a coincidence, me too. 】

Amidst the lighthearted banter, there were a few discordant voices.

Fan Qing and Xiao-Jie were not ordinary players, but rather small-time video game live streamers.

A handful of extreme fans, upset that their favorite streamer was at a disadvantage, ran to Shen Xin and Jing Yan’s live stream rooms to spew insults.

【 You’re actually going to vote for these kinds of people? No way, I’m disgusted. 】

【 How cruel! They’re so good at this; they must have experience, right? Will they get violent if they lose? 】

【Sis, this isn’t just a matter of violence; this person might be a potential murderer!】

【The woman’s just standing by, cold-hearted and aloof. So scary! Her boyfriend better watch out—oh, wait, I bet this kind of woman doesn’t even have a boyfriend.】

【Taking up all the seeds for herself—what a selfish, stingy, and pretentious brat! No one could possibly like this kind of person, right? Right?】

These fans poured in, and their moral condemnation gradually transformed into personal attacks. Enraged, Xiao Zhou logged into his personal account and entered the fray, fighting back against the trolls.

But no matter how he tried, the opposing fanbase was too large. Any user who didn’t join in roasting Shen Xin had their comments drowned out by the horde. Xiao Zhou was no match for their numbers, and soon, the chat was inundated with a sea of hateful messages.

“Fuck! You’re just relying on your numbers, aren’t you?!” Xiao Zhou cursed out loud, feeling both anger and helplessness.

Damn, thought Shen Qing, how high-profile is this guy? Just one exposed alt account, and his viewership already dwarfed Fan Qing’s and Xiao-Jie’s combined by tenfold. How dare these people bully him here?!

“I can’t stand seeing my idol being wronged.”

Xiao Zhou typed a message in the chat box, ready to send it out when a new “superchat” message floated across the screen:

【Holy shit? Isn’t that Shen Bodhisattva?】

Xiao Zhou froze.

Bodhisattva? Who?

Soon, a massive number of new users flooded into the直播间, and the messages they sent were almost exactly the same.

Oh shit! It’s the Bodhisattva himself!

Could it be someone who just looks like him?

Their names are the same—the Bodhisattva himself has descended!

There’s an exam coming up; let’s all pray to the Bodhisattva for good luck.

+1 for the exam, I’m gonna give some gifts to the Bodhisattva, just like offering incense money in a temple.

Fuck, incense money—I’m gonna offer some too.

I never would’ve thought that a straight-A student would be gaming instead of studying—I have no more excuses to go to the library! Time to boot up my game!

Ah, our school’s pride!

The number of viewers spiked, and a flood of comments like “selfies” and “please bless me” rolled through the chat. Then, someone explained Shen Xin’s identity.

And so, the audience gasped one after another.

Oh? He’s from S University’s mechanical engineering department? That’s a super-hard major to get into!

Whoa! He’s the top student in his whole year—a true academic star!

Holy shit, he’s helping his entire year study for exams by highlighting key points and predicting test content? What kind of godly operation is this?!