Chapter 39 Part 2

Therefore, its price was also something the average player could not afford.

This new mount, limited to five across the entire server, cost a total of nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine RMB each, first come, first served.

Even so, within the first five minutes of its release, they were all snapped up.

The other party also seemed to be stunned by the beautiful scenery before them. The two of them rode together on the crane's back, silent for a long time.

Seeing the time was ripe, Qin Chuan asked directly: Is it beautiful?

Peppermint Tea was concise: Beautiful.

Qin Chuan: Then this immortal crane, only you can ride it from now on.

These words were direct enough that there was almost no need for further explanation.

To agree or refuse was all up to the other party's whim.

Boss Qin had once scoffed at online relationships, yet he never expected that one day he would also need to use such a method as an indirect approach to save the situation.

After a long while, the other party finally responded.

Bo He: "I'm too heavy. I'll crush your mount. You should find someone lighter."

She sent a voice message directly, and after speaking, she jumped off the crane's back, exiting the two-person riding state.

Before Qin Chuan could react, a friend message lit up.

He clicked it open. Bo He had sent another voice message.

"Sorry, I'm too tired today. I'm not going to do the dungeon. Let's do it another day. Good night."

Before Qin Chuan could say anything, her avatar went dark.

Qin Chuan: ...

He looked at his immortal crane, worth nine thousand nine hundred ninety-nine yuan.

The immortal crane was also looking at him.

One man, one bird, looked at each other, speechless.

Boss Qin thought, I'm just pursuing a person, why is it so difficult?

"Eight Whiskers" happened to be online and sent Qin Chuan a message.

Bro, what have you been busy with lately? We haven't played together in a while. Come on, let's go run a dungeon?

He greeted Qin Chuan enthusiastically.

Qin Chuan: Don't want to.

Eight Whiskers: Listening to your tone, did something happen? Lighten up. At worst, it's a scar the size of a bowl on a chopped-off head. Eighteen years later, you're a hero again.

In the past, Qin Chuan wouldn't have easily confided in others.

But the walls he had hit with Bo He were more than all the ones from the past twenty-plus years combined.

So many that even Boss Qin couldn't help but start doubting his life.

Qin Chuan: I've fallen for someone.

Eight Whiskers: Bro, I'm not gay.

Qin Chuan: ...

Eight Whiskers: Haha, just kidding. It's Peppermint Tea, right?

His quick reaction, coupled with his unsurprised tone, startled Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan: How did you know?

Eight Whiskers switched to voice chat to talk with him.

"You're being too obvious. Anyone can see that all your thoughts are wrapped around your master. But that's normal. Before I knew Peppermint Tea was a girl, I also treated her as one of the guys. After I found out..."

Qin Chuan: "You fell for her too?"

Eight Whiskers laughed heartlessly, ha ha ha.

"How could I? I'm just messing with you! If she didn't say she was a girl, who would have known? Only you would fall for her, passing up countless pretty young ladies in the game for a Peppermint Tea who's more of a man than a man."

Qin Chuan was annoyed: "The game only shows one side of her personality. It doesn't mean she's like that in real life."

Eight Whiskers: "I get it, but in my opinion, you should just pick a new target to pursue. There's not much hope."

Including "Eight Whiskers", this was already the third person to say such a thing to him.

Wei Feizhou, the driver, "Eight Whiskers".

Boss Qin was silently trying to calm himself down.

Qin Chuan: "Why?"

Eight Whiskers: "There aren't so many whys in this world. Then why did you have to fall for her specifically?"

Seeing Qin Chuan go silent, "Eight Whiskers" thought he had refuted him.

"You don't have to be so dejected. It's just an online relationship. A big shot like you, as long as you're not missing a nose or an eye, shouldn't lack for beauties throwing themselves at you in real life. One day, you'll understand that the internet is ultimately an illusion. Who knows, maybe in reality she's a huge fatty, over three hundred jin, and can barely walk?"

She's not.

Qin Chuan retorted in his heart.

She was a girl with a very sweet smile.

Her eyes curved when she smiled, and her dimples were deep.

She looked delicate and weak, but in reality, she was incredibly strong.

Bo He, Bo He, truly like lime and mint in the summer. Not intense, but refreshing to the heart and soul, with a lingering aftertaste.

Qin Chuan couldn't help but sigh.

"Eight Whiskers" misunderstood: "You think what I said makes sense, right? Actually, as long as you can have fun together in the game, that's enough. Why must you pursue an illusory relationship?"

Qin Chuan said grimly: "What if the two of us make it to the real world?"

"Eight Whiskers" said without hesitation: "Then I'll livestream myself kneeling on durians!"

Qin Chuan sneered: "How many?"

"Eight Whiskers": "One on each side, kneeling on two at once. I'll do what I say, no ambiguity."

Qin Chuan replied with a "heh heh" and logged off.

Perhaps Heaven had finally heard the voice of his heart.

The next day, not long after Qin Chuan arrived at the office, Guan Shen brought him some news.

"City 'Chicken Dinner' Invitational?"

Qin Chuan took the document the other handed him and read the name on it.

Guan Shen thought his boss didn't know what "chicken dinner" was, so he explained: "'Chicken dinner' is a homophone for 'Stimulating Battlefield'. It's a game that's become popular worldwide in recent years. This time, the game's Chinese distributor wants to coordinate with the global 'chicken dinner' tournament by holding a national preliminary event. They'll start with city-level selections, then pick ten winning teams from ten cities across the country for a competition. The first-place winner can advance to the global tournament. Our city is one of the ten cities in the preliminary stage, and they're looking for sponsors to cooperate with."

Qin Chuan mused: "Shengming Company probably doesn't meet the standards or scale to be a national tournament sponsor right now, and our advertising budget for this year isn't that large either."

Guan Shen nodded: "But for our city, there's no problem."

Qin Chuan: "Do you think it's necessary for Shengming Company to sponsor such an event?"

Guan Shen said: "This is the stage where we need to expand our reputation externally. I know you've never wanted Shengming Company to be a vassal of the Qin Group, shrouded under its wings. This time, we happen to be launching a new property development and a new project in cooperation with CEO Wei. Both are focused on youth and vitality, targeting urban white-collar workers as the main promotional audience. Coincidentally, consumers in this age group generally have a high degree of engagement with the internet, especially online games. If it were some other online game tournament, it might not matter, but 'chicken dinner' games have a very broad audience. I think the cost-performance ratio of this sponsorship would be very high."

He was used to planning everything in advance. Even for this meeting with Qin Chuan, although he was just stating his opinion, Guan Shen had still collected some information about 'chicken dinner' games from the internet, in case Qin Chuan asked.