hotmtlnovel Chapter 168: This is Gaha
Chapter 168: This is Gaha
Chapter 168: This is Gaha
Of course, Jiang He knew what the long socks were for.
That day, after dinner, she saw Liu Jingfang’s short skirt and stockings. When she got home, she tried them on again—smooth and silky, incredibly comfortable.
But as soon as she imagined wearing them in front of Xu Qing, her courage vanished.
She was sure he’d cling to her and demand to see.
Jiang He was certain Xu Qing liked those socks. Especially since they made her calves look even longer after putting them on...
Her gaze fell on Xu Qing’s hands, which were busy massaging her legs. Thinking about how her sock-clad calves would feel in his hands, she instinctively pulled her legs together and drew them back slightly.
“I can wear this hat and show you,” Jiang He said, pointing to her character on the computer.
The hat was red with a fluffy pom-pom on top.
“You said it?”
“I... I did,” Jiang He stammered, feeling like she had just agreed to something momentous.
Oh well, she thought. It’s not like he can beat me anyway.
If people were like game characters, Jiang He would be a max-level pro, while Xu Qing would be a lost newbie wandering the map. In that sense, he did resemble a guide NPC.
“This duel arena allows you to change equipment. The more you win, the more gear you can swap out, making you stronger and stronger,” Jiang He explained.
She picked up a small notepad from beside the computer, scribbling on it while mumbling, “The clothes I bought mostly boost attack speed. The gear I’m switching to also increases attack speed, so I need to balance that out...”
“There’s a calculator on your phone,” Xu Qing helpfully pointed out as she struggled with basic arithmetic.
“Really? That’s even better.”
Watching her calculate each piece of gear, Xu Qing shook his head. Every Dungeon & Fighter player was a math wizard.
In any game, as long as numbers were involved, posting on the DNF forums would summon a horde of enthusiasts eager to calculate even down to four decimal places.
Players routinely obsessed over optimizing gear sets, endlessly discussing how to eke out an extra few thousand points of damage in a game where hits dealt billions.
“In the land of Arad, there’s a legend,” Xu Qing said. “If you strengthen your equipment to a certain point, a big demon monkey will appear and ask: ‘Young man, do you have a dream?’”
“This could’ve been disastrous,” Qin Hao continued. “Imagine if she fell for me over time while flirting with someone else and even married me. Who would suspect something like that? Who could prove it?”
“I suggest planting some trees on Arbor Day,” Xu Qing replied.
Ending the call, Xu Qing returned to the living room, where Jiang He’s game music resumed after a brief pause.
“What were you doing just now?” he asked, setting aside his thoughts on Qin Hao.
“Playing a game,” Jiang He replied, her eyes glued to the screen.
“I mean earlier—when there was no sound.”
Her sheepish expression was familiar. Xu Qing was reminded of classmates secretly opening flashy websites in computer labs while pretending to work.
“I was still gaming,” Jiang He insisted. The screen showed only one active window.
“Alright, but don’t get into anything weird. That guy on the phone just told me his ex likes women. It’s creepy.”
“Yeah, pretty creepy,” Jiang He muttered, her attention on the game.
Xu Qing wasn’t bothered by her indifference. Whether she was annoyed, confused, happy, or impatient, Jiang He always looked captivating—even her perfunctory replies were charming.
The afternoon passed quickly, and it was time for Jiang He’s stream. She tied her hair back and put on a jacket, waiting for Xu Qing to turn on the TV before entering the duel arena.
Over the past few days, a few familiar usernames had come and gone in her streams. Despite low-tier matches, there were surprisingly regular viewers.
「Hu Big Tung Tree has entered the livestream」
This user always joined promptly at 7 PM with a “Here I am!” before falling silent.
Jiang He rarely spoke during streams, focused entirely on the game. Whenever she did talk, viewers seemed to leave.
Standing behind her, Xu Qing noticed that the camera angle made it look like Jiang He was sitting between a Zhong Kui statue on the right and himself on the left. Apart from game sound effects, a faint female voice could occasionally be heard narrating.
「What’s going on here?」
A new viewer joined, puzzled by the static scene of Jiang He, Xu Qing, and the Zhong Kui statue.
Thankfully, the characters in the game were still moving.