Chapter 2

Weiwei sat in her dorm room the next day with her tool kit spaced out on the desk and began to repair the damaged laptop. As she started to unscrew everything Er Xi let out a shout that made her jump. "Weiwei, Zhenyi Tech is looking for summer interns to. They want computer majors. Should I sign you up?"

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked at Er Xi weighing her options. "Sure! Sounds good", she replied as she was fighting to get the back casing of her laptop off. "We need to get a summer internship anyway. Why don't you sign Xiaoling and Sisi up to?"

"Okay!" Er Xi said making an Ok symbol with her hand at the same time. Weiwei loved Er Xi's gestures and cute faces, they made her smile at times when she didn't have much to smile about. Er Xi turned back to her laptop to fill in all the forms needed to apply for all 4 internships.

About an hour later Weiwei secured the last screw into the casing of her laptop. She connected the charger into the power supply. With a silent prayer she hit the power button hoping it would power back on. SUCCESS!!!! A sigh of relief moved through her when the computer powered on and everything was still on her computer that was there previously. "Got it!", she let out.

Er Xi walked to Weiwei's side with two mugs and placed one in front of her, "You fixed it for real?" she questioned. "I'll depend on you for all my hardware woes."

Weiwei was checking that she definitely had not lost anything "No problem", she sighed a breath of relief everything was still there. "It's a piece of cake, I'll be at your services", she told Er Xi while she was waiting for a Chinese Ghost story to connect.

Er Xi noticed Weiwei was logging on to the game and let out a laugh and began to tease her. "Back to gaming as soon as your laptop is fixed. Gaming is your life!".

They both beamed at each other. "I'm done with studying. I have finished all my work". Weiwei teased back as she logged into the server. "This just goes to show how efficient I am".

Er Xi let out a girlish giggle "Please! That was just a random comment and you got all narcissistic".

As Er Xi walked across the room back to her desk, Weiwei began to explain "I used to think playing games was a waste of time too. I only found out after I tried it, that it's a fantastic world". Er Xi looked back at Weiwei in amazement and wondered what had gotten into her friend to make her sentimental at that moment in time.

"I've got the dream and the talent. Why not work hard for it" Weiwei continued, knowing that she was bragging. Er Xi had to agree with the hard-working part of her statement.

Weiwei logged into the game and a message immediately popped up on her screen from Zhenshui. "Weiwei meet me at the Rock of Lives. Let's annul our in-game marriage?"

"Why?", she typed

"Sorry, please don't ask!" She didn't find this response strange as they were not close friends and only in game spouses to complete quests and both were strategically matched. "I will give you a set of OP equipment as compensation", he told her hoping that this would compensate her enough.

Why is he offering a break-up fee she questioned herself before starting to type out her message to him? She didn't want or need anything from him. "It's Okay", she told him "I'll be right over, to see you". Weiwei made her way to the Rock of lives where she Zhenshui was using the trees around him for target practice with a golden bow and arrow. He turned to look at her with sympathy in his eyes and said "You came, Weiwei. I am really sorry".

"It's fine, Let's go", she replied. They walked together into the scared gardens where the blossom trees were in full bloom with leaves that looked like cotton candy ready to eat. Some of the leaves were floating to the floor as gently as feathers from an angel. Weiwei and Zhenshui made their way to the centre of the garden where there was a rock formation and 2 statues. One of a young man looking longingly into the distance as if looking for a long-lost love. The second statue was a girl sat on a cloud posed as if she were floating through the air. Her hair and clothes looked as they had wind sweeping through them. The way the two statues were positioned made it look as if the couple were lovers pining for each other. The Rock of Lives was placed in the middle. This was where Weiwei and Zhenshui started their marriage and it was now where the marriage was ending.

••••••••••••

"What's tonight?" A male voice announced within the game. "The moon remains the same." The voice changed from a male voice to a female voice "When will love and hatred ever end? Across lands, seas and lunar phases. Happiness is the most elusive of all"

A window popped up in Weiwei's computer screen with the message "Annul In-Game Marriage?", it also gave her the option to accept or decline. With no hesitation she moved her mouse over to the accept button and double clicked so that the annulment was final.

A tear dropped from the female statues eyes and started to fly through the air as if a single drop of rain was about to fall from the sky. The drop split into two. One floated towards Weiwei and the other towards Zhenshui. They both held a single tear drop that had now became two and started to float above their hand. When a female voice in the game announced "Drink the water of amnesia and partners become strangers". As this was announced both Weiwei and Zhenshui both drank the tear drop. "Luwei Weiwei and Zhenshui Wuxiang have fallen out of love". The game continued to announce. Weiwei turned to Zhenshui "I have got things to do. See you".

As she went to leave Zhenshui stopped her "Wait". Again, she had a message appear on her computer screen that Zhenshui was trying to gift her equipment. "Please accept this equipment as my compensation to you?"

"It's fine, really. We only became in-game spouses for a quest". Weiwei told him. "There are no hard feelings for breaking up. I should go and complete my daily quests. We will take on monsters again together someday", she told him. Although she held no feelings towards Zhenshui there is no point creating an enemy where she did not have one before. She genuinely wanted to remain friendly with him. He nodded in agreement "Okay", and both walked in opposite directions.

Nini was making her way through the forest, just outside Jingling city at speed a couple of days later. She had to get to Weiwei to find out from her what happened. Zhenshui and Weiwei were an in-game couple the last time Weiwei spoke to Nini. Nini felt nervous for her friend. She hoped she was okay. What was Zhenshui thinking. As that train of thought came to an end, she saw Weiwei collecting herbs in a nearby grass and herb area of the forest. She quickened her pace to sit next to Weiwei. "Weiwei, why are you here collecting herbs?" she questioned. She was trying to gauge how Weiwei was feeling.

"What's wrong", Weiwei replied.

"What's wrong?", Nini questioned "Did you break up with Zhenshui?", hoping her friend was going to tell her that everything she had heard about Zhenshui was horrible rumours.

"Yes, I thought you had big news", Weiwei replied while still looking at the herbs on the ground and choosing carefully the one's she needed.

"Why are you so calm", Nini probed further. Surely Weiwei could not be this calm about everything. She had to be hurting somewhere, she had been dumped and now her ex in-game husband is marrying the beauty of the server. "I heard he and Xiaoyu YaoYao will soon become in-game spouses".

"Xiaoyu YaoYao?", Weiwei questioned, she had never heard the name before and did not know who Nini was talking about.

"Don't you know her? She won the Dreamy Angel Contest known as the number one beauty of "A Chinese Ghost Story Online Game" Nini continued to tell her. As Weiwei nodded in acknowledgment Nini took the herbs from Weiwei and told her "Drop the herbs and go and check the site!".

"I'll go look right now", Weiwei pulled up the Dream Angel Contest web page and Xiaoyu YaoYao was indeed at the number one spot. She was gorgeous by society standards. She had skin that was pale and clear. There was not a blemish to be seen, her brown chocolate eyes made you feel safe with her.

She had the type of beauty that made the models on billboards look mediocre. Her hair sat neatly but had wild waves through every strand. Weiwei thought she was very pretty however there was more to someone than just what they looked like. Weiwei knew she was attractive herself but never liked to be judged by it. She always like to have her intelligence and culture be judged before her looks.

As Weiwei clicked back into the game another message immediately came up on her screen. "You really broke up?", the young girl from her clan asked.

"Yes, we only became in-game spouses for the quest." She didn't know how many times she was going to have to explain it to people. She wasn't emotionally invested in her relationship with Zhenshui, every one she was friends with seemed to think she was besotted by him. "Don't take it to heart", she told the younger clan member.

"It's still a shame", the young girl typed back.

"Zhenshui is a nice guy. I didn't think he would be infatuated by beauty. On the other, YaoYao is really pretty. I heard she fancied that guy on the equipment ranking, I didn't expect her to get with Zhenshui. But I did notice that they have been levelling up together."

"I see", Weiwei replied really not interested in the history behind Zhenshui and YaoYao.

"It's not all Zhenshui's fault, though." The girl told Weiwei. She had to tell her friend what they were saying about her in the game but was scared of the consequences. She took a deep breath and began to type "The thing is, Weiwei...." She really didn't want to say this but had to.

"What?" Weiwei questioned noticing the hesitation in her friends messaging.

"You're so skilled, you're number six on the duel ranking." The girl started to ramble nervously. "You never ask the boys for equipment and you never post photos of yourself. The thing is, everyone suspects you that you are a guy playing as a girl".

Weiwei had to read what was in front of her 3 or 4 times before it sank in. Now came frustration why did she have to be a guy because she didn't want pictures of herself posted all over the internet. Why was it not enough now to be capable in what you were doing? Why is it when a woman is good at something, she automatically has to be a man. So many arguments ran through Weiwei's head as she was trying to think of how to respond without being rude.

"Bio-guy in disguise?" She said out loud not realising she spoke. Er Xi who was reading a romance novel online at the time jumped clean out of her seat because Weiwei had startled her. When Er Xi turned to look at Weiwei that is when the flood gates opened for her. "What? I'm a bio-guy in disguise because I don't post photos? What's with this superficial world?" Weiwei questioned.

"Bei Weiwei, you are the prettiest girl in our department". Er Xi scolded her. "If you say that what will the rest of us do? Be quiet! I am in the middle of that web fiction. I was so wrapped up in it, when you snapped me back to reality!". Er Xi turned back towards the screen and started to read her novel.

When Weiwei turned back to her computer screen the female voice of the game announced "Congratulations to Mr Zhenshui Wuxiang and Miss Xiaoyu YaoYao. May your merry matrimony last forever, and never shall you part". Weiwei continued to make her way across the bridge towards the forest to collect herbs and plants to make medicines, however Weiwei could feel nature calling and needed to use the bathroom. She tried to get across the bridge and away from the wedding procession before it arrived however her body had different ideas. She ran to the bathroom leaving her computer logged in and the avatar she played with stand on the pinnacle of the bridge.

As Weiwei was in the bathroom Zhenshui and YaoYao made their way closer to her. Zhenshui dressed in a traditional Chinese wedding suit, instead of the white hair that he normally wore his hair was the colour of raven's feathers. He rode a chocolate colour horse with red bridling. YaoYao was inside the wedding sedan that was draped in red and gold. Her wedding dress was ruby red with gold embroidery that was hand stitched. She wore a red and gold veil that matched her dress over her face, inhibiting her vision so she could not see a thing. She could hear all the people making comments as she and Zhenshui passed them. "Nice!" She smiled knowing that people approved her choice of marriage. Her 3 best friends, Xiaoyu Qingqing, Xiaoyu Feifei and Xiaoyu Mianmian, were outside the sedan walking next to her ensuring she was safe and that no one was going to ruin their best friend's wedding.

All three friends had smug sneers on their face and were unfriendly girls that had corrupted minds. "I think they'll go far", all 4 girls smiled as they heard the comments. "Exactly!" The girls giggled as they could hear comments saying how beautiful YaoYao was. "They are quite compatible", one player said.

"Right", another player agreed "They are a match made in heaven.

Meanwhile Weiwei is still in the bathroom but her avatar is frozen like a statue on the bridge that Zhenshui and YaoYao are just coming up to. Zhenshui notices that Weiwei is just standing staring on the bridge and wonders what she is doing. Why would she ruin his wedding when she was okay with annulling the wedding? The three girls noticed also and began to make comments about Weiwei. "How much red envelop money do you think Zhenshui Wuxiang will give out this time" one player commented. As it is custom to give red packets filled with money at weddings.

"888, it's a good omen. I only want 888", says another player. Both players laugh. "I can't help but think of Luwei Weiwei", the player continues. "I wonder how she is feeling now?" He notices that she is standing right behind him as he says this. "Luwei Weiwei", he questions.

"Isn't that Luwei Weiwei?" another play asks

"Do you see her?"

"I see Zhenshui Wuxiang's former in-game spouse on Red Sparrow Bridge!", a player commented in the global chat room.

"That's right, I see her" another player commented.

"Really?', a different player questioned.

"There she is!" A male player told the chat room. "She looks so sad!" he told everyone.

"Attention is only ever given to the newlyweds. No one cares about the jilted lover".

"Darn!", a different male player commented

"This is going to be a good show! She might be here to storm the wedding."

While comments were coming through thick and fast in the chatroom of the game. Weiwei does still not have any idea as to what is happening. One player who was standing up for Weiwei said "YaoYao stole her man. Of course, she is showing off, YaoYao is shameless". This causes YaoYao and Zhenshui to become furious about anyone saying anything against YaoYao.

Zhenshui was sat in his office breathing deeply to try and calm himself before he let his temper get to him and said anything to Weiwei that he would later regret.

"Totally shameless!" another player agreed. The three Xiaoyu girls were determined they would get their revenge on Weiwei for this. Xiaoyu Feifei's temper got the best of her and she commented "What is with Luwei Weiwei? She got dumped! How dare she storm the wedding?".

"Zhenshui, what's with you?", question Qingqing. In her eyes Zhenshui should be standing up for YaoYao and ensuring that Weiwei could not cause any more problems.

"That hag must be jealous of YaoYao. She is here to stir up trouble. You must take proper action!".

"That's right! You owe it to us." Mianmian told him.

"Don't blame Zhenshui. I am sure he doesn't want this, either", the softly spoken voice came from inside the wedding sedan.

Zhenshui turned listening to what they were saying. He did owe YaoYao for Weiwei causing a scene at their wedding. He had told her that he had handled the situation and he obviously missed something. He turned to face YaoYao's sedan and told her "I will do right by you".

Inside the sedan YaoYao smiled, happy with what Zhenshui had said and was glad that he was going to act on what had happened. She did not like Weiwei. There was no rhyme or reason for YaoYao's contempt. She just did not think she was a nice person and would do anything to ensure that Weiwei would not be in her or her friend's company.

They made their way past the bridge just as Weiwei came back to her computer. OH NO!!! What was happening? Weiwei looked through the chat logs quickly. "I only went to the bathroom. What have I done? Why does everyone think I'm storming the wedding?" She questioned out loud. She had to get herself out of this sticky situation. What was she going to do? "If I run away now, the gossipy crowd will think I am heartbroken", trying to think of a way out of this horrible situation.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say no hard feelings yesterday?", the message from Zhenshui popped up on her screen. "I offered you compensation, too, but you rejected it!", he continued to scold her. He leaned back in his office chair with anger trying to understand what she was playing at.

"Dude, I'm only here as an onlooker", she told him. "I can't leave, yet I can't stay!", what do I do she thought. "Got it!', as she signalled for her computer to sit her avatar down on the ground.

A sign popped up above her head that said Medicines for sale. She then began to shout "Take a look! Fully certified herbalist with the latest medicine! Twenty percent off the regular price." She told the chat room.

"She is selling medicine", another player said.

"Twenty percent off? That's cheap", a different player commented. Zhenshui watched and signalled for his avatar to move on and not hang around to pay her anymore attention.

Weiwei was being inundated with messages to buy medicines from her. She was answering them as quickly as she could and told people that there was a queue. When the wedding procession was out of sight Weiwei told the gamers that she had sold out.

One gamer asked "When will you be selling medicine again?".

"It depends on my mood" replied Weiwei.

The group began to disperse and Weiwei began to walk away. However, someone got her attention before she left.

She looked at the male character under a weeping willow tree with the long branches reaching the floor. He was tucked inside them like a painting. He was dressed in white and had long dark flowing hair that fell over his shoulders with a portable Guzheng on his back.

She recognised the silhouette but could not place him until his name popped up above his head. Yixiao Naihe???? He was the number 1 player on the whole server.

He was her idol, online anyway. No one could replace Xiao Nai in reality. They stood staring at each other, Weiwei afraid to even mutter a word in case she offended the great one. She thought what he could want.

A lord! An idol! A rich guy! All these thoughts went through her head and in an instant, they were gone. She signalled her avatar to go down to talk to him. "Yes, Mr Yixiao Naihe?", hoping he would tell her why he was looking for her.

"What did you think of the wedding?", he asked. She looked in the direction the wedding procession had travelled confused by what he was asking. Did he just come to find her to gossip?

"It was okay", she told him, still trying to figure out what he wanted.

"Would you like a grander wedding?". he continued, she looked slightly confused by his question. "Form an in-game marriage with me?", he asked her.

Weiwei gasped in shock. Why did he want to marry her? It didn't make sense. "Did your account get hacked?", she asked him just after a laugh escaped from her.

In his dorm room Xiao Nai had a smile on his face that was only growing with happiness. Why would she automatically think his account was hacked. "Did you see the news on the official website?" he asked her. "The battle championship?"

Weiwei signalled her avatar to sit. "So, he wants to compete with me", she started to tell herself but was still questioning "Why did the number one player on the server choose her?" So, she started to hit the keys and clarified with him.

"You're approaching me for the battle championship?".

Nai signalled his avatar to kneel beside Weiwei "Yes", he confirmed.

"Why me?"

"You are the only female player in the top ten duelling ranking." He explained. As he typed the message his heart was racing and he felt nervous. This was a new experience for him. He was confident in everything he had done and knew what he wanted to achieve.

This time it was different, in normal circumstances he only had himself to rely on and that was fine by him, in this circumstance he had to depend on someone else's thoughts and feeling and that made him nervous as well as she made him nervous.

Mr Naihe is quite formidable the inner monologue in Weiwei's head started to tell her. He is ranked number 1 on the player vs player ranking. If I work with him, I'll have at least a fifty-percentage chance of winning.

My first in-game marriage was for a quest she continued to tell herself. Should player vs player battle be the reason for my second in game marriage? On the other hand, arguing both sides of the coin are important, if not for quests or battles why should I be tied down to a stranger? She kept bouncing back and forth on wither to say yes or no.

Meanwhile Xiao Nai was waiting with baited breath. She has not said anything for a couple of minutes and her avatar keeps walking in circles around his. She has not said anything to him for a couple of minutes.

He stayed where he was until he thought she was ready to talk to him. He signalled his avatar to stand and as he did Weiwei spun around to face him "I'll do it", YES! Nai thought. One step closer to finding out who she is. "Let's go to the Rock of Lives!" she told Xiao Nai.

His heart was racing and he was the happier in that moment than he had been in a long time. He managed to get the goddess of his dreams, in the game anyway, to agree to an in-game relationship but that was a step close to securing a relationship with the person. Weiwei is a goddess to him.

Whatever she wanted he would ensure she had. He would ensure she was happy and protected at all costs. He was determined to protect her from anything that wanted to come at her, he was going to start by ensuring he gave her a better wedding than Zhenshui had given both Weiwei and YaoYao.

"Wait", he told her.

"I need to prepare for it! Eight O'clock, three days from now".

"Prepare for what?" She was perplexed a wedding in the game was not that big of a deal.

"The wedding banquet", he was going to do the right thing by her and hopefully he will be able to win the heart of the princess behind the keyboard and screen.

"A registration will do", she told him, they were only marrying for the championship so what did it matter. "It's just for the competition, why make a big fuss?" She asked him

"I am Yixiao Naihe", he told her. "My wedding cannot be haphazard", as he walked away, she questioned what had just happened and was she dreaming. How did she go from newly jilted ex-wife to newly engaged in a matter of minutes?

Xiao Nai on the other hand logged out of the game elated that he found the girl that has occupied his mind since he saw her across the internet café and managed to secure an in-game engagement with her in less than 24 hours. The smile that was on his face began to hurt but he couldn't help but smile more. His happiness was growing much like the flowers of spring. You could see how it lit up his eyes and continued to bring light to the rest of his face. Luckily, he was facing the window and away from his 2 roommates that were in the dorm with him or he would never hear the end of it. A smile was something that did not grace his face often.

If you were to look at him normally, he was very aloof and people had commented on how he had a cold personality. "Every day feels the same, except for today", Yugong Banshan burst through the doors of their dorm room. 'BROS!", Yugong shouted.

The three men sitting in the dorm didn't acknowledge his presence they continued with what they were doing. "Good News!" He teased further. "There is a chance we will get a date" he told them trying to coax a reaction out of them.

Nai shared the dorm room with his three best friends and business partners. Hao Mei was currently sitting on his bed adjusting some computer parts. Houzi Jiu was sitting at the table that was in the middle of the dorm room restyling his hair for the hundredth time that day, all three of them ignored Yugong's rantings and

proclamations. It probably was not going to happen and all four of them knew it.

'Hey, can't you give me some sort of reaction?" Yugong pleaded.

Houzi took this opportunity to tease Yugong. "What's with getting a date? Is it a rarity?", he joked. "I can just get a pack of dates at the supermarket", Houzi laughed.

"Oh my god", Yugong let out in exasperation

"No wonder your still single. I am serious!" Yugong walks to the table and sits in the chair next to Houzi. He picked up two energy drinks and hands one Houzi. "I met a girl a while back. She's the campus beauty okay?"

"I think I have heard of her. Meng Haoran! Right?", Houzi replied.

Nai is slyly listening to the conversation behind him. He was going to tell his friends that he was getting married in the game. He wanted them to be there but Nai is a quiet person and likes to do things under the radar. He kept reading while Yugong and Houzi were bickering like siblings. "WHAT! NO!", Yugong shouted.

Nai smiled laughing at the way his friends continually argued. 'Meng Haoran is the poet who wrote 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow', her name is Meng Yiran", Yugong told him patronisingly.

"Sorry, sorry" Houzi apologised.

"And?" Hao Mei questioned from the bed he was sitting on that was the top bunk. The dorm held 2 sets of bunk beds and 4 individual desks with a bigger dining table in the middle. "That girl is interested in you?" He questioned.

"OF COURSE!", Yugong replied although all three guys knew the only person Meng Yiran was interested in was Nai "I'm handsome", he continues to tell them. "it would be illogical if she were not into me. I have just been waiting for the girl to come and seduce me. I just got contacted, the campus beauty's computer is busted. She wants me to go and fix it".

"How is it broken?" Hao Mei asked hoping it was something difficult and produce a challenge that maybe all of them could get involved in.

"I think the RAM stick is broken', Yugong told him.

"BORING!!!", Hao Mei joked with him

"You should all be single forever", Yugong cursed them. "Come on, hear me out. Let's storm into their dorm, fix her computer, get some food and then..."

"I'm interested", Houzi interrupted "but could she be in fact be after someone else". Houzi signalled towards Nai, who was currently still sat facing the sun.

"Mr Hoi, one should always know his own limit", Yugong explained "Our target was never the campus beauty, it's all the girls around her. We will leave the beauty to..." Yugong now signalled towards Nai.

Nai knew without looking that they were talking about him and he wasn't interested. He already knew the campus beauty liked him, she had told him so herself by inviting him to a performance she was having.

Declining that invitation had been easy. The girl from the internet café had already possessed him by that point. She would own his heart to the day he died. She was going to be his wife in the game and if he could work it out correctly in reality as well. He thought this is the perfect time to tell him they were getting married in the game, the they would leave him and the idea of Meng Yiran alone.

"I already have an in-game spouse", he told them. "I will introduce you some day".

The two guys at the table jumped to their feet and Hao Mei leaped from the top bunk to the floor without using the ladders.

"You've got an in-game spouse", Yugong questioned him.

Nai took the opportunity to really drive the point home. "That means I am a family man. I shouldn't be fixing another girls computer", Nai was not just saying the words for lip service.

He was saying them because he saw himself as a man with a wife. Although his wife was still an angel in his dreams at this moment, but he hoped she would be a reality very soon.

He was anxious and excited to learn everything about her. "If you are interested you should go", he told him friend and walked past them.

As he went to walk out of their dorm room his friends grabbed his shoulders and stopped him.

"Mr Xiao Nai bro!", Yugong said in a sweet voice that Nai knew he wanted something. "I want to meet your wife".

"That's right Nai", Hao Mei seconded what Yugong had suggested. "I want to meet the seductress that stole your heart".

The next day Weiwei had agreed with Naihe that they would go monster hunting. She was not expecting to log in and find 4 male characters standing waiting for her. "So, you're the girl that swindled our buddy, Nai!", Houzi said to her.

"Where are your manners?" Yugong scolded him "GET LOST!" He sat typing a message to Weiwei and when it appeared on all of the screen's seconds later, he had asked the same question Houzi asked seconds earlier. Houzi and Hao Mei laughed however Nai gave Yugong the type of death start that would scare the dead.

Weiwei didn't know who she was talking to and was confused. "You are...?" she questioned.

"They are my teammates. Moz Hata, Houzi Jui and Yugong Pashan", Nai introduced.

"Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you", Weiwei typed back hoping that Naihe's teammates were as good as he was. She hoped she could learn some things from them.

"MRS NAI DOES EXIST!!!" Hao Mei exclaimed in disbelief.

"The forever single guy, has a wife", Yugong said in astonishment. "Now we won't be belittled whenever we go into an instance dungeon, they won't call us the 'Single Nerds Team' anymore".

Houzi recognised Weiwei's gaming handle "Mrs Nai's handle looks familiar", he told his buddies who were all sat around the dining table in their room.

"Now that you mention it", Hao Mei noticed and recognised her name as well "I think she is ranked in the top ten", Hao Mei confirmed.

"I remember now", Houzi cried out "Luwei Weiwei.... is Zhenshui Wuxiang's former wife?" All three guys looked at Nai with a mischievous glint in their eyes. Houzi started to ask Weiwei about Zhenshui. When Hao Mei read the message, he punched Houzi in the arm with some strength that made Houzi wince with the pain that radiated up his arm. Weiwei looked at the message and took a deep breath because she was really tired of answering questions about Zhenshui.

"Naihe and I are ....' She hesitated before finishing the message. What were her and Naihe doing? She didn't know herself.

"Yeah, she put her trust in the wrong guy", Nai answered before she got the chance to finish typing any message. Weiwei read the message Naihe sent and automatically hid her face in her hands.

When she looked at what was written for a second time, she could feel her heart to begin to pick up speed. She felt the temperature in her face begin to heat up, she was blushing.

It was the first time she didn't have to explain herself and someone stood up for her with no explanation needed. She didn't realise the smile on her face was as bright as the sun until her cheeks began to hurt.

Houzi told Nai "Okay, I got it. As the saying goes, who among us hasn't encountered some rascals", without missing a beat all three of his friends pointed directly to Houzi.

"Mrs Nai forget him", Yugong told Weiwei

"Nai is infinitely better".

"Let's get to know each other by going into an instance dungeon", Hao Mei suggested.

In the game all five characters entered the dungeon together. When a gust of wind blew past them and the leaves from the bamboo trees around them started to hit them. Weiwei, Naihe and the three guys brought their weapons to their faces to protect themselves.

When the wind faded a monster made completely from the bamboo trees with eyes that glowed as if he was possessed began to attack Weiwei and the team. They spread strategically to ensure the best methods of attack. Yugong attacked first so the monster's attention was diverted.

It worked. The bamboo creature made a run at Yugong, Hao Mei and Houzi then started to attack the monster and it quickly died.While Yugong, Houzi and Hao Mei dealt with one wooden creature, Weiwei and Naihe dealt with the bigger of the two wooden creatures.

This one had tusks for teeth. Naihe got the Guzheng from his back and started to pluck at the strings. The instrument beneath his fingers began to glow with an ethereal style to it. An orb began to float above the instrument with the same glow.

Anyone would have thought it was angelic to look at it. The glow then began to move at a quick pace towards the bamboo creature. As the orb passed through the monster it fell backwards. Weiwei saw the monster was injured and used the moment the creature stumbled backwards to attack again.

She used 2 smaller swords instead of her large sword. A wave of fire resonating from the hilt travelled through the blade and out of towards the monster. The fire rushed over the wooden creature like the waves in the ocean would wave over a rock bed and the monster was vanquished. Both creatures were vanquished moments apart. It was an easy task for these season players.

When all the avatars were stood together the doctor avatar of the group, played by Houzi healed any injures and bring like bars back to one hundred percent.

''Pretty good Mrs Nai!" Hao Mei typed "It's rare to find someone who can keep up with us." She didn't know that she gained their respect by playing the game and fighting alongside them rather than running away and hiding, which was what most girls did in the game.

All 4 of the guys believed the way you played games had an influence on your everyday life. If you had an aggressive style of play, they believed that you were an ambitious person in life. Weiwei showed them she would never back down from a challenge and they liked that.

"Thanks", Nai told Hao Mei before Weiwei had a chance to respond. Yugong let out an irritated laugh. "The compliment isn't for you", Yugong told him. Weiwei blushed behind the screen and became bashful so didn't say anything.

"When is your in-game wedding banquet", Hao Mei asked "Don't forget to invite us!"

"The day after tomorrow", Nai told them.

All three of the guys looked at each other in confusion. Was he forgetting? "Erm isn't the day after tomorrow your..."

Before Houzi finished his sentence Nai cut him off "It's fine, there's time".

"Are you busy that day?": Weiwei asked. She didn't mind changing it if Naihe needed to be somewhere else. She didn't want to cause a problem for him. "We can reschedule", she assures Naihe.

"No, the day after tomorrow is auspicious. It's good for weddings", he told her. He knew he was maybe thinking too much on the date but he wanted it to be lucky. He wanted to end up with this girl in reality, he still could not shake her from his head. Whenever he closed his eyes, she was there playing at the internet café again. So, he wanted everything to be lucky, so that there were good omens for him asking her to meet with him at a later date.

In their dorm room however Yugong took the opportunity to start messing with one of his best friends. "Dude you amaze me!" he joked "You picked an auspicious day for your virtual wedding".

Nai's expression didn't change, which is partly the reason people call him aloof, cold and sometimes arrogant. You could tell him anything and his face would stay the same. He rarely smiled; he always had a plan going on his head. Wither it be for the business or in his personal life. He was the son of two professors, so he was very intellectual himself. He never showed emotion and was always detached from any situation. He didn't have many friends around him. The three guys he shared the dorm with were the only friends he needed. He knew how to conduct himself in a business setting very well but in a social setting was very unfavourable. People took that as him being cool and collected around the attention he would get whenever he would step out of the dorm at university. The girls on campus would scream when they saw him and camera phones were automatically taken out and photographs were taken of the elusive Xiao Nai. In all honesty he paid it no attention and paid the girls no attention that would approach him. In most circumstances he would just ignore them if he could. If he had to interact with them, he would but not politely. He was very straight to the point.

The next day Weiwei was sitting in class and had the biggest cheesiest grin on her face, much like the Cheshire cat from a popular children's book. Weiwei had asked Xiaoling to borrow her mobile phone she wanted to check what Naihe meant about the day being auspicious, she also wanted to check how long she had before she had to be online. She had found since she had met Naihe, the excitement for her to talk to him again was intense. She was genuinely liking the person and getting to know him further. This wasn't the norm for her. She liked playing "A Chinese Ghost Story", and was good at it but she never got over excited about playing it. Yet she found herself counting down the time to when she could log in and speak to him. She clicked with Naihe in way that she had never connecting with anybody before. Xiaoling was looking over Weiwei's shoulder to try and find out what the smile was about. "What weird things are you looking at?" she asked Weiwei. Weiwei snapped back to reality really quickly and moved the phone closer to her chest as if she was looking at something weird. "What is that weird thing happening to your face", she teased "A smile?"

Weiwei locked the phone screen quickly, although she didn't know why she was just looking at the calendar. "What?", Weiwei replied. "There is nothing weird about me. I am quite serious", Weiwei put Xiaoling's phone back on her desk returning it to her.

"I will just see for myself", Xiaoling picked up the phone and opened the screen to see the calendar open. Confused as to why Weiwei would hide that from her was strange. They didn't hide anything from each other.

Er Xi came from nowhere it seemed and grabbed Weiwei's arm with near hysteria.

"The basketball game is today!!!" she proclaimed with a level of excitation that was far from normal. "When are we going to grab our seats?", she nagged at Weiwei as if Er Xi was a child and Weiwei her mother.

"Oh right, the basketball game is today too!", Weiwei had forgotten with everything that happened in the game she had lost track of what was happening in the real world.

"Maybe I shouldn't go, I am busy tonight", she told her three besties who were all stood around her at this point.

"What????" Er Xi questioned in shock. "You're not going to Xiao Nai's basketball game? Are you part of the Xiao Nai clan or Not", that's what Nai's fan club called themselves? The Xiao Nai clan, not very original but Weiwei didn't get to choose the name.

"DISQUALIFIED", Er Xi shouted.

"Come on! There are few of us girls in the computer department as it is", Sisi told Weiwei while taking her hand "We should show our support!". All three girls then started to annoy Weiwei by poking her and saying "Let's go please?"

"Fine", Weiwei said in irritation. "I'll go. I just need to leave early". All three girls agreed and smiled.

"Let's go", Sisi exclaimed and ran to pick her belongings.

While Weiwei was getting slightly less excited than she normally would about seeing Xiao Nai, he was busy getting ready for a tech conference for start up businesses. As he checked he had everything he needed before he left his apartment that was off of the university campus, he called Yugong and told him that he was on his way.

The basketball gym was beginning to fill up with the young women hoping to catch just a glimpse of Nai. He was very seldom seen on campus so if there was a hint he was going to be somewhere everyone turned up. He was a senior now and managed to complete all of his work without being seen by the female population of the university. Dazhong, Xiaoling's boyfriend, was waiting for the four girls and had kept them seats on the front row. He saw Er Xi walk in and stood up to meet them. "Xiaoling, Dazhong is here!"

"Finally!', he lectured. "If you came any later, I wouldn't be able to keep your seats."

"It's only three", Weiwei questioned Doesn't the game start at six?"

"With the draw of Xiao, everyone has come to secure a seat." He explained to them. "I heard even Meng Yiran is here."

Jealousy reared its head in Xiaoling's heart. How could he be excited about another girl being at his basketball game when she was stood right in front of him. "Oh, the campus beauty???" She looked at him with intolerance in her eyes "Why do you care if she is here?"

"No, I don't", he tried to assure her. "I only heard it from the others." He was beginning to panic. He wanted her at his game and didn't want to upset her. This was going to be his wife. "I haven't looked at her once", he told her.

"Just lead the way" she told him in an aggressive tone.

"Okay", he said softly to her, to try and ease her anger. "Let's go", he took the girls to the seats that had four of his teammate's bags on them. He lifted the bags so the girls could sit.

"Dazhong, when will Mr Xiao be here", Xiaoling asked. She was interested for her friends but knew it would upset him that she was asking about another man. "He won't wait until six, will he? He has to warm up before the game" she quizzed him.

"Right!" Er Xi chimed in "We got here so early, just so we wouldn't miss the warm-up".

The shoe was now on the other foot and the little green-eyed monster came out in Dazhong. He looked to floor upset "Xiaoling, are you here to see me or Nai?" The jealousy was blatantly obvious from Dazhong, it was leaking out from his pores.

Xiaoling stifled a laugh "To see Mr Xiao of course!" she told him looking to her friends as she winked at them. She knew exactly what she was doing. "Why would I come to see you?"

This triggered something in Dazhong and he became angry very quickly. "You are her for Nai?" he asked "Then you should go! Nai might not be here." He knew very well that Nai wasn't going to be at the game and didn't want her to leave but his mouth worked before his brain kicked into gear.

All four girls looked at him incredulously. "What about the poster?" Er Xi asked.

"The poster was our idea." He began to explain "Would the gym be packed otherwise?", he asked them.

"What? It's false advertising?", Weiwei told him.

"What the heck!", Sisi jumped in "A gym full of girls fell for your lie"

"We never said the guy on the poster was Nai" Dazhong said "You imagined it on your own. That has nothing to do with me".

"If so, why am I here so early", Xiaoling asked him "Come on let's go back to the dorm. We can get something to eat. Let's go".

Dazhong stood in the way "Xiaoling, are you my girlfriend or not? If you leave, you won't be able to keep your seats."

Xiaoling tried to reassure him but the anger she felt towards him came out at the same time as the reassurance. "Don't worry, if Nai doesn't show up there will be lots of empty seats. Get out of my way!" she pushes him aside and all four girls walk out of the gym and plan to come back just before the game starts.

Across Beijing, Nai was preparing to present the mobile game he and his friends had spent their college years designing. The Gaming Start-up Interactive Meeting was a forum where new start-up companies could meet established technology companies.

This could help a start-up become huge if- an established tech company wants to collaborate and develop the game further.

Yugong, Houzi and Hao Mei were all stood outside the entrance waiting on Nai. They had already checked out the attendance list and were pretty impressed by who turned out. "Ah, he's here", Houzi pointed out. Nai walked up to his three business partners with confidence. If he was nervous you couldn't see it

"There are a lot of teams here", Houzi told Nai.

"I looked at the guest list, they heavyweights are also here."

"Fengteng Tech, executives from NetEase Game's investment division and expanse capital" Yugong advised him. "Nai, don't be nervous".

Nai smiled slightly at Yugong. He didn't get nervous about most things the only thing that he found had made him nervous was Weiwei. "Are you kidding"

All three guys let out nervous laughs.

Although Nai wasn't nervous, they were visibly nervous. "Cocky!", Hao Mei commented giving thumbs up to Nai. "That's the Nai we know". All men dressed in formal dark navy-blue suits, walk into the conference and find their seats. They know they ae last to present so have to sit through all the other start-up companies' presentations.

Meanwhile back at the University the girls walk back into the gym in time for the game to start. "See! Just as I predicted" Xiaoling tells them. "Half of the crowd is gone". As the girls take their seats Er Xi spots Meng Yiran sitting further back in the crowd. She gasps and turns to grab Weiwei.

"Weiwei, I saw Yiran and her sidekick over there'.

"Does she have a crush on Xiao Nai?", Sisi questions.

"That's a given!" Er Xi told her "Of course she does. She must be into him. Thankfully Mr Xiao is aloof and doesn't care for anyone. If she bags him, I will cry for three days straight."

"The game's starting. Eyes on the court!'" Weiwei told her friends. As the players ran out to the court the girl noticed one of the players from the Biology department coming towards them. "Here we go again", Sisi told Weiwei.

The young man ran up to Weiwei while the basketball was in his hand and he was visibly nervous. He gave Weiwei a cautious smile and approached her very timidly. She was seen as the beauty of the computer department and was also a runner up in the campus beauty contest, so was seen as the girl to have on your arm by any of the departments. "Miss Weiwei, if we win, can I treat you to a late-night supper?"

Oh awkward! Weiwei thought. She hated this part. She was genuinely not interested in any of the guys on campus. All three of her friends giggled. The guy was not sure if the giggles were out of nervousness or if they were laughing at him either way, he became very uncomfortable. "Will you lose?", Weiwei asked him.

"Of Course not!" the guy replied confidently.

Weiwei smiled at him with a friendly smile "Go get them!" she told him.

"I will win for sure!" As he ran back to join his team mates on the court, all of the girls looked down to the floor together and giggled.

Nai had finished presenting his game and was making his way back to the car with the guys, when someone from behind him called his name. He turned to see who was asking for him. Two very professional middle-aged men walked towards him. "Are you still a student?" the older of the two men enquired.

"Yes", he replied "I'm a senior at Qing University".

"Heroes have always been made young", the man told Nai. "Your technology and design have piqued our interest. When are you free? Come and let's have a chat at my office?".

"That's a pleasure, I am afraid to ask for", Nai replied.

"Your game is very lively and down to earth", the younger of the gentleman told Nai.

"However, Mr Xiao isn't so down to earth", he joked.

Nai smiled "Thankfully I am promoting a game, instead of myself"

"Mr Xiao, this is my business card. Let's meet next week", the gentleman held out his business card which Nai took and place on the left inside ****** pocket of his navy suit jacket. Nai nodded in agreement and the men walked away.

In the corner of the room two men stood watching the interaction between the Nai and the tech company. The two men from Zhenyi tech took the opportunity to introduce themselves. "Mr Xiao, I am from Zhenyi tech, here is my business card. I am impressed with your presentation. You're a highly capable young man. Would you be free to come to my office this Thursday for a chat?", he asked.

Nai agreed automatically. "I'll be sure to pay you a visit on Thursday", he told the smart looking gentleman.

"Great see you then". The two men from Zhenyi tech walked away leaving all four guys standing there excited about the prospect of their business taking off.

"Many have expressed interest", Yugong pointed out to Nai. "Looks like we will get a good offer".

"We will find out after the meetings", Nai told him. "It's getting late, I have a date" he walked away with a smug grin on his face.  

••••••••••••••

WELL IT'S LITERALLY TOO LONG...❤

But since you all must have seen the Cdrama this will surely be loved by you ❤😘

Keep supporting💪

Your 1 like means a lot to me... don't forget to comment too❤💕

***Download NovelToon to enjoy a better reading experience!***