Avatar Online

Mei was proud of her new article but as soon as she submitted it for review, her boss came running out of his office with an angry look on his face. 

"Mei! Are you crazy?! We can't post this!" he scolded as he slapped her desk. "I asked you to make a post about the shooting yet you barely mentioned it! Where is Xu Yue? Where is the Red Dragon Triad? All you write is this Avatar Online shit!" 

Mei was shaken but she didn't give in easily. "Because that's going to get us views! Avatar Online will be the hottest topic today and everyone has heard about Grind God in the game." 

"How do you know it's him? Do you have any proof?" the Boss questioned but he didn't even let her answer before shooting again. "And what's with this headline? You basically portrayed him as if he was the shooter when in fact he was a victim. Do you want us to get sued for defamation?! You didn't even clarify it later."

"This…" Mei muttered speechlessly, also realizing she must have gone too extreme. She was just consumed with hate and wanted to get her revenge on him. 

"I will fix it!" Mei exclaimed as she opened the files again. "Just give me 30 min—"

"Don't bother, you are fired," the Boss cut her off. "I gave you a chance and you blew it. Pack your things and get out. You are too much of a risk for us."

Mei shuddered at his words. She opened her mouth to plead but she remained silent as she forced a shrug. 

"Whatever, it's your loss. I was carrying this entire company on my own but now it's over so good luck," Mei wished as she took her things and stood up firmly. "Give me the papers to sign." 

The Boss was taken aback by how quickly she accepted her fate but before he changed his mind, she hurried him, "What are you waiting for? It's too late to have me back. I will return if you get on the ground and beg me to stay." 

The Boss glared at her and went back to his office, coming back a minute later with termination papers. She smiled and signed them after a quick read. 

"Since you are firing me, you owe me the final paycheck and other employee benefits, including but not limited to compensation for unused paid days and termination fee. I expect to see the money in my account by tonight or else my lawyer will contact you. Goodbye!" 

She took the copy and stormed out, not feeling as bad as she thought. Their month just started yet she was already fired, forcing her Boss to pay her another month's salary. If he was smart, he would keep her working for at least another month but thankfully he wasn't. 

"Hehe, good I still have a following on my Social Media. I can use Grind God to at least gain some new followers…" Mei giggled as she imagined the man from the videos. "To think he is in the same city as me… You thought you could bully Black Rose but now it's time for payback."

———

Liu Ye was clueless about what was going on in the media space but even if he knew his Avatar Online identity got exposed, he couldn't care less. Normal people didn't stand a chance against him. What worried him were mysterious people like Master Yang who hired professionals to kill him. 

Despite the critical situation, he still played in the pool with Zhenzhen, taking away all the worries from her mind. 

"Big Sis, you must be enjoying this jacuzzi every day, right? It's so nice," Zhenzhen asked with a blissful smile as she dove around within bubbles. 

"Well, I used to when we first got here but now not so much. It's boring when it is only me using it," Xu Yue replied as she sat across Liu Ye. "Now that you are here I will definitely join you. No one will disturb us here as only our family has access to the inner garden."

Xu Yue acted normal despite their conversation earlier, causing Liu Ye to sigh in relief. It would be troublesome if they became awkward in front of Zhenzhen. 

"I will!" Zhenzhen nodded eagerly before diving underwater again. 

"What do you think about getting Zhenzhen her own console?" Xu Yue suggested out of nowhere. "Since we are stuck here, it would be nice if she could join us. I doubt she can attend her lectures any time soon so this will give her an additional activity." 

Before Liu Ye said anything, she added, "If you are worried about her skills, I can teach her some martial arts techniques to better protect herself. Once she reaches the Mainland, I will just take her under my wing." 

Liu Ye squinted his eyes as if trying to figure if she had any ulterior motives before nodding, "Sure. I was thinking about it anyway." 

Liu Ye pursed his lips but he didn't know why she was so happy. 

"Talking about Avatar Online, you have to tell me what you are up to," Xu Yue mentioned casually as she reached out with her leg and placed her feet on his thighs. "I watched your level and it has been sitting on level 9 for a while. Only when the server was about to close did you level up." 

Liu Ye couldn't help but remember all the times he used to massage her foot as they chatted in a similar position. The reason Xu Yue stopped using the pool is that he was no longer there for her. 

Zhenzhen resurfaced when he was about to push them away but Xu Yue stopped him. "Treat it as my wish."

"Huh? What wish?" Zhenzhen repeated as she pulled her wet hair away from her face. She was just like Liu Ye, having the family color of black. 

"We are talking about a certain bet we had with your brother. I got a wish from him so I asked him to massage my feet. I don't think he will honor the bet though," Xu Yue explained honestly, causing Zhenzhen to say her piece. 

"Big Bro, a bet is a bet. You can't go back on your word." 

"Okay then, just this once," Liu Ye agreed while throwing Xu Yue a warning glance. One thing she learned from her father was manipulation and she definitely mastered it to perfection. 

"I was busy with a certain quest," Liu Ye replied to her previous question. "Right now I'm only left with the dungeon."

"Are you really soloing it?" Xu Yue asked amazed. "You should know that I wasn't able to take that damned Bandit Leader even when I had 20 black leathers. We had time to do six runs and we only lowered him to 1500 HP. I don't know how you plan to kill him while being alone. The difficulty increases with fewer players." 

"Well, that's you and your team. What does it have to do with me?" Liu Ye shrugged confidently. "I prefer to play on my own so I will take it down on my own." 

"Are you sure you don't want to join another group and maybe even secure a first clear?" Xu Yue pressured. "There is a reason why we all managed to catch up to you despite being behind in level. Farming with a party is just more effective inside the Newbie Village. Even though you are gaining 100% Experience, they are getting double that while each kills a different monster. I managed to boost myself this way." 

"That's good for you but as I said, I don't like to share the experience with anyone," Liu Ye denied. "I also have my own reasons for doing so." 

If Liu Ye invited anyone into his party, they would discover both Marco and his quest. He would rather keep his secrets unknown, even in front of Xu Yue. 

"What if you can't do it alone and become stuck in the Newbie Village?" Xu Yue questioned further. "As your employer, I'm worried about you and trying to assist you. Even the developers stated the first boss will be one of the hardest for the first week and almost impossible to defeat without a team. It's almost a must to team up at this point." 

"Big bro, maybe big sis is right," Zhenzhen muttered innocently as they sided together. "It's not good to be stubborn." 

"Let's have a bet then," Liu Ye said calmly, ending the nagging once and for all. 

"A bet?" Zhenzhen and Xu Yue repeated at the same time. 

He gazed into Xu Yue's eyes and stated, "I have to get the first clear of the Bandit Leader Dungeon as well as the First Solo Clear. If I win, you will pay me 1 million." 

Xu Yue's expression changed momentarily as she knew what he wanted to use that money for. 

"What if you lose?" 

Liu Ye paused, wondering what could possibly be worth the same. 

"The matter we discussed earlier," Liu Ye began while observing her reaction. "If I lose, I will change my mind and do however you wish." 

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