Regarding Mom’s true personality, Zhang Yu thought carefully and realized it had actually shown itself before.
For example, when the whole family went out for trips during his childhood, Mom’s mood would noticeably improve; ever since he could remember, whenever Mom was with Dad, she would carefully dress up, looking just like a young girl in love; not long ago, she even took him to secretly eavesdrop at the corner of a wall, her behavior feeling somewhat immature.
But these small details went unnoticed by Zhang Yu because of Mom’s usually perfect disguise.
Zhang Yu’s mood grew complicated. As a half-elf, although he was only a few years older than humans after reaching adulthood, his lifespan was nearly three hundred years. Qi Wen, as an ordinary human, might live to a hundred twenty or thirty with the help of technology, but that was still a huge gap compared to his own lifespan. What would he do when that time came?
Dad, being a professional, lived much longer than an average human, but still, compared to Mom’s lifespan, it was short. Both he and his younger brother were half-elves, unable to accompany Mom. After the three of them passed away, how would Mom spend the rest of her life?
Zhang Yu felt a deep sadness. Cross-species relationships weren’t necessarily a blessing. Thinking this through, he mustered the courage to express his opposition: “I don’t agree!”
Zhang Cheng, after processing the huge amount of information just received, saw the couple’s intimacy once more and looked at his father with eyes full of reverence.
When it came to dealing with his brother, he was still at the stage of just feeling physically attracted to the opposite sex and thinking about it. But his father had already taken care of such matters over twenty years ago. In a few years, he might even be holding grandchildren.
Zhang Guang and his wife stopped their conversation and, together with the now-alert Zhang Cheng, looked toward Zhang Yu.
“I think this matter still needs long-term consideration. At the moment, the two sides haven’t even met. They don’t have the basic conditions to date, and the other party’s feelings are unknown. Isn’t it too rash to decide this so early?” Zhang Yu did not directly mention the lifespan issue, afraid of hurting her parents.
Zhang Cheng snapped back to reality. His sister was speaking up for him, and he nodded repeatedly, seizing the moment to tease their father: “Yeah, Mom, although Lu Qiuchen probably has no objections to me now, she definitely has a lot of opinions about Dad. Isn’t that making my ‘quest’ more difficult?”
Liu Qingzhu shot a glare at him. “Are you the one courting a wife, or is it your father? Since you’re interested in her, what’s there to fear from a few setbacks? After hardship comes sweetness; only then will you cherish it more.”
Zhang Cheng wanted to protest silently: ‘You’re the one forcing me!’ But he really hadn’t thought much about it.
After scolding her son, Liu Qingzhu turned her gaze to her daughter and sighed.
“Xiao Yu is right. I’ve been too impatient. Let’s put your brother’s matter aside for now, but you’re already 25 this year. Isn’t it time you started dating?”
If it were yesterday, Zhang Yu would have confessed to her parents that she was already in a relationship. But now, troubled by the lifespan dilemma, she couldn’t give her mother a clear answer.
Perhaps letting go was the best choice?
Seeing her daughter’s forced calm yet troubled expression, Liu Qingzhu immediately understood. Pretending to be angry, she pressed on: “Which pig sneaked over to steal our cabbage this time?”
Zhang Cheng saw his sister lighting a fire on herself, and since Mom was temporarily too busy to pay attention to him, he breathed a sigh of relief, throwing his sister a helpless look and quickly left.
At the door, Zhang Cheng subconsciously looked up and met his father’s gaze.
Seeing the loving concern in his father’s eyes, a sudden pang of guilt struck Zhang Cheng. Even if Dad had done something he didn’t want to see, it was ultimately for his own good.
Not knowing how to respond, Zhang Cheng looked away and hurried upstairs.
Back in his room, the information he had just learned left Zhang Cheng restless. Now, thinking back, Mom was probably teasing him. Dad’s gaze toward Mom was full of indulgence, clearly tolerating her mischief.
Whether Mom had truly changed or not, seeing his parents married for so many years and still affectionate and inseparable, Zhang Cheng couldn’t help but feel happy and envious. His mind involuntarily drifted to Lu Qiuchen.
‘Mom supports me trying to win over Lu Qiuchen, and Dad doesn’t object. This matter actually looks promising.’
Startled by his own thoughts, Zhang Cheng shook his head, brushing away the image of the dragon girl from his mind.
Enough of that. After today’s game maintenance, he still hadn’t logged in! Zhang Cheng dug out his gaming helmet from his backpack and silently mourned his coworkers working overtime.
Since he had moved his game storage to an apartment downtown, Zhang Cheng could only log in using his portable helmet. Putting it on clumsily, he couldn’t help but start feeling anxious again.
They had added each other as game friends, and despite Zhang Cheng sending many messages, she hadn’t replied once. Did that mean she had changed her mind and didn’t want to contact him anymore?
He decided to send one more message after logging in to ask. Repeating “Eternal Login” twice, Zhang Cheng’s consciousness entered the game.
*****
At the same time, after explaining to her mother about how she met and got along with Qi Wen, Zhang Yu covered her face and hurried away.
Liu Qingzhu sighed helplessly watching her daughter’s retreating figure, then returned to the study on the second floor. After closing the door and setting up a magical barrier, she looked at Zhang Guang sitting behind the desk.
“A message just came from the group. Aside from a few key experiments, all the preparations are complete. The operation will start very soon.” Zhang Guang embraced his wife as she approached.
“Are we really going to let Xiao Cheng go? Eternal isn’t as peaceful as Earth. Without our protection, I don’t feel at ease…” Liu Qingzhu lifted her head from Zhang Guang’s chest, worried about their son’s safety.
Zhang Guang gently stroked his wife’s golden hair, then kissed her forehead. “Mi Ya, this is his fate. We cannot change it. Don’t worry. I’ve already made arrangements. The good friend we sent ahead was for this day. Having a familiar face over there will at least give him some support.”
“But Lu Qiuchen has already sided with the Dragon Clan, and Xiao Cheng told her what you did. I’m afraid this will change her attitude toward him…”
“That’s indeed an unexpected twist, but it won’t shake the overall situation. Xiao Cheng will make the right choices when the time comes. Don’t worry, Mi Ya. I’ve set up mental prompts and protections for him.”
*****
Lu Qiuchen, mentally exhausted, logged out of the Raid Dungeon space. Beta had pushed her hard again, but she had finally completed the data collection.
Returning to the Dragon’s Nest, she glanced at the game clock and realized it was already 7 PM. After asking Beta if she could log off and being denied, she prepared to hunt in the sea — since she had nothing else to do, it was better to stretch her limbs. She had just woken from a several-day-long sleep, and her mouth felt bland and slightly craving.
Though knowing all food here was just data, Lu Qiuchen still enjoyed satisfying her appetite. Using magic to freeze fish and shrimp, she had a feast, when a new message from Zhang Cheng popped up.
“Are you there? Reply when you see this. I have something to tell you.”
Lu Qiuchen rolled her eyes at the private message. If she could chat, she would have said so long ago. “If you have something to say, just say it! Don’t tease me!”
After waiting for a while without any new messages, with the high-level raid dungeon only opening tomorrow and nothing to do at the moment, she opened her friend list and marked Zhang Cheng’s location on the map, deciding to take the initiative and find him.
At that moment, Zhang Cheng was advancing the main storyline quest in the game. Since he had found Lu Qiuchen, he was no longer interested in leveling or running dungeons. Most of his energy was focused on work and digging up game information.
After finishing the current version’s main quest, Zhang Cheng found Lu Qiuchen still hadn’t replied, and he felt a bit discouraged, logging off in frustration.
Lying in bed, Zhang Cheng took a deep breath to firm up his confidence. No matter what Lu Qiuchen’s attitude was, he would continue striving to save her.
As these thoughts swirled, his mind once again drifted to the dragon girl’s image — silver hair, red eyes, slender waist with a high collar, icy skin, graceful figure.
Two large fruits nestled in her arms, a steering wheel atop her head, natural handles behind her back, thick yet not bulky thighs — if she wore stockings, there’d probably be faint marks… Damn, he was craving her body.
His thoughts spiraled uncontrollably.
How great it would be if she were a real woman… No, not really. The real woman would only be physically tempting, but Lu Qiuchen didn’t have all those complicated problems. She wouldn’t be moody, changeable, or unreasonable like a real woman.
Lu Qiuchen was the one he had brought into this second-dimensional deep pit. They shared basically the same interests. They had once talked about everything; he knew her quirks, and she knew his. They could reach mutual understanding, support, and tolerance in many ways.
If he started secretly pursuing her, what would that look like? Zhang Cheng believed he understood Lu Qiuchen’s personality thoroughly and began analyzing.
Lu Qiuchen was thoughtful. Even if she didn’t notice his moves at first, she would surely pick up on some hints later. What kind of expression would she have then?
“I see you as a good brother, and you want to get with me?” Something like that? No, no. Knowing Lu Qiuchen, she would probably be stunned speechless and embarrassed beyond words.
During their first few meetings, Lu Qiuchen had seemed very uncomfortable around him, showing her mindset hadn’t fully shifted.
Most likely, she wouldn’t openly admit it or turn hostile, but instead, she’d hold onto hope that it was her mistaken feeling and try to deceive herself.
After all, Lu Qiuchen was proud and cared deeply about her reputation. She’d worry that admitting or falling out would make her seem overly self-aware.
If Lu Qiuchen felt this way, then striking while the iron was hot, launching a fierce attack during her confusion and cognitive dissonance might be very effective.
…
Stop! Stop! Why am I acting like a pervert, secretly planning to hit on my ‘good brother’?! And already scheming!
Can’t think about this anymore! Better handle my urges first.