[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio":3,"chapter-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-70":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I, the System Protagonist, Joined a Cross-Dimensional Chat Group",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2292730,4485,"Chapter 70","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-70",70,"\u003Cp>Chu Zihang felt that his good junior, good friend, and good brother Lu Mingfei was acting strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d been acting strange these past few days, especially today.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he showed no outward sign, he seemed burdened by some secret—sometimes energetic, sometimes gloomy and suppressed, and now he was unnaturally quiet, unlike Lu Mingfei at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, this was a manga shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether it was the mix-up by the Snake-Division liaison, or Yabuki Sakura giving a high school delinquent a values lesson, or this manga shop with its perfect atmosphere—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei simply sat quietly to the side, smiling, and though it might sound disrespectful, Chu Zihang felt this was utterly unlike Lu Mingfei.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Caesar had enthusiastically immersed himself in the yakuza role, pulling out his “Yakuza Experience Card,” yet Lu Mingfei rarely spoke, just watching from the side; in Chu Zihang’s expectation, Lu Mingfei would’ve used his broken Japanese to tell the yakuza thug named Noda Hisashi, “You, what you do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But aside from helping the clerk bring tea and water and murmuring a few agreeable words, he just sat there staring blankly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He might mature someday, but not now—and Chu Zihang didn’t believe this was maturity at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rain pattered outside the window; the central air conditioning hummed inside; the clerk, Asō Mako, brought coffee and tea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bookstore’s lights were bright, contrasting with the rainy night beyond the glass door; feeling the warmth in his palms and the visual contrast, Lu Mingfei relaxed slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He idly picked up a volume of *JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure*, revisiting a story he’d read before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caesar, a cigar dangling from his lips, chatted with the head of the Genji Clan, when suddenly he spotted a model of Abelur from the childhood game *Star Ocean 3*.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you know Abelur, boss?” Lu Mingfei felt like he was reciting lines; he suddenly wondered why an author from another world could write down such trivial, fragmented details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inspiration was too mystical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Caesar told everyone about his childhood antics outwitting his butler; Lu Mingfei thought it sounded exactly like *Home Alone* with a fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Listening to a real person tell it was far more interesting than reading a few paragraphs, Lu Mingfei mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m sorry,” Chu Zihang suddenly said after hearing Caesar’s story—he was apologizing for their awkward conversation on the plane, retracting his claim that Caesar had no childhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without pretense, the two leading figures of Caerleon’s rival factions reached reconciliation in this manga shop, signed a cooperation agreement for the Japan operation, acknowledged each other as partners, and laid solid groundwork for tomorrow night’s underwater exploration.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the witness of the Genji Clan head and the “S-Class Loser” Lu Mingfei, the two men spoke warmly and shook hands—a historic moment dubbed the “Manga Shop Agreement.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If someone had taken a photo of them shaking hands and locking eyes right now, it would’ve been the cover of the campus weekly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this fantasy, Lu Mingfei suddenly felt he had far more talent than Fingal; paparazzi work was never sustainable—gossip and clickbait brought only emptiness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was different: this photo of their handshake and gaze could not only serve as a layout, but the original print could be developed and sold to that group of fangirls—his earnings would match Fingal’s entire semester’s income from rumors.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Around 11 p.m., the group ended their day’s activities and returned to the hotel arranged by the Japanese branch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lu-kun, we’ve replaced your bed mattress with a Swedish import...” Genji Hachiman said to Lu Mingfei as he escorted the Caerleon group to the hotel entrance. “I hope you have a comfortable night’s sleep.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei hadn’t expected his offhand excuse to be taken so seriously; he immediately felt embarrassed and hurried to thank Genji Hachiman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To ensure his comfort, Genji Hachiman had even booked the entire first floor of the hotel, eliminating worries of disturbance from other guests; moreover, no bōsōzoku or speeding, honking cars would appear near the hotel tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m truly overwhelmed...” Lu Mingfei stepped into his room, rubbing his head, utterly unprepared for such an elaborate setup—now, he’d probably be unable to sleep at all, burdened by guilt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He kicked off his sneakers and lay on the bed; the mattress was perfectly firm yet soft, the velvet pillow plush and comfortable, the pillowcase made of silk, and the room had been scented hours earlier with expensive incense—its lingering aroma was faint but calming and clarifying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guilt? What’s that? Better just sleep well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei closed his eyes, not even checking the chat group; Su Lin was probably lazily chatting or napping on the plane right now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei felt something was off—he suddenly lifted his face from the pillow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How did that guy buy his ticket? Does he even have an ID?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, he must’ve used some other method.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap tap\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A soft knock came at the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei slipped on the slippers by the bed and opened the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were staying in a suite; Chu Zihang stood in the living room and said to Lu Mingfei, “Mind if I come in?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, sure, come in.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was spacious; besides the bed, a separate ten-square-meter area had been laid with tatami, holding a small Japanese wooden table and two cushions. On the table sat a Chinese-style tea set—probably placed by the branch since they weren’t sure of their preferences.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he didn’t know why his stoic senior had come to see him so late, Lu Mingfei still invited him in; the two sat on the cushions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tea?” Lu Mingfei gestured to the tea set; if Chu Zihang wanted tea, he’d boil some mineral water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No,” Chu Zihang shook his head, twisting open a bottle of mineral water. “This is fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Senior, why are you here so late?” Lu Mingfei sat on the cushion, hands behind him, legs straight and together, looking at Chu Zihang beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zihang nodded. “You’ve been acting off these past two days.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about this...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei hesitated. “Is it that obvious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They think you’re just tired, but I don’t believe that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chu Zihang stared at Lu Mingfei; a few small ceiling lights cast orange glows on his face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At first, I thought you were upset over Caesar and Chen Motong’s wedding, but I’ve since dismissed that idea.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you went from gloomy to suddenly excited.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stop! Stop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei stared in horror at Chu Zihang, screaming inwardly: Senior, you can’t say that! Thank goodness no one else is here—otherwise your idiot brother’s entire reputation would be ruined by this straight man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei knew perfectly well Chu Zihang was referring to the two days after he’d joined the chat group.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the way he phrased it was too strange.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You got excited and went to the bathroom, then came back with a new kind of confidence...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slap—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei smacked his own forehead. “Senior... brother begs you, choose your words more carefully...”\u003C\u002Fp>",1157,"2026-06-20T04:17:29.700Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ab932f886eac5221519070192c3d33934871f7df537e4d73681f2f758f5225b3","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-71","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-69",720,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-cover.jpg"]