Chapter 107: Coffee

Afternoon, at a certain café, Li Cheng, Mu Yulu, and Han Letian were catching up on homework.

With the midterm exam approaching, Zhuoyue Middle School, as a private institution, tied teacher salaries to student average scores on major exams, so coursework had become especially heavy during this period; physical education teachers were “forced” to take leave frequently, and their class time was filled with academic lessons. Homework loads had doubled as well.

“I’m done.”

Li Cheng put down his mechanical pencil, closed his workbook, and sipped his coffee.

Mu Yulu and Han Letian snapped their heads up, staring at him in disbelief, and said in unison: “Already? Did you cheat?”

“I, Li Cheng, never cheated.”

Li Cheng smirked, speaking in the tone of a famous underground streamer.

With the aid of the Multi-Threaded Brain Domain Method, his pen moved so fast that his homework efficiency soared. Had he not feared frightening his friends, he would have used both hands and finished everything in ten minutes.

“Big Brother Cheng,” Han Letian grinned, slowly reaching for Li Cheng’s workbook, brazenly saying: “Lend it to me.”

“No way.”

Li Cheng rolled his eyes and cut in: “If you really can’t do it, go to Paris, toss your homework into a toilet, and it’ll write itself automatically.”

“Pfft, you’re really keeping up with current events, huh? Big Cheng, you’re getting worse.” Han Letian grumbled, then sighed heavily and faced his workbook again. “Damn, I should’ve studied art.”

“Studying art is a dead end—it’s the age of AI now.”

Li Cheng said: “I know a German friend who once pursued painting but never made a name for himself. Eventually, he switched to public speaking and quickly amassed millions of fans across Europe on TED Talks and OnlyFans—he’s a big star now.”

“So Xier will protect everyone, right? That’s literally millions of fans scattered across Europe.”

Mu Yulu, still scribbling furiously, lifted her head, squinting as she teased: “Is this guy’s right shoulder broken? Shouldn’t he go to Poland to recover?”

“No, not at all. Last time I saw him, he was in great shape—he even asked me to take him to the headquarters of Hailan Home.”

Li Cheng lied without blinking.

Hailan Home, one of China’s largest apparel companies, designed its headquarters in European architectural style, complete with Greek statues, marble columns, and semi-circular domes.

The most absurd detail? The flag planted at the entrance used red, white, and black—identical to the color scheme of Nazi Germany’s Reichstag building.

Visiting once is roughly equivalent to playing a round of the video game “Return to Castle Wolfenstein.”

The trio chatted idly; Mu Yulu’s mood had improved significantly compared to before, and her smile had become more frequent.

Her mother, who had been bedridden for years, had recently shown marked improvement; her father, who had always worked multiple jobs to support the family, had met a benefactor who offered him a well-paid driving job.

The once lifeless household now saw hope again.

Watching Mu Yulu’s smile, Li Cheng sipped his coffee—actually, he had asked Yuan Zhixia to use her connections in the Special Affairs Bureau to arrange advanced medical treatment for Mu Yulu’s mother and secure her father a job.

This process didn’t cost much favor—the Cervantes of the Laughing Troupe had provided intelligence far exceeding the Bureau’s expectations, and as a result, Yuan Zhixia’s authority within the Bureau had risen significantly.

Thank you, Cervantes.

When you get out of prison, I’ll give you fifty million. Stay healthy, stay happy, stay safe, stay joyful, stay lucky.

Li Cheng silently whispered this, clasping his hands in prayer for the unknown player.

Vibrate.

Han Letian’s phone buzzed with a text. He picked it up, glanced at it, then immediately stood up, face twisted in despair: “No!”

His voice was too loud—others in the café turned to look. Mu Yulu, embarrassed, tugged his sleeve to make him sit down. “What the hell’s wrong with you?”

“Icey’s concert is canceled.”

Han Letian’s face turned ashen, as if his soul had been drained—he slumped into his chair. If this were a manga, a ghostly spirit would be floating out of his mouth.

“Who?”

Mu Yulu took his phone—the text read: 【Ms. Icey has developed high fever and tonsillitis. Despite emergency treatment, her condition has not improved. Due to health reasons, she is unable to deliver the performance as scheduled. The company has decided to cancel tonight’s concert and will compensate fans for ticket, accommodation, and transportation losses.】

“Icey—is that the eighteen-year-old Korean idol, Jin Huiying, who’s been trending lately?”

Mu Yulu thought for a moment and asked: “When did you become her fan?”

With that reminder, Li Cheng also recalled—he’d seen related content frequently on short videos, Weibo, and anime sites.

The girl came from a wealthy family; after debuting, she received endless resources—released albums, held concerts, appeared on TV shows, and attracted a massive fanbase of otaku men and women thanks to her fluency in multiple languages—including Chinese—and her voice acting and theme songs for popular anime.

“I’ve always been one,” Han Letian moaned. “I spent forever trying to snag a ticket, and now it’s useless. Oh Icey, my Icey—you have to get better soon! I’ll stop breathing until you come back to Yin City.”

Ugh.

Seeing his heartfelt expression, Li Cheng grimaced, unwilling to tell him the truth.

Real-world Korean cosmetic surgery had become nearly magical, capable of literal face-replacement.

And certain guilds in the Battle Arena—like Gen-Sys Biotech and the Demon Scientists Alliance—had mastered cutting-edge tech to turn goblins, bugbears, and green-skinned orcs into stunning beauties and handsome men.

Li Cheng himself had once visited a nightclub called Lizi Bar in the Lujie Kabuki District—it was owned by Gen-Sys Biotech, and every server, male or female, was breathtakingly beautiful, spoke with elegant tones, breathed like incense, and treated customers like gods.

But thinking of what they might have been before… Li Cheng decided to flee immediately, even refusing to drink the alcohol.

Ordinary people in the real world assumed idols had simply become more beautiful over the years—they didn’t realize it was just cosmetic surgery getting better.

“Kid, don’t get too obsessed with idols—you never know when a star will collapse, or how.”

Li Cheng warned: “I used to be a fan too—until I saw on the news that Luo Tianyi was using drugs. My world nearly collapsed.”

Mu Yulu’s eye twitched. “What poison can a virtual idol take? Panda Burning Incense?”

“No—e-cigarettes.”

As Li Cheng was still joking, a system alert chimed—his task notification had arrived.

Even though he’d seen everything, his expression flickered slightly at the task name, and he internally groaned.

【Task Type: Script Mission (Multiplayer Deathmatch)】

【Task Name: Oh No! I’m Surrounded by Beauties!】

(End of Chapter)