Chapter 2762

Cheng Lang still felt a little guilty for misunderstanding the aloof junior, and his gaze made Cheng Lang's heart soften inexplicably, reminding him of the pet shelter where he often volunteered—the prettiest, most coquettish calico cat there also looked at people with those wet eyes, making one want to pet its head.

He had wandered off in thought; Cheng Lang snapped back, thinking, how could you compare a person to a cat?

Well, I thought it was a big deal!

Cheng Lang waved his hand generously, picked up the beer can on the table, poured a cup for Jin Chen, then filled his own, saying, "Come, clink glasses—from now on we're roommates; tell me anything, don't keep it bottled up."

Jin Chen's smile deepened; he extended a hand from the fluffy cuff, took hold of the beer cup, and lightly clinked it with Cheng Lang's.

Thank you, senior.

The glass cups clinked, producing a clear sound.

Cheng Lang was naturally talkative; after a few beers, his chatterbox opened, topics ranging from which cafeteria at A University was good, to the dreaded required courses of the Finance Department and Computer Science Department, and then to the newly opened gym near campus.

Jin Chen occasionally chimed in; when he focused on someone, his gaze showed especial sincerity, making Cheng Lang feel that every word he spoke was being attentively listened to.

This feeling was great.

Cheng Lang thought, "This junior is not only good-looking, but also has a likable personality."

The hot pot was nearly finished; Cheng Lang voluntarily took on cleaning up.

Cheng Lang, tall, tied on an apron and stood at the sink scrubbing pots and washing dishes; the belt tied in a knot at his lower back accentuated his broad shoulders and narrow waist.

He hummed an off-key tune, turned on the faucet, squeezed out dish soap, and felt a down-to-earth sense of everyday life.

Jin Chen didn't insist, leaning against the kitchen doorframe to watch him.

Noticing the gaze at the door, Cheng Lang turned his head, grinning, "What's up? Am I making too much noise cleaning up?"

Jin Chen shook his head, "No, I just wanted to ask senior whether you need help; it'd be better to divide these household chores."

Hearing that, Cheng Lang felt even more at ease.

Setting aside other things, just this junior's self-awareness and sensibility made him feel the roommate was worth having.

"Hey, no need to specially assign." He turned off the faucet, shook water from his hands, "Whoever has time does it; you're only a sophomore with a heavy course load, while my internship hasn't officially started yet, so my schedule is looser."

"From now on, just do whatever you see that needs doing, don't put pressure on yourself."

Jin Chen looked at him, his brows and eyes soft under the kitchen light, "Okay, I'll follow your lead, senior."

Cheng Lang became more satisfied, his humming grew a bit louder, and he turned back to continue battling the dishes.

——

Jin Chen returned to his room, glanced at his phone, and saw a missed call from his father; he called back, and on the other end was a middle-aged man's voice barely concealing concern, asking how he was living alone, whether he had enough money, a tone much softer than the week-ago stern demand that he come home and apologize.

Jin Chen leaned by the window, briefly gave his update; finally, when the other side again tactfully brought up the conglomerate, he said, "Sure, let me take on a nominal post first—I'll learn gradually."

The conflict between the original self and his family stemmed from his father wanting him to enter the family business early, whereas the original self had no ambition in that direction.

Now Jin Chen agrees to return, of course not as a compromise, but his family's conglomerate happens to be the tech giant where Cheng Lang, in the original plot, wanted to intern.

With him present this time, such a thing naturally won't happen.

Just after hanging up, Ling Gun Gun on his shoulder tapped him with its tiny claws, "Quick, look at the game! The plot point starts!】"

Jin Chen sat back at his computer and put on his headphones.

On the screen was the interface of the game Wind and Moon Jianghu, with an ancient-style background beautifully splendid; the world channel and the guild channel in the lower-right corner were spamming wildly.

〖World〗 System: Player 'Jin Yuyuan' posted a bounty: wanted player 'He Liangyue'; anyone providing his coordinates and successfully killing him receives 1000 gold each time! This scoundrel, using the alt 'Jian Guang Leng,' deceives feelings and hearts, plays both sides, with pictures and truth—heroes, open your eyes and enact heavenly justice!

Immediately after, forum links were repeatedly pasted.

Clicking in, it was a long accusatory post by Jin Yuyuan: 《The scoundrel blade master who plays with feelings using two accounts on 818—He Liangyue/Jian Guang Leng》.

The post detailed how he fell for Jian Guang Leng at first sight, how they met and got to know each other in the game, how the other was gentle and considerate, how they had a sweet online romance, then the pen turned—he discovered Jian Guang Leng had an ambiguous relation with another player, painfully confronted him, but the other gave vague answers until disappearing; today he summoned courage to go to A University to find the person, only to be denied face-to-face, he concluded that He Liangyue and Jian Guang Leng were the same person, using an alt to cheat feelings, daring to act but not to own up.

〖World〗 Peach Blossom Blooms: What a huge melon! Is what Jin Yuyuan said true or false?

〖World〗 Big Mouth Eats Rice: Looking at this exposé, there are transfer records and chat screenshots—doesn't look fake.

〖World〗 Walnut Milk: Jian Guang Leng hasn't been online today; surely he knows the scandal's exposed and is hiding! Scumbag, get out of Wind and Moon Jianghu!

〖World〗 Jin Yuyuan: Thanks for everyone's concern. I'm really upset now—I never expected him to be like this; I poured so much feeling in, only to get this deceit…… I won't let Jian Guang Leng off, and the He Liangyue account must also pay the price.

Jin Chen switched back to the guild,

〖Leisure Abode〗 Shadow Wave: Is this melon ripe? I've met He Liangyue in the arena before—his skills are solid, not like this kind of person.

〖Leisure Abode〗 Trimming Willow: What Jin Yuyuan says sounds plausible, even the real school has blown up.

〖Leisure Abode〗 Glutinous Rice Ball: The Liuli Pavilion interior seems to have started quarreling too; someone demands kicking He Liangyue to set the record straight.

〖Leisure Abode〗 Seek Dust: ^^

〖Leisure Abode〗 Shadow Wave: Seek Dust, you're still here? After the Instance ended just now, you disappeared—what do you think?

〖Leisure Abode〗 Seek Dust: Fake, don't believe.

Jin Chen closed the chat window, hearing the kitchen water outside stop.

Next door, Cheng Lang returned to his room in good mood, logged into the game, intending to clear his daily quests, only to see unbearable accusations and speculation; his brows locked tight, the disgusting feeling of being smeared with feces from earlier surged again.

He didn't expect Huayu to be this obsessive; after causing a scene in reality, he even came to the game to stir up trouble, even fabricating the baseless charge of fraudulently obtaining property.

Cheng Lang suppressed his anger, tapping on the keyboard, hoping to first explain clearly in the guild channel.

Just as his message was sent, a system prompt popped up:

〖World〗 System: Player 'He Liangyue' has been removed from the guild Liuli Pavilion by vice-chairman 'Liuli Sui'.

Cheng Lang stared at those words, his fingers gripping the mouse stiffened.

To say he isn't cold-hearted would be false; he'd stayed in Liuli Pavilion for so long, joining shortly after launch with his cousin, qualifying as a veteran member—he'd cleared Instances together, fought guild battles, stayed up grinding materials, and the memories of joking in voice chat aren't fake; although lately real-life matters have kept him offline, he still harbors feelings.

Unexpectedly, the guild didn't even make a proper inquiry; based solely on one side's word, they hastily kicked him out, not giving him a chance to explain.