Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating - Chapter 02

Chapter 2

Jing Huan, of course, didn’t get the voice changer link. The other party threw out a line, « After all we’ve loved each other, and this is how you humiliate me? » before blacklisting Lu Wenhao’s QQ.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wenhao froze for a few seconds before breaking down: « What the hell? He blacklisted me? He dares to blacklist me first?! I’m gonna dox him! I’ll fight him to the death! »

Doxing is illegal, it’s not worth it, Hao’er, » Gao Zixiang said with a headache. « Alright, what’s done is done, just forget about it. In this life, who doesn’t face some setbacks, right?

Lu Wenhao: « Is this a setback for me? »

It’s a tribulation. Once you get through this, your life will be set, » Jing Huan replied. « Hao’er, which server is your gaming account on again?

« Match made in heaven, » Lu Wenhao reported the district name, picked up a tissue to blow his nose, and asked, « What’s wrong? »

Jing Huan shook his head: « It’s nothing. »

He opened the half-packed suitcase and put all the clutter from the table into it.

Lu Wenhao moved his chair and sat beside him: « Huanhuan, are you moving out today? I’m already so miserable, won’t you stay and keep me company for a few more days? »

The school rules are strict, treating a group of college students like high schoolers, with curfews and power outages every night. If it weren’t for the rule that freshmen aren’t allowed to live off-campus, Jing Huan would have moved out long ago.

So as soon as he became a sophomore, he quickly rented an apartment near the school.

No need to stay. I’m afraid you’ll be annoyed by the sight of any man these days.

By the time Jing Huan finished packing, Gao Zixiang had just finished a self-heating hotpot. He stood up and said, « Huanhuan, let me help you move. »

Jing Huan locked the suitcase: « No need, I’ve called a small tricycle; it’s waiting downstairs. »

Gao Zixiang insisted, « Then let me help you carry it downstairs. »

Since school had just started a few days ago, and he planned to replace the bedding and such with new ones after arriving, Jing Huan didn’t have much luggage, making it more than enough for him to move by himself.

In the hallway, Gao Zixiang held Jing Huan’s laptop and tentatively asked, « Huanhuan, are you okay? »

Jing Huan raised an eyebrow: « What’s wrong with me? »

Gao Zixiang and Jing Huan had a solid friendship; they had been classmates since middle school, so Gao Zixiang was quite familiar with his situation.

Jing Huan came from a well-off family, was handsome, and easy to get along with—a true golden boy. If there was one thing particularly peculiar about him, it was his siscon trait.

Sister Jing Huan’s name is Liang Ran. Jing Huan fought for her in middle school, bought her milk tea and delivered meals in high school, and saved her a seat in the university library—if Gao Zixiang didn’t know a bit of the inside story, he would definitely think too much of it.

It is said that when Jing Huan was a child, he was almost abducted, but Liang Ran risked his life to hold onto him, refusing to let go even when his arm was dislocated, thus pulling him back from the brink.

From that moment on, Jing Huan had only one stance—messing with him was fine, but bothering his sister was absolutely not allowed.

So when Gao Zixiang found out that Liang Ran had been emotionally deceived by a scumbag in the game and was then chased and called a homewrecker by the scumbag’s original partner all over the server, he had been worried that Jing Huan might hire someone to commit murder.

The outcome was unexpected—the other party showed no reaction at all, even calmly sending Liang Ran to the airport with a composed expression.

Huanhuan, what happened to your sister is just stuff in the game, nothing but a bunch of data. Don’t take it too seriously, » Gao Zixiang said. « She’ll definitely come back home in a while.

Jing Huan placed the luggage on the tricycle, turned back, and said, « I want to ask you something. »

Gao Zixiang: « What? »

« How did you know something happened to my sister? »

Gao Zixiang paused, his expression shifting erratically: « Just… just hearsay. »

Jing Huan frowned and said, « Tell me the truth. »

« …… » Gao Zixiang somewhat regretted following them down.

He had initially planned to gloss over it, but seeing Jing Huan’s serious expression, he didn’t dare to make things up and had to admit honestly, « That woman sent out several server-wide announcements, targeting your sister for days. I just… happened to see them. »

Jing Huan took a deep breath. « Server-wide announcements? »

Gao Zixiang quickly added, « Yes, but she hasn’t sent any in the past couple of days. I guess it’s died down now. »

Jing Huan stood for a while before saying, « Got it, you can go up now. Once I’ve tidied up the place, I’ll invite you all over for a meal. »

Gao Zixiang nodded, but still feeling uneasy, he repeated his earlier advice to Lu Wenhao: « Hey, Jing Huan, you know that cannibalism is illegal, right? »

Jing Huan got into the car: « I know. It’s all about the game. I won’t bring it into real life. »

Gao Zixiang let out a slight sigh of relief, yet something still felt off. Before he could dwell on it, the small tricycle had already set off, heading out of the school gate.

——

Jing Huan’s rented apartment spanned over a hundred square meters. It was brand new, never lived in before, and had been thoroughly cleaned by the time he arrived.

He unpacked everything from his suitcase, then turned on his computer and skillfully added « Nine Heroes » to his download queue.

By the time he stepped out of the shower, the download had just completed.

Staring at the « Nine Heroes » client icon on his desktop, he momentarily felt a sense of disorientation.

Jing Huan was no stranger to the game « Nine Heroes. » As one of its earliest beta testers, he had played it for six years since its launch a decade ago.

If it weren’t for his parents’ warning about his academic performance during his first year of high school, he wouldn’t have quit the game.

Having been away from « Nine Heroes » for nearly four years, Jing Huan’s return this time wasn’t for the game itself.

Liang Ran had recently met a man in « Nine Heroes. » Like many other gamers, they got to know each other, bonded, and started an online romance. Liang Ran valued this online boyfriend deeply, even planning to meet him in person on Valentine’s Day.

But just the day before Valentine’s Day, a woman claiming to be the rightful partner suddenly appeared. She chased Liang Ran in the world chat for several days and even posted Liang Ran’s chat logs with that scumbag on the forum, inciting countless « Nine Heroes » players to join in insulting Liang Ran. It could almost be called a small-scale cyberbullying incident.

Not only was Liang Ran « unwittingly made the other woman, » but she was also thrust into the spotlight, subjected to public scorn. Yet that scumbag never once stepped forward, letting the situation escalate unchecked.

Liang Ran had been doted on by her younger brother and elders since childhood, never having endured such humiliation. Within days of the incident, she reached her breaking point. In a fit of resolve, she deleted her gaming account and went abroad to clear her mind.

When Jing Huan learned of this, he nearly went to Shanghai to burn down the headquarters of Nine Heroes.

The more Jing Huan thought about it, the angrier he became—especially after discovering the perpetrator had even broadcasted a server-wide announcement. Unlike regular server messages, this one reached every player across all servers.

Liang Ran never mentioned this to him, probably to avoid upsetting him.

Damn! No wonder his sister deleted her account!

Jing Huan expressionlessly logged into Nine Heroes, entered the credentials for his alt account, and joined the server named « Mirage. »

It was the server where his sister played. The moment Jing Huan found out, he made up his mind—game issues should be settled in-game. He would kill that scumbag countless times until he apologized and quit the server.

But things weren’t as simple as he thought.

The fundamental reason why the game « Nine Heroes » has remained popular until now is the sheer variety of gameplay it offers. You can become a PvP master, dungeon expert, crafting artisan, guild leader, or renowned merchant in the martial world—each playstyle has its own unique charm, allowing players to choose their own path.

And every player’s dream is ultimately to climb to the top of their server’s power rankings.

There are also various types of power rankings: the elite list, the wealthy list, the popularity list, the fame list, and the faction leaders, among others.

In other districts, these leaderboards are almost entirely filled with different players, as climbing the ranks is no easy feat, and few can manage to dominate multiple lists simultaneously.

The « Mirage » server is the sole exception across all servers.

Jing Huan had previously checked the official website and found that on this server, apart from the « Guild Leader » ranking, the top spots on all other leaderboards were occupied by the same player named « Heart’s Desire. »

Just as Jing Huan logged in, he noticed two AFK players setting up stalls nearby chatting away.

[Current] Perhaps one day: It’s only been a few days since I last logged in, and that thing I longed for has already ended?

[Current] Lanbb: Yeah, that homewrecker already deleted their account and quit the game, what else could happen?

[Current]Maybe one day: Tsk tsk tsk, I was still hoping for a plot twist.

[Current]Lan bb: What kind of twist could there possibly be in this?

[Current]Maybe one day: Actually, Heart Yearns For is quite the flirt—flirts with everyone. The account isn’t marked as married either, so who knows who’s the real third wheel here.

[Current]Lan bb: …How do you know that?

[Current]Maybe One Day: Because he tried to flirt with me, but unfortunately, it was when a power leveler was on my account, haha. He also flirted with my friend—she wears the married couple title every day, yet he dared to make a move, almost driving her husband crazy…

[Current]Lan BB: There was such a thing… Did her husband say anything?

[Current]Maybe One Day: How could he dare to say anything? He can’t even win a fight. I bet even if all the Nine Heroes teamed up, they couldn’t lay a finger on him.

Jing Huan pressed the skill hotkey and, after a few seconds of casting, returned to the sect.

At the beginning of last year, the official website once released a screenshot of the character attributes that everyone admired, along with several videos of them dominating the arena. These two people weren’t wrong—across the entire Nine Heroes, probably no one could defeat him.

Jing Huan wasn’t worried about skill level. Four years ago, he had already topped the elite rankings on another server and was very confident in his abilities.

But… creating an account that surpasses the one everyone admires would take at least three years, not to mention that the opponent’s strength has been improving continuously over these years.

Because of this, Jing Huan’s first revenge plan had to be temporarily shelved.

But it’s okay.

He suddenly came up with a plan even more ruthless than forcing the opponent to quit the game.

Jing Huan opened the official exchange platform of Nine Heroes, clicked on the account filter, and began selecting keywords for the game accounts he wanted to purchase.

Server location: Illusory Moon.

Level requirement: 150, the maximum level.

Cultivation and auxiliary skills all maxed out.

Character gender, female.

Jing Huan curled her lips into a smirk as she looked at the filtered female accounts on the screen, letting out a cold laugh.

Longing in the heart, your dad has arrived.