Ye Zhizhou showed Qing Xing various records, including the hiring of mercenaries in the protagonist's employ and various endorsements they received. With his psychic abilities, he had unearthed all the hidden alt accounts that the protagonist used. The histories of these alt accounts were quite extensive, filled with curses, arguments, and endorsements for other goddesses within the protagonist's black game. It took him a whole afternoon to barely organize them. Some of the unused alt accounts even dated back to when the protagonist was in her teens. Back then, her main targets for character assassination were her stepmother and her sister.
"Here's a detail for you," he said, flipping open a document and pointing to a certain ID highlighted with a red circle. He smiled at Qing Xing. "Have you seen this ID? Jun Shujing created this alt account half a year ago, mainly for the manga community. She's pretty good at drawing, and I suggest you take a look."
Qing Xing had experienced quite a shock today, and when he noticed that Ye Zhizhou had specifically brought this up, he instinctively tensed up and replied, "I'm not interested in manga; it's just one of Shujing's personal hobbies, I don't think it's a big deal."
Ye Zhizhou looked at him sympathetically and sighed. "Young people these days can be so naive. Do you know that Dreamland has a dedicated manga channel?"
Most popular games usually had various fan-made derivative works, and although Qing Xing didn't pay much attention to these, he still knew about them. He nodded and replied, "I know, there are some interesting short manga adaptations of professions in there."
"The manga circle Jun Shujing is a part of has a special connection with that official manga channel. It's a rather unique subcategory. The artists there don't draw personifications of game professions but create fan-based short stories featuring the game's various gods," Ye Zhizhou explained, his smile becoming even brighter. "Can you guess what Jun Shujing draws?"
Qing Xing felt his anxiety levels rise as Ye Zhizhou scrutinized him. He shook his head instinctively, saying, "I'm not interested in guessing."
"I knew you'd say that." Ye Zhizhou reached into his briefcase hanging on the back of his chair and handed over a tablet. He opened a previously bookmarked page and passed it to Qing Xing. "Look, this is a question she anonymously posted on a harem forum before entering the manga circle."
"Harem?" Qing Xing furrowed his brow.
He pushed the tablet a bit closer to Qing Xing.
After a moment's hesitation, Qing Xing accepted it and, after a few seconds of reading, his eyes widened, and he started scrolling through the saved pages on the tablet incessantly.
Ye Zhizhou leaned back in his chair and took a sip of tea, enjoying the moment. When he discovered this alt account, he had a similar reaction to the current Qing Xing. According to the timeline, the protagonist hadn't tamed all seven male leads when she registered this alt account. She had only temporarily won over Tang Ye and Qing Xing at that point, but she had a very open-minded attitude. So she went to this harem forum to inquire about how to attract more outstanding handsome men. Probably the responses from the forum members had caused her teenage heart to explode, leading her to create a rather explicit "hentai" manga, specifically, one featuring herself and the seven male leads!
Unable to resist his curiosity, Ye Zhizhou spent a quarter of an hour roughly flipping through that "hentai" manga. In terms of sensations, it could only be described with four words: "astonishingly breathtaking."
Thinking about the part featuring Qing Xing in the manga, he couldn't help but succumb to curiosity once more. He cleared his throat and asked in a low voice, "When you and Jun Shujing... liked, um, did you call her 'little seductress'?"
Qing Xing's hand slipped, and with a twisted expression, he threw the tablet back into Ye Zhizhou's lap, shaking his head vigorously. "No! We didn't do anything like that! We were just good friends, not in a romantic relationship! I just had a crush on her... and as for Tang Ye, he just liked her cooking, nothing romantic! As for Yu Jiangbo and the others, they are regular customers at Jun Shujing's shop, and they are like semi-business partners. Maybe they have some affection for Jun Shujing, but they definitely didn't do anything with her!"
Ye Zhizhou was surprised; this was completely different from what the plot information had said.
"Are you sure there's nothing between you? Why do people outside say you all worship Jun Shujing?" He reopened the hentai manga and pointed to a few lines of dialogue. "No spanking hobbies, the 'little seductress' nickname, dual 'beeps,' excited low roars, and the little joy of secretly buying sexy underwear?"
Qing Xing was extremely frustrated and wanted to cover his ears. "No! None of that! You... How could Shujing draw something like this?!"
[The probability of a romantic relationship between Qing Xing and the protagonist has dropped to 0%. First soul flag removed. Congratulations, Host. Please continue to strive.]
Removing the flag directly... The reaction was so intense; it seemed Qing Xing really hadn't had any romantic involvement with the protagonist. Perhaps the other male leads hadn't either. Ye Zhizhou put down the tablet (with some reluctance?) and then looked at Qing Xing with a kindly gaze, saying, "Alright, since that's the case, let's put aside the matter of Jun Shujing for now. Let's first calculate the debt you owe me for helping the protagonist suppress our Fu family and for detoxifying you today."
Qing Xing felt a chill down his spine and dared not act like a young master in front of him any longer. He obediently said, "I can explain the situation about suppressing the Fu family... Shujing said there was an issue with your Fu family's dishes; consuming them in excess could harm one's health. However, your Fu family has some connections, and reporting them wouldn't help her. She had no other option, so she asked us to help restrict the resources of the Fu family to prevent more people from being harmed by your dishes."
"So, it was the Fu family's dishes that were poisonous..." Ye Zhizhou tapped the table, raised the tablet again, and enlarged the few pages featuring Qing Xing. He pointed and asked, "Tell me, whose dishes were actually poisonous?"
Qing Xing turned away and stared at him, opening his coat and reaching inside. "I have..."
Bang!
The door to the private room was kicked open.
The waiter and the manager were nervously standing outside the door. The manager whispered, "Young Master, this guest insisted on coming in when he found out you were here. I couldn't stop him..."
Ye Zhizhou looked at the tall man in front of the manager, his expression stern. "May I ask... who are you?" His psychic power, hovering in the air, had already begun to dance joyfully. He tightened his grip on the tablet in his hand, trying to maintain a calm demeanor. "If you're here for a meal, please make a reservation; this private room is already occupied." His gaze swept across the man's exceptionally handsome face, and his heart couldn't help but race. The appearance of his lifelong lover... He had never imagined that he would meet him in reality before encountering him in the game.
Ge Lümin noticed a gentle force slowly enveloping him, rapidly alleviating his headache. His tense body relaxed slightly, and he carefully scanned Ye Zhizhou's face. His gaze then fell on the tablet in Ye Zhizhou's hand. His expression darkened for a moment, and then he turned to look at Qing Xing, who had started unbuttoning his coat as if preparing to undress. Ge Lümin sneered, "Ye Zhizhou, instead of doing your missions, you're here trying to seduce a young man? Are you looking for trouble?"
Qing Xing hastily stopped unbuttoning his coat and held up a card he had in his hand. "Sir, you've misunderstood. I just wanted to give this to Brother Fu."
"You're that GM?" Ye Zhizhou was genuinely surprised, and his tablet slipped from his hand and onto the table. "You mean that domineering guy who threatened to kill me and reduce me to level 0? You're..."
As he spoke, he became angrier, and he stood up, slapped the table, and pointed angrily. "You're the one looking for trouble!"
Ge Lümin stared at him, then suddenly cracked his knuckles, took a few steps forward, and wore a menacing expression.
Qing Xing noticed that something was amiss and hurriedly stepped forward to intervene. "Sir, please leave. I..."
"Move aside!" Ge Lümin easily pushed him aside, approached Ye Zhizhou, and, with complete fearlessness in his eyes, quickly closed the distance. He reached out to Ye Zhizhou's shoulder and, with one step forward and one arm around his waist, pulled him closer, lowered his head, and kissed him.
The scene of them kissing left Qing Xing, the waitstaff outside, and even the manager in utter shock.
The familiar aura, the familiar psychic power, and even this unreasonable behavior – it was all so familiar to Ye Zhizhou. A hint of a smile flickered in his eyes as he deliberately extended his hand to push Ge Lümin away, keeping his mouth tightly sealed to resist the other's attempt to pry his lips apart.
The hand around his waist tightened, the hand on his shoulder moved up and gently cupped his chin, and their lips continued to tease and press against each other.
This person... Ye Zhizhou's lips finally parted, and he squinted at Ge Lümin, his hand moving to gently caress the firm chest before him. His body leaned forward, his tongue reached out, and he lightly licked the other's lips.
Ge Lümin was momentarily taken aback by his unexpected response. Ye Zhizhou took the opportunity to push him away forcefully and wiped his lips. He turned to Qing Xing and asked, "Did the kissing scene look good?"
Qing Xing snapped back to reality and quickly stammered, "Brother Fu, it seems like today isn't the best time for a conversation. I... I'll take my leave. Don't worry, I won't mention anything about you..."
He actually ran away directly... Ye Zhizhou then turned his gaze to the waiter and the manager outside the door, smiling. "Do you know what to do now?"
The manager's scalp tingled, and he quickly turned to the still shocked waiter, taking his hand off the door handle. "I didn't see anything today. Young Master, please continue... continue..."
With a click, the door closed, leaving only Ye Zhizhou and Ge Lümin in the room.
His waist tightened once again, and he fell into a warm and broad embrace.
"Sir," Ye Zhizhou pressed down the man's face, which was trying to move downwards again, and smiled, "I still don't know your name, and your current actions are making me uncomfortable."
"Ge Lümin." Even when he was acting shameless, this handsome man remained beautiful. He nuzzled Ye Zhizhou's hand with his head and closed his eyes contentedly. "It's really you... Don't mess with my mind anymore."
Ye Zhizhou raised an eyebrow, impressed by his lover's newfound skill in sweet talk.
"And your face," Ge Lümin opened his eyes and gently touched Ye Zhizhou's face, furrowing his brows. "Why does it look different from the game?"
"Aren't you also different from the one in the game?" Ye Zhizhou looked at his long and thick eyelashes and had the urge to pluck them. "Do you prefer my current appearance or the one in the game?"
Ge Lümin's lips curved into a wicked smile. He tightened his embrace once more and said in a low, seductive voice, "Player Ye Zhizhou, as a token of appreciation for your contributions to the game, I, on behalf of the Dreamland development team, am giving you a small gift."
As he lightly rubbed Ye Zhizhou's thigh, Ye Zhizhou's hand became even itchier. He asked, "What gift is that?"
Lowering his head slowly, their lips getting closer and closer, Ge Lümin gazed deeply into Ye Zhizhou's eyes, his voice low and husky. "Of course... it's me. This gift is non-refundable, bound upon receipt, and comes with a lifetime guarantee. Will you accept it?"
With this appearance, this leg brushing against him, and this atmosphere of seduction... Ye Zhizhou extended his arms and embraced him. Tilting his head slightly, their lips met, and they shared a deep kiss. The strength of the embrace was so strong that it felt like he was being strangled. After searching for the "Ye Zhizhou" for more than a decade, he had finally found the real one, and he couldn't afford to let him go.
After the real recipe for the dishes leaked, Jun Shujing's business in the game suffered a devastating blow. Most of the guild players left, her food business shrank significantly, and various gaming talents who had previously gathered around her for her buff food quickly dispersed, taken by other major guilds. In just a few days, Junzige, the signature of the game's culinary world, became synonymous with a joke.
On the game forums, there was a trend of exposing the secrets of Jing Shu's prowess. Various gaming elites dug up all sorts of dirt on the protagonist, tarnishing her reputation. The players who had once held her in high regard now saw her fall from grace.
The 89th level mission was finally completed. Ye Zhizhou bid farewell to Wang Cai and the others, found a nearby resting area, and opened various leaderboards in the game. The protagonist's name had dropped out of the top ten on the wealth leaderboard several days ago, and several male leads whose interests intersected with hers also saw significant drops in their rankings, appearing rather pitiful.
"[Yu Jiangbo, Sun Fanchen, He Nian's chance of falling in love with the protagonist has dropped to 70%. Please host, work harder.]"
70%... Tang Ye and Shi Zhe's chance of falling in love with the protagonist had not changed since it dropped to 80%, and Bao Yan'an, who had the most significant drop, was only at 50%. It seemed that the previous exposure of her secrets on the forum was not explosive enough, or perhaps, the protagonist's worm toxin effects were too lasting and powerful.
He glanced at the Saint-level mission prompt in mid-air, moved his fingers, and actively added the male leads as friends, then sent private messages inviting them to participate in the upcoming event to defeat the Insect Queen. With his stomach churning, he sent the same invitation to the protagonist as well. How could they tackle a challenging task like defeating the Insect Queen without consuming buff food? And if they were going to eat, why not take the opportunity to consume his Nine Clear Ten Dew Pill?
[Friendly reminder, the Nine Clear Ten Dew Pill cannot be brought into the game.]
His plan came to an abrupt halt, leaving him stunned. It was a bolt from the blue! He had actually forgotten about this! Tongtian couldn't simulate the effects of various elixirs in the game. He was in trouble!
[Another friendly reminder, the host can refine elixirs in the game.]
Ye Zhizhou pulled his hair in frustration. "But where can I find those rare and exotic herbs that only exist in the game world?"
[You can use similar herbs with similar effects, referring to the protagonist's worm toxin.]
... When put that way, it seemed somewhat feasible. He had spent decades learning alchemy in his previous life, so he had some experience... Decision made, he would refine them himself! It wasn't easy to gather several male leads in real life, so it was better to do it in the game!
He opened his friends list and saw that his alternate account, 007, was online. He happily clicked to chat. Finding herbs was a laborious task, so he'd leave it to his lover, who was essentially a game cheat. For now, he needed to have a "good" conversation with the male leads who had accepted his friend requests one after another.