“Shang Lu doesn’t like playing games, but facing her eager gaze, he can’t refuse.
“Press here, hurry, you’re being attacked,” Su Banxia stared at the game interface, seeing him not moving, she anxiously reminded him, “Hurry up, you’re about to die.”
Shang Lu lowered his gaze and looked at the character on the game interface. His fingers moved in response to her command, but unfortunately, his health was too low, and he was still killed by the opponent.
Su Banxia sighed and looked at him, saying, “You’re so good at talking about cooperation, but it turns out you’re so bad at playing games.”
Shang Lu’s fingers were a bit stiff, and he was about to hand the phone back to her.
Su Banxia moved closer to him, as if she couldn’t help it, and held his hands gently, saying, “Let me teach you again, just listen carefully.”
A faint perfume enveloped her body, a fragrance unique to her, lingering in his nostrils, and it made his heart beat faster when he inhaled it.
Shang Lu couldn’t concentrate. If she didn’t hold his hand, his game character would be killed by enemies again.
Su Banxia held his hand and played another round, saying, “Got it?”
Shang Lu remained silent for a moment, his voice a bit hoarse, and he said, “Got it.”
After getting familiar with the game interface, it wasn’t difficult for him. He just needed some time to adapt.
Su Banxia registered an account for him and added him as a friend. She then led him into the game, saying, “Follow me.”
She chose a shooter character while letting Shang Lu play a support-type hero.
In the game interface, wherever she went, Shang Lu followed, silently acting as her meat shield to protect her from harm. As he died multiple times, his teammates in the game voice chat started cursing.
Su Banxia glanced at Shang Lu, holding back from uttering any foul language.
“During normal gameplay, just treat it like someone telling jokes,” she comforted Shang Lu.
Playing games can easily make a person relax, and as they played, she gradually leaned towards Shang Lu, occasionally giving him some guidance.
Shang Lu allowed her to lean on his arm and adjusted his sitting posture to make her more comfortable.
The scene was quite astonishing to the driver and Xiang Lei who were watching in front.
Ever since Xiang Lei overheard the conversation between Su Banxia and her mother, he had a knot in his heart.
Deep down, he felt that Su Banxia was a bad woman, like the kind of fairy that disrupts the world on TV.
In his eyes, Shang Lu’s indulgence of Su Banxia’s behavior resembled a king being enchanted by a fairy, and his normally stern facial expressions tightened.
“Little deer, you’re really great.” When they encountered four enemies in the bottom lane, Shang Lu could have escaped, but he chose to stay and protect her, and they both ended up falling in the bottom lane.
The opponents were too strong, our crystal exploded, and the game was over.
Just as they exited the game, Su Banxia received a game invitation from Mu Ruxue, which surprised her a bit. She clicked to accept it.
There were three people in the game room.
Two of them had familiar IDs, Mu Ruxue and Xu Leyi, and there was a male stranger with an anime avatar, not the same as the Wild King from last time.
“Sister, can you play a couple of games with us?”
“Sure.” Su Banxia casually invited Shang Lu in.
Shang Lu’s game ID was very simple, just two letters, “SL,” and his avatar was black.
Mu Ruxue and Xu Leyi assumed that Su Banxia’s friends had joined the game, so they didn’t ask too many questions and started the game, each choosing their heroes.
The in-game voice chat was enabled.
“Jing Yao, are you going to jungle?” Mu Ruxue asked.
Su Banxia, who was in the process of selecting her hero, smirked. No wonder Mu Ruxue, who usually acted as if she had seen a ghost in the game, suddenly invited her to play.
Oh, she must have wanted to show off in front of her.
The anime avatar spoke up, and it was the voice of Shang Jingyao: “I can go any lane, you guys can choose first.”
Su Banxia noticed that Shang Lu, who was beside her, was emitting a subtle coldness. After locking in her hero, she held his clearly defined hand joints and whispered, “You choose support, let’s go together.”
Shang Lu selected a hero capable of both offense and defense.
Once the game started, Mu Ruxue and Xu Leyi chatted incessantly, constantly urging Shang Jingyao to gank and get kills. Meanwhile, the bottom lane duo played silently, and even when they were targeted by the opponents, they remained in control.
Both of their voice chats were turned off, and Mu Ruxue felt uncomfortable because Su Banxia wasn’t taunting her in the game as she usually did.
Su Banxia wanted to act like a good person in front of Shang Jingyao, but whether she agreed or not would depend on her mood.
The bottom lane combination had originally gained an advantage, but due to Mu Ruxue running down from the middle lane, they suffered multiple defeats. After losing a few times, Su Banxia couldn’t help but turn on her microphone.
“Mu Ruxue, please don’t come to the bottom lane.”
Mu Ruxue’s voice was gentle in the voice chat. “Sister, I just wanted to help you guys.”
“You came to the bottom lane to feed?” Su Banxia didn’t hold back.
Mu Ruxue complained, “It was my mistake in the previous engagement. You can scold me if you want.”
Xu Leyi chimed in, “Su Banxia, you’re going too far. If you can’t handle losing, then don’t play. Shang Jingyao has more kills than you.”
“Play steadily, and we won’t lose,” Shang Jingyao said, “Ruxue, hold the middle lane, I’ll go help the bottom lane.”
Su Banxia chuckled, “No need for you to come.”
She knew Mu Ruxue’s intentions, deliberately provoking her to taunt people in the game, and letting Shang Jingyao develop more negative feelings towards her, exposing her ‘ugly true nature’ when she cursed others.
Funny, her true nature is your problem, not mine.
No matter how Shang Jingyao acted, Su Banxia would continue to taunt her for intentionally giving away kills.
Mu Ruxue refused to let Shang Jingyao help the bottom lane. She wanted to show off to Su Banxia in the game by repeatedly asking Shang Jingyao to help her secure the blue buff and get kills.
The more Shang Jingyao cared about her, the more it infuriated Su Banxia.
Once again, the bottom lane was targeted by the opponents.
Su Banxia didn’t mute her microphone and blurted out, “Shang Lu, come over here.”
Shang Lu controlled his hero, following her commands, acting as a solid backup, shielding her from the opponent’s attacks and allowing her to deal damage from a favorable position.
They managed to kill two opponents in a 3v2 situation, and the enemy jungler escaped with low health.
When they heard the in-game announcement of a double kill, the voice chat fell silent.
Mu Ruxue began to suspect that she might be hearing things. How else could she have heard Su Banxia call out “Shang Lu”? It couldn’t be that the game’s name was “SL Black Avatar” and that it was Shang Lu.
No, that was impossible. Absolutely impossible!
Shang Jingyao’s jungle movements froze, and he took a deep breath.
Inside the car, Su Banxia leaned her little head in front of Shang Lu and said, “You bought the wrong equipment; let me change it for you.”
She might not have been aware that in front of a male she had feelings for, her voice unconsciously became somewhat soft and charming.
“Okay,” Shang Lu’s slightly magnetic and deep voice passed through her microphone and into the game.
Mu Ruxue’s face turned ashen, feeling like the world she knew was no longer the same.
Shang Lu, who lived as a reclusive and enigmatic figure in the darkness, was actually playing a game with people, and his tone even sounded indulgent.
In the game, he willingly took on the least flashy role of a support character, bearing all the damage for Su Banxia.
Mu Ruxue was on the verge of a breakdown, and the game no longer felt enjoyable to her.
Shang Jingyao was equally shocked. As a prominent figure with immense influence in the financial world, he controlled the fates of countless people. It was unimaginable that he would spend his leisure time playing games, and no one would have believed it.
As for Mu Ruxue’s best friend, Xu Leyi, she seemed to have lost her voice, remaining silent as a chicken.
Until the game ended, the other three didn’t say much.
The old Shang family mansion was located in the suburbs, in an area surrounded by picturesque mountains and waters. The villa area had weathered white walls covered with vines, exuding the nostalgic aura of bygone times.
This area was filled with the old mansions of the wealthy in Hai Cheng. A Rolls-Royce Phantom glided over the freshly paved asphalt road and entered the spacious courtyard.
Xiang Lei got out of the car first and helped Shang Lu out of the wheelchair, opening the car door. Su Banxia got out of the car on her own.
In the evening, the old mansion was brightly lit, and faint sounds of laughter and conversation could be heard from inside. It seemed like quite a few people had gathered tonight.
Su Banxia lowered her head to check her attire, making sure it was appropriate for the occasion, and stood by Shang Lu’s side.
“Miss Su, Mr. Shang is in your hands,” Xiang Lei said in a deep voice. “I’ll be outside. If you need anything, just call me.”
Su Banxia nodded slightly. “You can trust me.”
In just two weeks, the Shang Group had been engulfed in a public relations storm, and the situation had yet to be resolved. The banquet they were attending tonight was not a pleasant one.
“Are you nervous?” Shang Lu’s voice was calm.
Su Banxia honestly admitted, “A bit.”
When she had been brought back after her runaway marriage attempt and sent to the Shang family, she had met Shang Lu’s grandparents in a hurry. No one else had seen her yet. In this world, no one meets their partner’s parents for the first time without feeling nervous.
Shang Lu replied casually, “Let’s just have dinner and leave.”
Su Banxia knew that he was close to his grandmother, so she said, “It’s been a while since you’ve seen Grandma. Why don’t you stay and chat with her for a bit? It’s quite far from the city center, and there’s no rush to go back. Grandma might even ask us to stay overnight.”
They walked through a corridor and entered the living room together.
The people chatting in the room turned their heads to look at them, their expressions becoming more reserved, and their gazes carrying an appraising look.
In the spacious living room, a group of people were either sitting or standing, dressed appropriately and exuding an air of wealth and high society.
On the sofa sat two elderly individuals and Shang’s father. On the left-side sofa, a middle-aged woman was wiping the mouth of a chubby child. At the mahjong table, Shang Lu Yu Rou and Second Uncle’s family were playing cards.
However, Shang Jingyao was nowhere to be seen.
As soon as Shang’s father saw Shang Lu, his face darkened, and he snorted.
The old lady gave him a light tap and walked over, saying, “Shang Lu and Banxia are here.”
“Grandma,” Su Banxia and Shang Lu both called out.
The old lady warmly held Su Banxia’s wrist and led her towards the sofa, saying, “It’s been a while, Banxia. You’ve become more beautiful. Come, sit down and let’s chat.”
Shang Lu wheeled himself over to join them.
After exchanging greetings, Shang’s father spoke up, suggesting that they should eat first and then chat.
Although the old gentleman was quite old, he still maintained an air of authority, and his cloudy eyes occasionally flashed with sharpness.
They all took their seats at the long table in accordance with their seniority. During the meal, there wasn’t much conversation at the table, except for the chubby child in a bib who tapped a spoon, only to be promptly restrained by someone.
The dishes prepared by the old mansion’s chef had a mild flavor, and Su Banxia didn’t have much of an appetite. She ate a little and felt full.
After the meal, the group of people moved to the living room.
“Shang Lu, come with me,” the old gentleman spoke up.
Su Banxia nervously grabbed Shang Lu’s arm, and he glanced at her, patting her hand before propelling his wheelchair to follow the old gentleman.
“The young couple is really affectionate, can’t be apart for a moment,” the old lady teased.
Su Banxia blushed, knowing that in wealthy families like this, there were many rules and she was afraid that Shang Lu would be blamed by the old gentleman.
“Banxia, come with Grandma,” the old lady called her.
Su Banxia followed the old lady, leaving behind the group of people in the living room who all had their own ulterior motives. She didn’t want to chat with them either.
The old lady led her into a bedroom and handed her a box. “Open it and take a look.”
Su Banxia opened the box, revealing a pair of dragon and phoenix bangles that shimmered with brilliant light under the lamplight, exuding extravagance and preciousness.
“It’s something that should have been given to you earlier, so keep it,” the old lady said with a smile.
Su Banxia obediently accepted the gift and sweetly said, “Thank you, Grandma.”
The old mansion had many rooms, and there was a rooftop terrace on the second floor where afternoon tea could be enjoyed. The old lady led her there to sit down.
“Grandma wants to talk to you about Shang Lu, do you want to listen?”
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