•••••••••••••

As the dark clouds rolled over the virtual world of Jinling City, Luwei WeiWei looked around her as her clan mates were thrown to the ground. The monster who was red in colour and bigger than some buildings with horns coming from his temples and large tusks coming from his mouth leaped into the air towards the team with his fist ready to strike them. The clan leader rolled to avoid the fist that hurtled towards him, he was quick enough to avoid that punch but not quick enough to avoid a further strike that sent him and another clan member soaring through the air and into a cliff edge, both clan members lay motionless and had died.

The monster was struck by a golden arrow. Confused and dazed the monster looked for where the arrow had come from. The monster's eyes set on a tall handsome man with piercing blue eyes, white as snow hair and a golden suit that looked like it had been moulded by the gods. The male fired again before a girl all in red with a large sword used the golden man as a springboard and leapt towards the monster. Her sword struck the monster and the metal glowed like molten lava that streamed from volcanoes. As Luwei WeiWei landed on the ground she turned to put a little bit of distance between her and the monster. The golden man also known as Zhenshui came to her back, so she knew he was there.

"Luwei WeiWei, be careful!" he told her.

"Zhenshui, I'll hold him off, you attack him as usual", WeiWei replied, not taking her eyes from the monster that had begun to glow red with rage. The rage had continued to build up inside of him from the attacks of the clan.

"Sure", Zhenshui replied. The monster with grey hair slammed his palm into the ground, which broke into little pieces with the pressure, and picks up a slab of concrete from the ground. The monster charges towards Weiwei and Zhenshui with this concrete and swiped to try and hit both of them with it. Both leaped out of the way, Zhenshui taking refuge in the trees and Weiwei landing in the open stream to try and coax the monster towards her.

It worked the monster broke into a run and began to charge at Weiwei who was ready for the attack. The monster attempted to use the concrete to attack. WeiWei brought her sword to meet the concrete block and pushed back with all the strength in her to ensure she was not hit with it. The monster began to push back with more strength that pushed WeiWei to glide further down the stream. The way she was pushed backwards it looked like she was floating on the water, noticing the bridge coming behind her WeiWei jumped back from the attack and landed on the bridge with her sword drawn ready to attack him when he got closer to her. The monster attacked the bridge breaking the ornamental brickwork that was separating them.

Zhenshui jumped over the monster and began to fire arrows, while Weiwei raised her sword to the same level as her face and ran her hand down the sword. As her hand came down the blade, it began to glow as if it was being heated by a black smith and caught on fire. Zhenshui fired again and jumped backwards with Weiwei jumping with him.

As Weiwei was soaring through the air a phoenix made from fire came from the end of her blade, the phoenix spread its wings of fire and attacked the monster. The monster collapsed and destroyed the bridge so it was in ruins.

WeiWei and Zhenshui stood and waited at the side of the bridge and watched as the bridge rebuilt itself and waited for the 2 clan members that had died to meet regenerate. They all stood at the side of the bridge and watched as the reward for beating the monster floated above the bridge.

It turns out the whole monster attack was part of a game that Bei Weiwei loved to play called Chinese Ghost story and all of the character were avatars. Zhenshui and Weiwei were only virtual husband and wife and did not know each other in reality. If you asked Weiwei the only reason they married was to complete missions within the game.

"Amazing! It's a Mage Class OP Necklace!", the clan leader reached up and grabbed the necklace "Nini, it's your equipment", he turned to the youngest member of the clan and passed the necklace to her.

"WOW! I'm so lucky today!", she ran forward in excitement to receive the reward while three other members of the clan looked on in jealousy.

"A Mage Class OP Necklace?" questioned one of the male's looking on. He looked to the side of him at WeiWei and asked "Luwei Weiwei, do you want to duke it out?"

"Sure". She replied as she looked back at the male with confusion, wondering what angle he was trying to play. Was he trying to claim the necklace as his own from Nini?

"There should be stakes involved, no?" asked the young man. "Let's bet on the necklace the monster dropped. What do you say?" Nini looked at him with disgust on her face and pulled the necklace into her chest in a protective manner. She did not want to give it to him.

"I see, you want the necklace?" Weiwei asked him, "But it's not my equipment" she continued.

The clan leader gave the young player a look of pure disgust, Nini turned and hid behind the clan leader to try and gain protection from him. "You're a top ten clan leader. I have zero chance against you", Nini said with just her head popping from around the clan leaders' side.

He was smiling as if he knew the outcome of the battle before it had happened, he looked at his friends next to him and nodded. Both of his friends nodded, smiled and encouraged him to push further. "You can ask Luwei WeiWei to fight for you?" with the smug look still on his face. "If I lose, I'll give you a Mage Class OP Ring", he told the young girl still hiding behind her senior. "Are you scared?"

Nini thinks about it for a minute and comes out from behind the clan leader a little bit further with some excitement.

"WeiWei?", Nini and the clan leader looked at Weiwei to see if she was even willing to take part in this. Weiwei looks at Zhenshui who smiles at her and nods.

"Sure", Weiwei accepts his challenge.

"Good", the male had a smile on his face like a cat that had just gotten into the cream. "Five o'clock, by the lodge outside Jinling City". The three males turn and walk away.

When all the avatars and gamers, it left only Weiwei and Zhenshui left. They started to make their way to a different part of the game, Zhenshui indicated to Weiwei he had wanted to talk to her earlier in the day.

"What did you want to talk about Zhenshui? Are there monsters to defeat here?", Weiwei asked while looking around and wondering where he had taken her.

Zhenshui turned to face her "Weiwei, we have become in game spouses for more than six months now, isn't it awkward that you still call me Zhenshui?".

"Wouldn't it be more awkward if I called you Wuxiang?" she asked him while wondering where he was heading with this conversation. As she was talking a young couple was walking past them, the girl was loving holding her in game spouse's arm.

"Hubby, today's mission is 12 three eyed monkeys. Wont you kill them for me?", the young girl asked her husband.

"Wifey, just watch" the husband loving told his wife as they walked past Weiwei and Zhenshui. "I'll do it for you", he continued. Zhenshui looked on in envy, he wanted Weiwei to be more affectionate towards him. As he sat at his computer in his office at Zhenyi tech and played the game, he really enjoyed. He wondered if they should meet and exchange pictures. Was he ready to meet her? He thought he was.

As Zhenshui watched the couple walk off into the distance he took a deep breath and took a step closer to Weiwei and said "Weiwei, you go to school in Beijing, right?", he looked at her with anticipation. His heart beating so fast it might jump from him chest. He liked this girl and wanted to turn this virtual relationship into a real one. "I am in Beijing to, should we meet in person?", his heart now going triple time rather than double. The sweat beads forming on his palms, the tips of his fingers and his forehead. "I'll take you out for dinner, I know a good Japanese restaurant, as good as those in Japan with three Michelin stars", he rambled nervously. Thank god he thought this was over a computer and she could not see him in reality right now. He was a nervous wreck.

Weiwei sat at the table in her dorm room which she shared with her three best friends did not realise he was trying to hit on her. The hesitation she felt was a marker that showed she was not comfortable with him enough to send him anything. She eventually got the courage up and started to reply

"That's okay, we will just have our fun in the game".

"There's a saying nowadays, that you never know who's on the other side of the screen", Zhenshui told Weiwei trying to persuade her to meet him. "I just want to make sure you are who you say you are; I want to see what you look like. Will you show me a photo?", he asked hoping that she would at least send that so he can see if she was worth perusing any further.

Weiwei looked up in panic. She didn't know if she wanted or was ready to give out her pictures. As the panic began to settle in to her stomach her computer screen went black. What? She looked around the computer to find out the cause of the power cut. Had her charger fallen out? She checked if it was still plugged in and it was. What happened?

Weiwei's sense of smell kicked in and she immediately knew what the issue was. One of her roommates Er Xi, was cooking ramen using an electric cooker until the fuse blew. Er Xi stuck her head out the dorm room door to check that no one was headed their way. "Weiwei, it's all clear. Hurry!" Er Xi encouraged Weiwei "What's wrong why did the electric go out?". She questioned Weiwei.

"I think the fuse blew", Weiwei continued to explained to Er Xi, who looked back at Weiwei in panic and shock. "I was only making noodles and the fuse blew?", worried that she was going to get into trouble and found out. "Will we get into trouble?" Er Xi worrying even more now.

"Girl, before you cook anything didn't you calculate the flow of electricity?" Weiwei questioned her. Er Xi looked at Weiwei flabbergasted.

"Come on Girl!" she exclaimed, "I am a computer major not a Electricity major" she informed Weiwei. Of course, Weiwei already knew this because they were on the same course and Weiwei was also a computer major. "What now? My noodles are still raw?" Er Xi complained further.

"What do you think", Weiwei responded "Give me half of your noodles!". Er Xi looked at Weiwei as if she had asked to take the last of her family jewels. As Weiwei continued to work at the electricity panel to try and resolve any problem the electricity all of a sudden powered back on. "All done", Weiwei informed her.

"Awesome", Er Xi jumped up and down for joy and then ran to the electric cooker that held her noodles that she was still hoping to cook. "No wonder girls, like us, in the Science and Engineering department have trouble finding love." Er Xi was stirring her noodles to ensure they had not stuck together while waiting for the power to be restored. "We do our own handywork. What do we need boys for?", she asked out loud.

Weiwei had to giggle at what Er Xi just said. "Ah, first of all, I did all the handy work but it has nothing to do with the fact that you are still single", she continued to scold the girl who was her best friend in the whole world. Er Xi was the person who knew everything about her. "Second of all Miss Er Xi, my gaming friend was asking for my photos but I suddenly went offline! He must think I am trying to avoid him". She made her way to the bathroom door,

"Tell me, how will you compensate me for the damage to my reputation", Weiwei said while point a screwdriver at her friend.

Er Xi looked round with her chopsticks in hand while trying to ensure the noodles were thoroughly cooked. "Ah, Is it Zhenshui Wuxiang, your spouse in the online game?" She started to tease Weiwei "Nice one!"

"Stop", Weiwei demanded while moving the screwdriver closer to Er Xi's face. "How do you know all that?" She questioned. "Have you been spying on me again?" Weiwei demanded. Er Xi smiled sweetly at Weiwei hoping she would not get scolded further by her friend. "Don't get bogged down in the details. Will you send him your photo?"

"Of course, not", Weiwei announced "We only became in game spouses for the territory quests. It's weird to send him photos" she continued to tell her friend. "But it's also really rude to just offline like that to. I should at least find an excuse, like my laptop is broken and all my photos have gone". Weiwei sat back down at the desk to turn her computer on and try and explain to Zhenshui what happened. Er Xi's noodles had finally cooked, so she made her way from the bathroom and sat at the table that was in the middle of their dorm room with her noodles and began to ate them as she watched nervously as Weiwei tried to turn her laptop on again.

"No way!" Weiwei let out as Er Xi was sat across from her eating noodles. Looking at the power supply on her laptop Weiwei was concerned with why the laptop was still not coming on.

"Your laptop's busted? All the photos are gone?" Er Xi asked cautiously. Weiwei pointed at Er Xi "You.... You... you jinxed it! How can this happen? What's wrong with it?"

Er Xi slowly started to move her chair closer to the bathroom, wheeling it slyly over. "Weiwei, I forgot to tell you", she admitted while continuing to move her chair that was on wheels closer to the bathroom door "When I borrowed your laptop yesterday, I accidentally dropped it". As she finished her sentence Weiwei was on her feet chasing Er Xi. "Where do you think you are going", she demanded.

Both were running around the dorm, Er Xi trying to get away from Weiwei, and Weiwei trying to catch Er Xi "Get back here! Come here!" shouted Weiwei.

"I'm sorry" Er Xi shouted as Weiwei caught up with here. "Explain yourself? What happened?" Weiwei kept asking over Er Xi shouting "I'm sorry at her". Weiwei told Er Xi to get ready to leave the dorm to which Er Xi complied.

As soon as they finished getting ready to leave the house and had everything, they needed Weiwei pushed Er Xi out of the door. "Let's go!"

"At least let me finish my noodles", Er Xi demanded as she was being pushed down the hallway of the dormitory, they lived in.

"What noodles?" Weiwei asked as she took Er Xi's hand and dragged her further down the hall. "You broke my laptop and you still want to eat? I don't think so! Let's go!"

As they left the front door of the halls of residence the warmth of the day "It's such a beautiful day" Er Xi commented. The sun was bright and high in the sky and it was weather that you definitely did not need a jacket or jumper for.

"Xiaoling is with her boyfriend, Sisi is at a class reunion party, yet I have to accompany you to fix your laptop." Xiaoling and Sisi were the other two girls that they shared their dorm room with and they were all best friends that knew everything about each other.

"This beautiful day is totally wasted", Er Xi continued to complain as they made their way to the bike shed to pick up Er Xi's moped.

"How dare you say that", Weiwei told her off and pushed her further to the bike shed "Who broke my laptop? Come on!", she grabbed Er Xi's wrist and pulled her towards the bikes. Er Xi handed Weiwei a helmet to put on, she put her own helmet on, climbed onto the moped and left the university campus.

"There are some good new movies out, after we have dropped your laptop off let's go catch a movie?" Er Xi asked as they were heading into Beijing's bustling City Centre.

"I'm not dropping it off" explained Weiwei "I'll change out the motherboard myself. It's cheaper and faster. Anyway, I need to use my laptop tonight".

"What's the hurry?" Er Xi asked.

"A hard working and ambitious computer major like myself cannot be without my computer for even a day." She told Er Xi

"Yeah, Right!" Er Xi laughed while trying to concentrate on where they were going. "What's going on?".

"I have a duel date" she told her friend. Er Xi let out a muffled laugh and exclaimed "I knew it!". As Er Xi and Weiwei continued to drive into the City Centre Er Xi noticed some couples sitting at a café feeding each other ice cream and holding hands. "Time flies! We are sophomores now at Qing University, men overwhelmingly outnumber women, especially in our department", she continues to complain. "I never thought that after two years, I would still be single. It's pathetic!".

"Didn't you pick this place precisely for that reason?" Weiwei questioned. Er Xi nodded in agreement with a despondent look on her face. She quickly changed and shook her head "Well not entirely of course." Er Xi began to explain "Qing's Computer Department is ranked number one in the country. It has always been my dream University. Computing is also the subject that I love. But even with all this I can still consider my happiness".

As they were leaving the University campus, they saw a big group of people gathered around one of the notice boards. Two girls ran out in front of them shouting "let's go check it out".

Er Xi pulled the moped over at the side of the road to see what was happening.

Both girls climbed off of the moped and moved closer to the notice board top see what all the excitement was about.

That's when Weiwei saw the poster for the Campus Basketball Championship. The game was between the Computer Department and the Bioscience department. Her mind began to wander. Xiao Nai the Campus Idol was part of the Computer Department's basketball team does that mean he will be playing?

Excitement began to course through her veins and her heart began to beat double time. As she questioned if he would or would not be playing her mind drifted to the way that Xiao Nai looked in his uniform. The way the basketball jersey showed the muscular definition in his arms.

"Lord Xiao Nai is returning to the basketball court!" Er Xi shouted and brought Weiwei back to reality with a thump.

"That's great! We can see him play again!" Weiwei responds with excitement in her voice.

"Xiao Nai's the key player. Surely we will see him this time?" questions two girls that are standing next to Weiwei and Er Xi.

"Not necessarily, he is a senior now" her friend tells her. "He's rarely on campus. I hear the mystery forum hasn't been updated at all. Weiwei and Er Xi look at the girls with disappointment. "I reckon this is just another publicity stunt."

"Who cares?" her friend asked

"Checking it out won't cost us anything. Anyway, it's the last chance to see him in person." she continues.

"That's true", it hurts to think about it", the conversation continued. 'Why doesn't he carry on to study in graduate school?" The girl asked. Her friend agreed with her as Weiwei and Er Xi walked away.

"We have to go and grab our seats earlier. We need to be there an hour early" Weiwei tells Er Xi.

"Weiwei, I had no idea!' Er Xi looks at Weiwei in surprise. "You're an admirer to?" Er Xi asks her.

"Of course," Weiwei tells her "He's Lord Xiao Nai. I have downloaded all the software he has ever released".

"If there's a player ranking at school, like they have in e-sports, he would definitely be number one on all fronts". Weiwei continued to idolise him.

Er Xi put her arm around Weiwei and pulled her into a hug "Girl, you're so deep", she tells her. "I only care for the face and the body. I don't have the brains of a genius like you." Er Xi tells Weiwei. "By the way" Er Xi said angrily "who blacked out the video of him swimming? I really want to see it". She began to jump up and down on the spot to vent her frustration at someone taking the time to black out a video of him. Weiwei shushed her and signalled for them to get back on to the Moped and head off.

Meanwhile in the Computer Shop Meng Yiran and her roommate Nana walked in. Nana walked up and immediately picked up a RAM stick and said "Yiran, let's get this" as she turned to walk to the cash register to pay when Yiran grabbed her arm to stop her.

"Nana, I don't even know him. How can I ask for his help?", she questioned.

"Don't worry!" Nana smiled as she told her "I befriended a guy from their dorm a couple of days ago. So, I came up with this idea. We will buy a RAM stick and go ask for help to fit it. As soon as he hears your name, he will be eager to help you." She reassured her friend "Don't worry". Yiran nodded and smiled at her friend.

As they approached the cash register Weiwei and Er Xi walked into the store. The man behind the counter was on the phone so they had to wait for a moment to be served. "Hi, how much is this?' Nana enquired.

The man behind the counter picked up the packet she placed on the counter and replied "500 RMB"

"500 RMB? That's so expensive!" Nana tells him in shock, as she is talking Weiwei and Er Xi walk up behind them to pay for the mother board that they needed to fix Weiwei's laptop.

"Go ask around. It's the same everywhere" the man behind the counter told Nana and Yiran. "You get what you pay for!", he told them as he handed the package back to them.

"Will you give us a discount? 450 RMB" Nana asked. Weiwei and Er Xi noticed what was happening.

"Not a cent lower", the man who was old enough to be their dad advised. "This price is already the cut- rate price".

"Mister" Weiwei interjected "isn't your price a bit unreasonable? The gold contact's glisten of your RAM stick is totally off. It obviously been used before. You are selling it as if it's brand new and at double the price. Isn't that cheating the customer?"

"No way!", the man answered in an irksome manner. "What do you know? Don't be a busybody, okay?"

"I'm a computer major, I know what I am talking about", Weiwei responds. "Your shop is right by campus, yet you are cheating students. Won't it hurt your business if word gets out?" Weiwei looks at questioningly.

"Right? You are so dishonest", Er Xi joins the conversation slightly annoyed at the way her friend has just been spoken to. "Where's the old shopkeeper? Huh? Is there a new owner now", Er Xi raises her voice as she makes her way to where the counter opens and there is a back room to see if there is anyone back there?

The man rushes to the end of the counter to stop her from going in, but before he can get to her, she turns around and looks behind her. The man grabs her by the arm and tries to stop her from moving. When Er Xi feels the male grip her arm she turns and starts flapping her arms in a slapping motion in front of her to get the man off her. Weiwei see's the man grab Er Xi and automatically makes her way over to her friend who has now backed away from the man and standing next to a display of computers.

"What old shopkeeper? It's always been me." asks the man. "What's the matter with you girls?" he pointed at Er Xi and Weiwei, who is now standing slightly in front of Er Xi to protect her. "Do you have some beef with me? You are decent looking girls. Why are you being so nasty?"

Weiwei is now standing with her arms crossed annoyed at the shopkeeper's actions. "Get lost", the shop keeper tells Weiwei and Er Xi.

Weiwei turns to Yiran and Nana "Hey, this brand of RAM sticks goes for less than 300 RMB. You can search online if you don't believe me". Weiwei advises them trying to ensure they don't get ripped off by the shopkeeper.

"Online shops sell fake stuff. That's why it's so cheap", the shopkeeper tells the girls. Nana looks at Weiwei again and leans over to Yiran "I think that's Bei Weiwei".

Yiran looks behind her and notices that there are customers behind her. "Thank you, Miss, I don't think the owner would cheat me. He is running a shop. There's no harm in letting him earn some money." Yiran puts her purse on the counter and pays for the RAM stick.

Weiwei and Er Xi look at each other in disbelief and leave the shop. As they are leaving Er Xi is visibly angry "Who is she trying to impress with that pompous yet compassionate act? We are the bad guys for trying to help her" she storms up to her moped and lifts the helmet off of the seat. "Here!" and hands it to Weiwei. "I know it! It must be because you are Bei Weiwei and She is Meng Yiran", Er Xi continues to tell her.

As Weiwei and Er Xi turn to look back into the store Nana and Yiran are making their way out with a look of disdain towards them. "Meng Yiran? Don't tell me you know her?" Er Xi questioned Weiwei. "She's the campus beauty".

Recognition went off in Weiwei "Ahhhh I thought she looked familiar", Weiwei genuinely did not know  who Yiran was at first and just wanted to help someone.

"That must be the reason why", Er Xi said "The two of you were neck and neck at last year's campus beauty contest. You can't blame her for being hostile towards you."

"It was not neck and neck" Weiwei refuted. "Who sent in my photo last year?" She said as she walked up to Er Xi and pushed her slightly.

"You already checked my laptop and cell phone last year" Er Xi denied. "It wasn't me! Anyway, why would I use a blurry photo like that? If I took the photo, it would be high definition, front view and of you coming out of the shower. By the way, do you think Yiran's photo was retouched? She must have spent days photoshopping. She is nowhere near as pretty as the online photo. If her photo was not retouched you would never have lost."

Weiwei looked at Er Xi with exasperation takin the helmet off of her head when she realised, she was going to be late for duel date. "I'm going to the internet café now. Also, I remember she won the contest last year. She came in first and I second. It should be me being hostile towards her. Why is she hostile towards me?"

"Who knows?" Er Xi replied taking the helmet from Weiwei and securing it back onto her moped. "Maybe she is flat chested?" Er Xi moved her head to the level of Weiwei's breasts to make her point.

"Get lost" Weiwei shouted as she pushed Er Xi away from her, with a look of playful scorn on her face. Er Xi stood back laughing uttering under her breath "she must be".

"Now I know why you have trouble landing a boyfriend" Weiwei continued.

"Why? Tell me! I'll change!" Er Xi said begging Weiwei to elaborate on that statement.

"Because you pay more attention to girls!" she responded, while laughing to herself.

"Weiwei! Don't make me hurt you!" Er Xi cried while pinching at Weiwei's arms and tummy.

"Fine, I'll stop. Take my laptop back with you please. Bye" Weiwei waved as she ran off in search of the internet café, she knew was around this area somewhere.

"Me, single?" Er Xi shouted after her "You are the one that is always on a computer". She watched as Weiwei turned the corner.

•••••••

"Your dad told me you plan to start your own company?" A middle-aged male in a blue suit asked Xiao Nai as he placed the go piece on the board.

"That is the plan", he responded while analysing the go game in front of them. He smiled when he realised, he would win the game in 5 moves or less and placed the white counter onto the wooden chequered board.

"Doing what?"

"The initial plan is to develop two games. "Xiao Nai told his Uncle who was also his business partner. They each owned half of the internet café each that they were sitting in.

"If you win this game, I will give you a gift", his Uncle explained to him. Xiao Nai held the white counter up to his cousin as to indicate that he was going to win on that move.

•••••

Bei Weiwei walks into the internet café and pays for an allotted amount of time and logs into Chinese Ghost story. "Weiwei", Nini runs up to her excitedly.

"Luwei Weiwei, I thought you were afraid to come." Says the clan leader that had challenged her earlier in the day.

"I don't think I am late".

"Late or not you're still going down. Prepare to hand over the necklace", the guy tells her.

"Let's begin", she says with a grin on her face. He is underestimating her abilities and she knows it.

Weiwei and the male start to battle. Weiwei brings two smaller swords out rather than the one giant sword she would use on monsters. The sound of metal clanging together is thunderous. Weiwei dives towards the clan leaders face to try and end the battle however he dodges the long blade. The male makes a move to attack Weiwei with his blade that she kicks away and lunges forward in a swiping motion at the clan leader who is falling backwards from the kick. Again, the swords clash in a battle of steel and iron and causes. Weiwei's sword whistled through the air to try and damage the clan leader any further but again he dodged her attacks. Weiwei was getting frustrated as he was playing a running game and was just dodging her attacks. She would get him in the end. The blades on her swords turned to fire and she caused the clan leader to be thrown into the wall. Which ended the battle. "Good Game", Weiwei told the clan leader.

Meanwhile Nai watched his Uncle make the error of not blocking his move. As he places the last white counter down onto the wooden board, he told his cousin "Good Game".

"Per our earlier agreement, you won this game so Uncle will give you a gift", the older man says. "I will gift you this place. Aren't you going to start a gaming company? With remodelling, this place will be enough for the start."

"Uncle, that's your offer. I didn't agree to it" Nai advises.

"You don't want it?" his uncle asks in surprise.

"No."

"Good boy! Your quite ambitious." The look of pride emanates from his uncle.

"I just think it's a lot more fun if I start from nothing" Nai continues to tell his uncle. "Plus, I already have the office I want to use".

His uncle looks at him with pride around him and nods his head in agreement. As they walk out of the private room, they were using in the back of the Internet café Nai's uncle continues to tell him "We are both genetic mutations because we are both into computers. Your dad is an archaeologist and you mum work as a historian yet you work with computers. I can see that you are just like me. I don't have the energy to run this place anymore. If you don't want it, I think I am going to shut it down."

A member of staff from the internet café walks up to Nai and his Uncle "Sir you have a call", she advises him he nods to her and walks away from Nai. As Nai turns to walk out of the café he is taken aback by the game that is being played in front of him. He cannot believe the speed of the female player. As he continues to stare at the game his gaze falls to the hand of the play. How could he be attracted to a hand? He asked himself. His heart rate started to increase and he felt butterflies in his stomach. What is happening to me he questions? He continues to stare this girl has him bewitched; he genuinely cannot move from the spot he is stood in.

The thought of her incapacitated him. There were no thoughts only the pain he felt of desire and not knowing her. She had to be his. He was going to make her his wife. He knew that the moment he laid eyes on the back of her head. He continued to be mesmerised while she was battling on this game that he played also and was experienced enough on how to find her and information about her as well. Even if he had to hack Fengteng Technologies server he was going to do just that.

A smile spread slowly across his face and he made his way slowly towards her to try and retrieve her gaming handle. That way he could approach her in the game and not have to worry about hacking Fengteng. He could do it and knew how to leave no trace that he was there, but he could get to her quicker if he knew her handle. Just as he stopped right behind her, Weiwei removed the headphones and placed them on the desk next to her, logged out and left. He managed to catch a glimpse of her face now as well as how well she played and how elegant her hands moved across the keyboard. She took his breath away. Nai you're in public keep your cool he kept repeating to himself to ensure he wasn't standing with his mouth wide open. How could someone have such an effect on him? Luckily, he managed to make a mental note of her gaming handle before she walked out.

He felt like he had been hit by lightning. Who was this amazing player that managed to captivate him with just the back of her head and hands? He was being completely irrational he knew but god he could not get her out of his mind now. Nai's uncle walked back to him after finishing his phone call and Nai did not notice. He was in a trans. Weiwei was no longer at the computer either. His uncle put his arm around him "What's up?" his uncle asked "It's about time. Let's go have dinner at your place. I will make a couple of dishes for you." Still a little taken aback but the pull of attraction he felt for the girl that was sat at the computer he agreed and walked out of the internet café with his uncle and made his way towards his house.  

_________________

Well I'm writing the whole Cdrama Love O2O in English for all of you to read and enjoy😊.

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Weiwei sat in her dorm room the next day with her tool kit spaced out on the desk and began to repair the damaged laptop. As she started to unscrew everything Er Xi let out a shout that made her jump. "Weiwei, Zhenyi Tech is looking for summer interns to. They want computer majors. Should I sign you up?"

After taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looked at Er Xi weighing her options. "Sure! Sounds good", she replied as she was fighting to get the back casing of her laptop off. "We need to get a summer internship anyway. Why don't you sign Xiaoling and Sisi up to?"

"Okay!" Er Xi said making an Ok symbol with her hand at the same time. Weiwei loved Er Xi's gestures and cute faces, they made her smile at times when she didn't have much to smile about. Er Xi turned back to her laptop to fill in all the forms needed to apply for all 4 internships.

About an hour later Weiwei secured the last screw into the casing of her laptop. She connected the charger into the power supply. With a silent prayer she hit the power button hoping it would power back on. SUCCESS!!!! A sigh of relief moved through her when the computer powered on and everything was still on her computer that was there previously. "Got it!", she let out.

Er Xi walked to Weiwei's side with two mugs and placed one in front of her, "You fixed it for real?" she questioned. "I'll depend on you for all my hardware woes."

Weiwei was checking that she definitely had not lost anything "No problem", she sighed a breath of relief everything was still there. "It's a piece of cake, I'll be at your services", she told Er Xi while she was waiting for a Chinese Ghost story to connect.

Er Xi noticed Weiwei was logging on to the game and let out a laugh and began to tease her. "Back to gaming as soon as your laptop is fixed. Gaming is your life!".

They both beamed at each other. "I'm done with studying. I have finished all my work". Weiwei teased back as she logged into the server. "This just goes to show how efficient I am".

Er Xi let out a girlish giggle "Please! That was just a random comment and you got all narcissistic".

As Er Xi walked across the room back to her desk, Weiwei began to explain "I used to think playing games was a waste of time too. I only found out after I tried it, that it's a fantastic world". Er Xi looked back at Weiwei in amazement and wondered what had gotten into her friend to make her sentimental at that moment in time.

"I've got the dream and the talent. Why not work hard for it" Weiwei continued, knowing that she was bragging. Er Xi had to agree with the hard-working part of her statement.

Weiwei logged into the game and a message immediately popped up on her screen from Zhenshui. "Weiwei meet me at the Rock of Lives. Let's annul our in-game marriage?"

"Why?", she typed

"Sorry, please don't ask!" She didn't find this response strange as they were not close friends and only in game spouses to complete quests and both were strategically matched. "I will give you a set of OP equipment as compensation", he told her hoping that this would compensate her enough.

Why is he offering a break-up fee she questioned herself before starting to type out her message to him? She didn't want or need anything from him. "It's Okay", she told him "I'll be right over, to see you". Weiwei made her way to the Rock of lives where she Zhenshui was using the trees around him for target practice with a golden bow and arrow. He turned to look at her with sympathy in his eyes and said "You came, Weiwei. I am really sorry".

"It's fine, Let's go", she replied. They walked together into the scared gardens where the blossom trees were in full bloom with leaves that looked like cotton candy ready to eat. Some of the leaves were floating to the floor as gently as feathers from an angel. Weiwei and Zhenshui made their way to the centre of the garden where there was a rock formation and 2 statues. One of a young man looking longingly into the distance as if looking for a long-lost love. The second statue was a girl sat on a cloud posed as if she were floating through the air. Her hair and clothes looked as they had wind sweeping through them. The way the two statues were positioned made it look as if the couple were lovers pining for each other. The Rock of Lives was placed in the middle. This was where Weiwei and Zhenshui started their marriage and it was now where the marriage was ending.

••••••••••••

"What's tonight?" A male voice announced within the game. "The moon remains the same." The voice changed from a male voice to a female voice "When will love and hatred ever end? Across lands, seas and lunar phases. Happiness is the most elusive of all"

A window popped up in Weiwei's computer screen with the message "Annul In-Game Marriage?", it also gave her the option to accept or decline. With no hesitation she moved her mouse over to the accept button and double clicked so that the annulment was final.

A tear dropped from the female statues eyes and started to fly through the air as if a single drop of rain was about to fall from the sky. The drop split into two. One floated towards Weiwei and the other towards Zhenshui. They both held a single tear drop that had now became two and started to float above their hand. When a female voice in the game announced "Drink the water of amnesia and partners become strangers". As this was announced both Weiwei and Zhenshui both drank the tear drop. "Luwei Weiwei and Zhenshui Wuxiang have fallen out of love". The game continued to announce. Weiwei turned to Zhenshui "I have got things to do. See you".

As she went to leave Zhenshui stopped her "Wait". Again, she had a message appear on her computer screen that Zhenshui was trying to gift her equipment. "Please accept this equipment as my compensation to you?"

"It's fine, really. We only became in-game spouses for a quest". Weiwei told him. "There are no hard feelings for breaking up. I should go and complete my daily quests. We will take on monsters again together someday", she told him. Although she held no feelings towards Zhenshui there is no point creating an enemy where she did not have one before. She genuinely wanted to remain friendly with him. He nodded in agreement "Okay", and both walked in opposite directions.

Nini was making her way through the forest, just outside Jingling city at speed a couple of days later. She had to get to Weiwei to find out from her what happened. Zhenshui and Weiwei were an in-game couple the last time Weiwei spoke to Nini. Nini felt nervous for her friend. She hoped she was okay. What was Zhenshui thinking. As that train of thought came to an end, she saw Weiwei collecting herbs in a nearby grass and herb area of the forest. She quickened her pace to sit next to Weiwei. "Weiwei, why are you here collecting herbs?" she questioned. She was trying to gauge how Weiwei was feeling.

"What's wrong", Weiwei replied.

"What's wrong?", Nini questioned "Did you break up with Zhenshui?", hoping her friend was going to tell her that everything she had heard about Zhenshui was horrible rumours.

"Yes, I thought you had big news", Weiwei replied while still looking at the herbs on the ground and choosing carefully the one's she needed.

"Why are you so calm", Nini probed further. Surely Weiwei could not be this calm about everything. She had to be hurting somewhere, she had been dumped and now her ex in-game husband is marrying the beauty of the server. "I heard he and Xiaoyu YaoYao will soon become in-game spouses".

"Xiaoyu YaoYao?", Weiwei questioned, she had never heard the name before and did not know who Nini was talking about.

"Don't you know her? She won the Dreamy Angel Contest known as the number one beauty of "A Chinese Ghost Story Online Game" Nini continued to tell her. As Weiwei nodded in acknowledgment Nini took the herbs from Weiwei and told her "Drop the herbs and go and check the site!".

"I'll go look right now", Weiwei pulled up the Dream Angel Contest web page and Xiaoyu YaoYao was indeed at the number one spot. She was gorgeous by society standards. She had skin that was pale and clear. There was not a blemish to be seen, her brown chocolate eyes made you feel safe with her.

She had the type of beauty that made the models on billboards look mediocre. Her hair sat neatly but had wild waves through every strand. Weiwei thought she was very pretty however there was more to someone than just what they looked like. Weiwei knew she was attractive herself but never liked to be judged by it. She always like to have her intelligence and culture be judged before her looks.

As Weiwei clicked back into the game another message immediately came up on her screen. "You really broke up?", the young girl from her clan asked.

"Yes, we only became in-game spouses for the quest." She didn't know how many times she was going to have to explain it to people. She wasn't emotionally invested in her relationship with Zhenshui, every one she was friends with seemed to think she was besotted by him. "Don't take it to heart", she told the younger clan member.

"It's still a shame", the young girl typed back.

"Zhenshui is a nice guy. I didn't think he would be infatuated by beauty. On the other, YaoYao is really pretty. I heard she fancied that guy on the equipment ranking, I didn't expect her to get with Zhenshui. But I did notice that they have been levelling up together."

"I see", Weiwei replied really not interested in the history behind Zhenshui and YaoYao.

"It's not all Zhenshui's fault, though." The girl told Weiwei. She had to tell her friend what they were saying about her in the game but was scared of the consequences. She took a deep breath and began to type "The thing is, Weiwei...." She really didn't want to say this but had to.

"What?" Weiwei questioned noticing the hesitation in her friends messaging.

"You're so skilled, you're number six on the duel ranking." The girl started to ramble nervously. "You never ask the boys for equipment and you never post photos of yourself. The thing is, everyone suspects you that you are a guy playing as a girl".

Weiwei had to read what was in front of her 3 or 4 times before it sank in. Now came frustration why did she have to be a guy because she didn't want pictures of herself posted all over the internet. Why was it not enough now to be capable in what you were doing? Why is it when a woman is good at something, she automatically has to be a man. So many arguments ran through Weiwei's head as she was trying to think of how to respond without being rude.

"Bio-guy in disguise?" She said out loud not realising she spoke. Er Xi who was reading a romance novel online at the time jumped clean out of her seat because Weiwei had startled her. When Er Xi turned to look at Weiwei that is when the flood gates opened for her. "What? I'm a bio-guy in disguise because I don't post photos? What's with this superficial world?" Weiwei questioned.

"Bei Weiwei, you are the prettiest girl in our department". Er Xi scolded her. "If you say that what will the rest of us do? Be quiet! I am in the middle of that web fiction. I was so wrapped up in it, when you snapped me back to reality!". Er Xi turned back towards the screen and started to read her novel.

When Weiwei turned back to her computer screen the female voice of the game announced "Congratulations to Mr Zhenshui Wuxiang and Miss Xiaoyu YaoYao. May your merry matrimony last forever, and never shall you part". Weiwei continued to make her way across the bridge towards the forest to collect herbs and plants to make medicines, however Weiwei could feel nature calling and needed to use the bathroom. She tried to get across the bridge and away from the wedding procession before it arrived however her body had different ideas. She ran to the bathroom leaving her computer logged in and the avatar she played with stand on the pinnacle of the bridge.

As Weiwei was in the bathroom Zhenshui and YaoYao made their way closer to her. Zhenshui dressed in a traditional Chinese wedding suit, instead of the white hair that he normally wore his hair was the colour of raven's feathers. He rode a chocolate colour horse with red bridling. YaoYao was inside the wedding sedan that was draped in red and gold. Her wedding dress was ruby red with gold embroidery that was hand stitched. She wore a red and gold veil that matched her dress over her face, inhibiting her vision so she could not see a thing. She could hear all the people making comments as she and Zhenshui passed them. "Nice!" She smiled knowing that people approved her choice of marriage. Her 3 best friends, Xiaoyu Qingqing, Xiaoyu Feifei and Xiaoyu Mianmian, were outside the sedan walking next to her ensuring she was safe and that no one was going to ruin their best friend's wedding.

All three friends had smug sneers on their face and were unfriendly girls that had corrupted minds. "I think they'll go far", all 4 girls smiled as they heard the comments. "Exactly!" The girls giggled as they could hear comments saying how beautiful YaoYao was. "They are quite compatible", one player said.

"Right", another player agreed "They are a match made in heaven.

Meanwhile Weiwei is still in the bathroom but her avatar is frozen like a statue on the bridge that Zhenshui and YaoYao are just coming up to. Zhenshui notices that Weiwei is just standing staring on the bridge and wonders what she is doing. Why would she ruin his wedding when she was okay with annulling the wedding? The three girls noticed also and began to make comments about Weiwei. "How much red envelop money do you think Zhenshui Wuxiang will give out this time" one player commented. As it is custom to give red packets filled with money at weddings.

"888, it's a good omen. I only want 888", says another player. Both players laugh. "I can't help but think of Luwei Weiwei", the player continues. "I wonder how she is feeling now?" He notices that she is standing right behind him as he says this. "Luwei Weiwei", he questions.

"Isn't that Luwei Weiwei?" another play asks

"Do you see her?"

"I see Zhenshui Wuxiang's former in-game spouse on Red Sparrow Bridge!", a player commented in the global chat room.

"That's right, I see her" another player commented.

"Really?', a different player questioned.

"There she is!" A male player told the chat room. "She looks so sad!" he told everyone.

"Attention is only ever given to the newlyweds. No one cares about the jilted lover".

"Darn!", a different male player commented

"This is going to be a good show! She might be here to storm the wedding."

While comments were coming through thick and fast in the chatroom of the game. Weiwei does still not have any idea as to what is happening. One player who was standing up for Weiwei said "YaoYao stole her man. Of course, she is showing off, YaoYao is shameless". This causes YaoYao and Zhenshui to become furious about anyone saying anything against YaoYao.

Zhenshui was sat in his office breathing deeply to try and calm himself before he let his temper get to him and said anything to Weiwei that he would later regret.

"Totally shameless!" another player agreed. The three Xiaoyu girls were determined they would get their revenge on Weiwei for this. Xiaoyu Feifei's temper got the best of her and she commented "What is with Luwei Weiwei? She got dumped! How dare she storm the wedding?".

"Zhenshui, what's with you?", question Qingqing. In her eyes Zhenshui should be standing up for YaoYao and ensuring that Weiwei could not cause any more problems.

"That hag must be jealous of YaoYao. She is here to stir up trouble. You must take proper action!".

"That's right! You owe it to us." Mianmian told him.

"Don't blame Zhenshui. I am sure he doesn't want this, either", the softly spoken voice came from inside the wedding sedan.

Zhenshui turned listening to what they were saying. He did owe YaoYao for Weiwei causing a scene at their wedding. He had told her that he had handled the situation and he obviously missed something. He turned to face YaoYao's sedan and told her "I will do right by you".

Inside the sedan YaoYao smiled, happy with what Zhenshui had said and was glad that he was going to act on what had happened. She did not like Weiwei. There was no rhyme or reason for YaoYao's contempt. She just did not think she was a nice person and would do anything to ensure that Weiwei would not be in her or her friend's company.

They made their way past the bridge just as Weiwei came back to her computer. OH NO!!! What was happening? Weiwei looked through the chat logs quickly. "I only went to the bathroom. What have I done? Why does everyone think I'm storming the wedding?" She questioned out loud. She had to get herself out of this sticky situation. What was she going to do? "If I run away now, the gossipy crowd will think I am heartbroken", trying to think of a way out of this horrible situation.

"What's wrong? Didn't you say no hard feelings yesterday?", the message from Zhenshui popped up on her screen. "I offered you compensation, too, but you rejected it!", he continued to scold her. He leaned back in his office chair with anger trying to understand what she was playing at.

"Dude, I'm only here as an onlooker", she told him. "I can't leave, yet I can't stay!", what do I do she thought. "Got it!', as she signalled for her computer to sit her avatar down on the ground.

A sign popped up above her head that said Medicines for sale. She then began to shout "Take a look! Fully certified herbalist with the latest medicine! Twenty percent off the regular price." She told the chat room.

"She is selling medicine", another player said.

"Twenty percent off? That's cheap", a different player commented. Zhenshui watched and signalled for his avatar to move on and not hang around to pay her anymore attention.

Weiwei was being inundated with messages to buy medicines from her. She was answering them as quickly as she could and told people that there was a queue. When the wedding procession was out of sight Weiwei told the gamers that she had sold out.

One gamer asked "When will you be selling medicine again?".

"It depends on my mood" replied Weiwei.

The group began to disperse and Weiwei began to walk away. However, someone got her attention before she left.

She looked at the male character under a weeping willow tree with the long branches reaching the floor. He was tucked inside them like a painting. He was dressed in white and had long dark flowing hair that fell over his shoulders with a portable Guzheng on his back.

She recognised the silhouette but could not place him until his name popped up above his head. Yixiao Naihe???? He was the number 1 player on the whole server.

He was her idol, online anyway. No one could replace Xiao Nai in reality. They stood staring at each other, Weiwei afraid to even mutter a word in case she offended the great one. She thought what he could want.

A lord! An idol! A rich guy! All these thoughts went through her head and in an instant, they were gone. She signalled her avatar to go down to talk to him. "Yes, Mr Yixiao Naihe?", hoping he would tell her why he was looking for her.

"What did you think of the wedding?", he asked. She looked in the direction the wedding procession had travelled confused by what he was asking. Did he just come to find her to gossip?

"It was okay", she told him, still trying to figure out what he wanted.

"Would you like a grander wedding?". he continued, she looked slightly confused by his question. "Form an in-game marriage with me?", he asked her.

Weiwei gasped in shock. Why did he want to marry her? It didn't make sense. "Did your account get hacked?", she asked him just after a laugh escaped from her.

In his dorm room Xiao Nai had a smile on his face that was only growing with happiness. Why would she automatically think his account was hacked. "Did you see the news on the official website?" he asked her. "The battle championship?"

Weiwei signalled her avatar to sit. "So, he wants to compete with me", she started to tell herself but was still questioning "Why did the number one player on the server choose her?" So, she started to hit the keys and clarified with him.

"You're approaching me for the battle championship?".

Nai signalled his avatar to kneel beside Weiwei "Yes", he confirmed.

"Why me?"

"You are the only female player in the top ten duelling ranking." He explained. As he typed the message his heart was racing and he felt nervous. This was a new experience for him. He was confident in everything he had done and knew what he wanted to achieve.

This time it was different, in normal circumstances he only had himself to rely on and that was fine by him, in this circumstance he had to depend on someone else's thoughts and feeling and that made him nervous as well as she made him nervous.

Mr Naihe is quite formidable the inner monologue in Weiwei's head started to tell her. He is ranked number 1 on the player vs player ranking. If I work with him, I'll have at least a fifty-percentage chance of winning.

My first in-game marriage was for a quest she continued to tell herself. Should player vs player battle be the reason for my second in game marriage? On the other hand, arguing both sides of the coin are important, if not for quests or battles why should I be tied down to a stranger? She kept bouncing back and forth on wither to say yes or no.

Meanwhile Xiao Nai was waiting with baited breath. She has not said anything for a couple of minutes and her avatar keeps walking in circles around his. She has not said anything to him for a couple of minutes.

He stayed where he was until he thought she was ready to talk to him. He signalled his avatar to stand and as he did Weiwei spun around to face him "I'll do it", YES! Nai thought. One step closer to finding out who she is. "Let's go to the Rock of Lives!" she told Xiao Nai.

His heart was racing and he was the happier in that moment than he had been in a long time. He managed to get the goddess of his dreams, in the game anyway, to agree to an in-game relationship but that was a step close to securing a relationship with the person. Weiwei is a goddess to him.

Whatever she wanted he would ensure she had. He would ensure she was happy and protected at all costs. He was determined to protect her from anything that wanted to come at her, he was going to start by ensuring he gave her a better wedding than Zhenshui had given both Weiwei and YaoYao.

"Wait", he told her.

"I need to prepare for it! Eight O'clock, three days from now".

"Prepare for what?" She was perplexed a wedding in the game was not that big of a deal.

"The wedding banquet", he was going to do the right thing by her and hopefully he will be able to win the heart of the princess behind the keyboard and screen.

"A registration will do", she told him, they were only marrying for the championship so what did it matter. "It's just for the competition, why make a big fuss?" She asked him

"I am Yixiao Naihe", he told her. "My wedding cannot be haphazard", as he walked away, she questioned what had just happened and was she dreaming. How did she go from newly jilted ex-wife to newly engaged in a matter of minutes?

Xiao Nai on the other hand logged out of the game elated that he found the girl that has occupied his mind since he saw her across the internet café and managed to secure an in-game engagement with her in less than 24 hours. The smile that was on his face began to hurt but he couldn't help but smile more. His happiness was growing much like the flowers of spring. You could see how it lit up his eyes and continued to bring light to the rest of his face. Luckily, he was facing the window and away from his 2 roommates that were in the dorm with him or he would never hear the end of it. A smile was something that did not grace his face often.

If you were to look at him normally, he was very aloof and people had commented on how he had a cold personality. "Every day feels the same, except for today", Yugong Banshan burst through the doors of their dorm room. 'BROS!", Yugong shouted.

The three men sitting in the dorm didn't acknowledge his presence they continued with what they were doing. "Good News!" He teased further. "There is a chance we will get a date" he told them trying to coax a reaction out of them.

Nai shared the dorm room with his three best friends and business partners. Hao Mei was currently sitting on his bed adjusting some computer parts. Houzi Jiu was sitting at the table that was in the middle of the dorm room restyling his hair for the hundredth time that day, all three of them ignored Yugong's rantings and

proclamations. It probably was not going to happen and all four of them knew it.

'Hey, can't you give me some sort of reaction?" Yugong pleaded.

Houzi took this opportunity to tease Yugong. "What's with getting a date? Is it a rarity?", he joked. "I can just get a pack of dates at the supermarket", Houzi laughed.

"Oh my god", Yugong let out in exasperation

"No wonder your still single. I am serious!" Yugong walks to the table and sits in the chair next to Houzi. He picked up two energy drinks and hands one Houzi. "I met a girl a while back. She's the campus beauty okay?"

"I think I have heard of her. Meng Haoran! Right?", Houzi replied.

Nai is slyly listening to the conversation behind him. He was going to tell his friends that he was getting married in the game. He wanted them to be there but Nai is a quiet person and likes to do things under the radar. He kept reading while Yugong and Houzi were bickering like siblings. "WHAT! NO!", Yugong shouted.

Nai smiled laughing at the way his friends continually argued. 'Meng Haoran is the poet who wrote 'Song of Everlasting Sorrow', her name is Meng Yiran", Yugong told him patronisingly.

"Sorry, sorry" Houzi apologised.

"And?" Hao Mei questioned from the bed he was sitting on that was the top bunk. The dorm held 2 sets of bunk beds and 4 individual desks with a bigger dining table in the middle. "That girl is interested in you?" He questioned.

"OF COURSE!", Yugong replied although all three guys knew the only person Meng Yiran was interested in was Nai "I'm handsome", he continues to tell them. "it would be illogical if she were not into me. I have just been waiting for the girl to come and seduce me. I just got contacted, the campus beauty's computer is busted. She wants me to go and fix it".

"How is it broken?" Hao Mei asked hoping it was something difficult and produce a challenge that maybe all of them could get involved in.

"I think the RAM stick is broken', Yugong told him.

"BORING!!!", Hao Mei joked with him

"You should all be single forever", Yugong cursed them. "Come on, hear me out. Let's storm into their dorm, fix her computer, get some food and then..."

"I'm interested", Houzi interrupted "but could she be in fact be after someone else". Houzi signalled towards Nai, who was currently still sat facing the sun.

"Mr Hoi, one should always know his own limit", Yugong explained "Our target was never the campus beauty, it's all the girls around her. We will leave the beauty to..." Yugong now signalled towards Nai.

Nai knew without looking that they were talking about him and he wasn't interested. He already knew the campus beauty liked him, she had told him so herself by inviting him to a performance she was having.

Declining that invitation had been easy. The girl from the internet café had already possessed him by that point. She would own his heart to the day he died. She was going to be his wife in the game and if he could work it out correctly in reality as well. He thought this is the perfect time to tell him they were getting married in the game, the they would leave him and the idea of Meng Yiran alone.

"I already have an in-game spouse", he told them. "I will introduce you some day".

The two guys at the table jumped to their feet and Hao Mei leaped from the top bunk to the floor without using the ladders.

"You've got an in-game spouse", Yugong questioned him.

Nai took the opportunity to really drive the point home. "That means I am a family man. I shouldn't be fixing another girls computer", Nai was not just saying the words for lip service.

He was saying them because he saw himself as a man with a wife. Although his wife was still an angel in his dreams at this moment, but he hoped she would be a reality very soon.

He was anxious and excited to learn everything about her. "If you are interested you should go", he told him friend and walked past them.

As he went to walk out of their dorm room his friends grabbed his shoulders and stopped him.

"Mr Xiao Nai bro!", Yugong said in a sweet voice that Nai knew he wanted something. "I want to meet your wife".

"That's right Nai", Hao Mei seconded what Yugong had suggested. "I want to meet the seductress that stole your heart".

The next day Weiwei had agreed with Naihe that they would go monster hunting. She was not expecting to log in and find 4 male characters standing waiting for her. "So, you're the girl that swindled our buddy, Nai!", Houzi said to her.

"Where are your manners?" Yugong scolded him "GET LOST!" He sat typing a message to Weiwei and when it appeared on all of the screen's seconds later, he had asked the same question Houzi asked seconds earlier. Houzi and Hao Mei laughed however Nai gave Yugong the type of death start that would scare the dead.

Weiwei didn't know who she was talking to and was confused. "You are...?" she questioned.

"They are my teammates. Moz Hata, Houzi Jui and Yugong Pashan", Nai introduced.

"Hello, everyone! Nice to meet you", Weiwei typed back hoping that Naihe's teammates were as good as he was. She hoped she could learn some things from them.

"MRS NAI DOES EXIST!!!" Hao Mei exclaimed in disbelief.

"The forever single guy, has a wife", Yugong said in astonishment. "Now we won't be belittled whenever we go into an instance dungeon, they won't call us the 'Single Nerds Team' anymore".

Houzi recognised Weiwei's gaming handle "Mrs Nai's handle looks familiar", he told his buddies who were all sat around the dining table in their room.

"Now that you mention it", Hao Mei noticed and recognised her name as well "I think she is ranked in the top ten", Hao Mei confirmed.

"I remember now", Houzi cried out "Luwei Weiwei.... is Zhenshui Wuxiang's former wife?" All three guys looked at Nai with a mischievous glint in their eyes. Houzi started to ask Weiwei about Zhenshui. When Hao Mei read the message, he punched Houzi in the arm with some strength that made Houzi wince with the pain that radiated up his arm. Weiwei looked at the message and took a deep breath because she was really tired of answering questions about Zhenshui.

"Naihe and I are ....' She hesitated before finishing the message. What were her and Naihe doing? She didn't know herself.

"Yeah, she put her trust in the wrong guy", Nai answered before she got the chance to finish typing any message. Weiwei read the message Naihe sent and automatically hid her face in her hands.

When she looked at what was written for a second time, she could feel her heart to begin to pick up speed. She felt the temperature in her face begin to heat up, she was blushing.

It was the first time she didn't have to explain herself and someone stood up for her with no explanation needed. She didn't realise the smile on her face was as bright as the sun until her cheeks began to hurt.

Houzi told Nai "Okay, I got it. As the saying goes, who among us hasn't encountered some rascals", without missing a beat all three of his friends pointed directly to Houzi.

"Mrs Nai forget him", Yugong told Weiwei

"Nai is infinitely better".

"Let's get to know each other by going into an instance dungeon", Hao Mei suggested.

In the game all five characters entered the dungeon together. When a gust of wind blew past them and the leaves from the bamboo trees around them started to hit them. Weiwei, Naihe and the three guys brought their weapons to their faces to protect themselves.

When the wind faded a monster made completely from the bamboo trees with eyes that glowed as if he was possessed began to attack Weiwei and the team. They spread strategically to ensure the best methods of attack. Yugong attacked first so the monster's attention was diverted.

It worked. The bamboo creature made a run at Yugong, Hao Mei and Houzi then started to attack the monster and it quickly died.While Yugong, Houzi and Hao Mei dealt with one wooden creature, Weiwei and Naihe dealt with the bigger of the two wooden creatures.

This one had tusks for teeth. Naihe got the Guzheng from his back and started to pluck at the strings. The instrument beneath his fingers began to glow with an ethereal style to it. An orb began to float above the instrument with the same glow.

Anyone would have thought it was angelic to look at it. The glow then began to move at a quick pace towards the bamboo creature. As the orb passed through the monster it fell backwards. Weiwei saw the monster was injured and used the moment the creature stumbled backwards to attack again.

She used 2 smaller swords instead of her large sword. A wave of fire resonating from the hilt travelled through the blade and out of towards the monster. The fire rushed over the wooden creature like the waves in the ocean would wave over a rock bed and the monster was vanquished. Both creatures were vanquished moments apart. It was an easy task for these season players.

When all the avatars were stood together the doctor avatar of the group, played by Houzi healed any injures and bring like bars back to one hundred percent.

''Pretty good Mrs Nai!" Hao Mei typed "It's rare to find someone who can keep up with us." She didn't know that she gained their respect by playing the game and fighting alongside them rather than running away and hiding, which was what most girls did in the game.

All 4 of the guys believed the way you played games had an influence on your everyday life. If you had an aggressive style of play, they believed that you were an ambitious person in life. Weiwei showed them she would never back down from a challenge and they liked that.

"Thanks", Nai told Hao Mei before Weiwei had a chance to respond. Yugong let out an irritated laugh. "The compliment isn't for you", Yugong told him. Weiwei blushed behind the screen and became bashful so didn't say anything.

"When is your in-game wedding banquet", Hao Mei asked "Don't forget to invite us!"

"The day after tomorrow", Nai told them.

All three of the guys looked at each other in confusion. Was he forgetting? "Erm isn't the day after tomorrow your..."

Before Houzi finished his sentence Nai cut him off "It's fine, there's time".

"Are you busy that day?": Weiwei asked. She didn't mind changing it if Naihe needed to be somewhere else. She didn't want to cause a problem for him. "We can reschedule", she assures Naihe.

"No, the day after tomorrow is auspicious. It's good for weddings", he told her. He knew he was maybe thinking too much on the date but he wanted it to be lucky. He wanted to end up with this girl in reality, he still could not shake her from his head. Whenever he closed his eyes, she was there playing at the internet café again. So, he wanted everything to be lucky, so that there were good omens for him asking her to meet with him at a later date.

In their dorm room however Yugong took the opportunity to start messing with one of his best friends. "Dude you amaze me!" he joked "You picked an auspicious day for your virtual wedding".

Nai's expression didn't change, which is partly the reason people call him aloof, cold and sometimes arrogant. You could tell him anything and his face would stay the same. He rarely smiled; he always had a plan going on his head. Wither it be for the business or in his personal life. He was the son of two professors, so he was very intellectual himself. He never showed emotion and was always detached from any situation. He didn't have many friends around him. The three guys he shared the dorm with were the only friends he needed. He knew how to conduct himself in a business setting very well but in a social setting was very unfavourable. People took that as him being cool and collected around the attention he would get whenever he would step out of the dorm at university. The girls on campus would scream when they saw him and camera phones were automatically taken out and photographs were taken of the elusive Xiao Nai. In all honesty he paid it no attention and paid the girls no attention that would approach him. In most circumstances he would just ignore them if he could. If he had to interact with them, he would but not politely. He was very straight to the point.

The next day Weiwei was sitting in class and had the biggest cheesiest grin on her face, much like the Cheshire cat from a popular children's book. Weiwei had asked Xiaoling to borrow her mobile phone she wanted to check what Naihe meant about the day being auspicious, she also wanted to check how long she had before she had to be online. She had found since she had met Naihe, the excitement for her to talk to him again was intense. She was genuinely liking the person and getting to know him further. This wasn't the norm for her. She liked playing "A Chinese Ghost Story", and was good at it but she never got over excited about playing it. Yet she found herself counting down the time to when she could log in and speak to him. She clicked with Naihe in way that she had never connecting with anybody before. Xiaoling was looking over Weiwei's shoulder to try and find out what the smile was about. "What weird things are you looking at?" she asked Weiwei. Weiwei snapped back to reality really quickly and moved the phone closer to her chest as if she was looking at something weird. "What is that weird thing happening to your face", she teased "A smile?"

Weiwei locked the phone screen quickly, although she didn't know why she was just looking at the calendar. "What?", Weiwei replied. "There is nothing weird about me. I am quite serious", Weiwei put Xiaoling's phone back on her desk returning it to her.

"I will just see for myself", Xiaoling picked up the phone and opened the screen to see the calendar open. Confused as to why Weiwei would hide that from her was strange. They didn't hide anything from each other.

Er Xi came from nowhere it seemed and grabbed Weiwei's arm with near hysteria.

"The basketball game is today!!!" she proclaimed with a level of excitation that was far from normal. "When are we going to grab our seats?", she nagged at Weiwei as if Er Xi was a child and Weiwei her mother.

"Oh right, the basketball game is today too!", Weiwei had forgotten with everything that happened in the game she had lost track of what was happening in the real world.

"Maybe I shouldn't go, I am busy tonight", she told her three besties who were all stood around her at this point.

"What????" Er Xi questioned in shock. "You're not going to Xiao Nai's basketball game? Are you part of the Xiao Nai clan or Not", that's what Nai's fan club called themselves? The Xiao Nai clan, not very original but Weiwei didn't get to choose the name.

"DISQUALIFIED", Er Xi shouted.

"Come on! There are few of us girls in the computer department as it is", Sisi told Weiwei while taking her hand "We should show our support!". All three girls then started to annoy Weiwei by poking her and saying "Let's go please?"

"Fine", Weiwei said in irritation. "I'll go. I just need to leave early". All three girls agreed and smiled.

"Let's go", Sisi exclaimed and ran to pick her belongings.

While Weiwei was getting slightly less excited than she normally would about seeing Xiao Nai, he was busy getting ready for a tech conference for start up businesses. As he checked he had everything he needed before he left his apartment that was off of the university campus, he called Yugong and told him that he was on his way.

The basketball gym was beginning to fill up with the young women hoping to catch just a glimpse of Nai. He was very seldom seen on campus so if there was a hint he was going to be somewhere everyone turned up. He was a senior now and managed to complete all of his work without being seen by the female population of the university. Dazhong, Xiaoling's boyfriend, was waiting for the four girls and had kept them seats on the front row. He saw Er Xi walk in and stood up to meet them. "Xiaoling, Dazhong is here!"

"Finally!', he lectured. "If you came any later, I wouldn't be able to keep your seats."

"It's only three", Weiwei questioned Doesn't the game start at six?"

"With the draw of Xiao, everyone has come to secure a seat." He explained to them. "I heard even Meng Yiran is here."

Jealousy reared its head in Xiaoling's heart. How could he be excited about another girl being at his basketball game when she was stood right in front of him. "Oh, the campus beauty???" She looked at him with intolerance in her eyes "Why do you care if she is here?"

"No, I don't", he tried to assure her. "I only heard it from the others." He was beginning to panic. He wanted her at his game and didn't want to upset her. This was going to be his wife. "I haven't looked at her once", he told her.

"Just lead the way" she told him in an aggressive tone.

"Okay", he said softly to her, to try and ease her anger. "Let's go", he took the girls to the seats that had four of his teammate's bags on them. He lifted the bags so the girls could sit.

"Dazhong, when will Mr Xiao be here", Xiaoling asked. She was interested for her friends but knew it would upset him that she was asking about another man. "He won't wait until six, will he? He has to warm up before the game" she quizzed him.

"Right!" Er Xi chimed in "We got here so early, just so we wouldn't miss the warm-up".

The shoe was now on the other foot and the little green-eyed monster came out in Dazhong. He looked to floor upset "Xiaoling, are you here to see me or Nai?" The jealousy was blatantly obvious from Dazhong, it was leaking out from his pores.

Xiaoling stifled a laugh "To see Mr Xiao of course!" she told him looking to her friends as she winked at them. She knew exactly what she was doing. "Why would I come to see you?"

This triggered something in Dazhong and he became angry very quickly. "You are her for Nai?" he asked "Then you should go! Nai might not be here." He knew very well that Nai wasn't going to be at the game and didn't want her to leave but his mouth worked before his brain kicked into gear.

All four girls looked at him incredulously. "What about the poster?" Er Xi asked.

"The poster was our idea." He began to explain "Would the gym be packed otherwise?", he asked them.

"What? It's false advertising?", Weiwei told him.

"What the heck!", Sisi jumped in "A gym full of girls fell for your lie"

"We never said the guy on the poster was Nai" Dazhong said "You imagined it on your own. That has nothing to do with me".

"If so, why am I here so early", Xiaoling asked him "Come on let's go back to the dorm. We can get something to eat. Let's go".

Dazhong stood in the way "Xiaoling, are you my girlfriend or not? If you leave, you won't be able to keep your seats."

Xiaoling tried to reassure him but the anger she felt towards him came out at the same time as the reassurance. "Don't worry, if Nai doesn't show up there will be lots of empty seats. Get out of my way!" she pushes him aside and all four girls walk out of the gym and plan to come back just before the game starts.

Across Beijing, Nai was preparing to present the mobile game he and his friends had spent their college years designing. The Gaming Start-up Interactive Meeting was a forum where new start-up companies could meet established technology companies.

This could help a start-up become huge if- an established tech company wants to collaborate and develop the game further.

Yugong, Houzi and Hao Mei were all stood outside the entrance waiting on Nai. They had already checked out the attendance list and were pretty impressed by who turned out. "Ah, he's here", Houzi pointed out. Nai walked up to his three business partners with confidence. If he was nervous you couldn't see it

"There are a lot of teams here", Houzi told Nai.

"I looked at the guest list, they heavyweights are also here."

"Fengteng Tech, executives from NetEase Game's investment division and expanse capital" Yugong advised him. "Nai, don't be nervous".

Nai smiled slightly at Yugong. He didn't get nervous about most things the only thing that he found had made him nervous was Weiwei. "Are you kidding"

All three guys let out nervous laughs.

Although Nai wasn't nervous, they were visibly nervous. "Cocky!", Hao Mei commented giving thumbs up to Nai. "That's the Nai we know". All men dressed in formal dark navy-blue suits, walk into the conference and find their seats. They know they ae last to present so have to sit through all the other start-up companies' presentations.

Meanwhile back at the University the girls walk back into the gym in time for the game to start. "See! Just as I predicted" Xiaoling tells them. "Half of the crowd is gone". As the girls take their seats Er Xi spots Meng Yiran sitting further back in the crowd. She gasps and turns to grab Weiwei.

"Weiwei, I saw Yiran and her sidekick over there'.

"Does she have a crush on Xiao Nai?", Sisi questions.

"That's a given!" Er Xi told her "Of course she does. She must be into him. Thankfully Mr Xiao is aloof and doesn't care for anyone. If she bags him, I will cry for three days straight."

"The game's starting. Eyes on the court!'" Weiwei told her friends. As the players ran out to the court the girl noticed one of the players from the Biology department coming towards them. "Here we go again", Sisi told Weiwei.

The young man ran up to Weiwei while the basketball was in his hand and he was visibly nervous. He gave Weiwei a cautious smile and approached her very timidly. She was seen as the beauty of the computer department and was also a runner up in the campus beauty contest, so was seen as the girl to have on your arm by any of the departments. "Miss Weiwei, if we win, can I treat you to a late-night supper?"

Oh awkward! Weiwei thought. She hated this part. She was genuinely not interested in any of the guys on campus. All three of her friends giggled. The guy was not sure if the giggles were out of nervousness or if they were laughing at him either way, he became very uncomfortable. "Will you lose?", Weiwei asked him.

"Of Course not!" the guy replied confidently.

Weiwei smiled at him with a friendly smile "Go get them!" she told him.

"I will win for sure!" As he ran back to join his team mates on the court, all of the girls looked down to the floor together and giggled.

Nai had finished presenting his game and was making his way back to the car with the guys, when someone from behind him called his name. He turned to see who was asking for him. Two very professional middle-aged men walked towards him. "Are you still a student?" the older of the two men enquired.

"Yes", he replied "I'm a senior at Qing University".

"Heroes have always been made young", the man told Nai. "Your technology and design have piqued our interest. When are you free? Come and let's have a chat at my office?".

"That's a pleasure, I am afraid to ask for", Nai replied.

"Your game is very lively and down to earth", the younger of the gentleman told Nai.

"However, Mr Xiao isn't so down to earth", he joked.

Nai smiled "Thankfully I am promoting a game, instead of myself"

"Mr Xiao, this is my business card. Let's meet next week", the gentleman held out his business card which Nai took and place on the left inside ****** pocket of his navy suit jacket. Nai nodded in agreement and the men walked away.

In the corner of the room two men stood watching the interaction between the Nai and the tech company. The two men from Zhenyi tech took the opportunity to introduce themselves. "Mr Xiao, I am from Zhenyi tech, here is my business card. I am impressed with your presentation. You're a highly capable young man. Would you be free to come to my office this Thursday for a chat?", he asked.

Nai agreed automatically. "I'll be sure to pay you a visit on Thursday", he told the smart looking gentleman.

"Great see you then". The two men from Zhenyi tech walked away leaving all four guys standing there excited about the prospect of their business taking off.

"Many have expressed interest", Yugong pointed out to Nai. "Looks like we will get a good offer".

"We will find out after the meetings", Nai told him. "It's getting late, I have a date" he walked away with a smug grin on his face.  

••••••••••••••

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Weiwei rushed back to her dorm from the basketball game. The computer department had won and the poor guy from the biology department had left the gym with his tail between his legs. She already had the key for her dorm in her hand before she even got to the building, she lived in. She rushed into the room and fired up her computer, logged into the game where Naihe was waiting for her. Still out of breath from her sprint to the dorm "I'm sorry I'm late", Weiwei apologised.

Nai sat at his desk in his apartment off of campus with his hot water in a flask and replied "It's fine, I just got here too" he reassured her.

"Why is there a crowd", Weiwei asked Nai shocked to see around fifty players waiting for her. "Lu Ren Jian and Ju Shi Yu are leaders of major clans", when she saw the names, she began to fangirl a bit. "What are they doing here?"

"You can ask them", Nai told her. She walked past Nai and his friends and walked up to the group of people that were her idols in the game.

"Congratulations", all of the clans said in unison. "Mr Naihe once did me a great favour" Ju Shi Yu told her. "Now that he's found his bride, how can I miss out on the fun?" he teased. "Anyone in my clan who is free today is here. They will follow the carriage on their horses. It will surely be a spectacular scene.

"That's right", Lu Ren Jian interjected "My clan is here to. Let's have fun together."

"We are all waiting for Mr Naihe's red envelopes" Ju Shi Yu told Weiwei.

A red envelope for each of them, Weiwei's inner monologue told her again. Will he go bankrupt? She turned to face Naihe who met her with a smile. A message appeared in Weiwei's screen, a gift from Naihe of equipment. "What's this", she asked?

"A betrothal gift", he responded

She did not like it when people tried to gift things to her. She could earn things by herself, it offended her slightly when people presumed, she was doing things for free items. "I don't want it", she told him.

"It's for battling", he told her to which she accepted the gift he gave to her. Weiwei has then looked into her inventory in the game and pulled out a rare ring. A message popped up in Nai's screen now telling him that Weiwei was gifting him something. He smiled brightly before accepting it.

"This is my dowry", Weiwei told him "It's not much. I'll make it up to you later". He was already different than Zhenshui, she was beginning to get attached to Naihe and that was dangerous in the gaming world as gamers changed games all the time. She didn't want to end up hurt because he decided he wanted to change the game he was playing and not speak to her again. She was determined to protect herself and not become attached to Naihe.

Nai took the ring from her and reassured her "You are all I need", her heart leapt into her throat when she read the message. "It's time".

Weiwei and Naihe made their way to the middle of the Scared Garden that held the Rock of Lives, this time there was an elder who stood in the middle of the two statues with white hair and a beard that came to meet his belly button. His voice bellowed out "Luwei Weiwei, Yixiao Naihe, make your eternal vows and take each other as your in-game spouse. You're now the one hundred and fifty-eight thousand nine hundred and ninety ninth couple who have married in this server. May your love and cherish each other for the rest of your lives". They turned to look at each other while all the players around them clapped.

In the dorm Yugong, Houzi and Hao Mei started to clap in reality. "It's done", Yugong said cheerily. All three started to dance singing "Flower Petal Shower" in a childlike manner. "I can't believe Nai has a wife", Yugong announced while standing. "I thought he would be single forever considering his crappy personality"

"Ditto", Hao Mei agreed

"He's married now", Houzi pointed out. "That means there is hope for us", he grabbed Yugong and started to ballroom dance around the dorm with him. "Let's Dance", Houzi sang as they were dancing.

"Congratulations, you two", Hao Mei teased. "I'm going to join the parade; I will follow the bridal carriage". The other two agreed and quickly returned to their laptops.

A group of players that were not invited to the wedding started to congregate on the bridges as the bridal sedan was making its journey through Jinling city, including the Xiaoyu's clan.

Naihe sat astride a Cremello horse, that was as white as a polar bear and had piercing blue eyes. The bridling on the horse was rose red and Naihe was dressed in red with his hair pin straight and flowing over his shoulders. Weiwei sat in the bridal sedan that was a deep red like the bloom of poppy fields, of the petals that would bend and move like the wind. The sedan was covered with embroidery that was gold and white, it was breath taking to look at. Inside the sedan Weiwei wore a scarlet gown that matched the colour of the sedan with again white and gold hand stitched embroidery on it. She lifted the veil that matched her dress to peek out of the Sedan and see if she could perhaps see Naihe but couldn't. She knew her teammates were walking to her left she could hear them joking and laughing. She let out the smallest of smiles before she placed the veil back over her face and waited for the procession to stop.

"Didn't Luwei Weiwei just get dumped?" a male player asked. The character was a very menacing character in the game and made Weiwei feel uncomfortable. The character had a scar from the top of his left eye down to his jaw line and would wear a necklace of tiny skulls. "Yixiao Naihe is the best player in this server. He is taking Zhenshui Wuxiang's used harlot?" he questioned to the chatroom. "What is he thinking".

Nai saw the messages and pulled the horse to a stop. He didn't want to start a battle on the day he married Weiwei in the game. It would not be a good luck for their in-game marriage ahead and he may alienate her from wanting to meet him in reality as well.

"Top players are so eccentric", a female player commented "If it were up to me, Yixiao Naihe would be with Xiaoyu YaoYao. The top player should be matched with the top beauty."

"I'm glad someone has taste", Qingqing told YaoYao "Yixiao Naihe must be blind. Why did he marry a hag like Weiwei?"

"Stop it. I already have Zhenshui", YaoYao reprimanded Qingqing.

"I know, I just feel bad for Yixiao Naihe", Qingqing continued "YaoYao, if Naihe desired you too. Who would you pick? Naihe seems quite wealthy too. This wedding is better than Zhenshui's wedding."

"Who cares about money?" YaoYao said indigently "I would pick Zhenshui, for sure!". All four of the Xiaoyu's laughed.

Unknown to Naihe and his team someone has started a poll pitting Naihe against Zhenshui and Weiwei against YaoYao. All of a sudden, the game announced "Yixiao Naihe versus Zhenshui Wuxiang, Yixiao Naihe wins!", Naihe was confused at what was happening until he looked on the website of the game and saw the poll. He was hoping that meant that Weiwei had also won her poll. "Luwei Weiwei versus Xiaoyu YaoYao", come on Weiwei he was saying under his breath. "Xiaoyu YaoYao wins", he was disappointed to say the least.

However, his three best friends and team mates were not accepting that result. This announcement angered them. "Says who?" Yugong announced in the global chatroom. "Mrs Nai is much better! Let's duke it out".

"Right! Let's duke it out if you don't believe us", Houzi backed Yugong. No way was someone smearing their friend's wife like that. No one responded. Nai couldn't help but smile. No one had the guts to say anything to their faces but were big enough to vote on a poll where they were anonymous. Nai turned the horse and kept riding away. He would deal with the male character that called Weiwei a harlot later.

Weiwei sat in her dorm room and realised how touched she was that the teammates stood up for her without a second thought. She had never had this in the game before. If anyone was to stand up for her it was after a lengthy explanation. That was twice now Naihe, Yugong, Hao Mei and Houzi had taken her by surprise. She was becoming more and more attached to them. As the procession continues, she took out her practice test papers to study. She is busy answering the questions on the study sheet when she notices a player mentioning Naihe. "I've seen Yixiao Naihe and Xiaoyu YaoYao together before?"

"Yeah?", another player questions

"Me too! I saw them taking on monsters together. It was only a few days ago maybe last week."

"That means Luwei Weiwei got dumped by Zhenshui Wuxiang and Yixiao Naihe got dumped by Xiaoyu YaoYao". Nai saw the comments as well and said nothing. He didn't care what other people cared about or gossiped about. He just cared what his friends and family believed of him. He would never comment on rumour and gossip. He dealt with facts. He walked away from the computer momentarily to put his laptop and jacket away from the conference as he ran into his apartment threw his things on the bed as he didn't want Weiwei to be waiting on him. "So, Yixiao Naihe and Luwei Weiwei are a pair of bitter resentments?"

Naihe and YaoYao took on monsters together? Weiwei questioned. She didn't want to seem insecure but felt she had to know what happened between them so she questioned him about knowing her.

Nai's laptop alerted him to the message Weiwei had sent him. He walked back and sat to read the message. He immediately denied knowing YaoYao.

"You've been seen taking on monsters together", Weiwei told him

"That counts?", he questioned, he had met and spoken to her in the game once.

"Yugong invited her to join our team once. She was terrible, so I kicked her out". Weiwei was more than satisfied with the answer that Naihe gave her. She smiled sweetly and went back to her study sheets.

"It's consummation time." Hao Mei announced in their team chat. "Let's watch!".

"When did 'A Chinese Ghost Story' introduce the consummation function", Yugong asked.

"it's new", Houzi looked at Yugong "but it's quite boring. You can only do two things. Standing and chatting or sitting and chatting. It's all chat no action".

"Mr Hou, what else do you expect", Yugong inquired.

Nai had different ideas, he wanted to get to know Weiwei better and be able to talk to her without the three stooges around. So, he blocked them from joining that part of the game.

"They won't let us watch", Hao Mei grumbled.

Nai looked at the screen as he watched the two avatars being lifted into the night sky in a hot air balloon and smiled in a moment of perfect happiness. He loved it; he was falling in love with her even deeper than love at first sight. It was a photograph of pure serenity to him. As the balloon rode higher into the sky "what are we doing?", Weiwei asked him.

"Enjoying the sights", he told her.

"The moon is so full tonight! Are we on our honeymoon?" She turned to face him and his avatar was still staring at the moon and said nothing. Seriously! We're on our honeymoon!

"Mr Nai, you are so serious about this." The balloon carried them off into the moonlight. They had to complete certain tasks to complete the honeymoon quest of the game and they spent the next couple of hours talking and completing the quests one by one.

When the game announced "Ding-dong! In-game wedding is complete", Weiwei had to admit she was slightly disappointed. She wanted it to go for longer. Both players agreed on the next time and day they would play together and logged off for the evening.

The next day after her classes had finished Weiwei and Er Xi were rushing to the cafeteria as they had Sweet and Sour pork for lunch and it was always the first to go. Er Xi was engrossed in something on her phone, Weiwei tried to join the lunchtime queue. "Why don't we have braised pork today?" Weiwei turned and could not find Er Xi. She looked around and she was standing in the middle of the cafeteria with her nose stuck to her phone. Weiwei ran over and tried to guide Er-Xi to the nearest food queue. "What is it? You are so absorbed! Come on!"

"There's a lot of gossip lately", Er Xi told Weiwei. "People are slamming the basketball game's false ad". Er Xi began to read one of the headlines from the forum out loud.

"When I saw the campus beauty getting out of a luxury car, my world collapsed. Who wrote this headline?" Er Xi challenged "It's so nasty. I like I though". Er Xi began to read the article under the headline and looked at the photographs attached. She recognised the back pack. She turned Weiwei and took the backpack from her and sat it on a nearby table. She zoomed into the back pack and compared it.

"What is it", Weiwei demanded

"The bag in the photo is a lot like yours. Look", she told her. Weiwei looked at the screen and shock came over her. That was her. How dare someone take her picture and insinuate that she was dating an older married man that had a luxury car. "What? That is me!", she told Er Xi. "I remember Xioyang's mother gave me a ride back."

"What's wrong with this post's author? He is slandering you without fact checking", Er Xi started to get mad which in turn cause Weiwei to become upset. "Thankfully he blurred out your face. That's the least he could do. What now?", Er Xi asked Weiwei.

"Let eat, the find his account handle." Weiwei told Er Xi

At the same time Nai was in the university library and over heard some students talking.

"Check this out guys" one of the male students said he continued to repeat the headline to his friends. It piqued Nai's interest as he caught of glimpse of the back pack on the student's computer screen and automatically recognised it. "That's clearly all headline and no story! Boring!" one of the students commented. The students studied the pictures and agreed that the picture was taken on the school grounds as the gates could be seen and they were individually designed for the university.

"The girl has a nice figure", one of the boys commented "Why would a nice Qing University beauty stoop to that level. She should date within the campus. What a shame!" Nai looked up in incredulity at the students. He hated gossip with a passion they did not know the situation and they didn't know the person. The face was blurred out, how did they not know it was a professor getting into a husband's car and the author was just trying to get hits on his gossip page.

'What being at the campus gate makes her a student here?", a female student pointed out to the ever-gossipy male students that were sitting around her. "Don't be so simple minded, okay?'

Nai sat listening to the conversation. "Right? Plus, it could be her family's car!". The other male student commented. "People nowadays will do anything for views. They love to assume the worst in people". Nai had, had enough. He couldn't listen to the conversation any more he was becoming more and more angry the more he listened.

Weiwei had eaten her lunch and found out who the IP address had belonged to. A male foreign languages student called Cao Guang. She didn't know him and didn't know what his issue was with her but she was sure going to find out. She headed back to her dorm room and picked up a picture of the boy she tutored, herself and his mother in front of the car and stormed from the building to find him.

She walked up to the foreign languages building and bumped into two male students, who she was pretty sure was about to hit on her. "Excuse me, guys, are you from the foreign languages department?"

"Yes", the boys answered in unison "What can I do for you?", it sounded though they were twins who were connected by the mind.

"I am looking for Cao Guang", she told them. She couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on their faces, but didn't want to have to reject them so let them have their presumptions. The two boys began to look around for Cao Guang and spotted him heading towards them on a moped. "Over there", one of the boys pointed. "That's him".

Weiwei spotted the guy that they pointed out. He was attractive in a bookish manner; he wore quite large glasses and had chestnut brown hair. He was wearing light denim jeans and a blue checked shirt that gave him an Americanised look. He was driving the moped directly towards her. She moved into the path of the bike so that he would have to stop and talk to her. He looked at her with annoyance. "What is it, Bei Weiwei?"

This made Weiwei even more annoyed. How rude could someone be. First, he spreads lies on a university forum and then he does not even have the decency to be polite to a female. "Mr Cao, I am here to restore your worldview", she told him.

He laughed and looked away from her. She was joking right. He parked his moped and sat on a bench to at least hear what she had to say. Weiwei took the picture out of her back pack and handed it to him for him to see that she was not in a relationship with anyone. "I am the tutor for this little boy. That's his mum, a single mother. That day, his mum gave me a ride back to campus. Mr Cao Guang, it's entirely your business, to have evil thoughts after seeing someone get out of a luxury car. But it's no longer just your business when you posted it without evidence."

"Who knows if this picture is real or fake. It is easy for a computer major to fake a photo", Cao Guang told her "You tracked me down, didn't you?" he looked up at her with doubt in his eyes.

"You don't believe me", she questioned. Fury pumped through her veins, she had never been so angry and what made matters worse was how he was just dismissing her as she was lying.

"I don't suspect every girl getting out a luxury car", he told her while he stood up and refused to look her in the eye. "You, however...." He paused, turned and gave her a sneer.

"So, you like to carelessly and crassly judge a person by her looks", Weiwei counteracted by now she was so mad she was going to do whatever it took to get him to admit he was wrong and apologise to her. She took a pen from her bag and wrote an address, date and time on the back of the photograph.

"What's this" he questioned.

"You don't believe me? Why don't you see for yourself?", she told him while handing the photograph back to him. "My student happens to need an English tutor. You can give it a shot". She walked away from Cao Guang deeply hurt, upset and angry about the situation. She could feel the lump begin to form at her throat and the tears begin to swell in her eyes. Although no one knew the photo was her, she did and she did not like to have that slight against her character. As she headed back towards her bike that she had ridden over from the computer department. She spotted Er Xi coming in the distance and took a deep breath and wiped her face to ensure there was no signs of tears.

As she was unlocking her bicycle Er Xi ran up to her. "How did it go?"

"He didn't believe me, he says the photo is fake", Weiwei explained as she put her bag in the basket on the front of her bike.

Er Xi looked at Weiwei flabbergasted. "How rude! We could say his photos are fake, too!" Er Xi told her friend who she knew was upset she could see it in her face. "I'll go beat him up" Er Xi teased rolling her sleeves up and going to walk towards Cao Guang.

"Go!" Weiwei told her "I am rooting for you", Weiwei knew Er Xi was going to turn back around any second.

"Weiwei", Er Xi turned back towards her in under 3 seconds "Why don't you take pity on a meek girl like me?", Er Xi joked with her friend. It brought a smile to Weiwei's face which she was grateful for. "You'll feed me to the lions", Er Xi continued hoping to get a laugh out of her.

"Don't worry.", Weiwei tormented back "A guy like him can't touch a hair on you. Plus, I will be on your side, cheering you on."

"You have no love for me" Er Xi told Weiwei. "What now?", she asked "he doesn't believe you! Why aren't you anxious?", Weiwei let out a sigh of relief when Er Xi asked that. She was managing to hide her emotions well. She did not want her friends worrying about her.

"What's there to be anxious about?" Weiwei covered. "A fake story can never be true. I will take care of it", she told her friend.

"You're so strong" Er Xi complimented Weiwei

"Let's go", Weiwei told her. "Come on" Weiwei backed her bicycle out and the travelled back to the dorm.

Later that night Weiwei had calmed down significantly and was studying with the game she loved in the background. When the computer alerted her that she received a message, when she looked it was Naihe. Her heart started to race and she began to get excited at speaking to him. "Weiwei, come to the Heavenly Palace."

Without hesitation Weiwei scrambled to meet him. "Heavenly Palace? What a posh place!" When she arrived at the palace what she found was unexpected. She saw Naihe and her heart jumped to double speed. There was another man with him tied to a column with a rope glowing as if it came from heaven itself. She ran towards Naihe. "Is he immobile by the trap skill, swing rope?", she asked him.

"He is not going anywhere", Nai told her "Use your worst weapon on him. Teach him a lesson."

"Yixiao Naihe, I only said you picked a used harlot." The man trapped by the rope commented. "Finish me off, if you must. Why are you getting a woman to torture me?"

Weiwei recognised the gaming handle as soon as his messaged appear in the screen. "It's you! I remember now!" she told him

"That's right. It was me. Finish me off, if you dare." He told her.

"Hold your horses", Weiwei told him. She looked through the weapon options she had available to her and looked to Naihe for guidance. He shook his head when he thought the weapon she was going to choose would cause to much damage. He wanted to draw it out as long as possible. She found a knife that was a beginner's weapon and caused very little damage. "I am glad I didn't throw away my beginners set", she turned to Naihe with a huge grin on her face.

"What a beginner's weapon?", Modao told her. She began to start slashing at him. It would take away very little blood points when she attacked him with the weapon. "I've got tens of thousands drops of blood. At this rate, you'll be hacking me into next year!"

Naihe looked at him with no sympathy. He attacked the woman he was in love with and he had no compassion for anyone who would hurt Weiwei. He would make them suffer twice over. "Don't worry. It's just tens of thousands of hacks. It's on automatic. My hand won't grow tired". As Weiwei was typing she could not take her eyes off of the avatar. She was falling in love with him big time and it scared her.

"I admit it, I was being nasty. You can expose me to the public if you want, but will you get it over with quickly?", the man kept nagging.+

"Don't worry", Nai told him "You won't die. When you're running low on blood, I'll heal you".

"What?" Modao replied "You're mean!" Nai and Weiwei walked away from the column leaving the knife automatically swiping at him. "Modao Shizie isn't afraid to die", Weiwei told Nai "why doesn't he log off instead of taking the torture?" she asked him.

"He's in a compulsive loop", Nai replied.

Weiwei was shocked at how thorough Nai was in his revenge. "A compulsive loop quest?", she repeated. "meaning if he logs off or gets killed, he. must start all over again?" checking with Naihe she was right.

He just nodded towards her. "You're so cruel", she loved it though.

"You're too kind. I need to take a call." He walked away from his computer to answer the mobile phone that was ringing in the background. She messaged Naihe saying "I'll go study then".

While she was waiting for him to return the Xiaoyu's clan approached. Feifei, Qingqing and Mianmian all approached the man who was still tied to the column. "What are they doing here?" questioned Weiwei.

"Yixiao Naihe? That woman's here, too." Feifei said.

"Modao Shixie?", Mianmian questioned.

"You know him?", Qingqing asked.

"He has helped me before, on a quest." Mianmian told her friends.

"Should we intervene?" Qingqing asked her.

"We have no chance", Feifei said timidly behind them.

"Be reasonable", Qingqing demanded "They're torturing him! Killing him bit by bit!" Qingqing turned and headed straight for Naihe. Weiwei was not about to allow this to happen. "Hey, Yixiao Naihe! You're the best of the best! What kind of hero bullies the weak?" Qingqing rebuked Naihe.

"Right? Two against one, too!" Mianmian joined in to try and scold Naihe. A switch went off in Weiwei she didn't mind people attacking her, the minute they attacked him though that is when she was going to do everything in her power to protect him, especially when he wasn't even at his computer.

"Hey! Why are you ignoring us?", Qingqing tried to get his attention again. However, they did not expect Weiwei to turn and respond to them. "It's a personal vendetta. You should just keep moving." Weiwei told them.

"What kind of a vendetta requires torture?"

Mianmian demanded "It's just a game."

"if you don't want to die make yourself scarce now", Naihe returned and his voice bellowed to scare them all. The three Xiaoyu girls looked at Naihe with hatred in their eyes. "I'm back. I'll handle this", he tells her. She doesn't want her to get involved with them any further. She makes her way behind Naihe. She had enough respect for him to back him in any way he needed

"Hey! You've really crossed the line!" Qingqing shouted at him

"Right, so what if you're the number one player?", Mianmian added "Your way to rude to girls."

Weiwei smiled and thought that this was pretty hypocritical. "It's just a game. Why get so worked up?"

"Does being a game give you the right to be rude?" Feifei told her. "Or give you the right to bully those less skilled?"

"Let's duke it out, as per custom" Weiwei told them "It's the three of you against the two of us. If you win, take the man and leave. We won't give him grief again."

Nai turned to Weiwei, she was not going to get her hands dirty in battling anyone if he could help it. "You go rest. I will handle it", he told her.

She smiled and laughed "I will watch".

Mianmian pulled the other two girls into a huddle "Can one of him defeat three of us?" She questioned her friends.

Qingqing bit her bottom lip in nervousness. "I heard he is really good though. He is the number one player. Would he really hit girls? What do you think?"

Modao Shixie came back to his computer after obviously being absent through what had happened. "Hey! What's going on? Who's duking it out?" he started to question. "What? Lady! I went and took a shower and you're still hacking away?"

"Shixie, it's me!", Mianmian told him

"Mianmian? What are you doing here?" he enquired

"I've come to help you" she told him.

"It's okay", he explained. "There is bad blood between us. It's good to get it resolved. Anyway, pretty girls are to be pampered. How can I let you fight for me?" That was the first thing Modao Shixie said that Naihe agreed with. Weiwei was on the top of that list.

"It doesn't pay to be a good guy", Qingqing told him "Mianmian let's go!". All of the Xiaoyu clan stormed off in a rage.

"Lady, hurry up with the hacking already." Modao asked Weiwei. "I still have 200 blood points left. I'll go do my laundry. Will you be done by then?"

Weiwei saw the gentle side the Modao "You've got a mean tongue", she told him "but your kind enough at heart." Weiwei stopped the automatic attack on him and told him "Fine. I don't want to waste money on the internet and electricity. I'll go and collect herbs.

"Let's go", Naihe suggested to Weiwei, who agreed. They both left Modao Shixie attached to the column without removing the swing rope.

"Wait, can't you unbind the swing rope before you go?" he shouted as they left.

Both Weiwei and Naihe walked in a gardened area of the game. "How did you know Modao Shixie was in a compulsion loop?", Weiwei asked Naihe.

"I logged on this afternoon" Naihe began to explain "He said in the public chat rooms that he needed many monster skills books. So, I knew he was in a compulsion loop."

"Why would a compulsion loop require collecting monster skill books?" Weiwei didn't understand how he knew. "A variety of quests need monster skills books."

"Non playing character quest patrons are all different" Naihe began to explain to her. "A compulsion loop requires collecting monster skill books at level two hundred and thirty-six, where the NPC is Wu Nandai. I waited there for a while and he soon showed up."

"You remember the level and the NPC at that level" amazed by the memory he had; she was in awe of him further. "Your memory is incredible. By the way, you said you saw Modao Shixie in the afternoon. Why didn't you take him out then?"

"He was only at Level two hundred and five. I waited until he got level two hundred and ninety-nine the last level", Naihe explained to her. "Isn't it more impactful for him to fail at the very last step?"

"Yes, you win", Weiwei told him. 'Thank you, Naihe." He turned to around to face her. What was she thanking him for it was his job as her husband to ensure she is safe and no one insults her?

"Don't thank me", he begins to tell her "It is my duty."

She smiled at him and thought it was cute, he thought she meant for the revenge earlier but it wasn't. "This afternoon, I was really upset over something. I didn't show it. I don't want my roommates to worry. But now, all of a sudden I am really happy."

"Because of me?", he asked her

"Yes, because of you." She told him. His heart done flips in his chest and the butterflies were having a disco in his stomach. He felt like she was beginning to like him. "That's good", he told her. The smile on his face could not be stopped by anyone or anything at that moment in time.

YaoYao and Zhenshui were sitting in a field area of the game just talking when the three Xiaoyu girls ran up to them. "YaoYao!" all of them yelled

"That hag, Luwei Weiwei, bullied us again!" Qingqing told YaoYao as though she were a child being bullied by a classmate in school.

"Yes, it's true", Mianmian and Feifei agreed with her.

"Didn't I tell you to stay away from her? Don't mind her." YaoYao told them while looking at Zhenshui. YaoYao had to be very careful the way she played things with Zhenshui she didn't want to end up with him leaving her because these girls couldn't handle that wench. She tried to portray to Zhenshui that she was not interested in what Weiwei was doing, but when he was gone, she was plotting on how to get her back. "We're about to join their Bihai clan. We can't be on bad terms", until YaoYao could get Weiwei kicked out of the clan.

"We couldn't stand by and watch her bully others." Mianmian tried to explain

"You guys!", YaoYao scolded.

"I have an idea", Mianmian told YaoYao "The official sited announced a video contest. Why don't we make a video and get on their nerves?". Qingqing and Feifei automatically agreed. YaoYao knew it was a good idea but she had to work Zhenshui round to the idea.

"What video contest", he asked

"It's using the game's video recording function and make a love story with the 'A Chinese Ghost Story theme'. The topic is our story. Like a micro film, it can be any length.", Qingqing started to explain "The players will vote for a winner and the prize is great. The winner will get a seven coloured in-game couple's outfit."

"Okay! Let's make a video." Feifei announced "We'll win and Luwei Weiwei will eat her heart out". This annoyed Zhenshui and YaoYao could see it.

"I don't think that's necessary", he told them, "Why publicize it to everyone?".

"The seven coloured outfit may be pretty", YaoYao tried to coax him "but if Zhenshui is against it, the never mind."

"YaoYao, you're the bigger person, and shopping is always more fun" Zhenshui tells her, "We'll shop for more nice outfits."

"Sure", YaoYao responds.

"I should log off", he tells her "I'm meeting a cousin for dinner, I'll be back". As he logs off, she tells him that she will be waiting for him. After he has logged off, she and her friends hatch a plan to work her way into getting him to do what she wants.  

Weiwei and her roommates were all in preparing for exams while YaoYao and her clan were plotting. Er Xi was sat on the desk nearest the window and asked anyone if they wanted any snacks as she was ordering from the company. When all of a sudden Er Xi let a scream of excitement that scared Weiwei, Xiaoling and Sisi half to death. "We got interview invitations", she told them.

"Er Xi why are you screaming non-stop?" Xiaoling scolded her trying to hear what was being said on the phone call she was in the middle of taking.

"What interview", Sisi asked her

"Zhenyi tech's summer internship" Er Xi continued to explain "I applied for all of us. We go to the interview round".

"They replied already?", Weiwei questioned+

"I will call you back", Xiaoling terminated her call and ran around the table to join the three of her friends to look over the email that was sent.

"Big corporations are great, efficient", Er Xi told her friends with excitement in her voice. "All of us got through to the interview. Very wise of them".

"The interview is the day after tomorrow", Weiwei told them. "Thursday, we don't have any classes." All of her friends nodded in agreement.

"The interview will be held in Zhenyi Tech's conference room", Xiaoling began to read from the email. "Should we maybe dress up like office ladies?" Xiaoling jested.

"Are you kidding?" Er Xi asked "We're students. We have to look like vivacious college kids. Plus, they want interns for the game development division. We must dress like geeky girls." Weiwei, Xiaoling and Sisi all looked at each other with despair, they were not going to do that.  

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