"Did I win…?" Liu Ye questioned out loud within a dark space of his helmet. He could feel his mind had already returned to his real body, but he didn't get up immediately.
His thoughts drifted back to the last seconds of his Dungeon run as he analyzed everything that happened. Did he win or did he fail? That was all he wanted to know. Too bad, no matter how many times he recreated the scene in his mind, he couldn't get a conclusive answer.
"Sigh… I will see it later then," Liu Ye muttered, giving up guessing. He could only wait till the servers came online again.
It was a few minutes after 6 AM when Liu Ye got up from the bed after a whole night of gaming. Surprisingly enough, he didn't suffer from stiffness and his mind didn't feel sluggish. He felt even better compared to his normal sluggish mornings.
Knock, knock.
Just as Liu Ye stretched, he heard a soft knock on the door, and his little sister came in without waiting for his reply. He already anticipated that, knowing she loved to wake him up.
"Big Bro!" Zhenzhen called out happily and jumped into his embrace with her arms wrapping around his neck. "Good morning~"
She didn't mind that he only had his boxers on and glued herself into his chest.
"Good morning cutie," Liu Ye greeted happily and lifted her up effortlessly. "Did my Princess sleep well?"
He loved to spoil her and she accepted his love by wrapping her legs around his waist. When she was little, he always carried her around everywhere and it didn't change as she grew taller.
"I did, but I'm still sleepy... I was chatting with my friends till late and only got six hours…" Zhenzhen admitted with guilt as she hid her face in his neck. "I guess I will sleep on my first lecture…"
"Hah, a perfect student like you will sleep in class? Is the world about to collapse?" Liu Ye teased playfully as he carried her to the bathroom, ready to perform their morning routine.
"Shh, it's only today. I will ask the professor to excuse me today. I'm her best student so she loves me," Zhenzhen explained as she shushed him with her finger. "All my professors treat me like a puppy. They can't resist when I ask them for a favor."
"Nice. My little angel learned how to use her cuteness to her advantage. You make your brother proud," Liu Ye commented as he rubbed her back to get down. "Alright, chop, chop. We need to brush our—"
"Wait," Zhenzhen cut him off as she suddenly sniffed his body. "I smell some nice perfume on you. They are somewhat familiar. Did you buy anything new?"
Liu Ye raised his eyebrows. "No, I barely use anything."
He was working in a Martial Arts Studio as a trainer so any perfume would be masked by sweat anyway.
"I think I remember now!" Zhenzhen exclaimed as she pursed her lips at him. "It's Xu Yue's smell! It must have rubbed off you when you were together."
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Liu Ye asked back innocently as she began winking at him. "I didn't do anything."
"Suuuuure~ You definitely didn't do anything naughty," Zhenzhen teased back with a giggle only to be placed down against her will. "Ah!"
"You can think what you want while brushing your teeth," Liu Ye ordered as he passed her a prepared toothbrush. "You will be late to classes."
"Come on, we still have at least half an hour before we need to leave," Zhenzhen complained cutely but still listened as she brushed like a good girl. Even though he was spoiling her a lot, she didn't take his love for granted.
Liu Ye patted her on the head and finally noticed her oversized shirt that clearly belonged to him. She was using his clothes to sleep so often that his consciousness didn't consider it uncommon anymore.
"You should also stop stealing my shirts," Liu Ye reprimanded with a sigh.
"But they are comfy~" She replied with a goofy smile.
How could he reject her when she was so cute?
Liu Ye washed his face first but as soon as he touched the running water, he felt strange. It was as if the water coiled around his skin in a familiar manner.
"What's wrong?" Zhenzhen questioned confused as she cleaned her own face, snapping Liu Ye back to reality.
"I'm fine. I was just making it warm for you," Liu Ye replied casually when a phone rang in another room.
"Ah! Someone is calling me!" Zhenzhen exclaimed and ran out of the bathroom, leaving him alone with his feelings.
He tested the water again and found out nothing was wrong with it. Liu Ye was the one acting weird.
'Did the continuous usage of Waterbending in games influenced my perception?' Liu Ye wondered as he got into the shower only to confirm it was just his imagination.
Obviously, it was impossible to carry out the same mechanics from the game into the real world. It was just his mind acting weird.
"Big Bro!" Zhenzhen came back as he was almost done showering. "I was talking to Big Sis and she said she will come to pick us up at seven. She wanted to grab breakfast with us but I said we have leftovers from yesterday. Instead, she agreed to give me a lift to my Uni and then go on a date with you."
"Of course…" Liu Ye muttered, expecting nothing less from her. He didn't mind though as he had countless questions to ask her.
"Get ready soon so we are not late!" Zhenzhen reminded and skipped away, acting like he wasn't the one always waiting for her.
By seven, a black limousine was already waiting in front of their apartment building. Zhenzhen was ecstatic when she found out it was their ride, jumping in excitement while hugging onto Liu Ye's arm.
Even when their parents were alive, they weren't rich enough to afford such luxuries. They were only used to normal, commoners' life.
"Big Bro! You didn't tell me your girlfriend was that rich," Zhenzhen commented upset before changing her attitude by 180 degrees as she entered the car. "Big Sis!"
Liu Ye rolled his eyes as he followed her inside. Zhenzhen was already sitting next to Xu Yue while snuggling up to her. The two only met yesterday yet they already behaved like two best friends. He simply sat opposite to them, keeping the distance from the devil herself.
"Aww, how is my favorite little Sis?" Xu Yue questioned as she returned the hug.
"I was great today, but now my day got much better," Zhenzhen replied happily. "Why didn't you tell me you were going to come in a limousine? You are such a tease."
"I forgot it might be a big deal. For us it's already an everyday life," Xu Yue said with a giggle before glancing at Liu Ye. "Isn't that right, babe?"
"Ah! I'm definitely mad now. He never told me anything," Zhenzhen instantly pouted but Xu Yue corrected her right away.
"Well, it's not like he could tell you anything. My identity is quite special and our business is confidential," Xu Yue explained as she caressed Zhenzhen's cheek. "He is not allowed to tell anyone, even his own family."
"Oh!" Zhenzhen exclaimed as her eyes shone while looking between the two of them. "I will forgive you then, but only if you tell me how you keep your hair so well done. Mine is so dry that—"
Liu Ye already stopped listening to them, finding looking out of the window more interesting. It has been a while since he was driving with Xu Yue so casually.
Before he knew it, the limousine stopped and they found themselves in front of Zhenzhen's University.
"Remember to call me when you finish your lectures. I will send someone over to drive you home," Xu Yue reminded her before Zhenzhen left. "I will also let you know when I have some free time. We will go to my favorite hair salon and get your hair done."
"Alright! Thank you!" Zhenzhen nodded eagerly and hugged them both on her way out. "Have fun on your date~"
Liu Ye couldn't be more speechless at their behavior. He wanted to say something about it but seeing Zhenzhen so happy, he kept it to himself.
"I don't like that you are so close to her," Liu Ye spoke honestly as soon as the door closed. "You are too high profile and constantly on the radar. I don't want your enemies to see you have any connections with her."
"Oh, please. Do you think anyone in this city would have the balls to lay their hands on me?" Xu Yue pointed out with a smile and poured herself a glass of sparkling water. "When was the last time I went through an assassination attempt? It has been like a year already. Don't worry."
"I don't care. You have too many enemies for me to let her meet you. I want you to stop meeting with her in person," Liu Ye ordered sternly. "This is the main reason why I never introduced you to her."
He glanced at her waist and added, "And wear your seat belt. You never know when someone will try to hit—"
Bang!
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