In the afternoon, after dinner, Jiang Fan sent Lin Mengyao back, claiming he was in a bad mood. He bluntly said he couldn't study like this. Lin Mengyao didn't push him, giving him a day to buffer. She left alone, heeding his request.

Jiang Fan felt speechless. Lin Mengyao was fearless like a newborn calf, always provoking him. Clearly, she'd never felt Mu Yuli's wrath. She'd learn the hard way soon.

But he couldn't do much about her now. Scolding didn't work—what else could he do? As the masters say, desperate admirers are truly formidable.

Oh, for pretty girls or handsome boys, "desperate admirer" might not fit. It should be "single-minded devotion" instead.

Hmm, he'd been rash.

"Sigh, what's with this woman? Sacrificing so much just to get back at me. Is it really worth it..."

Sitting in the internet cafe, Jiang Fan leaned back in his chair, staring at his screen. He couldn't even muster the mood to play games.

He didn't need to worry too much. Mu Yuli would never ignore her. By now, she probably knew what was happening. He'd made his stance clear. Lin Mengyao would be the one with a headache over Mu Yuli.

Once she knew Mu Yuli's terror, that girl would probably back off. But until then, he'd endure Lin Mengyao's torment.

Honestly, what was he studying for now? In elementary school, he'd parroted Premier Zhou's "Study for China's rise." But if China needed someone like him to rise, it definitely wouldn't.

Fuming, Jiang Fan logged into WeGame, opened League of Legends, and queued for an ARAM match. One second, he was determined to dominate and vent his anger. The next, the system randomly gave him Soraka.

How could he kill anyone with this? Was he supposed to heal others to death?

Worse, none of his teammates used reroll dice. No one agreed to swap champions. Seeing the enemy team in the loading screen made it hopeless.

Their side had four squishy AD carries and one healer. The enemy had all heavy warriors and tanks that rushed in. When they charged, it would crush everything.

Screw this!

As expected, Jiang Fan's team got crushed 5-43. His teammates, like they were on a rampage, kept chasing and dying recklessly. They obsessed over kiting with long-range, impossible to stop. Two kills even came from his healer's Q—absurd.

After failed surrender attempts, his base exploded at 24 minutes, ending the torture.

"I'm done. I won't take this crap!"

Jiang Fan quit the game on the spot. He finally understood "play games with a smile"—sarcastically.

The cafe also had Genshin Impact. Without PVP, it wasn't as torturous as League. He'd forgotten to log in while eating noodles earlier. He might as well see if his luck would turn.

After logging in, he cleared dailies, set exploration, crafted furniture in Serenitea Pot, then used resin for artifact domains.

Then came the classic 520:

5 condensed resin, 2 guaranteed gold artifacts, 0 upgrades.

Hmm... no big deal. It happens.

Opening the wish menu, he had just enough for one pull. After 80 pulls, pity should trigger, right?

Spam wishes for miracles!

Full of hope, Jiang Fan clicked the mouse. A shooting star streaked across the sky. Suddenly, golden light flashed on screen!

Here it comes! Dawei, give me Yelan! Please!

Then...

"F**k, refund primogems! I already have Qiqi at C4, and you give me another?!"

Genshin Impact, uninstalled.

Jiang Fan slumped in his chair, like Showmaker watching his bot lane die at level 3 in MSI.

Numb.

"Oh? Isn't this the high schooler? Don't you have Sunday classes? Skipping school to be here? Whose ID are you using?"

After who knows how long, someone patted Jiang Fan's shoulder. Numbly, he turned. Chen Jing, smiling brightly, watched him with interest.

Jiang Fan used his gambling-addict dad's ID. That guy, fearing Mu Yuli's reckoning, avoided trains and planes. He was hiding incognito somewhere, too scared to use his ID.

But Chen Jing knew this. She was just teasing him.

"I'm not skipping! I took proper leave. You run a bar—why are you here?" Jiang Fan rolled his eyes, then asked suspiciously.

After all this time dealing with Chen Jing, he still didn't know what she did when the bar was closed. But she was Mu Yuli's subordinate. Maybe she handled shady jobs.

"This is my internet cafe. Why can't I be here?" Chen Jing replied matter-of-factly. She walked behind him, hands on his shoulders, leaning down with a mischievous grin. "So, how can a minor high schooler hang out here? Shouldn't I call your teacher for ideological education?"

"Give me a break. I work at a bar. What's wrong with surfing the net? I knew how to get into illegal cafes in fourth grade. In high school, it's easier." Jiang Fan wasn't afraid. No one at home would catch him with a stick. Even if she called Shu Yue, it'd just be an apology letter. He wasn't scared.

What surprised him was Chen Jing running other businesses besides the bar. This was news.

"Alright, I'm leaving too. I'll be at the bar tonight, but maybe not tomorrow. Hey, Sister Jing, when's she coming back? If she doesn't return soon, I might really get killed."

"Haha, missing your girlfriend already? Miss's charm is as terrifying as ever. Even you're completely tamed."

Jiang Fan rolled his eyes again. She was always like this, even less serious than him. At least he could be serious when needed.

"Miss won't be back for three to five days. You just focus on studying here." Chen Jing slapped his shoulder hard, openly grinning with schadenfreude. This made Jiang Fan, already in a bad mood, even more depressed.

"Oh right, you're leaving soon? I have a job. Help me find something? This time, it's paid. Interested?" As if remembering something, she suddenly said this.

"Find something? What thing?"

"Hehe, don't worry. It'll be more exciting than your game."

Jiang Fan eyed her suspiciously as she teased. But with nothing to do, he figured why not. He followed her out.