T0 Gaming Guild Saves the World.

Chapter 122, Section 121: Meeting the Parents

Upon hearing this, Zhong Zemo, who was sitting closest to Yuan Huanye, was about to get up, but he saw that Yuan Huanye stood up before him and smiled, indicating that everyone should just sit and talk.

"Don't be shy, just follow your pace as young people. There's no need for so much formality, it makes you seem too distant."

After Zhong Zemo introduced himself, Yuan Huanye nodded slightly.

"A top school, a top class, and such a young and promising teacher!" Yuan Huanye praised. "I heard about your case from Shucheng and Lao Zhang. These days, divorce cases rarely go this smoothly."

He changed the subject, asking curiously, "You've distributed quite a bit of money, haven't you? Does it hurt your wallet?"

Zhong Zemo frankly admitted, "It hurts, but I'm more afraid of my life falling apart. The longer things drag on, the more frightening it is than losing money."

Yuan Huanye's expression of approval deepened.

The jailer could tell that his dad found everything about the squid pleasing to the eye.

It's just that I don't have any older or younger sisters, otherwise I'd be really afraid he'd suddenly say, "Since you're divorced, you could consider so-and-so from our family..."

Wait a minute, why didn't Dad tell him to learn a thing or two from the squid today? Dad used to say that in these kinds of situations.

How strange.

Upon learning that Orange Tea, Original Fries, and Blanket were all freshmen, while Jiang Heyi had just graduated, Yuan Huanye kept muttering about how promising young people were.

Even the four original entities that were older in the boundary between the real and the virtual world received his praise for being "late bloomers".

During the conversation, his gaze couldn't help but drift towards his good son, who was deliberately sitting diagonally opposite him, far away from him, with a hint of helplessness in his eyes.

The jailer pretended not to notice and kept looking at the menu in his hand.

With Yuan Huanye saying "Order whatever you like" first, and the jailer adding "Except for porridge" later, everyone placed their orders.

Taking advantage of the break between serving tea and snacks, Yuan Huanye said with a smile, "It might be a shame... Shucheng told you guys that locals rarely come here to eat, and they'll probably say I look down on this place."

She reacted quickly, feigning surprise: "No, Uncle, you're mistaken, Jailer..."

"Yes, why did you choose this place? There were clearly better options."

"..."

"..."

The words from the quilt and the jailer came one after the other.

One helped to improve the image and salvage the situation, while the other undermined it.

The fact that the smile on her face didn't immediately disappear was a testament to her excellent facial expression management skills.

Yuan Huanye merely glanced at the jailer, his smile unwavering. "No need to cover for him. I gave birth to this piece of char siu; do you think I don't know who he is?"

Yuan Huanye explained why he was hosting the dinner here.

"After all, it has a good reputation. We locals don't like it, but what if you do? Not every outsider buys into our Cantonese way of doing things."

"You're here for tourism, after all. Taking photos, checking off attractions, and uploading them to WeChat Moments—I know what young people do. You need some kind of memento to let the people around you know you've been here."

"People are bound to fall into traps for some added value. I'm paying you to fall into those traps, so it's not a loss for me, right?"

Contrary to expectations, the jailer's father was not a rigid and outdated person; he had clearly taken the time to understand the trends among young people today.

When hosting a dinner party, arrangements are made with the ideas of young people in mind.

The aroma of tea filled the air, and the refreshing aftertaste seemed to cleanse their stomachs. The lingering aftertaste, even longer than the night before, was intoxicating, making them want to smack their lips gently to savor it all.

"Good tea, isn't it?"

Everyone nodded eagerly.

"Since you think it's good, bring some back for your family to try when you get home."

As if knowing what everyone was going to say, Yuan Huanye said first, "It's not expensive. Most of you young people don't drink tea, so you don't have a concept of price. Take it without worry."

The jailer did prove useful once: "Sigh, take it if he gives it to you, I have plenty at home."

These words greatly pleased Yuan Huanye, who was at least able to cooperate with him.

Steamer baskets of shrimp dumplings began to be served. This was the most popular dim sum dish at the boundary between reality and fantasy, encompassing all the flavors and types available at the restaurant.

No one picked up their chopsticks.

Yuan Huanye was enjoying his tea when he noticed everyone was observing him. Even the jailer, who was usually relaxed, put on the same beat as everyone else, waiting for something.

He was immediately overjoyed, grabbed a steamer of shrimp dumplings, placed them in front of him, and took a bite without any filling.

"Eat, everyone, eat up. I told you not to be so formal, do it at your own pace. Don't wait, it'll taste different if it gets cold."

Only then did everyone pick up their chopsticks, and the quiet room was filled with the sounds of people chewing and exchanging their thoughts on the flavors.

Delicious food is the best way to soothe the soul, and the wonderful taste quickly helped everyone get used to the atmosphere in the private room. Just as Yuan Huanye had said, the atmosphere of communication between the real and the virtual world was restored.

Yuan Huanye became more and more gratified and fond of it the more he looked at it.

Having built his business from scratch, he wasn't yet old and senile. He could glean some insight into the character of a young person from their first encounter.

Sensible, polite, and well-behaved.

What good fortune did this worthless piece of char siu have to meet such a group of friends?

"When are you guys having your World Championship?"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Heyi quickly spat out the bones from the chicken feet and replied, "I heard it's around New Year's Day."

"Oh." Yuan Huanye nodded. "In the daily games, did Shucheng hold you back?"

Jiang Heyi reacted quickly: "The jailer is amazing. He has saved the guild from dire straits many times. He is definitely an indispensable player for the team!" Zhong Zemo quickly chimed in: "He always puts on a brilliant performance when the team is in dire straits."

"Yeah, yeah," Orange Tea chimed in. "The jailer is amazing! When we're clearing dungeons, I always give him my blessings first!"

The Primal Body was generous with its praise: "For someone like me, all I need to do is give the magic shield to the jailer, but someone like the jailer who can turn the tide has a lot more to consider."

The blanket blinked its eyes and decided to shut up.

Everyone approached the topic from such a good angle, and they've said everything they wanted to say, so she has nothing left to say.

He was so engrossed in eating his fries that he only glanced at the topic briefly before grabbing a steamer of shrimp dumplings from in front of Jiang Heyi.

Yuan Huanye laughed: "Really?"

"Of course it's true," Jiang Heyi said confidently.

Yuan Huanye's facial features softened considerably, and his eyes showed more tenderness when he looked at the prison guard.

"I underestimated you. Keep up the good work and don't let your friends down."

The jailer, unusually, didn't spout a bunch of nonsense, but instead nodded seriously.

"Hmm, I have another question. What exactly does the game name 'Shucheng' mean?" Yuan Huanye asked, puzzled. "What's so interesting about 'Jailer's Appreciation'?"

"Gulp~~" I almost choked on the fries.

The jailer was covered in sweat, his neck stiff, and could only plead for help with his eyes.

The woman in the blanket stood up and said, "It means exactly what it says, exactly what it says. The prison guard is really into a female prison guard in a game. It's a popular anime/manga thing among young people, and he's totally obsessed with her."

"He also bought a lot of figurines related to that prison guard at home... you know, little plastic figures."

The two powers harm each other, whichever is less.

A love for paper cutouts might not seem like a weird hobby to parents, but if you insist on explaining it to the jailer...

The prison guard's quick thinking saved his reputation.

"I see. I've learned something from you young people."

what?
There's no need to learn it!
Please, please don't share this as a piece of knowledge with other people...

During the meal, Yuan Huanye asked everyone many questions, some related to the prison guard, and some related to themselves.

During the morning tea, both host and guests enjoyed themselves immensely, and Yuan Huanye's smile never faded.

As he was about to leave, he took out a "lucky money" packet that he had prepared beforehand.

"Come on, take this. I know you've heard about the custom of giving red envelopes in Guangdong. Don't worry, I'm giving you a big one."

Although they wanted to say "I can't accept this" or "No, no, no," Yuan Huanye's actions of stuffing the items into everyone's pockets were so swift that they couldn't refuse.

After doing all this, he left Jiang Heyi alone.

Although Jiang Heyi felt a little awkward in the private room with only the two of them, he still maintained a calm expression.

"I know some of what I said today is true and some is false, but I don't want to distinguish between them." Yuan Huanye's lips curled up, and his eyes were full of kindness as he looked at Jiang Heyi.

Experience is the best teacher; even though they were supporting the jailer, they were still exposed.

"uncle……"

Yuan Huanye gestured for Jiang Heyi to listen to him first.

"You are the guild leader, the soul of the entire guild, and their leader. This is the heaviest burden you bear."

"The challenges outside the game are far greater than those inside the game. Whether a team can last often depends on how the leader manages it."

"But you're still very young and inexperienced. Sometimes you might not have considered things thoroughly enough, so perhaps you need some advice?"

Jiang Heyi understood the unspoken meaning: "Please enlighten me?"

“I can see that the seven of you have a good relationship. Actually, when the family business was first established, I also had some very good friends. But in the end, I had to cut ties with one of them for twenty years. Do you know why?”

"Money?" Jiang Heyi understood immediately.

"You created a self-media account in the name of the guild..." Yuan Huanye only touched on the subject briefly.

Jiang Heyi smiled slightly and confidently stated the plan she had already made.

After hearing this, Yuan Huanye burst into laughter.

"Good, good, good, good!"

Four "good"s, four different tones.

He patted Jiang Heyi on the shoulder: "Shucheng is a slowpoke, so take good care of him. He's not bad, just a bit careless."

"Actually, everyone in the guild likes him. A guild always needs someone to liven up the atmosphere, which often requires playing the role of a clown. Jailer Bro enjoys this feeling, and we've all gotten used to him acting silly."

"If he's happy, and you're all happy, then I'm at ease."

After seeing Jiang Heyi off, Yuan Huanye sat in the private room, recalling the various moments he had enjoyed morning tea with this group of young people, and couldn't help but smile.

He made a phone call.

"Well, it's me."

"Prepare the gift I asked you to prepare before, according to the highest standards."

"Yes, it's confirmed. That kid Shucheng has met a really good person. I even think he's not good enough for her."

(End of this chapter)