Tea-flavored Romance

But what's going on here? I'm still secretly honing my skills and waiting for the right moment to settle things with you, and you've already brought your partner to my doorstep?

Is this considered a challenge? Gu Guanxue, you've gone too far! Do you really think I haven't messed with your boyfriend lately because I'm afraid of you?!

As Master Lin pondered this, a hint of scrutiny crept into his gaze. Master Ning, on the other hand, was completely bewildered. No matter how he guessed, he couldn't have imagined that the place Gu Xihua mentioned for making quick money was actually the anime club where Lin Xiaoya worked!

Good heavens... Is Gu Xihua holding a grudge after being provoked by Master Lin last time? What does her plan to make quick money have to do with Master Lin?

The other members of the anime club were all dumbfounded. Ning Yuan and Gu Guanxue were quite well-known at school; it would be a lie to say they didn't know them. But what were these top-tier, popular couple doing at the anime club?

And...Gu Guanxue knows our club president Lin Xiaoya? When did that happen?!

"It looks quite lively~" Gu Xihua waved to Master Lin in a very familiar manner: "Hi~ Xiaoya, we meet again."

"It's Gu...it's Xiaoxue..." Lin Xiaoya was slightly taken aback, then smiled, presenting a serene and beautiful image of a friend: "Why did you suddenly decide to come here to play?"

"I didn't have any classes, so I thought I'd come over to hang out with you... I hope my uninvited visit won't bother you guys?"

“We weren’t doing anything important, we were just chatting.”

"Is it a club activity?" Gu Xihua exclaimed. "Actually, I really wanted to join our school's anime club, but unfortunately, I was too busy with my studies and couldn't find a good opportunity."

Master Ning thought to himself, "What do you mean by being busy with your studies? You want to run away with me as soon as you finish taking attendance? You sleep soundly in class, do you really love studying that much?"

"It's okay, we welcome friends to come and have fun. It's just a small circle anyway, the more people, the more lively it will be."

"I see. Can the two of us go to the game expo in early June with the anime club?"

Upon hearing this, both Master Ning and Master Lin were taken aback.

The term "game expo" is easy to understand. In China, game developers typically release new games every quarter. After all, making games isn't like a company like DoubleQ, which has countless studios and can release a game every few days at a moment's notice.

Most game manufacturers and some small workshops that love games have a cycle for making games. Game exhibitions are like a kind of public preliminary exam. Some companies use them to generate hype and create gimmicks, while others use them to collect player feedback and finally debug the finished product before releasing it.

Of course, some successful games also hold corresponding anime conventions, which are exhibitions on a different level and quite different from what Gu Xihua is talking about now. Most of the participants in game conventions are well-known cosplayers or groups of cosplayers. They don't go for nothing; they receive corresponding remuneration. However, the form and style of the cosplayers must also follow the style of their respective games.

Since there's money to be made, the minimum standard for this type of convention won't be too low. At the very least, it won't be like some independent comic conventions that make people feel the disparity of the world and exclaim that it's an eyesore.

Classic anime: Sailor Moon with a big beard.jpg

When Master Ning was a freshman, he went to a game expo with Xiao Hei, an old anime fan. At that time, Xiao Hei watched the cosplayers while he focused on getting free game demos. The two of them had a great time working together. Now, times have changed, and he is actually going to cosplay with Gu Xihua!

This is outrageous! Doesn't my Dragon King have any dignity? This needs to be paid extra!

Lin Xiaoya's shock wasn't related to this; what she was more concerned about was... why, after only receiving the shortlist notification and just preparing to hold a meeting with her club members, Gu Guanxue's group had already come knocking on her door!?

There's a mole in the anime club! Is it the vice president?!

Almost instantly, Master Lin had already silently raised her guard. Her opponent was clearly hostile, and she would not submit to being slaughtered.

"Xiaoxue, you're very well-informed... Do you have any friends who specialize in cosplay?" Lin Xiaoya chuckled. "Our club did receive an invitation."

"Wow, not bad luck, I got in with the first club I asked about." Gu Guanxue said with a grin, "Could I add my name here, Sister Xiaoya?"

"You'd better not call me 'sister' anymore..." Lin Xiaoya gave a wry smile, unsure whether Gu Guanxue was genuinely bluffing or already knew. "It's definitely fine for everyone to go out together, but as for how the rewards will be distributed... maybe..."

Master Lin spoke hesitantly, but everyone present understood her unspoken meaning: there's always a limit to how many people a guild can send and how much they can be paid when they receive an invitation from a game company. Now that a few more people have joined, the company isn't a charity that tells you how much you can earn. Unless the quality of your cosplayers is truly exceptional, the money definitely won't increase much.

With too many monks and too little porridge, the members of the anime club, both men and women, were vaguely wary. If President Lin really got carried away and let two friends in to share the cake, they would definitely feel dissatisfied to some extent.

"How about this... Xiaoxue, if you two want to come in and play, why don't you take my place?" Lin Xiaoya thought for a moment and said softly, "Anyway, it's not much money, it's just for fun. I've been a bit tired lately, so this is a good opportunity to rest."

"Sister Lin..."

"Sister Xiaoya..."

The anime club members all spoke up, seemingly feeling it was inappropriate. Lin Xiaoya, however, didn't care at all, looking at the two of them sincerely, as if waiting for Gu Guanxue to accept her invitation.

What do you guys know? This is called a strategic retreat, okay? If I can really use this little bit of acting fee to add a black mark to Gu Guanxue's image in Ning Yuan's mind, that means she's willful, self-centered, and doesn't care about others, then that would be a real win!

Chapter 103: My Partner is Too Cautious

As he presented this option, Master Lin casually met Master Ning's gaze, seemingly hoping to discern some emotion from his eyes.

Ning Yuan was slightly taken aback, but when he noticed Master Lin's gaze sweeping over, he immediately understood. He activated his advanced acting skills and quickly put on a shameful and guilty expression.

I'm so sorry, my girlfriend is such an unreasonable, willful, and self-centered girl... In comparison, Lin Xiaoya, you are so kind, you can actually give up your own interests just to make your friend happy... You are a great person!

Master Lin withdrew his gaze with a hint of satisfaction.

However, the Tea Saint was indeed a formidable figure. Faced with Lin Xiaoya's magnanimity, Gu Xihua simply waved her hand and laughed, "What? Xiaoya, you're too kind. Ning Yuan and I mainly wanted to use your group's name to participate in the exhibition together."

"As for taking advantage of the game company, we two newbies would never dare to hold you big shots back~ So we'll play on our own, Xiaoya, you don't need to waste your energy on us!"

"How about it? Is this arrangement acceptable?"

The other members of the anime club breathed a slight sigh of relief upon hearing this. If they were just using the university anime club name to find work on their own, then there was nothing wrong with it. If they could find a more lucrative game company, that was their skill; if they couldn't and returned empty-handed, they couldn't blame anyone else.

Lin Xiaoya frowned almost imperceptibly, thinking to herself, "Is Gu Guanxue implying that I look down on her and Ning Yuan because they're bad at the game, so I'm not including them in the group? How can there be such a scheming woman! Every word she utters is like a sword flashing, there's no moment to relax!"

Looking at Ning Yuan again, he noticed that the guy's eyes had changed to: "Wow, my girlfriend is so well-behaved and sensible. I love her." His stance changed incredibly quickly, almost without any awkwardness or hesitation.

Master Ning: What is professionalism? This is professionalism!

Indeed, this was a tricky target.

Lin Xiaoya's heart tightened, her fighting spirit reignited, and she calmly replied, "There's no such thing as a big shot or not. Everyone is just making a little money out of interest. It's mainly for fun, otherwise you might earn more by doing something else."

“That’s true, it’s all for fun, who would do it for money?” Gu Xihua nodded in agreement, then waved her hand and said, “I didn’t mean to disturb your meeting, I’ll treat everyone to drinks later~ Xiaoya, see you then.”

"Okay, see you then... Xiaoxue, let me add you on WeChat, I can let you know if there's any news."

"No problem." Gu Xihua readily handed over her phone, and after a beep, she winked mischievously, "Hope we all have a great time~"

"Well, definitely."

Ning Yuan felt that apart from showing off his micro-expression acting skills twice, he hadn't made any significant contribution. Seeing that Gu Xihua was about to leave, he immediately gave Master Lin a polite and apologetic smile.

The club president's friend left the activity room and closed the door behind him. With a soft sound, the many members of the anime club seemed to be interrupted from their thoughts, and their gazes gradually returned from the doorway to Lin Xiaoya in front of them.

How did the club president meet Gu Guanxue? And Ning Yuan... have they completely confirmed the rumors, or are they just ignoring it?

This pair of handsome, big-eyed CP members are actually veteran anime fans?

With so much gossip, where should I even begin asking?

However, Lin Xiaoya didn't seem to be in the mood to satisfy the club members' gossipy desires. She also withdrew her gaze from the doorway, then nodded thoughtfully and spoke to the members:

"Let's continue. Where were we?"

"..."

After leaving the anime club activity room, Ning Yuan couldn't help but cast a strange look at Gu Guanxue beside him.

"You planned all along to come to Lin Xiaoya's anime club to find an opportunity to make money at game expos?"

"I only found out about this recently, which is why I contacted you so late."

"But why do I feel like your motives for seeking out Lin aren't entirely pure?" Master Ning stroked his chin and probed, "You wouldn't be eyeing her, would you?"

"What, are you nervous that I've got my eye on her?"

"Comrade Xiaoxue, please be careful with your words and actions. I have absolutely no relationship with her whatsoever!"

I'm so nervous... I'm incredibly nervous! I thought Lin Xiaoya wouldn't provoke me again after her crushing defeat last time. But look what happened, she's not coming, and Gu Guanxue, you're actually interested in her now!

Are you just after her name on the anime club list? You're clearly after her body!

Being targeted by this curious little one is never a good thing! Hopefully, Master Lin will stay strong and not let Gu Xihua dig up any dirt on him so easily…

Gu Guanxue replied with a smile, "That's true. After all, Jiang Manyue hasn't made up her mind yet, so I don't think you would do something like having your cake and eating it too."

"Two boats? I, Ning, have never stooped to such inhumane acts." Master Ning stated, "You know me; I'm always open, honest, and straightforward."

"I know, that's one of the reasons I admire you~"

"After all this time, you've only found one good thing about me?"

"The main problem is that Comrade Xiaoyuan, you are usually too low-key and reserved. It will take some time before we can discover more of your strengths."

Ning Yuan was quite pleased with Gu Xihua's flattery. He thought about their next strategic plan and asked, "What about Jiang Manyue?"

"Don't worry, she'll deliver it."

"Such a good thing?"

"I've already said, no one understands Jiang Manyue better than me." Gu Xihua waved her hand confidently, then turned to ask, "What kind of cosplay do you want to see Jiang Manyue do? Anime/manga style?"

"Ahem... Let's discuss this once things become clearer... Talking about it now feels like we're live-streaming a champion skin selection..."

"My partner is just too reliable."

Gu Guanxue sighed, then nodded with a grin and said, "Alright, let's talk about our grand plan another day. It's about time you were relieved to Jiang Manyue... I'll be going now?"

Whether we see Jiang Manyue do a cosplay depends on how you, as a spy, operate!

After assigning her a series of demanding tasks, Gu Guanxue clapped her hands and left satisfied. Master Ning stood there, watching the girl's dashing figure and making a series of sarcastic remarks.

And you want me to just pick the championship skin? I'll have to personally step in and turn the tide!

Pride comes before a fall, Miss Gu Guanxue... Aren't you afraid that in the end, Jiang Manyue and I will be the ones choosing your champion skin?

Master Ning: I am just a double agent without any feelings.

Huh? Wait a minute... Anyway, I'm the ultimate winner in the end, and I'm going to get the Snow Moon Kill ending... Why won't you let me choose their champion skins?

Chapter 104: My Opponent is Too Steady

No one understands Jiang Manyue better than me... Gu Guanxue said that before, but after she left Ning Yuan's side, Master Ning spent half a day choosing a champion skin and almost arranged Yukino Yukinoshita as a cosplay candidate for Jiang Manyue. However, the news about Jiang Manyue did not come as expected.

This surprised Ning Yuan, but also seemed somewhat natural.

She claimed that no one understood Jiang Manyue better than her, but if Jiang Manyue were truly that easy to understand, Gu Guanxue wouldn't be so wary of her. To be honest, even Master Ning had a feeling that the curious Gu Guanxue was less dangerous than Jiang Manyue… This wasn't exactly a conclusion drawn from observation, but purely an intuition.

Humans have evolved over millions of years, and the instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm is inherent in human nature. Compared to A, C is definitely more benevolent and kind. Master Ning attributed all his trust in Gu Xihua's natural superiority over Jiang Xihua to the old pervert's true nature, then declared, "It's not that I'm sorry, Miss Manyue… it's just genetic selection."

Not receiving any news about the other SSR, Ning Yuan played with his phone for a while in a rather shameless manner. Then, seemingly remembering something important, he curiously opened the WeChat chat window:

[Hey Sang, have you eaten yet?]

【? 】

Unable to enjoy the special tenderness of the department's most beautiful girl at breakfast, Hei Sang could only rush to the cafeteria with his two roommates after class to savor the belated meal. Seeing Master Ning getting the better deal while still acting innocent, Xiao Hei was instantly furious.

[Are you starting to act like a monster now? You finished the department beauty's breakfast, and now you're planning to tell us your thoughts, huh?]