Chapter 343: Emotional Setback
Climbing out of the gaming pod, Li Xiang yawned.
Checking the time, it was already twelve o'clock noon.
"I'm hungry..."
After a quick wash, Li Xiang discovered that there were already cooked meals in the kitchen, along with a note. Judging by the handwriting, it must have been left by Wang Zhiyan.
It instructed him to heat it up after waking before eating.
"It's already this late... I'll go crash for a meal."
He called Wang Zhiyan, "Um... I just logged off. Have you guys eaten lunch yet?"
"Not yet. Qingshui said you'd be logging off late today, so she didn't let me make breakfast this morning. Hurry over~ We're waiting for you."
"Okay."
Hanging up the phone, Li Xiang glanced at the breakfast in the kitchen again.
This girl is still very thoughtful. Knowing he would log off late, she even made him breakfast. He'll heat it up and eat it tonight. What Zhiyan made can't be wasted.
...
Upon arriving at the two girls' residence, Li Xiang saw that Yunfeng and the others were all there too.
"Guild Leader! Awesome! You single-handedly took down the Demon Guild!"
"This wave from the President completely shattered the Demon Guild's morale. They've directly become a second-tier Guild. Cool! So cool!"
"I really want to go to the Dafen Empire and turn things upside down too!"
"Oh, give it up. If you went there, you'd be killed and sent back within two days."
"Tsk tsk tsk! Who are you looking down on? Let's fight online?"
"I'm afraid of you! I'll log on after eating, just you wait, I'll beat you up!"
"Tsk tsk..."
The whole atmosphere was extremely harmonious. They didn't just leave the two girls in the kitchen to cook; all the men helped out too, some washing vegetables, some picking vegetables, with a clear division of labor.
Lunch was enjoyed in a pleasant atmosphere, and Li Xiang also learned that the Guild was preparing to upgrade to a City-level Guild.
Originally, the upgrade condition was just missing a City-level Guild Upgrade Token. Now that he had obtained one and sent it back via the Sea Post, Yunfeng had begun working on the Guild upgrade matters.
"Is the difficulty high?" Li Xiang asked.
"It's okay, a bit challenging. If you were here, Guild Leader, the problems would be smaller, but overall, it's not a big issue. It can be sorted out with a couple more days."
"Alright, I won't ask any more questions. Let's eat!"
A few people ended up eating for over three hours. Finally, everyone helped clean up together before heading home, except for Li Xiang.
On the tidied dining table, Lu Qingshui placed a laptop and a stack of densely printed papers. "These are some of the cooperation requests the Gods Guild has received so far, and there are also some advertisers who want to place ads. Take a look."
Li Xiang looked at the stack of printed paper, which was about one or two centimeters thick, closed his eyes, and waved his hand. "Forget it, forget it, I won't look. If you think it's suitable, just sign the contracts with them."
Lu Qingshui chuckled softly, "You won't even look? Aren't you afraid I'll sell the company?"
Li Xiang leaned back, "Don't use someone you doubt, and don't doubt someone you use. I absolutely trust you. Let alone selling the company, even if you sold me, I'd count the money for you to see if the other side shortchanged you before leaving."
Hearing Li Xiang say this, Lu Qingshui slightly turned her face away, and a blush spread across her pretty face.
She had heard words like these from Li Xiang many times...
She turned her head and looked at Li Xiang, finding his eyes staring straight at her.
Such a gaze made her face even hotter. "I... I'm going to the restroom."
She left as if fleeing.
Li Xiang secretly shook his head.
This girl is always indifferent and avoids his hints, making Li Xiang wonder if his appearance is a bit unsightly and doesn't suit her taste.
Beside them, Wang Zhiyan, who had been watching silently, saw Li Xiang's helpless expression and her heart twinged slightly. She looked at Li Xiang, "Li Xiang, you... like Qingshui, right?"
Li Xiang tilted his head to look at her and asked doubtfully, "Is it that obvious?"
Hearing Li Xiang confirm it, Wang Zhiyan bit her lip lightly, then shook her head. "It's not obvious, but... your words are always expressing feelings of trust towards Qingshui. This kind of emotion cannot be explained by a normal relationship."
Li Xiang tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling. "I trust you too."
Wang Zhiyan was stunned for a moment and whispered, "But... you like Qingshui."
Although the voice was low, Li Xiang still heard it clearly.
"Zhiyan, how old are you?"
"23."
"Do you know how old I am?"
Wang Zhiyan was startled for a moment, not understanding why Li Xiang suddenly asked about age. She carefully examined Li Xiang.
From Li Xiang's face, she couldn't tell his exact age. "You should be... around twenty-five..."
"Me... I'm already..."
At this moment, Lu Qingshui came out, having composed herself. "What are you guys talking about?"
Wang Zhiyan shook her head. "Nothing... nothing..."
Having said that, she stood up. "I don't feel very well. I'll go back to my room to rest first. Sorry."
"Zhiyan..."
The door closed. Wang Zhiyan leaned against the door, tears streaming down her face. She squatted on the floor, hugging her knees, and cried silently.
...
Seeing the door close, Lu Qingshui looked at Li Xiang doubtfully. "What did you say to her? I've never seen her make that expression before."
"Nothing. Let's continue discussing what we were just talking about."
"Tell me!" Lu Qingshui's voice rose a notch, and she looked at Li Xiang with a very firm expression.
Li Xiang had never seen her with this expression either. He said helplessly, "You should know, right? That girl Zhiyan towards me..."
Lu Qingshui frowned and looked at Li Xiang. "You told her directly?"
"The atmosphere was right, so I said it. Besides... there are plenty of good men out there. I've never thought of myself as a good man."
"What's wrong with Zhiyan? Graduated from a prestigious university, outstanding appearance, strong ability, and she's completely obedient to you. What more are you not satisfied with?!"
Li Xiang stood up and looked at Lu Qingshui. "What, you don't mind if I find you a sister?"
Lu Qingshui turned her head away and said word by word, "Li Xiang! I hope you understand, I came to the Gods Guild to realize my ambitions, not to have a romantic relationship with you! If you have such thoughts again, I will..."
"Alright, stop talking!"
Li Xiang abruptly sat up, walked to the door, opened it, and without looking back, said word by word, "I have never asked about your family background. I know that it might be something that even the former me, or even the current me, could only look up to.
But what I want to say is, I have earned enough money. Even if I took this money and escaped to the ends of the earth, I could live a stable life forever."
After saying that, he slammed the door shut and left without looking back.
Bang!
The sound of the door slamming shut was like a heavy hammer striking Lu Qingshui's chest. Silent tears fell down her face.
...
In the car, Li Xiang lit a cigarette. After only taking a couple of puffs, he slammed his fist hard on the steering wheel.
"Damn it!"