Chapter 2782 The Online Game Master's "Straight Male" Roommate 26

That evening, Cheng Lang logged into the game, but he was playing absentmindedly.

In the guild chat, Little Bitter Cake secretly messaged him.

[Private Chat] Little Bitter Cake: Moon Warrior! Just between us, did you and the pro player have a falling out? He seems really distant these past few days; he didn't even participate in the event pre-event discussion today.

Cheng Lang stared at the message and typed a reply.

[Private Chat] He Liangyue: No.

What else could he say? That we're just ordinary friends now, that he knows he likes me but I can't reciprocate, so he has to go back to where he started.

He couldn't even explain these words to himself, so how could he explain them to outsiders?

Cheng Lang closed the private chat window and continued staring blankly at the game interface.

Time ticked by, and it was 9:30.

The bedroom door was not closed. Cheng Lang was sitting in front of the computer. Hearing the sound from the entrance, he quickly went out.

Jin Chen was changing his shoes, his cheeks flushed slightly from the cold wind. When he saw Cheng Lang come out, he smiled and waved the paper bag he was carrying.

"Senior, the desserts at that restaurant are pretty good, I brought you some."

Cheng Lang pursed his lips, ultimately provoked by others, unable to utter a single question such as who he was having dinner with or why it was so late.

He took the paper bag and said softly, "...Thank you."

Jin Chen smiled, said nothing, and turned to hang up her coat.

He was quite frank; after tidying up for a while, he prepared to wash up.

Cheng Lang glanced at the dessert bag in his hand and suddenly realized that they didn't even need to deliberately avoid each other or speak coldly to each other. As long as Jin Chen stopped approaching him as before, stopped asking for hugs and intimacy, and stopped looking at him with eyes that were full of love for him...

They can easily become ordinary friends.

But this... is not what he wanted.

And he only realized this today, at this very moment.

[Heartbeat value detected +6, total +60!]

-

After repeated communication and even threats and inducements from Guild Leader Jian Wuchao in the guild channel and privately, Jin Chen finally agreed to participate in this limited-time Romance event, and his partner was still Cheng Lang.

Jian Wuchao was somewhat worried, so he privately approached Cheng Lang and subtly inquired whether the two had any conflicts, fearing that it might affect their teamwork during the event and thus hinder the guild's ranking.

He even suggested that if all else failed, he could try a few rounds with each of them separately to see how things went.

Cheng Lang wasn't sure either.

But we still need to participate in the events, as they are crucial for the guild's ranking.

In the trial instance, Jian Wuchao first teamed up with Xun Chen. As the guild leader, Jian Wuchao's skills were naturally top-notch, but after a few rounds, something still seemed off.

Next, Jian Wuchao teamed up with He Liangyue, and the result was even more obvious. He Liangyue's aggressive and sweeping warrior style often clashed with Jian Wuchao's style, resulting in a lack of rhythm.

The president sadly discovered that his worries were completely unnecessary.

[Leisure House] Sword Without Sheath (President): ...I was wrong. Having a conflict doesn't affect the fact that you two seem to have mind-reading abilities at all. Fine, you two can play by yourselves.

The prerequisite for this event is that players must first establish a romantic relationship within the game.

The two were teleported to the Love Valley, a scene map specially opened for this event.

The valley is shrouded in mist, with jade-like flowers and trees, and the Three Lives Stone stands tall.

On the screen, Xun Chen and He Liangyue stood side by side in front of the Three Lives Stone, bowing to the white-haired Old Man of the Moon as instructed by the system.

An ancient scroll unfolds, revealing elegant calligraphy in bold, flowing ink, accompanied by background music:

Though we are separated by mountains and seas, our hearts are together from dawn till dusk.

In our past lives, we looked back a thousand times; in this life, we walk hand in hand through the mortal world.

The journey through life is long and arduous, but I am fortunate to have found someone whose heart resonates with mine.

We wish to be intertwined branches, and to fly wing to wing like birds.

May the couple who have pledged their lives to each other grow old together, united in heart and mind, never to be separated.

"Never to be apart..." Cheng Lang unconsciously uttered, a slight thought stirring in his heart.

As instructed, both of them pressed the confirmation button simultaneously.

In an instant, the Three Lives Stone shone brightly, and peach petals and points of light emerged, swirling and dancing around the character.

[System Announcement: Auspicious signs of love have appeared! Congratulations to players "Xun Chen" and "He Liang Yue" for falling in love and pledging their vows before the Three Lives Stone! From this day forward, they will journey together through the world, hand in hand, until their hair turns white!]

Each game character now has an extra set of romantic outfits in their inventory—a bright red, traditional Chinese wedding dress.

Jin Chen opened her backpack and looked at the purple-clad young man on the screen. He flashed with light and changed into wedding clothes, which made him look more dazzling and festive.

Xun Chen, now dressed in wedding attire, turned around and quietly looked at He Liangyue, who was still wearing warrior's armor.

Cheng Lang stared at the figure in red on the screen, his heart skipped a beat for no reason, and he clicked on the mouse, opening his backpack and changing into the same wedding dress.

The official opening time for the Romance Valley instance has not yet arrived. Players who have formed a romantic relationship can freely explore the Romance Valley map and have a chance to randomly trigger special items that reward intimacy.

The two strolled through a valley filled with exotic flowers and plants, and where babbling brooks flowed.

As night falls, warm yellow lanterns rise from the valley, slowly drifting towards the star-studded sky, creating a scene as romantic as a fairyland.

They walked to the stone bench engraved with brocade patterns, and as soon as they got close, a system notification was triggered:

Love Valley - Tranquil Moments: Sitting here with your sweetheart can trigger heartwarming interactions.

Drinking from the same cup together increases intimacy by 10 points; embracing each other for five minutes increases intimacy by 20 points!

(Note: Affection points can be used to exchange for limited-edition outfits, rare mounts and items. Accumulating points will also grant mysterious rewards. This event ends on the official opening day of the Affection Dungeon.)

Hug me...

As Cheng Lang looked at the message about embracing each other for five minutes, his thoughts drifted away.

These past few days, Jin Chen hasn't come to him for a hug anymore.

Cheng Lang waited for a while and saw that Xun Chen was just sitting quietly, without any intention of interacting.

After much hesitation, Cheng Lang walked towards the second bedroom with a heavy heart.

The door was ajar, not closed properly.

Cheng Lang pushed open the door and saw Jin Chen with his back to the door, nestled in the sofa chair, looking as if he were asleep, his fingertips lightly resting on the armrest, his face leaning against the back of the chair.

Cheng Lang slowly approached, picked up the blanket that had fallen to one corner, and carefully covered Jin Chen with it, tucking it in from the shoulders down to make sure it was completely covered.

After doing all this, he maintained his slightly bent-over posture, his gaze falling on Jin Chen's profile. Near his eyes, there were a few light golden downy hairs, perhaps from the blanket.

Cheng Lang reached out and touched the few downy hairs. His movements were slow. Jin Chen's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Jin Chen blinked, and saw that Cheng Lang was still stunned and couldn't react.

Weren't we just friends? How did his wife end up in his room?

【Hehe, you're dozing off, but the Lord God came in to peek at you and has been watching you for quite a while now~】Zero jumped for joy.

Jin Chen paused for two seconds, his voice slightly hoarse from waking up, still sleepy but warm, "Senior, is there something you need?"

Cheng Lang's hand was still suspended in mid-air, less than an inch from Jin Chen's cheek. His fingers curled slightly and he withdrew them.

There's something on your face.

Jin Chen sat up a little straighter, turned his face to the black screen of the phone, and rubbed it randomly.

Cheng Lang's fingers, hanging by his sides, curled up even tighter. Why was he trying to hide?

Why can't we make all sorts of demands with the same confidence as before?

Why is he no longer needed even for such trivial matters?

Jin Chen looked at Cheng Lang and saw that he was really disappointed. She sighed softly and took his hand that was hanging by his side.

"Senior," Jin Chen said, still sitting, looking up at him, "Do we still have to complete tasks today? There seem to be a few small tasks left to complete during the event's warm-up."

Cheng Lang gripped Jin Chen's hand, shook his head, and said in a low, hoarse voice, "Forget it, you're sleepy, just go to sleep... don't stay up too late."

Driven by an intense longing in his heart, his Adam's apple bobbed, and his voice grew even hoarseer.

"...Want a hug?"