Chapter 48: A Total Noob

Knowing that everyone was harboring resentment, Lu Nanting didn't dare talk back. He waited until everyone had finished venting before he started playing the victim

[Brothers, I really wasn't trying to keep you in the dark. You all know what the situation has been like these past few days, and that's not even counting the official announcement! Think about it—what kind of person could withstand that kind of pressure? I finally managed to marry a wife; I can't let her be scared off. For the sake of your brother's lifelong happiness, please show some understanding!]

Everyone knew that when the news first broke, several fans had even made threats to jump off buildings, which had trended on the hot search.

If they hadn't been understanding, they would have already bombarded him with phone calls.

Seeing him speaking so earnestly, the group didn't make things difficult for him, and their tone turned serious

[Have you been alright these past few days?]

[If you need anything, just say the word.]

[Don't worry about the paparazzi either. We haven't been answering any calls from strangers these past few days. Someone tried to ask through an intermediary, but we ignored them.]

...

Lu Nanting sighed, sat up, and sent several appreciative emojis in a row before replying

[I've just been staying at home. Aside from being bored, there's nothing much going on.]

Currently, besides the Lu family, even his childhood friends didn't know who his wife was, so no one asked about her.

Seeing that he was bored, someone suggested playing a game together

[Since you can't go out right now, we can't bring you along when we're out having fun. How about we carry you in a match?]

Lu Nanting didn't usually play games, not just because he wasn't interested, but because he was too busy with work.

Since he was truly bored now, he simply accepted his friends' invitation to kill time in the Summoner's Rift.

With his wife not at home, he couldn't find the motivation to do anything.

It was likely a lingering effect of the intense emotional fluctuations from a few days ago.

For convenience, the group started a voice chat, and they began teaching him how to play step-by-step.

Lu Nanting had truly never played; he even had to apply for an account on the spot.

"Holy crap! You really don't play! I thought it was just part of your persona."

"Who has that many personas?"

In this day and age, with the internet being so advanced, unless someone's personality was inherently unlikable, anyone with half a brain knew that the only way to survive long-term in this industry was to be themselves.

Creating a persona had long since gone out of style as more and more people were "exposed."

After all, what is fake is always fake, and there will always be a day when the truth comes out.

Fans can accept imperfection, but they absolutely cannot accept deception.

As the group chatted and logged in, Lu Nanting shot back a grumpy remark before focusing on learning the controls.

Once he finished the beginner tutorial, understood the basics, and practiced a bit in a bot match, the guys finished their own game and pulled him into a match.

It was a game that even elementary schoolers could play skillfully; it wasn't inherently difficult.

Mastering it might be hard, but getting started was incredibly simple.

For four veterans carrying a novice, it might require full concentration for Lu Nanting, but for the others, it was no different from taking a stroll.

Consequently, the conversation was endless.

Since it was a five-man team, there were no outsiders.

Furthermore, since the other four were very familiar with the game, they knew to mute the in-game voice chat when discussing private matters, so they spoke with almost no inhibitions.

Unfortunately, Lu Nanting was a complete novice. His eyes were glued to the battlefield, and he didn't notice at all when he accidentally turned on the team voice chat.

Since it was a Monday morning, even though it was his own company, his father was still watching over things from above, so he didn't dare act recklessly.

After a few rounds, someone had to leave early for a meeting, leaving the team short one person.

A random player filled the slot for the new match.

The newcomer was very silent, didn't fight over character selection, and relied entirely on typing to communicate.

An ordinary teammate, an ordinary start. The screen flashed, and the five players emerged from the fountain one after another to begin the game.

Since the random player didn't speak, the others had no intention of communicating with him either. They continued chatting via WeChat voice, never imagining that the player named "Wind Walker" had heard their conversation the moment he joined.

The childhood friend who ran the bar was named Guo Zerui. He was very close to Lu Nanting. While playing, he suddenly remembered something and asked

"Hey, bro, are there any tickets left for next week's concert? A few of my girlfriend's besties want to go and asked if I could get them some."

Lu Nanting, eyes fixed on his phone, answered casually

"Next week's are out, they're long gone. I might be able to squeeze out two for next month."

Hearing there were only two, and for next month at that, Guo Zerui's voice grew much louder

"Two? So many people want to go, are they going to fight over who gets to go and who doesn't? You're freaking giving me a hard time! It's just a few tickets! Don't be such a cheapskate!"

"It's not a matter of being cheap. The venue has limited seating, and many fans couldn't even buy tickets! The reserved tickets aren't many to begin with. Besides, I have to save a few for my wife, just in case she wants to come? Or in case her relatives or friends want to come?"

Guo Zerui felt like having a breakdown upon hearing this

"Holy shit! Please shut up! Can you go see a neurologist first? Get treated for this severe 'love brain' of yours! You have 'wife' on your lips all day long—are you done with your brothers or what? It's such a small thing, and you're just talking nonsense to me!"

Perhaps because he had spent so much time with Gu Lanxi, Lu Nanting's way of speaking had begun to take on a certain slow, unhurried quality

"It's not like that. If you were getting married and your wife wanted them, as your brother, I wouldn't hesitate to arrange seats for her friends on short notice. But your girlfriend? She changes two a month. There's a chance the 'character attributes' will have changed before the concert even starts. Forget it! Don't waste my front-row seats!"

Guo Zerui changed girlfriends faster than he changed clothes, which often left his mother in tears.

Every time he was in a bad mood, he would go to his mother for tea, and then he would have to listen to her nag.

Things like "harmony in the family brings prosperity," "when husband and wife are of one mind, even dust turns to gold," "a virtuous wife brings fewer troubles to the husband, and a filial son brings peace to the father"...

He had heard it so much his ears were practically calloused.

He had long been dissatisfied with his behavior, so when he got the chance, how could he not lecture him a bit?

Being lectured like this, Guo Zerui was stunned

"No way, bro?! Is there a hierarchy in dating? If I don't date a few, how am I supposed to know which one is suitable?"

Before Lu Nanting could respond, another friend grew impatient

"Holy shit! Can you two stop chatting?! Don't you know he's a total noob? When he talks, his skill shots go everywhere! Ah?! You're such a burden! Old Lu! I'm literally dying under your skirt—doesn't your conscience ache? Huh? Can you at least provide some support?! Can you?! You're so bad, you're worse than Cai Wenji! Have you no shame? Huh?"

Because his voice was so loud, it sounded like it had an echo. The last person immediately realized something was wrong

"Wait... which one of you didn't turn off the in-game voice? Why does the audio sound weird?"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell into a tacit silence.

After a long while, Lu Nanting belatedly turned off the in-game voice.

The interface was flashy, and his phone screen wasn't large; being tall and having long fingers, he had accidentally pressed the wrong thing.

Seeing that the random player showed no unusual reaction, and recalling that he hadn't said anything truly inappropriate, Lu Nanting couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

The group didn't speak again until the match ended. They called another friend to fill the slot before starting the next game.

However, even when they chatted from then on, they no longer discussed private matters.

With someone carrying the team, the experience was excellent, and newcomers usually showed their "bad at the game but addicted to playing" side.

The other three knew he was feeling stifled at home and intentionally accompanied him; even if someone had something to do, they would immediately call another friend to fill in.

This was where the benefit of having many friends became apparent.

Everything went smoothly until noon without any further accidents, so he didn't take the incident to heart.

Little did he know that as soon as that game ended, the video had been sent out by that "Wind Walker."

It turned out this person had a girlfriend who happened to be a die-hard fan of Lu Nanting, to the point that she had attended several of his concerts.

Lu Nanting's voice was extremely recognizable. Almost the moment Lu Nanting spoke his first sentence, the guy had quickly hit the screen recording button.

The more he listened to it afterward, the more "valuable" it seemed, so naturally, he sent it to his dear girlfriend to make her happy.