That’s why Chi Zhan’s assignment was the heaviest of all.
If he were to leave, the new NPC would inherit all his information and documentation and take over his role.
Still, inheriting someone else’s “boyfriend” along with the rest… didn’t seem all that ethical.
As he was mulling that over, a notification popped up.
[“Song Guang” has declined your invitation.]
A wave of inexplicable disappointment hit Chi Zhan—though honestly, he’d expected it.
Game couples weren’t real couples. Besides, it had been ages since they’d spoken. The other party had probably forgotten all about him.
Chi Zhan messaged Tao Ran: Go ahead and start.
Tao Ran opened the voice chat, chattering away about his experience at the new company.
“The new place is amazing. And this afternoon I even ran into that super popular idol Chu Xingxiao! I think he’s one of your company’s artists—he’s so cool, seriously handsome.”
Chi Zhan recalled Su Ran mentioning something about a canceled concert earlier and frowned slightly.
“Didn’t he have a show this afternoon? What was he doing at your office?”
“He was being stalked by sasaeng fans. In the end, he had no choice but to reroute and come to us for a promo shoot.” Tao Ran sighed. “Being a celeb is rough these days. Gotta bundle up in layers till even your own parents can’t recognize you—and still live in constant fear. I heard he’s heading back to headquarters soon for training. You two might end up neighbors.”
While chatting with Tao Ran, a new private message appeared on Chi Zhan’s screen.
Song Guang: Sorry, my cat stepped on the keyboard.
Song Guang: Wanna queue for the next game?
His tone was casually friendly, but Chi Zhan was so thrown off he misfired his ult, getting gang-killed and sent straight back to base.
“Dude, how’d you die? Hang tight—I’m avenging you!”
He charged into the enemy team with a flurry of flashy moves—like a tiger unleashed—only to join Chi Zhan back at spawn five seconds later.
“…Yeah, that was a misplay.”
Chi Zhan didn’t seem too bothered.
“It’s just a game—win some, lose some. Oh, by the way, I’ll be inviting a friend next match.”
“Sure.” Tao Ran’s voice grew sly. “Aren’t you on a business trip with your boss? So… what’s the tea?”
“What tea?”
“Y’know… Did anything happen between you two? I’ve always felt like your boss likes you. Business trips are prime time for sparks to fly.”
“……”
Sparks didn’t fly, but he did walk away with a bite mark.
Their idle banter continued. The current round wasn’t going well either—the teammates weren’t great, and they ended up wiped.
“One more!”
Chi Zhan sent another invite to Song Guang.
[Song Guang has entered the room.]
“That your friend?” Tao Ran asked, noting the other player hadn’t turned on voice chat. “Rank’s kinda low… but no worries, we’ll carry him!”
Game on.
Everyone picked their characters—Chi Zhan selected the mage Yan, and after a moment, Song Guang locked in the support Little Sprite.
The pairing felt oddly familiar.
Tao Ran was still chuckling to himself until the match’s intro animation played. Then he suddenly noticed something.
“Wait, what the hell—are you two running a couple tag?” Tao Ran blurted. “Chi Zhan! You got yourself a boyfriend and didn’t tell me?!”
…He knew Tao Ran would react like this.
“Not my boyfriend.”
“That explanation is so weak it hurts. I’m crushed. Our dear President Zhou—cast aside! Not even a black card and 56% of Zhou Rui Group shares could win your heart. I need to know—just how godly is this guy to outshine the mighty CEO?”
“You seem awfully fond of him,” Chi Zhan muttered, puzzled. “Why?”
“You’re kidding, right? If you married into money, you’d skip like fifty years of struggle,” Tao Ran said wistfully. “Becoming the boss’s spouse is literally my dream.”
“……”
Forget marrying the boss—he couldn’t even keep the black card or the 56% shares. And now, he had to find a boyfriend to cuck the boss with.
Honestly, this life of his… highs, lows—it’s been a rollercoaster.
“I should have you help me find a boyfriend,” Chi Zhan said, struck by an idea. “Know anyone who’d be a good fit? Or someone who could fake it?”
“If you’re looking for a boyfriend, I’ve got people in mind. But if your love rival is a CEO… that’s a tall order. I mean, the man could just toss out a card and say, ‘Here’s five million. Leave Secretary Chi.’ Who could resist that?”
“That’s a bit much…”
Then again, it was exactly the kind of stunt Zhou Yanxing would pull. If he hadn’t been so drunk tonight, biting might’ve been the least of it.
The CEO came with black cards, shares, and a jealousy streak that could give a horror flick a run for its money.
Chi Zhan’s character headed toward mid-lane. Little Sprite floated closely behind. The enemy side had also chosen a mage-support duo and came out swinging—an all-out bombardment from the start, clearly aiming to force Chi Zhan out from under his turret.
Chi Zhan tried to retaliate, but it was futile. He figured he was a goner… yet somehow, his health bar stubbornly clung above red. Meanwhile, the enemy’s HP dropped fast. In the end, Chi Zhan landed first blood, dumbfounded.
Wait—on second thought, it was all thanks to Little Sprite’s clutch healing. Without him, Chi Zhan would’ve been sent packing long ago.
Song Guang hovered loyally by his side.
A speech bubble popped up above Chi Zhan: Hi.
Song Guang replied with six dots.
Even their chat bubbles were matching.
Chi Zhan: Did we know each other before? I swear I’m not a hacker—I just don’t remember anything that happened before.
Song Guang: I figured.
Chi Zhan: How did you know?
After a moment, Song Guang’s speech bubble appeared again: You used to call me “darling” every time we met.
“D-darling?!”
A giant question mark ballooned over Chi Zhan’s head.
So the previous owner of this account… was a total hopeless romantic?!
