“Why? Why should I hand over my gear? It was a birthday gift from my master, and I’ll never give it up!”
Dou Youyou never imagined that after finally being comforted by her master and no longer feeling sad yesterday, her father would demand she hand over her equipment first thing this morning. Even more so, he wanted her to give it to a stranger. The two had already gotten into a heated argument because of it.
Dou Junwan stood beside Dou Youyou, trying to de-escalate the situation. “Youyou, don’t be upset. There’s still room for discussion!”
Dou Jianhua, however, spoke with a stern expression. “There is no room for discussion. Get into the game now and hand the equipment over to Miss Ye. Once we have the gear, the Dou family’s development will be smooth sailing!”
Dou Youyou’s eyes were red from crying. “Why?”
“Slap!”
Dou Jianhua slapped his daughter across the face. “Because you are my daughter, you should contribute to the Dou family!”
Dou Youyou was stunned. She couldn’t believe her father had hit her in front of everyone. Dou Junwan was also dumbfounded. As far back as she could remember, her father had doted on her younger sister, but something seemed different now.
“You hit me? You’ve never hit me before, all for some Miss Ye? So you can climb higher?”
Dou Jianhua retorted, “Shut up! I told you to hand it over, it’s just a piece of equipment. If it’s gone, it’s gone. It’s just data anyway!”
Dou Junwan quickly interjected from the side. “Dad, that piece of equipment is extraordinary right now. Its value is extremely high. It’s currently the top-tier gear in the game ‘Myth,’ bar none!”
Dou Jianhua didn’t care about such things. How could a game compare to his real-world business? Even if games became the second homeland of this world, it wouldn’t change the Dou family’s resolve.
“The equipment will be handed over today, whether you like it or not. Otherwise, starting today, you’re not allowed to log into the game!”
Dou Youyou began to panic. Being barred from the game meant losing all her hopes and dreams. “You just want the equipment? Fine, I’ll give it to you!”
With that, Dou Youyou stomped back to her room, a rift forming between her and her father from this moment on.
Dou Junwan watched her sister leave, feeling a pang in her heart. She knew how important the gift from Youyou’s master was to her. Now, her own father was demanding Youyou hand over that very piece of equipment to someone else!
“Dad…”
“Enough. I don’t want to say another word. Log into the game and help your sister transfer the equipment. You’re the elder sister; you should understand that the carefree life you enjoy today is thanks to your father, not anyone else!”
Dou Junwan nodded, remaining silent. She had initially wanted to persuade her father to change his mind, but it seemed her father had made up his mind and was unchangeable.
“I understand!”
After Dou Youyou logged into the game, Dou Junwan contacted her. “Youyou, I’ll be waiting for you in Pingjiang City!”
Dou Youyou looked at the Xuanbing Longlin Yi (Mysterious Ice Dragon Scale Armor) that she had already taken off and placed in her inventory, her heart filled with reluctance. If she didn’t hand over the equipment, she might truly never be able to log into the game again, and thus, never see her master.
Dou Youyou arrived in Pingjiang City without a word, handed the equipment to Dou Junwan, and then returned to Pingfan Town. Dou Junwan shook her head helplessly, clearly seeing that her father had deeply hurt Youyou this time.
Dou Junwan then found the eldest daughter of the Ye family, known in-game as “Blazing Rose,” who was also a mage. “Miss Ye, the equipment has been delivered. I hope you will keep your word!”
Upon seeing the Xuanbing Longlin Yi, this Miss Ye, Blazing Rose, couldn't tear her eyes away. “Very good. Your Dou family is trustworthy, and so is our Ye family!”
With that, she immediately equipped the gear, and her combat power instantly surged to become the highest in the entire server. Looking at the magnificent outfit, Blazing Rose was extremely satisfied. “Such a beautiful outfit on your sister was a waste. It suits me perfectly!”
Dou Junwan remained silent. The armor possessed formidable attributes and was also incredibly beautiful, clearly prepared with great care by Youyou’s master. Yet, it was now being worn by someone else. “Since Miss Ye has received the equipment, I will report back now.”
“Go on, go on. This young lady is now the number one in the server. Let’s see who dares to act arrogant in front of me!” Dou Junwan shook her head in resignation.
However, players soon discovered an unfamiliar name suddenly appearing on the combat power leaderboard, especially since this player had surpassed Dou Youyou, who had previously held the top spot.
“Strange, who is this Blazing Rose? She’s directly climbed to first place on the power rankings!”
“Even stranger, Dou Youyou’s combat power has dropped so much. What’s going on?”
“You guys don’t know? Dou Youyou’s Xuanbing Longlin Yi is now on Blazing Rose!”
“Holy cow, what happened? Dou Youyou’s gear was dropped!”
“I’m not sure. I heard she sold it for a million.”
“What a waste! A million for this armor? What a joke, that’s missing a zero!”
“Really? Blazing Rose herself said she bought it for a million!”
“Heh, you believe that? Dou Youyou’s family isn’t short on money; could they really sell this gear for a million? It’s definitely under duress. Blazing Rose’s identity must be quite significant!”
Players began discussing the ownership of the armor and the identity of Blazing Rose.
Zhang Pingfan was sitting at his table eating breakfast. He had slept very soundly last night, so he woke up a little late today. Just then, Li Yutong walked out of her room. “What’s going on? Dou Youyou from your Pingfan Town actually sold the Xuanbing Longlin Yi!”
Zhang Pingfan’s heart skipped a beat. That was impossible. Youyou loved that armor so much; how could she have sold it? “What’s going on?”
Li Yutong shook her head. “I don’t know either. I just received a message from our group chat. Everyone is discussing this matter, and selling it for just one million is too unbelievable!”
Zhang Pingfan frowned. That armor, let alone a million, might not even be worth ten million. “Did you hear anything else?”
“A female player named Blazing Rose bought it. She bragged to others herself, saying she spent a million on it. I suspect this person’s identity is not simple, otherwise, Dou Youyou wouldn’t have sold it to her for a million. There must have been a lot going on.”
Zhang Pingfan’s face darkened. He really liked Youyou’s armor, and Youyou naturally liked it too. However, the idea of possessing something that attracts trouble happening within a game was hard for Zhang Pingfan to comprehend.
“Thanks!”
With that, Zhang Pingfan didn’t even clean up his bowls and chopsticks and rushed directly into his room.
Li Yutong called out, “What’s going on? Why is he in such a hurry?”