Chapter 1 The Christmas Treasure Hunt

On December 20th, Dream Inc. released the news of their "Christmas Treasure Hunt Event."

The event wasn't complicated. Simply put, from Christmas Eve (December 24th) to Boxing Day (December 26th), Thriller Paradise would open a brand-new mode called "Treasure Hunt Mode."

The basic settings of Treasure Hunt Mode were similar to the team survival mode on Normal difficulty, but with two differences: first, the clear condition for Treasure Hunt Mode was always "find a certain item"; second, after clearing Treasure Hunt Mode, not only would the basic rewards have an extra bonus, but there would also be corresponding special rewards.

With the new version just launched and everyone rushing to level up and farm dungeons... such an event naturally became a blazing fire in the winter.

Even those busy people with real lives during the holidays couldn't resist going online during their sleep time to farm a few dungeons. As for those professional players, needless to say...

On the day the news was announced, almost all game studios immediately issued a "prepare to work overtime" notice to their employees. Considering that most professional players were young people and might "have plans" for Christmas, many studios also offered harsh measures such as "multiple wages plus extra bonuses," truly spending a lot of money.

And players like Feng Bujue, who participated in the game with a "special mission," were more tragic... No one would pay him to play games, but he couldn't not play. Not only did he have to play, but he also had to maximize the various bonuses of this event and turn them into tangible benefits and... strength in the game world.

However, hard work doesn't mean burying your head and working blindly...

Feng Bujue was undoubtedly a person who deeply understood the way to achieve twice the result with half the effort (the unorthodox way). He wouldn't go online in a hurry on the morning of the 24th, acting as if "everything will be gone if I'm late."

In any case, the total game time for players within twenty-four hours was limited. The key was how to farm dungeons as much as possible and efficiently.

Therefore, at nearly noon, Brother Jue was still not online, but was calmly collecting information on the forum, turning the experience of other players into his own.

"Alas... the internet is really a magical place..." Feng Bujue flipped through the hot posts on the homepage, browsing a lot of free, detailed information, and couldn't help but sigh, "People hide themselves behind a not-so-safe virtual ID, and dare to say many things that they usually don't dare to say... Many opinions and information that should be considered before deciding whether to reveal... they will also generously and honestly share with countless strangers they have never met."

"And the motivation to support them in doing so... is nothing more than a little sense of identity, and some pleasure that cannot be obtained in the repressive real society."

Brother Jue was mumbling, but his eyes and mind didn't stop; he was a person who was used to multitasking. When he was talking about one thing, his eyes and mind could carry out several other things without hindrance, and it wouldn't cause any interference.

For example, as long as it was on the same screen, he could play Sudoku while watching a movie. He could solve the Sudoku quickly, and he wouldn't miss any lines from the movie.

This was very common for Feng Bujue, just like he had to "watch something" when he ate alone—letting his mind idle would make him feel awkward.

In this way, Brother Jue sat in front of the computer for about twenty minutes; although he hadn't logged into the game today, he already had a fairly comprehensive understanding of this "Treasure Hunt Mode."

Knock knock knock—

Just as Brother Jue was about to leave the computer to get something to eat, the sound of knocking on the door suddenly rang.

"Hey~" He immediately froze for a moment and muttered, "What's going on? Is my intercom broken? How did these people get up here?"

His question was immediately answered, because when he looked out through the peephole on the door, the person he saw was Ruo Yu.

"Eh?" Feng Bujue opened the door first, and then said, "Why are you here?"

Since the person who came was Ruo Yu, he didn't need to ask how the other party opened the downstairs door, because the other party already had the magnetic card for this residential building.

"The gallery is closed during Christmas." Ruo Yu's answer seemed irrelevant, and the expression on her face was also a little subtle.

"Oh." Feng Bujue didn't know how to continue the conversation, "So..."

"So I chose to read books and surf the Internet at home." Ruo Yu replied.

While Brother Jue was speaking, he had already turned sideways, signaling the other party to come in first: "And then?"

Ruo Yu came in, closed the door very smoothly, changed her shoes as skillfully as if she was at home, and naturally found a place to sit down.

"Then my parents formed a group to bother me, and told me... that I should be with my boyfriend on such a day, and it's not right to stay at home."

"Um..." Feng Bujue had already turned around at this time and walked towards the living room, "That is to say... you plan to stay at my place?"

"That's right." Ruo Yu responded, and then added, "Won't it bother you?"

"Where are you going with that..." Brother Jue replied, "We've been living together for almost half a year, why are you still saying that..."

"Can you change a way of saying it that is not so easy to cause misunderstandings." Ruo Yu followed the other party into the room with a blank expression, changed her shoes as skillfully as if she was at her own home, and naturally found a place to sit down.

"Uh..." Feng Bujue really thought for two seconds before replying, "It seems... not." He paused, and then continued in a very ordinary tone, "However... I can take you to the Civil Affairs Bureau to take a group photo and practice signing our names, so the problem will be solved."

"Our relationship..." And after hearing this seemingly non-serious request, Ruo Yu responded in the same calm tone, "Hasn't progressed to that point yet, right?"

"I think it's just a matter of time." Feng Bujue also sat on the sofa and replied leisurely.

"Don't be too confident." Ruo Yu replied, "What if when I unlock the seal, I find that I have no feelings for you at all, wouldn't that be very embarrassing for you?"

"I don't think it's an embarrassing thing to love someone who doesn't love you." Feng Bujue shrugged and replied, "As long as that love is real, it will be a little sad at most, but never ridiculous."

"Can I regard this sentence you just said as another way of expressing the words 'I love you'?" Ruo Yu squinted at Brother Jue and asked in the latter's complaining tone.

"Sure." Feng Bujue stared with dead fish eyes and gave an affirmative answer.

"Um..." Ruo Yu also put on dead fish eyes immediately, and after organizing her words a little, she said, "From childhood to adulthood, I have been confessed to quite a few times. But like you... using a third-person perspective, an objective statement... supplemented by a soul-stirring sentence... saying such a thing, and trying to impress me with it... I think, it can also be regarded as unparalleled and unique in the world."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue responded with a smile that was not a smile, "Then what is your answer?"

"I don't think it's an embarrassing thing to reject someone." Ruo Yu once again imitated Brother Jue's expression, performing vividly, "As long as that person doesn't change his attitude, he will at most usher in more rejections, and there will be no exception."