Chapter 1487 just_we

Following his selection, the [joy4] deck in Feng Bujue's hand immediately dissolved into white light.

Because the method of equipment generation in the storage room had changed, a white pillar of light wouldn't suddenly appear in the room.

Jue-ge waited a few seconds, and when he saw that nothing had changed around him, he walked back to the drawer by the wall...

"It should be in here..." he muttered, pulling the iron handle.

Indeed, the equipment exchanged from the deck was also refreshed in this drawer.

*Clang*—

As the drawer was opened, the item appeared before Jue-ge's eyes.

"Uh..." The instant Feng Bujue saw that thing, he didn't even need to call up the description menu to know its name.

Overall, it was a cylindrical, doll-like object.

Its main body was a reddish-orange cylinder, topped with a semi-circular flesh-colored cap, with two eyes and a mouth painted on it.

The two eyes were standard dead fish eyes...

The mouth was a simple horizontal line.

This semi-circular "head" only had these two eyes and a mouth; there was no nose, ears, eyebrows... or any other details.

On either side of the cylindrical object, there were also two flesh-colored sticks, about the thickness of chopsticks. These two things should be the object's "arms," also without any details, just fixed to the body, drooping at a seventy-degree angle.

[Name: just_we]

[Type: Composite Weapon]

[Quality: Legendary]

[Attack Power: ???]

[Defense Power: ???]

[Attribute: Fire]

[Special Effect: Its presence is stronger than you think, and its actual effect is greater than it appears]

[Equipment Requirement: Since it's bound, just use it (Bound on Pickup)]

[Note: just_we is just_we, neither great nor humble.]

"Oh... it really is just_we," Feng Bujue said, picking up the item with a smile.

The next second...

"This is a goddamn ripoff!" he shouted immediately. "This is supposed to be Legendary quality? Is this even equipment? Where am I supposed to equip it? Am I supposed to shove the whole thing up my [Bleep] and walk around with it? This special effect description is completely inexplicable! Is that 'Equipment Requirement' line trying to comfort me? Isn't that 'you've already been tricked, might as well take it easy' tone my imagination? What's with the final note? 'just_we is just_we, neither great nor humble'... Isn't that just nonsense!"

"Haa... haa..." Jue-ge exhaled that entire passage in one breath, panting and taking a few seconds to recover.

After venting, he calmed down a bit...

"Hmph... never mind... it's fate," he sighed, putting just_we into his bag. "This is a legendary-level equipment, it should have some use... um... it definitely will."

Although he told himself that, he knew in his heart... that he had probably suffered the "risk" when exchanging equipment with the [joy4] deck and drawn a terribly frustrating reward.

At this point, Feng Bujue had claimed all the rewards after the end of the script, and he looked at the real-world time, realizing that two or three hours had passed since he logged in.

Considering that the forty-eight hours of this "limited-time experience" were calculated in real-world time, Jue-ge decided to log off first.

He could treat these two or three hours as getting familiar with the new environment. Next, he planned to log in entirely in sleep mode—since he had to play anyway, it would be more cost-effective to use sleep mode to use up the experience time.

…………

After disconnecting the neural connection, Feng Bujue opened the game pod and sat up.

"Hmm..." he shook his head after sitting up straight, muttering, "It's happening again..."

Jue-ge had discovered a long time ago that every time he played the game in non-sleep mode, he would experience a strange feeling in the first few minutes after disconnecting...

It wasn't exactly "dizziness," but a subtle sense of "incoordination."

When Feng Bujue was just an ordinary person, he wouldn't have noticed this anomaly. However... after being "developed" by Gu Chen, Qi Zhi, Woody, and Simon, Jue-ge could even sense the "Earth's rotation." Therefore, he could clearly sense this "incoordination"...

"Can you feel it?"

Just as Jue-ge was pondering, suddenly, a man's voice entered his ears.

"Holy crap?" Feng Bujue was surprised and turned his head in the direction of the voice, only to discover that a man in a suit was sitting on the sofa in the living room.

"I say... how did you get in here?" Jue-ge asked as soon as he saw it was Gu Chen. "Also... why didn't I notice you coming in at all?"

"I've had a key to this place for a long time," Gu Chen replied calmly. "Even without it... it's easy to get in." He shrugged. "As for why you didn't notice me... it's troublesome to explain, just consider it 'light skill'."

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue narrowed his eyes as he climbed out of the game pod. "Looks like you're an expert at breaking and entering."

"No, I'm not," Gu Chen replied. "When you enter someone else's house without saying hello, that's called 'breaking and entering.' When I enter a house without saying hello, it's called 'performing a mission'."

"Heh heh..." Feng Bujue chuckled dryly and replied, "So... what mission is Chief Gu Chen here to perform today?"

Gu Chen heard this, looked into Jue-ge's eyes, and was silent for a few seconds before saying, "I came today... on personal business." After saying that, he glanced at the clock on the wall. "It's almost six o'clock, let's talk while we eat."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue smiled. "That sounds good~" Although he was smiling, there wasn't a trace of real happiness in his eyes. "Are you planning to take me to some fancy hotel for a public-funded feast?"

At this moment, Gu Chen stood up and walked towards the kitchen, saying as he walked, "When I came, I stopped by the market."

"Huh?" Feng Bujue's gaze followed him, and he soon saw a few plastic bags on the counter.

"I told my wife that I wouldn't be home for dinner tonight, so I'll just make do here..." Gu Chen said halfway through his sentence, already in the kitchen and picking up an apron to tie around himself. "I rarely have the chance to cook myself after getting married, so my skills might have deteriorated a bit, come over and give me a hand."

"Hey..." Jue-ge was shocked. "You break into someone else's house without saying a word, forcibly buy groceries and cook, and you even want to freeload... and you're asking the host to help you?"

"So, are you going to do it or not?" Gu Chen asked casually.

Feng Bujue thought for two seconds, rolled his dead fish eyes, and walked towards the kitchen. "Sigh... the menu, the menu..."

"Scallion braised pork ribs..." Gu Chen replied smoothly. "... Mapo tofu, meat and egg soup, and a mushroom soup."

As he said this, Gu Chen picked up a transparent, large mixing bowl with his left hand, grabbed an egg with his right hand, and cracked it open with a flourish, a one-handed egg crack.

Then... the egg shattered in the bowl.

As the egg, shell and yolk, fell into the bowl together, the atmosphere in the kitchen instantly became very strange...

After an awkward silence, Feng Bujue's mouth twitched, and he looked at Gu Chen with narrowed eyes. "Um... I'd like to ask... what exactly were your cooking skills like *before* they 'deteriorated'?"

Gu Chen maintained his composed attitude, picked up a rag to wipe his hands, and replied coldly, "You know instant noodles taste better if you cook them, right?"

"Nonsense! Who doesn't know that?" Feng Bujue was shocked. "So your so-called 'skills' are just at the level of cooking instant noodles? And you dared to shamelessly buy ingredients for four dishes and bring them to someone else's house? And you even acted arrogantly, telling people to help you?"

"Hmph..." Gu Chen ignored Jue-ge's complaints and snorted coldly. "By the way... when cooking instant noodles, put less water in, it can make the taste better."

"Talk about your grandfather! Aren't you still talking about instant noodles?" Feng Bujue pointed at Gu Chen. "I already said that's not some amazing knowledge! What's with that self-righteous attitude of yours?"

Gu Chen shook his head and remained unmoved by Jue-ge's complaints. "Young man, you're too naive... the truly profound technique is the realm of returning to simplicity. Skills like 'making buns smile' or 'making dumplings move' are just flashy tricks."

"You can't even crack an egg properly, yet you dare to say that..." Feng Bujue's own eggs started to ache faintly. "You think I can't tell that you're regurgitating old jokes from cooking manga from decades ago?"

"Don't worry about the details," Gu Chen replied. "Although my technique is rusty, my consciousness won't deteriorate." As he said that, he picked up another plastic bag. "Watch... in a moment, I'll teach you the method of using soybeans instead of minced meat to make a special mapo tofu with six flavors in one."

"You just finished mocking other people's skills as flashy tricks, and now you're immediately plagiarizing another of their tricks!" Feng Bujue shouted. "Do you... oh no... do you even have a face?"

…………

Fifteen minutes later...

"Hmm... let me see..." Feng Bujue looked at the steamer on the stove. "The meat and egg soup is steaming..." He looked at the large wok next to him, covered with a lid. "The ribs need to simmer over low heat, so there's still time..." He looked down at the tofu in the bowl. "The tofu should soak in water first, and then put it in the pot after those two dishes are ready."

Thinking of this, he turned his head and looked at Gu Chen not far away. "Um... Chief, is your soybean minced meat ready yet?"

At this time, Gu Chen was busy doing something in front of another stove.

Hearing this, he turned around and handed Jue-ge a small plate for tasting the dish. On the plate, there was a small pile of black, unknown substance.

"Try it and see how it tastes," Gu Chen said.

Jue-ge immediately took a half step back and asked vigilantly, "Why don't you try it yourself?"

Gu Chen's answer was shocking...

He replied in a very calm tone, "It looks terrible."

Feng Bujue widened his eyes, took a deep breath, and then, maintaining the almost twitching expression on his face, asked in a calm tone, "Could you get out of my kitchen?"

…………

At seven o'clock in the evening, the two of them (considering their ages, this term didn't seem to be a problem) finally sat down at the dinner table.

Overall, Feng Bujue made three dishes and one soup by himself, and Gu Chen ruined an egg and a pound of soybeans... Anyway, the dishes were bought by the latter, so Jue-ge didn't say anything.

"I came to find you today mainly to talk about my great-niece's affairs," Gu Chen said as he picked up his rice bowl, before even putting the first bite of food in his mouth.

"Ah..." Feng Bujue, on the other hand, had already picked up a spoon and scooped up a mouthful of mapo tofu. "I also can't figure out... what she's thinking."

"I don't know what she's thinking specifically... but I know she must be angry," Gu Chen replied.

"I just don't understand..." Feng Bujue said. "What is she angry about?" His tone unintentionally rose. "Everything I did was for her own good. Even if she discovers after her seal is broken that she doesn't have the feelings for me that she imagined, I also..."

"Hold on, hold on," Gu Chen interrupted Jue-ge. "That's where the problem lies."

"Ah?" Jue-ge didn't understand. "Where?"

"I know you're doing it for her own good," Gu Chen replied. "You also know you're doing it for her own good." He paused. "Whether objectively or subjectively, the whole world will recognize that what you're doing... is for her own good." At this point, he changed the subject. "But..." He frowned and looked at Jue-ge's face. "You can't... on this matter that is closely related to her... unilaterally make a decision and implement it. Then throw the result in the other person's face and say confidently—I'm doing it for your own good."

"Huh?" After listening to this passage, Feng Bujue was even more confused.

"Let me give you an example," Gu Chen said. "How do you feel about me coming to your house and cooking for you today without saying a word?"

"You consider that doing it for my own good?" Feng Bujue rolled his dead fish eyes again. "Before that... what the hell! Who made the meal in the end?"

"See..." Gu Chen said, "Even for such a small matter, you feel unhappy, let alone something more important."

"Hey! How do I feel that your example is not even remotely related to my situation!" Feng Bujue replied.

"I've been there, done that, made similar mistakes before..." Gu Chen had unparalleled experience in ignoring complaints. No matter how much Jue-ge complained, he still said calmly what he wanted to say. "So, I'm not here today to lecture you as an elder, but to tell you as someone who's been there... you're wrong."

"I'm wrong?" Feng Bujue said.

"Wrong," Gu Chen said.

"Is it really my fault?" Jue-ge asked again.

"You're too~ wrong," Gu Chen said in a drawn-out voice.

"Hmm..." The next second, Feng Bujue propped his elbows on the table and leaned his face forward. "Then tell me... I'll go kneel down and apologize..."

"Save the cheap kneeling," Gu Chen interrupted him again.

"Uh..." This was beyond Jue-ge's expectations. "Then what should I do?"

Next, Gu Chen gave an answer in a matter-of-course tone that even Feng Bujue couldn't have imagined: "Need you ask? Play hardball."

Hu Die Lan