Chapter 59: Be my official fake boyfriend

Lin Fang then said, “You know I have been living in the same shared flat as Li Liu and Zhi Yan. Sometimes, their interaction kinda feels odd to me. Both Li Liu and Zhi Yan say that they were besties from childhood, but I don’t know… it feels as if…”

“They were a secret couple…” Adam finished it for him.

Lin Fang blinked in surprise, “You think the same?”

Adam nodded firmly. “Yup, sometimes, they become slightly intimate when they are drunk, whether sleeping on the bed with legs and hands over each other in just their underwear or showering together. Or the fact that they don’t hesitate to ditch their boyfriend in the middle of a date to attend to others’ needs. Sometimes, she makes you feel like you are the one who is in the way of their relationship.”

The new piece of information jolted him in shock. Now, Lin Fang’s suspicions almost turned into confirmation. He only needed the word. And he asked, “So, do you think they are not straight?”

To that, Adam chuckled, shaking his head. “I don’t know about that. It’s a touchy subject; we can’t just say it casually, you know.” After a brief pause, he added. “But I tell you what I think. Li Liu, atleast, is not gay. I didn’t see her looking attracted to any girl in the college. As someone who used to be in a relationship with her, I can give her the benefit of the doubt and conclude that she deeply cares about Zhi Yan.”

“Tch… nothing conclusive came out of him. Useless…” Lin Fang could only berate him inwardly and quietly finished his meal.

Parting his ways with Adam, Lin Fang made his way to the guild to train.

The guild lobby was unusually bright that afternoon with clear weather outside. However, as usual, it is empty. Lin Fang had barely stepped inside when a familiar, excited voice called out.

“Fang-ge!”

Li Xue practically bounced toward him with a radiant grin plastered across her face. Her ponytail swayed behind her like a flag of victory. “Congratulations on passing the examination!”

Lin Fang blinked, startled at her enthusiasm. “Ah… that? It wasn’t a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” she gasped in mock outrage. “You passed the test that was next to impossible for you. That is a big deal. We should celebrate tonight!”

Lin Fang gave a casual shrug. “Let’s wait until I pass the fourth trial and get the license. Until then, I’m still just an exam candidate who can be failed.”

Li Xue puffed her cheeks out like an annoyed squirrel. “Hmph. I still don’t get it. Why does that Feng Xiu make it so complicated? No, the exam trials are absurd in the remaining countries too. In the Siberia Continent, all they do is put their hand on a stupid analyzer machine at the Hunter Association and—boom! License will come to their doorstep!”

Lin Fang exhaled a long sigh at that. “It’s because Siberia’s population is barely a tenth of ours. The entire continent has fewer people than Northern Yan alone. Almost one-third of the world’s population lives here, in the five Zhonggou nations. We can’t have too many hunters, do we?”

Li Xue blinked, then tilted her head. “You know that, and you still wanted to become a hunter.”

Lin Fang smiled faintly. “Well, I guess I’m lucky. The goddess of fortune must like me.” As if he thought of something playful, with a cheeky under-chin gesture, he joked. “I guess she likes me because of my looks.”

“Somehow, I don’t doubt that. You are handsome after all, just my type…” she blurted out the last sentence, then blinked in realization, “I’m sorry. That came out wrong. Anyway, forget that. I actually called you here for something important.”

She stepped a little closer, lowering her voice. “You’ve been informed about the upcoming Sky Exploration Hunt, right?”

As Lin Fang nodded, she clapped once and said. “Then, before we leave for the Rift, you need proper gear. A battle suit, a rented monster, and most importantly, a weapon that actually suits you. We’ll go shopping.”

Lin Fang looked taken aback at that proposal. “Sister Li… you’ve already done too much for me. The mana crystals, helping me train in the dungeon, lending me the artifact… If you keep doing me favors like this, I’m going to choke from the debt.”

Li Xue laughed softly, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her eyes softened with a teasing glint. “Then how about you repay me with something else?”

Lin Fang blinked. “What?”

She stepped closer and whispered with mock seriousness, “The same thing we put off earlier. Be my fake boyfriend. Officially. Like, not to my brother, but just in general. All you have to do is come with me to the parties or camping I attend with my friends, and dinners and lunches with my family.”

Lin Fang’s mind blanked for a second. “Huh?”

“In return,” she continued, “I’ll fund your equipment. Think of it as me paying you for services.”

Lin Fang stared at her, unsure whether to laugh or panic. “You’re serious? Why me, though? I know that you thought of it on impulse back then to cover up against your brothers. But this is deliberate. We haven’t interacted enough for you to completely trust me or fallen for my charms or something. So, let me hear your reasoning.”

Li Xue averted her gaze and replied, “Well, don’t take it any other way when I say this, but you are not rich. That’s the primary reason. Even when we suddenly stop acting, I can still say that I dumped you, even with a lame excuse. Of course, that’s not the only reason. There are many other factors that contributed to my decision, but I just thought a lot about it and think you are perfect for the role.” A pause later, she hesitantly asked, “You don’t have any girlfriend, right? Cuz that would complicate everything.”

Lin Fang stared at her for a while, wanting to refute that he would become rich sooner or later, but then put the thought away, as no matter how rich he grew, his net worth wouldn’t ever match Velcra Nestworks anyway. At the same time, he also had to know Li Liu’s feelings, whether she was feeling jealous of him or Zhi Yan. If she feels nothing after seeing Li Xue, then he can conclude that she had feelings for Zhi Yan and not him. He can give up on her and no longer meddle in their relationship. Moreover, he was about to put himself in the Zero guild’s debt even more today, with his actions.

As a result, he smiled, stretching his hand, “Alright, we have a deal. And don’t worry, if I ever get one, you will be the first to know.”

Li Xue also smiled back, shaking his hand.

A while later, using the excuse of training, Lin Fang walked alone into the depths of Spirit Valley.

With the Amulet taken off his neck, the spirits were frozen in their spot, just like last time. Some shimmered and vanished into the trees. Others simply bowed their heads in fear.

Lin Fang didn’t say anything. He just kept walking while Nemesis glided silently above him like a ghost.

Eventually, he spotted a gleaming white horse-like spirit grazing on a grassland. Its mane shimmered with threads of lightning. The label on his interface blinked:

[Epic-grade Spirit: Thunderhoof Stallion]

Lin Fang narrowed his eyes. “Time to test this ability.”

“Open Character Interface.”

He scrolled down to the Spirit Collection function.

As he clicked on it, an empty window opened. There, he found an option: Collect.

He clicked on it.

A circular glyph of blue light formed beneath his palm in an instant while he received another notification.

*Ding!

[Select the target.]

His gaze fell on the white horse, and he stretched his palm as if he knew what to do.

The blue light expanded outward like a spinning disk. The horse neighed once with its eyes wide before it was pulled forward as if gravity had flipped.

In one smooth motion, the Thunderhoof Stallion was sucked into Lin Fang’s palm like smoke being inhaled. His system chimed:

*Ding!

[Nemesis’ will is expressing its interest in swallowing Thunderhoof Stallion’s spirit.]

[Make a choice]

[Spirit Collection] [Nemesis’ will]

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