Chapter 172: The Second Oblatum (1/2)
Translator: Sarah
Kids these days!
Madam Yin stifled a laugh and asked for the scanning results from the two guides. She understood the situation with a glance and made her way in front of Mr. Hu. He was throwing a drunk fit and Madam Yin broke the two apart. She faced Luo Nan and said, "Student, this is the VIP area of the Frost River Reality. According to the access privilege of your peripherals, you shouldn't be here...."”
"Wait, wait, wait!"
Mr. Hu had sobered up quite a bit but his tongue became sluggish. When he spoke quickly, he ended up saying 'wait' over and over before getting the rest of his words out. "That, hey brother, you look familiar… can you take off your glasses so I can get a look?"
Although the way he spoke was rough, the meaning behind his words was surprisingly polite.
Luo Nan's heart twinged and he carefully examined Mr. Hu's face. Luo Nan found that although his facial structure was slightly swollen due to drinking too much, he actually looked kind of familiar as well. He thought for awhile then took off his goggles.
The instant he did so, information from old memories resurfaced. "Senior Hu?”
"Aha! Luo Nan, Junior Nan!”
Mr. Hu released himself from the guide's hold and went to hug Luo Nan. Luo Nan did not attempt to dodge him since he feared that if he didn't grab Mr. Hu he'd directly fall headfirst to the ground.
Yes, Luo Nan remembered. This ‘Mr. Hu’ was the Student Council officer who took a group of people—including the Construction Society and Yan Yongbo's lawyer—to visit ‘Gear’ last week. He was Xie Junping's best friend and Xie Junping had called him ‘Hu San'er’; his real name should be ‘Hu Huaying’.
According to Xie Junping, he was a bit of an airhead but was still reliable. However, did the two of them really get along that well？
On the other hand, although Hu Huaying was 70-80% drunk his mind was clear. Although Luo Nan and Mr. Huo did not know each other that well, Xie Junping and Luo Nan did.
Hu Huaying also worked in the Society Activities Department; this past week he saw everything that Xie Junping did. Xie Junping had run back and forth, just to complete the procedure for Luo Nan to join the Order Club. Ever since they met, Hu Huaying had never seen the young master so worried.
Even though he knew how Xie Junping swung, sometimes he could not help but think, ‘Was it this lad who converted young master Xie?’’
Whether the ‘conversion’ was something else, as Xie Junping's best friend, Hu Huaying knew exactly what attitude he should portray. Enthusiasm was only the first step, the key was the next move.
"Junior, classes start tomorrow, don't they? Is your body well rested?" Hu Huaying showed that he always ‘cared’ and seized this opportunity to edge closer. "If you wanted to experience the VIP area, you could have just told me before hand; I still have a bit of shares."
He had spoken in a low voice but he then raised his voice and continued, "Of course, there is also Manager Yin Leyin; both Junping and I call her big sister. She always takes care of us… Sister Le, this is my junior, Luo Nan, he is close with Junping."
“Luo Nan?”
Yin Le stared at Luo Nan and the latter cast his eyes downwards, appearing shy as he mumbled "Sister Le" in greeting.
Hu Huaying saw that Luo Nan was being overly shy and was afraid that he would feel embarrassed. He laughed and said, "Today turned out to be a fortunate mistake but regardless of what happened, since he's here just let Junior and I share a room. I'm just going to sleep anyway and I won't take up much space."
Luo Nan opened his mouth but didn't make a sound. His gaze returned to Yin Le's face and he couldn't look away.
Yin Le forced a smile and let her gaze roll across Hu Huaying and Luo Nan's face. "The little boss's sentiments… I still need to respect it."
"Sister Le, you are too kind.”
Hu Huaying laughed and dragged Luo Nan to thank Yin Le. Luo Nan voiced out a "Thank you, Sister Le" then cast his eyes down again.
At this time, Yin Le let out an annoyed sigh. "Luo Nan, I'll just call you Junior Nan, okay? You, yourself know very well why your privileges were restricted. You can experience the VIP room a bit, but you must take care of your body…”
"Yo, body not too good, huh? This, I understand." Hu Huaying thumped his chest as if to take charge of the situation. It was hard to tell whether he was still drunk.
Yin Le nodded towards them. "Little boss, Junior Nan, you guys go play. There seems to be a bit of the problem with the renovations over at the Cloud City Water Village, I'll go and have a look.”
Hu Huaying laughed. "Once the branch opens, then everything outside of the school will be your territory, Sister Le..."
"This is all to make money for the bosses like yourself." Yin Le shook her head and laughed. She bid the two farewell and walked into the elevator.
Luo Nan cast a quick glance towards Yin Le again before the elevator doors shut and was caught in the act. This outstandingly beautiful manager smiled at Luo Nan again and waved her hand, bidding him farewell.
The two guides immediately picked a room and led Hu Huaying and Luo Nan towards the inner parts of the area. According to Hu Huaying's overview, the overall structure of the area was similar to a beehive; each division was a luxurious tournament room. Whatever they had there in the gaming area on the floor below, they would have it here as well, only more exquisite.
The VIP tournament rooms were like the rooms on the lower level; gaming areas were integrated into it.
There was also a scanning area inside the room. Under the instructions of the two guides, Luo Nan re-entered the area and redid the scanning. This time around, all the access privileges had been unlocked and a new set of peripheral equipment had been sent over as well.
The two guides had undergone professional training and immediately came forth to help Luo Nan put on his ‘combat clothes’ and take care of his equipment.
Ever since Luo Nan could remember, he had never had the treatment of letting another person help him put on his clothes. Honestly speaking, there was an inexplicable comfort—in both the physical and psychological sense—when the four hands touched his body. It was also quite embarrassing. This time, the embarrassment was real.
Hu Huaying, who stood off to the side, watched on with glee as he egged them on, anxious to stir up trouble.
The short-haired guide was very brave. Since she saw that Luo Nan really didn't have much experience and was a typical newbie, she stretched out her hand to touch his chest and teased him. "You put on a good act, wanting to go to Frost River No. 3. You really scared us all, you know."
Luo Nan's heart twinged as he lowered his voice and spoke softly, "Could you please not tell Manager Yin about this… It's embarrassing enough.”
"We're not that loose-lipped.”
As she spoke, the short-haired guide suddenly thought of something and turned to talk quietly with her colleague. The two wanted to suppress their laughter but was unsuccessful in doing so.
Little did they know that with Luo Nan's mental senses, they couldn't hide what they were talking about at all. The short-haired guide said, "This kid must have a mother complex, when he was looking at Manager Yin, he was dazed....”
What could Luo Nan say? He could only feign ignorance. Things were fine as long as they agreed to his request.
However, the problem was that the two guides weren't the only ones who thought that way, even Hu Huaying did. Using his drunkenness as an excuse, he put his arm around Luo Nan's shoulder. "Hey, Junior Nan, Sister Le is indeed beautiful but she is not one to be messed with. Don't be too impulsive or I'm afraid you'll do something you'll regret.”
Wait, what? Luo Nan was lost for words.
The reason he paid attention to Yin Le was actually very simple—they had met before, although it was through the perspective of the Wraith Sign.
At that time, Yin Le appeared during the Bloodflame Order's ritual activities as the Second Oblatum. She was undoubtedly among the higher-ups in the Order.
The Frost River Reality was indeed the joint project of the government, the military, and the Society. Now, even the Order wanted to be involved. Despite this, it was unknown if the major shareholders knew about the identity of a sensitive figure such as Yin Le.
Unless it was all just a coincidence?