Chapter 143: Chen Hao's Invitation

"Vivian, you..." Chen Hao looked at Vivian with a trace of puzzlement. Although this was only the third time he had met Vivian, in his impression she should have been a rather clingy little girl, not someone who would give up her curiosity and doubts just because of a couple of words from someone else. How could she be like this today...

Before Chen Hao could voice his question, he saw Vivian suddenly collapse onto the ground.

"Vivian!" Startled, Chen Hao quickly hurried to her side, intending to pick her up and check her condition.

At this moment, Dong Xin spoke up, "No need to worry, the little girl is in no danger! I just used a little trick to make her lose consciousness temporarily. Surely you wouldn't want the little girl to watch us explode and vanish right before her eyes, would you?"

"You..." Chen Hao was baffled. "Isn't she a computer program? And one that has even awakened self-awareness at that. If you had a way to knock her out, why didn't you use this method the very first time?"

"Are you a walking book of a hundred thousand whys..." Dong Xin gave Chen Hao a sidelong glance. "Wait, I'm going to take Vivian home first."

With that, Dong Xin picked up the unconscious Vivian from the ground and vanished from the sight of Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue in the blink of an eye.

Zhuge Xue glanced at Chen Hao and let out a sigh laden with deep meaning. "Sigh... It seems it will be rather difficult for me to stay out of this muddy water now!"

"I'm sorry..." Chen Hao knew what Zhuge Xue was referring to. Had it not been for his encounter with Guo Yunhai today, which led the two of them to Zhuge Xue's teahouse, they would never have met at all. Consequently, there would have been no subsequent joint entry into the game world.

And had they not entered the game world, he would never have been discovered by Dong Xin. Now that Dong Xin had laid eyes on Zhuge Xue, given her striking appearance and her connection to Guo Yunhai, it would be effortless to trace her identity. Presumably, starting today, Zhuge Xue would join him on Phantom Corporation's observer list.

Yet on this matter, both Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue were mistaken. In truth, regardless of the events of today, Zhuge Xue had already caught Dong Xin's attention long ago. Not just Zhuge Xue, but every single geek who, like her, had attempted to stealthily infiltrate the virtual reality game had already made it onto Dong Xin's list.

These people had been feeling quite pleased with themselves, imagining they were the vanguard of high-end technical talents who had successfully infiltrated without detection. Little did they know that their every move had long since been under someone else's watchful eye.

Conversely, in the case of Chen Hao, who had entered the game due to extremely unusual circumstances, Dong Xin had been unable to discover him immediately. Neither Dong Xin nor any of the other senior executives at Phantom Corporation holding comparable positions could detect him.

Had the five programmers Chen Hao encountered during his first entry not been Dong Xin's subordinates, and had they not reported the situation after Dong Xin entered the game, she would never have known of Chen Hao's existence.

However, Chen Hao and Zhuge Xue remained unaware of these circumstances. Even now, both Zhuge Xue and Chen Hao believed that Dong Xin had no prior knowledge of Zhuge Xue's earlier infiltration into the game.

Chen Hao's apology was naturally directed at having inadvertently dragged Zhuge Xue into the game and causing her to cross paths with Dong Xin. Zhuge Xue waved her hand dismissively and said without a trace of mind, "I was just speaking off the cuff, don't take it to heart, I didn't mean anything by it."

"To be honest, I don't really dislike the feeling of being noticed. You know my story; I've spent my entire life living an ordinary, quiet life right here in Krystal. And I'm not someone who likes to stay cooped up; I've always loved trying out new things. Otherwise, I wouldn't have set my heart on going to college out of town, nor would I have thought about hacking into Phantom Corporation's internal network after the game was shut down."

"No matter what, though, the fact that I've been discovered by Dong Xin is inseparable from you. You'll have to take full responsibility for this, you know~~~"

"Pfft—" Chen Hao nearly choked. Hearing those words, it sounded as if he had taken enormous advantage of her and she was now latching onto him.

Seeing Chen Hao's expression, Zhuge Xue burst into hearty laughter, completely lacking any maidenly reticence. "I'm sure that with your status as the young master of the Chen family, not to mention how formidable you are yourself, you'll definitely protect me well, won't you?"

Initially, Chen Hao had intended to make a sarcastic remark or two, but pondering her words carefully, an idea suddenly welled up in his mind. He couldn't help asking, "By the way, Xue, is this teahouse very important to you?"

Zhuge Xue paused for a moment. "Well, how should I put it? Important, yet not quite that important either. I do have deep emotional attachment to this teahouse; after all, it's the place where I grew up, and it's the means by which my adoptive parents raised me and through which we made a living."

"But personally, I'm not actually all that attached to the teahouse itself. In other words, what I care about are the memories left behind in this place, but the teahouse as a physical entity is inconsequential to me. You could replace it with anything else—a restaurant, a bathhouse, or an inn—and it wouldn't make any difference to me."

Chen Hao nodded to show he understood.

"Besides, I'm currently making a living through this teahouse, so to me it exists more as a matter of form..." Zhuge Xue concluded, "Why? Why do you ask?"

Chen Hao explained, "It's like this. I was thinking that with an incident like today's occurring, it's bound to have some impact on you. Although Dong Xin claims she harbors no ill will toward me, leaving aside whether she's lying or not—even if she's telling the truth—I feel that a large part of the reason she has no malice toward me is because of my family background and the friendship between our fathers."

"As for you, however, the two of you are mere strangers, and you don't have any powerful backing or influence. If... and I mean if she ever decides to do something to you, you simply lack the power to contend with her on your own."

Dong Xin nodded without denying it, gesturing for Chen Hao to continue.

"While it's true that for Guo Yunhai's and my sake, Dong Xin might not do anything to you, that doesn't mean others within Phantom Corporation won't have designs on you. And when that time comes, although Guo Yunhai and I wouldn't sit idly by, the places where the three of us live are rather far apart."

"Should you genuinely run into trouble, even if we wanted to help, we probably wouldn't make it in time. Therefore, I was thinking that since that's the case, the best way to ensure your safety is to have you stay close to either Guo Yunhai or me. That way, we can look after you at all times and prevent you from coming to any harm, or at least be able to render assistance the very first moment something happens."

"Naturally, in terms of personal ties, you would probably lean toward Yunhai, which I can understand. But the problem is that Yunhai's status is different from mine. Although he hasn't revealed specifics, one can easily guess that he's connected to the military and undoubtedly holds a certain rank."

"For someone like him, a certain lack of freedom in terms of actions and schedule is inevitable. I, on the other hand, am different. I've just recently resigned, and right now I have an abundance of free time. Moreover, I don't intend to take up any other jobs or be constrained by anyone else."

"My original plan after returning from my trip to Krystal was to go into business with a partner. Coincidentally, my initial plan was either to open a martial arts gym or start an online gaming studio related to virtual reality."

"I won't elaborate on the martial arts gym, because you wouldn't be able to help much even if you went. But as for the gaming studio, I think there's actually a lot you could contribute. Your major in college was network information technology, which is quite similar to mine, and since you're a virtual reality gamer yourself, handling the work of a typical gaming studio should be a piece of cake for you."

"If you're willing, I'd like to invite you to come help me and run this online gaming studio together with me."

After finishing, Chen Hao said nothing more, quietly waiting for Zhuge Xue's response. He knew that facing such a major life choice, anyone would appear cautious. Furthermore, to a certain extent, the choice Chen Hao was offering meant he would have to shoulder a large part of the responsibility for her future as well.

Because it was he who had suggested that she abandon everything she originally had and venture out with him, he had to see it through to the end regardless of the outcome.

Noticing Zhuge Xue's hesitation, Chen Hao added, "I know making a decision right now might be a bit difficult for you, so there's no need to rush. I won't be leaving Krystal anytime soon anyway. Even if I go back before you've decided, it doesn't matter—whenever you want, you can come find me. Of course, I think you should also discuss it with Yunhai; perhaps he might have some better suggestions!"

"Well... if you abandon the teahouse here, it will certainly cause you some financial loss. How about this? If you're willing to come and help me, I can assign thirty percent of the studio's shares to you."

"Actually... even if you're unwilling to go into business with me, with your abilities and appearance, finding a great job in a big city would be completely effortless. Your computer skills are more than enough to serve as an executive in a software company, and I could introduce you to my old man so he can arrange a position for you."

"Or perhaps you'd like to develop a career in the entertainment industry? I could ask my dad to introduce us to the heads of several film and television companies. Rest assured, they're all women, so there won't be any unsavory situations."

"With your looks, if you were willing to appear on screen—good grief! Current actresses wouldn't even need to bother working."

"As for accommodation, you don't need to worry either. If you don't mind, you can stay at my family's villa; there are plenty of rooms there. In a little while, my younger sister and my girlfriend will probably be moving in too, and they'll definitely welcome you."

Zhuge Xue gave Chen Hao a peculiar look. "You're being so solicitous... You aren't planning to take advantage of me with some unspoken rules, are you? And are you certain your girlfriend would welcome me? If you go out and bring back an peerless beauty, won't she get jealous?"

Chen Hao nodded with absolute certainty. "She won't!"

Seeing how confident Chen Hao was, Zhuge Xue couldn't help feeling a bit curious about his girlfriend. "Fine! Even if your girlfriend doesn't misunderstand, aren't you afraid that if I live with her, I might end up running off with her?"