AFM Ch 7 Part 1

After the match.

Because this cross-server match was exceptionally exciting, the official channels quickly released a recording of the match.

All the viewers who hadn’t watched the livestream came to watch one after another. Countless analytical bloggers suddenly appeared on Station B, detailing and analyzing this wonderful event in batches.

It was simply delicious to watch.

The most outstanding player was undoubtedly the newcomer streamer named Jing Mian.

His outstanding and surprising performance successfully attracted everyone’s attention.

The trick Li Shengwen used was simply a dead end. Even if Ash had appeared back then, he would not have been able to deal with such a situation.

Facing one ghost at a time was a common operation, but facing three ghosts at once was already an extreme operation. Once there was a slight mistake, it would be an opportunity lost and the player would be torn apart and devoured by the vicious ghosts.

Not to mention finding the right way to escape from this ghostly pursuit.

Not only did Jing Mian dramatically break the rules, but at the same time, he did not allow Li Shengwen to succeed, which inadvertently led to Me.’s victory.

The legendary Ash actually appeared in such a major event, which temporarily aroused the enthusiasm and excitement among players to recall the past.

This competition was full of ups and downs from every angle, so it naturally attracted the attention of the international tournament committee.

***

The meeting with parents scheduled for the day after tomorrow soon came to an end.

Jing Mian woke up from the dormitory. All his roommates were still asleep. He took a deep breath. He was going to meet the parents only in the evening, but he had been nervous since the morning.

The parents of both parties did not know that they had received the certificates.

So this meeting with the parents carries a hint of ‘act first, explain later,’ unlike when they got the marriage certificate beforehand.

Jing Mian thought that if he or the man’s parents learned the truth about this, they would probably be very angry.

So they had to keep it a secret.

On the other hand, even though they had secretly gotten married, their relationship was still very pure. There were no kisses, hugs, or anything else. Both parties were like ascetics who had been abstaining for over a decade. Strictly speaking, they hadn’t actually crossed any lines.

In the previous cross-server competition, everyone’s prize money was quickly received in everyone’s bank account.

Jing Mian checked his bank card and found that the payment had arrived.

—There were six thousand.

This was only a cross-server competition, and it was his first one. The prize was far beyond his imagination. It seemed that in addition to getting to know Ash better, he could also earn some extra money. Jing Mian felt that joining Me. was a very wise move.

However, Jing Mian had nothing to do and logged into Radiance’s game forum, but suddenly his attention was attracted by a popular post:

—[Mianmian is married? Real or fake]

This post suddenly mentioned his name and also exposed the news of his marriage. Jing Mian’s heart tightened, but he still clicked on it with a trembling hand.

The main post didn’t have much content.

There were no analyses or conspiracy theories; it only uploaded a few photos of Jing Mian during the cross-server match.

And the camera just so happened to focus on his left hand, which was wearing a ring.

It was one thing if they were just speculating about him getting married, but if they were going to connect it to Mr. Ren, Jing Mian couldn’t remain calm.

[Mianmian actually have a ring on his left ring finger? !]

[This picture is so clear, shhahahaha, the hand is so pretty, I want to lick that mole.]

[Get outta here, upstairs.]

[Pull out your swords, my wife doesn’t allow others to flirt with her.]

[No way, he must be just wearing it for fun. I remember watching Mianmian’s live stream before and he wasn’t wearing it back then. And Mianmian is only twenty, how could he get married so early?]

[Don’t generalize, twenty is the legal age to get married.]

[I don’t think it’s possible. If you’re married, don’t you usually wear diamond rings? Only same-sex marriage would prefer to wear rings like this.]

[No way, a pretty boy like him would have girls chasing after him, not boys at all.]

……

Jing Mian swallowed silently as if the truth was… the opposite.

He scrolled down and found no one had connected him to Ren Xingwan, so Jing Mian let out a sigh of relief and exited the game forum. He stared blankly at the ceiling.

Time passed quickly. In the blink of an eye, it was already night.

Jing Mian got dressed and left the dormitory. Mr. Ren had already driven to his school entrance.

After getting in the car, Jing Mian grabbed the seat belt, his palms slightly sweaty and throat dry.

“Nervous?” the man asked, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

Jing Mian shook his head subconsciously, then nodded slightly after a moment of thought. “A little.”

“You don’t have to worry about them,” Ren Xingwan said.

Jing Mian was slightly taken aback.

The man’s voice paused and then said: “Not just today.”

Jing Mian, who vaguely felt that he had heard something beyond his words, couldn’t help but think that it seemed that the relationship between Mr. Ren and his parents was not as perfect as he imagined, and there might even be some unhappiness.

It seemed that they were somewhat similar. 

They both looked beautiful and harmonious on the outside, but in reality, there were cracks within them that only grew worse over time.

After entering the hotel, Jing Mian discovered that his father and stepmother had already arrived and were sitting in the main hall.

From afar, Jing Mian saw a couple dressed in fancy clothes sitting to the side. The woman looked young and noble, which made him subconsciously think of Li Qiao.

When Jing Mian and Ren Xingwan appeared in the hotel lobby, their outstanding looks were so eye-catching when they stood together.

Soon, it attracted the attention of passers-by in the hall.

The Ren family parents also noticed the two young men walking toward them.

The woman stood up and seemed to be surprised to see Jing Mian. 

“You’re Mianmian?” she said in shock. “Oh my god, you’re even prettier than you are in the photos.”

The woman’s surprise couldn’t be hidden. After all, before this moment, she had only seen Jing Mian’s face through photos.

“Our little Ren, what kind of treasure have you dug up?”

As the woman spoke, she wanted to reach out her hand and pinch Jing Mian’s cheek.

Unexpectedly, before Jing Mian could react, the man’s hand suddenly passed around his side and grasped Jing Mian’s chin.

The man’s knuckles moved slightly as if to declare his sovereignty and unconditionally avoid the woman’s touch.

The woman’s hand awkwardly hung in the air for a moment before she silently lowered it.

After greeting the parents on both sides, they reserved a small dining room on the fourth floor of the hotel. The dishes were exquisite and delicious, and the elegant atmosphere made it the ideal location for business or family gatherings.

They sat around a round table.

Jing Mian was inevitably seated next to Mr. Ren.

On the other side sat Jing Luo.

Jing Luo looked very unhappy.

At the same time, he was only four or five years old. The adult chair was too low for him and he couldn’t reach the table at all, so an additional child’s seat was added.

This undoubtedly worsened Jing Luo’s mood.

Jing Luo held a small spoon, tears welling up in his eyes: “Brother, when you took the household registration book that day, were you going to get married?”

“At that time…did you deceive Luoluo?”

“…” 

Jing Mian was struck speechless by this soul-searching question. His guilt exploded to its maximum capacity.

If only he’d told Luoluo back then.

But if Jing Luo had known that Jing Mian was going to marry Mr. Ren with the household registry, he would have been even more upset. At least as upset as he was now.

Maybe they wouldn’t have been able to get married at all.

Jing Mian was embarrassed, so he leaned over and comforted softly: “Brother and Mr. Ren have only received certificates and have not lived together. We’re not living together, and we’ve only met twice. We haven’t even held hands yet. We’re not as close as you and I.”

“Does that make it better?”

Jing Luo was obviously stunned for a moment, with tears hanging on his cheeks, and he sniffed slightly, seeming to reflect his brother’s words.

The little dumpling nodded quickly. “That does make it better.”

“It sounds like you don’t know each other very well.”

Jing Mian: “…”

Jing Luo thought for a while and suddenly asked, “Brother, why did you marry that uncle then?”

Jing Mian was confused by this.

He wasn’t sure how to explain this to himself, let alone to Jing Luo.

The waiter quickly brought out the dishes, starting with cold plates and moving on to hot ones. All sorts of exquisite delicacies were served on plates. If not for the overly formal atmosphere that was a little suffocating, Jing Mian would definitely have enjoyed the food.

So Jing Mian hurriedly put some vegetables for Jing Luo and said, “Eat a lot, Luoluo.”

The little dumpling was quickly distracted by the food and the dessert. He finally stopped asking Jingmian about the matter that he was struggling with just now.

This so-called family meeting seemed to be going on in an orderly manner.

The parents of the two parties were laughing and talking. Jing Mian also saw a rare smile on Jing Guozhen’s face. Li Qiao had clearly dressed up for the occasion; she wore a bright jacket over her qipao and occasionally chimed in with a joke.

It looked like this would be a long night.