AFM Ch 6 Part 1

Jing Mian was utterly bewildered.

The fireworks bloomed and fell in the distance, from grandeur to calm, until the last spark plunged into the sea, finally returning to tranquility.

The bright night sky quieted down.

The dazzling light on the young man’s profile gradually faded.

Jing Mian swallowed hard.

It had been a long time since he regained his normal breathing, and the shock had sobered the young man up completely. His heart, however, did not settle in the slightest.

How… how did it turn into a marriage proposal?!

Did Mr. Ren know what he was doing?

They were practically strangers, having met only twice.

Well… not entirely strangers, they were childhood friends, but those days were too distant and blurry. Subconsciously, Jing Mian felt that with such significant changes in each other, those past interactions hardly counted.

When Mr. Ren spoke, Jing Mian’s mind had raced through countless possibilities, like suggesting another date, a hug, or even a kiss…

But never in his wildest dreams did he imagine marriage would be one of them.

Yet, Mr. Ren… had just proposed?

So, everything tonight—the glowing sea, the sky full of fireworks, even the inconspicuous rocks beneath them—was all for this moment.

Jing Mian heard his own heartbeat, uncontrollably loud.

He thought this was too fast.

Faster than a rocket.

And not just fast, but wildly so, almost to the point of madness. No wonder Mr. Ren had worried about scaring him, a sentiment Jing Mian hadn’t understood at the time.

After all, since reuniting as adults, they had only had two brief encounters. They hadn’t even held hands, nor shown any typical behaviors or patterns of a couple.

“…”

This is insane.

What on earth was the man thinking?

Unexpectedly, Mr. Ren, who appeared cold and reserved, was not only severe but also sparing with words, causing Jing Mian’s brain to crash.

In that moment, it dawned on the young man that the days they hadn’t been in touch were probably when Mr. Ren was preparing for the proposal.

Logically thinking,

to go to such lengths, it couldn’t possibly be because he liked him.

No one falls for someone they’ve only met twice.

And who would marry someone who is almost a stranger?

So, Mr. Ren must be orchestrating this elaborate proposal to fulfill a family-arranged marriage?

This explanation made sense, but Jing Mian thought to himself that the man’s response was… a bit too grand, too enthusiastic.

Jing Mian nervously swallowed.

Had Mr. Ren lost his mind?

No, Jing Mian thought.

If anyone agrees to this, they must be the crazy one.

The next day, Jing Mian returned to school. After a night’s sleep in his dorm, he only woke up when the morning light seeped through the window, dispelling the darkness of night and dawn, and crept over his quilt. Jing Mian sat up, staring blankly at the stripes on his blanket for a while. He rolled out of bed, walked to the bathroom, squeezed toothpaste onto his brush, and after brushing and rinsing, he washed his face with clean water. In the next moment, Jing Mian seemed to notice something. He lifted his hand, looking at the ring on his left ring finger, which refracted a faint light. Even now, it still didn’t feel real. The lower edge of the ring, inadvertently wet from washing his face, had droplets slowly dripping down. Jing Mian paused, took off the ring, and turned to pull out two tissues, carefully wiping it dry.

So, he had been proposed to. And he had accepted. They had even agreed to register their marriage that very morning. …What kind of miraculous speed was this? A wild storm whirled through Jing Mian’s mind. Perhaps it was the timing, or the eye contact with Mr. Ren, or the sea and fireworks that, following such an atmosphere, he had been bewilderingly slipped the ring. Even the person involved felt it surreal every time he thought about it. For Jing Mian, who had always followed the rules, this was truly a shocking impact, his emotions a rollercoaster ride. He thought, without this ring, Jing Mian wouldn’t be sure if everything that happened yesterday was real.

After finishing up in the bathroom, Jing Mian lay back down on his bed. His mind wandered—what exactly was needed for registration? He quickly looked it up online and found out that only two things were necessary: an ID card, which was in his backpack, and a household registration book… which he would need to go home to get. It wasn’t the weekend, so his parents, Jing Guozhen and Li Qiao were likely not at home. Jing Luo, his younger sibling, had a day off from kindergarten, so at home, it would probably just be Jing Luo and the nanny. …This was the perfect opportunity to retrieve the household registration book. With that thought, Jing Mian decided to go all out, dressed up, left the school, and hailed a taxi straight to his home.

Under Jing Luo’s questioning, Jing Mian, for the first time, unhesitatingly lied about needing the household registration book for school insurance. The socially inexperienced Jing Luo was successfully deceived by Jing Mian. He and Mr. Ren, who had come to pick him up, headed to the civil affairs bureau. This time, their agent, Brother Yang Fan, had already coordinated with the staff to keep their identities confidential, thus avoiding the peak registration hours.

Afterward, Jing Mian stared at the couple’s photo inside the little red book, lost in thought. His and Mr. Ren’s future were now tightly linked through this small booklet. The thought was somewhat magical. They hadn’t held hands, hadn’t kissed, nor had they shared a close embrace. How had they suddenly ended up at the Civil Affairs Bureau?

Jing Mian remembered that as a child, “flash marriage” was a novel term, so unique that it was turned into various movies and dramas, enjoying extraordinary popularity. He never imagined that those two words, which he thought were so far from his reality, would actually happen to him. Jing Mian felt like he had truly done something significant.

What were the usual steps after getting the certificate? Probably arranging an engagement party, meeting the parents, the wedding, moving in together, having kids…

“…”

Jing Mian was utterly dumbfounded.

Would he and Mr. Ren really do all that?

Before agreeing to the marriage arranged by his father, he had never considered these things, seeing it only as a task to be completed.

But now, each seemed enough to disrupt Jing Mian’s normally calm heartstrings, and they wouldn’t settle for a long time. Yet, this also coincided with what his father most hoped for and what seemed the most likely direction for things to develop. However, the once beautiful childhood friend had now completely transformed into a stern tycoon, unrecognizable to Jing Mian, which left him with a tinge of regret.

Even without love, they could share a bed, share a life.

—Perhaps this was the essence of a flash marriage.

Ren Xingwan, whether in looks, family background, or career, was an ideal marriage partner for anyone. Even if Jing Mian didn’t love him, he had meticulously prepared a proposal so romantic it was unforgettable.

Jing Mian thought, Mr. Ren must be a person who deeply values ceremony.

And with their seven-year age difference, it also meant Mr. Ren was not young anymore and would naturally be proactive about marriage matters.

In any case, Jing Mian had great respect for Mr. Ren.

From any perspective,

they were very suitable.

Jing Mian, not wanting to disturb his roommate with his live streaming, returned to the room he rented a kilometer away from school, set up his equipment, and turned on the lights. He glanced subconsciously at the ME. Club still pinned at the top of his last conversation, but noticed that the official avatar of ME. seemed to have changed.

Jing Mian paused.

Upon opening it, he found that his own name had already been added to the member introduction table in the club’s profile.

And indeed, ‘Mianmian’ along with the corresponding name Jing Mian were bolded, surrounded by a highlighted box, making his name strikingly visible to anyone with eyes to see. “…,” he felt unexpectedly flattered.

Scrolling up, Jing Mian clicked on the Me. team’s avatar. To his surprise, the official team logo now featured his own portrait right in the center! It was a chibi-style portrait gifted by a fan, utterly adorable, especially with the hat and mask. Clearly, the Me. Club was visibly proud of this addition. No need for that. Really, no need. Jing Mian thought, “…,” his face flushing with embarrassment. This was just too mortifying.

Jing Mian launched the game and started his live stream as usual. Today wasn’t about team battles; Jing Mian preferred to focus on tutorials, especially for the second battle in the haunted house map. Every time a new map was introduced, Jing Mian would battle through it for several nights. His skill and patience allowed him to repeatedly explore the map, finding the quickest escape routes. This dedication was one of the reasons why he had amassed such a large and devoted fanbase.

However, just as he was about to end today’s stream, Jing Mian noticed a message pinned to the top of the newest messages. It was peak time for private messages from fans, and the timing of this pin, much like with Me., clearly involved some money being spent. But the somewhat familiar avatar and nickname made Jing Mian pause. The ID was ‘Greek’. A quick check of the profile showed a staggering seven million followers, significantly more than Jing Mian. This player was a legend in the gaming community, consistently topping the PK and achievement charts, ranking first in one and second in the other.

Although Jing Mian had only risen to prominence over the past year and his follower count paled in comparison, why would such a renowned player suddenly send him a private message? Jing Mian opened the chat to find two messages waiting:

“Hello, I am Greek.”

“I see you’ve joined the Me. Club. If you’re willing to break your contract and join our club, we’ll not only cover the penalty but also offer a salary three times what Me. is paying.”

Jing Mian was stunned. This was the legendary throwing money around, blunt and straightforward. However, if Jing Mian truly cared about compensation or salary, he would have signed with the highest bidder a long time ago, not waited until now. But since the other party had spent money to pin the message, out of courtesy, Jing Mian typed in the chat box:

“Thank you for the invitation, but I have no plans to switch clubs.”

After a few seconds, Jing Mian sent another message:

“If it’s not too much trouble, could you send me your contact details? I’d like to return the money you used for the pin.”

After all, the game’s system rules prevent the recipient of a pinned message from pinning a message back in the same way within three days.

So, the only option was to transfer the money back through another method.

Soon, the reply came:

“Sorry, that was another manager from our club who sent that.”

“No need to return it. I feel bad for disturbing you. If you really want to repay, maybe we can team up some time, and you can carry me.”

Jing Mian was taken aback, feeling a bit uneasy.

The other party was obviously being modest. Given their records, it would be Greek carrying him, not the other way around, as one was a veteran dominating the PK and achievement charts year-round, and the other was just a newcomer who had recently gained some popularity.

Jing Mian hesitated for a moment, then typed:

“Sorry, I can’t carry you. I’d lose the match.”

“And dragging you down might get me cursed by seven million people.”

“But I’m open to teaming up.”

On the other side of the screen, Greek was drinking water and almost spit it out when he read the message.

A young man emerged from the bathroom, pausing his hair-drying to listen. A few seconds later, the hairdryer clicked off, and the room fell silent.

“What’s so funny?” he asked.

Greek shook his head, chuckling, “Nothing, just that kid our club has been trying to recruit. He’s quite amusing.”

Li Shengwen frowned slightly, “Which kid?”

“Mianmian.”

“The one named Jing Mian?”

“Yes.” Greek paused, then added without regret, “It’s a pity he joined Me. I should have approached him sooner, but Xuan Cheng and his crew beat us to it with their money.”

“We offered a fair price and to cover the breach of contract fee, even tripled his salary, but he doesn’t seem swayed… It feels like he’s not really interested in money.”

“Not interested?” Li Shengwen scoffed, “Who in this world isn’t interested in money? He probably just doesn’t think highly of our club. These arrogant little streamers aren’t worth your money or attention.”

But.

After saying this, Greek showed no reaction.

Li Shengwen’s gaze involuntarily fell on the screen, only to see Greek moving the mouse over the ‘add friend’ button.

Li Shengwen’s grip on his towel tightened.

Because on the other end of that friend request was Jing Mian.

Since joining the Me. Club,

Jing Mian had finally gotten his first chance to participate in a match.

Xuan Cheng said that this was a cross-server competition within various provincial regions, which compared to national or international matches, was much smaller in scale and difficulty.

In short—it was a minor competition, no need to panic.

Xuan Cheng gave a thumbs-up, “So don’t feel too pressured, just treat it as gaining some experience.”

He was speaking to Jing Mian.

Meanwhile, other team members were either munching on chips, sucking on jelly, or even more absurdly, clipping their nails over a small trash can.

Xuan Cheng sighed, “…,” and after kicking out the nail clipper, he picked up a box.

Inside was a brand-new headset, which he handed to Jing Mian.

He smiled, “This is a welcome gift from the club.”

The black lines of the headset, paired with Jing Mian’s mask, looked quite fitting and stylish, adding a cool, endearing contrast.

Later, wearing this headset, Jing Mian arrived at the venue for the cross-server competition for the first time.

Previously, Jing Mian was accustomed to streaming from his dorm or home, where he only faced a camera.

On the other end of the internet, even if there were thousands of viewers, he couldn’t see them.

His only interaction was with the chat.

But now, actually accompanying the club to a live competition, Jing Mian truly felt the formality and grandeur that only official tournaments exude.

This included elaborate stands, seats, gaming areas, large screens, and even a desk specially prepared for commentators.

Jing Mian thought, “…”

It was hard not to feel nervous.

In contrast, his teammates… especially Cen Xian, seemed quite at ease. He nonchalantly arrived backstage, pulled up a large chair to sit on, and even casually rested his long legs on a nearby table, all while scrolling through the competition details on his phone.

With twenty minutes to the official start, Xuan Cheng tirelessly began instructing the team on their strategy.

Especially since Jing Mian had joined, there have been significant changes in their approach. Although Jing Mian wasn’t placed in the core position of the team, bold adjustments were made to leverage his strengths.

This was Mianmian’s first competitive event.

Both his position and team role were under the spotlight, making it particularly noteworthy.

The first stage of the competition was akin to a battle royale setting.

As a pure shooting game level, the backgrounds varied—sometimes it was a mountain village, an abandoned factory, or even a cargo ship… Essentially, all players would wake up in various locations:

Like inside a box.

Or a haystack.

Or a wardrobe.