Chapter 1 The Christmas Treasure Hunt

On December 20th, Dream Inc. released the news of their "Christmas Treasure Hunt Event."

The event content was not complicated. Simply put: from Christmas Eve (December 24th) to Boxing Day (December 26th), Thriller Paradise would open a new mode called "Treasure Hunt Mode."

The basic settings of Treasure Hunt Mode were similar to the Team Survival Mode on normal difficulty, but with two differences: first, the conditions for clearing Treasure Hunt Mode were all uniformly "find a certain item"; second, after clearing Treasure Hunt Mode, not only would the basic rewards have extra bonuses, but there would also be corresponding special rewards.

With the new version just launched and everyone rushing to level up and grind dungeons... such an event naturally became a blazing fire in the winter.

Even those *xian chong* (socially fulfilled people) who were busy during the holidays couldn't help but go online during their sleep time to grind a few dungeons; as for those professional players, needless to say...

On the day the news was announced, almost all game studios immediately issued "prepare to work overtime" notices to their employees. Considering that most professional players were young people and might "have plans" for Christmas, many studios also offered ruthless measures such as "double pay plus extra bonuses," truly spending a lot of money.

As for players like Feng Bujue, who participated in the game with a "special mission," they were more tragic... no one would pay him to play games, but he couldn't not play; he not only had to play, but also had to maximize the various bonuses of this event and transform them into tangible benefits and... strength in the game world.

However, effort does not mean burying oneself in mindless work...

Feng Bujue was undoubtedly a person who deeply understood the way to achieve twice the result with half the effort (or even unethical means). He would not eagerly go online early in the morning on the 24th, acting like "it'll be all gone if I'm late."

In any case, players have a limit on their total game time within twenty-four hours. The key is how to grind dungeons as much as possible and efficiently.

Therefore, at this time near noon, Brother Jue still had not logged in, but was calmly collecting information on the forum, turning the experiences of other players into his own use.

"Sigh... the internet is really an amazing place..." Feng Bujue flipped through the hot posts on the homepage, browsing the numerous free and detailed information, and couldn't help but sigh, "People hide themselves behind a not-so-safe virtual ID, and dare to say many things they wouldn't dare to say in normal times... Many opinions and information that should be considered before deciding whether to reveal... they will also generously and honestly share with countless strangers they have never met."

"And the motivation that supports them in doing so... is nothing more than a little sense of recognition, and some pleasure that cannot be obtained in the suppressed real society."

Brother Jue muttered to himself, but his eyes and brain did not stop; he was a person accustomed to multitasking. When his mouth was saying one thing, his eyes and brain could do several other things without hindrance, and without causing any interference.

For example, as long as it was on the same screen, he could play Sudoku while watching a movie. He could quickly solve the Sudoku, and he wouldn't miss any lines from the movie.

This was very common for Feng Bujue, just like how he always had to "watch something" when he ate alone—letting his mind be idle would make him feel uncomfortable.

In this way, Brother Jue sat in front of the computer for about twenty minutes. Although he had not logged into the game today, he already had a fairly comprehensive understanding of this "Treasure Hunt Mode."

Knock, knock, knock—

Just as Brother Jue was about to leave the computer to get something to eat, the sound of knocking suddenly rang out.

"Hey~" He was immediately stunned and muttered, "What's going on? Is my intercom broken? How did these people get up here?"

His question was immediately answered, because when he looked out through the peephole on the door, the person he saw was Ruo Yu.

"Eh?" Feng Bujue opened the door first, then said, "What are you doing here?"

Since the person who came was Ruo Yu, he didn't need to ask how she opened the downstairs door, because she already had the magnetic card for this residential building.

"The gallery is closed during Christmas." Ruo Yu's answer seemed irrelevant, and the expression on her face was also a little subtle.

"Oh." Feng Bujue didn't know how to respond, "So..."

"So I chose to read books and surf the internet at home." Ruo Yu replied.

While Brother Jue was speaking, he had already stepped aside, signaling her to come in: "And then?"

Ruo Yu walked in, and very skillfully closed the door herself. She changed her shoes as naturally as if she were in her own home, and found a place to sit down.

"Then my parents formed a group to bother me, telling me... that I should be with my boyfriend on this kind of day, and staying at home is wrong."

"Mm..." Feng Bujue had already turned around and walked towards the living room, "In other words... you plan to stay at my place?"

"That's right." Ruo Yu responded, then added, "Wouldn't that be disturbing you?"

"Not at all..." Brother Jue continued, "We've been living together for almost half a year, why are you still saying that..."

"Can you change a way of saying it that is not so easy to cause misunderstandings?" Ruo Yu followed him into the house with a blank expression, changed her shoes as skillfully as if she were at her own home, and naturally found a place to sit down.

"Uh..." Feng Bujue really thought for two seconds before replying, "It seems... I can't." He paused, and continued in a very ordinary tone, "But... I can take you to the Civil Affairs Bureau to take a group photo and practice your signature, so the problem will be solved."

"Our relationship..." Ruo Yu responded with an equally calm tone after hearing this seemingly absurd request, "has not progressed to that point yet, has it?"

"I think it's only a matter of time." Feng Bujue also sat down on the sofa, and replied leisurely.

"Don't be too confident." Ruo Yu replied, "What if when I unlock my seal, I find that I have no feelings for you at all? Wouldn't that be very awkward for you?"

"I don't think loving someone who doesn't love you is an embarrassing thing." Feng Bujue shrugged and replied, "As long as that love is real, it may be a little sad at most, but it will never be ridiculous."

"Can I regard the sentence you just said as another way of expressing the three words 'I love you'?" Ruo Yu squinted at Brother Jue, and asked in the latter's complaining tone.

"Sure." Feng Bujue stared with dead fish eyes and gave an affirmative answer.

"Hmm..." Ruo Yu immediately put on dead fish eyes as well, organized her language a little, and said, "Since I was a child, I have been confessed to countless times. But like you... with a third-person perspective, an objective and understated tone... supplemented by a chicken soup-like sentence... saying this kind of thing, and trying to impress me with it... I think it can also be regarded as unparalleled and unique in the world."

"Oh?" Feng Bujue responded with a non-smiling smile, "Then what is your reply?"

"I don't think rejecting someone is an embarrassing thing." Ruo Yu once again imitated Brother Jue's expression, and acted vividly, "As long as that person does not change his attitude, he will only be met with more rejections, and there will be no exceptions."