When Ye Xiu approached his assigned terminal with ID card in hand, he discovered it was already occupied. A woman with a sleek ponytail sat hunched over the keyboard, her fingers flying across the keys with impressive speed and intensity. Her entire posture radiated focused determination—the kind of concentration that suggested serious gaming credentials.
Luo Luo had already positioned himself behind her like a fascinated apprentice, studying every move with the keen attention of someone witnessing mastery in action.
"Glory Gunner class," Ye Xiu observed quietly, recognizing the character type immediately.
He chose not to interrupt, instead joining Luo Luo in watching the woman's performance. The sound alone was impressive—rapid-fire keystrokes creating a staccato rhythm that spoke of countless hours spent perfecting muscle memory. Her hands moved with mechanical precision, never hesitating, never missing their intended targets.
If I judged purely by her hand speed and keyboard technique, Ye Xiu thought, I'd assume she was professional-level material. But...
One glance at the screen shattered that illusion completely.
"Damn it! I'm going to destroy you!" the woman suddenly erupted, her cool facade cracking like thin ice under pressure.
Ye Xiu and Luo Luo exchanged startled glances. So much for their first impression of composed expertise. Appearances, as always, proved thoroughly deceiving.
The woman remained oblivious to her audience, completely absorbed in her digital battle. Unfortunately, her emotional investment couldn't compensate for tactical shortcomings. A critical misclick sealed her fate, and the word "DEFEAT" blazed across her monitor in unforgiving red letters.
"Shit! Lost again!" She slammed her fist against the keyboard with enough force to make the entire desk shudder.
"Such terrifying killing intent," Ye Xiu murmured with exaggerated solemnity, his expression growing mock-serious as if genuinely intimidated by her aura.
Luo Luo wisely dropped into a defensive crouch, seeking cover behind the nearest chair.
The woman—Chen Guo, though they didn't know her name yet—yanked off her headphones and spun around in her chair. Her eyes fixed on Ye Xiu with unmistakable hostility.
"Your turn!" she declared with the kind of aggressive politeness that barely concealed her frustration. "Get online!"
In the internet café's dim lighting, she completely missed the small figure hiding near the floor. Luo Luo had perfected the art of strategic invisibility during his adventures in the Robo-Troopers World.
As Chen Guo stood and stalked away to nurse her wounded pride, Luo Luo noticed something crucial: she'd forgotten to log out of her account. Her character remained active, ready for immediate use.
A mischievous grin spread across his face as he caught Ye Xiu's attention.
"Brother Ye Xiu, I got a rough idea of the control scheme from watching that sister play," he whispered conspiratorially. "Mind if I try it out first?"
Without waiting for permission, the cunning child slipped into the vacated seat and launched into his first Glory match using Chen Guo's account.
Meanwhile, Chen Guo had retreated to a corner to process her latest defeat in private.
"Fifty-two losses in a row," she muttered, her voice thick with disbelief. "I've been playing this game for five years! How is this possible?"
Her pride demanded an explanation that preserved some shred of dignity. "That Battle Mage must have been a hidden master. Yeah, that's it—probably some professional smurf account terrorizing casual players. Has to be!"
Self-deception was sometimes the only available comfort.
"Boss! Hey, Boss Chen!" One of the café's regular customers called out urgently. "That account at station 47 is still logged in—some kid's using it!"
"My equipment!" Chen Guo's first concern wasn't about underage internet access violations but the precious virtual gear she'd spent months accumulating. Those items represented serious time investment!
She sprinted back toward her terminal, expecting to find some delinquent child wreaking havoc with her carefully built character.
What she discovered instead defied all expectation.
Luo Luo's movements were clearly those of a complete beginner—hesitant skill rotations, uncertain timing, fingers searching for unfamiliar key combinations. Any experienced player could immediately identify him as someone encountering Glory for the very first time.
But his awareness was otherworldly.
Despite his mechanical inexperience, Luo Luo seemed to possess supernatural anticipation of his opponent's every move. He dodged attacks that hadn't even been launched yet, positioned himself in perfect spots before enemies arrived, and made tactical decisions that demonstrated understanding far beyond his obvious technical limitations.
The Battle Mage that had just defeated Chen Guo found himself completely outmaneuvered by someone who could barely execute basic combos.
"Yes! Victory!" Luo Luo celebrated loudly, completely forgetting he was in a public internet café. His joy was infectious and entirely unselfconscious.
"Brother Ye Xiu, how'd I do?" he asked with obvious pride, spinning in the chair to face his companion.
"Remarkable," Ye Xiu replied with genuine appreciation. "To achieve that level of performance on your first attempt at Glory... I've never seen gaming talent like yours. Not in over a decade of professional play."
Coming from someone of Ye Xiu's caliber, such praise carried immense weight.
Chen Guo stood frozen in shock, staring at the child whose head barely reached her ribcage. She'd witnessed the entire second half of his match—watched him systematically dismantle the same opponent who'd been humiliating her all evening.
"Where did this kid come from?" she whispered, her voice carrying notes of awe and disbelief. "First time playing Glory and he's already crushing players who destroy me regularly? He has to be lying about being new!"
Her worldview required serious recalibration.
"Sorry about the trouble," Ye Xiu interjected smoothly, noticing Chen Guo's presence. "My little brother got carried away with curiosity."
Only then did Chen Guo remember the legal implications of the situation—a minor had somehow entered her establishment and was actively gaming on her equipment.
"How can you call yourself a responsible guardian?" she demanded, her protective instincts flaring. "Your brother's underage! Minors aren't allowed in internet cafés!"
"Well, you see..." Ye Xiu began awkwardly.
"Big sister~" Luo Luo suddenly interrupted, grasping Chen Guo's sleeve with both small hands. His expression transformed into perfect innocence—wide eyes brimming with barely contained tears, lower lip trembling with masterful precision.
"Sister, my brother and I got thrown out of our house tonight," he began in a voice designed to melt hearts. "We were going to find a hotel, but thieves stole all of brother's money. We were lucky they only took the cash and left his ID, or we'd be completely stranded."
He paused for maximum dramatic effect, allowing a single tear to track down his cheek.
"I had just enough pocket money left for one night somewhere warm. The internet café was our only choice—we didn't want to freeze on the streets."
Chen Guo looked from the pitiful child to Ye Xiu's embarrassed expression, her anger dissolving into reluctant sympathy.
"Forget it," she sighed with resigned kindness. "I'm Chen Guo, owner of this place. Everyone faces hard times occasionally. You two can crash at my apartment tonight."
"Thank you so much, Sister Chen Guo!" Luo Luo exclaimed with perfectly calibrated gratitude.
If Luffy could see this performance, Ye Xiu thought with mixture of admiration and horror, he'd be physically ill from the sugar-sweet manipulation. My friend has hidden depths I never suspected.
Spotting the job posting near the reception desk, Ye Xiu recognized an opportunity to solve his employment crisis.
"Boss, you're hiring a night shift network administrator?" he asked casually, reflexively reaching for his cigarette pack—a nervous habit from years of high-pressure tournaments.
"Yeah, why?" Chen Guo replied, then immediately exploded as she noticed his intention. "Hey! Can't you read the giant 'NO SMOKING' signs everywhere?"
Ye Xiu sheepishly pocketed the cigarettes, realizing his mistake.
"What kind of brother are you?" Chen Guo continued her tirade, building up a head of righteous steam. "First you both get kicked out—probably your fault—then you drag this kid to an internet café and try to smoke in front of him! You're a complete disaster as a guardian!"
Poor Ye Xiu found himself bearing the blame for an entirely fictional situation. Luo Luo's web of deception had thoroughly ensnared him.
"Sister Chen Guo, please don't blame my brother," Luo Luo interjected with Oscar-worthy anguish, covering his face with trembling hands. "He got involved because of me. If I hadn't..."
His voice broke into convincing sobs that would have impressed professional actors.
"Okay, okay! I'm not really angry at him," Chen Guo backpedaled immediately, her maternal instincts overwhelmed by the display of childish distress. "I just think—"
"Really? You'll hire my brother as the network administrator?" Luo Luo interrupted with a perfectly timed emotional pivot, his tears magically transforming into hope-filled excitement.
Faced with those impossibly earnest eyes, Chen Guo could only nod helplessly.
"I suppose so. I am pretty short-staffed right now..."
Behind Chen Guo's back, Luo Luo shot Ye Xiu a triumphant thumbs-up gesture that would have made seasoned con artists weep with envy.
This little schemer, Ye Xiu thought, shaking his head in bemused defeat. He just solved my employment problem through pure manipulation. I should be horrified, but I'm honestly impressed.