Volume 3: High School Arc - Mirror Game
Took down the monitor, pushed the keyboard aside, opened the mailbox, and looked at the information inside.
Say what you will—money really is power.
I had just mentioned it, and the data was sent over immediately.
“So Xu Han is the deputy manager? And both of them are from the sales department, no wonder they’re so familiar with each other.”
“Jiang Yulong really is 1.75 meters tall. I guessed it right.”
Casually picked up a piece of grilled meat, dipped it in the dry seasoning, stuffed it into my mouth, savoring the pleasure of hot oil exploding in my mouth, while reading the materials on the notebook.
After a while, footsteps came from the doorway.
Accompanied by three gentle knocks, the person I had been waiting for arrived.
“So Sister Liu is already eating? Come… Sister Liu, let me introduce you to the regional administrator of our Survivor Alliance.”
As soon as Xu Han entered the door, a look of delight appeared on her face.
Closely following her was Jiang Yulong.
But behind them, I also saw another person.
Looked like… an uncle?
Xu Han and Jiang Yulong walked into the room, leaving space for the person behind them.
As for me… I naturally closed the notebook and set it aside, turning to look at this unfamiliar middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man walked in naturally, a proper smile on his square face.
“Hello Miss Liu, I’m the owner of this restaurant, Shan Xuelin.”
Looking at the man before me, there was nothing particularly remarkable about his brows or appearance. His physique couldn’t be called strong either—just about average.
But his voice was full and strong, very confident.
From the voice, complexion, and eyes, one could medically deduce that this was the type of person who exercised regularly.
His eyebrows slanted inward, with the outer corners pointing down.
His eyes weren’t big, but gleamed with energy.
His gaze was lively.
Even when silent, he gave the impression of smiling.
He had a thick upper lip and a thin lower lip.
From the face alone, this person seemed quite complex.
Eight-shaped eyebrows suggested kindness and a generous heart.
Slender eyes indicated perceptiveness.
Small eyes—sharp, suspicious, indifferent.
A thick nasal bridge—stable character.
Tiger-like nose—practical and grounded.
Thick upper lip and thin lower lip—emotional but weak-willed.
In summary, this was a person who appeared kind and broad-minded, yet was sharp, suspicious, and reserved.
A stable man who didn’t act unless he was sure, with occasional lapses in willpower.
Hmm… of course, all of this was based on the knowledge of that fortune-teller in my mind.
Whether it was true or not… who knew.
“Shan Xuelin… the owner of this restaurant. Then Zhao Wengang…”
“Ah~ I’ve heard about your situation. Wengang is my old comrade, but he’s not involved in our current affairs. Actually, one of the reasons I came here today… is for that matter too.”
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but furrow my brow.
But Shan Xuelin continued with a smile.
“I wonder if Miss Liu could be kind enough to let my useless younger brother off the hook. He’s just an ordinary person and could easily get dragged into this.”
Those words… really were full of intent.
If I refused, what would he do then?
“We’ll see how it goes.”
I gave Shan Xuelin a faint glance, not answering directly.
But in my heart, I did reflect a bit.
Dragging ordinary people into this really might not be a good idea.
I casually picked up my chopsticks and grabbed a piece of beef.
“Not bad. I heard you made all these seasonings?”
No longer responding to his plea.
Now that I knew what I truly was, I felt increasingly detached from humans.
I didn’t know if that was good or bad, but sometimes such thoughts weren’t something I could change through willpower.
Just… let it be.
“To be praised by Miss Liu—seems like my years of culinary practice haven’t been wasted. Since Miss Liu is treating, we won’t hold back. Yulong, Xu Han, take your seats.”
After speaking, Shan Xuelin took off his coat, hung it on the rack nearby, then turned and came over to the dining table.
I had deliberately left the main seat empty and sat at the lower left side myself—this “dangling hand” position.
Anyone who understood etiquette should know what it meant.
And Shan Xuelin was exactly that kind of person.
He didn’t take the main seat but sat directly opposite me, on the lower right.
Jiang Yulong seemed to catch on too.
He didn’t sit at the head like yesterday but took the seat below Shan Xuelin.
Xu Han noticed this, and a look of understanding flashed in her eyes.
She was just about to sit beside Jiang Yulong when suddenly Shan Xuelin said:
“Xu Han, why don’t you sit next to Miss Liu? The two ladies might have more in common to chat about.”
This guy… sure was sharp.
If all three of them sat across from me, the atmosphere would instantly shift to a 1v3 scenario, making things quite awkward.
But Shan Xuelin’s suggestion, though probing, carried a touch of goodwill.
Even for someone with a cold personality, it would be hard to refuse.
“Then let’s sit.”
I glanced at Xu Han and smiled.
Although I wasn’t sure of Shan Xuelin’s attitude toward me yet, at least Xu Han had been sincere with me yesterday.
She knew I didn’t understand much and had gone out of her way to explain more.
She even worried about me in the end.
She could be considered a rare good person.
However… in this game, good people usually don’t live long.
Xu Han smiled back and said nothing.
She simply sat down.
Just like that, the main seat remained empty, while the flanking seats were evenly split—two men and two women sitting opposite each other.
“Miss Liu, do you drink?”
“No need. There’s a player gathering mission tonight. Who knows what might happen.”
“Then let’s skip the alcohol. We’ll just have some soft drinks. Oh~ right! I almost forgot to say thanks.”
Shan Xuelin smiled as he spoke, nodding to me with a slightly serious expression.
“Still very grateful to Miss Liu for saving my two subordinates last night. They’re my most capable team members. On behalf of the Survivor Alliance, I thank you for your kindness.”
Speaking, Shan Xuelin stood up and extended his hand to me.
I hesitated slightly… since the other party had shown goodwill, I couldn’t outright refuse.
After all, I still had many things I wanted to ask them.
“It was nothing.”
I raised my hand and lightly shook Shan Xuelin’s hand, then sat back down.
By now, Jiang Yulong had already filled the grill with meat.
The sizzling sound of grilling echoed in my ears, and Shan Xuelin began to speak again.
“I heard Miss Liu, you’re a solo player?”
“Yes.”
“Going solo isn’t easy… Miss Liu looks quite young, and to have come this far alone, that’s really something. Here, let me offer you a toast… oh~ a toast with soda, of course. I’m not trying to flatter you, but I, Shan Xuelin, wouldn’t be able to do it. Even now, I can’t say I have the courage.”
As he spoke, Shan Xuelin picked up his glass and genuinely toasted me with Sprite.
Of course, the other two raised their glasses too, so I followed suit.
One gulp of soda went down—no particular feeling—but the atmosphere in the room clearly changed from just moments ago.
“After chatting this much, I still haven’t asked what Miss Liu does. If it’s inconvenient, there’s no need to say. Please forgive my rudeness.”
“…I’m a student.”
As soon as those four words left my mouth, two people stood up in shock.
“What!?”
Jiang Yulong suddenly stood up, looking at me in disbelief.
“A student!?!”
Xu Han also jumped to her feet in fright, her face filled with disbelief and even a bit of pained pity.
Again—good people don’t live long…
Xu Han, did I just trigger your death flag?
“Unbelievable… you’re a student? Forgive my rudeness, Miss Liu… you’re in college?”
“First year of high school.”
“WTF?!”
Jiang Yulong was completely dumbfounded.
His tiger eyes bulged wide, radiating pure foolishness—almost just like Sha Ha.
Xu Han was so shocked she couldn’t even close her mouth.
She had to raise a hand to cover it.
“Sister Liu, you…”
“What’s so surprising? This game doesn’t distinguish by age, does it?”
I cast a calm glance at the two of them, then looked again at Shan Xuelin, whose originally narrow eyes had widened into almond shapes.
His small pupils had shrunk into tiny points.
“You’re… right. Miss Liu is truly young and capable. The younger generation is to be feared… indeed to be feared. A high school student… Honestly, Miss Liu, from the moment I saw you, I knew you were young, but I never expected you to be this young…”
At that moment, Shan Xuelin suddenly changed the subject, steering the conversation in a completely different direction.
“Speaking of which, forgive me for being presumptuous, Miss Liu, but would you be interested in joining our Survivor Alliance?”
“……”
That… was one hell of a hard pivot.
Seeing my surprised expression, Shan Xuelin looked a bit embarrassed, his face flushing red.
“Ah… seeing such a capable young person, I couldn’t help myself, truly couldn’t help it…”
Right now, I was really curious about the conditions over at the Death Coffin.
At least, the people there shouldn’t be this goofy.
———
In the end, after a round of conversation, we exchanged some information with each other.
Of course, when Jiang Yulong and Xu Han found out I was the eldest daughter of the Liu Family, daughter of Gong Lianyu, their jaws nearly hit the floor.
Maybe they never imagined the boss’s boss’s daughter would meet them under such circumstances.
We had a meal together, roughly from five to six-thirty.
After that, we disbanded.
Since no one was drinking, there was no need to linger too long.
I also set a time to regroup with Jiang Yulong and Xu Han at 11 PM tonight, and then head to the mirror factory.
As for joining the Survivor Alliance… at least for now, I agreed.
Shan Xuelin said he would give me some detailed terms in a few days.
Of course, none of that was legally binding.
Then, we parted ways.
But just before leaving, I voiced the question I had been holding inside.
“Brother Shan, as the head of the Survivor Alliance in this area, you should know a lot about the players here. I want to ask about someone.”
Shan Xuelin was surprised, but he still answered.
But… the answer only deepened my confusion.
“Lu Haochen? Never heard of him… are you sure he’s a player?”