Chapter 28

Sun Yuan's words left the girls stunned, and they all turned to look at him.

"Why should we?"

Xu Jing blurted out.

Sun Yuan's actions immediately created a sense of hierarchy.

Why should she do the work while that underclassman could rest?

This was unfair.

Xu Jing was very angry.

Who isn't a beloved child of their parents?

At home, Xu Jing had hardly ever washed dishes, and now, to get a meal, she had to gather dry firewood, which was already a great humiliation. Yet, she still had to endure this unfair treatment.

"Because I provided a pheasant!"

Sun Yuan said confidently.

"So what if you provided a pheasant?"

Xu Jing retorted.

"Ha, whether or not to gather firewood is your internal issue. I've already paid with a pheasant. How you distribute it is your problem. I just want the firewood!"

Sun Yuan looked at Xu Qingshan, "Isn't that fair?"

"Fair!"

Xu Qingshan nodded.

He worked part-time every holiday and had seen much harsher things. If you want to earn money, you can't expect fairness.

Delivery drivers getting their wages docked by the platform for no reason, moving bricks on construction sites, being scolded by the foreman for working a bit slower, and even being bullied by the original workers because he was a temporary worker from outside, assigned to the most exhausting tasks...

"Xu Qingshan, are you a coward?"

Xu Jing burst out, "He's bullying us, and you have this attitude?"

"Senior, I'm not tired, I can gather firewood!"

Zhen Yu didn't want to make things difficult for Sun Yuan, and she felt happy inside because she was being cared for by a senior.

"But... but he's right!"

Xu Qingshan scratched his head.

"You..."

Xu Jing was about to scold him but was stopped by Zhao Siyu.

"Can you be quiet for a moment?"

Zhao Siyu scolded her, then walked into the woods, "I'll gather the firewood for Zhao Caiwei and this underclassman!"

Zhao Siyu understood that Sun Yuan wouldn't have done this if not for Xu Jing's complaints about Zhao Caiwei resting.

Hearing this, Xu Jing's expression softened. As long as she didn't have to do the work, it was fine.

"Senior, I'll gather firewood!"

Zhen Yu followed Zhao Siyu, unwilling to be lazy.

"Do you like that senior?"

Sun Yuan sized up Zhao Siyu. In terms of appearance, she was a seven out of ten, but her figure was too slim. However, she had a refined and scholarly aura.

Moreover, she was very clever, immediately seeing the reason for his dissatisfaction.

"No... no!"

Xu Qingshan blushed, not daring to admit it.

"Go for it, she's a good girl!"

Sun Yuan remarked. In this situation, she took the initiative to share the workload and defuse the conflict, showing that she was not only kind-hearted but also had a gentle nature.

Xu Qingshan was a straightforward person. Due to his inferiority complex, he was usually quiet, only speaking when asked.

However, Xu Qingshan wasn't stupid.

He could tell that this guy was easy to get along with and didn't look down on him for being from the mountains.

...

On the other side, in the woods.

"Xiao Yu, how many Ganlu mushrooms did you find?"

Zhao Siyu spoke softly, like a gentle older sister.

"More than ten!"

Zhen Yu didn't hide it, since the senior was going to sell them.

"How many?"

Not just Zhao Siyu, but the other three girls were also surprised. The number was simply too exaggerated.

"More than ten!"

Zhen Yu thought, if she told them the senior had sold a few more, they might drop their jaws.

"Can you give me three?"

Xu Jing, who had initially ignored Zhen Yu, couldn't sit still when she heard about the mushrooms and directly asked.

"Those mushrooms were found by the senior, I can't decide!"

Zhen Yu was helpless.

"Why can he find so many mushrooms?"

Xu Jing pressed, there must be some technique.

"I don't know!"

Zhen Yu smiled professionally, "If you have some points, you can buy from him!"

"Where can I get points?"

Xu Jing was worried.

Zhao Siyu looked at Zhen Yu, full of envy.

After an hour, the girls collected enough dry firewood and returned to the temporary camp.

Xu Qingshan had also helped Sun Yuan make a simple wooden grill.

Night fell, and the firewood in the bonfire occasionally crackled.

After eating the roasted chicken, Xu Jing glanced at Zhao Siyu. She was prettier, and if she went to Sun Yuan to ask for mushrooms, Xu Jing wouldn't get any.

Thinking of this, Xu Jing didn't hesitate, stood up, and walked to Sun Yuan.

"Sun Yuan, I was wrong earlier, I shouldn't have lashed out at you."

Xu Jing smiled apologetically.

"We're not familiar, you don't need to apologize!"

Sun Yuan's expression was cold.

Xu Jing felt awkward but still mustered the courage to state her purpose: "I heard from Zhen Yu that you have extra Ganlu mushrooms. Can you give me three?"

"No!"

Sun Yuan's straightforward refusal left Xu Jing feeling embarrassed. She really wanted to walk away, but thinking of how tired she was in the afternoon and how she hadn't found a single Ganlu mushroom, she lost her temper.

She could only humbly plead again.

"Three Ganlu mushrooms are enough for each person. You found so many, it's a waste. Why not give me three?"

Xu Jing spoke softly, "When we get back to school, I'll pay you. One thousand yuan per mushroom, it's a sky-high price."

Xu Qingshan and the others watched Xu Jing.

"No matter how much you offer, I won't sell!"

Sun Yuan looked at Xu Jing, "Because I don't like your attitude!"

"You..."

Xu Jing wanted to scold him but held back, hoping he might give her the mushrooms. She returned to the bonfire, feeling dejected.

The other girls sighed in relief.

They also wanted to ask Sun Yuan for mushrooms.

Xu Qingshan understood what was happening from Zhao Siyu and couldn't help but admire, "He's really good, he must watch a lot of survival shows."

Xu Jing's eyes darted to Zhao Siyu, "Siyu, you're so pretty. If you ask him for mushrooms, he won't refuse!"

Xu Qingshan's expression tightened, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, anxiously looking at Zhao Siyu.

"I won't go!"

Zhao Siyu shook her head.

Her parents were university professors, and she came from a scholarly family. Asking for mushrooms was beneath her.

"Siyu, don't worry, I'll definitely find mushrooms tomorrow!"

Xu Qingshan quickly assured her.

Xu Jing sighed.

She had thought Xu Qingshan was great all afternoon, but compared to Sun Yuan, he fell short.

He had more pheasants and more mushrooms.

Damn!

Why isn't he with me?

"Okay, everyone, let's work hard tomorrow!"

Zhao Siyu encouraged.

She didn't like Xu Qingshan, but she felt his care, which left her unsure of what to do.

Sigh,

If you were a bit more handsome, it would be great!

Zhao Siyu didn't mind Xu Qingshan being poor, but his looks were too plain. She subconsciously looked at Sun Yuan.

The red light of the bonfire illuminated his face, steady and handsome, with deep, thoughtful eyes.

Sigh,

Zhao Siyu suddenly envied Zhen Yu.

Zhen Yu, full and satisfied, sat on a large mushroom, her hands supporting her cheeks, watching Sun Yuan.

As night deepened, the explosions became sporadic and then stopped completely.

This meant the players were resting.

"Senior, you rest, I'll keep watch!"

Zhen Yu hugged her arms, feeling cold.

"You sleep, I'm not tired!"

Sun Yuan's endurance was already at level 9, and he could go two days without sleep. Besides, in this environment,

To be honest, he couldn't sleep.

"I... I'm not tired either!"

Zhen Yu hesitated but spoke, "Can I sit next to you? I'm a bit cold!"

"..."

Sun Yuan was silent. He was only wearing a T-shirt, and if he gave it to Zhen Yu, he'd be shirtless.

"Hehe, if you don't say no, I'll take it as a yes!"

Zhen Yu moved the mushroom cushion next to Sun Yuan and sat down, feeling a sense of security: "Senior, what do you usually do at this time?"

"Play games!"

Sun Yuan was straightforward.

"Haha, I thought you'd say study!"

Zhen Yu found Sun Yuan honest and praiseworthy, "I usually stream, and the chat room is full of interesting people, many of them talented."

Zhen Yu chattered on, and her words turned into sobs.

She had a beautiful life, but was thrown into this cruel game. If not for Sun Yuan, she would have died.

Those spore people, those corpses, were truly terrifying.

To forget her fear, she tried to be cheerful, treating it like a video game. But now, in the quiet of the night, the fear returned, like a tsunami threatening to drown her.

"Senior, I'm scared!"

Zhen Yu leaned on Sun Yuan.

"Don't worry, I'll get us through this game and return the world to its former state!"

Sun Yuan comforted her.

Exhausted from crying, Zhen Yu fell asleep leaning on Sun Yuan.

On Xu Qingshan's side, despite the rudimentary camp, everyone was tired and gradually fell asleep.

"Junior Sun, you rest, I'll keep watch!"

Xu Qingshan called out, thinking it was wasteful for both of them to stay awake.

"I'll keep watch, you have more girls to take care of!"

Sun Yuan joked.

Xu Qingshan's face turned red, "Then... then I'll leave it to you!"

Although they had only known each other for a few hours, Xu Qingshan trusted Sun Yuan and didn't argue, curling up and falling asleep.

For a child from the mountains, sleeping in the wilderness was no problem.

The moonlight was like water, and the night was silent.

The Silver Horse began its patrol. Seeing that the players in the Ancient City University's Divine Tower were resting, it was instantly annoyed.

Even the landlord's donkey wouldn't dare to rest like this!

The gods didn't come to watch you sleep.

The Silver Horse immediately added a death rule.

Each player's attribute panel popped up, and intense electronic music played, waking the sleeping players.

Without needing to check the message, the announcement played automatically after the music ended.

[At noon tomorrow, the first game will end. Players who haven't found three Ganlu mushrooms will be immediately eliminated!]

This announcement instantly woke the players, making them break out in cold sweat.