Straight Man Gets Reincarnated into an ABO Novel and Ends Up with His Rival - Chapter 9

This time, neither of them spoke to each other. Though under the same roof, they went about their own routines, two parallel lines that never met.

Even the one-and-a-half meter-wide bed seemed to have an invisible chasm in the middle. Wrapped in their thin blankets, Fu Jing and Wang Bupo kept to their own sides, avoiding each other completely.

Another week passed quickly. Wang Bupo, relying on consistent performance, made it into the semifinals of Gun God.

On social media, discussions about the Gun God national competition were as lively as ever.

#Gun God Preliminary Total Scores# [Hot]

• “This competition is insane! The scores are so close, everyone’s skills are nothing to sneeze at!”

• “The top players are the big streamers I always watch these people are legit pros.”

• “Whoa, Gu Chengyu is first overall! Just as I expected!”

• “The top three from three years ago all signed with GK Club… I wonder who will take the top spots this year.”

• “I think the favorites are either Gu Chengyu or Ji Xiao. Their skills are on par, but I lean toward Gu Chengyu he’s an Alpha.”

• “Gu Chengyu lives up to being an Alpha. I’ve seen his aim it’s terrifyingly precise!”

• “Come on, stop the gender bias. Last time, the winner was a Beta. Our Beta, Ji Xiao, deserves more recognition.”

• “Exactly, I support Ji Xiao! His control is rock solid!”

• “Everyone talks about Alphas and Betas, but did anyone notice an Omega doing really well? He’s tenth!”

• “As a Beta, I’m not being sexist, but Omegas are naturally weaker. Gaming isn’t really their forte; the top Omega probably won’t get past tenth. Alphas and Betas are the real focus.”

• “True. I’ve never seen an Omega in Gun God who can handle the gun steadily and fight head-on. Most hide in corners, playing it safe.”

• Most comments focused on Gu Chengyu and Ji Xiao, with some attention to other strong Alphas and Betas. The occasional comment about an Omega player was barely noticed, like a minor footnote.

Since the cold war with Fu Jing, Wang Bu Po had felt uneasy. Staying tense under the same roof wasn’t ideal. But both of them were busy during the day, lights out early at night, barely speaking. Taking advantage of a two-day break after reaching the semifinals, Wang Bu Po decided to break the ice.

Remembering that Fu Jing seemed to like the small cakes at dinner last time, he stopped by a pastry shop that evening and bought a variety of delicate little cakes.

Fu Jing, home early on Friday night, was at the desktop computer. Hearing the door open, he didn’t react.

“Here, I got you some snacks.” Wang Bu Po placed the box on the desk, nudging it toward Fu Jing.

Fu Jing remained completely indifferent, not even glancing at him.

“What do you want from me? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have forced you to pretend to be a couple, shouldn’t have forced that kiss, shouldn’t have joked about you. Can you forgive me?”

Wang Bu Po felt deflated. He had messed up, but was it worth holding a grudge this long?

Back when he joked around with friends, even if he went too far, things were forgotten by the next day.

“Come on, don’t be mad, okay?”

He sighed, put on a smile, and picked up a small grapefruit-flavored cake from the box, holding it out to Fu Jing.

“Eat this cake, and we’ll call it even!”

Finally, Fu Jing turned from the computer toward him.

“Huh?” Wang Bu Po lifted the small cake in his hand, smiling apologetically.

Fu Jing paused, looked down at the cake for a moment, then slowly took a bite.

“How is it? Good?” Wang Bu Po asked, eyes bright with expectation.

“Not bad.”

“So… are we okay now?”

Fu Jing lifted his eyelids, met Wang Bu Po’s light brown eyes, and after a few seconds, nodded.

“Mm.”

“Ah—here, take the rest.” Wang Bu Po felt like a huge weight lifted off his chest, satisfied he had atoned for his mistakes. He shoved the cakes into Fu Jing’s hands.

“Why are you suddenly so generous?”

“Am I stingy?” Wang Bupo replied, suddenly remembering the five-percent discount episode… Never mind, let’s move on.

“Well, I thought I should save a bit, then spend a bit. Plus, I’ve made some money recently.” He rubbed his fingers together, a little proud.

“You… you asked me what I’m good at before?”

“What?”

Wang Bupo leaned in mysteriously, showing Fu Jing his phone. “See this prize money? I earned it gaming.”

He laid all his cards on the table.

“In this world, there’s a really popular game called Battlefield: Gun God. It’s similar to that ‘chicken dinner’ game from our old world. They’re holding a national competition, and the top ten win huge prizes. Guess how much the first place gets?”

Fu Jing stared at him. “How much?”

Wang Bupo held up one finger.

Fu Jing raised an eyebrow but stayed silent.

“One million! First place gets one million!” Wang Bupo’s eyes sparkled, as if gold coins were falling in front of him, his grin stretching wide.

“Oh.” Fu Jing remained unmoved.

Wang Bupo’s smile faded, slightly annoyed. “What do you mean, ‘oh’? That’s a million!”

“Only the champion gets a million. Can you guarantee you’ll be first?” Fu Jing’s cold tone poured water on his excitement.

Even so, Wang Bupo’s  wasn’t discouraged. “Dreams are worth having. What if it comes true? Even if I don’t make top ten, I’ve still gained something.”

For him, the sense of achievement and security gaming gave him in this world outweighed everything else. At least he’d earned his first prize money through the preliminaries he wasn’t useless.

Fu Jing didn’t know what he was thinking. He didn’t comment, only said, “Participation matters. Anyway, I’ll take this seriously.”

The sudden seriousness in Wang Bu Po’s tone made Fu Jing pause. The usually childish, lazy boy who called himself “big bro” suddenly seemed much more mature.

Those long lashes hiding innocent, timid eyes could also appear deep and compelling when focused.

“Nice.”

“Huh?”

“This cake,” Fu Jing said, passing it to WangBupo’s.

“Orange flavor. Want to try?”

“Mm,not bad. How did you know I like orange?”

“I guessed.”

“No way,you guessed right!”