What If I Ended Up Marrying My Enemy? - Chapter 44

Chapter 44: Freeloader

 

There was a loud clatter on the other end of the line, like someone had knocked over everything on a table in excitement.

 

The noise lasted a moment before stopping, followed by the calm voice of a staff member from the program crew: “So that’s how it is.”

 

Though her tone was the same as before, she silently clenched her fists and screamed internally.

 

Was a bombshell like this something she was casually allowed to know?!

 

She suddenly had a feeling this episode of their show might achieve some unexpectedly high ratings.

 

…

 

The call finally ended, and naturally, that interrupted kiss couldn’t be resumed. Yu Wenxuan lazily rested his chin on top of Yu Zhixue’s head.

 

“Since you’re here anyway, want me to show you around?”

 

Yu Zhixue shifted his head slightly and asked, “Don’t you have things to do?”

 

Yu Wenxuan didn’t mind. “I can push them back a bit. Government work never ends. Compared to that, being with you is more important.”

 

He sounded completely serious. Yu Zhixue let out a soft “Oh” and couldn’t help but ask again, “Where are we going?”

 

When he came up earlier, Yu Zhixue had already seen most of Yu Corporation’s layout. Truth be told, all companies looked pretty similar. If it was just to wander inside, he figured Yu Wenxuan might as well go back to handling his work.

 

Yu Wenxuan thought for a moment. After a pause, he said, “Wanna try the VR gaming system?”

 

Just like how Yu Corporation was a leader in the medical field, the Wen Group mainly focused on electronic technology.

 

Yu Wenxuan had just received news from a branch office yesterday— a new batch of VR gaming helmets had just been completed. This was the perfect chance to take Yu Zhixue for a trial.

 

Yu Zhixue didn’t quite catch on. “What kind of game machine? Like claw machines?”

 

“It’s something our company just developed. Not released yet—we’re currently doing an online lottery for testers,” Yu Wenxuan said, making a finger-gun gesture and softly saying, “Bang.”

 

“It’s that kind of game.”

 

Yu Zhixue seemed to realize something. “Is it because you don’t know how to play, so you want me to carry you?”

 

Yu Wenxuan: “…What?”

 

He had completely forgotten the nonsense he’d said at the amusement park. Yu Zhixue repeated their conversation from that day, and he finally remembered.

 

“Yeah… probably.”

 

Yu Zhixue got off him, smoothing out his wrinkled clothes from earlier, rotated his wrist a bit, and looked up at Yu Wenxuan. “Then let’s go.”

 

…

 

The person in charge of the game only sent out an invitation tentatively, never expecting that the big boss would actually come—and not alone. Someone was walking in front of him.

 

The two of them strolled in together, arms slightly linked, making it clear at a glance that their relationship wasn’t ordinary.

 

Yu Zhixue led the way, watching the path ahead, while Yu Wenxuan hooked a finger around his wrist and followed at a leisurely pace, not caring if they got lost.

 

They happened to arrive just as the batch of online lottery testers showed up.

 

The person in charge hurried over to greet them. “We’re about to start internal testing. The feedback will come in soon. You two can take a seat and wait.”

 

Yu Wenxuan didn’t respond, quietly watching Yu Zhixue’s profile.

 

Yu Zhixue asked, “Are there any open testing slots left?”

 

“Uh?” The game supervisor had assumed they were there to inspect the results. He hadn’t expected them to actually want to play. But his surprise only lasted a second before he recovered.

 

“There are, there are,” he said quickly.

 

Even if there weren’t, he’d have to make two slots magically appear—though, as it happened, there were indeed a few available that the programmers hadn’t used yet.

 

He pulled out his walkie-talkie and gave some instructions, then turned back with a smile. “Just follow me.”

 

Once inside, there were even more people than expected. Yu Zhixue realized there weren’t just selected testers, but some media personnel broadcasting the event live.

 

After all, this game had been hyped for a long time. The start of internal testing naturally drew a lot of attention.

 

The supervisor led them to the test capsules, then hesitated a bit.

 

He leaned toward Yu Wenxuan and whispered, “President Wen, to increase exposure for the internal test, we invited some streamers from gaming platforms for a small competitive event, so…”

 

Not only that, but the game’s internal screen was being broadcast live on a large external monitor. He had been so focused on following procedure, he forgot this part.

 

If these two got crushed and it got aired, he’d be in serious trouble.

 

Yu Wenxuan said, “It’s fine. We’re just playing casually.”

 

With that reassurance, the supervisor relaxed significantly. He brought them to the gaming capsules, all top-tier equipment for maximum testing performance.

 

The pods were semi-open and came with helmets. Most were already occupied—only two remained in the back.

 

The two of them didn’t need further guidance and walked over on their own.

 

The space between the pods was tight enough that they could easily hold hands while seated.

 

Once everyone was in place, the game officially began.

 

Right before putting on the helmet, Yu Wenxuan gave the soft flesh of Yu Zhixue’s palm a light squeeze.

 

Yu Zhixue paused and tilted his head to glance at him, as if asking a question.

 

Yu Wenxuan smiled and lowered his voice. “Baby, I’m counting on you to protect me.”

 

Was he nervous?

 

Yu Zhixue gently squeezed his hand back in reassurance. “Just stick close behind me.”

 

With that, the two put on their helmets together.

 

The internal test not only offered a cash prize, but also had two professional commentators analyzing gameplay.

 

The female commentator smiled. “Looks like all our players are ready. We’re now entering the character customization phase.”

 

On the screen, one streamer kept changing hair colors, ending up with a rainbow mess that was kind of hard to look at.

 

The director switched the feed several times. For some reason, every character looked bizarre—until finally, after a few more clicks, a more normal avatar appeared.

 

The nickname displayed was “001.”

 

In this internal test, players couldn’t choose their own usernames. Everyone was assigned a number. Yu Zhixue and Yu Wenxuan, using programmer-reserved accounts, had very early numbers: 001 and 002 respectively.

 

Player 001, Yu Zhixue, glanced through the customization features and immediately skipped over hair and face settings, opting for a set of light, flexible clothing.

 

Considering there might be viewers, he also added a face mask.

 

“Player 001 has excellent taste! They’ve already completed customization and entered the game quickly.”

 

The first thing Yu Zhixue did upon loading into the map was look around. When he spotted that familiar figure, he finally relaxed.

 

Yu Wenxuan’s outfit was almost identical to his, right down to the face mask—only the color differed. Standing together, they looked like a matching couple.

 

The commentators didn’t hold back either, jokingly remarking, “Oho? Matching outfits? Looks like they’re teammates! Wonder how strong they are.”

 

The two avatars stood very close. Yu Wenxuan even had two hair clips on his head, a stark contrast to his usual image.

 

He removed one and carefully tidied Yu Zhixue’s hair, clipping it to the side.

 

Most players were still fussing with appearances. Since the in-game weapons hadn’t been distributed yet, the game granted a few rare moments of peace.

 

Yu Zhixue looked surprised. “You knew avatars could trade accessories?”

 

“I didn’t,” Yu Wenxuan said, admiring his handiwork. “I just thought it looked cute when I saw it, so I tried bringing it in. If it didn’t work, oh well.”

 

The director had just switched the feed to someone else, so no one witnessed that moment.

 

A minute later, all players were in place. The system voice echoed through the air.

 

“The first batch of supplies has been airdropped. The game ends when only one player remains.”

 

Yu Wenxuan watched the airdrop container float past and exchanged a glance with Yu Zhixue. “Let’s go grab it.”

 

There were many players, but few supply drops scattered across the map. Before anyone had a gun, everything came down to melee.

 

Fortunately, the pain level in the game was set very low—barely noticeable.

 

Yu Zhixue had just taken down two players. When he turned around, he saw Yu Wenxuan’s side already littered with defeated opponents.

 

Yu Wenxuan caught his gaze and raised an eyebrow, twirling a shiny key on his finger.

 

“Players 001 and 002 have claimed control of the southeastern supply drop with overwhelming force,” the male commentator announced. “Let’s see how they divide the loot.”

 

Yu Wenxuan tossed the key over casually. Though he looked a little roughed up, his tossing gesture was elegant, like a king tossing out gold coins.

 

Yu Zhixue caught it and opened the crate. Inside were a few guns, some bullets, and bulletproof vests.

 

Yu Wenxuan chuckled. “Kind of stingy.”

 

Yu Zhixue picked up a gun, tested the weight, and selected a low-recoil one for Yu Wenxuan.

 

They split the armor one each. Most of the bullets went to Yu Zhixue.

 

“Looks like they’ve split the loot,” the commentator said. “And from the map, it seems another team is headed their way—fully armed. Will there be a clash?”

 

That group, having tracked the airdrop location, approached with confidence. They had collected weapons along the way and had numbers on their side.

 

The closer they got, the more fallen players they saw. Their spirits lifted.

 

But instead of a well-guarded duo, they found only one person. He stood with his back to them, casually inspecting a handgun.

 

Sensing footsteps, the figure turned and, upon seeing the group’s size, fled immediately.

 

A lone wolf, perhaps?

 

Thinking that, they gave chase. The woods weren’t big. Soon, they saw him again.

 

One member aimed and fired.

 

But the figure dodged, as if he had eyes in the back of his head—or incredible luck.

 

Yu Wenxuan heard bullets whizz past and took a few more steps deeper into the woods. As expected, the group followed.

 

Gunfire erupted.

 

Sniper shots, deadly accurate.

 

Teammates dropped one by one, headshots each time, with no clue where the bullets came from.

 

The survivors gritted their teeth. If this kept up, they’d be wiped out.

 

But the hidden shooter had no intention of letting them escape. Two more fell before they could flee.

 

Perched in the thick branches of a tree, Yu Zhixue calmly fired, long hair cascading past his waist.

 

The commentators nearly stood up. “What a move! One acting as bait, the other sniping from cover!”

 

Compared to Yu Zhixue’s lethal precision, Yu Wenxuan just stood there idly with a gun in hand, not bothering to shoot.

 

His relaxed attitude struck more fear into the enemy than the unseen sniper.

 

The last surviving player yelled before getting shot: “You damn freeloader!”

 

Yu Wenxuan glanced over thoughtfully.

 

Though eliminated, the defeated players could still view the scene through their character’s corpse—a cruel feature.

 

And so they saw Yu Wenxuan pause, walk to their corpses, then activate the typing function.

 

On the central screen, in front of everyone, a speech bubble appeared above his head.

 

“002: Boss, carry me~”

 

The defeated group: “…”

 

Screw you!

 

Yu Zhixue put away his gun. As he jumped down from the tree, he saw the message bubble and found the same typing function.

 

Then he replied with one of his own.

 

“001: Okay.”