What If I Ended Up Marrying My Enemy? - Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Exposed

“002: Boss, please carry me～”
“001: Okay.”

These two chat bubbles popped up one after the other, standing out vividly in the middle of the forest.

The person on the ground stared at the shamelessly proud bubble, followed by the somewhat indulgent reply, momentarily speechless.

Even the commentators were at a loss for words—probably stunned by this brazen display of freeloading.

After all, this closed beta had recruited various streamers, each one giving it their all in hopes of leaving a good impression. Someone blatantly declaring themselves as a leech? This was a first.

The game wasn’t just being commentated; there were also netizens watching the beta test live.

From the initial “What kind of hair color is that?” to “001 is amazing,” and finally a barrage of six dots, all it took was one bubble from Yu Wenxuan.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a competitive game? Teaming up is normal, but dragging someone down like this seems a bit unfair.”
“What if they were just joking? This is an official beta. It’s not like someone would actually freeload. Maybe they just wanted to troll the last guy and someone took it seriously.”
“Exactly. It’s obviously a joke. Can’t believe someone’s actually getting pressed about it.”

Regardless of the commentary, the game continued. They had just wiped out a group of players and were planning to move toward the center.

Neither of them was too keen on looting “corpses,” so they just scanned with their eyes and noticed some bullets hanging from belts and guns lying on the ground.

Yu Zhixue swapped his gun for one with higher firepower—though harder to control—while Yu Wenxuan simply picked up more ammo, not intending to change weapons.

After all, he was still a newbie unfamiliar with guns, and the one in his hand was already more than enough.

Commentator: “Huh? There are clearly better guns on the ground—why didn’t player 002 switch? Was it just an oversight?”

“LOL that’s a major oversight. Is 002 really planning to charge a sniper with just a pistol? Freeloader confirmed.”
“Maybe he just happened to run into guns he doesn’t know how to use?”
“Dude, the guns on the ground ranged from heavy to light, from sniper to shotgun. If that’s the case, it’s not a coincidence—it’s that he literally doesn’t know how to use any guns!”
“If you don’t know how to use guns, why are you even in a full-immersion beta? Give me the spot instead—I know more than just a pistol.”

As if to prove that last comment, Yu Zhixue tested out his new gun, then looked over at Yu Wenxuan who was fiddling with his pistol. “Want me to teach you real quick?”

Yu Wenxuan kept examining it—not because he didn’t understand, as Yu Zhixue assumed, but because the last time he’d seen this outdated model felt like it was in another life.

Credit to the game developers for even including such an ancient design in a supply crate. They probably never expected anyone to actually use the filler gun.

Upon hearing Yu Zhixue’s offer, Yu Wenxuan couldn’t find a reason to refuse. He nodded. “Alright.”

Yu Wenxuan was always quick on the uptake—something Yu Zhixue had long known. So at first, he was confident about this little teaching session.

But as things went on, Yu Zhixue fell silent.

Watching bullets go wildly off-target, he raised his eyes and seriously said, “Just stick behind me.”

Yu Wenxuan didn’t really know what it meant to be a beginner—he’d never experienced it himself, being someone who’d always picked things up quickly. This performance of his? He’d overcommitted to the role.

When he heard Yu Zhixue’s tactful but clearly exasperated suggestion, he wasn’t embarrassed at all. He simply repeated what he’d said before entering the game: “I’m counting on your protection.”

…

For the rest of the journey, Yu Zhixue really did walk in front.

Yu Wenxuan, watching his upright and serious back, mischievously tugged at his hair from behind. That bit of black hair felt like a thread connecting them.

Feeling the tug, Yu Zhixue stopped walking. Yu Wenxuan quickly let go before he could turn around.

Then he raised his hands slightly and smiled. “Can I hold your hand instead?”

Yu Zhixue didn’t reply. He just turned his head and silently extended his hand backward.

Yu Wenxuan stared at the offered hand, but didn’t take it immediately.

When Yu Zhixue felt the emptiness of his hand, he thought maybe Yu Wenxuan hadn’t seen it, so he wiggled his fingers again.

Quite vigorously—almost dazzling.

Only then did Yu Wenxuan finally place his hand into his.

The director, noticing the controversy around this pair, had cut away to other players. But after seeing all those garish colors elsewhere, they came back to this pair to “cleanse their eyes.”

Right as the screen switched back, the scene was Yu Wenxuan slipping his hand into Yu Zhixue’s.

The commentators gave up trying to explain this anymore, choosing instead to pretend nothing happened and analyze the gameplay.

Yu Zhixue and Yu Wenxuan’s path would soon bring them face-to-face with another pair.

Those two were also fairly well-known streamers with decent skills. While Yu Zhixue wouldn’t necessarily lose in a one-on-one, the issue was that Yu Wenxuan was with him.

That made things interesting.

Unaware of the upcoming ambush, they continued toward the center as planned.

Then came a beautifully dramatic scene.

Both teams turned the same corner at the same time, ending up on opposite ends of a long street—locking eyes. A real-life version of “love at first sight around the corner.”

In that moment of stunned silence from the other team, Yu Wenxuan traced a line in Yu Zhixue’s palm—like sending a signal.

Next second, he let go of Yu Zhixue’s hand, turned, and bolted with that useless pistol still in hand.

Yu Zhixue was left standing there, seemingly startled, before following suit and running away.

Before, you could argue that Yu Wenxuan was serving as bait to draw fire for Yu Zhixue, but this time, he’d directly exposed his sniper to the enemy. No one could figure out what he was doing anymore.

The two streamers quickly recovered. “Chase them!”

One of them wielded a sniper rifle and had just been abandoned by his teammate. The other had only a laughable pistol and looked like an easy kill.

They gave chase. The one with the pistol had vanished. Only the long-haired sniper remained, firing off two shots in retreat.

The streamers were prepared, took cover, dodged the bullets, and kept closing in.

It looked like the sniper had been cornered. He ducked into an alley, his footsteps growing fainter.

They charged in—and the one in front was suddenly met with darkness.

That old pistol model had terrible feel and range, but it was heavy. Yu Wenxuan stood silently at the corner, waiting. When he heard someone coming…

He raised the pistol—and slammed it onto the man’s head with all his might.

The blow eliminated him instantly. As he collapsed, all he could see was a tall figure in a mask. The second player, stunned, was immediately taken out by Yu Zhixue.

Even though the game had pain turned off, he could still feel his head spinning. In the end, he couldn’t help but curse: “WTF!!”

Never in a gunfight game had he imagined being clubbed to death with a pistol.

Now, all those people who had been yelling about freeloading went dead silent.

“Wait, WHAT?? He actually got killed by that?!”
“We still don’t know how strong 002’s arm is… I have no words for that kill.”
“Stunned. Absolutely stunned.”

……

Thanks to this bizarre elimination method, Yu Zhixue and Yu Wenxuan pushed closer to the center.

But those who’d made it this far weren’t easy targets. Compared to real pros, they were still slightly lacking.

A red-haired streamer was deadlocked with Yu Zhixue. After seeing Yu Wenxuan’s strange melee kill earlier, the enemy team kept their distance from him.

Yu Zhixue was soon cornered in a disadvantageous position.

Victory. The red-haired streamer thought.

Just one more shot, and the sniper would be out. As for the other guy? He couldn’t even use guns. Once 001 was gone, taking him out would be child’s play.

He shifted position again, raised his sniper rifle, and aimed.

Yu Zhixue could sense elimination coming, but he wasn’t too upset. He never entered this game to win—just to have fun with Yu Wenxuan.

Still, once he was out, Yu Wenxuan wouldn’t last long either.

Just as he was strategizing, in an unnoticed corner, Yu Wenxuan quietly switched to a new gun.

“Zhixue,” he called from the shadows.

Hearing that voice broke Yu Zhixue’s focus. As he turned his head, a bullet whizzed past his cheek.

Then came the elimination chime. He looked over and saw the red-haired player had been headshotted.

The bullet had come from behind him.

But the only person behind him was Yu Wenxuan.

Yu Zhixue turned toward the dim alleyway. The black clothes on Yu Wenxuan blended seamlessly with the shadows.

He looked unusually serious. His lips pressed tight, expression tense, gun still raised.

That carefree air had vanished, replaced by a cold sharpness not unlike Yu Zhixue’s own.

The shooter was obvious. Yu Wenxuan, face still dark, fired another round to finish off the second attacker.

Yu Zhixue froze.

“Wait… 002 can actually shoot?! What was he doing before—trolling his teammate?”
“All those people saying he was a freeloader earlier—now what? He stopped freeloading and you’re still not happy?”
“That gun he’s using now isn’t the beginner pistol 001 gave him—it’s a beast. Powerful, yes, but with high recoil and terrible accuracy.”
“To hit a long-distance headshot with that? That’s pro level.”

The danger had come and gone in a flash. Yu Zhixue walked over, stared at Yu Wenxuan for a moment, then suddenly grabbed the front of his shirt.

His tone was flat: “Your aim’s not great?”

Acting on instinct, still grim-faced, Yu Wenxuan picked up a commonly-used rifle and fired off two rounds into the air.

Then, realizing he was in trouble, he bent down to coax and apologize.

Before he could get close, a gunshot rang out again.

System prompt: [Player 001 has eliminated Player 002.]

As Yu Wenxuan lost consciousness, the last thing he saw was Yu Zhixue still gripping his shirt collar.

His eyes were lowered, his expression calm yet cold, as he looked down at his “corpse” and said:

“I’ll be waiting for your explanation once we’re out.”