Chapter 29: Chapter 29: The Betrothal Gift—An 8 Million Demon Armor Set
Su Chen, a board member of the Su family and the highest authority figure, was also Su Jingya and Su Jinyan's eldest uncle. When Su Jinyan received an unexpected Feixin message from Su Chen, she couldn't help but feel puzzled.
"Why would Uncle want to see me at this hour?" she wondered.
She replied, "Uncle, can we discuss it here on Feixin?"
Su Chen's response was brief, "It's something urgent. You need to come in person."
"But I'm in the middle of Second World, and the zombie wave is about to hit," Su Jinyan hesitated.
Su Chen's tone was firm, "It won't take long. Your sister is here too, and we're all waiting for you. I've already sent someone to pick you up."
Seeing that Su Chen had gone to such lengths, Su Jinyan could no longer decline. "Alright, Uncle. I'll head over."
Closing Feixin, Su Jinyan turned to Zhang Yue. "Zhang Yue, something urgent came up. I need to log out."
Zhang Yue didn't press her for details. "Go ahead. Better log out before the zombie wave starts, or you won't be able to leave."
"Be careful when facing the zombie wave," Su Jinyan reminded him, her concern evident.
"Will do," Zhang Yue nodded.
With that, Su Jinyan lightly touched the mark on the back of her hand, summoning a portal and exiting the world.
As the time for the zombie wave approached, the skies above Notting City darkened, the wind howled, and thunder roared. Inside and outside the city, gusts of wind whipped through the air, signaling the storm to come. Over 20,000 players, all online at the time, were gathered within Notting City, anxiously awaiting the onslaught of the undead.
Zhang Yue glanced at the Feixin notifications from the guild:
[Yan Yu Pavilion, General/14th level Elite Royal Archer]: "@Everyone, brothers, during this zombie wave, make sure you complete the first round of kills. Let's aim to clear all three rounds and finish Second World."]
More useless chatter. Zhang Yue quickly closed the guild messages.
Half an hour later, the system announcement came:
[Regional Announcement](Notting City): ]
[Ding~ Attention all players in Notting City: The zombie wave has begun! During this period, players will be unable to exit the world, and the city's protection mechanism has been disabled.]
(Note: Killing over 50 zombies per person will qualify as a successful defense against the wave.)
Roars echoed from outside the city as the zombie horde approached.
———
Meanwhile, in the real world.
In Linhai City, light rain drizzled down through the night. Su Jinyan, dressed in a white dress, sat in a black BMW, gazing out the window at the rain, her thoughts consumed by one person.
"With the protective barriers down in the safe zone, more players have died during Second World's zombie waves than in any other world. Even though this is just a Level 13 wave, the danger lies in the sheer numbers—an ant swarm can kill an elephant."
"Zhang Yue, please be careful…" Her eyes were filled with worry.
Soon, the car pulled up in front of a high-rise building downtown. The driver, dressed in a black suit, stepped out with an umbrella, guiding Su Jinyan into Su Family Tower.
———
On the 25th floor, inside the Chairman's Office, a middle-aged man sat behind a grand desk. Dressed in an expensive suit, his expression was calm and composed, exuding the air of a successful businessman. This was Su Chen. Across from him sat a slightly overweight man with slicked-back hair, listening intently to the conversation.
At that moment, Su Jinya, dressed in professional black attire with her hair tied in a high ponytail, gracefully served a cup of top-grade oolong tea to the slightly overweight man.
"Thank you," he said with a smile, glancing up at her. "You must be Su Jinya, the older sister?"
Su Jinya nodded slightly, "Yes."
"You two really are twins. You look so much alike! I almost mistook you for Su Jinyan." Chen Tianqi laughed.
Su Chen chuckled along. "You're not the first to say that, Chen. Even I sometimes mix up the two of them."
Chen Tianqi smiled, "I see, Su. Twins really are something."
Just then, Su Jinyan knocked and entered the room.
"Uncle, Sister!" she greeted, but paused when her eyes landed on Chen Tianqi. "Chen… Uncle?"
All three of them turned to face Su Jinyan.
"Come on in, Xiaoyan, have a seat!" Su Chen waved her over.
Su Jinyan sat beside her sister, the two of them appearing almost identical apart from their hairstyles and outfits. As soon as Su Jinyan saw Chen Tianqi, an uneasy feeling settled in her heart. She knew exactly who he was—Chen Jun's father.
Su Chen wasted no time. "Now that you're here, Xiaoyan, let's get straight to the point."
"Your Uncle Chen is here to propose a marriage arrangement for his son, Chen Jun."
Su Jinyan immediately stood up, "I've already said before—I don't like Chen Jun."
Su Chen's expression darkened. "Watch your tone, young lady."
Chen Tianqi, however, seemed unbothered, laughing it off, "It's okay. Feelings can grow over time."
He motioned toward the two elegantly wrapped gift boxes on the table. "Here's a small token of my goodwill for you and your sister. I hope you'll both accept it with a smile."
Su Chen gestured to the boxes. "These are a gift from your Uncle Chen—a set of [Energy Elixirs] worth 5 million each. It's an epic-grade treasure that increases energy accumulation by 100 times for a month, usable at Level 100."
"Not only that," he continued, "Chen Tianqi also commissioned a legendary blacksmith in Dragon City to craft an entire 30-level, 3-star gold attribute [Demon Set] worth 8 million."
Chen Tianqi turned to Su Jinyan, "I heard you became an Epic-class Forbidden Mage. This Demon Set was tailor-made for you. Its set effect increases the duration of all your control-type skills by 50%."
"I only have one son, and everything I own will eventually be passed down to him. If you marry into the Chen family…" Chen Tianqi began painting an elaborate future for her.
But before he could finish, Su Jinyan interrupted, her voice laced with frustration, "Thank you for the offer, Uncle Chen, but I intend to decide my future for myself."
Without waiting for a response, she turned and rushed out of the office, leaving Chen Tianqi looking awkward.
Su Chen sighed. "She's always been stubborn. But don't worry, Chen. I'll talk to her."
Chen Tianqi nodded, "I'll leave it to you, Su."
———
After seeing Chen Tianqi out, Su Chen turned to Su Jinya. "Jinya, you'll need to talk to her. She doesn't listen to me, but she listens to you. I know if you speak with her, she'll understand."
"You know how important our cooperation with the Chen family is. Yanyu Pavilion wouldn't be where it is today without their financial backing. If Xiaoyan marries into their family…"
"I understand, Uncle," Su Jinya interrupted, "But Xiaoyan's marriage isn't something to be traded. She's made it clear she wants to decide for herself, and I won't interfere with her choice."
Su Chen's face hardened. "Jinya, you—"
"I have other matters to attend to, Uncle. Excuse me," Su Jinya said, walking out of the office.
————
On the rooftop, Su Jinya found Su Jinyan standing alone, staring out at the city.
"Jinya." Su Jinyan was surprised to see her sister. "How did you know I'd be here?"
"You always come here when you're upset. It's your favorite spot," Jinya smiled.
"You really do know me best," Jinyan chuckled, sticking out her tongue.
"Be honest with me, do you have feelings for someone?" Jinya suddenly asked, catching her sister off guard.
"What?" Jinyan's eyes widened in shock.
"Is it that Beast Tamer who helped you clear First World, Zero?" Jinya pressed on.
"Oh my god, how do you know everything?" Jinyan was dumbfounded.
Jinya smiled knowingly. "You rejected Chen Tianqi's proposal so strongly today. You wouldn't have done that before."
"Plus, you once told me something," she added.
"What was that?"
"You said whoever can break your class restriction, you'll marry them."
Su Jinyan lowered her head, letting out a sigh. "I don't even know if it's love. I just know that when I'm with him, I feel really happy."
After a brief pause, she looked at Su Jinya, a bit hesitant. "Sis, you're not here to try and convince me on Uncle's behalf, are you?"
"You silly girl!" Su Jinya smiled, gently patting her sister's head. Her voice was soft, filled with warmth. "No, your big sister is here to support you in pursuing your own happiness."
Su Jinyan immediately threw her arms around Su Jinya, hugging her tightly. "I knew you'd be the best, Sis!"
Just then, as if a thought struck her, Su Jinyan suddenly jolted, wide-eyed. "Oh no! The zombie wave!"
"I have to hurry back to the other world, maybe I can still make it in time for the fight."
"Go on then, and be careful," Su Jinya said with a slight smile.
Before Su Jinyan could rush off, Su Jinya added gently, "Remember, no matter what happens, your big sister will always be your strongest support."
"Thanks, Sis!"
With that, Su Jinyan immediately activated her spatial gate and stepped back into the other world.
Meanwhile, Su Jinya watched her disappear, murmuring to herself, "I've been distracted all night. I should probably check in too."
She too opened a portal, stepping into the virtual realm.
[Ding~(Level 125) Rare-Class, Fifth-Tier Valkyrie, Suya. Welcome to the 24th World of the Fractured Starry Sky!]
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