Game On: A World Reborn

Liang Wu stretched casually as he finished dressing, his smirk still lingering as he joined the two women for breakfast. The maid was already setting up the food with a cheerful smile, her earlier flustered expression replaced by a calm, collected demeanor. Chen Li Li sat opposite, still slightly pink in the cheeks, though she was trying her best to ignore the earlier embarrassment. 

“Shall we eat?” Liang Wu asked, sitting down and gesturing toward the food. “After all, it’s not every day you get to dine with a bear.” His lips quirked as he caught both women exchanging glances, amused by the lingering awkwardness.

Chen Li Li huffed. “Must you bring that up?” She picked up a steamed bun and took a bite, glaring playfully at Liang Wu. “You just had to show off, didn’t you?”

The maid giggled, her laughter light and melodic. “I didn’t mind, Sir God. You were quite adorable in your bear form.”

“Why are you calling this idiot 'god'? He didn't infect you with his lunacy, did he?” She shuddered at the thought of Liang Wu's insanity being contagious.

The maid blushed, pushing a stray strand of black hair away from her face before responding. “When I first saw him, I wanted to confess. However, I couldn't do it, as I thought he looked like a being that didn't exist in the same world as us mortals.”

“You've got good eyes, girl!” Liang Wu said with a boisterous laugh. “Except when you called me adorable. I was fearsome—and I'm not talking about my bear form. But I’ll accept the compliment.” He leaned back, arms folded behind his head.

Chen Li Li choked on her bun, her face turning an even deeper shade of red. The maid was initially stunned by his statement, but covered her mouth, stifling a giggle shortly after.

Chen Li Li changed the topic to try to get over her embarrassment. “Well, seeing as we’re all so close now, maybe we should introduce ourselves properly. My name is Chen Li Li, and this lunatic is Liang Wu, the self-proclaimed Supreme God Emperor.” She had a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she finished their introduction.

Next, it was the pretty maid's turn. “My name is Liu Daiyu, but… please, just call me Daiyu. I don’t like my surname much. It means ‘kill’ or ‘destroy,’ and that’s not really something I want to be associated with.”

Liang Wu raised an eyebrow. “Liu Daiyu…” He considered her for a moment. “Well, you certainly don’t look like someone with such a deadly name. However, I’d say your given name, ‘black jade,’ suits you perfectly.”

Daiyu smiled shyly. “Thank you. I prefer to focus on other things—like cooking!”

“Can you cook?” Chen Li Li asked casually.

“Of course! Cooking is my specialty,” Daiyu declared proudly, patting her large bosom as if to emphasize her point. 

Chen Li Li’s eyes narrowed as she glanced at Daiyu’s chest, her brows furrowing as a hint of jealousy flickered in her gaze. She crossed her arms, mumbling something under her breath. “Does she think she's better because hers are bigger…?”

Liang Wu chuckled softly, watching the exchange with amusement.

—

After breakfast, Chen Li Li and Liang Wu exited the inn to continue their journey. The next city would have been where Chen Li Li was supposed to meet her marriage partner. However, it was now Liang Wu's responsibility to stop her forced marriage.

“Please wait!” Daiyu came running out after them. She had replaced her maid uniform for a navy blue hanfu. “Sir Liang, take me with you. I want to be your personal maid!”

Liang Wu raised an eyebrow in surprise. “I don't mind taking you in. However, it's not up to me.” He glanced over at Chen Li Li to indicate that she was the one to ask.

Daiyu looked at her with a sweet smile and a pair of pleading eyes.

Chen Li Li wanted to refuse. She was already fed up with dealing with Liang Wu, but seeing Daiyu's puppy dog eyes softened her heart, so she agreed reluctantly. “Haa… fine, you'll be in charge of cooking during our travels. I was getting tired of Che Fu's bland cooking. But you had better be as good a chef as you claim, otherwise I'll kick you to the curb!”

Daiyu clasped her hands together, her eyes sparkling with gratitude. “Thank you so much! I’ll do my best! You won’t regret it.”

“Daiyu is joining our sect,” Liang Wu said matter-of-factly.

Chen Li Li turned and gave him a strange look but didn't disagree. She didn't really care; the sect only existed to fulfill his tutorial quest.

“Hm… okay…?” Daiyu didn't really understand why he wanted her to join his sect, but she didn't mind as long as she could follow Liang Wu. After all, she had fallen in love with him at first sight.

Liang Wu grinned, taking his seat in the carriage. “Looks like we’ve got a new member of the Blank Sect.”

Daiyu hesitated briefly before sitting down, her smile growing wider as she took her place beside Chen Li Li.

A map suddenly fell into Liang Wu’s lap, prompting the two ladies to give him quizzical looks. “It's a map to a dungeon. I got it from completing a quest just now.”

“Oh! I get it now. That's why you recruited her.” Chen Li Li realized now that he must have gotten another strange quest.

Daiyu tilted her head in bafflement, not understanding what they were talking about.

---

A few uneventful days passed as they traveled toward the next city, where Chen Li Li was due to meet the man her uncle had arranged for her to marry. Along the way, they got to enjoy Daiyu’s cooking. Liang Wu never missed an opportunity to shower her with praise.

“Daiyu, I swear, if your food gets any better, it might just be able to challenge the immortal chefs,” Liang Wu said one evening, patting his stomach contentedly after another meal.

Chen Li Li, however, was less enthusiastic, though she had to admit the food was leagues better than Che Fu’s bland offerings. She glanced at Daiyu’s ample chest again and, with a sigh, silently wished for better luck in her next life when it came to ‘assets.’

Daiyu, oblivious to the rivalry brewing within Chen Li Li, simply smiled and kept cooking.

“Liang Wu, take this.” Chen Li Li reached into her spatial pouch and pulled out a hanfu. It was black with white floral accents, and it came with a cute, little black and white stuffed bear accessory. “Since you gave me your game console, I thought I'd give you something in return… um, here!”

She shoved the hanfu into Liang Wu’s hands, before turning and fleeing with a bright red face.

This wasn't a confession, just her purely giving a gift in return. However since this was the first time she'd ever given a gift to someone outside her family she was embarrassed, and fled