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Chi Xiaoming remained expressionless, his hand continuously rotating the syringe, the thick barrel spinning back and forth on his slender fingertips, creating an oddly solemn atmosphere with his face.
A few brief encounters were enough for Xu Nuan to get used to Chi Xiaoming's occasional shifts in demeanor. However, regardless of the mood he adopted, Chi Xiaoming could always command attention with his looks and physique.
"I need to confirm something first."
After hearing Xu Nuan's question, Chi Xiaoming fell silent for a few seconds before responding.
"Your team, aside from Xu Nuan and He Min, is everyone else from the Third Batch of Players?"
Although Xu Nuan hadn’t paid much attention to the inconspicuous handsome guy during the initial collective entry of the Second Batch Players into the game, it didn’t mean that Chi Xiaoming hadn’t kept a mental note of everyone else.
Not having a say in this matter, Xu Nuan turned her head to look at Gu Ze.
Gu Ze nodded.
"Yes, there are five in total from the Third Batch of Players, all of whom appeared in the game after falling unconscious."
Listening to Gu Ze's latter statement, Xu Nuan raised an eyebrow; it seemed he shared a similar intuition as hers.
"After falling unconscious?"
Chi Xiaoming chuckled lightly with a serious expression, which felt somewhat strange.
Xu Nuan was puzzled by Chi Xiaoming's reaction. Accustomed to observing others' responses during conversations to gauge their thoughts, she found it difficult to read him, which piqued her curiosity.
Suddenly, Chi Xiaoming set down the syringe and fixed his piercing gaze on the group, speaking deliberately.
"When did Tang Jingshu die?"
Xu Nuan let out a slight sigh; his unpredictable nature made him quite challenging to deal with.
"Eighteenth Level, Angry Jungle, was taken down by a giant python."
Xu Nuan was the first to bring up this topic that everyone was reluctant to remember but kept in their hearts at all times. In fact, Xu Nuan had met Tang Jingshu through the game, and they both had feelings for each other and admired one another. However, Xu Nuan believed that Tang Jingshu had a better relationship with Gu Ze and Xu Hang, as they were colleagues and friends. It might be harder for her to express her feelings than for them.
"That level!"
Chi Xiaoming's eyes widened suddenly, making his facial paralysis seem somewhat youthful.
"That level has a Hidden Level; did you use her as bait?"
The youthful expression had not yet faded when Chi Xiaoming was already radiating anger, his fury causing the temperature in the Storage Room to rise sharply.
"You think we would use her as bait?"
Before Xu Nuan could respond, Xu Hang, who had been wearing a serious expression, spoke up.
"We are all from the same company, entering this game as part of the Third Batch of Players. No one can deny the bond that exists among us."
In Xu Nuan's impression, Xu Hang rarely spoke emotionally; he was a reserved person who quietly got things done. Of course, he could be quite stubborn at times, refusing to change his mind once he had made it up. Initially intimidating due to his inflexibility, over time she discovered that this silent man had a very gentle heart, one that had ample space for his girlfriend outside the game.
She acknowledged that being part of the Third Batch of Players was special; this uniqueness created a bond among the five of them that others could not penetrate. At times, she felt excluded from it.
"The same company?"
Chi Xiaoming quickly shifted his focus, narrowing his beautiful eyes so that it was hard to discern his emotions.
"Heng Technology in the city."
Xu Nuan volunteered this information while continuing to observe Chi Xiaoming's reaction.
“Heng Technology?”
Chi Xiaoming raised an eyebrow, casting a lingering glance at Gu Ze and Xu Hang. Suddenly, he added, “It seems that your reasons for entering the game are not as simple as just Tang Jingshu’s.”
Xu Nuan, who had been closely monitoring this point, felt her heart skip a beat. She quickly turned to Chi Xiaoming with an expression that was difficult to describe.
“So, can you explain why Tang Jingshu entered the game? I remember you mentioned before that you entered the game to find someone. That person refers to Tang Jingshu, right? Then why did your game time not align?”
Xu Nuan poured out her questions all at once. Chi Xiaoming's appearance gave her a strong premonition that the secrets shrouded in mist were about to be unveiled. With this realization in her heart, Xu Nuan looked at Chi Xiaoming with eager eyes, making Gu Ze and Xu Hang, who were nurturing their feelings nearby, feel somewhat frustrated.
Faced with such eager gazes, Chi Xiaoming remained calm and waved a finger.
“I will explain this question later. Since you were once Tang Jingshu’s companions, I won’t hide anything from you. However, I have another question that needs your clarification.”
Chi Xiaoming spoke more formally than Xu Hang, but the former seemed somewhat dull, making it easy for people to overlook his shrewdness. In contrast, Xu Hang appeared aloof, which made it easy for others to miss his gentleness.
“Please.”
Xu Nuan unconsciously mirrored his formal tone, prompting several side glances from Gu Ze, whose expression grew increasingly gloomy.
“If you didn’t treat Tang Jingshu as bait and are both Players, then why was it she who approached the Hidden Level and got swallowed by Python?”
Under Xu Nuan's close scrutiny, she noticed how heavily Chi Xiaoming emphasized the last few words. This further confirmed that Tang Jingshu was someone very important to him. However, Chi Xiaoming’s question forced Xu Nuan to recount the appearance of Zhang Xiao from the First Batch of Players.
After finishing her explanation, Xu Nuan continued to gaze eagerly at Chi Xiaoming as if she hadn’t eaten in a long time and was staring at food. Finally unable to hold back any longer, Gu Ze waved his hand in front of Xu Nuan, successfully diverting her attention.
“Hmm?”
Xu Nuan stared blankly at the expressionless Gu Ze, feeling a bit confused. She had previously taken advantage of Gu Ze's willingness to accommodate her, speaking and acting without restraint. However, after realizing this, she found it difficult to face him; otherwise, the guilt in her heart would overwhelm her.
As the two exchanged an awkward glance, they heard a cold snort from Chi Xiaoming.
"Zhang Xiao? That illegitimate son of the Rao Group's chairman? This guy has come to the game too?"
From his tone, it seemed there was some history between them.
Xu Nuan's attention was immediately drawn back, eagerly looking at Chi Xiaoming and hesitantly asking, "Do you know Zhang Xiao? You even know his identity?"
Xu Nuan learned about Zhang Xiao's identity after recalling what Qin Yaojie had said following her parents' incident. Was Zhang Xiao's identity not a big secret after all?
"Of course I know," Chi Xiaoming replied with a disdainful expression. "Everyone in the social elite knows. That's why the chairman can never bring Zhang Xiao out in public; after all, there's a Sister Rao at home."
"The social elite?"
Xu Nuan suddenly realized that Gu Ze was also an heir to a corporation. Although his clear demeanor often made her forget this fact, she couldn't help but wonder if Gu Ze had known about this before she told him. She looked at Gu Ze with such suspicion in her eyes.
Gu Ze immediately felt irritated, his eyelids twitching. He wanted to grab Xu Nuan by the shoulders and shake her awake.
"Don't forget, the headquarters is in B City, and according to regulations, I wouldn't be publicly recognized as an heir until I turned six. Before that, I was only involved with the group but didn't make many appearances."
Despite this impulse, Gu Ze's patience held him back as he explained calmly, "I prefer technology; my family let me play for a few years."
"Oh."
Xu Nuan, belatedly sensing Gu Ze's unhappiness, quickly nodded and shifted her gaze to Chi Xiaoming.
"If I told you that Sister Rao is already dead in the game, how would you view Zhang Xiao's actions in the game?"
Xu Nuan tried to analyze Zhang Xiao from others' perspectives; after all, Zhang Xiao was currently her most important target.
"Rao Tingxue is dead?"
Chi Xiaoming rarely frowned.
"Even if Rao Tingxue is dead, Zhang Xiao has no right to inherit Rao Group. He wouldn't be foolish enough to make someone else rich, would he?"
"Why wouldn't Zhang Xiao have the right?"
Unaware that she was touching on some secrets of the group, Xu Nuan pressed on.
"After Rao Tingxue's death, Zhang Xiao is the only..."
Xu Nuan abruptly stopped mid-sentence, looking at Chi Xiaoming in surprise.
"Could it be that Chairman Rao has other children?"
Chi Xiaoming nodded in agreement.
"Yes, Chairman Rao's original wife, who is also Rao Tingxue's mother, passed away. Soon after, Chairman Rao remarried. It is said that this new woman was his true love, and she had a child with her ex-husband. In name, that child is also considered Chairman Rao's child and has more rights to inheritance than Zhang Xiao, who is an unacknowledged illegitimate son."
"Who is that person?"
Xu Nuan suddenly realized that if Zhang Xiao could treat Chairman Rao as a puppet, then that stepson could also treat Chairman Rao as a puppet—provided her speculation was correct.
"I don't know."
Chi Xiaoming shrugged.
"That person has never appeared in any formal setting and is not included in the Rao Family genealogy. Although outsiders speculate that Chairman Rao does not want to acknowledge this stepson, I think it’s actually a way of protecting him. With Rao Tingxue dead and Zhang Xiao's identity unrecognized, that stepson could easily become the most qualified heir with just a legal document."
Chi Xiaoming paused for a moment and then shrugged again.
"Of course, this is just my guess. It’s quite absurd for a man to pass his family business to his woman and another man's child. This is all speculation from the outside; it’s useless for us players in the game to guess."
"That's true."
Xu Nuan suddenly felt very disappointed. If someone like Chi Xiaoming, who understands the city's upper class, didn't know about this matter, then who should she ask in the game? However, that person who had never appeared might not even be related to the game. For now, Zhang Xiao was still the prime suspect; she couldn't overturn her previous assumptions based on just a few words.
"Hey, are you two getting off track?"
Xu Hang, who had been quietly listening for a long time, couldn't help but speak up.
"After all this discussion, we still don't know how Tang Jing Shu ended up in this game. Also," Xu Hang turned to Chi Xiaoming, "what exactly is your identity? How do you know so much about the city's upper class?"
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