"It means we ambush him and get more information on this auction. Instead of attending the auction, we'll go ahead and steal the artifact before the auction!"
"..."
Zhou Xinyi wasn't sure whether they could call that a 'concrete plan' but since it was Wang GuiYing's suggestion, he decided to go with the flow and see how it works out.
"By the way, what's for breakfast?" Wang GuiYing suddenly beamed, changing the topic in a heartbeat.
"Soup."
"Again...?" Wang GuiYing's lips slightly twitched.
"You want the spiritual root to grow, don't you?"
"Well..." Wang GuiYing seriously started to think about it for a minute. He had originally wanted to get strong just so he could find Zhou Xinyi, however, now that he had found the man, he wondered if there was any point in getting stronger.
Of course, as a player, he was still very interested in that power, but he wondered if it had any meaning to it. At the end of the day, he was still a legend in the gaming world even without becoming the strongest player in this game.
Zhou Xinyi could guess what was going through the man's head so he asked, "Having second thoughts?"
Wang GuiYing nodded his head.
Zhou Xinyi smiled, "Nobody knows what the future might hold. Even if you never play this game again, it would still be an achievement that you'd be proud and happy about. In the end, isn't that what gaming means to you? A source of excitement and achievement."
Wang GuiYing smirked as he heard this and asked, "Are you sure that's all gaming means to me?"
"Hmm?" Zhou Xinyi looked to be a little surprised by this response and thought about it for a moment before he questioned, "Is there anything else?"
"Money!" Wang GuiYing shamelessly beamed.
"..." Zhou Xinyi wasn't shocked to hear that answer, but he did feel the urge to remind this man that he was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
"Of course, there is also another reason but I won't tell you that reason," Wang GuiYing added with a mocking chuckle.
"Let me guess," Zhou Xinyi asked with an unimpressed expression, "Is it because you get fans?"
"Hehe~ That could be another reason, but no."
"Is it because you get a sense of superiority over others?"
"Oh~ I should add that one to my list of reasons as well."
"Is it because you get to make fun of others?"
"I can do that even without gaming."
"Is it a way of rebelling against your parents?"
"They'll support me no matter what I do so no."
"Is it because of Huang Zhih-"
"Enough~ Enough~" Wang GuiYing cut him off with an exhausted sigh, "You won't be able to guess it even if I give you an entire day."
"Then why don't you just tell me?"
"I'll tell you, but not now," Wang GuiYing smirked, "I'll tell you when I think I'm about to die."
"..."
"But right now, I've made up my mind!" Wang GuiYing suddenly exclaimed, "I'll take the soup. As you've said, gaming is all about the fun of rising to the top. If you're gonna carve the stairs for me then I might as well climb up."
Zhou Xinyi smiled as he heard this.
"But don't misunderstand," Wang GuiYing's proud smirk suddenly dropped and he glared at the man as he spoke, "I might have acted a bit too clingy yesterday because of my emotions, but I haven't forgiven you yet."
"Huh?"
"You ran away without any warning. You made me worry about you and disappeared for four years. You even dared to lie to my face and pretended to be somebody else. If I forgive you just like that, would I have any face left to show around?"
Zhou Xinyi blinked as he stared at the man with a speechless expression plastered on his face.
For a moment there, he had forgotten that this man was one of the most stubborn and prideful ones that he had ever met. In fact, his pride and confidence were the very reason why he had garnered public attention.
"From today onwards, you are my slave! If you want forgiveness then you better do everything that I tell you to, I'm gonna show you what a true evil boss looks like!" Wang GuiYing proudly exclaimed and Zhou Xinyi couldn't help but simply chuckle at the end of it.
"You dare laugh at my words?" Wang GuiYing's eyes narrowed down on the man, "Get down on your knees!"
Zhou Xinyi was still chuckling but when he saw the serious expression on Wang GuiYing's face, he couldn't help but ask, "You're being serious...?"
Wang GuiYing smiled thinly, "Does it look like I'm joking?"
Zhou Xinyi gulped as he felt a shiver run down his spine.
"Kneel. Now."
Zhou Xinyi sighed as he knelt down on the floor.
Wang GuiYing happily smirked and lifted his foot as he spoke, "Now kiss my feet and I'll overlook your disrespectful behavior."
Zhou Xinyi almost coughed his soul out as he heard this and snapped his head up to look at the man with shock.
Was this really a punishment...?
Zhou Xinyi was unsure and hesitant but he still gently lifted the man's foot and brought it near his lips.
If it had been anyone else, Zhou Xinyi would have never even thought about doing something like this, but because it was Wang GuiYing, he couldn't help but even enjoy such a punishment.
However, before his lips could touch the man's skin, Wang GuiYing pulled his foot back and spoke, "That's it."
Zhou Xinyi was even more confused by Wang GuiYing's sudden change of mind but when he looked up at the man who was looking away with his ears blushing bright red, Zhou Xinyi immediately understood the situation.
Zhou Xinyi smirked as he stood up and took the man's hand.
Wang GuiYing was a bit taken back but he was too late to react and Zhou Xinyi gently kissed the back of his hand.
"It doesn't matter what you tell me to do," Zhou Xinyi spoke with a soft smile that melted Wang GuiYing's heart, "As long as you are ready to forgive me one day, I'll always be waiting here, patiently listening to your every command."
Wang GuiYing gulped as he thought, 'This is so unfair.'
If the man was looking at him with such a soft expression and saying such sweet words, how could Wang GuiYing not give in...?!
"Be honest with me, you're not Zhou Xinyi, are you?" Wang GuiYing pouted as he playfully asked.
"Hmm?"
"The Zhou Xinyi I know was never such a sweet talker."
"Oh, really? Then what was he like?" Zhou Xinyi chuckled under his breath as he asked.
"He was clumsy," Wang GuiYing stated firmly, without any hesitation, almost making it seem as if he was waiting for somebody to ask this question, "He didn't speak much and he was easy-going. He would listen to everything I said and do everything I asked of him. He was like a personal butler more than a friend."
Zhou Xinyi couldn't help but softly laugh as he heard this.
"But I liked that," Wang GuiYing beamed as he continued, "He was always biased towards me and I liked that a lot. It made me feel special. He looked at me as if I was the only star in his sky and I enjoyed that feeling."
Zhou Xinyi smiled but said nothing to that.
"It was so obvious that he liked me but he thought he was always hiding it well," Wang GuiYing added with a chuckle, "He never had the guts to confess, and teasing him was very funny."
"If you knew, why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I was afraid," Wang GuiYing's smile suddenly faltered as he responded, "I was afraid that it was all a delusion of mine. I was afraid of breaking our friendship and I was afraid of losing him."
Zhou Xinyi took a deep breath in and sighed as he asked, "Are you still afraid?"
Wang GuiYing's smile completely disappeared and he looked away as he took a minute to answer.
"I was always afraid of losing him but that a**hole still disappeared on me for four years."
"..."
"Those four years taught me a lot. Most importantly, it taught me that fear was useless and something not done out of fear would only leave regrets which was much scarier than fear itself."
Zhou Xinyi was a bit shocked to hear this response but he only looked back at the man without saying anything.
"Instead of fearing that he might run away again, I'd rather lock him up so that he can't."
"So you plan on locking me up?" Zhou Xinyi asked with a chuckle.
"That depends," Wang GuiYing smirked as he asked, "Do you plan on running away again?"
"..."
Something in Wang GuiYing's eyes made Zhou Xinyi believe that this man wasn't joking around.
He was being serious about every word he spoke.
Zhou Xinyi was afraid that if he tried to run away again, this man might really just lock him up...