Ashley Carter raised her delicate eyebrows and said, "It's so late and you still want me to go out. Aren't you afraid I'll run into bad people?"

I replied, "Aren't you afraid that I'm a bad person?"

Ashley Carter glanced at me, then chuckled lightly, "With how silly you look, I doubt you'd even dare eat meat that's right in front of you. Being with you is perfectly safe!"

Damn, is that supposed to be an insult?

Ashley Carter didn't say anything more, and quite unceremoniously walked into my room, opened my wardrobe, and took out an oversized white shirt. When she looked for pants, though, all she found were those big shorts for summer. Ashley Carter's face flushed red, so she just took the shirt and went into the bathroom.

The sound of running water came from inside, and I couldn't help but feel my heart flutter outside.

Those ten-odd minutes felt like torture. When Ashley Carter came out quickly, wrapped in that shirt, I was still startled. She was only wearing a pair of shorts, her flawless white legs showing beneath the shirt—enough to drive anyone crazy!

Ashley Carter went into the bedroom and, without any hesitation, crawled into my bed, saying, "You... better sleep outside tonight. Also, take this!"

"Whoosh!"

A thin blanket was tossed out by Ashley Carter. I caught it quickly, smiling bitterly to myself: Looks like I'm destined to spend the night in the living room!

Hugging the blanket and my gaming helmet, I was still secretly delighted. After all, with this gaming helmet, I could roam freely in Ling Tong. They say the top players in the game can make a fortune selling gear and gold—maybe I could strike it rich too!

That night, I had a wonderful dream. In it, I became a top expert in Ling Tong, able to behead a thousand enemies with a single sword, and I was fabulously wealthy, surrounded by wives and concubines.

It wasn't until the doorbell rang that I realized I was dreaming. Looking up, I saw my bedroom door was ajar.

I hurried to get up, only to find that Ashley Carter had already left. The quilt was neatly folded at the head of the bed, smoother than ever before. My phone and car keys were gone from the bag—probably taken by Ashley Carter.

On the nightstand, there was a stack of crisp new bills, weighed down by a piece of paper. I picked up the note and saw a line of elegant handwriting: "Dummy, if you want a job, go report to the Development Department at Blue Star Digital Plaza. Also, this one thousand yuan is your overnight fee!"

At the end, there was a cute smiling face drawn, with crescent eyes and curved lashes, just like Ashley Carter's smile—utterly charming.

Thinking it over: Overnight fee? What the hell...

Looks like Ashley Carter heard every word of my conversation with the landlord last night.

Looking closely at the handwriting, it's hard to imagine a girl's writing could be so beautiful. And for someone as elegant and extraordinary as Ashley Carter—some say that when God gives you beauty, he takes away your intelligence, but that rule clearly doesn't apply to Ashley Carter. Fate has spoiled her, giving her everything!

I was puzzled, not knowing what Ashley Carter's real identity was. But since she said I could get a job at Blue Star Digital Plaza, I figured I should give it a try!

So, after washing up and changing clothes, I headed out!

No matter how the job goes, I have to be home before six in the evening. Ling Tong is launching, and I must log in as soon as possible to earn my first pot of gold!

Volume One: The Return

Chapter 5: Entering the Game

Blue Star Digital Plaza, the newly rising digital business district in the park—I’d heard of it before. It wasn’t far from where I lived, just a twenty-minute jog!

So I had to run there, since my bicycle had been confiscated by the city management officers.

By the time I arrived at Blue Star Digital Plaza, the sun was already high. The employees were all at work, and the plaza was bustling with people, mostly students.

I quickly headed to the back, asked for directions to the Development Department, and went straight in.

The office was on the top floor of the mall. When I saw the sign for the Development Department, I was stunned by the scene before me.

In the small room, there were actually four stunningly beautiful girls!

On two large sofas, several girls were happily chatting while holding stacks of magazines. Even more surprising, they were dressed very lightly—low-cut tops and short skirts.

At that moment, a girl dressed more formally, in a suit and tie, walked over, glanced at me, and said, "Are you the one Ashley Carter recommended, the so-called scholar?"

I nodded, "Yes, is this the Development Department Ashley Carter mentioned?"

The girl smiled, shook my hand, and said, "Welcome to Carter Studio! I'm Eric Reed, one of the members of this studio!"

This Eric Reed looked poised and elegant, and she was quite pretty. I was a bit taken aback, "Carter Studio?"

Eric Reed smiled, "That's right! Our studio was established specifically for 'Ling Tong', and is currently under the Development Department of Blue Star Group. In the future, we'll be the elite gamers representing Blue Star Group in 'Ling Tong'!"

I suddenly understood—so Ashley Carter had introduced me to this kind of studio!