“These are too valuable, and I really am not your boyfriend, so I can’t accept them.” Although I’m not exactly a good person, I still can’t bring myself to do something as low as lying and cheating. I clicked the reject trade button. Even though I felt a tiny bit of regret, I didn’t hesitate at all.

“小霍! Just now I thought I might have mistaken you for someone else, but now I’m sure it’s you! There’s no one else in the world as upright and adorable as my 小霍, who wouldn’t be greedy for equipment!”

“Damn! What a mess! If I’d known, I would’ve clicked accept on the trade. Why is this girl so clingy?” Several black lines slid down my forehead, and little birds occasionally flew overhead. This feeling was really hard to describe.

Blaze Fan was clearly quite pleased with her own judgment. She held onto my arm and whispered, “Actually, I was afraid I’d mistaken you for someone else too. The six items I just tried to trade all have equipment protection. Items with equipment protection can’t be dropped or traded. If you weren’t 小霍 and clicked accept, I’d immediately know you were trying to impersonate him.”

“Oh my god! This girl’s IQ is off the charts! She uses this method to identify her boyfriend? It’s true, if I’d gotten greedy and clicked accept, the system would have prompted that the other party’s equipment is protected and can’t be traded. This trick is pretty sharp for catching scammers, but using it to find a boyfriend… I really don’t know what to say!”

“All right, all right! I’ve said I’m not your boyfriend, but if you insist on believing it, there’s nothing I can do. Just so you know, if you get tricked by me, it’s your own choice, you can’t blame me for being despicable!”

“小霍! I’m willing to be tricked by you for a lifetime…”

“I’m done! My teeth are aching from all this sweetness!” This verbal sparring ended in my total defeat. Even my own girlfriend has never been this… With this girl’s sweet voice, I felt my bones go a little soft. Honestly, having a girlfriend like this in the game isn’t a bad thing. Don’t tell me she’s mistaken me for someone else—I don’t buy it for a second. I just can’t figure out what her real motive is. Anyway, it’s like spanking a kid on a rainy day—nothing better to do, so let’s just play along!

But at this moment, my curiosity suddenly surged. Items in Shushan definitely aren’t that easy to get. Blaze Fan is only level eight and already has such a fortune—what’s going on? Same with those two Emei disciples last time—their items were clearly way above their level, definitely not something you could get from monster drops. I haven’t heard of Shushan allowing cash purchases of virtual equipment! It’s only open beta now, there’s no way the trading system is live before official release!

As the ancients said: “Don’t be ashamed to ask and learn… To know what you know and admit what you don’t.” I shouldn’t pretend to understand, so I immediately asked what was on my mind.

Blaze Fan giggled, looking about seventy or eighty percent sly.

“Damn! This woman definitely has high EQ! Absolutely!”

Chapter Eight: Beta Tester

Some things lose all value once they’re revealed. After extorting a promise from me to treat her to a big meal, Blaze Fan finally told me where all that equipment came from. Turns out, Blaze Fan was a player during the closed beta. When the open beta started, closed beta players had their levels reset to zero, but they got to keep all their equipment and money. This was a pretty reasonable move by Fantasy International to show care for players and balance the game.

However, during the Shushan closed beta, the drop rates for equipment and money were limited, and high-level items weren’t available yet. So, closed beta players’ gear and money weren’t overpowered. It’s like when newbies join a game and veterans help them out with some gear and items—about that level.

Thinking back, I finally understood why those two Emei disciples died to me repeatedly last time. Their equipment was awesome, but their levels must have been too low. If your character level isn’t high enough, you can’t equip magic treasures or flying swords, so they’re useless. It was probably just a tiny difference—if that girl had been level six, she could’ve unleashed the Blood Bee Sting and I’d have died a horrible death!

This also explains why Mosquito could offer such a high bounty—because… he’s a closed beta player! They’re all loaded. “Hmm! The reward Mosquito posted for the bounty is probably his entire fortune!” I thought with ill intent.

Actually, I was still overestimating the strength of closed beta players. Later, I found out that the bounty Mosquito posted was pooled together by him and about a dozen friends selling their equipment. After all, when it comes to pleasing women, men will do all sorts of stupid things.

As for treating Blaze Fan to a meal… heh heh! What’s that got to do with me? As long as I ditch this beauty—who I can’t tell is cunning or just confused—I’ll never contact her again. A promise? No problem, I can swear on it. If I don’t treat this beauty to a meal, may Little Howard be struck by lightning, torn apart by five horses, run over by eighteen cars in a row, and kicked to death by flies while sleeping… As for how to die, it depends on whether Little Howard prefers the classical style, the avant-garde, or maybe wants to die in a way that’s rare, unique, and crazy enough to invent a new method. None of that’s my business. Other people’s kids can die as much as they want! As long as I’m fine, that’s all that matters.