So this was the 'familiar face' Shushu mentioned??? In her past life, she’d never seen this person before.
So much had changed in this life...
Su Bai stared across the table at Pang Fatty, her face full of displeasure. Had her gaze been a knife, Pang Fatty would have died a hundred deaths by now.
"Xiaobai, let me introduce you—this is Pang Tong."
"Pang Fatty, this is Su Bai. She’s... my friend," Ye Shu hesitated a beat before adding the last part.
"Hello! Pang Tong..."
Su Bai reined in her annoyance, offering Pang Fatty a friendly and gentle smile.
Pang Fatty, sensing the undercurrent of dislike, became stiffer than ever. He managed a sheepish, "Hello... Hello."
Ye Shu didn’t notice the undercurrents surging between the two.
If the survival game hadn’t changed its rules, all the players here would be fighting inside the game, not sitting around sipping tea in the real world. This harmonious and peaceful setting made her uncomfortable—perhaps this really was the calm before the storm. She knew the nature of the game better than anyone. Hopefully the system wasn’t preparing some monstrous twist!
"Pang Fatty, let’s get to the point! What do you want with me?"
Direct as always, Ye Shu didn’t bother with small talk, suspecting Pang Fatty was after the withdrawal card she held.
"Well, um… Heroine Ye, I, I, I..."
Meeting those clear, piercing eyes of Ye Shu, Pang Tong stammered, unable to get the words out. How could he explain it?
She’d saved his life and now he was here to inquire about the withdrawal card.
There were indeed withdrawal cards available in the shop, but who could scrape together the 9,999 points required? Even Ye Shu, sitting at the top of the leaderboard, had only managed to collect half of what was needed.
"Wait... Don’t tell me you’ve come to covet my Shubao’s withdrawal card! Listen here, not a chance—not even a crack in the wall! If you came for that, you’d better haul your butt out of here before I really lose my temper, understand?"
Su Bai shot off as if she’d found her groove, words rattling out relentlessly, her sharp gaze threatening to punch a hole through Pang Tong’s head.
"No—no, Heroine, I was just sent by the higher-ups to verify the withdrawal card, that’s all."
"I swear, I have absolutely no designs on her card! Really!!"
Pang Fatty held up three fingers and swore like a soldier on parade, sincerity shining in his round eyes.
"Really?"
Su Bai eyed him suspiciously, her expression making her disbelief obvious.
Ye Shu had no doubt—if Pang Fatty dared to say otherwise, Su Bai would have ended him on the spot.
"See?"
Not one to be stingy, Ye Shu summoned the withdrawal card, taking the opportunity to tap the confirm exit button twice.
[Confirm exit!]
[Confirm exit!]
[Ding! Exit from the game failed!]
[Failure!]
Damn! Why did the card lose its effect in her hands?!
The damned system was targeting her again.
Ye Shu couldn’t help but suspect all these setbacks were somehow connected to Lin Qingyue.
"So envious!"
Fatty burst out in admiration.
He wished dearly for a withdrawal card himself—it would mean an end to wandering dangerous games, risking life and limb at every turn. Before, he’d survived only by clutching to top scorers like a lifeline; in rounds without Heroine Ye, he could only pray luck was on his side.
"Wouldn’t you?"
Su Bai allowed herself a brief flash of smugness—after all, who was her Shushu? The leaderboard’s queen herself! With just a bit more effort, she’d be able to afford another withdrawal card... But wait, if Shushu withdrew... what would she do then?
"It’s honestly a shame—few survivors from the Survival Squad have broken into the top 100 of the power rankings."
That’s why the higher-ups sent him to cling to Ye Shu—they knew she was special.
Pang Fatty’s cheeks reddened.
The survival game blurred everyone’s memories; after leaving, players couldn’t recall anyone’s face from within. Heroine Ye never communicated with anyone outside transactions, so agreeing to meet him was a surprise in itself.
Who’d have thought, in real life the legendary heroine was an even younger girl than him?
"I didn’t bring anything out from the last two rounds. If I get anything next time, I’ll transfer it to you, but don’t come running to me for no reason. And don’t ever, ever expose my name. Otherwise..."
Ye Shu glared at Pang Tong, who quietly nursed his tea in both hands.
"Heroine, I understand completely! Don’t worry, the higher-ups have already ordered full secrecy. No one will ever know about your identity."
Ye Shu could bring out material goods from the game, a feat no other player could manage! Even those with space powers could only bring things from reality into the game; anything brought from the game back out would simply vanish.
Su Bai felt a subtle spark of jealousy.
When had Ye Shu developed all these secret dealings, and when she wasn’t even around? Worst of all, Pang Fatty had already cozied up to Shushu back during the Creep Invasion, when Su Bai herself was still stuck in reality, unable to find the game’s entrance at all.
After a short discussion about the survival game, Pang Fatty took his leave.
Su Bai stood at the window, staring down at the man below who was being fawned over by others. The usual mischief was gone from her eyes; in its place was a steady seriousness as she looked back at Ye Shu. "Do you trust him? Shushu, when did you start making connections with the higher-ups? I never even knew."
Ye Shu had always been fiercely independent. In the past... it took her endless effort to finally become friends with her.
Everything was truly different in this life!!
Still, one thing was certain—Ye Shu was still the Ye Shu she’d always known.
"It doesn’t matter," Ye Shu replied, slouched bonelessly into the sofa, all traces of her earlier coldness gone.
If any threat arose... she’d handle it herself, personally.
"Pang Fatty is a special case! He’s... blessed with extraordinary luck. Even the Ugly Fish approves. Teaming up with him in-game, you never know what surprise fortune will come your way."
The Ugly Fish, idly swimming around in its aquarium, flicked its iridescent tail and chimed in, "Fatty, Fatty, luck’s on his side! Fortune smiles, blessing abounds, luck upon luck, may all go smoothly..."
A barrage of auspicious phrases bubbled forth from the clownfish’s mouth.
Then it added, "Fierce woman, tough woman, stricken with bad luck, step outside and you’ll die, you’ll die, be hit by a car—a bloody disaster awaits!!"
Su Bai: "..."
This little clownfish really had no filter! Pang Fatty was luck personified, while she herself was a walking jinx—right down to getting hit by a car.
She, Su Bai, was the eldest daughter of the Su family in Jing City—didn’t she deserve a bit of dignity? If it weren’t for Shushu, she’d have already served up that clownfish braised in soy sauce!
The heavy atmosphere melted away, replaced by laughter thanks to the Ugly Fish.
Then Su Bai glanced at her phone, her expression changing abruptly as she gave Ye Shu a complex look.
"Family business?"
Su Bai shook her head.
The Su family had survived a century of chaos—they’d get by with or without her. Even with the survival game’s challenges, family roots ran deep. As long as Huaxia stood, so would the Su Clan.
"Mine, then?"
Ye Shu absentmindedly stroked her beautiful cat, a low, purring rumble filling the room with an uncanny comfort.
"Were the Ye and Qin families hexed by Ye Wanwan?"
They’d drained their family fortunes just to scrape together enough for that ‘little green tea’ to buy a withdrawal card.
Too bad for them—their schemes were wasted. The danger of the survival game was beyond the reach of mere worldly wealth. There were plenty who were richer and more powerful than the Ye family, and even if withdrawal cards were actually for sale, they wouldn’t be able to buy them!