Chapter 17: Voice chat (KKnotes: 开黑: Playing a game with voice chat/video chat option on. If anyone knows the English term for it, that would be helpful!)

The system had issued another task.

When the mechanical noise sounded in his head, Jiang Yang had just finished drying his hair and his semi-wet hair was still a ruffled mess. He couldn’t be bothered rearranging it and had just left it alone.

The system said: “Random task: Please chat with Qin Xu for an hour. During this time at least one of the two parties must be speaking and the interval between them must not exceed ten seconds. Failure penalty: Gift Qin Xu a gift filled with your affection.”

The moment Jiang Yang heard this, he couldn’t help but grab his hair. “What can I talk to him about? Does swearing count? I can repeatedly curse at him for more than an hour.”

System: “…..No.”

After a slight pause, it added seriously: “Swearing is wrong.”

Jiang Yang snorted in disdain. If you cannot swear then you wouldn’t be able to express so many emotions. This would make life lose its meaning okay?!

Seeing that he didn’t seem eager to complete the task, the system asked: Would you like to give the task up and go directly to the punishment?”

Jiang Yang’s face darkened. He immediately shook his head. While messing up his bird’s nest-like hair even further he picked up his phone and added Qin Xu as a friend on WeChat.

As he waited for a response, Jiang Yang rested his chin in his hands and contemplated over what he nonsense he could talk about for an hour. Finally, a chat interface appeared on his screen – I have accepted your friend request. We can now start chatting.

It was just an official notification, but Jiang Yang couldn’t help but feel like it was the system pushing him to hurry up. Fortunately, he had managed to think of a method that would allow him to chat painlessly and also allow him to be happy.

Jiang Yang typed a few words into his phone and sent out two words.

Voice chat? (开黑)

After a dozen of seconds, Qin Xu responded with an okay. That pause was probably the time it took for him to recover from his surprise, but Jiang Yang didn’t care about that. It was enough for him to agree. Probably because it looked like the task would be completed without much difficulty, Jiang Yang didn’t have his usual arrogance and disdain and, for once, felt that Qin Xu was a quite pleasant.

Turning the voice chat option on, Jiang Yang looked back at his screen. Seeing that Qin Xi did not use his usual character, he was a little puzzled. Jiang Yang himself had specifically gone out of his way to choose a different character because he didn’t want to end up playing the same character.

“Why aren’t you using it?” Jiang Yang’s voice passed through the headphones. He was refreshed after a hot shower and his voice carried no hint of anger. Instead, it sounded warm and clear.

Qin Xu heard this and for a moment felt a little strange. He couldn’t imagine Jiang Yang as the person on the other end. It felt like an entirely different person. In fact, he was already plenty surprised when he saw the notification that Jiang Yang had taken the initiative to add him as a friend.

He froze for a moment but responded nonchalantly: “I just wanted to train this one.”

Jiang Yang said: “If you’re not using it then I’ll use it. He has a strong melee output.”

Qin Xu: “Oh.”

Before the battle started, both of them were relatively calm and harmonious. They could even be described as kind gentlemen. But the moment the game began, they instantly changed.

“Fuck! Kill him! What are you doing over there? Are you waiting to die!”

“Heal me! Hurry and heal me!”

“Go go go! Hurry——!!!”

“Damn that retard!”

……

The two were very lively while cursing out. They were like this not just in the game but also in reality. Once they’ve reached the climax of the game, even their mouse and keyboard could not be saved. Because of games, Jiang Yang had broken a total of two keyboards and a mouse.

Although Qin Xu was also angry, he couldn’t help but laugh when he heard Jiang Yang’s outbursts through his headphones.

After the first stage had passed, they finally had a chance to take a breather. Just as Qin Xu wanted to tease Jiang Yang, a nervous voice suddenly travelled across — “Wait.”

There was a knock on Jiang Yang’s door and a fluffy head poked inside. In a small voice she asked: “Brother, are you playing a game?”

It was his sister Jiang Yuan.

She wore a yellow-coloured animal pyjama and looked pitifully at Jiang Yang, “Can I play a few rounds with you?”

Jiang Yang shook his head without hesitation, “No.”

Jiang Yuan stared with dissatisfaction: “Why?”

Jiang Yang: “You always swear when you play games.”

Jiang Yuan said accusingly: “Don’t you do it yourself? To even have the nerve to say that.”

Jiang Yang wanted to say something in return but the system suddenly sent a reminder, “Interval time of ten seconds, three, two…”

In avoid putting all his prior efforts to waste, Jiang Yang quickly picked up the headphones and said ‘Hello?’

Qin Xu was surprised: “Yes?”

Jiang Yang breathed a sigh of relief, “It’s nothing. Just wait a bit longer.”

Qin Xu: “……” Are you playing with me?

With the headphone still around his neck, the sounds that could be heard was not very clear, but Qin Xu could still make out some of their dialogue. Jiang Yang very seriously tried to reason with his little sister: “Girls shouldn’t swear all the time. It’s too rude.”

Jiang Yuan was reluctant: “I don’t care. You are being sexist. If you can say it then I can too!”

Under her scornful glare Jiang Yang felt defeated, “…..Fine. Then I won’t say it and you can’t say it either.”

Jiang Yuan didn’t believe his words, “Can you do it?”

Jiang Yang’s eyebrows twitched. He didn’t want to discuss with his little sister whether he could or not. Waving his hands, he dismissed her out of his room.

Before she left, Jiang Yang didn’t forget to point to her eyes with two fingers and then at him while reminding: “I’m watching you. You can’t say a single word.”

Jiang Yang: “……….Get lost!”

Jiang Yuan rubbed her chin in thought: “Is get lost considered swearing?”

Jiang Yang: “……Get out!”

Finally putting his headphones back on, he heard non-stop laughter from Qin Xu’s end along with him smacking the table.

“HAHAHAHA! Are you always like this at home Jiang Yang? What a disgrace! Can you even manage to hold back your curses?! I’ll bet five cents that you won’t be able to even last a minute!”

Jiang Yang had not expected him to hear the whole conversation. Hearing his words, his face became red and he exploded in anger: “Shut up!”

As if he could read his mind, Qin Xu added in between in his laughter, “I was openingly listening in~”

The dragged sound at the end rose up and down, and this only irritated Jiang Yang further. Numerous curses formed within him but, thinking that Jiang Yuan may be eavesdropping outside, he could only try and restrain himself. Forcing a smile, he asked: “Are you still playing?”

“Play play play! Definitely!”

During the next game, it was as if Qin Xu was deliberately mocking him as he continuously threw out curses and swears. Several times, Jiang Yang was almost influenced by it and nearly let slip a few words from his end. On top of this, they were unlucky and several of their teammates lost their lives resulting in their teams defeat. Jiang Yang felt that it was already a big feat for him not cursing out the opposing team.

As Jiang Yang continued to manipulate his character around, the mechanical sound once again appeared in his mind: “One hour is over. Congratulations, you have successfully completed the task.”

Jiang Yang only got distracted for a moment before he once again immersed himself into the game. He continued to fight the opponents in the game and, no longer needing to worry about the chat restrictions that was originally placed on him, he started to talk non-stop.

Without the rules set by the system, Jiang Yang had let himself go. He spoke freely and enthusiastically, and in an instant became….a chatterbox.

Laughing quietly, Qin Xu listened to the person on the other end talking nonstop and selected the record button.

The author has something to say:

Qin Xu: Little chatterbox, so cute~

Jiang Yang: Get lost!