The next day, Chen Cheng returned to Ode to Joy to change his clothes, took a bottle of wine from the cabinet, and drove to the address Qiao Jingjing had sent.

Chen Cheng had sent Eleven to follow Anna. Since Anna didn't know Chinese, she needed a local by her side to help her get a driver's license.

Even so, they still had to find a female college student to act as a translator.

Eleven didn't know English.

Well... it was quite a hassle.

As for last night...

That night was a fierce battle of words and wits, one wave after another, like galloping on a battlefield.

Chen Cheng's mouth twitched as he looked at the address. It was in the neighborhood right next to Binjiang Garden, called One Ocean View.

Not long after, Chen Cheng appeared at Qiao Jingjing's doorstep, holding a bottle of wine in his left hand and a bouquet of fresh flowers in his right.

He didn't even have to ring the doorbell; the moment he arrived, the door opened.

He had sent her a message after parking in the underground garage, so she had been waiting behind the door for him.

Qiao Jingjing looked at Chen Cheng—with his sharp brows, starry eyes, and handsome, elegant demeanor—and was momentarily dazed.

Why hadn't she realized this guy was so handsome back in school?

And he dressed so well: a black turtleneck sweater and a black hooded leather jacket.

Paired with off-white casual pants and a pair of clean white sneakers.

It showed off his long legs to perfection.

Seeing her lost in thought, the corners of Chen Cheng's mouth curled up, and he chuckled softly, "Aren't you going to invite me in?"

"Oh—" Qiao Jingjing finally snapped out of it, a smile spreading across her face as she stepped aside. "Please, come in."

Chen Cheng smiled and stepped into the house.

Qiao Jingjing closed the door and quickly took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet, placing them in front of him.

"Thank you," Chen Cheng said, handing the flowers and wine to her.

Still a bit dazed, Qiao Jingjing replied blankly, "Oh, thank you."

She leaned in to smell the bouquet. "They're very fragrant."

Stimulated by the scent, Qiao Jingjing finally regained her composure. She led Chen Cheng into the room and pointed to the sofa. "Make yourself at home. I'll pour you some water."

Chen Cheng smiled, scanned the room, and walked toward the sofa.

Qiao Jingjing's place had a layout very similar to his unit in Binjiang Garden.

A living room with 270-degree corner lighting and a wrap-around balcony.

Just for this prime river view, Qiao Jingjing's place was considered the pinnacle of luxury apartments in the Magic City.

Chen Cheng sighed inwardly; the fan economy really was a gold mine.

Qiao Jingjing placed the flowers and wine on the dining table, and only then did she notice the brand of the wine. Her eyes widened instantly.

She hurried over to Chen Cheng with the bottle, looking astonished. "This gift is way too expensive!"

"2010 is a great vintage."

Chen Cheng smiled. "I like wine and have a large collection, so I just grabbed a bottle."

He waved it off. "No need to be so formal between old classmates."

Qiao Jingjing asked suspiciously, "A large collection?"

Chen Cheng nodded. "Yeah, I bought some at auctions." He smiled. "Just keep it. If you think it's too much, you can return the favor with a bottle another day?"

Qiao Jingjing pouted slightly. "Alright then."

A bright smile lit up her eyes. "Thank you. I'm truly flattered by this gift."

A mischievous grin appeared on Chen Cheng's face. It would be even better if she removed the last word.

Qiao Jingjing smiled and took a deep breath to calm herself before turning to the bar to put the wine in the cooler.

She then poured a glass of water for Chen Cheng and handed it to him.

"Thank you."

Qiao Jingjing looked at him with a smile. "It's been ten years since we last met, hasn't it?"

Chen Cheng frowned slightly as he thought. "Not quite. It should be nine years. Four years of undergrad, three years for my Master's, and two years for my PhD."

Qiao Jingjing sat on the adjacent sofa, her gaze momentarily blank. "So you've been studying all this time?"

Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow. "You could say that. Of course, I was also making money." He chuckled. "Otherwise, I wouldn't have had enough for tuition."

Qiao Jingjing's lips curved upward as she teased, "It seems your part-time jobs paid quite well."

Chen Cheng met her gaze with a smile in his eyes and nodded. "They did indeed."

Chen Cheng could guess her curiosity; after all, a good vintage of Romanee-Conti was certainly not cheap.

"And you? How have you been?"

Qiao Jingjing nodded. "I've been quite lucky. My parents blessed me with natural beauty." She gave a playful wink.

Chen Cheng laughed helplessly; she was quite narcissistic.

The two fell into a brief silence, and the atmosphere became a bit awkward.

"Ahem—well, there's still some time before lunch. How about we play a few rounds first?" Qiao Jingjing cleared her throat and suggested.

Chen Cheng thought for a moment and shook his head. "No rush. Do you have a tablet or a small whiteboard here?"

"I have a tablet. I'll go get it."

Qiao Jingjing got up and headed toward the bedroom without asking what he needed it for.

"Here you go."

Chen Cheng smiled, took the tablet, and downloaded a note-taking app from the store.

Qiao Jingjing watched him suspiciously. "What's this for?"

"To explain some of the basic logic of this game to you."

Chen Cheng quickly sketched the map of Honor of Kings on the tablet.

Qiao Jingjing nodded thoughtfully and then asked, "How do you think my gaming skills are?"

With a persistent smile, Chen Cheng shook his head. "Mediocre."

"You!" Qiao Jingjing huffed indignantly. "You don't have to be so blunt."

Chen Cheng chuckled. "It's better to be direct so you don't have overinflated expectations of your skill level."

"In a mode with two professional players and three random players, the turning point is actually the random players."

"But players who follow offline events and even buy tickets for them are usually veteran players at the very least."

"In other words, there's a high probability that you are the weakest link."

"Huh?" Qiao Jingjing was stunned. "Am I really that bad?"

Chen Cheng was very direct. "In terms of gaming, yes. But don't lose heart."

"For a normal person to go from a beginner to an expert in a game, it usually takes more than a thousand hours of playtime."

Qiao Jingjing quickly calculated how long a thousand hours would be.

She froze mid-calculation. "You mean, even if I play ten hours a day, it'll still take three months?"

Chen Cheng nodded. "Roughly."

He then changed the subject. "However, Honor of Kings is designed to be relatively simple, which significantly lowers the entry barrier for players."

"With a professional coach and systematic practice, that time can probably be cut to a third."

"Which is about a month."

Qiao Jingjing paused and looked at him. "What about you then? Didn't you just start playing too?"

Chen Cheng smiled. "I have a bit more talent. My finger dexterity and reaction speed are much faster than most people's, so I learn more quickly."

"But even so, I can't reach the level of a professional team in such a short time."

“Professional players don't just have game sense and talent; they also have the tacit understanding and coordination built from playing together for a long time."

"That's completely different from ordinary random players."

Qiao Jingjing felt a bit dejected and pouted. "Alright then."

Seeing the usually elegant and cold Qiao Jingjing making such a playful expression, Chen Cheng couldn't help but let his smile widen.

Suddenly remembering the PR mistake her team had made, he couldn't help but remark, "Actually, your PR strategy isn't perfect."

"Huh?"

Qiao Jingjing was taken aback.

Chen Cheng suppressed a laugh. "Actually..."