After closing the Cthulhu Role-Playing Game Hall for the day, Liu Xing casually freshened up and headed out to Wu Lei's board game store to meet him.
Before returning here from his home, Liu Xing had arranged on QQ to meet Wu Lei. Liu Xing wanted to seek Wu Lei's advice and learn from his experiences with the Cthulhu RPG Game.
After all, Liu Xing was at best a novice in running the game with decent theoretical knowledge, whereas Wu Lei was a seasoned Veteran Driver with extensive practical experience. Most importantly, Wu Lei was an experienced old PC, who had long been outwitting the game masters. His insights and experiences were exactly what Liu Xing needed, prompting him to seek Wu Lei's guidance.
Wu Lei, who had returned to Rongcheng ahead of schedule, readily accepted Liu Xing's invitation. However, he changed the meeting place from a hotpot restaurant to his board game store.
According to Wu Lei, this was like "keeping the good stuff within the family." Since the store was already equipped with pots, pans, and an induction cooker, they could easily have a small hotpot there, and the money Liu Xing would have spent on hosting could go towards buying board games.
Liu Xing, seeing Wu Lei's point, no longer insisted on formalities. He ordered some ingredients online to be delivered to Wu Lei's store. After notifying Wu Lei of his imminent arrival by text, Liu Xing took a taxi straight to the store.
Wu Lei had everything prepared at the board game store. The ingredients were already in the pot, and drinks filled the glasses.
Liu Xing casually locked the door of the store and hung up a "Closed" sign, grinning at Wu Lei, "Hey, little Lei, you're quite proactive, getting everything ready ."
Wu Lei nodded with a smile, responding in a flattering tone, "Of course. Since our great Liu Xing has paid, it's only right for me, Wu Lei, to contribute my efforts and serve you well. Maybe then I'll have the chance to enjoy the good life following you."
Liu Xing and Wu Lei shared a laugh, perhaps signifying the essence of friendship.
After some playful banter, Liu Xing asked, "By the way, how come you came back early this time? I remember you saying your hometown is in a rural area near Rongcheng."
Taking a sip of beer, Wu Lei shrugged helplessly, "As you know, my hometown is quite rural, and I'm the only college graduate from my village. My parents used to love showing me off to relatives, but this year, they started arranging blind dates for me. So, I made up an excuse and rushed back here."
"Ah, that makes sense," Liu Xing remarked, recalling his own experience of being pressured by his parents into several blind dates during the New Year. He had concluded he'd rather retake college entrance exams than go on another blind date.
Upon seeing Liu Xing in such a state, Wu Lei instantly understood that Liu Xing, like himself, had been pressured by his family into going on a blind date. Chuckling, he raised his glass and suggested, "Let's not talk about this. How about we discuss something else? You said you had something to discuss with me, even inviting me for a meal. It must be something significant."
When Liu Xing had initially asked Wu Lei to dine together, he mentioned having something to discuss but didn't go into specifics.
"The thing is, I've been unemployed and bored, so I thought of writing a novel on a certain platform to earn some pocket money for gaming," Liu Xing began, explaining his sudden inspiration. "I want to write something unique, avoiding clichéd stories. So, I've decided on a novel about Cthulhu RPG Game, a genre not yet explored on that platform. I've even thought of a title, 'The True Cthulhu RPG Game'. What do you think?" He revealed, sharing the inspiration he found from a previous 'Interlude Growth'.
Wu Lei raised an eyebrow, looking at Liu Xing skeptically. "You writing a novel? Are you joking? You know how niche Cthulhu RPG Game is in our country. Your novel might struggle even to get a contract."
Liu Xing raised his eyebrow, admitting to himself that Wu Lei's frankness was not off the mark. The Cthulhu RPG Game community was indeed small in China, with even fewer interested in reading novels about it. But for Liu Xing, writing a novel was just an excuse, so he didn't dwell much on this aspect with Wu Lei.
"Sigh, can't you ever say something positive? Anyway, let's drop it. I'm here to ask you about some tips in Cthulhu RPG Game, especially on how a PC can survive till the end. After all, the protagonist in my novel is a PC, and if they fail the group game and get their card torn, they'd actually die," Liu Xing spoke, unaware of the subtle change in Wu Lei's expression.
"How did you come up with such a bizarre idea? It sounds quite interesting," Wu Lei commented, trying to conceal his serious expression behind the steam rising from the hot pot.
"Oh, I've been reading a lot of 'infinite flow' novels lately," Liu Xing casually sipped his beer and shared his prepared reasoning. "I thought combining Cthulhu RPG Game with Main God Space would be a great idea. By the way, turn down the heat; the water's almost boiled away."
"Okay," Wu Lei replied, smiling and shaking his head as he adjusted the induction cooker, and the steam quickly dissipated.
Seeing Wu Lei suddenly smiling, Liu Xing asked in confusion, "What are you laughing at, Wu Lei? Don't you like the idea?"
"No, no, I think it's a great idea. And your writing isn't bad either," Wu Lei replied, raising his glass. "I believe your novel could be a hit. Remember to support your brother here and make me an important side character. When you become famous, I can boast about being a key character in Liu Xing's legendary work."
Liu Xing laughed and raised his glass, "Of course, even if you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have written a role for you. But it'll be the kind of character who, in a bid to survive, tries to backstab the protagonist, only to be counter-killed by the protagonist. How about that?"
Wu Lei clinked glasses with Liu Xing and retorted playfully, "So, that's how you see me? If that's the case, we've got nothing more to talk about. You're out of the group."