Li Ang added Wei Linglan on WeChat but didn't engage in idle chat with her. Instead, they had a proper discussion regarding how they would meet the next day.

Initially, Wei Linglan felt somewhat uncomfortable, but under the influence of Li Ang's extremely professional, business-like demeanor, she quickly got into character.

According to her plan, the pair would meet at noon the following day. By then, Li Ang would be masquerading as Xu Haoge, a talented young photographer rising to prominence in the industry, who was polite, refined, easy-going, and whose income and appearance would match Wei Linglan's status. Her parents would ask a few questions and give him a little examination. Li Ang, with Wei Linglan's help, would bluff his way through and send the old couple home. After a few months, Wei Linglan would pin a "cheating womanizer" label on Li Ang's false identity, "break up" honorably, and explain things to her parents. As for the future, the scale of the survival games would continually expand, their influence becoming ever wider, eventually causing an earth-shattering change to the entire social model. By then, survival would be more important than living, and who would still care about the marital issues of a spinster?

At the end of the chat, Wei Linglan offered to pay for a custom suit for Li Ang. He thought for a moment and declined her offer, saying he already had a suit.

Afterward, Li Ang rummaged through his belongings to find makeup tools and disguised himself as a handsome, affluent young man with sharp eyebrows and distinct facial features. He then sent Wei Linglan a selfie without any beautifying filters to appraise the "merchandise."

In the photo, the freshly-minted young photographer Xu Haoge wore a plain, simple white shirt and black jacket. His eyes exuded an ineffable confidence and composure, and his perfectly judged smile hinted at a trace of worldly weariness and a touch of time-worn sadness. Handsome, mature, profound, but unpretentious – he nearly stirred ripples in Wei Linglan's undisturbed heart.

Shocked by the photo, Wei Linglan asked Wang Congshan for a regular picture of Li Ang. She could not, for the life of her, associate the average-looking young man in a tank top, shorts, and flip-flops, lazily picking his nose, with the "youthful photographer Xu Haoge" from the selfie.

Is this really the same person?!

Asian makeup skills, terrifying indeed!

Reeling from the shock, Wei Linglan also expressed her admiration to Wang Congshan for finding such a talented and versatile childhood friend. If they get married in the future, how limitless the variety of disguises would be!

Half a day passed quickly. The next morning, still in disguise, Li Ang arrived early at the restaurant on the commercial street they had agreed upon, carrying gifts of red wine and cosmetics (which Wei Linglan could later reimburse him for).

He waited and waited, but no one showed up, and he couldn't get a hold of anyone on WeChat.

Wei Linglan had not arrived. Instead, Wang Congshan came first, sporting a duckbill cap, large sunglasses, and a black mask. She sat diagonally behind Li Ang and sent him a WeChat message.

Wang Congshan: "The spy is present, abort the deal."

Li Ang: "???"

Wang Congshan: "Ahem, just kidding. They will be here soon, get ready."

Li Ang: "You can count on me."

Soon, Wei Linglan and her parents arrived, and Li Ang stepped forward to greet them. After a bit of small talk, the young couple sat side by side, a picture of sweet harmony.

He was worthy of his 2,000 yuan appearance fee. Throughout the meal, "Xu Haoge" was graceful in conversation and his deportment was impeccable. He was composed and mature, neither humble nor arrogant, and displayed flawless table manners. He seamlessly hinted at "Xu Haoge's" current family situation, lifestyle, career prospects, and future plans with Wei Linglan. In this way, he crafted the image of the "perfect boyfriend," adeptly handling the probes and inquiries from Wei Linglan's parents.

Moreover, "Xu Haoge" was extremely attentive and caring towards Wei Linglan. The two occasionally interacted, showing affectionate smiles and at times engaging in innocuous hand-holding gestures.

Wei Linglan could feel the warmth and the intense masculine hormones emanating from "Xu Haoge." Despite knowing it was all an act, she still couldn't help but get goosebumps and felt an urge to escape.

She had to keep reminding herself that the person sitting beside her was still a minor—a high school boy who was especially close to her younger cousin—and that harboring any special thoughts would land her in prison.

Their intimate interactions greatly comforted Wei Linglan's parents (finally reassured that their daughter wasn't into girls). Wang Congshan, however, sitting diagonally behind them, felt strangely annoyed, as if she had suffered a great loss.

She sat in her seat, not turning around, but used the curved surface of a metal spoon to observe the scene behind her.

Damn, that kid has never been this gentle with me.

The class president watched "Xu Haoge" affectionately touch Wei Linglan's little finger and got shivers. Yet her mind couldn't help but imagine: What if she also took out 2,000 yuan and had Li Ang treat her gently for an entire day...

Damn, what the hell was I just thinking? Gross, gross!

Shaking her head to dispel the thoughts, Congshan's face turned red as she pulled the brim of her baseball cap down, casting aside the mess in her mind—Li Ang's principle was simple: for every cent paid, he'd deliver a cent's worth of effort.

When he provided companion services before, he and the ladies fought valiantly in the world of King's Glory, rapidly climbing the ranks and carrying games. He also had a voice-changing feature. As long as the money was right, he could adapt to any chatting style, whether it be a smooth pretty-boy, a suave roguish older man, or an older mentor.

Yet when it came to playing King's Glory with Wang Congshan after work, he often chose the jungle hero Damo, devoutly practicing Buddhism, never ganking lanes, just wandering the jungle, fervently racking up WeChat steps.

You get what you pay for.

Wang Congshan believed that getting Li Ang to show initiative and affection was as difficult as playing through Pukong Company's arcade game "Big Demon Village" with her eyes closed... There was not much hope anyway.

Amidst Congshan's grumbling, the meal was finally coming to an end. Wei Linglan's parents were very happy, and just as they were about to give a few parting words of advice, Wei Linglan's cellphone rang.

Her expression subtly changed.

The incident in Dusheng Village had indeed had its effects. After voluntarily surrendering to the Special Affairs Bureau, she had to face an audit and approval process lasting several months. For the current stage, she could only be considered an extraordinary non-staff member of the Mobile Detachment of the Special Affairs Bureau.

The cellphone Wei Linglan was now using had been issued by the Special Affairs Bureau and was configured to have several different ringtones: one for normal day-to-day life, and the others for different types of emergencies when the Special Affairs Bureau needed to contact its operatives. Although the Special Affairs Bureau had dedicated operators (players who contacted other players directly through friend communications), they still had a number of regular human operatives.

The operator system was not perfect. In case of an operator's defection or other special circumstances, they still had to resort to old methods.

"I'm sorry, I need to take this call."

Wei Linglan gave an embarrassed smile, left Li Ang to converse with her parents, and quickly walked to a corner to answer the phone. "Hello?"

The operator's voice came through the phone.

"Operative Wei Linglan, please immediately evacuate the civilians in your area! There is something in your vicinity..."

The call suddenly cut off, and a low murmur of shock arose in the restaurant.

Wei Linglan instinctively looked up, only to see a dense fog had risen outside the restaurant's windows, completely isolating the building like a lonely island.