Chapter 97

In his study, Joshua lounged with a cigarette dangling between his fingers, wisps of smoke curling lazily around him. His usual strict composure was replaced by a relaxed, sensual languor. He flicked the ash absentmindedly.

She might not even want to go out with me today, he thought, hesitating over whether to bring it up with Shermaine.

Not hearing a reply from Joshua, Roy assumed he had agreed. “Wright, it’s settled then! Tonight at the Galaxy Club, Fil will host a lavish feast to properly apologize to Shermaine.”

“Oh! I gotta go, Milady just came online, and there’s no way I’m letting her ignore me today.” The call ended abruptly.

Milady? Wasn’t that Shermaine?

Joshua remembered warning Roy not to bother her again. Clearly, his words had fallen on deaf ears. His eyes darkened as he stood up and strode out of the study.

As soon as Shermaine turned on her computer, a red alert popped up. Then, someone bypassed her first firewall and sent her a message: [Just say something.]

Then came the next: [Pretty please, I swear I mean no harm! I just wanna get to know you, be friends—well, not just regular friends. Honestly, I’ve got a major crush on you!]

Shermaine was speechless. Seriously, what’s wrong with this hacker? Why is he so obsessed with some random person online? I’m sure I haven’t done anything to encourage him or given him any signals, she thought.

Shermaine opened the message window, fingers poised to reply when a knock interrupted her. She stopped, swiveled her chair toward the door, and called out, “Come in.”

Joshua entered carrying a plate of sliced fruit, walked to her side, and set it on the table. With a gentle smile, he said, “The cherries are very sweet. Try some.”

By now, Shermaine had composed herself, none of that barely noticeable awkwardness from downstairs remaining. “Thanks,” she said.

“You’re welcome.” Joshua noticed the chat window on her screen flashing with constant messages. Roy was beseeching her repeatedly, accompanied by a stream of heart emojis. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Is that hacker still harassing you?”

“Mm,” Shermaine said, spearing a cherry with a toothpick and popping it into her mouth. It was indeed sweet.

Joshua said calmly. “Ignoring him indefinitely isn’t the solution. Ask him directly what it would take for him to stop bothering you.”

“No need,” Shermaine replied. “I’m just going to tell him I have a boyfriend.”

Joshua shook his head. “He won’t give up that easily.” He paused. “But you can try.”

Shermaine raised an eyebrow, decided to give it a shot, and typed back: [I have a boyfriend.]

Just as Joshua had predicted, Roy replied: [Milady, that excuse is so old-school. If you really had a boyfriend, would you be online every night? And for more than three hours at a time!]

Shermaine felt speechless.

Sure enough, men knew each other the best. With no other choice, she sent the message exactly as Joshua had advised.

On the other end, Roy sensed his chance and got excited. He had to seize the moment and finally meet Milady in person.

His fingers flew across the keyboard as he typed: [Let’s meet and have a solo match! If you beat me, I’ll stop bothering you for good. Cross my heart!]

What a brilliant move.

Truth be told, very few players could ever defeat Roy in a solo match.

Among all professional players, not a single one could beat him. Roy was known as the world’s best jungler and solo-kill king. There might be some amazingly talented non-professional players who could take him down, but honestly, the odds were slim to none. There was a forum post a while back about “King,” the top-ranked player on the Koandria leaderboard two years ago.

This guy was an absolute beast as both jungler and ADC. It was said that many pro players went up against him, and every single time, they got absolutely destroyed.

Back then, many esports teams tried to recruit him to compete professionally, but he turned them all down, saying, “I’m too busy. Gaming is just for fun.” Now, he rarely logged on, and it was clear he wasn’t lying about being swamped.

Whenever he had free time, Roy would camp out on the Koandria server, hoping to run into him. He refused to believe anyone could be better than him and was dying for a match, but frustratingly, the guy never showed up.

Meet him for a solo match?

Shermaine considered it. Honestly, it wasn’t a bad idea.

Joshua smirked as he read Roy’s message. So this naive kid can actually be pretty cunning, he thought. But even if you beat Shermaine, do you really have the guts to go after her? Go on, I dare you.

Noticing the Heroic Epic icon on Shermaine’s desktop, Joshua figured she must play regularly. From the looks of it, she was quite skilled. So, she would most likely agree.

As expected, Shermaine replied: [When and where?]

“YESSS!” Roy nearly jumped out of his seat.

Milady actually agreed! He was barely able to contain his excitement.

It seemed he had finally got a real shot at winning her over.

Roy typed excitedly with trembling fingers: [Tonight, 9 p.m., Room 101 at the Galaxy Club. This is FilthShay, eagerly awaiting your arrival!]