Where's the cute girl we were promised? She's completely wiped out S-rank dungeons!

"You don't need to be so nervous, do you?" Song Yuan reached out and grabbed Qiao Ran by the back of his neck, pulling him out from behind her. "There are security cameras here. He probably has something to say to us, and he doesn't mean to hurt us."

Qiao Ran hugged herself tightly, looking distressed, and said:

"I know, but I just don't want to see his face. Believe me or not, he'll come up to me right now, and the first thing he'll say is definitely:"

As she spoke, Qiao Ran gently placed her left hand on her right elbow, her right fingertips elegantly resting on her chin, her smile as radiant as a saint descending to earth, her tone flippant:

"‘Darling~ I was really sad when you left without saying goodbye last time~ So much time has passed and I've been missing you. Your eyes are still as beautiful as I remember~ The thought that your beautiful appearance will age and die makes me incredibly sad... Aba aba!’ Just you wait and see! I really hate it when he says these mushy things to me!"

Song Yuan/An Xiaomei: "..."

Song Yuan frowned, finding this too absurd: "Isn't this all just your own imagination? He hasn't said anything yet, how did you guess such a long passage?"

By this time, the puppeteer had already gotten quite close. He made a hand-holding gesture that perfectly mirrored Qiao Ran's, and with a smile, looked at Qiao Ran, who was putting on a battle-ready expression, and began to unleash his attack:

"My dear, we've finally met again~ I did my best to promote you back in the guild, but you still left without saying goodbye, which really saddened me... So much time has passed, yet your eyes are still as beautiful as I remember. Of course, it would be even better if that beautiful face could show a welcoming expression~ The thought of such a beautiful face aging and dying with age breaks my heart beyond measure..."

Song Yuan: "...Fine, you win."

Qiao Ran: "Thank you. Although I'm not happy at all..."

An Xiaomei: "Wow, that's amazing! You guessed them all right!"

While not word for word, the general meaning was conveyed. It's hard to imagine how many times Qiao Ran suffered similar harassment while in the Crystal Guild to make such an accurate prediction; it's truly pitiful.

The puppeteer smiled and tilted his head: "What's wrong? Are you two whispering to each other? Can I hear you too?"

Song Yuan looked at him coldly and went straight to the point, asking him indifferently:

"Did you call us here just to waste our time saying this? If that's all, then we're going back to the classroom."

The puppeteer leaned back slightly, feigning timidity: "Oh? How fierce! Don't worry, I'm just expressing my longing for my dear former teammate. I have important business to discuss with you."

Qiao Ran turned her head away unhappily—most of the time, Qiao Ran had a smile on her lips and looked calm and lazy.

This was the first time Song Yuan and An Xiaomei had ever seen Qiao Ran so obviously dislike someone and give that person such a cold shoulder.

"Looking for you? You mean looking for her alone?"

The puppeteer snapped his fingers, said "bingo," and smiled at Song Yuan:

"You're their captain, right? To be honest, I really like you~"

I have a few words to say. How about we find a place without surveillance cameras and talk about it slowly?

The atmosphere remained silent for about three seconds. Before Qiao Ran could speak, An Xiaomei's vision went black, and An Xiaoyou, online, preemptively launched into a tirade:

She disliked men who constantly made witty remarks, as evidenced by her attitude towards Qiao Ran. She never imagined she'd encounter someone even more shameless, and she was so angry she almost unleashed her inner genius:

"Who the hell do you think you are?! Can't you even speak properly?! You want to find a place without cameras so you can just use one skill to send her offline, right?! Is everyone else an idiot except you?! I'll stab you to death, get lost!!! Don't ever make me... mmm mmm!"

Song Yuan covered her mouth and pulled her back, saying without changing her expression:

"That's enough, don't go too far."

Qiao Ran rarely showed such admiration for An Xiaoyou, giving her two thumbs-up and shaking her head in approval:

"That's right, this is my mouth double!"

Turning to the puppeteer, she said coldly, "Did you hear me? Get out of the way, we're going back to the classroom."

The puppeteer, who maintained a smile even after being scolded, said, "...Wait a minute, I have guarantees on my end."

[Ding~ Player "Puppeteer" has used the god-tier item [Oathkeeper's Warning Sign], which can affect one player.]

Before use, the oath-taker must recite their vow and then wear the item. Afterwards, if the player is unable to fulfill their promise or does something contrary to their vow, the item will immediately self-destruct, ignoring all defensive items and depleting the player's health.

If the vow is fulfilled, the item will naturally return to its owner.

The puppeteer took out a small yellow triangular warning sign and waved it in front of the three people:

"I'll put this on before we talk. Are you relieved now?"

Qiao Ran recognized the prop and explained its specific uses to the two of them. Song Yuan felt increasingly uneasy as she listened, and asked in confusion:

"Why would you use such a precious item to talk to a C-rank player? That alone is suspicious."

The puppeteer, arms crossed, leaned against a stone pillar in the corridor and smiled indifferently:

"It's nothing, just like I said, I like you a lot, and I have a few things I'd like to talk to you about. It's that simple. So, are you willing?"

Before Song Yuan could decide whether to go, Qiao Ran and An Xiaomei had already refused on her behalf:

Qiao Ran said with a serious expression, "Although it seems like there's no problem, based on your reputation, I don't think I can trust you even if you used a prop. So the answer is no."

An Xiaoyou gave the puppeteer the middle finger and turned to urge Song Yuan:

"I agree. Hey, what are you still standing there for? We're leaving."

The puppeteer didn't back down despite Qiao Ran and An Xiao's objections; instead, he remained smiling. After thinking for a moment, Song Yuanfu Han slowly took a step forward and looked up, saying:

"Okay, I'll talk to you."

Qiao Ran's eyes widened, and she raised her hand in a cross gesture in vehement opposition:

"No way! Song Yuan, didn't I just say this person is untrustworthy? You can't believe his nonsense just because he's good-looking, and besides, I'm pretty good-looking too!"

An Xiaoyou, unusually, stood on the same side as Qiao Ran: "Yeah, why should we waste our time trying to please this pervert? He hasn't given you anything in return!"

"I was just about to ask him for it," Song Yuan said calmly, looking at the puppeteer, and began to state her conditions without blushing at all. "I can talk to you, but not for nothing. After we finish talking, give me that god-level item you have, and then I'll agree to go with you."

The puppeteer smiled and said, "Sure, that's a lovely condition. I agree."

Qiao Ran/An Xiaoyou: "?!"

Both of them showed expressions of shock at the same time:

No?! So they just lack business acumen?!