"Are you kidding me?! We've been waiting forever!" A young man grumbled.

  "Oh, quit whining! At least you had time to grab a burger. I didn’t even get to eat breakfast!" Wei shot back, annoyed.

  Wei—full name Liang Wei—is my best friend and roommate. We’ve known each other since childhood. We were in the same middle school class, went to the same high school, and now, in college, we’re not only classmates but also dorm mates. We’ve been gaming together since middle school, when Wei’s personal game room was our favorite hangout spot. Now that we’re in university, we share a two-person dorm. I’m naturally introverted, and aside from Wei, I barely have any friends. We’re both freshmen, and since the summer break just ended, classes haven’t started yet. So, what better way to kill time than gaming in the dorm?

  Wei’s family is pretty wealthy. His parents are in real estate, though I’m not sure exactly how rich they are. Probably not as rich as mine. My father runs a multinational conglomerate called Longyuan Group. The company doesn’t have a single focus—it ventures into anything that makes money. But its primary revenue source is specialized military technology. What’s that, you ask? It means producing advanced military-grade weaponry—biological weapons, electronic warfare systems, energy-based arms, even space combat technology. If I weren’t the heir to Longyuan, I probably wouldn’t even know we were involved in this field.

  Longyuan was passed down to my father by my grandfather, and it’s currently the second-largest corporation in the world. My dad owns 51% of the company’s shares, which are worth more than last year’s GDP of some countries. My mother, on the other hand, is the CEO of Zhonghua Corporation. Unlike my father, she built her business empire from scratch and owns 78% of its shares. Though Zhonghua is relatively small compared to Longyuan, her shares are still worth over a billion. But when compared to my father’s company, it’s like a drop in the ocean.

  Growing up in such a wealthy family meant I never had a normal childhood. Everywhere I went, I had triple-digit numbers of bodyguards following me. Even going to the bathroom, at least a dozen people stood around facing outward like a human shield. My parents were always busy with work, to the point that they sealed business deals even during my tenth birthday party. With bodyguards tailing me at all times, making real friends was next to impossible. And to make matters worse, most people who approached me were only after my family’s wealth. That only made me even more distrustful of friendships. The result? Wei is my only real friend. My parents hoped that having him around would at least make my childhood a little less lonely. Eventually, they started letting me live a more "normal" life, hiding my true identity. My father even pulled strings to erase most records of my existence. Nowadays, barely anyone even knows he has a son. The upside? My hundred-man security detail was reduced to a few hidden bodyguards, and I was finally allowed to attend a normal school.

  But my lack of friends isn’t just because of my background. There’s another, much bigger problem—my appearance and voice.

  Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m not ugly. In fact, I’m beautiful. Yes, beautiful. I could probably rank in global beauty contests. The problem? I’m a man. A strong, definitely not feminine, iron-blooded man. And yet, 99.99% of people, upon meeting me, assume I’m a woman. Every time guests visit my home, the first thing they say is, "Chairman, your daughter is stunning!"

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  Most people see me as an impossibly gorgeous, innocent-looking girl. And to make matters worse, my voice never deepened during puberty. It still sounds like a sweet, angelic child’s voice. So yeah, imagine trying to make male friends when half of them start drooling at the sight of you. It’s a nightmare. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve walked into a men’s restroom, only for every guy inside to run out screaming. At least two hundred times over the years! Wei is the only person who treats me like a normal guy. Probably because we grew up together—when we were kids, he didn’t think about it, and by the time we got older, he was already used to it. Not that Wei isn’t into girls—he totally is. In fact, he once complained that my looks set his standards too high. "Damn it, any girl who doesn’t look as good as you is gonna feel self-conscious!" he whined. I laughed, but let’s be real—he’d flirt with anything that moves.

  Today, Wei and I were lined up for the launch of the latest VRMMO, Zero. The first 10,000 accounts registered would receive special rewards—a VR headset made specifically for the game and a mystery in-game bonus. The headset itself wasn’t a big deal—this was 2062, and such headsets only cost about 300 RMB. But the in-game bonus? Now that was worth lining up for. Zero was a joint project between my dad’s company and the world’s number-one corporation, the European Trade Consortium. My mom’s company was handling its distribution. My dad insisted that I wouldn’t get any special treatment, so here I was, waiting in line like everyone else.

  "Look! The doors are opening!" Wei snapped me out of my thoughts.

  The moment the doors unlocked, all hell broke loose. The once-orderly line turned into a stampede. I barely touched the ground as the crowd carried me into the building. Inside, things were even worse—over 3,000 people crammed into a small space, and at least 10,000 more were still trying to force their way in. I lost track of Wei almost immediately.

  I shoved my way toward the sales counter when a faint cry caught my attention. "Help...!" The voice came from below. Looking down, I spotted someone being trampled under the crowd. If this continued, they’d be crushed to death! Summoning all my strength, I pushed back the mob, holding them off with my shoulder just long enough to pull the person up.

  And then—I froze.

  The person I had saved was breathtaking. An ethereal beauty beyond anything I had ever seen. For the first time in my life, I had met someone who completely outshone me. Of course, she was currently covered in footprints and looked a bit worse for wear, but even that couldn’t hide her radiance.

  "Thank you, big sister!" she said sweetly.

  Cue internal screaming.

  Not again.

  "It’s nothing," I replied, forcing a smile. "I couldn’t just leave you there to get trampled. Do you want me to help you out of here?" I immediately regretted my words. If she said yes, I might not make it back in time to grab one of the limited accounts!

  "No! I need to get an account!" she declared.

  I exhaled in relief. "Alright, stick close to me!"

  After a brutal struggle, we finally reached the counter. "One account, please!" I shouted over the chaos.

  "Me too!" the girl added.

  The sales assistant handed us our headsets. "The account details are stored inside. If you have questions, read the manual."

  I barely made it out of the crowd alive. Turning back, I saw the girl panting behind me.

  "Thanks again! I’m Li Jia—Lin Li Jia. If it weren’t for you, I’d be dead!" She smiled and extended her hand.

  I shook her soft, dirt-smudged (but clearly once-flawless) hand. "No worries. Let’s add each other in-game."

  "Sounds good!" She jotted down her account info and handed it to me. "See you in Zero!"