Chapter 156 - Li Ling Wants To Be Honest

[Are you freaking telling me to get lost?!] 

Zhihao nodded enthusiastically, "you're so smart! That's exactly what I'm telling you!" 

Alvi looked to be in disbelief and if she wasn't just a bot, Zhihao was sure that he would be able to see two round drops of tears trailing down her face. 

Li Ling looked at Alvi and agreed with Zhihao, "I think it would be faster for us to divide into three groups. Alvi, the Ribix won't try to attack you since you're the system. You're made to assist the players, aren't you? Right now, we need your assistance. Would you be willing to help us?" 

Zhihao hadn't realized it till now, but now that he thought back to it, he really couldn't remember a time when the Ribix had tried to attack Alvi.

The Ribix would always act as if it was blind and couldn't see Alvi. It only tried to attack the players and not the system so if there really was someone who would be able to go alone and collect the leftover Ribots, it would certainly be Alvi, but... Zhihao was sure that this little bot wasn't going to help them.. 

She was always useless when they needed her to be useful. 

Alvi looked at Li Ling with a blank gaze. 

Li Ling, "Please?" 

[Okay~] 

Alvi beamed and Zhihao was thoroughly shocked. 

He was sure that Alvi would never agree to it so how come he had guessed wrong? 

In reality, although it didn't look like he was right, he wasn't wrong either. If it was him who had asked Alvi this favor, he would have been turned down without any further thoughts. Since this was Li Ling, who had used the code word, Alvi listened. 

What was this amazing code word that only a Gamemaster would know? 

The answer wasn't that difficult and if someone were to hear it, they would definitely think that they were stupid.

The code word was: Please.

That was it.

As long as a player requested Alvi to do something by using the word 'please', Alvi would not be able to refuse. That was just how she was made. However, this code word, although sounding pretty common, it was in fact one of the least used words to interact with Alvi. 

She was a bot and so naturally, no player would be polite enough to say 'please'. 

Zhihao wasn't the only one shocked to see her agreeing. Wang GuiYing had his mouth hanging wide open as he looked at Alvi, "You're really going to help...?!" 

[...] 

[Do you really think I'm that useless?!]

"Um... Yes...?" Zhihao let his mouth run loose. 

Alvi was speechless. 

Li Ling chuckled and coughed to hide his expressions, "Then it's decided!" 

Zhihao and Wang GuiYing looked over at the man with curious eyes. 

"BBtrash and Hulk would go look for all the XY Ribots, Alvi would go look for the newly created Ribots and A-Zhi would team up with me to go collect all the 2X and 3X Ribots." Li Ling looked up, "Sounds good?" 

Wang GuiYing nodded his head along with Alvi. 

[Great!] 

Zhihao was somehow really delighted to hear that the date that was ruined because of Wang GuiYing would have another chance to be continued. 

Zhihao pulled Li Ling along happily, "Then let's go!" 

[...] 

Wang GuiYing squinted as he commented, "They were just trying to ditch us, weren't they?" 

Alvi nodded.

[It wasn't hard to guess that.] 

After having said that, Alvi also went her own way to go and look for all the newly created Ribots. 

Wang GuiYing sighed as he patted Zhou Xinyi, "Let's get moving!" 

Zhou Xinyi listened to Wang GuiYing like an innocent puppy and picked up his left foot to start walking towards their destination. 

When they had walked a certain distance away from the others, Zhihao smiled cheekily as he looked at Li Ling and decided to finally apologize, "I'm sorry..."

Li Ling was confused to hear the sudden apology, he looked back at Zhihao with an indecipherable expression as he questioned, "Why?" 

Zhihao shook his head in embarrassment, "For everything." 

Li Ling frowned as he waited for the man to continue. The last he remembered, it was him who should have owed an apology to Zhihao so why was Mastermo apologizing suddenly? 

By saying 'sorry', Zhihao was making Li Ling feel even worse than he already did. He was reminding him that Li Ling was too prideful and didn't care about apologizing to Zhihao for his wrongdoings. 

Zhihao took a deep breath in as he looked at Li Ling straight in the eyes and apologized once again, "I'm sorry for never realizing it. I was dumb. I was stupid."

"Huh?" Li Ling couldn't catch up with the conversation. 

Zhihao sighed as he looked down, "You were always so open about your feelings but I never took you seriously. I never tried to understand you. My feelings were the only things that mattered to me. I'm really sorry for neglecting you and making up conclusions in my own head. I shouldn't have done that." 

Li Ling suddenly furrowed his eyebrows as he wondered why Zhihao had to be such a nice guy. This was the exact reason why Li Ling fell for this man and this was also the reason why he was afraid of dating Zhihao. He felt that if he were to date Zhihao, he would be stealing an angel all for himself without having deserved it.  Sometimes, Zhihao was too nice to him... 

"I should've confessed sooner. I should've paid attention and picked up the hints. I should have-"

"A-Zhi." Li Ling cut Zhihao off. 

"Hmm?" 

Li Ling, "Do you feel unhappy right now?" 

Zhihao shook his head, "Of course not! I Like you and... you like me. Why would I be unhappy about this?" 

Li Ling nodded lightly, "You're right. I don't think I've ever said it clearly enough, so let me do it right now. Let me be a little honest." 

Zhihao looked at him eagerly as he waited for Li Ling to continue. 

"I don't like you." 

"..." Zhihao could hear his heart shatter. His heart stopped beating and his breath got stuck in his throat as his eyes dare not close and he dare not believe that his ears had heard correctly. 

"I love you," There was no trace of a lie on Li Ling's face. He was being as honest as he could, he was putting his vulnerable heart out there. He was finally doing something he was always afraid of doing, "There's a difference between the two. 'Like' would never be as strong as love. It took me years to realize that I loved you and another few years to admit that I could love nobody except for you. Trust me, I tried." 

Zhihao felt relief wash over him but when he heard that last sentence, he frowned as he felt a bitter feeling gnawing at his heart. 

"I tried to fall in love with others but if it's not you, it's impossible." Li Ling added as he looked at Zhihao with eyes that looked to be reminiscing about the past, "I love you and you're the only one I can love. That's why I chased after you. That's why I did everything I could just to get close to you and get you to fall for me. I need you, Mastermo... More than you need me."

It took Zhihao a whole minute to digest all this information and just as he did, his lips curled downwards into a frown as he asked, "Who let you decide?" 

"Huh?" 

Zhihao, "You said that you needed me more than I needed you. You said that it can be nobody except for me, but why do you think that I'm not the same as you?" 

"..." 

"Li Ling, do you think I'm easy? Do you think I fall in love with just anybody?" 

Li Ling was silent as he heard this. How could he have a response to that? 

Zhihao took a step forward as he continued, "We're the same. If it's not you, then there's nobody else that can take this place," Zhihao stretched his right hand out forward as if asking Li Ling to take it, "You might have fallen in love with me first, but... I'm the one that fell harder." 

Li Ling felt the blood rush up his cheeks as he realized how melodramatic this entire scene had gone.

Zhihao, "Do you believe me?" 

Li Ling gulped as he looked at the hand that was outstretched for him. He was a bit reluctant and hesitant to take it, but his body reacted before his brain could and he grabbed Zhihao's hand, "I believe in you more than I believe in me." 

Zhihao smiled as he heard this and at this moment, he realized that Alvi wasn't around. 

It was a perfect time for a kiss! 

Li Ling saw Zhihao approaching him and he would be dumb not to realize that Zhihao was leaning in for another kiss. 

Li Ling closed his eyes as he waited in anticipation, but before their lips could touch, they heard a loud hiss. 

Damn it...

Zhihao was going to murder a Ribix first!