“Dad. This is the one I was talking about.” Jing Ru was demure with her actions but Ren Wei, Jing Ru’s stepdad, could clearly see that Jing Ru was barely holding in her excitement while bringing him to this Dungeon Supplier.
“There is no store name on the map directory at all.” Ren Wei took a look at his map on his phone and it only showed a plot of land.
“Mmhmm, it has only been opened for a month I believe… So I think the official directory has not been updated yet.” Jing Ru said and then realised she did not know the shop’s name at all. She had been referring to the store as ‘that dungeon supplier store near Tiangong Shopping District’ or ‘Boss Jin’s store’. “Perhaps I should ask later,” She thought to herself.
The store was not as packed as the day before since that was the release of Qixi Festival Dungeon but there was still quite a number of people despite it being a working day. “Boss! Good afternoon!” Jing Ru was slightly friendlier than before since she had already been to Boss Jin’s store a few times and Jin had also put in the effort to remember his customers.
“Ah, Jing Ru! How are you doing? Brought your boyfriend along?” Jin teased Jing Ru, which made her blush slightly as she shook her head vigorously. Ren Wei, despite being in his mid-40s, looked rather suave and was handsome and muscular enough for people to mistake him as being in the early 30s category.
“Hahaha, Boss, I like your humour but sadly, I am just her erm…” Ren Wei was considering whether or not to call himself Step Dad or Dad in front of Jin when Jing Ru stepped in to help.
“He is my Dad! Don’t make him that happy by praising him as young-looking! He has been giving me non-stop training to enhance my shooting and survival skills. There are times I feel like giving up.” Jing Ru said to Jin and he noticed that Jing Ru did become slightly different since the last time he saw her. There was a bit more ruggedness-No, that was not the word… There was a bit more maturity in that pure looking demure face.
“Please Boss, do not listen to her. She has been bugging me day and night to train her, even when I just get back from work. Jing Ru said that she wanted to train more so she could prove to be more useful in her team’s subsequent meetups.” Ren Wei let the cat out of the bag and Jing Ru playfully beat her stepdad on his shoulder.
“It’s good that you two have such a jovial relationship. Not many people treat their family as closely as you two do.” Jin smiled at them genuinely and it made Ren Wei really happy that his stepdaughter had given him a chance by to be part of her life.
Ever since her mother died shortly after their marriage due to a freak car accident during her daily commute to work, Ren Wei did not know if he could properly take care of Jing Ru. There was an eerie coldness always present between the two, the feeling of distance. It felt like he was still a stranger to Jing Ru.
Of course, Jing Ru was sensible enough to let her mother remarry as she felt that Ren Wei’s ‘credentials’ were way better than her biological father but she could not bear the fact that she had lost her mother so soon after.
If anything, Ren Wei wanted to personally thank this particular dungeon supplier for indirectly helping him and Jing Ru become closer. Meanwhile, Jing Ru felt differently on this issue. Ever since she lost her mother, her biological father did not even return to visit her at all. Although she detested him, he could at least have returned and comforted her.
Slowly but surely, Jing Ru saw that Ren Wei was trying his best to not only bring food to the table but also to take care of her like how a parent would. She was touched by his sincerity but had no idea how to express her gratitude. Jing Ru’s interest in air rifles and her cultivation also began when she tried to understand her stepfather’s occupation.
Little did she know that a bookworm like herself would have a knack for using air rifles and her cultivation soared through the roof so quickly that the university air rifle club made her the university’s air rifle team leader. Her stepfather supported her fully and tried to teach her some tricks, which she utilised. She attempted to use these training sessions as a means to bond with him.
However, it was not until Jing Ru had decided to team up and fight in Jin’s dungeons that she started to take cultivation more seriously. She asked Ren Wei, who was a police sniper, for more tips on how to improve. It was then that she began to enjoy his company even more despite the harshness of the training he put her through. Of course, Ren Wei was sensible enough and always tried to strike a balance during the training since Jing Ru was also trying her best open herself up to him.
“So what do you two, Father and Daughter, wish to try? By the way, Jing Ru, not sure if you’ve been told already but there are new desserts on the menu if you wish to try them out. And for the father, we have a new service instance, called the Reservoir of Deep Fishing. Basically, it’s a fishing instance, where you can spend some time fishing and if you catch a fish, you can have it prepared, cooked, and served in many ways too.” Jin tried to promote his new items in the store since he got Yun to handle the bar counter.
“Hahaha, I am not a fan of desserts, but the rest of the girls, especially Shi Hui, that dancer girl, would love it a lot. However, I might give it try in the future with them.” Jing Ru replied.
“Boss, what is this fishing instance? Do you mean I can enter it like a dungeon instance but instead of fighting, I can fish? And mind explaining what you meant by I can have it cooked?” Ren Wei was a little confused since it was his first time here. Although he’d heard about the instances from Jing Ru talking about it, he thought it would be better for the owner himself to clarify it.
“What you’ve said is correct. You can not only fish but upon successfully catching a fish, you will be allowed to bring it to our Master Chef and he will create a meal out of it for you. Things like sushi or fish soup.” Jin replied and Ren Wei more or less got the idea.
“Dad, I like to eat sushi! Trust me when I say that the food in Boss Jin’s place is one of the best. Not just me but others also think that he secretly hid the food behind the dungeons so that dungeoneers would have to literally fight for the food. That way though, you will have the greatest satisfaction.” Jing Ru excitedly told her dad.
“Then, we shall do one dungeon and one fishing instance.” Ren Wei smiled at his daughter and they decided to take a closer look at the menu before choosing which dungeon to take on.
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