Qin Tian arrived at the Times Internet Cafe and found that Xu Hao and Zhang Peng were still there.
The two were already sitting together, playing a game and verbally abusing each other.
"Have you two been playing since yesterday?" Qin Tian asked as he walked up behind them.
They turned to look at him, their faces lighting up with joy.
"Brother Tian, you're here! Quickly, sit down and play with us. Zhang Peng, this scoundrel is too bad, we've already lost five games in a row."
"Get lost! How dare you say that? If you had even a tenth of Brother Tian's Lee Sin skill, you wouldn't be losing so badly! You could have at least played Garen jungle!"
"Damn it, Garen can't jungle! Lee Sin is my main hero!"
"Heh!"
The two bickered stubbornly, nearly spitting on each other's faces.
It seemed that a night of gaming had forged a strong bond between them.
Qin Tian couldn't help but chuckle. He sat down in the empty seat next to Xu Hao and said, "Log in to yesterday's account, I'll help you climb to a thousand points."
"Alright!"
Xu Hao grinned and nodded, controlling Lee Sin to gank Zhang Peng's Malphite.
However, the enemy Fiora, using the defense tower, successfully killed them both under the tower, escaping with a sliver of health.
"Damn it, Zhang Peng, can you even play? You should have initiated with your ultimate!"
"He had Flash, what if it was dodged?"
"Then did your ultimate hit?"
"Get lost! You dare to say that to me? What about your stinky feet, feeding him under the tower?"
"That was a mistake, I was trying to kick him back."
"Heh, how many mistakes have you made?"
"Damn it, stop the nonsense, we're surrendering."
"Go ahead and surrender, you idiot."
The two cursed and initiated the surrender.
The teammates, whose morale had been shattered by the duo, had already turned into "pianists" and were frantically typing messages to them.
With four votes in favor, the game ended.
Qin Tian watched this scene with a speechless expression.
"I'm not playing anymore, I'm going to learn from Brother Tian. You play with mud by yourself!" Xu Hao waved his hand and said.
"Great, I'll climb the ranks solo. Gagam!" Zhang Peng said, queuing up for the next game.
Qin Tian opened his computer and had Xu Hao log into his game account.
"Brother Tian, after you left yesterday, a few more people paid deposits. I've noted them all down, and the money is all here." Xu Hao took out a stack of hundred-yuan bills from his pocket and handed it to Qin Tian.
"So much?" Qin Tian's expression was surprised as he took it. Judging by the feel, it should be around three to four thousand yuan.
"There were even more players for overnight stays. I edited some recordings of your games into a highlight reel and showed it to them. Many people paid on the spot," Xu Hao explained with a smile.
"Amazing!" Qin Tian gave him a compliment, counted out twenty bills, and handed them to him. "Senior, take this money back. I'll consider your account as a free service."
Xu Hao was stunned for a moment, his expression displeased. "Master, are you looking down on me?"
"Not at all. I received so much without doing anything, and it's all thanks to you. If you don't accept this, I'll feel too embarrassed," Qin Tian said earnestly.
"I offered this willingly. You are my Master, alright? No, no, take the money back quickly."
"Stop talking nonsense, I'm entering the game." Without another word, Qin Tian placed the money on the table in front of him.
"This is how you do things..." Xu Hao scratched his head in distress.
"Take it. I'll likely need your help again in the future, and I have something I want to cooperate with you on." Qin Tian said with a smile as he selected the hero Lee Sin.
He had initially planned to observe for a few more days, but what had just happened changed his mind. He hadn't asked Xu Hao to make highlight videos, yet Xu Hao did it and gave him all the money without withholding any. This person was likely worth befriending.
"What is it?" Xu Hao's eyes lit up, and he quickly asked.
Qin Tian adjusted his runes and masteries, then turned to look at him and asked with a smile, "It's about this boosting service. I think now is the perfect time. Are you interested in cooperating on something big?"
"Tell me, tell me!" Xu Hao immediately perked up and asked excitedly.
"Let's you and I open an online boosting shop together. We'll use those highlight videos you made as advertising gimmicks, and recruit some skilled players as boosters. I'll play too when I have time."
"How about this, I'll try to get your account to the first place on the ranking ladder, and then we can change the name and promote it. What do you think?" Qin Tian concisely explained his idea.
Xu Hao's eyes grew brighter as he listened. After graduating from high school, he had been idle. His family was not short of money, and his father had always wanted him to join the family business. However, Xu Hao had no interest in selling electric bikes. He had also thought about doing something on his own to earn his father's respect, but he couldn't find the right path. Now, Qin Tian's suggestion had directly pointed him in the right direction.
"Yes, Master, I think this has great potential." Xu Hao nodded excitedly in agreement. He was very interested in game boosting. And with Qin Tian, a super expert, at the helm, he was very confident.
"Then it's settled. You check online to see how much it costs, and we'll each contribute half, and split the income equally."
"No, no." Xu Hao immediately objected and said seriously, "Master, there are quite a few boosting shops online now. Without a great expert like you, it would be very difficult to succeed. It wouldn't be right for me to take half. Let's do a seven-three split, you take seven and I take three."
"Senior, you know, I'm still a student and don't have much time. You'll have to manage all the shop's affairs. I'll just be a hands-off owner. If I take too much, I'll feel uneasy. How about this, six-four!" Qin Tian thought for a moment and decided it was necessary to maintain controlling interest. Although it was just a small, insignificant business, it was better to be safe.
"Master..."
"Stop talking, it's decided." Qin Tian didn't give him a chance to say anything else and made the decision.
Opening this boosting shop was just to accumulate the first pot of gold. As a reborn individual, there were countless ways to make money. There was no need to be too stingy here, and he really couldn't do much.
"Alright, then I'll start looking into how to open this shop now." Xu Hao agreed and immediately got to work, opening his browser to search for the process of opening a shop.
Qin Tian, meanwhile, had already entered the game. He flexed his fingers and began his journey of slaughtering in the canyon once more. With his physical fitness potion enhanced, his neural reaction speed even surpassed some professional players. Combined with some strategies and techniques that had not yet appeared in the game at that time, his gameplay was even more effortless and enjoyable than yesterday.
Before twenty minutes had passed, the opponents had already given up resistance and typed in the all-chat for a final push. In the chat, there were messages from teammates on both sides wanting to add friends and cling to Qin Tian's coattails.
"Qin Tian." As he exited the game settlement screen, a soft and pleasant voice called out.
Qin Tian looked over. He saw Xia Nuannuan, wearing a sky-blue dress and carrying a small bag, walking quickly towards him with a sweet smile. She appeared much more cheerful and lively than before. On her cute, baby-faced cheeks, a pair of shallow dimples graced her face, her eyes curving like crescent moons. Seeing Xia Nuannuan now, Qin Tian realized that the saying "beauty has nothing to do with weight" was indeed true.