You've been ruined by games all your life!

Chapter 35 Raising Funds for Orphans

The glamorous shepherdess entertainment venue was just a small episode in Chen Lai's dungeon life. He never forgot his goal when entering the dungeon: to make money and pay off his debts.

He now knows that there are extraordinary people in Paris, and the most recent one is a noblewoman he knows... The only problem is that he knows too many noblewomen, so where should he begin?

Just when he was troubled, Lorena came to him again. She invited Chen to attend an event with her and hoped that he could participate in a fencing exhibition match to jointly launch a fundraising campaign!
This fundraising is a pastime that Parisian ladies particularly enjoy. They invite many people, usually wealthy and leisurely people in Paris, under the guise of raising funds for charity, but in essence, it's no different from a spring outing or picnic.

Chen Lai looked at her: "Will Mrs. Walter go?"

“My mother? Of course, she’s been doing nothing at home lately. My father is sick and has gone to the countryside for recuperation… so I invited her to come out and relax with me.”

"I see." Chen Lai sensed something unusual. He noticed that Mrs. Walter was always eager to meet with him, something that none of the other women in the fencing hall did.

With that in mind, he readily agreed: "I happen to be free that day, Sunday morning, the practice room next to the orphanage in the 6th arrondissement of Paris, right?"

"uh-huh."

"Besides performing, do I need to bring any money with me?"

“No, nothing else is needed except you,” Lorena said with certainty.

……

With his plans for tomorrow in mind, Chen Lai picked up his hat and went home. Tomorrow morning was a performance match to raise funds for the orphanage, and he'd also check out what medicine Mrs. Walter was selling; in the afternoon, he was to meet up with Zhang Long and Absolute Fierce Tiger. Speaking of which, Zhang Long had been acting all mysterious lately…

"Sir, your letter."

A postman rode by on his bicycle and tossed the little blue card to him with remarkable ease.

The little blue stripe, a type of sealed letter popular in Paris, is somewhat like WeChat in the pre-internet era, connecting people through postmen's bicycles.

Chen Lai caught the small blue strip, tore open the seal, and began to read the contents of the letter.

"I'm pretty sure I've discovered the secret of this world... but the secret is huge, and the letter paper is too small to fit it all. Let's talk about it in detail when we meet on Sunday."

"?"

Chen Lai was a bit speechless. He felt that the letter should have been written by Zhang Long... but why didn't he just tell him through a private chat with other players?
You're getting a little too into character.

He folded the letter and stuffed it into his pocket. Chen went upstairs to open the door. The couple downstairs, as usual, had a fight, but that didn't stop him from sleeping soundly.

Deep-sea games are such a miracle. When players' bodies are immersed in a deep-sea aquarium, they can restore their energy simply by sleeping in the game, and the same applies to eating... Those who live unhealthily in the game will find themselves much weaker when they return to reality. Deep-sea games are truly amazing.

The next day was Sunday. Chen Lai got up early, put on his cleanest clothes, put his fencing outfit in his suitcase, grabbed his bag, and went out.

The 6th arrondissement of Paris wasn't far from where he lived, which makes sense given that Rue de la Labour and the orphanage were always close by. However, the wealthy areas—like Rue Constantine—were much farther away.

Chen Lai walked all the way to the orphanage. He was somewhat surprised by the scale of the fundraising event. The beautiful practice hall next to the orphanage was full of horse-drawn carriages, and the noise inside could be heard from a distance.

Upon entering the practice hall, Chen Lai discovered that it was a two-story structure. The first floor had a bar similar to a reception room, where the organizers hired waiters to provide drinks, while the basement was the stage for fencing performances.

They were supposed to be raising money for orphans, but not a single child could be seen... Western charity is just a facade for indulgence.

Without much emotion, after all, he was just invited to perform. As Chen Lai descended the stairs, many ladies who were blocking the way noticed him. They whispered among themselves and then let out a series of ambiguous giggles. When Chen Lai passed by, they fanned him with their fans.

Squeezing past them, Chen Laicai noticed that the basement was actually quite large. The organizers had even laid out ferns, leaves, and flowers, and placed three or four rows of benches among the greenery, enough to accommodate two hundred people to watch the game.

The basement ceiling is lit by gas-fired colored lights and paper lanterns, and the stone walls are quite picturesque under the illumination of these small light sources.

"You're here, Coach York." Lorena waved from the front row bench, fanning herself as she did so, as the basement was too stuffy and the lady was dressed too warmly.

Chen Lai nodded, his gaze shifting slightly to Mrs. Walter beside him. The woman was exceptionally radiant today; her corset was so tight that it accentuated her magnificent upper body, and coupled with the jewelry she had specially chosen, she practically wore "wealth and generosity" on her face.

Mrs. Walter nodded slightly to Chen Lai, giving him a closed-mouth smile, holding nothing but her fan in her hands.

This left Chen Lai even more confused. Had he guessed wrong? Was Mrs. Walter not the "Almond Dew Lady" from that day?
"Go change your clothes quickly. Your swordplay exhibition match with Master Yoda is at the end. This is an opportunity I worked hard to earn for you. If you do well, you can open your own fencing club in Paris!"

Lorena excitedly told Chen that she had indeed pulled some strings to give him this opportunity to become famous.

Chen Lai nodded. Although he had to leave in half a month, he felt Luo Lina's kindness and should do his best in this exhibition match.

The swordplay exhibition match started soon, and some spectators couldn't wait. Coupled with the stuffy heat in the venue, some men began to shout, "We want beer, almond milk, and lemonade!"

The first round of exhibition matches featured some well-known fencers. Their fencing was rather conventional and clearly failed to satisfy the discerning tastes of the audience, resulting in boos. The male voice that had just asked for drinks shouted it again.

The second round of the exhibition match was quite interesting. The organizers were probably shrewd enough to know that the audience would get tired of the same old thing, so they deliberately arranged for two female fencers. The girls they chose were pretty and had big breasts, and their fencing outfits were intentionally made to be female versions so that their backs could be exposed... This did appease the audience.

However, what the organizers might not have anticipated was the stuffy heat of the venue. Even the best performances couldn't keep them from getting thirsty. The men asked for beer, while the women wanted almond milk.

The stairs were packed with people, and the ice water handed to them from above was quickly drunk up by everyone. After all, the basement could only hold 200 people, while the fundraising invitation had reached 500!
(End of this chapter)