Chapter 39

Jing Huan snapped out of his thoughts and was about to greet them when Lu Wenhao beside him stood up first.

“Brother Lu? What a coincidence, what are you guys doing here?” Lu Wenhao looked them up and down. “Your clothes… why are you all wet?”

Lu Hang sighed, flicking rainwater off his bangs. “Don’t even ask. We were hiking when this sudden downpour hit… Tried driving down but the rain was so heavy we couldn’t even see the road, so we had to take shelter here.”

Lu Wenhao: “The weather forecast said it was going to rain these days. Why did you guys choose to go hiking at this time?”

Lu Hang: “Didn’t check that thing.”

Jing Huan pulled a few tissues from the table and handed them to Xiang Huaizhi: “Senior, here, wipe yourself.”

Xiang Huaizhi took them: “Thank you.”

Lu Hang glanced between the two of them: “Do you two know each other?”

Lu Hang had heard of Jing Huan before. Jing Huan was somewhat famous at their school, with many girls from their department going to watch this junior play basketball.

“We’ve met before,” Xiang Huai said.

Gao Zixiang introduced them: “Huanhuan, this is also our senior, Lu Hang. He shares a dorm with Senior Xiang—the one I met at the player meetup. Senior, this is Jing Huan, our roommate.”

“I know, I’ve heard about it before,” Lu Hang asked eagerly. “You guys talked about me? What did you say?”

“They said you’re really good at playing Nine Heroes,” Jing Huan also handed a tissue to Lu Hang.

“Thanks,” Lu Hang wiped the water off his arm. “You play Nine Heroes too? Which server? You seem pretty good with the Fox Immortal Cave—comparable to our team’s Fox Immortal Cave player.”

Jing Huan shook his head. “I used to play, but I quit a few years ago.”

“Senior, does your team also have a Fox Immortal Cave?” Lu Wenhao asked curiously. “How is it? How strong is it?”

Gao Zixiang replied, “Don’t ask. If you ask, they’re all stronger than you.”

Lu Wenhao snapped, “Can you stop mocking me for once?!”

Lu Hang chuckled, seemingly recalling something, “Our team’s Fox Immortal Cave…”

He tilted his chin, pointing at Xiang Huaizhi, “Incredibly skilled, especially when it comes to his…”

Xiang Huaizhi asked considerately, “Still want to get drenched in the rain?”

Lu Hang shut his mouth.

For some reason, Jing Huan couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

The back of his neck felt sore and numb, which was uncomfortable.

From now on, he shouldn’t wear headphones while gaming, he thought. Otherwise, he might start hearing every voice as if it were Heart’s Desire, and that would be a disaster.

“Bro Lu, are you guys here to go online?” Lu Wenhao asked. “Or do you also stay at this resort?”

“No, our hotel is in the city. We booked too late, so this resort was already fully occupied.” Lu Hang glanced around. “Who knows when the rain will stop? Heard there’s an internet café here, so we came to kill some time.”

The computers in the internet cafe were arranged in rows of four. On their row, only one seat beside Jing Huan was vacant, which was not enough for both of them.

However, the four seats at the other end of the row were empty.

“Alright, you guys play. We’re going to log in,” Lu Hang said, then naturally walked over to the other end and turned on the computer.

Xiang Huai-zhi glanced around and sat down opposite Jing Huan.

Jing Huan put on his headphones and started another round of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

Three male companions were chattering nonstop in the headphones. Jing Huan’s game character sat in the car, requiring no operation, so his gaze unconsciously drifted to the hand holding the mouse—Xiang Huai Zhi’s.

Xiang Huai Zhi had large palms, and his slender fingers enveloped the entire mouse, making it impossible not to steal a few extra glances.

Just as Jing Huan had seen enough and was about to look away, Xiang Huai Zhi suddenly tilted his head and, from across the two computers, casually asked, “What are you looking at?”

Caught peeking, Jing Huan didn’t feel the least bit embarrassed.

He took off one headphone and smiled, “Senior, your hands are really big, and your fingers look nice too.”

As soon as Jing Huan finished speaking, intense gunfire came through the headphones. He quickly pulled his head back and put the headphones back on. “I’m here, I’m here. I was just talking to a friend… Which point has enemies? OK, I see it.”

After hearing this random compliment, Xiang Huaizi curled the corner of his mouth slightly, then straightened up and logged into the game.

Lu Hang: “Shall we run a dungeon? Let’s do a simple five-player one. Is Xiao Jingjing around? I see her character idling in Penglai Wonderland…”

Huai Zhi didn’t check the friends list and said directly, “Not online.”

He had been online for two minutes and hadn’t received any messages from friends, so she must not be at the computer.

“Alright, come to the main city, I’ll find a random player.”

After winning three chicken dinners in a row, Jing Huan felt it was rather dull and dismissed the three players who had been playing with him.

He leaned back in his chair, propping his chin on his hand as he watched Lu Wenhao tackle the dungeon.

“Go claim the artifact,” came Lu Hang’s voice from the other side. “After you get it, we’ll meet at the teleporter.”

Xiang Huai Zhi: “Mm.”

Their conversation was brief, but the more Jing Huan listened, the more distracted he became, his attention completely drifting away from Lu Wenhao’s screen.

That voice and that way of speaking… it was uncannily similar.

The phone buzzed softly, jolting Jing Huan back to reality as he quickly pulled it out and unlocked it.

Chichi: So? Aren’t tampons the most magical things in the world?

Xiao Jing: ……

Xiao Jing ya: I haven’t used them yet…

Chichi: What, hasn’t it come yet? You’re not having irregular periods, are you?

Jing Huan covered his face, wondering when this topic would finally be over.

He really couldn’t bring himself to happily discuss… these kinds of things with a girl.

Xiao Jing ya: No… I haven’t even tried the hot springs yet.

Chi Chi: Oh, okay. This treasure was actually recommended to me by a friend when I was traveling before, and I’ve loved it ever since.

Jing Huan gripped his phone and suddenly thought of something. He straightened up and quickly started typing—

Xiao Jing: Chichi, where are you now?

Eat Eat: Huh? I’m in a dungeon.

Xiao Jing: No, where are you right now?

Chi Chi: …At home, what’s up?

Xiao Jing Ya: Is your family by any chance in the resort business in Mancheng?

Chi Chi: …What nonsense are you talking about? I’m from Jiangcheng. If my family owned a resort, would I still have to go to work every day and put up with this idiot boss?!

Jing Huan stared at her reply, breathed a slight sigh of relief, and suddenly found it amusing.

There are so many similar voices in this world—he must be crazy to think the girl he just met was Chichi.

The five of them stayed at the internet café until dinnertime. Outside, the rain was still pouring heavily, with many cars turning on their hazard lights and driving into the resort’s parking lot to take shelter.

After checking the situation, Lu Hang came back and said, “This rain is heavier than the day Zhao Wei asked her dad for money.”

Jing Huan corrected him, “That was Yiping.”

“It’s all the same.” Lu Hang sighed, “What the hell are we supposed to do? A rare vacation, and I have to spend it eating instant noodles and sleeping in an internet cafe?”

Xiang Huaizhi glanced at the menu on the screen: “It’s not that bad. This internet cafe sells combo meals.”

Lu Wenhao checked the weather forecast: “This rain might last until tomorrow. Even if it stops tonight, the mountain roads will be pitch black and slippery. Would you dare drive down?”

“What else can we do? Drive slowly, I guess. I really can’t stand sleeping in these chairs anymore.” Lu Hang stretched his body. “And I just asked—there are no empty rooms here, not even a spot in the lobby to sit.”

Gao Zixiang suddenly thought of something: “Hey, Lu-ge, why don’t you guys go sleep in our room?”

Everyone was taken aback by this suggestion.

“Right,” Lu Wenhao agreed. “We booked two rooms, so there’s definitely enough space.”

Jing Huan had only just thought of this as well: “Mine is a double room, so it can fit one more person.”

Lu Hang was somewhat surprised, as he wasn’t really that familiar with these juniors, having only exchanged a few words with them at a player meetup.

“Would that be convenient?”

Lu Wenhao laughed: “Of course it’s convenient. We’re all men, what’s the issue?”

Lu Hang glanced at his roommate, raised an eyebrow, and sent out a questioning signal.

Huai Zhi Xiang wasn’t accustomed to sharing a bed with others, especially with strangers he had just met.

But truth be told, the chairs at this internet café were of poor quality, leaving his whole body sore after sitting for too long. Plus, his clothes still carried a faint damp smell from the rain, which was quite unpleasant.

“Come on, senior,” the boy sitting across from him suddenly leaned forward, eyes curved into a smile as he warmly invited him. “Consider it repaying you for saving me earlier.”

    ——

The elevator stopped on the twentieth floor. Huai Zhi Xiang followed Jing Huan out as they stepped into the hallway.

“Then I’ll take Senior to shower and change clothes first.” Jing Huan glanced at his watch. “Meet at the restaurant at seven?”

Lu Wenhao: “OK.”

Xiang Huaizi stood beside him, suddenly feeling like a kindergarten kid just out of school, about to be picked up by Jing Huan.

When they reached the room, Xiang Huaizi finally realized the problem.

“I didn’t bring any clothes,” he said.

“It’s fine,” Jing Huan pointed to the wardrobe. “You can wear a bathrobe for now. After you shower, we can dry your clothes and you can change into them.”

Xiang Huaizhi pressed his lips together. Given the current limited conditions, this was indeed the only option left.

He nodded. “Alright.”

After the person went into the bathroom, Jing Huan hugged his laptop and sat on the sofa. Seeing that Heart’s Desire wasn’t online, he leisurely opened the private messages he had received while AFK.

Autumn Maple had sent him a few greetings. Jing Huan thought for a moment and simply continued pretending to be offline, not replying.

Spring Xiao had also sent him a message, saying they had distributed the rewards for the dungeon’s first kill and reminding him to collect his share from the guild vault.

Jing Huan replied with an “OK,” then operated his Little Fox Fairy character, hopping and skipping as he teleported into the guild.

[Guild Announcement: Little Sweet Scene has received a 100 gold guild reward for “First Clear Dungeon Bonus!”]

[Guild] Autumn Maple: ?

[Guild] Autumn Maple: [Crying] You actually ignored my message…

Damn, he forgot that claiming rewards would show up in the guild announcement.

[Guild] Sweetie: I just got back, didn’t mean to ignore you >.<

[Guild] Autumn Maple: Wanna do the dungeon then? Quicksand River instance. Those Heart’s Desire guys ran it this afternoon. If you don’t come, I’ll have to pug it alone.

Heart’s Desire was online this afternoon?

He’d sent Heart’s Desire a message this morning, to which the other replied about going hiking today, and they hadn’t spoken since.

Jing Huan thought for a moment, opened WeChat, and sent a message over.

When Xiang Huaizhi came out of the bathroom, Jing Huan was sitting cross-legged on the sofa with a laptop on his lap, typing away noisily.

Jing Huan was paler than most boys, and the pair of calves peeking out from under his pants stood out even more against the brown sofa.

Xiang Huaizhi inexplicably recalled that thigh photo of Sweet Little Jing.

In just a few seconds, he shook that image out of his mind: “I’m done showering. Are you going?”

Jing Huan stared at the chat interface that hadn’t received a reply for a while and responded with an “Mmm,” saying, “Going right now.”

Xiang Huai-zhi didn’t pay it much mind. He walked to the bed, casually picked up his phone, and saw several unread WeChat messages.

Xiao Jing ya: Did you finish climbing the mountain, gege?

Xiao Jing: Brother, are you running dungeons this afternoon?

Xiang Huaizhi moved his fingers and replied with an “Mhm.”

“Ding—”

The moment the WeChat notification tone suddenly sounded from the computer Jing Huan was holding.

Xiang Huaizhi glanced in the direction of the sound and quickly averted his gaze.

A few seconds later, his phone vibrated in his palm.

Xiao Jing ya: [I’m crying so loud] Why didn’t you call me for the dungeon, brother…

Xiang: You weren’t online.

“Ding—”

The moment he sent the message, another chime came from the other end of the sofa.

Xiang Huaizhi couldn’t help but look up, just in time to see Jing Huan tap a few keys on the keyboard and then press Enter.

At the same time, his phone vibrated again.

Xiao Jing: You can call me on WeChat QAQ

Xiang: Next time.

“Ding—”

Xiang Huaizhi: “…”

Xiao Jing: Okay, big brother, are we still doing the arena tonight?

Xiang Huaizhi hesitated for a moment before tentatively typing.

Xiang: No.

“Ding.”

Xiang: Busy.

“Ding.”

Xiang: Can’t make it.

“Ding.”

Xiang Huaizhi held his breath slightly, listening to the sound of keyboard strokes from the other end of the sofa.

The moment the keyboard sounds ceased, his phone vibrated again.

Xiao Jing ya: Ahhh!!! Big brother replied to me three times in a row!!! [rolling around excitedly]

Xiang Huaizhi exhaled deeply, then opened the emoji panel and randomly tapped three to send.

Xiang: [Hug]

Xiang: [Rose]

Xiang: [Kiss]

“Ding—Ding—Ding—”

Xiang Huaizhi: “…”

He slowly raised his head, his gaze extremely complicated, looking like he had something to say but stopped himself as he stared at the person sitting on the couch.

Jing Huan stared in shock at these three emojis, suspecting that Lu Tiaotiao was fooling around again.

Sensing the gaze coming from the bedside, he looked up and blinked in confusion: “What’s wrong, senior?”

Xiang Huaizhi frowned, staring at the computer on his lap for a long while before barely managing to squeeze out a sentence: “…It’s nothing.”

Author’s Note:

Xiao Tianjing’s way of repaying kindness.