“Haha.” Yun Ning chuckled, finding the situation amusing. The boss was truly an eccentric character, having kicked someone out of a pyramid scheme den for eating too much.
The owner of the barbecue stall approached, carrying a large metal tray laden with skewers, his face etched with confusion. “Eh, young lady, I don’t recall seeing you here before. How do you know so much about everything?”
While his memory was generally average, he was certain he would have remembered such a beautiful girl if she had ever visited his stall.
“Hehe.” Huang Xiu offered an awkward laugh. She could hardly admit that she used to frequent this very spot, even sharing skewers and bragging with him, back when she was still a boy.
After a moment’s thought, Huang Xiu employed her ‘invent a friend’ tactic. “My friend comes here often. He told me all about it.”
“Oh, I see!” The boss accepted her explanation without suspicion, placing the heavy tray of skewers on their table.
He then turned and walked away.
****
Just then, a voice, hauntingly familiar to Huang Xiu, suddenly rang out from a short distance away.
“Boss, two bowls of fried noodles, each with an extra chicken drumstick and a starch sausage! To go!”
Huang Xiu’s heart lurched. She instinctively looked up.
Beside the sizzling barbecue grill stood a boy in the No. 1 High School uniform, his face sporting a somewhat goofy expression as he stood with his arms crossed.
It was Shi Lei.
Next to him was another boy, also in the No. 1 High School uniform, with an ordinary appearance.
Seeing that Shi Lei hadn’t noticed her, Huang Xiu’s first instinct was to get up and flee.
But then, a sudden realization struck her.
Shi Lei didn’t know *this* face of hers; he knew her previous, male face.
Feeling a wave of melancholy, she settled back into her seat.
“What’s wrong?” Yun Ning noticed the rapid shifts in Huang Xiu’s expression.
“Is it someone you know?” he asked, lowering his voice.
“An old best friend,” Huang Xiu mumbled, biting her lip. Unhappiness was visibly etched across her features.
She recognized the person beside Shi Lei; his name was Mi Hong, another boy from her class who enjoyed playing games. His skill level, however, was merely average, perhaps Diamond tier. She could easily crush him with one hand.
Before she had left No. 1 High School, their relationship had been merely casual, certainly not as close as it now appeared.
Yet now… they had become inseparable companions, even pulling all-nighters together.
“How annoying,” Huang Xiu muttered, taking a furious gulp of cola.
Her once-inseparable best friend was now eating barbecue and going to internet cafes with someone else.
This was a bitter pill to swallow. Yet, as the initiator of this change, she had no right to complain.
She had started it, after all.
Moreover, she had already left No. 1 High School. It was only natural for others to find new friends to game with.
‘They are a perfect match, a talented man and a beautiful woman. What right does a demon like you have to object?’
This thought inexplicably popped into Huang Xiu’s mind, making her so angry she nearly ground her teeth to dust.
She abruptly turned to Yun Ning, asking earnestly, “Senior Male Student, are we friends?”
“Yes, we are,” Yun Ning affirmed with a nod.
However, their bond felt deeper than mere friendship, which was the easiest connection to forge. They were, after all, fellow disciples.
“Hmph, I have new friends too,” Huang Xiu mumbled softly, then began devouring her skewers with renewed vigor.
Truth be told, she wasn’t entirely sure why she was so upset. She had known in her heart that this day would come.
No feast lasts forever.
After her transformation, she understood that she could no longer be Shi Lei’s best friend for life. She just hadn’t expected it all to happen so swiftly, or that she would witness it from such close proximity.
‘I wasn’t even mentally prepared for this!’
This thought plunged Huang Xiu into an even fouler mood. Her heart felt heavy with frustration, as if all her pent-up negative emotions had erupted at once. She felt weary, unwilling to keep up appearances, and desperate for an outlet.
Huang Xiu set down her skewer, blinking her eyes pitifully as she looked at Yun Ning. “Senior Male Student, after we finish eating, let’s go play games all night at an internet cafe!”
If Shi Lei could find someone to pull an all-nighter with, so could she.
Yun Ning frowned, a hint of difficulty on his face. As an exceptionally disciplined person, eating a late-night snack could be justified as replenishing energy after a battle. But an all-nighter offered no benefits, only harm to one’s body.
Yet, looking at Huang Xiu’s small face, so utterly pleading, almost begging, and those rosy lips stained with seasoning, he found himself unable to utter a refusal. Despite knowing that such an act would detract from his strength, Yun Ning ultimately sighed, tilted his head back, and agreed.
“Alright.”
He rationalized his uncharacteristic decision as a reward for Junior Female Student Huang Xiu’s performance today, a flimsy excuse for his irrational behavior.
“Yay!” Huang Xiu punched the air, her voice intentionally loud.
Shi Lei and Mi Hong, standing near the barbecue grill, had already noticed Huang Xiu and Yun Ning. After all, it was rare to see such a handsome boy and such a beautiful girl in a small place like this.
“She’s much prettier than Fang Miaoging, I wonder if she’s a student from No. 1 High School,” Mi Hong mused, narrowing his eyes, a hint of excitement on his face.
“What are you thinking? If No. 1 High School had such a good-looking girl, it would have been all over the news by now,” Shi Lei scoffed, arms crossed. “And she’s not *much* prettier than Fang Miaoging. Fang Miaoging has an academic aura that adds a lot of points.”
He spoke with the air of a seasoned ladies’ man, as if others simply lacked the appreciation for women. Yet, everyone knew he was all talk, a seventeen-year-old who had been single since birth.
“Speaking of which, they’ve both been in Tiandu for a week now. Their class also participated in Fang Miaoging’s class event, and those two even showed their faces in the group chat, but Huang Xiu barely said a word,” Mi Hong nudged Shi Lei. “You and Huang Xiu are so close; do you chat much these days?”
“It’s fine! We even played games together last time!” Shi Lei’s face lit up when he spoke of Huang Xiu. “Brother Xiu is just too busy, but his gaming skills are still amazing.”
“True. His grades used to be pretty average in class. Now that he’s in Tiandu, if he doesn’t put in some effort, he probably won’t be able to keep up with the lessons,” Mi Hong remarked with a sigh.
He had actually performed slightly better than Huang Xiu in his exams, yet his written test score hadn’t even passed.
Just then, the distant cheer of the young girl pulled their attention back. Looking at the bright and captivating short-haired girl, Mi Hong subtly winked. “How about it? Want to go ask for her WeChat?”
“No, pretty women are too deep; ordinary people can’t handle them,” Shi Lei shook his head. “You shouldn’t go either; you definitely can’t handle her.”
“Your fried noodles and skewers are ready,” the boss announced, handing over the packaged food.
Shi Lei scanned the code to pay. “Let’s go, back to the internet cafe for an all-nighter.”
Having finally gotten a long weekend break, he chose to pull an all-nighter, aiming to climb ranks until dawn.
Carrying their late-night snacks, Shi Lei and Mi Hong returned to the internet cafe and settled back into their previous seats. They unlocked their idle computers and resumed their duo queue to climb the ranks. After a narrowly won game, Shi Lei looked at his Stone Man’s perfect 1/6 score and nodded in satisfaction. He took off his headphones, just in time to hear footsteps behind him.
Two people walked past him in quick succession. Simultaneously, a pleasant fragrance, carried by the gentle breeze they created, wafted into his nostrils.
‘Hmm?’ Shi Lei hummed in confusion. He couldn’t quite place the delightful scent, feeling as though he had encountered it before. Yet, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall where he had smelled this subtle aroma. He instinctively turned his head, seeking its source, and saw the pretty, short-haired girl from the barbecue stall pulling out a chair. She sat down with the boy in a corner nearby.
Seeing Shi Lei’s reluctance to continue, which prevented the game from entering the preparation phase, Mi Hong turned to him, ready to complain. “Start the game! What are you staring at?”
Following Shi Lei’s gaze, he spotted Huang Xiu and let out the most bewildered hum he had ever made. “Hmm?”
“No, seriously, in this day and age, there are still girls willing to come to an internet cafe with their boyfriends?”
He had instantly assumed Huang Xiu and Yun Ning were a couple. This was a normal reaction; most people, including Shi Lei, would think the same at first glance. After all, what ‘good’ person, if not a boyfriend, would be out eating barbecue with someone in the middle of the night?
Noticing his friend still staring intently, Mi Hong teased Shi Lei, “Still looking, still looking? Your eyes are going to pop out!”
Without waiting for Shi Lei’s reply, he sighed wistfully, “Ah, when will I find a girlfriend who’s willing to play games with me?”
“Exactly! Damn it, it’s true. A girlfriend who’s both pretty and willing to come to an internet cafe to play games,” Mi Hong said, clearly envious.
He had once had a girlfriend, but she not only refused to come to internet cafes with him, but she also disliked him playing games at all. Their eventual breakup stemmed from her asking the fatal question that plagues all gamers: which was more important, the game or her?
For any hardcore gamer, this was a no-brainer. How could a single girl compare to a game that hundreds of people had spent years developing? Thus, he had broken up with her without a doubt.
“Just sleep on it; you’ll have everything in your dreams,” Shi Lei joked, snapping out of his daze. He ultimately couldn’t recall the source of the scent and gave up trying to remember. It was too much effort; he decided not to bother anymore. As for the girl, no matter how pretty, what did she have to do with him? He might as well play a few more games!
“Come on, let’s continue the battle!” Shi Lei declared grandly. “If I don’t reach Diamond II tonight, I won’t stop!”
“Then I’m definitely doomed; I still have so many points to go.” Mi Hong feigned a look of utter despair, then continued his rank-climbing journey with Shi Lei.
****
The utterly envious Mi Hong would never have imagined that Huang Xiu’s situation was not a girl accompanying her boyfriend to an internet cafe, but rather Yun Ning accompanying *her*, a girl, to the internet cafe.
At this moment, the internet cafe expert, Huang Xiu, was meticulously instructing Yun Ning, a complete novice who had never set foot in an internet cafe before.
“The power button is on the desk, yes, right here.”
“Alright.” Yun Ning diligently memorized Huang Xiu’s instructions, meticulously replicating each step with the precision of someone performing surgery. “Indeed, his movements are simple and precise.”
“Enter your ID number; the password is the last six digits of your ID.”
Huang Xiu logged onto the computer and opened the game client. Then, a question occurred to her. “Do you have an account?” she asked Yun Ning. “Or, have you ever played League of Legends?”
“No,” Yun Ning replied, shaking his head. “I play very few games. I’ve only played Tetris, Minesweeper, and Snake.”
“Ah!”
Huang Xiu buried her face in her hands. How could they possibly duo queue? Was she supposed to guide Yun Ning from scratch, starting with bot matches?
“Hmph!” She took a deep breath. She would start with bot matches. Since she was the one who had brought him to the internet cafe, she had to take responsibility.
“Junior Female Student, you can play on your own. I can just watch movies on the computer,” Yun Ning offered comfortingly.
“No!” Huang Xiu shook her head, her short hair swaying, revealing her delicate ears.
“We’ll play together. I’ll guide you to conquer League of Legends from scratch,” she declared with earnestness.
“Alright, from scratch it is,” Yun Ning said with a smile, then followed Huang Xiu’s instructions to create an account.
It wasn’t until she was about to log in that Huang Xiu realized a serious problem. Shi Lei was in the row directly behind her. If she logged into her main account here, wouldn’t it easily expose her identity?
‘No!’ Huang Xiu vehemently shook her head internally. ‘Anyway, Yun Ning is using a smurf account, so I might as well open a smurf account too.’
With that thought, she deleted the largely entered account name and switched to a smurf account she rarely used. This time, to differentiate it from before, Huang Xiu didn’t even use her favorite pun-based name. Instead, she chose a very serious, different nickname:
[Tiandu University’s Top Yasuo]
“Excellent, perfectly fits the persona,” Huang Xiu nodded in satisfaction, then glanced at Yun Ning’s nickname. She was genuinely worried that Yun Ning, a gaming novice, might simply input his real name as his in-game name. Surprisingly, there were quite a few people who actually did that.
However, Yun Ning merely played few games; it didn’t mean he was foolish.
[YunDanFengQingA1234]
“Why the ‘a1234’?” Huang Xiu asked curiously.
“Because the name was already taken,” Yun Ning replied, shrugging, indicating his helplessness.
“Alright!”
After both of them completed their respective tutorials, Huang Xiu added Yun Ning as a game friend, invited him to a room, and they began playing bot matches together from scratch. As she played, she shared her understanding of the game and various tips with Yun Ning. He listened intently, memorizing everything meticulously, even asking questions and practicing what he learned. It was as if he were in a classroom.
Huang Xiu, seeing his dedication, taught him with even greater earnestness and effort. As an Awakened individual, his reaction speed far surpassed that of ordinary people, and coupled with his excellent memory, Yun Ning picked up the game incredibly fast. In less than an hour, he transformed from a clueless beginner into a “master” who could kite and last-hit minions.
Seeing such pleasing progress, Huang Xiu and Yun Ning began matching with other players, taking the bottom lane together. She played support, allowing Yun Ning to play ADC. Huang Xiu believed that only by playing ADC, a role prone to frequent deaths, could a League player truly grow quickly. Time quietly slipped away as they finished game after game, their experience bars rapidly advancing. Outside, stars twinkled and shifted in the night sky. Yun Ning had just finished another match.
He exited the game, then mentally reviewed and analyzed the issues from that round. By the time he finished his review, the next game hadn’t even started.
“Hmm?” He turned his head in confusion to look at Huang Xiu. The young girl’s small body was completely curled up in the sofa, her right hand gripping the mouse, her left resting on the keyboard. Her eyes were slightly closed, revealing only a sliver, and her head dipped down only to snap back up, much like a pecking bird at a feeding trough in the Imperial Academy. The internet cafe’s fluorescent lights were not soft; their slightly harsh white glow fell upon the girl’s face, highlighting the fine downy hairs with perfect clarity and making her skin appear even fairer and more delicate. Her soft earlobes, in that moment, resembled works of art, the color of white jade.