A Milk Tea Date

The day after the New Year, Lin Xiu came to find Jian Yixun to discuss something.

Jian Yixun had already refused his basketball invitations several times, and Lin Xiu couldn’t stand his captain being so immersed in something else.

He insisted on calling him out, mainly because he was dying to gossip about his current sexual orientation.

When the call came, Jian Yixun was playing Jianghu Dream with Xu Shuche.

The game’s anniversary event happened to overlap with the New Year, perfectly encouraging players to log in and grind.

Actually, Jian Yixun hadn’t participated in anniversary events for a long time.

He had always been the type of player who believed the only thing worth doing in the game was spending money.

After topping up, he would log off, never wasting time on side content.

But when Xu Shuche said he would take him through the anniversary tasks, he agreed without hesitation.

Every year, Jianghu Dream played the nostalgia card—releasing the original theme song and emotional videos to lure players back.

The servers were packed, and even finding NPCs to turn in quests was difficult.

Yet Jian Yixun didn’t feel annoyed.

Instead, it felt completely different from how he used to play.

For the first time, he experienced the feeling of starting fresh.

Although he still spent some money, it was only lightly.

He secretly transferred resources from his main account to his alt, just enough to reach the level needed for dungeon scaling.

When Xu Shuche first took him to try level-scaling dungeons, he carefully taught him every step—how to start bosses and adjust difficulty.

Jian Yixun, despite being a heavy spender, had never experienced this before.

His class was fragile but had an invisibility skill.

Although his mechanics weren’t great, the skill prevented him from messing up.

They cleared the dungeon smoothly.

Jian Yixun secretly let out a breath and asked with a hint of excitement,

“Senior, how did I do?”

“Pretty good.”

Xu Shuche had prepared to carry the run, but Jian Yixun succeeded on his own.

“For your first time, that’s already impressive.”

“Many people fail several times before understanding it.”

“What else can we play?”

Jian Yixun asked eagerly.

This time, there was no pretense—he genuinely found it fun.

It was a completely new gaming experience for him.

When Lin Xiu called again, Jian Yixun was fighting the New Year Beast boss with Xu Shuche.

The fight required both damage output and rhythm-based mechanics.

His phone kept vibrating, causing him to miss a perfect combo.

Annoyed, he picked up the call.

“If you don’t answer, I’m calling the police.”

Lin Xiu sounded furious.

“I sent you ten messages!”

Jian Yixun apologized to Xu Shuche and replied,

“Stop yelling. What do you want?”

“Come out. The team needs to discuss something.”

Lin Xiu’s tone was still irritated.

“Wake up, captain. Stop being so obsessed.”

“Go out? Where?”

After asking, Jian Yixun turned to Xu Shuche.

“Senior, where should we go?”

Xu Shuche put down his mouse.

“You guys go. I’ll stay home.”

“That won’t do.”

Jian Yixun leaned lazily beside him.

“I saw a Jianghu Dream-themed milk tea shop nearby. Let’s go there and talk.”

On the fourth day of the New Year, some companies had already resumed work.

Xu Shuche planned to wake up early, but Jian Yixun stopped him.

“He won’t arrive that early.”

Still half-asleep, Jian Yixun tugged his sleeve.

“Stay a bit longer.”

Xu Shuche sighed and got ready first.

Only then did Jian Yixun get up, yawning.

Lin Xiu called again to make sure he wouldn’t be stood up.

Jian Yixun impatiently brushed him off.

The themed milk tea shop was located in the busiest commercial street of the city.

Even during the holiday, it was crowded.

As they crossed the street, Lin Xiu called again.

“Where is this place? Are you messing with me?”

“I’m not. It’s obvious. We’re almost there—just follow navigation.”

In reality, it was indeed hard to find.

Xu Shuche suggested sharing the location.

But Jian Yixun didn’t want Lin Xiu to arrive too quickly.

He suspected Lin Xiu just wanted to pry into his private life.

“What do you want to drink?”

Jian Yixun scanned the menu.

The drinks had normal flavors but were named after in-game skills.

Xu Shuche shook his head.

“I don’t know. You choose.”

Jian Yixun nodded and secretly asked his guild group for recommendations.

Everyone enthusiastically replied.

One recommended “Xiaoyao You,” saying it was refreshing.

Another argued for a different drink, and soon they started arguing.

Eventually, they decided to settle it in-game.

Jian Yixun felt they were unreliable and just ordered two of the most expensive drinks.

As soon as he finished ordering, Lin Xiu burst in.

Cosplayers stood at the entrance greeting players.

But seeing Lin Xiu’s expression, they wisely stepped aside.

“Jian Yixun.”

Lin Xiu sat down across from him, looking murderous.

“I want to strangle you. Why did you bring me to an anime-style milk tea shop?”

“It’s not anime—it’s a game collaboration shop.”

Jian Yixun corrected him and handed over the menu.

“You order. I’ll pay.”

Lin Xiu didn’t hesitate and picked the most expensive drink.

After greeting him, Xu Shuche quietly said,

“You two talk. I’ll look around.”

After he left, Lin Xiu got straight to the point.

“I’m really curious—are you gay now or not?”

Jian Yixun leaned back.

“What do you think?”

“I think you are.”

Lin Xiu smirked.

“You beat up the external affairs minister for him and even brought him home for New Year.”

“Why not just come out to your family already?”

“I’m not.”

Jian Yixun frowned, sounding irritated.

“I just want to take care of him.”

“I don’t feel this way about other guys.”

“If that counts as being gay, isn’t that too narrow-minded?”

Lin Xiu looked thoughtful.

“So…”

“I don’t know.”

Jian Yixun sighed.

“I just feel happy doing things with him.”

“We’ve known each other less than half a year, but it feels like fate.”

“Let’s just take it step by step.”

“He doesn’t like anyone right now, and I don’t understand my own feelings.”

“We’re just… good friends.”

But what kind of “good friends” bring someone home for New Year and go out of their way to make them happy?

Lin Xiu didn’t expose him and changed the topic.

“About the sponsorship issue—you beat up that department head, and now he’s blocking the contract.”

“What should we do?”

“Tell her not to worry. I’ll handle it after school starts.”

Jian Yixun frowned.

“Just a sponsorship, and he’s acting like it’s something big.”

As he muttered, his phone suddenly vibrated.

“Jian Yixun, they’re selling game merchandise here,” Xu Shuche sent.

“Do you like this rabbit? I can buy it for you.”

Jian Yixun opened the picture.

A slender hand held a fluffy rabbit plush chewing a carrot.

His irritation disappeared instantly.

Smiling, he typed back,

“I like it. I want it. Thank you, senior.”