Chapter 12: Do these two really have to chat like this?
The six-person dormitory appeared slightly empty.
Luo Sifang and the others weren’t there, and the door was slightly ajar, not fully closed.
Laughter and chatter from other dormitories filtered through the crack in the door.
Yun Ci suspected that Yu Xun was deliberately trying to cause trouble while the others were away, and countered, “Why should I accept your request?”
Yu Xun said, “We’re roommates now.”
Yun Ci replied, “So what?”
Yu Xun continued, “I just transferred to a new dormitory. I’m introverted and not quite used to it. So, I wanted to add an old classmate.”
You must be kidding.
You, introverted?
For a moment, Yun Ci was at a loss for words.
“Anyway, it’s fine if you don’t want to add me,” Yu Xun reached into his pocket with his other hand and then took out his phone with one hand. “I just had something to discuss with Teacher Yan, planning to make another call. Ah… and maybe chat a bit about my dorm life. What do you think, Xiao Ci?”
Yun Ci: “…”
A few minutes later.
Luo Sifang, Wang Zhuang, and the others came in one after another, carrying large and small bags.
Luo Sifang called out as he entered, “Guys, Zhuang helped me pick out several outfits!”
He didn’t need to say it; as soon as they walked in, it was clear from the new clothes they were wearing who had chosen them. Each of them had several silver chains hanging around their necks, brightly colored tops, and drop-crotch jogger pants.
They looked so trendy that you might think they all studied street dance.
However, after Luo Sifang finished speaking, he noticed the atmosphere in the dorm was a bit strange.
Only Yu Xun responded cheerfully, “Very stylish.”
Luo Sifang: “Right?”
Yu Xun: “Especially that fluorescent top, it really stands out.”
Luo Sifang: “How about the pants?”
Yu Xun: “Unique cut, not something just anyone can pull off.”
Yun Ci, the former head of dorm 608, was lying silently in the upper bunk, completely covered by a blanket.
Luo Sifang couldn’t see him, only a bed covered by a blanket, so he lowered his voice when speaking, “He went to bed this early?”
Yu Xun was sitting on a chair, resting his chin on one hand.
He was holding his phone, the screen was lit, showing what seemed to be a chat window, and he replied noncommittally, “Maybe.”
Yun Ci, lying in the upper bunk, wasn’t asleep at all.
He was lying under the blanket, holding his phone, which was also lit up.
Two lines of text were displayed on the screen:
[You have added yx as a friend.]
[You can start chatting now~]
The black avatar had appeared on his contact list, and was hard to ignore.
He remembered that in high school, it was always him reporting to Yan Yue.
Back then, Yu Xun gradually stopped using others to pass messages and started showing up himself, lingering by the back window of their class.
“Lao Yan,” he would say, standing in the teacher’s office, “I want to file a complaint.”
Yan Yue: “Complaint about whom?”
Yun Ci: “Yu Xun from Class 7.”
Yan Yue: “And your reason for the complaint is…?”
Yun Ci: “I just don’t like him.”
Yan Yue, unusually, fell silent for a moment, “That’s not a valid reason for a complaint.”
Yun Ci: “Then help me think of one, and get him to leave our building during the next break.”
Yan Yue: “How about this, I’ll make a sign that says ‘Yu Xun is not allowed inside,’ and you can place it at the entrance of the building.”
After saying this, he saw Yun Ci really pondering over the feasibility of this plan. Just as Yun Ci was about to say “that works too,” he roared sternly, “Are you serious? Get back to your class and study. Finish three more competition papers tonight, no sleep until you’re done.”
“…”
Who would’ve thought that after entering university, Yu Xun would become the one who loved tattling.
…
Yan Yue must really like him.
Even after graduation, he still kept him as a key focus.
***
Weekend.
Two days off after military training. Yun Ci originally planned to seek refuge in Li Yan’s dorm.
But he fell asleep late at night, seriously lacking sleep recently, and didn’t wake up until almost noon. When he woke up, he sat up in bed, looking down at the lower bunk, not seeing a certain figure.
The bed below was neatly made, clean and tidy, with only a power bank placed on it, nothing else.
The dormitory was very quiet. Apart from him, everyone else was still in bed, either sleeping or scrolling through their phones.
Yun Ci ran a hand through his hair, sat on the edge of the bed, and opened his phone.
The first message was from the black avatar.
yx: [Went out, not in the dorm. Don’t be too disappointed if you wake up and don’t see me.]
Yun Ci: “…”
He pretended not to see it and quickly swiped away.
The next message was from Li Yan:
[Brother, I’ve contacted everyone I know from Buildings 1 through 6. We’ve got about ten people on our side now. I don’t know how many people Yu Xun has over there, but whenever you need them, just let me know.]
Yun Ci instinctively started typing a reply: “No need.”
They’re in their first year of college, not their first year of high school.
People need to grow up eventually.
If this continues, will he have to gather a group of people to meet someone named Yu after work in the future?
However, before sending it, he hesitated and added two more words in front of “no need.”
yc: [For now, no need.]
Li Yan: [Okay.]
Li Yan: [We’ll be ready at any time.]
Li Yan: [Whenever you two fight, my brother definitely can’t lose.]
Yun Ci quickly skimmed the messages and exited the chat. Then he saw a conspicuous red notification.
Moments: 15 new posts.
He clicked in, and it was all likes on his Moments.
[yx liked your Moments background]
[yx liked your photo]
[yx liked your…]
He didn’t post on Moments often, only occasionally a few times a year. There were shares about World Cup matches, and a photo he posted before a competition, showing a desk cluttered with papers and a clock reading 3:30 AM, with a corner of the desk capturing half of his hand. Further back, there was a post from New Year’s.
On New Year’s, Yan Yue had bought him a red sweater, and he had taken a photo holding a relative’s child, captioned “Happy New Year.”
It was very mundane, very trivial.
He rarely reviewed his Moments and had forgotten most of the content.
But now, in every Moments post’s like section, there was an extra black avatar.
“…”
Even though he wanted to punch someone every day, the ten or so people Li Yan found were not entirely without purpose.
But the atmosphere between him and Yu Xun seemed strangely indescribable.
Yun Ci sat silently on the edge of his bed.
His Moments were polluted.
Might as well delete everything.
“Ci-ge, you’re up?” Across from him, Wang Zhuang noticed Yun Ci sitting quietly on the edge of his bed. “Are you going to the cafeteria? Can you bring me back a meal?”
Yun Ci said, “If I go, I’ll bring you one.”
Wang Zhuang: “Thanks, Dad.”
Luo Sifang joined in: “And me too, I want a meal. Whoever brings me food is my dad for the day! Thanks, Dad!”
“…”
Carrying the expectations of his four “sons,” Yun Ci headed to the cafeteria to get food.
On his way back to the dorm with the food, the dorm group chat was buzzing.
[608 Brothers Group]
Luo Sifang: Dad, where are you now?
Wang Zhuang: Dad, please remember to get me two servings of sweet and sour pork! Two!!!
…
Because of the group chat, his phone kept buzzing.
Every couple of seconds, it buzzed again. But this time, it wasn’t the group chat, it was a private message.
yx: [Bring me a meal]
yx: [A boxed meal from the first-floor entrance, no onions or cilantro, not spicy. I don’t eat lamb or fish. Also, I prefer my soy milk not too sweet, and I like meat-filled buns, not red bean paste.]
Who cares about what you do or don’t eat?
Yun Ci didn’t know how to describe the feeling of his arch-nemesis’s preferences forcing their way into his brain.
Luo Sifang smelled the food and got up from bed, eagerly welcoming his “dad” for the day. But before he could say anything, he saw his “dad” for the day, with a stern face, throw the food on the table and ask, “Do you have your phone on you?”
Luo Sifang: “…I do?”
Yun Ci tilted his chin up slightly: “Take it out.”
Luo Sifang took out his phone and casually asked, “Did your phone run out of battery?”
Yun Ci: “My phone is fully charged.”
Luo Sifang: “…”
Then what’s the deal?
“Open WeChat and click on that black avatar,” Yun Ci said, one hand in his pocket, “Tell him to stop sending me messages.”
Luo Sifang: “……”
Luo Sifang: “Why don’t you just reply to him yourself?”
“If I wanted to reply,” Yun Ci said, “I wouldn’t need to ask you.”
Luo Sifang: “But you two added each other as friends,” he said, glancing at Yun Ci’s phone, “Then what does he count as in your contacts?”
Yun Ci, without a second of hesitation, showing no respect for their three years of high school: “Just decoration.”
Luo Sifang: “…”
Actually, since Yu Xun moved in, Luo Sifang had worried about the dorm’s safety, but it turned out everyone was an adult and there was no need for fights. Surprisingly, Yu Xun and Yun Ci even looked out for the rest of them. However, occasionally, in some subtle ways, they would have subtle conflicts.
Luo Sifang had no choice but to send the message. He didn’t get a reply, but Yun Ci’s fully charged phone did buzz.
yx: [?]
yx: [Oh, so did you bring the food or not?]
Yun Ci: “Tell him to go eat air.”
Luo Sifang, who was caught in the middle: “…”
Do these two really have to chat like this?
***
Classes hadn’t officially started yet, so the weekend felt a bit boring. After lying down for half a day, it was hard to keep lying around. So, after lunch, Luo Sifang, as the dorm leader, extended a cordial invitation to everyone to go out for some team-building.
“Where are we going for team-building?” Wang Zhuang, lying in bed, asked.
Liu Sheng: “At this time, should we just find a restaurant and wait for dinner?”
Yun Ci could guess what Luo Sifang wanted to suggest.
Sure enough, this internet-addicted boy said, “Let’s go to the internet cafe and play some games. Ask Yu when he’s coming back, and we can do a six-man squad.”
Wang Zhuang: “Is this how you lead as a dorm leader…”
Luo Sifang: “Isn’t playing games fun?”
Wang Zhuang: “Fun, so when are we going?”
Luo Sifang displayed his expertise in this area: “Which internet café do you want to go to? I’ve already checked them all out beforehand. Currently, there are three major internet cafés near our school, known as the ‘Big Three.’ Each one has its own unique features and advantages in terms of price, environment, and computer configuration.”
Yun Ci: “…”
Everyone else: “…”
“Whatever,” Yun Ci said, “you choose. If you insist on asking my opinion, my opinion is a five-player team.”
Luo Sifang quickly changed his tune: “Then I guess I won’t ask.”
In the end, Luo Sifang chose one of the ‘Big Three,’ known for its superior configuration. It was hardcore and powerful. The group casually threw on some clothes and headed off campus.
The internet café was near the East Gate. Once you exited the East Gate and crossed a street, you were there. That street was a commercial area, full of various shops, with a constant stream of students from Nanyang University passing through.
Due to the large campus, most people rode bicycles to get around. For the first time, Yun Ci had a peculiar feeling about university—no more bells signaling the end of classes echoing through the high school campus. Instead, the sound of bicycle bells filled the air.
Bicycles, mixed with the wind, passed through tree-lined paths.
The internet café was on the second floor. Following the signs posted downstairs, they walked up a narrow staircase and pushed open the door to find the place packed with students, many of whom had come in groups like them to play games together.
The noise inside the internet café was overwhelming.
It wasn’t until the receptionist said, “Please scan your ID, student,” that Yun Ci realized there was no longer a need to sneak around like in high school, where going to a nearby internet café meant finding a “black internet café.”
Back in high school, Yan Yue had once subjected him to “intense interrogation” at home to uncover the locations of all the black internet cafés. Yan Yue wanted to ambush students on their way to these cafes.
“You’re my son! You need to have a clear sense of right and wrong and not cover for your classmates who are indulging in black internet cafés!” The head teacher was worried and ambitious, saying, “This year, I’m determined to shut down all these dens near the school. Are you going to tell me or not?”
Back then, Yun Ci didn’t want to betray his classmates, and he himself occasionally frequented the black internet cafés: “If you’ve got the guts, go find them yourself.”
Yan Yue: “If I had the guts, I wouldn’t be asking you.”
…
By the time they arrived, there was only one row of seats left in the internet café.
After scanning his ID, Yun Ci deliberately sat next to Luo Sifang in the innermost seat to avoid someone who hadn’t arrived yet.
Leaning against the wall, he casually opened Minesweeper and started playing mindlessly.
Luo Sifang and the others were calling for Yu Xun in the group chat.
[608 Brothers Group]
Luo Sifang: We’re already here @yx
Wang Zhuang: How much longer for you? If it’s quick, we’ll wait until you get here before starting @yx
Liu Sheng: @yx
Peng Yiyuan: @yx
Despite their repeated calls, there was no response from the black avatar.
Halfway through Minesweeper, Yun Ci accidentally hit the mouse, setting off a minefield. Almost simultaneously, his phone, lying nearby, buzzed.
It was a private message from Yu Xun.
yx: Three minutes. Be there soon.
“…”
Yun Ci silently questioned himself as to why he had agreed to come to the internet café with them. Sometimes, people need to be less social.
He knocked on the desk to get Luo Sifang’s attention: “Reply to him and say any issues should be discussed in the group.”
Luo Sifang dutifully passed on the message.
Meanwhile, Wang Zhuang quietly asked, “Damn, how long has this been going on?”
Luo Sifang gave him a calm look.
Wang Zhuang: “Have they been chatting like this all day?”
Numb to the situation, Luo Sifang nodded calmly: “…Yes.”
Hearing this, Wang Zhuang felt a bit numb himself.
Yun Ci, unaware of their conversation, closed Minesweeper and entered the game interface.
This game, called “Endless Glory,” a team-based combat game, had become a sensation during their high school years. It was a sniper game with high playability, but with the busy schedule of senior year, Yun Ci hadn’t logged into his account for nearly a year.
The moment he logged in, he faced over 200 servers and fell silent.
He seemed to have forgotten which server he was on. His account ID was something he had banged out randomly on the keyboard back then.
Yun Ci estimated that it should be somewhere in the middle, so he started checking from server 100, thinking that if he couldn’t find it, he would just create a new account. It wasn’t that important.
However, at that moment, it felt like someone passed behind him.
In an instant, the nerves in his back stood on end.
He felt a slight breeze.
Someone had stopped behind him and then leaned in close, causing the air to stir.
The person stopped behind him and, in a very natural manner, got closer—
Before Yun Ci could react to the presence of someone behind him, his hand on the mouse was firmly pressed down by someone else.
The person’s hand half-covered his own.
A finger rested on the mouse wheel, scrolling the page down and stopping precisely at server 122.
Server 122, named “Stormy Winds.”
Then the hand released the mouse and moved to the keyboard, skillfully typing in a game ID for him: yc1293sdjkce.
After doing this, the person behind him straightened up and, rather cheekily, said, “Sifang, can we swap seats? The seat you left for me affects my gaming performance.”
Luo Sifang: “…?”
Yu Xun continued, “It’s near the aisle, and with people walking back and forth, someone like me who is shy will be too embarrassed to play games.”
For every Ko-fi received for a perticular novel, I will release a new chapter!
Too thick skinned… hahhaha