“Square towel brother, what do you mean by this?” Peng Sheng and the three students wearing Yinan No. 1 High School uniforms stared at each other in bewilderment for a long time before he finally asked in disbelief.
He had come out tonight to meet a game client who claimed to be a student at Yinan No. 1 High School in person. As for why they insisted on meeting in person right now, it was really because they had been too cautious communicating online, guarding against each other, leaving the trust between them at almost zero.
Therefore, when chatting on the network, they didn’t dare to say anything definitively and just beat around the bush. As a result, after communicating for a long time, not a single piece of useful information came out.
However, given their attitude towards the matter, one side was truly anxious, and the other was simply too curious.
So they discussed and proposed an offline meeting plan, even arranging the meeting location in a public place like an internet cafe. Peng Sheng had even thoughtfully chosen an internet cafe near Yinan No. 1 High School, telling “A Piece of Square Towel” that once they met, he would first take him to play a few games before deciding whether or not to talk about business.
However, at this very moment, Peng Sheng had indeed met the person, but who would tell him why this “Square Towel brother” turned out to be three people!
“Didn’t you want to make friends with students from Yinan No. 1 High School? All three of us are.” Although Zhao Lingfan had a guilty conscience, his thick skin saved him. “Besides, all three of us are classmates with your buddy! Look at which one of us you find pleasing to the eye, and you can talk to that one.”
“Are you guys bullying me because I have no friends? Let me tell you, I can call a whole group of brothers with just one phone call. Wasn’t this supposed to be a 1 on 1 meeting?” Peng Sheng was a bit exasperated.
It was true that he desperately wanted to meet a Yinan No. 1 student who could get close to Shen Ying, but that didn’t mean he wanted this many people to know about it. Besides, if two people came, he could understand it as a precaution against being cheated, but the other party actually brought three.
There were even two boys and one girl among them. When Peng Sheng saw them earlier, he even thought that “A Piece of Square Towel” was actually a girl, which was why she needed to make a big fuss and bring two bodyguards.
“Why is a big man like you so long winded? Are you afraid we’re going to eat you?” Zhou Shuyao said first after listening to Peng Sheng’s headache inducing speech.
“Yeah, don’t you guys know your current lineup is quite terrifying? Why don’t you just leave? Pretend we never met today, and I’ll delete Square Towel brother later. Just pretend I never contacted you.” Finished speaking, Peng Sheng decisively turned his gaming chair around, turned his back to them, and picked up the hanging headset to put it on his head.
Tao Ruiyu was quick witted and stopped him from putting it on, forcibly turning him back around to face them. “Don’t, buddy. Since we’re already here… yes, this matter was Zhao Zhao’s unprincipled move…”
Zhao Lingfan: “Tao Ruiyu!”
“No, don’t blame him. Originally, only he and I came, but we had no choice. We were heard by Sister Yao, this lady right here, and she threatened us that if we didn’t bring her along, we would be expelled tomorrow just for stepping into Yinan No. 1 High School with our left foot. We are truly at the mercy of dark forces, brother.”
Peng Sheng listened to him finish talking as if looking at a fool. “Are you sick in the head? Do you think I’ll believe your ghost stories? But are you guys really students of Yinan No. 1 High School?”
How could people coming out of Yinan No. 1 High School be just as full of nonsense as them? Furthermore, if these few were really Shen Ying’s current classmates, they should all be top students, which completely did not match the image he had imagined.
“Enough, enough. I’d better explain and formally introduce us.” Zhao Lingfan began to explain and formally introduce things to Peng Sheng. “I am that ‘A Piece of Square Towel’, named Zhao Lingfan. This is Tao Ruiyu, and this is Zhou Shuyao. We are all in the same class as Shen Ying. If you’re sure your buddy transferred to Yinan No. 1 High School this Monday, then you haven’t found the wrong person. If you don’t believe us, there’s nothing I can do, and it’s not my fault if you made a wasted trip. But! Since we’re already here, you don’t have to tell me what you want me to help you with, you at least have to play a few games with us. If you don’t want our help, we’ll pay you instead, we can go through the platform.”
Peng Sheng: ??
Alright, this Square Towel brother spoke more clearly and pleasantly after all, living up to being a client who admired him.
“Square towel brother, I didn’t expect your gaming skills to be mediocre, but in reality you are so… outstanding!” Peng Sheng genuinely wanted to compliment him, but for a moment he couldn’t find the right words and added the first sentence, which instead made his sarcasm value max out.
“Go to hell! Goodbye!” Zhao Lingfan turned around to leave as soon as he finished speaking.
“No, no, no, I just don’t know how to speak. Buddy, don’t take offense.” Realizing what nonsense, he had said, Peng Sheng stood up, smiled apologetically, and pulled Zhao Lingfan back. “How about this? I’ll teach you my gaming skills in the future and turn you into a gaming god even more awesome than me!”
“…… Really?” Zhao Lingfan’s expression changed instantly.
“Of cour, ”
“Are you three ever going to finish?” Zhou Shuyao really didn’t have the patience to listen to the three guys babble here. “I came along because I wanted to hear what he had to say. Can you talk about the games after you finish discussing business?”
All three boys looked at Zhou Shuyao at the same time, but Zhou Shuyao only looked at Peng Sheng.
Other than knowing her name, Peng Sheng didn’t actually understand why she had insisted on coming. Zhao Lingfan and Tao Ruiyu obviously came out of curiosity, but what Zhou Shuyao displayed was definitely more than just simple curiosity, and her purpose seemed very clear.
It couldn’t possibly be…
Falling in love with Shen Ying at first sight?!
Zhou Shuyao interrupted Peng Sheng’s guess and said. “I understand your concerns. Don’t tell me, I actually quite appreciate that about you, so I’ll tell you straight up: I came with them not entirely for the sake of your friend Shen Ying. I just want to know if you only found Zhao Lingfan because your friend is currently staying by Jiang Shi’s side and you feel uneasy?”
After hearing this, Peng Sheng switched in a split second to the expression of finally finding a kindred spirit, instantly forgetting all about Square Towel or no Square Towel, and asked excitedly. “How did you know? Are you very familiar with Jiang Shi?”
“Not familiar.” Zhou Shuyao answered resolutely, looking as if she strongly resisted being associated with Jiang Shi.
Peng Sheng: ???
No way, Jiang Shi’s enemy?
“She seems to be a childhood neighbor who grew up with the Identity God.” Zhao Lingfan was very close to Peng Sheng, leaning into his ear and whispering through gritted teeth, “But their relationship really looks pretty terrible. Trust me, her tagging along was truly because we couldn’t overpower her and had no choice. In our class, the Identity God is the hardest to mess with, and Sister Yao counts as the second.”
Food God? Oh, Identity God, the “Shi” from Jiang Shi.
Hearing the nickname from the other’s mouth, Peng Sheng couldn’t help feeling dazed. When Shen Ying used to be a gaming companion, others called him the Food God.
Zhou Shuyao looked at Peng Sheng. “I’ll tell you this much today, you can choose to believe it or not. If you want someone to keep an eye on Jiang Shi’s actions and only find these two, besides providing you with Shen Ying’s actual situation, they are completely useless. But me? Not necessarily. If someone hadn’t asked me to help keep an eye on Jiang Shi, I wouldn’t care what he does with the new student. If you really are a friend of the new student, I don’t mind doing a favor along the way. However, I can’t control Jiang Shi’s actions, but the person who asked me for help can.”
Ding,
Peng Sheng was standing there, his thoughts still in a daze, when a WeChat notification sound pulled his thoughts straight back to reality.
Taking out his phone, he saw it was from Shen Ying.
[Shen Ying]: I came over to the hospital tonight. My grandpa said you’ve come to see him every day after school these past few days. Thanks, buddy. But running back and forth like this is too troublesome. You can just focus on your own business normally. Next time I’m free, I’ll treat you to skewers.
[I am your Grandfather Sheng]: Are you still at the hospital now?
[Shen Ying]: Yeah, but I’m about to leave. My grandpa needs to rest.
[I am your Grandfather Sheng]: Tomorrow is the weekend, are you coming home tonight? I went to your place last night to help you clean up a bit, you can move right back in.
[Shen Ying]: Didn’t go home. I have to go back to Jiang Shi’s place. You don’t need to help me clean up anymore in the future, but I’ll remember this one. Thanks.
The hand Peng Sheng used for typing paused.
Will he not even get to see Shen Ying once a year from now on?
Riding his bike back from the hospital, Shen Ying parked the shared bicycle in the designated parking area near the Yining Community. The time was already a little past ten o’clock at night.
After parking and paying, he leisurely walked toward the community entrance. Just as he approached the front gates, a white car slowly pulled up and stopped in front of them. Shen Ying glanced at the car once and quickly looked away. When his peripheral vision caught someone opening the door and getting out, he instinctively looked over again, and upon seeing who it was, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
“Jiang Shi?”
Jiang Shi, who had just stepped out of the car, seemed to have noticed him long ago, so his gaze had been fixed on him from start to finish, and he quickly approached Shen Ying.
“I thought you weren’t coming back to stay at my place tonight.” Jiang Shi looked at him and said.
“How could that be.” The slight depression Shen Ying had felt just a moment ago was instantly thrown out the window. He looked at Jiang Shi with a full faced smile, “I don’t have anyone at home anyway, and my school bag is still at your place. Don’t worry, if I really have an emergency in the future and can’t come over, I’ll tell you in advance.”
He hadn’t forgotten that he was an “ominous object” and still had to act as a suppression anchor for Jiang Shi, so there was no way he would just ignore Jiang Shi without a word.
“Good.” Jiang Shi answered in a low, gentle voice.
Shen Ying: “Jiang Shi, are you also going out, ”
Before Shen Ying could finish his sentence, he heard another car door open from not far ahead. Looking past Jiang Shi toward the driver’s side, he saw a woman dressed in a business suit stepping out.
Such an elegant person was someone Shen Ying had only ever seen on television, very much like the classic corporate career woman.
“You must be Shen Ying.” Step mother like high heels clicking, Sister Cheng walked up to them with a smiling and beaming face. “Hello there, my surname is Cheng. I am an old acquaintance of Jiang Shi’s… um, well, his mother’s old acquaintance. If you don’t mind, you can call me Sister Cheng just like Jiang Shi does.”
Hearing this, Shen Ying first glanced at Jiang Shi, then looked back at Sister Cheng. “Hello, Sister Cheng.”
“Curious as to how I know your name?” Sister Cheng noticed his subtle reaction and asked with a smile.
“Sister Cheng.” Jiang Shi spoke up at the right moment. “It’s getting late, be careful on your way back. We’re heading up first.”
Hearing this, curious as Shen Ying was, he had enough situational awareness not to ask further, especially since Jiang Shi clearly didn’t want Sister Cheng to continue conversing with him.
Shen Ying was extremely confident in the accuracy of his perception this time.
“Jiang Shi, what are you being shy for?” Sister Cheng didn’t give them the chance to walk away directly, continuing to finish her words to Shen Ying on her own accord. “Actually, Jiang Shi proactively brought you up when we were chatting, saying you were the first friend he wanted to make, but he was unwilling to let me meet you, which made me extremely curious. Running into you here tonight, it seems I’m quite lucky. Seeing you now, I finally understand why Jiang Shi likes you so much, a kid who looks good is genuinely well-liked.”
This fiery and enthusiastic speech made Shen Ying feel unaccustomed and even flustered.
“…… Thank you, Sister Cheng?” Shen Ying had no idea how to respond, anyway, offering thanks was always the right choice.
Sister Cheng was amused by his reaction. “Why are you young people so cute? Your word of thanks almost broke my brain.”
“Sister Cheng, I understand everything you said.” Noticing that Jiang Shi no longer seemed anxious to leave, Shen Ying smiled and said to Sister Cheng, “I also like Jiang Shi very much.”
As soon as those words left his mouth, Jiang Shi, standing right beside him, suddenly clenched and tightened his fingers, fixing a burning, intense gaze on Shen Ying.
As for Sister Cheng, she was stunned for a moment, and the look she gave Shen Ying began to carry the professional habit of trying to deduce authenticity.
Shortly after, Shen Ying added with a smile. “Being able to get to know Jiang Shi and become the first friend he wanted to make is the luckiest thing in my life.”