There is a scoring system in the game that judges performance based on a player’s skill level during the match. The higher the score, the more points awarded, which is very helpful for climbing the rankings. However, in most high-tier matches, players showing off their flashy skills still occupy the majority, so Qi Yang simply decided to play at his own pace.
Qi Yang scavenged the teaching building for three minutes and found a sniper rifle with 45% durability. Ammo was scarce, but it was enough for him to fire a few shots. He found the highest vantage point in the entire building, preparing to give his opponents a surprise attack from above. He huddled there for three minutes. Just as he was dying of boredom, butterflies unexpectedly fluttered past him. Having seen the butterfly-turned-human before, Qi Yang turned tail and fled that spot, knowing it was already exposed to the enemy’s field of view. Qi Yang abandoned his choice of that high vantage point. The moment he stepped onto the first floor of the teaching building, a violent explosion erupted from one of the classrooms. In a split second, the entire building shook, and before he could react, the building was blown clean away by explosives hidden in the shadows. Qi Yang had already lost consciousness.
Opening his eyes, he was greeted by the familiar bed boards, the familiar classroom, and everything else he knew. The roar of the explosion still echoed in his head, leaving him speechless. The dark-haired man beside him smiled and welcomed his arrival. Qi Yang found it genuinely bizarre. Why go to such persistent lengths to trap him? What was the point? Sudden Temperature Drop: “You didn’t chase me just now, so you packaged up a big surprise for me instead? Do I have to thank you?” Peanut for Me: “You’re welcome.” Qi Yang could only rage impotently; against this overpowered opponent, he truly had no other options. Sudden Temperature Drop: “Big bro, I’m begging you, let me go and let me play a happy game.” Sudden Temperature Drop: “What kind of stunt are you pulling here? This is already the third time. Do you really have to camp out in this room just for me, and only feel happy after taking me down?” Sudden Temperature Drop: “Playing a game isn’t easy. I’m sneaking in a match behind my parents’ backs, so why do you have to target me like this?” Peanut for Me: “Lying is not something a good kid should do.” Feeling somewhat angry, Qi Yang muttered hatefully, “That’s not the point.”
Qi Yang was genuinely exhausted, failing to understand why this inexplicable man wouldn’t let him go. Sudden Temperature Drop: “Tell me, with so many omegas in this world, why do you have to fixate on me? Could it be…” Qi Yang shot a malicious look at Peanut for Me. Peanut for Me replied with an ambiguous gaze, leaving Qi Yang momentarily dazed. Qi Yang thought to himself: Damn it, this face was literally molded to match my exact preferences. It’s impossible to stay mad. I really am not a dedicated player; I shouldn’t be catching feelings over a face. Sudden Temperature Drop: “Looking at you closely, you actually look quite a bit like one of my classmates. But wait! He’s much better-looking than you, and he treats me well and knows how to make me happy, unlike you, tsk.” Qi Yang rolled his eyes at him in disdain. Catching Qi Yang’s random, nonsensical speech out of nowhere, Peanut for Me froze in place for a moment. Time slipped away unnoticed. Qi Yang checked the clock and realized there was simply no way their team could reach twenty kills, and their kill-to-death ratio was still at a disadvantage. That Peanut for Me finally uttered his second sentence: “Take a break, it’s ending soon. It’s a bit of a pity, you lost.” Qi Yang was grinding his teeth in frustration. He couldn’t beat the guy in combat, and verbal attacks were entirely ignored. Qi Yang cursed inwardly: If I were an alpha, would you even stand a chance? Current round system prompt: 15 minutes remaining in the game time. Qi Yang hatched a plan. He walked over to Peanut for Me, who had been standing by the window in an elegant posture from the beginning to the end, with his legs naturally crossed. Qi Yang couldn’t afford to care about that posture anymore. Sudden Temperature Drop: “Since we seem pretty compatible, how about adding each other as friends after the game?” Qi Yang strolled over to him in an almost give-up-caring posture. “We’re going to lose anyway, so we might as well make a new friend. Let’s play together sometime.” The man chuckled lightly. “You certainly have a broad perspective.” Qi Yang’s gaze inadvertently swept past the window, where a spider-like dark shadow flashed by. Without time to overthink, Qi Yang lunged forward straight onto Peanut for Me, who could only embrace Qi Yang in his arms with a bewildered expression. Qi Yang shouted at the top of his lungs, “Spider!” However, Qi Yang used a lot of force, throwing his entire body forward in a lunging motion. The person in front of him lost his balance, and half his body went dangling right out through the window. Pretending to be worried, Qi Yang hurriedly tried to get up off him, but his hand accidentally gave the man a push. Unable to control his body, the man plunged straight down from the third floor. Believing his scheme had succeeded, Qi Yang waited with smug anticipation for the system broadcast. Finally defeating the opposing main carry once was definitely worth celebrating, but the light blue butterfly wings near the window signaled a completely different outcome. Qi Yang’s expression plummeted to freezing point. The man reappeared inside the room, the scent of pheromones dissipating quickly, while the small blue butterflies scattered and vanished into the air, emitting a faint fragrance of butterfly orchids. Landing securely on his feet, the person didn’t forget to tease Qi Yang: “Your waist is pretty slim. Eat more.” His clever plot had failed. Frustrated with himself, Qi Yang began berating himself for losing his mind. The guy can fly, can turn into a butterfly, and I’m crazy enough to push him out of a window only to get hit on anyway. He would never find peace with this campus map.
The match soon concluded with a victory for Peanut for Me and his teammates through their overwhelming dominance. Current round system broadcast: The game has ended, and the settlement panel will prompt automatically. Qi Yang ranked second because his kill count placed second, and his hidden quest was completed. Seeing that Peanut for Me had sent a friend request, Qi Yang clicked accept on an impulse, only to immediately regret it. Why did he add him? Was the guy just here to watch him make a fool of himself? He raised his right hand to eye level, pinched it in a gesture to close out, waited two seconds, and directly exited the game without giving the other person a single chance to send a message. Ultimately, he missed Peanut for Me’s parting remark of “See you later.”
Qi Yang immersed himself in the crushing defeat of losing the match. Even though he placed second in score, the first-place player, Peanut for Me, was the most competitive opponent he had ever encountered in a game, catching Qi Yang completely off guard. He hadn’t even turned on his livestream today, so there shouldn’t have been any fan snipers. Could it be an anti-fan? It was truly bizarre. Qi Yang had originally thought about playing another round since he had nothing better to do, but at that moment, he lost all mood for it. He packed up his equipment, tidied everything away, and returned to his bedroom. Realizing he was about to start boarding at school, he knew his livestreaming would have to take a backseat.
Qi Yang closed the game, went back to his room, and lay down on the bed, pondering his arrangements for tomorrow. For now, he had zero affection for this game and wanted nothing to do with it temporarily. At school, Qi Yang would only have one mission: studying hard, and nothing else. Checking the time, playing this game had left him physically and mentally exhausted. Qi Yang decided not to touch this game for a long time. That Peanut for Me was certainly worth getting to know, though. He seemed like a player with exceptionally strong solo combat capabilities. Maybe he just came to mid-tier lobbies to slum it for fun, which wasn’t any of Qi Yang’s business. Since they crossed paths, Qi Yang figured he had acted a bit hot-headed just now by adding him as a friend only to realize they could only meet during winter break. But waiting for that game was a bit troublesome, and booting up the computer just to reply to messages would be annoying too. Whatever. Consider it a surprise left for his idle account, returning the favor. Just as Qi Yang let his mind wander, unsure of what he was even thinking about, the doorbell at his front door rang. Qi Yang thought with cautious suspicion. He hadn’t ordered takeout, nor had he invited any friends over as guests, so who could be ringing this doorbell? Fortunately, during the years his parents were away, they had installed a pinhole camera at the front door. Only four people knew about it, and it could be checked via a phone app. He picked up his long-forgotten phone. Instead of immediately checking the surveillance app hidden in the corner, he saw a string of WeChat notifications—all messages sent to him by Chu Huaize. Chu Huaize: I baked some small cookies and brought them over for you. Qi Yang: Right now? Are you the one knocking at the door? Chu Huaize: Yes.
Dressed in his little bear pajamas, Qi Yang hurried off to open the door for Chu Huaize. The thought of eating cookies—and freshly baked ones at that—filled him with a warm glow, giving him the comforting feeling of being valued. He just hadn’t expected his neighbor to be completely free of social anxiety. Less than a day of knowing each other, and he was already bringing Qi Yang cookies. Qi Yang practically sprinted out of his room. Opening the door revealed a head of fluffy, straight hair belonging to Chu Huaize. Any awkwardness vanished; from the very first day they met, Qi Yang had felt that Chu Huaize was a great person whom he didn’t find annoying in the slightest.
Qi Yang looked at Chu Huaize with a beaming smile, lowering his gaze to spot the small plate of cookies he was holding.
“I didn’t expect you to be so handy and artistic.”
In Qi Yang’s stereotypical view, most alphas wouldn’t bother researching pastry-making techniques.
Ever since Qi Yang opened the door, Chu Huaize had noticed the little bear pajamas he was wearing. Qi Yang’s current image became instantly even cuter in Chu Huaize’s mind.
Chu Huaize’s cookies had just come out of the oven, and their rich aroma instantly drifted through the air, giving Qi Yang’s quiet home a sudden touch of vibrant living.
Seeing Qi Yang standing there in a daze, Chu Huaize reached out and handed the plate to him. “Just baked these casually when I got home. Picked out a few nice-looking ones to bring over.”
Qi Yang took the plate and said to Chu Huaize, who was inspecting his entryway, “Is there no one else home? If not, come on in and sit for a bit.”
Faced with Qi Yang’s invitation, Chu Huaize naturally accepted the offer to come in as a guest.
However, Chu Huaize ran into a dilemma. It didn’t look like there were any guest slippers placed by the doorway. “Should I just come straight in?”
Qi Yang waved a hand. “No need to change shoes, just come on in. I’m going to mop the floor tonight anyway.” Qi Yang was quite diligent after all; even with no one else at home, he still took care of everyday chores, feeling that keeping things tidy for himself had its own meaning.
Relieved of any burdens, Chu Huaize stepped inside. The furnishings in Qi Yang’s home were very simple; apart from the essential items needed for daily life, there wasn’t a single superfluous thing.
Chu Huaize couldn’t help asking, “Do you live alone?”