She silently covered her earpiece, feeling utterly dead inside.
Chu Yao didn't want to answer his question, but still said, "You came later."
Given that Chu Ying had declared herself the legitimate eldest sister, it was obvious she was the empress.
By that logic, every single one of them had known her longer than Zhou Wenshi had.
That statement rendered Zhou Wenshi silent.
Dorm 504, male building.
Feng Yao finished showering, walked out bare-chested in baggy shorts and flip-flops, rubbing his hair dry with a towel as he made his way back from the bathroom. Passing Zhou Wenshi, he noticed the man was turned sideways toward him, radiating a cold, aloof aura, his back view clean and handsome—the kind of silhouette that screamed "good-looking guy" at first glance.
Authority needed no words.
When Zhou Wenshi walked through the male dormitory, girls would secretly steal glances at him from behind, never daring to ask for his contact info.
He, too, had never shown any interest in the opposite sex.
Many people suspected Zhou Wenshi might be gay, but no one dared ask—they could only speculate in private.
A University's universally acknowledged heartthrob, with a head-turn rate that was off the charts.
Every time they went out together, in everyone's eyes, only Zhou Wenshi existed.
Logically speaking, a guy this gorgeous shouldn't have much to worry about.
Good grades, good looks, and a body… tsk, no need to elaborate—he was equally authoritative in every other aspect too.
Feng Yao had never met anyone smoother than Zhou Wenshi.
And yet, even this kind of gorgeous guy could be in a bad mood?
Feng Yao elbowed his roommate Chen Ping and went, "Hey—what's up with him?"
Chen Ping was in the middle of an intense gaming session, keyboard nearly sparking from the frantic clicking. At the most heated moment of the team fight, Feng Yao's elbow caught him, startling him: "Holy shit, who's that! I'm mid-team-fight up top!"
His character died on screen. Chen Ping slammed the mouse down, face flushed with rage, seething with a death smile: "You'd better have a good reason for this."
Feng Yao pointed at the clean-cut silhouette on the balcony: "See that? Our gorgeous guy's got something on his mind."
Chen Ping went "Huh?" and raked a hand from his forehead to the back of his head, hair sticking up in a mess. Irritated, he said, "Wasn't he on a voice call earlier, all sweet and flirty? That was a rare sight—never seen him like that. How could he be in a bad mood? Can't be lovelorn, right?"
"If you believe that, you might as well believe I'm Qin Shi Huang."
Feng Yao's expression was dead serious. Chen Ping paused, the rising anger gradually fading. He glanced toward the door, then back at Feng Yao's eyes, and said hesitantly, "You're for real?"
Feng Yao: "What else? You think I've got nothing better to do?"
Chen Ping had no choice but to set down the game and go see what the gorgeous Zhou was actually brooding about—his whole aura had gone deflated.
"Bro," he started, reaching to put a hand on Zhou Wenshi's shoulder for a heart-to-heart, only to be dodged. Zhou Wenshi gave off a cold, distant vibe of "don't touch me."
Chen Ping's hand hung in midair: "…" Right, he'd forgotten about Zhou's many quirks. Serves him right for being so handsy.
Zhou Wenshi pressed the mute button: "Something?"
Chen Ping withdrew his hand as if nothing had happened: "Dog Yao said you're lovelorn, sent me to comfort you."
Zhou Wenshi frowned: "If you can't talk properly, don't talk at all."
Chen Ping: "…" Hey, you—
Chen Ping: "I was wasting my time worrying about you. Dog Yao really fed me false intel."
Chen Ping turned around and started beating on Feng Yao, the dorm filling with yelps.
Zhou Wenshi unmuted himself, but Chu Yao had already hung up.
【Yao】: 【Puppy tilting head?】
【Yao】: What's going on over there? It suddenly went quiet? If you're busy, I'll hang up first, okay?
Zhou Wenshi: "…"
He typed: Something came up just now, my roommate came over.
Chu Yao didn't reply.
He turned and walked back into the dorm, dragging his two roommates into a "friendly exchange."
Feng Yao silently flipped them both off.
No humanity!
Zhou Wenshi continued staring at the chat interface. Chu Yao still hadn't replied. "…"
He lowered his eyes, lost in thought.
Even the sunlight seemed to favor him, casting flattering light that only accentuated his features, laying the foundation for his cold, otherworldly aura—like a banished immortal. Even in silence, his appearance alone commanded attention.
Chen Ping glanced outside and found it blinding.
Let Zhou Handsome brood on his own—what girl wouldn't fall for that act of his?
Sometimes, he really thought Zhou was putting on airs.
Chen Ping couldn't help but ask, "Need some relationship advice?"
Zhou Wenshi only gave him a look, which reignited Chen Ping's irritation.
"…Waste of my concern."
Keep acting all cool. Wait until you hit a rough patch in love—then you'll see how valuable I am.
Zhou Wenshi: "Thanks."
Chen Ping: "…" Actually, sometimes Zhou Handsome wasn't that pretentious. He was still quite sincere.
Dorm 703, girls' building.
Chu Yao glanced at the time—it was 50:16. She was again amazed at how long they'd been chatting, letting out a soft hiss: "It really does add some favorability.""
Zhang Xiuli leaned over: "So, what happens next?"
With the story in play, Zhou Wenshi wasn't even appealing anymore. The academic prodigy was too far out of reach; Chu Yao's story was what mattered—instant gratification the moment she heard it. Zhang Xiuli smiled eagerly, cupping her face and acting cute.
"Good Chu Yao, just tell me already."
Chu Yao found it amusing: "That hooked?"
Zhang Xiuli looked at her with pleading eyes: "Have some pity on me, won't you?"
Cheng Yunxiu wandered in with a cup in hand: "Ooh, stealing my line?"
A flick landed on Zhang Xiuli's forehead.
Zhang Xiuli just kept playing the victim, whining pitifully: "A'Yao, look how pitiful I am. I desperately need a story to fill me up."
Chu Yao: "Alright, alright. I'll tell you."
Zhang Xiuli cheered: "Yes!"
The second half that Zhou Wenshi never got to hear, Zhang Xiuli finished first. She left the balcony completely satisfied, strutting with pride like a spirited little peacock: "So satisfying."
That evening, Chu Yao saw the message Zhou Wenshi had sent her at noon.
12:10
[Male Lead]: Busy?
[Male Lead]: [Bubble]
Oh wow, eight hours had already passed.
She rarely used WeChat—she used another app more often. Unless necessary, she basically never opened WeChat. It was only because she remembered to check if anyone had messaged her that the male lead wasn't left waiting alone until tomorrow.
Chu Yao: [Sorry] I haven't been checking WeChat.
[Male Lead]: No worries.
Having considered that explanation sufficient, Chu Yao exited WeChat and picked up her major course textbook.
This semester had quite a few classes—not many major courses, but plenty of electives. It was busy, but not overly so, leaving a decent amount of free time.
She planned to focus on her major courses first and figure out the rest in her spare time.
New scheduling ideas would always come up eventually. Chu Yao wasn't in a rush.
She didn't like over-planning—it made things dull. Life should be like opening a blind box: carving out a path through uncertainty.
The seniors were recruiting for clubs and organizations, but she didn't plan to sign up for any. Nothing caught her interest.
After reviewing for an hour and self-studying for another, Chu Yao felt fulfilled. Huang Chuying pulled her into a game.
Chu Yao didn't hesitate: Logging on.
[Male Lead]: ?
As Chu Yao was booting up the game, she accidentally opened WeChat and spotted the male lead's message.
Chu Yao: Sorry, sent to the wrong person.
The male lead clearly didn't play this kind of game, and Chu Yao hadn't thought about pulling him into it, but Zhou Wenshi obviously thought otherwise.
【Male Lead】: What game?
Chu Yao typed in the game name.
【Male Lead】: Wait for me.
【Male Lead】: 【Screenshot】
He was downloading it, and his internet speed was pretty fast.
Chu Yao: I'll start a match with Chu Ying first, we'll steamroll the enemy in six minutes, you can join the next one.
The timi sound had already gone off, and the moment Chu Yao came online, she was pulled into a room by Huang Chuying.
Huang Chuying let out a whoop: "Duo queue's up, my backup's here, gah gah gah, I'm playing Yao today, don't you dare fight me for her."
Whenever they played together, she was always especially obsessed with playing Yao, playing Yao, and playing Yao again, practically welding Yao onto herself.
Chu Yao: "…Fine, you can play her this round. I want to steamroll the enemy early, follow me at the start."
Huang Chuying caught a whiff of something different, crossed her arms, leaned against the wall, and teased: "Ooh la la, who's coming later?"
She giggled: "You're not even fighting me for Yao anymore, how boring. It's no fun when nobody competes. How many minutes are you finishing in?"
Matchmaking succeeded, and they entered the hero selection screen.
Huang Chuying pulled out her gold-badge Mulan, Chu Yao picked Mirror, and at the start of the game, she went straight to steal the enemy's buff.
The enemy jungler could only helplessly and pathetically start with the small camp, and the result was that the other buff was gone too.
That jungler broke down: Are the enemies even human? I'm falling apart here, right?
After Huang Chuying hit level four, she went straight to blowing up her lane. Four minutes into the game, the enemy jungle had already been completely ravaged by Chu Yao, like she was at an all-you-can-eat buffet, starting a square-pattern jungle clear.
Wherever she passed, nothing was left behind.
The enemy jungler ran the moment he saw her.
The enemy's two carries only had to glance at her for a second before being casually harvested.
In the canyon, the two carries lay on the ground, weak and helpless, and the support who tried to save them was taken down by her as well.
In just four and a half minutes, Chu Yao went straight to godlike.
The two carries on her team watched their two big bosses go on a rampage through the entire match, completely dazed.
So this was the joy of being carried?
Their own Yao player saw that she was a big shot, decisively abandoned the marksman, and perched on top of Chu Yao's head.
Chu Yao took her along to get kills, and Yao showered her with praise left and right. Amid the banter, assists +3.
The enemy team wanted to surrender, but the button hadn't even lit up yet, and they were all crying without tears.
Why did this game feel so long?
The enemies were here to smurf, weren't they? QAQ
They were about to be destroyed so badly they couldn't even live their lives anymore, wuwu.
The match ended at exactly six minutes, not a single second more.
Gold MVP was naturally taken by Chu Yao.
The male lead finally finished downloading and came online. Since a new account couldn't queue directly, he asked about the rank and borrowed an account.
【Male Lead】: Invite me.
After Chu Yao saw it, she searched the ID, added him as a friend, and pulled him in.
Huang Chuying noticed a person with an abstract profile picture in the team and asked curiously: "Who's this? That Yao player from before?"
Chu Yao answered calmly: "Zhou Wenshi."
Huang Chuying: "Huh?"
Zhou Wenshi used a profile picture like that? Handsome guys really were unique, not caring about their image at all.
【Male Lead】: This is a borrowed account.
Chu Yao: "He borrowed the account."
Huang Chuying: "Oh oh, I'm getting off then."
Chu Yao was confused: "Why are you getting off? Don't you want to trio queue together?"
Huang Chuying: "Someone's pulling me, I'm heading out first."
With the little couple duo queueing, she wouldn't crash the party. Huang Chuying gave herself a mental high-five for her cleverness.
Only Chu Yao and Zhou Wenshi were left in the team.
Zhou Wenshi turned on his microphone, and Chu Yao put on her Bluetooth earbuds. His clear, crisp voice came through, like quiet, serene moonlight spilling down.
She couldn't help but think back to the moment she first saw Zhou Wenshi, when her mind went blank.
In that brief instant, her world could only see him.
Everyone else became a melting backdrop, and only he stood out clearly, separated from the rest by an invisible line.
He merely stood there, his features sharply defined, like a solitary, aloof crane.
And he radiated light.
Zhou Wenshi was someone special—whether in appearance, temperament, or voice.
Zhou Wenshi: "Busy today?"
Chu Yao felt an unusual stillness as she pressed the match button: "Studying."
Zhou Wenshi followed up: "Going to the library tomorrow?"
Chu Yao: "Sure."
Ding—match found. It was time to pick characters again.
Chu Yao asked him what he wanted to play. Zhou Wenshi had never played this game before, and there was no time to look through each one, so he picked Yao.
"This hero has the same name as you."
Chu Yao locked in Sun Shangxiang: "Yeah, just play whatever you want."
Zhou Wenshi was reading the skill descriptions and got a general idea.
Once the match started, he followed behind Chu Yao: "You direct me."
Chu Yao hummed in acknowledgment, opened the map to check the enemy marksman's health and attack power, judged their runes, and saw what they had pre-ordered: "Alright, we'll fight them head-on from the start. Not many people at this rank actually know how to play."
Zhou Wenshi obediently followed behind her, doing whatever Chu Yao told him to do. Right in front of the enemy support, they killed their marksman.
Enemy support: "…" Oh my god. Holy moly.
The sky was falling.
The respawned marksman didn't even survive half a minute before the two of them sent him back to soak in the fountain.
Enemy marksman & support: "…"
Chu Yao seized on the enemy's mistake, recalled the fleeting glimpse of the enemy jungler's icon on the map, deduced that there were still jungle camps unclaimed, and decisively led Yao to steal the jungle: "Let's go."
Zhou Wenshi rode on top of her head, quietly watching her play. It was a visual pleasure.
Clear thinking, bold and decisive moves, strong execution, and intense focus.
After Chu Yao finished stealing the jungle, she pinged the side lane, went mid and killed another one, and on the way back, casually took down the jungler and support.
Zhou Wenshi could see the confidence on her.
She spoke little during the game, but when she did speak, it was a command. The team naturally formed around her as the core leader.
Since the development lane had been completely destroyed by Chu Yao and Zhou Wenshi, even their own jungler went to steal the enemy's jungle. Chu Yao's kill count was far ahead, and she had a three to four thousand gold lead over the enemy.
The match ended without any suspense.
Zhou Wenshi had been carried to victory for the first time, and quickly started a second match with Chu Yao. But this time, Yao was banned, and the system gave him Cai Wenji.
Chu Yao brought out the Lightning Rat and carved through the entire match, carrying hard.
Confident, calm, precise in her calculations, sharp-minded.
She always appeared at the most opportune moment on the enemy's path, delivering a fatal blow.
Zhou Wenshi got carried again.
The time reached 23:50, and Chu Yao suddenly realized she'd been playing with Zhou Wenshi for almost an hour.
"Logging off."
"Alright."
Zhou Wenshi said goodnight.
In the quiet night, a crisp, clear aura drifted toward her through the earbuds.
Before Chu Yao could take off her earbuds, that low, clear voice—like a fragrance inherent to Zhou Wenshi himself—caught her off guard.
Chu Yao: "…" What the hell.
Zhou Wenshi actually smelled good.
She actually found the scent rather enticing—if she could just inhale it, bury her face in it and breathe deep…
Realizing what kind of nonsense she was thinking, Chu Yao was shocked at herself once again.
She wasn't turning into some kind of pervert, was she? She should keep her distance from the male lead from now on—even gaming together was off the table.
Chu Yao got out of bed to brush her teeth. Huang Chuying set down her toothbrush and cup, then sidled over with a sly grin. "So how did gaming with him feel? Did your relationship heat up fast?"
Chu Yao tilted her head. "Heat up? We were just playing the game. It was relaxing, sure, but I still had to watch the map, get kills, and collect resources. When was there time for anything else?"
Huang Chuying: "…"
With such a golden opportunity, you only played the game??
Huang Chuying's expression turned strange. "With such a great chance, you didn't… do anything else?"
What she really wanted to ask was: how exactly did you get together with Zhou Wenshi? There wasn't even a spark of chemistry to be seen!
Shouldn't gaming be about two people relying on each other, feelings heating up while dodging a Zhuge Liang ultimate?
Why was A'Yao's script completely different?
Then she finally remembered the fact that A'Yao was proficient in all five roles—she could outplay the enemy team with pure mechanics alone.
There was no room for any idol-drama plot whatsoever.
Huang Chuying choked. "…" A'Yao was ultimately just too strong. She could carry or support, a one-woman force of nature.
Chu Yao squeezed toothpaste onto her brush and stuck it in her mouth. "If you're not playing the game while gaming, what else are you doing? Do you even take your matches seriously?"
Huang Chuying felt a pang of guilt, sweat practically beading on her forehead. Girl, I play games just to reel in cute guys. Mid laners are the easiest to hook, supports too—cast the line and they bite every time.
She stammered, "Isn't the whole point of grinding your skills to get better at reeling in guys?"
Chu Yao: "…" There's no reasoning with people like you who love fishing for boys.
She wiped her face clean and was about to get into bed when the male lead sent her a familiar sticker.
【Male Lead】: 【Heart Hands】
He seemed unaccustomed to it—at least in their chat history, stickers were rare. This was only the second one.
Who knew the male lead actually liked using stickers?
Chu Yao remembered what happened during the day and immediately followed up: Why did you suddenly go quiet earlier today?
Zhou Wenshi sat half-upright on the top bunk, leaning against the wall, eyes lowered.
The lamplight fell across his straight nose bridge, his skin fine and smooth, his pupils deep and dark, his figure elegant and lean. The pajamas lent him a touch of warmth.
But he couldn't answer that question.
Should he tell her that he'd been stirred up by receiving a single 【Heart Hands】?
Direct, fervent displays of affection were too bold, too dazzling.
He watched as Chu Yao sent no further messages. Three minutes later, two words arrived.
【Yao】: Good night.
Chu Yao drew her bed curtain closed, plunging the bunk into darkness. After she lay down quietly, a message popped up on the chat interface.
【Male Lead】: [Unread Message]
Chu Yao closed her eyes peacefully, unaware.