“What are you doing?” Bai Yan asked casually as he took a can of beer from the fridge.
“Oh, I… I was thinking of buying a computer, but I don’t know how to… buy one.” Ke Ruobing realized only after the words were nearly out of her mouth that she’d said her thoughts aloud. Her cheeks flushed a little.
Bai Yan found that rather unusual. In this day and age, were there still people who didn’t know how to shop online? He walked over and leaned down toward Ke Ruobing. “I’ll show you.”
“Huh? O-okay.” Ke Ruobing froze, then agreed, a little flustered.
“Give me your phone.” Bai Yan’s voice was warm and steady, with a reassuring quality to it.
Without hesitation, Ke Ruobing obediently handed him her phone.
Bai Yan took it and, right in front of her, downloaded several shopping apps before finding the registration page.
“Here, fill in this information.” He handed the phone back to her.
Ke Ruobing took it. Feeling the warmth of the person beside her, she couldn’t help growing flustered, and her cheeks turned faintly red.
Head bowed, she focused on filling in the information on her phone.
Watching the little girl blush, Bai Yan felt like teasing her. He leaned closer without realizing it. “The address here is 99 Longkun Avenue, Harmony Garden.”
His voice was low and gentle, almost magical, and Ke Ruobing’s heart began to race despite herself.
“I’m done. Thanks for helping me.” With that, Ke Ruobing turned and fled.
Watching her run off, Bai Yan shook his head. Kids really couldn’t take a little teasing.
Then he picked up the beer in his hand and strolled back to his room.
Ke Ruobing lay facedown on the bed, her head buried deep in the pillow, feeling thoroughly vexed.
Why did I run away? He wasn’t going to eat me! He only helped me set up my phone—what was I blushing for?
Her phone vibrated again. She glanced at it and declined the call.
So annoying!
…
That day, after Bai Qingqing wore her down, Ke Ruobing finally agreed to go to an internet café and play games with her.
Actually, Ke Ruobing had planned to look for a part-time job, preferably one she could do on weekends so she could keep working once school started. But she just couldn’t resist Bai Qingqing’s pleading.
It was rather funny: apart from school and the tutoring center, the only place she’d ever gone was the internet café. Her deskmate had taken her there, and it was also her deskmate who’d told her she could stay at an internet café for a while when she had nowhere else to go.
So, that day, in a daze, she’d ended up at Fish Scale Internet Café—and that was how she’d met Bai Qingqing and her brother.
Suddenly, Ke Ruobing’s phone vibrated again. An incoming video call from Kong Wanqing appeared on the screen.
“Are you not going to answer? It’s rung several times already.”
At some point, Bai Qingqing had switched to chewing bubble gum. As she spoke, she blew a big bubble.
Ke Ruobing shook her head.
“Give it to me.”
Bai Qingqing held out her hand.
Ke Ruobing passed her the phone without thinking.
Bai Qingqing took it and tapped to answer.
Kong Wanqing’s face immediately appeared on the screen. She clearly hadn’t expected the video call to be answered so quickly; her expression froze for a moment.
“Who are you? Where’s Ke Ruobing?”
Women liked comparing their looks—and feared being compared even more. Seeing Bai Qingqing’s lovely face, Kong Wanqing’s expression turned sour.
“Don’t call again.” Bai Qingqing narrowed her eyes.
The words struck like a boulder dropped into a still lake. Kong Wanqing felt as though some invisible monster had fixed its gaze on her. Every nerve in her body screamed and trembled.
That familiar feeling of terror left her helpless and panicked in an instant. Overwhelmed by fear, her body reacted on its own—she hung up.
“She won’t call again for a while,” Bai Qingqing said confidently.
“It was that simple?”
Ke Ruobing was at a loss. All it took was saying something, and that woman wouldn’t call again?
“That simple.”
Bai Qingqing brushed it off and linked her arm with Ke Ruobing’s.
“Good.” Ke Ruobing nodded. She’d already gotten a new SIM card, but she didn’t plan to cancel the old one until she’d managed to get in touch with her deskmate.
“Listen, this game’s been really fun lately. I’ll teach you how to play in a bit.”
Bai Qingqing beamed.
Ke Ruobing nodded. Bai Qingqing had taught her a lot of things, like how to order food delivery, where to pick up parcels, and how to play games. Lately, though, they’d only been playing mobile games. Bai Qingqing wanted to teach her to play computer games; maybe they could team up online sometime.
Before long, they arrived at Fish Scale Internet Café.
As soon as they walked in, a strong, acrid smell hit them. Smoke hung thick in the air.
Ke Ruobing frowned and waved away the smoke swirling in front of her.
Bai Qingqing noticed her discomfort and gently took her by the arm. “Come on. It’s pretty smoky here. I’ll take you to the nonsmoking area.”
Ke Ruobing nodded and obediently followed Bai Qingqing upstairs.
The staircase was off to one side of the main hall, cleverly hidden behind a wall of greenery.
As they climbed, the smoke around them seemed to thin with every step.
As soon as they reached the second floor, Bai Qingqing hurried toward a room at the very back.
Ke Ruobing looked around as she walked. A row of small doors lined the hallway; they were clearly private rooms. On either side of the corridor hung two illuminated signs: one marked “Nonsmoking Area,” the other “Smoking Area.”
“Bingbing, over here!” Bai Qingqing called.
“Coming,” Ke Ruobing replied softly, hurrying over.
The private room had clearly been specially designed. A delicate cloth curtain hung in the doorway, swaying gently in the breeze.
When they pushed the door open, a small room came into view.
The room was simply furnished. Two computer desks stood side by side, each with a computer and a potted plant. The computer chairs were positioned haphazardly, and a little farther away was a small sofa.
Bai Yan was lying on the sofa with his eyes closed, resting. His tall, slender frame looked cramped on the little sofa, like a large bird asleep in a narrow nest—a sight that was peaceful and just a little endearing.
Seeing her big brother asleep, Bai Qingqing turned to Ke Ruobing and quietly shushed her. The two of them tiptoed over to the computers and sat down, afraid of making the slightest sound.
But it didn’t take long for Bai Qingqing to drop all pretense. She started the computer, put on her headphones, and moved her chair in one fluid sequence, making a fair amount of noise.
“Will we wake him?” Ke Ruobing asked in a hushed voice.
Bai Qingqing waved a hand. “Don’t worry.” Still, she did quiet down her movements a little.
Ke Ruobing logged into her chat app. Seeing that the money had been returned because it hadn’t been claimed within twenty-four hours, she glanced at Bai Yan, who was still fast asleep. The other party…
After opening the game she usually played, Bai Qingqing leaned over beside Ke Ruobing. “Bingbing, what kind of games do you like? Single-player or co-op? Shooters or something else?”
“Whatever you’re playing,” Ke Ruobing replied.
“That works. I’ll show you what I can do.” Bai Qingqing grinned smugly. “Once you log in, there’ll be a tutorial for beginners. Play a couple of rounds by yourself to get used to the controls, and then I’ll take you through it.”
“Okay.” Ke Ruobing nodded obediently.