Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"I've Liked Your Boyfriend for a Long Time"

By Wen Zhaobi 2020.1.17

Pei Ran first noticed something amiss with his boyfriend while they were playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

His boyfriend's name was Luo Qingshan. They started dating in their second year of high school and had been together for almost three years. Later, they both got into the same university but different departments.

It was the weekend, and he had returned home for the day. After dinner, he logged online, hoping to have a video chat with Luo Qingshan. However, before they could exchange more than a few words, Luo Qingshan pulled him into a gaming session.

They were playing with one of Luo Qingshan's classmates, whose name Pei Ran couldn't quite recall. He only knew that the boy wasn't very tall, had skin as fair as snow, and often accompanied Luo Qingshan to the library.

Pei Ran was proficient in MOBA games but not so skilled at first-person shooter games. In the past, Luo Qingshan would frequently include him in their 'Battle Royale' sessions, always landing in less populated areas to accommodate his skills.

At the beginning of this particular round, teammate number three marked a spot on the airport.

"Shall we drop at the airport? I feel like having an exciting game," said Luo Qingshan's classmate, his voice soft and slightly nasal, sounding a bit pitiful.

Luo Qingshan nodded in agreement.

Pei Ran remained silent. They were playing in a squad of four, and there was one person he didn't recognize, who might be another friend of Luo Qingshan's. Like him, this person hadn't said a word since the game started.

After clearing a building with his schoolmate, Luo Qingshan seemed to remember that there were others in their team.

Luo Qingshan: "Pei Ran, hide well."

Holding a pistol, Pei Ran had been standing in a corner of a room for quite some time. "Mm."

Luo Qingshan: "Su Nian, come here, there's someone in this room."

"Coming, Bro."

"I'll charge in first, follow me."

"Alright, just don't get killed."

So this person's name was Su Nian.

Pei Ran listened to the gunfire, suddenly feeling a bit bored. He swayed his mouse, adjusting his view just right to see his teammate Number Four on the opposite building.

There, he witnessed his teammate single-handedly battling it out, flawlessly wiping out an entire squad with elegance. Despite his low health, he calmly stood by the window to heal himself.

From this angle, it seemed as if the two of them were locked in a gaze.

"Everyone's dead," Luo Qingshan said. "Darling, you can come out now."

Their relationship was not concealed deliberately; almost everyone around them knew about it. Luo Qingshan had been calling Pei Ran 'darling' since high school.

Pei Ran snapped back to reality, not turning on his microphone. He held his pistol and jumped out the window.

By the time he arrived, Su Nian was scavenging from a fallen opponent. Pei Ran stood still, not moving. He wasn't skilled at the game and wouldn't compete with his teammates for resources.

"Bro...," Su Nian asked, "Did you take the M4?"

Luo Qingshan chuckled. "Caught me, huh?"

"Pass it over, my aim isn't on point today. I don't want to use the AK."

"Sure," Luo Qingshan agreed. "Bring me some food to the dorm later and take this gun."

"With you again…" The complaint was laced with amusement. "Fine, I'll bring it."

Pei Ran faintly frowned as he opened the box, only to find that not even a single gun was left inside.

Suddenly, he felt irritated and turned to search elsewhere. However, after checking just two rooms, he was caught off guard by a barrage of bullets from an enemy hiding in the adjacent building, causing his character to collapse instantly.

The opponent mercilessly shot at him twice more, leaving him with barely half a bar of health. Pei Ran quickly shifted to a nearby corner for cover.

Simultaneously, a shriek came through the voice chat, "Ah- Brother, there's someone in this building!"

Promptly, a notification appeared, indicating that Su Nian had been knocked down.

"Oh no, this guy ambushed me! He's hiding behind the crate and too scared to finish me off. Come quick, Brother!" Su Nian's voice was filled with frustration.

Meanwhile, Pei Ran had already given up resistance. The enemy was too close, and he anticipated his imminent demise.

In truth, he wasn't in the mood to continue playing anyway.

Yet, a gunshot echoed, and a notification popped up in the top right corner of the screen:

"111GOD defeated zhiyefudi with a headshot from Kar98k."

The enemy rushing towards him was taken down by Number Four, positioned on the tower.

Pei Ran froze for a moment and couldn't help but check the map. Number Four was very far away, yet they had managed to score a headshot with a sniper rifle on a moving target. This indicated that Number Four was either an exceptional player or using cheats.

However, whether the person was a godly player or a cheater didn't matter.

Pei Ran's gaze shifted to Luo Qingshan's icon. Luo Qingshan's location was rather intriguing, right between him and Su Nian.

Luo Qingshan hesitated for only half a second before saying, "Darling, hold on a moment. I'll go to Su Nian first; I'm worried he might get finished off."

"111GOD defeated luwenz6 with a Kar98k headshot."

As soon as Luo Qingshan finished speaking, Su Nian's character was also taken down by Number Four.

Pei Ran looked at the map again. Luo Qingshan didn't stop and ran straight to Su Nian's side without turning back.

Su Nian was merely knocked down; before the enemy could deal the finishing blow, Number Four eliminated them, leaving Su Nian with a significant portion of his health bar.

In contrast, Pei Ran's health bar was dwindling dangerously low, mirroring his declining spirits.

Luo Qingshan helped Su Nian to his feet and glanced at Pei Ran's health bar. "F*ck."

Time was running out, so he rushed to the car outside the fence, but after starting it, he couldn't help cursing again.

Both tires had been blown out, rendering the vehicle immobile.

"Wait for me, darling, I'm coming right away," Luo Qingshan said as he got out of the car, holstered his weapon, and sprinted towards the building where Pei Ran was.

Pei Ran sighed. "Forget it..."

Before he could finish his sentence, the distant sound of a motorcycle engine grew louder through his headphones.

Startled, Pei Ran shifted his view just in time to see Number Four leap off the still-moving bike, taking a significant hit to his health.

Number Four crashed through the window and immediately crouched in front of Pei Ran. With only a sliver of health left, he managed to support Pei Ran in the nick of time.

Pei Ran blinked, unsure if his heartbeat had quickened for a moment due to the "narrow escape."

Still in a daze after his character stood up, Number Four threw something on the ground and then turned to run out of the room.

Pei Ran picked up the medical kit: "…Thank you."

Number Four paused, then suddenly turned back.

Pei Ran thought he had changed his mind and hastily canceled the healing process. However, with a thud, an M416 suddenly appeared on the ground.

Pei Ran glanced at the lone 98k rifle on his back and said hurriedly, "No need, I'm not very good with it."

Number Four left silently through the window.

Feeling that this teammate was rather odd, Pei Ran could only pick up the gun: "Thanks."

Several seconds passed, and just as Pei Ran assumed the other person didn't have a microphone, the small speaker icon next to Number Four's profile started blinking.

"No need to thank me."

The voice was hurried and had a deep tone.

Pei Ran raised an eyebrow. He somehow found the voice familiar.

"Awesome, Little Zhun," Luo Qingshan sighed in relief. "I got it, I got it. Next time, I'll treat you and my baby to dinner."

Pei Ran recalled that Little Zhun was Yan Zhun, Luo Qingshan's roommate.

Their university had two campuses, with Pei Ran on one side and Luo Qingshan on the other. Due to the distance, Pei Ran seldom visited Luo Qingshan's dorm. Strictly speaking, he had only met Yan Zhun twice. Once, Yan Zhun was playing computer games, and Pei Ran only remembered his broad shoulders and strong-looking arms holding the mouse.

The other time was on the balcony of their dorm floor. Yan Zhun leaned against the wall, smoking. When he caught sight of Pei Ran, he froze for a moment before hastily turning away and extinguishing the cigarette.

Yan Zhun left Pei Ran with the impression of being aloof, quiet, and very handsome.

Of course, except for the last point, these impressions didn't mean much. For instance, Su Nian—Pei Ran used to think that Su Nian was introverted and unsociable, but now he realized that maybe Su Nian just didn't like talking to him.

"Lover, why do you only have one gun?" Luo Qingshan ran over and threw his own gun onto the ground. "Come, pick up my AK."

Recalling the origin of this gun, Pei Ran said, "No need, I'll use Yan Zhun's M4."

"Bang."

Yan Zhun's motorcycle had barely traveled dozens of meters when the rider made an error, resulting in the bike hitting a tree head-on.