Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"Luo Qingshan, why is your health bar down to half?" Luo Qingshan inquired, looking at the bottom left corner.

Yan Zhun replied, "I hit a tree."

Luo Qingshan chuckled. "Even an expert like you can crash into a tree... But darling, how did you know Little Zhun's name?"

Pei Ran loaded bullets into his M416. "I heard you call him that."

Luo Qingshan opened his inventory. "Alright, AKs tend to be quite jerky, so you might not be used to it. Come, pick up that gun stock on the ground and attach it to your weapon."

"No need," Pei Ran mimicked Yan Zhun's earlier move and jumped out of the window. "The gun Yan Zhun gave me is fully equipped."

Yan Zhun parked the car under a tree and grabbed the mineral water beside him, taking a sip.

The safe zone was inconveniently located. Luo Qingshan glanced at the map and realized they had to cross almost the entire map to reach it.

What frustrated him the most was that not only the car he had just been in, but also all the other vehicles on the road had their tires punctured.

"Damn it, who's so wicked to flatten the tire?!" Luo Qingshan cursed as he ran to safety. "Didn't we wipe out all the squads at the airport? Could there be a lone wolf who escaped?"

"Suddenly, you're complaining when you usually shoot out tires on your way," Su Nian pointed out.

Luo Qingshan chuckled and swore lightly. It was then that he noticed the second player's icon remained at the airport. "Darling, what are you doing? Why aren't you running for cover?"

Receiving no response, Luo Qingshan checked Su Nian's health bar. "Go in first, Su Nian. He might have disconnected. I'll go back for him. If you see a vehicle on the way, pick us up..."

Pei Ran hung up. "No need. He's back. You run first."

Luo Qingshan asked, "Do you have any medkit?"

"Yes." Pei Ran applied a first-aid kit.

Relieved, Luo Qingshan glanced at the map. "Yan Zhun, didn't you spot any quad bikes along the way?

"No."

"Well, you should have taken one. How can you run into the safe zone alone?"

"Here we go." Yan Zhun turned his motorbike around.

Su Nian was the nearest to him. When the motorbike approached, he paused in his steps, ready to hop on, only to see it speed past him without slowing down.

Pei Ran watched Yan Zhun's motorbike soar over the hilltop, leaving a stylish skid mark as he braked.

"Hop on," Yan Zhun invited.

Pei Ran hurriedly climbed aboard. "Thank you."

This was the third "thank you" he had said to Yan Zhun.

Yan Zhun drove his motorcycle swiftly and steadily. Out of boredom, Pei Ran switched to the first-person perspective, which appeared quite exhilarating.

Pei Ran accompanied Yan Zhun safely to the secure zone, but before they could find a place to settle, an incident occurred with Luo Qingshan.

As he and Su Nian were about to dash into the safe zone, they were unexpectedly taken out by enemy ambushes around the perimeter. Only Pei Ran and Yan Zhun remained alive on their team.

"I knew it..." Luo Qingshan irritably raked his fingers through his hair. "I should've never stepped into that circle... You two hide for now, hold out for a bit; I need a smoke."

Su Nian said, "Don't smoke anymore, or the room will be filled with smoke when I get there."

"We have the window open in our dormitory."

"It still stinks."

"You're quite picky. What time are you coming? I'm starving."

"Let's say 8:30. Oh, by the way, big bro, check your WeChat. I just saw a hilarious video and shared it with you."

Pei Ran left his game character idle in the virtual house and minimized the screen to lower the computer volume.

When he returned to the game, his character was instantly killed by a gunshot, collapsing to the ground.

"Wait for me," Yan Zhun turned on his microphone.

Strangely, despite Luo Qingshan and Su Nian still chatting in voice mode, Yan Zhun's voice was almost drowned out by theirs, but Pei Ran could hear him clearly.

Although Pei Ran wasn't skilled at the game, he wasn't a complete novice either. He quickly spotted the sniper who had taken him down. "Don't come over, there are at least two of them, they're focusing on me."

"Take cover in the corner," Yan Zhun instructed. "I'll be right there."

Unfortunately, Pei Ran's vantage point was poor, and his character moved slowly after falling. Before he could hide, the enemy seized the opportunity and eliminated him with a series of sniper shots.

Pei Ran clicked to spectate.

Yan Zhun was a step late and now stood in front of Pei Ran's fallen avatar.

"This spot is exposed to the opponents," Pei Ran warned. "There's nothing worthwhile in my box, not even any medical supplies."

Yan Zhun acknowledged him with a muted sound but still proceeded to loot Pei Ran's fallen character.

Pei Ran leaned back, not too familiar with the game to discern what specific items or weapons Yan Zhun had taken from him.

"Su Nian, I've transferred your meal money, please check... Oh, wait," Luo Qingshan's laughter cut short. "Hey, Yan Zhun, why are you looting my darling's clothes? Are you tired of expensive outfits and want to try the primitive T-shirt?"

Pei Ran raised an eyebrow. Sure enough, Yan Zhun's character was now clad in the default white T-shirt.

Yan Zhun shifted position and simply explained, "I clicked on the wrong item."

Feeling down, Pei Ran had initially intended to close the game, but he hesitated for a long time before deciding against it and continued watching Yan Zhun's perspective instead.

He expected Yan Zhun to retreat since he was now the last one standing in his squad. However, Yan Zhun didn't. Instead, he switched to another house and began engaging in a sniper duel with the opponents.

It wasn't until Yan Zhun took down the enemy for the fourth time that they finally decided on a strategic retreat. But as soon as the opponent jumped off the building, Yan Zhun swiftly switched weapons and eliminated them with a burst of bullets.

Even a novice like Pei Ran could tell that Yan Zhun was incredibly skilled. If not for the fact that the enemy was playing alongside Luo Qingshan, he would have suspected that Yan Zhun was a professional player.

However, despite his prowess, the enemy had teammates who could revive their fallen comrades, making it extremely challenging to eliminate all of them.

"Never mind, Little Zhun," Luo Qingshan advised. "Just enter the safe zone first. It's no use dragging this out, and you can still withstand this round of damage." He continued, "Find a good position once you're inside, there are only a dozen players left."

As Luo Qingshan finished his suggestion, Yan Zhun leaned out to the right and fired another shot at the opponents.

"I'm not entering," Yan Zhun replied. "I'll let them perish here."

A few minutes later, three lines of notifications appeared in the top-right corner, indicating that the trio from the opposing team had been eliminated within the safe zone.

Yan Zhun had successfully worn them down and snuffed out their lives.

"Amazing," Su Nian said, somewhat excited. "Yan Zhun, quickly use the healing potion. Do you have any left?"

Yan Zhun stood still without responding. After about ten seconds, he was poisoned to death, ending the game.

Pei Ran was slightly dazed. It was his first time witnessing such an intense perspective in a battle.

When they returned to the game lobby, Pei Ran's gaze remained on Yan Zhun's game character.

"Lets stop for now. I'm feeling a bit dizzy from playing," Luo Qingshan stretched. "Darling, let's video chat."

Yan Zhun's character suddenly vanished—he had left the team.

Just as Pei Ran exited the game, Luo Qingshan sent a video call.

Luo Qingshan had a charming, bad-boy charm. In high school, he was far from being a good student; smoking, drinking, and even fighting for Pei Ran's sake. He'd done quite a number of mischievous things.

After being with Pei Ran, he had learned to behave. He had studied tirelessly to attend the same university as Pei Ran. Now that the pressure was gone, he seemed to be reverting back to his old self.

"Darling," Luo Qingshan stood on the balcony, "When are you heading back to school? I'll come pick you up."

Pei Ran said, "The train departs tomorrow afternoon."

Luo Qingshan frowned. "Afternoon?"

"Why?"

"Nothing…" Luo Qingshan hesitated for a while. "I actually had a tennis game scheduled with Su Nian tomorrow afternoon."

Pei Ran's phone wasn't placed straight, so he glanced at the screen upon hearing this.

"You don't need to pick me up, and I don't have any luggage."

"That won't do. I'll cancel the match in a moment."

"No need," Pei Ran replied. "Just go ahead with your game. I'll find you when I arrive tomorrow."

After ending the video call, Pei Ran got up to take a shower. When he returned, he lay on the bed and casually scrolled through his Moments feed.

"Luo Qingshan: [Picture] The current state of poverty among male college students."

The picture displayed Luo Qingshan's dinner: a box of rice accompanied by two boxes of meat dishes, and a side serving of green vegetables.

Not long after it was posted, the comment section was filled with a single person's remarks.

"SN: Vegetables and meat – what poverty are you talking about [angry face]?"

"SN: Are you implying I'm your relief effort [crying while laughing]?"

Feeling a connection, Pei Ran refreshed his feed and, as expected, found another new post.

"SN: Complaining yet still finding it delicious [picture][expression]"

It was a photo of Luo Qingshan buried in his food.

Pei Ran glanced at it coldly for a few seconds before tapping into SN's friend profile. He straightened out the name tag, changing it to "Su Nian."

-

By the time Pei Ran arrived at school, it was already pitch black. Amidst the sparsely populated sports field, he called Luo Qingshan, who answered the call breathless.

"Honey... you're there?"

Pei Ran hummed in response. "I didn't see you."

"Luo Qingshan twisted his ankle while playing ball just now. I brought him to the school infirmary, and we're applying medicine right now," said Luo Qingshan. "Why don't you go to my dormitory and wait? The guy next door is using my computer, so the door's open."

When Pei Ran arrived at the dorm, the door was slightly ajar but not fully closed.

Since Luo Qingshan had informed him earlier, Pei Ran didn't knock but entered directly.

At the same time, the plastic bathroom door was pushed open, and a rush of warm air escaped. Immediately after, a person emerged.

Yan Zhun only loosely wrapped himself in a bathrobe, revealing his well-proportioned figure with a smooth, firm abdomen. Drops of water still clung to his body. Hearing the sound, he instinctively turned his head.

They stared at each other in a daze for a few seconds.

Pei Ran quickly looked down. "Sorry... I saw that the door wasn't closed, so I came in directly."

Yan Zhun's surprise was fleeting. He nodded, then walked over to his bedside with utmost ease and pulled a T-shirt over his head.

Dressed, Yan Zhun looked at him again. "What are you doing standing there? Come in."

Pei Ran felt the warmth of the steam enveloping him.

The air was permeated with Yan Zhun's scent, a hint of cologne mixed with the familiar aroma of men's shower gel.

For a fleeting moment, Pei Ran had an illusion that he wasn't here to find Luo Qingshan but Yan Zhun instead.