Chapter 10

Chapter 10

The next morning, Pei Ran was awakened by a beam of sunlight that perfectly landed on his eyelids.

Due to his long absence from staying up late, as soon as he turned off his computer the previous night, sleepiness overwhelmed him. He fell asleep almost instantly without even drawing the curtains properly.

Instinctively shielding his eyes from the light, Pei Ran reached for his phone on the bedside table to check the time. The moment he unlocked it, he froze.

His phone was still on the screen from last night, displaying a bold headline in black font –

"Dear PR123, your order has been successfully placed! Click to view order details."

Pei Ran experienced a momentary blankness in his mind. Upon checking the order, he realized he had just purchased fifty hours of gaming companionship for "Yan Zhun."

Pei Ran: "...."

Indeed, people tended to make impulsive purchases late at night.

Switching to WeChat, the screen was still on the chat history with Yan Zhun.

"Yan Zhun: Thank you, Boss Pei."

"Yan Zhun: Asleep already? Good night."

Pei Ran mused that the gaming companion industry didn't seem to be as prosperous as he thought. Even someone as skilled as Yan Zhun couldn't secure orders and had to retain a novice customer like him.

But after last night, he suddenly understood why so many people enjoyed hiring gaming companions. If Yan Zhun could say those sweet words, then other companions must be even more adept at pleasing their clients.

"Pei Ran: I'm asleep..."

There was no response. Pei Ran checked the time; it was barely past ten. Yan Zhun should still be asleep.

He returned to the WeChat interface and began scrolling through the messages he received that morning.

The name Su Nian immediately caught Pei Ran's attention.

"Su Nian: Are you there?"

"Su Nian: If you see this, reply to me."

Pei Ran involuntarily furrowed his brows. After a moment of hesitation, he replied politely.

"Pei Ran: Mm."

"Su Nian: You live in Full City, right?"

"Pei Ran: Mm."

"Su Nian: Want to join me in Dali for a trip the day after tomorrow? [Cat tilts head]"

Pei Ran was at a loss for how to respond.

Even Lin Kang knew about his breakup with Luo Qingshan; Su Nian had no reason not to be aware.

"Su Nian: Where are you?"

"Oh, right, we created a small group chat with all acquaintances. I forgot to add you, sorry about that. Should I add you now?"

"Pei Ran: No need, and I won't be going to Dali. Have a great time, everyone."

After sending the message, Pei Ran got up to freshen up. When he returned, his phone was flooded with WeChat notifications.

"Su Nian: Why, though?"

"Su Nian: Was it because of an argument with Brother Qingshan?"

"Su Nian: Big Brother told me last night. Don't be mad, Brother Pei. I was just drunk that night and mistook him for my ex-boyfriend. Besides, we only kissed a few times, nothing else happened."

"Su Nian: Really."

"Su Nian: If I upset you, I apologize. Please don't fight over me..."

Having received no response to his messages, Su Nian pondered and then sent an emoji of someone begging for forgiveness. He promptly received a notification that he had been blocked.

During breakfast, Pei Ran's fork and knife clinked against the plate repeatedly, producing a series of sharp sounds.

The housekeeper looked at him worriedly, asking if the eggs were overcooked.

Pei Ran shook his head, stabbing the remaining egg and finishing it in one bite.

After the cleaning aunt left, Pei Ran moved the boxes he had sorted out to the storage room.

The box was filled with items that Luo Qingshan had given him, presents he would no longer have use for.

Upon returning to his room, Pei Ran recalled that there were still some items that needed tidying up.

When Lin Kang's message arrived, Pei Ran was flipping through an album.

In Pei Ran's phone, there was an album containing pictures of him and Luo Qingshan. It wasn't extensive, with only a dozen photos accumulated over the three years.

Pei Ran was not accustomed to being photographed, so Luo Qingshan took these pictures and sent them to his phone one by one. Whenever Pei Ran changed phones, he would always save these photos onto his new device first, ensuring not a single one was lost.

It featured them wearing school uniforms, a photo taken in front of the university gates, and the last one was him sleeping, while Luo Qingshan sneaked a picture, accidentally capturing his own smile in the frame.

Pei Ran drew in a deep breath and, with final resolve, deleted the intimate photographs, leaving only the group picture taken in front of the school gates intact.

Only after that did he switch back to listen to Lin Kang's voice message.

"Pei Ran, what are you up to? Are you free?"

"Pei Ran: I'm free, what's up?"

"Oh, it's Su Nian. He asked me to check if you're angry and why you deleted him without a word... What's going on between you two? He wouldn't tell me anything, just asked me to pass this message along."

Lin Kang was genuinely curious.

Pei Ran usually gave off an indifferent vibe, never taking the initiative to engage in conversation. However, once you initiated a topic, he would respond calmly and politely. In short, he seemed to have no temper at all.

But nobody truly lacked a temper. Pei Ran simply found it unnecessary to confront Luo Qingshan about the infidelity, nor did he want to dwell on it. It certainly wasn't Su Nian's place to interfere.

Yet, despite his unwillingness to argue with others, they still sought to provoke him.

Pei Ran typed with a serene expression.

"Pei Ran: Could you kindly reply to him for me?"

"What should I say?"

"Pei Ran: Tell him to get lost."

-

Yan Zhun was roused from his sleep by a phone call in the afternoon. He pressed the answer button and held it to his ear without saying anything.

On the other end, the sound of tapping on a mouse and keyboard echoed. "You're still not awake?"

Recognizing the voice, Yan Zhun kept his eyes closed and replied, "Get to the point."

"Ah, I suppose that's understandable since you played until four in the morning last night," the boy grumbled. "Later than even a professional player like me."

Yan Zhun said, "Lin Xuhuan, do you have nothing better to do? What's with your sarcastic tone so early in the morning?"

"Early in the morning? It's already bloody two in the afternoon!"

Yan Zhun opened his eyes and glanced at the time.

Just as Lin Xuhuan finished speaking, his character was headshot in the game. Swearing, he reported the enemy for four consecutive violations before picking up his phone again. "I heard you started working as a gaming companion. What were you thinking? You could've been a glorious professional gamer, but instead, you chose to become a gaming companion!"

Yan Zhun minimized the call interface and replied to his boss: Up so early?

"How did you know?"

"Your opponent was a streamer signed under our team's platform," Lin Xuhuan explained. "He's quite popular. He recorded the game you played with him last night and posted it on a short video app. It already has about 200-300 thousand likes... Hey, why didn't you take advantage of that opportunity?"

Yan Zhun replied, "How could I have known?"

"But I've got to say, you really know how to handle situations. You're so smooth when it comes to pleasing the boss. Now everyone in the TikTok comments is trying to find your gaming companion ID." Lin Xuhuan leaned back in his chair. "Alright, let's get down to business. Has your family gone bankrupt?"

Yan Zhun brushed away some unruly strands of hair from his forehead. "Sorry to disappoint you, but not yet."

"Why are you even working as a gaming companion then?" Lin Xuhuan was speechless. "I thought I'd finally be able to convince you to join TZG."

Yan Zhun scoffed, about to say something, when his phone vibrated.

"Pei Ran: Hmm, are you awake?"

"Pei Ran: I feel like playing a game."

"Pei Ran: It's fine if you're still sleeping. I'll play by myself for a bit."

Lin Xuhuan: "Oh, right, you must be on break now, right? Come to our base. Someone from our second team is on leave, and we can't gather enough players. The rookies aren't quite up to par. Join us for a custom training match."

"Not going."

"Damn it, we're paying you!" Lin Xuhuan gritted his teeth. "Triple the rate for your services... Wait, do you even charge more than two hundred per hour?"

Yan Zhun stood up. "Not going. You guys play on your own. I'm hanging up."

"Hey, let's talk some more. What's the rush?"

"I'm in a hurry. I have something to attend to."

"What is it?"

Yan Zhun pulled on his clothes and said indolently, "I have to attend to my boss."

"..."

Yan Zhun logged in with a piece of bread in his mouth and saw Pei Ran was already in a game. He casually checked Pei Ran's performance.

Zero damage dealt.

No harm done.

Zero harm done...

Quite intense, actually.

Yan Zhun sent a WeChat message, asking him to wait after the game was over. Then, he leisurely began to read through his unread messages.

Yan Zhun didn't have many close friends. Due to his past near-entry into the professional gaming scene, he had many acquaintances from the esports circle who were now forwarding that short video and teasing him.

Scrolling further down, he reached a group chat he hadn't opened in a long time.

Upon seeing a particular word, Yan Zhun frowned and scrolled up two pages of the chat history.

"Lin Kang: @Su Nian, what's going on between you and Pei Ran? Why did he get so angry?"

"Su Nian: I have no idea."

"Su Nian: Maybe he just doesn't fancy me."

"Su Nian: Hasn't Pei Ran always been like this? Who among you can truly bond with him on a deeper level?"

"Su Nian: With the Young Master's temperament, I'm not worthy of aspiring to be with him."

……

"Su Nian: @All Members 　The trip to Dali is scheduled for the day after tomorrow! Hurry and sign up with me if you wish to come along!!"

"Su Nian: @Zhun Liao, would you like to come along?"

Ordinarily, Yan Zhun would have outright disregarded such messages without a second thought.

He swallowed the bread, lowered his gaze, and typed expressionlessly.

"Permission granted: We're not close, so don't go around claiming me as your brother."

"Permission granted: Who pulled me into this? Unfriended. Don't drag people into such foolish discussion groups in the future."

Yan Zhun's typing speed was impressive. As the group members watched in astonishment, he had already completed the steps of insulting someone, deleting Su Nian, and leaving the group.