Chapter 96: Launch
1218 Words
After Xu Xiao Jia left, the four of them headed back to the dorm.
The sky had turned a dull gray, a massive sheet of clouds rolling toward Jiang City. It had rained yesterday, and today a bigger downpour seemed inevitable.
The weather forecast warned that after the torrential rain the temperature would plunge, officially ending the sweltering summer. In a month or two it would be Luo Ye’s first winter since arriving in Jiang City.
The four members of Dorm 515 walked toward their rooms as a light drizzle began, then quickly intensified into a pouring rain. By the time they reached the dorm, the outside was a cacophony of clattering rain.
Fortunately there were no classes that day; none of them felt like trudging through that weather to attend a lecture.
Each slipped under the covers in their respective beds, pulling the blankets up, ready to sleep.
It was clear all four liked sleeping on rainy nights.
Of course, before dozing off they each spent a few minutes on their phones.
Wang Da Chui suddenly shouted from his bed, “Kid, I just saw a video saying the top‑ranked ‘Falling Leaves’ stream‑er is cheating.”
“What?” Luo Ye stared, bewildered.
Wang continued, “You know the ‘Falling Leaves’ that’s been dominating the leaderboard? It’s disappeared from the charts lately, and a bunch of clickbait accounts claim you’ve been banned.”
“Oh.”
Luo realized it wasn’t a cheat ban—it was love messing with the game. A number‑one spot, nothing to lose sleep over. The fairy senior was far more appealing; he could chase the leaderboard with her by his side.
He recalled that they had already pushed through the duo‑queue challenge together a while ago. That had been his first time reaching the highest rank in a duo, and the partner was a girl. After hitting the peak, the game felt hollow; it was as if he’d already cleared it with the senior.
Playing used to be a way to kill boredom; now he wasn’t bored, and the game didn’t hold the same allure.
Wang finished the short video and opened a two‑character mobile game, grinning as he started playing.
Luo asked, “Chui, what are you playing? You look like you’ve found a new hobby.”
“I’m playing ‘Ape God.’”
Soon the four were gathered around Wang’s bed, each downloading the two‑character game under his direction.
They were used to competitive PvP titles, but a casual NPC‑hunting, character‑raising game could be a nice change of pace—though it quickly proved addictive.
Luo’s cute avatar chased an NPC, only to be ambushed and killed.
Wang burst out laughing, pointing at Luo’s screen, “Dude, you actually got straight‑up deleted by a griefer! You’re such a little grass‑god… huh? Little grass‑god?”
Seeing Luo’s character, Wang’s eyes widened. “How did you even get that skin?”
“Just hit a random gacha, didn’t know what it was, and it dropped.” Luo replied flatly.
Wang fell silent. “No way you’re trying to get me to spend money.”
Wang was already skintight; this month he was barely scraping by.
But it was now the end of October, just before November, when the new stipend would arrive. He reminded himself of the month of September, when he’d spent his whole budget trying to take the coach’s girlfriend out shopping, leaving him broke for a whole month. The current month he’d donated to his brother‑in‑law’s girlfriend, and it knocked his wallet again.
“Next month, I’ll have to budget tighter,” he muttered, vowing to save.
Then a flash of golden light on his screen signaled another rare character from a gacha.
Wang: …
“You’ve got money, you’re lucky, paying for a gacha makes you happy.”
He started to regret introducing Luo to this game.
On the other side, Li Hao Yang was getting addicted, too, and asked, “Chui, what’s this ‘little grass‑god’ you mentioned?”
“It’s that green‑clad, white‑haired loli.”
“Oh.”
Li stared at the character and said, “She’s as short as Xu Xiao Jia.”
Luo, feeling like a matchmaker, immediately asked, “Coach, what do you think of Xu Xiao Jia?”
“What do I think? She seems like a cute girl.”
Li thought for a second and gave a universally acceptable answer—though it didn’t really answer the question.
Luo cut straight to the chase, “Do you like her?”
In a male dorm, people are blunt; they ask directly.
“I don’t know,” Li shook his head.
He didn’t outright reject her, leaving room for drama. He’d still be processing the whole Lily‑Bing‑Xin affair, so romance made him uneasy. Yet Xu Xiao Jia hung around constantly, especially with Li, and he’d grown accustomed to her noisy presence.
He couldn’t say he didn’t like her, but he also couldn’t say he did.
Luo saw his hesitation and patiently advised, “Coach, you’re not really against Xu Xiao Jia; you’re just wary of relationships. Why not try asking someone out, get to know them better? Maybe she’ll turn out different from Lily.”
Li hesitated, “I’ll give it a try.”
Luo smiled. As a romance‑novel author, he felt destined to play cupid. Theoretical masters of love often get flustered when it comes to their own feelings.
He knew that if the fairy senior were involved, he’d gladly stay lost in love’s swamp forever.
Suddenly a deafening c***k echoed outside; thunder rolled as rain hammered down.
“Thunderstorm,” Shen Qiao said, staring out the window.
The forecast had been a lie—a gentle shower turned into a raging thunderstorm with wind. Because of the downpour, the afternoon classes were canceled—though they had no classes anyway.
“Sleep,” Wang closed the game and burrowed under his blanket.
Luo also prepared for bed, but a memory popped up: the first time he met the fairy senior, she seemed… scared of thunder?
He sat up abruptly, threw off his covers, and scrambled for clothes—moving at lightning speed.
Wang poked his head out from under his blanket, “Kid, are you sick? Going out now?”
“I’ve got an emergency.”
Luo slipped on shoes, grabbed his umbrella, and rushed out, leaving the other three staring.
“Is he going to find Senior Su?” Wang whispered, astonished.
“Only Su could make him that urgent,” Shen chuckled.
“But it’s windy, raining, and thundering outside. Su isn’t dumb; she’d be at home. What could possibly be happening at home that’d make him sprint out?” Wang asked, genuinely confused.
Shen gave a faint smile, “Usually when a guy knows the girl’s at home, most people just send a comforting text… which explains why Luo can win an ice‑queen’s heart. Actions speak louder than words.”
Li added, “Yeah, doing something concrete hits the heart more than a casual message.”
- Writer
