Chapter 15 The Price of 4090

The moment Lin Yan closed the door lock with a "click", I shuddered belatedly.

The warm yellow ceiling light in the entrance hall shone down, illuminating the two pairs of crooked slippers at the door - one pair was Lin Yan's unchanging pure black style, and the other pair was the cartoon Shiba Inu style that was forced upon me.

I stared at the grinning Shiba Inu on the tip of my shoe and suddenly realized: this really is my home for him.

"What are you daydreaming about?" Lin Yan approached from behind, rubbing his chin against my shoulder, and wrapped his arms around my waist, shaking me gently. "Let me show you the upgraded version?"

He half-dragged and half-carried me to the living room, but I couldn't help but look around.

When I visited the apartment last month, it was empty, but now it's completely transformed—the old-fashioned brown sofa left by the landlord has been replaced with a cloud-white bean bag, and there's a small wine table with a night light by the floor-to-ceiling window. The most outrageous thing is...

"This wall?!" I broke free from his embrace and threw myself in front of the TV wall. The entire wall had been transformed into a series of staggered cabinets. The top shelf was filled with the out-of-print game discs I'd always wanted, while the bottom shelf held three retro game consoles from different generations, even their power cords thoughtfully connected to converters.

Lin Yan leaned against the kitchen door frame, smiling like a satisfied cat: "I asked the master to modify it overnight last week. Do you like it?"

I opened my mouth, my throat constricting. Two months ago, when the power went out in the dorm, I'd wrapped myself in a blanket and boasted to him about building a "Game Chronicle Museum" when I had enough money. I'd never imagined he'd even remembered my random, crazy rant.

At this moment, the setting sun slanted in through the blinds, giving the plastic shells a layer of gold rim, and I suddenly felt a sore nose.

While Lin Yan was cutting vegetables in the kitchen, I strolled over and pushed open the door of the second bedroom - and then I was nailed to the spot.

The 32-inch curved screen flashed a faint blue standby light, the breathing light of the RTX4090 graphics card looked like the eyes of a dormant animal, and there was even a Switch protective cover hanging on the armrest of the ergonomic chair - the same model as the one with the cracked shell that I dropped.

Even more terrifying was the row of figures in the glass display case: from the Master Sword from "The Legend of Zelda" to the Kagawa Maru from "Sekiro," all of them were sky-high priced items that made me drool as I scrolled through my shopping cart late at night in the dormitory.

"Lin Yan!!!" I rushed back to the kitchen, pointing a trembling finger at the second bedroom, "Did you win the lottery? Or did you rob a bank?!"

He slowly and methodically blanched the broccoli without even raising his eyelids. "I've been paid for the algorithm outsourcing I took on last month."

Seeing me about to jump up, he added, "Don't worry, I didn't touch the startup fund my dad gave me. It was all thanks to Chen, who called me the 'King of Papers' every day, that I took it."

I crouched in my gaming chair, spun around three times, and finally buried my face in the headrest that smelled of new leather, wailing, "Capitalism is corrupting proletarian fighters! I'm reporting you to the organization for sugarcoating your tactics!"

His chuckle could be heard over the roar of the range hood: "The shells have been unpacked. Please ask the signatory to cooperate in destroying them."

Before I finished touring this territory, Lin Yan called me to eat.

The plate of tomato beef brisket on the dinner table became my life-saving straw.

I almost buried my face in the bowl, frantically shoveling at the soup-covered rice, trying to cover up my exploding heartbeat with the sound of chewing.

Lin Yan's cooking skills have evolved tenfold compared to when he secretly cooked instant noodles in the dormitory, but I can't taste anything now - he looked at me with his chin propped up in my peripheral vision, his eyelashes casting a small shadow under his eyes, and the smile at the corner of his mouth made the back of my neck numb.

I know in my heart that this guy is waiting for the results to be inspected!

"Eat slowly." He suddenly reached out to wipe the rice grains from the corner of my mouth, his fingertips lightly brushing across my lower lip, "No one is trying to snatch it from you."

I choked so hard that I had to down a whole glass of lemonade before I could catch my breath. I slammed the table and said, "I'll wash the dishes!"

"Are you sure?" He raised an eyebrow and looked at the dishwasher. "The latest Siemens model, the kind that can wash lobsters."

"...Then I'll wipe the table!"

“There’s a robot vacuum cleaner.”

"I-I'm going to take out the trash!"

"The property management collects the rent at 8am and 8pm every day."

I stared at this home that was armed to the teeth with modern technology, and suddenly understood the feelings of the ancient heroes who were trapped in a dead end by their enemies.

Lin Yan suddenly stood up and approached, trapping me between the backs of the chairs with the scent of minty mouthwash: "Student Chen—" His drawn-out tone was like a small hook, "It's shameful to run away."

"Who's running away!" I stiffened my neck and bluffed, "This is... a strategic reserve! Only after I'm full can I..."

The second half of the sentence was blocked by the sudden kiss.

The sour and sweet taste of tomatoes mixed with the aroma of tea between his lips and teeth conquered him. My hands gripping the back of his shirt tightened more and more, and I heard the crisp sound of the porcelain spoon falling into the soup bowl.

When Lin Yan held my lower back and led me to the master bedroom, I clung to the door frame and made a final struggle: "Wait, wait! I want to negotiate before the war!"

He laughed sullenly and bit my earlobe: "Permission granted."

"First!" I held up a trembling finger. "Wednesdays and Saturdays are official game days, absolutely!"

"Approved, seconding the motion to increase the two-player online time slot."

"Secondly! Discussions outside of the study are prohibited... ahem, certain academic matters!"

"Corrected to: Practical sessions are not subject to regional restrictions."

"Third! If I say stop..."

He suddenly pushed me against the door, his knees wedged between my legs, a dangerous fire dancing in his eyes. "This requires practical training before I can answer it."

Later, those broken protests melted into vapor. Moonlight seeped through the gaps in the undrawn curtains, illuminating the Shiba Inu's slippers dangling on the bed and the tangled scraps of clothing on the floor. In a trance, I heard Lin Yan chuckle in my ear: "Now you know the price of a 4090 graphics card?"

I wanted to curse, but all that came out were sobs.

(The next morning)

When the alarm on my phone rang for the third time, I struggled to poke my head out of Lin Yan's arms and saw a series of messages pop up on WeChat:

Lao Si: [Picture] (The empty bed in the dormitory, taken at 23:47 last night)

Caption: Brother Rui, I have taken over your gaming account, just rest assured and recuperate!

Attached is a news link: "The incidence of hemorrhoids among contemporary college students has increased sharply, and experts call for a healthy work and rest schedule"

I silently put the phone back under the pillow.

Forget it, for the sake of that game wall.

When I stood up from the bed with my teeth bared, Lin Yan was pouring honey water into my mouth. He had a harmless and handsome face, but his hand was pressing accurately on the bite mark on my lower back: "Get up slowly, didn't you say your waist was going to break yesterday?"

"How dare you say that!" I slapped his hand away and headed towards the game room. Every step I took felt like I was experiencing rectal vibrations. "Where's the 'gentleness' you promised me? I even have cushioning when I sit down now!"

Lin Yan leaned against the door frame and sneered at me as I fiddled with the computer case. His gold-rimmed glasses reflected a cold glint: "Chen Rui, your inspection of the goods is really exaggerated."

I touched the warm graphics card and breathed a sigh of relief - this thing must have helped me update the game before!

Just as he was about to turn around and say something stern, he suddenly felt dizzy and was lifted up by the waist. The morning light bathed him in a layer of holy light, and the words he uttered were devilish: "It seems I was too restrained last night, so you still have the energy to think about your fake wife."

"Put me down! I'm going to spit chips all over your shirt!"

I kicked my legs and howled, feeling incredibly guilty. He carried me around three times before throwing me back onto the bed, pulling out the ointment as gracefully as if he were cutting a steak. "Do you want to take it off yourself, or do you want me to help you?"

I clutched the elastic band of my pajama pants tightly. "I can apply the hemorrhoid cream myself!"

"It's the ointment." A gleam flashed across his spectacles. "Or... do you want me to check somewhere else?"

Every dressing change is an Oscar battle.

As soon as the cotton swab was dipped in the ointment, I started to howl: "Be gentle! You're using it as barbecue sauce!"

——In fact, it doesn’t hurt anymore, but it’s still a bit uncomfortable. This guy’s eyes are so hot that they can fry an egg. Who knows if it will accidentally go off!

"Go on, keep acting." Lin Yan suddenly leaned over and bit my earlobe. "I see you're feeling pretty good too, huh?"

I froze like a coffin, a glimpse of the unsealed family planning supplies on the bedside table. Then, a mixture of grief and indignation filled my eyes. "Do you understand tactics? The ultimate still needs cooldown and energy to accumulate. Can you please just be quiet for a moment?"

After enduring the most brutal three days, Lin Yan settled the score with a strawberry cake: "What was it like the first time?"

I held a fork in my mouth and acted like a big shot: "It's just like that, almost the same as exploring a new dungeon." Seeing him raise his eyebrows, I quickly added: "Of course it's more exciting than playing games..." The fingers I used were not even as big as an ant.

He suddenly threw me onto the lazy sofa and pushed my bluffing defense apart with his knee: "Chen Rui, your ears are so red they look like they could bleed."

I clung to his shoulders like an ostrich, my voice muffled in the crook of his neck: "It's quite comfortable...but the size is really out of stock!"

His chest-shaking laughter sent shivers down my spine. I suddenly pulled out my phone and swiped it twice—the lock screen showed a picture of me, paralyzed and utterly dead, last night!

"Delete it! Immediately! Right now!" I pounced on him with my teeth bared, but he grabbed my waist and pushed me back into his arms.

I closed my eyes tragically. I lost all my face today.