07

Qu Shengsheng and Big Brother were chatting merrily, discussing everything from in-game strategies to the trivialities of real life. Before they knew it, nearly two hours had passed. She stretched, her bones making a series of soft "clicking" sounds, and turned to call Chen Qingyu to leave together.

Turning around, she saw Shen Qingyu staring blankly at her phone screen, her fingertips unconsciously rubbing the edge of the screen. Qu Shengsheng quietly walked over and patted her shoulder. Shen Qingyu suddenly raised her head, her eyes still a little dazed.

Seeing her like this, Qu Shengsheng immediately became interested and jokingly said, "Sister, who is this person who can make you so distracted?" As she spoke, she leaned over to look at Shen Qingyu's phone screen, only to see a blank circle of friends interface on it, without even a single dynamic. Qu Shengsheng frowned and said in an exaggerated tone, "Did he block you? This is too much!"

Shen Qingyu finally came back to his senses, his cheeks slightly hot, and he explained in a low voice: "...This is the WeChat of the Great God Wuyin."

"Master Wuyin!!!" Qu Shengsheng's voice instantly rose an octave, attracting the attention of several nearby players. She quickly covered her mouth and lowered her voice, but her eyes sparkled with excitement. "You actually added Master Wuyin on WeChat? Oh my god, Shen Qingyu is amazing!"

The older brother at the side also came over, and when he heard the words "Wuyin Master", his eyes widened and his face was full of disbelief: "Oh my God, sister, you actually added Master's WeChat account!!! I'm so jealous!" He has been playing this game for three years, and Wuyin Master has always been someone he looks up to, but he has never had a chance to be matched with the same team as him.

Shen Qingyu looked at the two people's excited expressions, and handed the phone to the eldest brother a little embarrassedly: "Do you want to add it? I can push it to you."

The older brother quickly waved his hands, shaking his head like a rattle. "No, no, absolutely not. If I rashly add the Great Master to WeChat, he'll definitely be unhappy. As for me, I'll just quietly follow him and admire him from behind the screen. I can't disturb him."

Qu Shengsheng listened from the side and couldn't help but joked: "I didn't expect you to be such a principled brother."

"Of course." The older brother puffed out his chest, a hint of pride on his face. He then glanced at the time on his phone and said goodbye to them. "Oh, it's getting late. I should go home. You should also get some rest early and have fun. We'll see each other again!"

"Goodbye, brother!" Qu Shengsheng and Shen Qingyu responded in unison.

Watching Big Brother disappear at the entrance of the internet cafe, Shen Qingyu's gaze returned to her phone screen. She tapped the blank Moments interface with her finger, lost in thought once again. She recalled the hero Wuyin had controlled in the game just now. Every movement and every skill he unleashed was incredibly precise, as if he had foreseen the enemy's movements.

Qu Shengsheng noticed she was lost in thought again, so he walked over and nudged her gently with his elbow, grinning mischievously, "Sister? Don't fall for a master you've never met. Eighty percent of people who are good at this kind of game are scumbags. Look at his profile picture, it's a cuddly kitten, trying to be cute. Ninety-nine percent of people like him are scumbags, no doubt."

Qu Shengsheng's words made perfect sense, but Shen Qingyu keenly sensed something was wrong. She raised an eyebrow and looked at Qu Shengsheng: "I remember you said before that when you look for a boyfriend, you must find a good gamer who can lead you to success? You are so insightful now, could it be that you were cheated by some gaming master?"

Qu Shengsheng's expression froze for a moment, her eyes evasive. She licked her lips and pretended to be calm: "How is this possible! I've always been the one to cheat on others, how could it be someone else's turn to cheat on me..."

"Oh~Is that so." Shen Qingyu drew out his tone, squinting his eyes and staring at her, his eyes full of "I understand".

Qu Shengsheng felt uncomfortable under her stare and quickly changed the subject: "Oh, let's not talk about this anymore. Let's go back. I've been playing games all night and my hands are sore."

Shen Qingyu smiled and shook her head, not asking any more questions. She packed up her things and followed Qu Shengsheng out of the internet cafe. The night breeze blew on her face, bringing a hint of coolness, but it also cleared her chaotic mind a lot. She took out her phone, looked at the cat avatar, hesitated for a moment, and still didn't send a message. She just exited the WeChat interface and put it back in her pocket.

The lights were also on in the men's dormitory of Tsinghua University.

Yu Wang closed his gaming laptop, and the light from the screen faded, revealing his chiseled profile. The other two boys in the dormitory, Wu Hao and Lu Yiwu, were gathered together, discussing the basketball game.

Wu Hao saw Yu Wang finished the game and immediately came over with a sly smile on his face. "Finished? How was it? Did you and that 'Yu Xi' cooperate well?"

Yu Wang leaned back in his chair, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop. His tone was calm but contained a subtle hint of approval: "The operational awareness is good, it meets my standards."

"Oh~ It meets your standards~" Wu Hao drawled out his words, hooking his arm around Yu Wang's neck slyly, "Hey, Old Yu, I've worked so hard to play League of Legends with you for so long, but I've never heard you praise me once. You must be special to this girl."

Yu Wang glanced at him indifferently and spat out two words: "You are a loser."

"..." Wu Hao was instantly choked and let go of his hand in dismay. However, he reluctantly looked at Yu Wang's phone and happened to see the WeChat chat interface. He snatched the phone away, "Fuck! Great, Old Yu, you're pretty fast and even added WeChat!"

He clicked on the WeChat profile picture, a small red bean, looking soft and adorable. He then opened his Moments, but there wasn't much content there, just a few posts, all of which were songs and anime. The only photo was a shot of the girl's back, taken at the beach. Beneath the setting sun, the girl's silhouette was stretched out, looking a little frail, yet exuding a quiet strength.

"It looks pretty good. It's not the kind of photo scam that Lu Yi encountered last time when he was having an online relationship." Wu Hao commented as he flipped through the book.

When Lu Yizhi heard this, he immediately glared at Wu Hao and said, "Can you please not bring that up? Besides, it's very rude to comment on others casually, you bastard."

Yu Wang lazily propped up his chin, watching Wu Hao jump in surprise, and asked with a hint of impatience: "Have you finished reading it?"

Wu Hao returned the phone to Yu Wang with an "I understand" expression on his face and a sincere tone: "Keep going."

"Come on, what?" Yu Wang took the phone and his eyes fell on the photo of Wu Hao's back that he had just opened. He felt that it looked familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen it for a moment, and frowned slightly.

"Of course it's online dating." Wu Hao answered confidently.

"..." Yu Wang raised his eyes and looked at Wu Hao with a forced smile. The coldness in his eyes made Wu Hao instantly timid.

"I'm wrong, I'm wrong. Can't I just stop talking?" Wu Hao broke out in a cold sweat and stepped aside awkwardly.

Yu Wang's gaze returned to the photo of the figure, and he gently zoomed in on it with his finger. The sunset, the seaside, the girl's white dress... these elements flashed through his mind rapidly, and suddenly, he remembered the figure he had seen a few days ago behind the school flower bed, also standing quietly like that.

The two silhouettes intersected in his mind and gradually overlapped.

He narrowed his eyes and the corners of his mouth unconsciously rose slightly.

It's her.

"By the way," Lu Yizi suddenly spoke, breaking the silence in the dormitory, "There's a senior student organizing a social gathering this weekend. It's a joint event between our department and hers. It's at the barbecue restaurant across from the school."

Yu Wang was about to refuse, but Wu Hao, as if he had anticipated what he was about to say, immediately interrupted, "Especially you, Old Yu. The senior sister from the organization said that she would take you over even if she had to tie you up. You can't refuse her."

“…” Yu Wang felt helpless.

Seeing that he didn't refuse immediately, Wu Hao quickly struck while the iron was hot: "I heard that there are a lot of beautiful women coming, and my goddess, Senior Sister Shen Qingyu, will also be there..."

Yu Wang didn't listen to the rest of the words. Shen Qingyu's operation in the game flashed through his mind, and he thought of the photo of his back at the beach. A meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Okay, I'll go."

Wu Hao and Lu Yi were both stunned, as if they had heard something incredible. Wu Hao reacted and excitedly hugged Yu Wang: "Oh my God, Old Yu, I knew you loved me! You finally agreed to accompany me to a social gathering!"

Yu Wang pushed him away silently with an expressionless face, picked up his phone, clicked on the red bean avatar, hesitated for a moment, put down the phone, and started to clean the table.

A week passed quickly and it was the weekend in the blink of an eye.

Shen Qingyu had originally planned to stay in the dormitory comfortably for two days, reading, playing games, and enjoying the rare leisure time. As soon as she returned to the dormitory, she prepared to take a shower, intending to wash away the fatigue of the week.

"Yu Yu, where are you going?" Le Yan'er was applying a facial mask and asked vaguely when she saw Shen Qingyu holding the basin.

"Taking a shower." Shen Qingyu answered casually.

"You're going to a social tonight, have you forgotten?"

"You go, I won't go." Shen Qingyu has never been interested in such lively occasions.

"No, you must go with me." Le Yan'er held Shen Qingyu's arm and refused to let go.

"Ah? You didn't tell me before." Shen Qingyu was a little surprised.

Le Yaner ran to Shen Qingyu and said, "Those junior students signed up because they heard you were going. I've already promised them that you would go. Please, Yu Yu, just go with me this once. Otherwise, I'll be so embarrassed."

Shen Qingyu hesitated and asked, "Where are Ji Yuanyuan and Su Yi? Aren't they going?"

"One of them has to discuss a project with the professor, and the other has to date her boyfriend, so they are both busy." Le Yaner looked at Shen Qingyu aggrievedly, her eyes red, "Yuyu, you are the only one I have now. Woo woo woo."

Looking at Le Yan'er's pitiful appearance, Shen Qingyu sighed: "Okay, I'll go."

"Hehe, I knew that you are the best, Yu Yu. Love you~" Le Yan'er immediately burst into laughter and gave Chen Qingyu a big hug.

The barbecue restaurant across from the school was incredibly popular, practically packed. It was also known to be a popular online check-in spot. At six o'clock in the evening, Shen Qingyu and Le Yan'er arrived promptly. The restaurant was already bustling with people, filled with the aroma of food and the sounds of laughter.

Le Yaner greeted the boss familiarly, took Shen Qingyu through the crowded crowd, and sat at the only empty large table in the corner: "Fortunately, I made an appointment with the boss in advance, otherwise I really wouldn't be able to eat this internet-famous barbecue today."

Chen Qingyu looked around boredly. The shop's decor was unique, with retro posters and photos covering the walls. The air was filled with the charred aroma of barbecue and the sweet fragrance of sauces. After Le Yan'er took her order, she chatted with her casually, "Are we too early? The junior students haven't arrived yet."

"Well, after all, we are seniors and we are the host. It shows our sincerity if we arrive early." Le Yaner said as she fiddled with the cutlery on the table.

As soon as she finished speaking, the wind chimes at the door made a crisp "ding-ling" sound.

They were all classmates from the same department, and Shen Qingyu and Le Yaner knew each other. Everyone greeted each other and the atmosphere suddenly became lively.

"Senior Chen Qingyu, you don't know how much we admire you!" A girl with a ponytail smiled and pulled Shen Qingyu's hand, her eyes full of admiration.

A chubby boy nearby also came over and smiled innocently: "That's right, no matter what people say about you online, our classmates in the department are on your side. We are all your strong backing!"

Shen Qingyu was moved by their sincere words and a genuine smile appeared on her face: "Thank you."

The girl waved her hands and said nonchalantly, "Oh, that's nothing. Besides, look at our barbecue, it's plenty large, and he's carrying the meat!"

This sentence made everyone laugh, and the originally somewhat restrained atmosphere instantly became relaxed.

While we were chatting, the dishes we ordered were served before we knew it, and the charcoal fire was burning brightly, making crackling sounds.

"Why haven't my juniors come yet..." Le Yaner looked at the time and frowned, "Did they stand me up?"

"Le Yan'er, I heard that Yu Wang will be coming too. Is that true?" a girl suddenly asked, her tone full of anticipation. As soon as she finished speaking, several other girls beside her looked at Le Yan'er excitedly, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.

When Shen Qingyu heard the name "Yu Wang", her heart trembled inexplicably, and her fingers holding the cup tightened.

Before Le Yan'er could answer, the wind chimes at the door rang again, and a burst of young laughter was heard.

"Senior, I'm sorry, we are late." The leading boy was very tall, with a bright smile on his face. He walked in while apologizing.

He was followed by two boys, one of whom looked a little shy, and the other...

The last person to enter was Yu Wang.

He was still dressed in all black today, a simple black T-shirt and black jeans. Around his neck was the same silver necklace he'd seen at the bar last time, which made his skin look even paler. His peach-shaped eyes were slightly tilted upward, but his expression remained calm, revealing a cold, unapproachable apathy.

The girls' eyes were instantly focused on him, with whispers of exclamation and discussions rising one after another.

After the leading boy greeted everyone with a smile, his eyes fell on Shen Qingyu, his eyes suddenly lit up, and he said excitedly: "Senior Shen Qingyu? You really came!"

Shen Qingyu was stunned for a moment, then smiled politely: "Hello."

"Finally, I get to meet you in person! My name is Wu Hao." Wu Hao excitedly stretched out his hand and held Shen Qingyu's hand tightly, his tone a little incoherent, "Senior sister, I have liked you since freshman year... No, it's not that kind of liking, it's pure admiration... I won't wash my hands today..."

Looking at Wu Hao's excited and nervous expression, Shen Qingyu couldn't help but laugh, and her tense mood relaxed a lot.

"Hello, seniors. I'm Lu Yiqu." The boy who looked a little shy also quickly introduced himself.

"Yu Wang." Yu Wang's voice was very light. He simply said two words as a greeting.

After some acquaintance and courtesy, everyone sat down.

"Um, senior sister, can I sit next to you?" Wu Hao rubbed his hands and looked at Shen Qingyu a little embarrassedly.

There were three empty seats next to Shen Qingyu. Just as she was about to nod and say "OK", she saw Yu Wang had already pulled out the chair closest to her and sat down.

Everyone present was stunned for a moment, and the atmosphere suddenly became awkward.

"?" Wu Hao looked at Yu Wang in shock, "Old Yu, you..."

Yu Wang raised his head and raised his eyebrows, with a barely perceptible warning in his eyes.

Wu Hao was frightened by his aura, and snorted angrily, then sat down next to Yu Wang, muttering softly, "He values ​​women over friendship..."

The atmosphere at the dinner table was a little awkward at first, but soon became lively due to the aroma of barbecue and Wu Hao's jokes. Everyone chatted and laughed while grilling.

The only person who made Shen Qingyu feel a little uncomfortable was Yu Wang.

Because she was sitting a little far from the barbecue plate, it was not convenient for her to pick up some meat every time. At first, Le Yan'er would occasionally pick up some barbecued meat and put it on her plate, but later, Shen Qingyu found that the meat on her plate was getting more and more, almost piled up into a small mountain, which was obviously more than enough for two people.

She looked at the barbecue plate in confusion and found that Yu Wang was helping her grill the meat calmly. After grilling a piece, he put it on her plate. His movements were so natural as if he had done it countless times.

"Hey, little brother, you're quite smart." Le Yan'er also noticed this situation, and leaned close to Shen Qingyu's ear, smiling ambiguously, "It seems that our Yu Yu is quite charming."

"...Eat yours. Even so much food can't fill your mouth." Chen Qingyu's cheeks felt hot, and he gently pushed Le Yan'er.

At this time, Yu Wang picked up another piece of sizzling pork belly and put it on her plate. Shen Qingyu hurriedly thanked him: "Thank you."

Yu Wang glanced at her and said calmly, "It's okay. Wu Hao asked me to give it to you."

Wu Hao, who was drinking and chatting with others, almost spit out his wine when he heard this. He looked at Yu Wang in disbelief, as if saying: When did I say that?

Shen Qingyu was also a little embarrassed. She licked the corner of her mouth and whispered, "Oh, then thank you Wu Hao."

Wu Hao: "..." He could only bite the bullet and nod: "You're welcome, you're welcome."

Yu Wang looked at Shen Qingyu's slightly red ears, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly without any expression.

Aside from this minor incident, the atmosphere at the social gathering was lively. Everyone was chatting happily, with several senior students sharing their learning and internship experiences. Wu Hao, in particular, was truly a "king of atmosphere," and every word he said struck a chord with everyone, drawing rounds of laughter.

"Hey, junior Yu Wang, what do you like to do in your daily life?" A senior student called out to Yu Wang, who had been silent all the time.

"Playing games." Yu Wang raised his head, his jawline was very obvious.

Wu Hao interrupted at this time: "Old Yu really likes playing games, and he's pretty good at it. He once said that when he finds a girlfriend, he wants to find someone who can beat him at games. Isn't this just wishing himself to be single forever?"

Wu Hao's words made the whole audience burst into laughter.

As if inspired by everyone, Shameless was about to continue talking when Le Yan'er patted her head and said, "I remember, our Yu Yu also likes playing games. From freshman to junior year, she always locked herself in the dorm, either playing games or studying. Her favorite thing was to stay up all night in the internet cafe."

"Fuck, the goddess also stays up all night? No way?" Wu Hao was surprised.

Yu Wang looked at Shen Qingyu beside him.