Luo Xiyun stood outside the three-point line of the basketball court, patting the basketball in his hands, facing Chen Xu sideways, thinking about how to break through.

She was wearing a baggy red basketball jersey and her long hair was tied back.

Chen Xu stood in front of her with his arms crossed, looking at her with a smile on his face.

Luo Xiyun walked a few steps to the side, and Chen Xu followed him.

"You're too close, back off."

Suddenly, Luo Xiyun stood up straight, protested, and pushed him with his hand.

Chen Xu took a step back, spread his hands and said, "Is this okay?"

Luo Xiyun stared at his hands again. Chen Xu shrugged and crossed his hands again.

At this moment, Luo Xiyun changed hands and dribbled the ball, changed direction, went around him from the left, took two steps, and made a layup. The basketball circled the basket and rolled into it.

"Ha, come on."

When Luo Xiyun saw the ball go in, he ran to the side excitedly, picked up a black marker pen, and waved to Chen Xu proudly.

Chen Xu walked over with an expressionless face.

Luo Xiyun held his chin with his left hand and said, "Don't move. If the painting is crooked, don't blame me."

Chen Xu looked at the smile in her eyes and said helplessly, "Can you change the punishment?"

"No, I've wanted to do this for a long time." Luo Xiyun said, picking up a marker and starting to draw on his forehead.

After a while, a black cartoon-shaped dog appeared on Chen Xu's forehead.

Luo Xiyun took a step back, looked at his masterpiece, a bright smile appeared on his face, and said, "Come again."

This is their daily activity, which started with playing badminton, table tennis, and tennis, and then evolved into competitive sports such as football and basketball.

In order to increase the fun, a prize was later added: the loser had to accept the punishment of the winner.

Of course, there is a huge gap in strength between the two. Not to mention the physical differences between men and women, Chen Xu's skills are not comparable to Luo Xiyun's.

In order to be fair, Chen Xu had to accept many restrictions. He could not use his hands when defending, could not get too close, and could not jump.

Luo Xiyun had never played basketball before. At the beginning, she couldn't even dribble the ball, so she used both hands to shoot. Even if Chen Xu stood in front of her, she didn't have to move, and she couldn't score more than one or two goals in a day.

Over the past few months, she has made rapid progress and can now dribble, break through, and layup smoothly with a high hit rate.

Until now, Chen Xu always lost more than he won. After Luo Xiyun won, he always punished him in different ways. Today, he came up with a new idea to draw a pattern on his forehead.

It was Luo Xiyun's turn to serve again, and he wanted to use the same trick again, but he ended up running headfirst into Chen Xu's arms. Unable to control his momentum, he stumbled, and knocked Chen Xu down.

"Are you okay?"

The fall was quite severe. Just as Luo Xiyun was about to climb up from Chen Xu's body, he was hugged by him and said, "Don't move."

"What's wrong?"

She didn't move anymore, just lying quietly in his arms, able to hear his strong heartbeat.

Chen Xu said, "I want to hug you."

Luo Xiyun put his face on his chest and whispered, "Have you forgotten what you promised me?"

Chen Xu gently touched her hair and said, "It's normal for friends to hug each other."

Luo Xiyun stopped talking and closed his eyes.

Similar conversations have taken place many times in the past few months. Chen Xu used this excuse to test her bottom line step by step. She knew it very well, but the current contact was still within her acceptable range.

This is for his mental health.

She said this to herself.

The temperature inside the base is constant, between 24 and 26 degrees, and there is an air circulation system, which is a very suitable temperature.

"Chen Xu." Luo Xiyun said suddenly.

"Um?"

"I want to go back."

"Um."

"Another year has passed. Time flies."

"Yeah, so soon, you're leaving again."

Then there was another silence.

"It's so hot, let me get up." Luo Xiyun said, trying to break free from Chen Xu's hand. Chen Xu hugged her, stood up from the ground, and then put her down.

Luo Xiyun walked to the side, picked up the ball, and looked at him, "Are you coming again?"

"Come on."

…………

In the evening, after dinner, Luo Xiyun cleaned up the dishes, dried his hands, and said, "I'm leaving."

"Why are you in such a hurry?"

Luo Xiyun said, "You ask even though you know the answer."

Chen Xu could guess the reason. She was worried about running into Yang Jinxia or Bai Jinxuan. It was almost a year since she entered the dream. One of them could come online at any time.

He said somewhat depressedly, "If you leave now, I won't be able to see you for two years."

"Aren't they here to keep you company? You'd be happier with them around, right?"

Chen Xu looked at her and said, "You are jealous."

Luo Xiyun looked at him angrily, "Chen Xu, let me ask you, if I fall in love with another man at the same time, can you accept it?"

Chen Xu's eyes lit up and he said, "So, you admit that you still love me."

"You... are making a fuss." Luo Xiyun didn't want to talk to him anymore and went back to the room.

After the door was closed, there was a hint of smile in Chen Xu's eyes.

Time can change everything.

When he was with Luo Xiyun before, they didn't have much time to meet each other every day. They were both busy with work and didn't rest during holidays. The number of dates they had could be counted.

Until this dream, the two had spent two years together. In these two years, they stayed together every day, studying, eating, exercising, and on average, they spent more than ten hours a day together.

Luo Xiyun's attitude towards him changed unconsciously. From being cold and indifferent at the beginning, to cooking together, playing ball together, and even accepting some intimate physical contact.

Saying they were friends was just an excuse she used to convince herself.

Now, she was going offline, and he was really reluctant to let her go. The longer he stayed in the dream, the more he cherished the time he spent with them.

He learned so many dishes, grew his own vegetables, learned to dance, played basketball with her, etc., all to make life less monotonous and boring.

Even if there are only two people left in the world, life can still be fulfilling.

While Chen Xu was thinking about these things, Luo Xiyun pushed the door and walked out.

"I'm leaving," she said. "Don't let anyone in my room."

The "others" she was referring to were naturally the other two.

When she passed by, Chen Xu grabbed her hand and said, "Can we leave tomorrow?"

(End of this chapter)