Chapter 46 Online Dating 13
The 33rd team from Lai Si made many childhood sweethearts feel that their idols were giving them some sweet moments, and they started showing off on the forum, with several posts about them appearing on the homepage. Yuan Ying had a habit of regularly searching for Lai Si-related content on the forum, and soon he saw these posts.
My first reaction was to question it.
Because the post only contained Fox's comments, and there was no response from Lai Si. However, Fox's one-man show was enough for players to imagine an interaction between the two, and Yuan Ying's mere questioning was immediately drowned out by ridicule.
xqlttmm, are you jealous?
He didn't understand what there was to be jealous of.
The second reaction was hesitation and doubt.
Because he did witness Lai Si and Fox's interaction, he believes that if the team's voice chat were edited out, these people would go even crazier when they heard Fox calling Lai Si "Nice" repeatedly, and Lai Si responding with a coquettish complaint.
The question is like a spider, climbing on a naked heart, its legs tapping, each tremor a restless anxiety of not finding an answer.
I wanted to ignore it, but the content of the post kept floating in my mind.
These people are talking as if they're getting married very soon.
"...Master, have you and Fox known each other since childhood?" After being cooped up for so long, Yuan Ying couldn't help but ask during their daily team activities after the 33 event ended. "It must have been at least ten years. That's great."
The female voice on the microphone was light and pleasant, yet in subtle moments of rising intonation, it revealed a hint of electricity and technology. Lu Xuejin keenly detected a touch of envy and a faint trace of sorrow behind the cheerfulness.
He pressed his earphone, tilted his head and smiled, and said casually, "Well, we've known each other since we were a few years old, mainly because our elders have been in contact."
“That’s great.” Yuan Ying smiled sarcastically. “I didn’t have any friends when I was a child. And I still don’t have any now. Nobody likes me, not even my roommates. I overheard them saying bad things about me.”
Lu Xuejin invited him to hug, and Feixing and Tianyi quickly embraced.
Yuan Ying then said, "Master, do you and the fox study together all the time? You're in the same city now, right? You can see each other anytime, that's great."
Unbeknownst to many, "Big Fox" has become "Fox".
Of course not.
Lu Xuejin never went to school. Fox finished high school in Hong Kong Island and then went to City C with her family. It wasn't until seven years later that Lu Xuejin returned to City C and had a brief encounter with Fox at a banquet.
Lu Xuejin didn't tell Yuan Ying these inside details, but instead tacitly agreed and changed the subject: "You're very interested in him?"
The rustling sound of a plastic bag came through the microphone, followed by a crisp sound, and the soft chewing sound entered the headphones.
Yuan Ying knew Lai Si was eating dried sweet potatoes, and her question during a snack break seemed like a casual remark, but he immediately denied it, distancing himself: "No, it's just that he's your good friend, Master, and I'm a little curious..."
Lu Xuejin slowly finished eating one, wiped her hands clean with a wet tissue, and typed a smiley face in response.
Yuan Ying looked at that expression and felt it was quite meaningful.
Another day has come to an end.
Yuan Ying said cheerfully, "See you tomorrow, Master!"
Lu Xuejin: "Yeah, we'll be taking a break tomorrow, something came up."
Yuan Ying was curious when she heard the fox ask with concern, "Going to the hospital?"
The word made Yuan Ying immediately grip the mouse tightly, her veins bulging from the tension on the back of her hand, and her heart clenching in waves.
“We don’t have any equipment at home, so we have to go to the hospital,” Lu Xuejin said listlessly. In fact, he didn’t really like hospitals. The people in hospitals were more or less dazed and their expressions were numb. This unhealthy atmosphere made him feel depressed.
"What happened?" Yuan Ying asked in a panic.
Lu Xuejin smiled and reassured her, "It's nothing, just a routine physical examination."
Yuan Ying then realized that the person he was secretly observing behind the screen had a congenitally deficient body.
"Is your condition stable now?" The answer to this question had already been given on WeChat, but Fox seemed to have forgotten it and asked it again.
Lu Xuejin responded calmly, "It's alright, just like that."
Yuan Ying couldn't join their conversation, since he didn't know what illness Lai Si had suffered from, nor was it appropriate to ask at this time—Yuan Ying was emotionally intelligent and knew he shouldn't rub salt in the wound. But Fox knew that their questions and answers were based on an unspoken understanding he didn't understand.
Friends I grew up with... went to school together... created a guild together...
Every single word "together" is incredibly jarring.
The mouse pointer flickered erratically until Lai Si logged off and Yuan Ying exited the game, only then realizing that the mouse in his hand was twisted and broken from his grip.
The screen went black, the intimate master-disciple figures gone. Away from the game, his connection with Lai Si was negligible; he knew nothing about her. The fox, however, could still contact Lai Si in the real world—a closeness that was unbearable.
Her hands clenched so tightly that her bones cracked, and a dull pain washed over her like waves. Yuan Ying was overwhelmed by a profound sense of defeat.
After a moment of despair, he leaned back in his chair, covered his eyes with his hands, and breathed silently.
This emotion is abnormal, Yuan Ying thought.
He should be happy, not worried. He should use all means to dig up the chat logs, collect and organize them for future investigation, instead of still playing a childish master-disciple game.
But even after constantly warning myself, my heart still aches uncontrollably.
...
The next day, Yuan Ying quickly completed her daily tasks online and then kept refreshing Lai Si's Moments, trying to get a glimpse of his status. However, no matter how many times she refreshed, the latest post was still a photo taken in the rain.
When Yuan Ying first added Lai Si, she stalked through her WeChat Moments. Lai Si hadn't set any blocking or time limits, but she updated very infrequently, with only fifteen posts in total, all of which were artistic photos or strangely shaped shots.
In Lai Si's lens, even a ladybug can be transformed into a poisonous insect with beautiful and eerie colors.
The fox commented below: Looking at too many of your photos makes me dizzy [laughing and crying emoji]
Yuan Ying didn't feel anything and accepted it well. He modestly refrained from commenting or boasting afterward.
After refreshing the page nearly ten times in half an hour, I got nothing and had to switch to the chat box.
He kept in touch with Lai Sidu through games and YY, but there was very little chatting on WeChat. Apart from transferring money, there were only a few brief greetings, making it seem particularly deserted.
Fallen Petals: [A puppy peeks out]
Luo Ying: Master, how did the checkup go? Did it go smoothly?
I can't even get into the game; I just sit here waiting for a reply.
Li Wen and Du Chengfeng went in and out, while Yuan Ying remained seated in a daze, occasionally glancing down at her phone. A large computer sat in front of her, but it remained unstarted.
This is unlike Yuan Ying at all.
The two communicated with their eyes.
'Is he crazy?'
'I guess she had a fight with her online boyfriend.'
...
Private hospitals offer a tranquil environment because they cater only to a select few elites. On weekdays, aside from the medical staff coming and going, you rarely see anyone else.
After the examination, Lu Xuejin was led by Gu Zeyi to the rest room of the medical examination hall. The cushions were soft and had built-in backrests, and there were piles of plush toys around. Lu Xuejin leaned against the armrest, feeling waves of hunger in his stomach. He curiously touched his stomach, then took out his phone and looked down to reply to Yuan Ying's messages.
Gu Zeyu quickly returned with a cart laden with steaming hot breakfast, a wide variety of dishes.
Lu Xuejin didn't have a big appetite. She ate one custard bun and one vermicelli bun, and put down her soy milk after drinking half of it. She was full.
Gu Zeyu finished the rest of the breakfast; he hadn't eaten breakfast because he was in such a rush to leave in the morning.
"What do you want to eat for lunch?" Gu Zeyu asked. On the day Lu Xuejin was going for her medical check-up, he made sure to finish his work early and set aside the whole day to spend with his younger brother. Healthy people can never truly empathize with sick patients, but Gu Zeyu wanted to do his best to make his brother as happy as possible.
"Brother, are you going to cook?"
Gu Zeyu's cold face broke into a smile: "Baby, I cooked all my own meals when I was studying abroad, I didn't hire a nanny."
Lu Xuejin looked at him suspiciously and casually mentioned two or three dishes.
When the doctor brought the report, he immediately bent down and squeezed the doll, and the smile on Gu Zeyu's face disappeared without a trace.
"Young Master's indicators are all within acceptable limits," the doctor said happily. Although she didn't have much contact with the patients, she had always felt that Lu Xuejin was a well-behaved child and was very happy for his gradually improving health. "However, there are still a few minor issues."
The doctor looked at Lu Xuejin and blinked: "Do you often sit for long periods of time?"
Gu Zeyu immediately complained: "Doctor, my brother plays games every day, from morning to night."
Lu Xuejin: ...
He glanced at his older brother but didn't say anything in rebuttal.
The doctor gave a knowing, compassionate smile and said, "I suggest getting up and walking around every now and then. It doesn't need to be strenuous exercise; just taking a walk around the room will do. Ideally, you should get up every half hour."
"This concerns your health, so please pay more attention."
The doctor gave some additional instructions on daily life. After she left, Lu Xuejin finally spoke up: "Why did you say all that?"
Gu Zeyu patted his shoulder: "Just stating the facts. Baby, follow the doctor's orders."
"Okay." The younger brother pouted but nodded obediently, as if he had taken it to heart.
Gu Zeyu knew that after a few days, Lu Xuejin would definitely forget the doctor's advice.
He felt that he was often away on business trips and couldn't discipline Lu Xuejin, and the housekeeper at home also spoiled him. He thought about the game his younger brother was currently addicted to—the illegitimate son of the Lin family who had risen to power was also playing it.
...
Another day, 33.
As your rank increases, the opponents you're matched with are all ranked players. They have great teamwork and sharp skills. Even if you can't beat Lu Xuejin's team, you can still keep them on your toes and greatly extend the time it takes to climb the ranks.
As the game was about to end, Fei Xing on the opposing team typed a few lines of confession in the public chat with extremely fast hand speed.
[All] Punishment: Greetings, Lai Si.
[All] Punishment: So strong and cold-blooded, you've soaked me.
[All] Punishment: Can I ask for a friend slot, baby?
Lu Xuejin: ...
The three of them tacitly ignored the harassment from the punishment.
"Let's start the next round," Lu Xuejin said.
The fox interrupted the spellcasting: "Wait, um..."
He paused, suppressing a laugh, and said, "Laisi, it's time for exercise."
[Team] Lai Si: ?
"Get up and walk a few steps, young master." The fox couldn't help but laugh and said teasingly, "Your brother specially asked someone to contact me and asked me to supervise you to respect the doctor's orders and exercise in time. He said to get up and walk around every half hour. How could I dare to ignore his request? Little girl, get up quickly. It only takes a few minutes to walk around. Hurry up and finish so we can start the next round."
Lu Xuejin: ...
Yuan Ying: ...
Dong Yao: [The host's older brother is quite interesting.]
Lu Xuejin never expected that Gu Zeyu would come up with such an idea.
Fearing Lu Xuejin wouldn't believe it, the fox even forwarded her chat history with Gu Zeyu.
"Hesitation is no substitute for action, let's begin!" the fox encouraged with a smile.
Lu Xuejin reluctantly got up, and as the sound of the roller being pushed away rang out, the footsteps gradually faded away. The microphone fell silent for a moment.
When only Fox and Yuan Ying were left, no one joked or chatted; the two of them were as quiet as if they were dead.
Even the fox could imagine Lu Xuejin's helpless and frustrated stroll, finding amusement in it. Yuan Ying could only listen silently.
As the light shifted in silence, Yuan Ying found herself caught in the boundary between light and shadow. Her gaze was as calm as an ancient well, two bottomless pools of ink, as her gloomy eyes fell upon the game character with the fox ID.
Click to select, then hover your finger over the attack button.
He thought he should find a way to get rid of the fox.
This bastard keeps disturbing his time with his master.
It would be great if attacks in games could be transmitted to reality.
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