surrounding areas
When Xu Zhiyi was awakened by the alarm clock, her father had already posted a new study schedule on her desk.
The densely packed forms were like a net, covering her entire Sunday.
She sat up mechanically, her fingertips unconsciously scratching the corner of the table.
The morning light filtered through the gap in the curtains, casting a long, thin streak of light on the schedule, like some kind of silent mockery.
In the living room, the soy milk maker was humming.
Xu Zhiyi took out the mobile phone from under the pillow, the screen lit up, the game icon was quiet, and there was no red dot prompt.
He is not online.
Xu Zhiyi felt a little disappointed. She actually expected an online friend to wait for her all the time.
It's a bit ridiculous.
"Zhiyi! Come out for breakfast!" Father's voice pierced through the door.
She took a deep breath, pushed the door open and walked out.
At the dining table, Xu Wangping picked up a fried egg for her and said without looking up, "Zhou Yu'an's mother sent a message saying that Zhou Yu'an will be back from school this weekend and will be able to take time off in the afternoon to give you math tutoring via video."
Xu Zhiyi's chopsticks rested on the edge of the bowl. "I've finished my homework."
"The provincial champion has a different approach to problem solving." Her father pushed the soy milk toward her, his tone brooking no room for argument. "He made time for it, don't be ungrateful."
There was a thick layer of skin on the surface of the soy milk. Xu Zhiyi stared at his reflection and suddenly felt his throat tighten.
"What can you teach through a screen?" she whispered.
"Pah!" Xu Wangping slammed his chopsticks on the table. "What's wrong with you lately?"
The kitchen faucet was not closed tightly, and the dripping sound was like some kind of countdown.
Xu Zhiyi stood up suddenly and said, "I'm going to do the test."
The moment the door closed, she heard her father accusing her from behind: "You're getting more and more immature as you grow older. Do you know that if it weren't for you, would I worry about this every day?"
In the room.
The math test paper on the desk was wrinkled.
Xu Zhiyi unlocked his phone, the game interface was empty, and the "L" avatar was still gray.
She clicked on the dialog box, her finger hovered for a long time, and finally sent an [aggrieved] expression.
The sound of children playing in the neighborhood came from outside the window. She suddenly felt a tightness in her chest and buried her face in her arms. Her father's urging voice seemed to still echo in her ears.
The phone suddenly vibrated.
She looked up suddenly. It was a message from Zhang Ningxia:
Song Chengrui sent a message in the group chat. He's going to Haichuan for a competition today and asked if anyone needs anything.
[Zhiyi, haven't you been playing that "The Jungle Book" lately? Their official store is in Haichuan. Do you want them to help you get some merchandise?]
Xu Zhiyi stared at the screen, her nose suddenly sore. She typed quickly:
My dad is forcing me to have video lessons with Zhou Yuan, and I'm really annoyed.
After thinking for a while, she refused.
[Forget it, I don't want to trouble others with this kind of thing.]
Just as the message was sent, there was a knock on the door: "The video starts at 3 o'clock, sort out the wrong questions now."
Xu Zhiyi put his phone into his pocket and grabbed his wrong answer book when the game prompt sound suddenly rang.
Her heart skipped a beat, but when she took it out, she saw that it was just a version update notification pushed by the system.
"Got it." She responded to the door, her fingertips running across the gray avatar, and finally pressed the lock screen button.
On the computer desk, the camera has been adjusted to the best angle by my father, like another silent observer.
—
Early in the morning, Song Chengrui just woke up in the hotel room.
Outside the window, the banner of the National Mathematical Olympiad for Middle School Students swayed slightly in the morning breeze.
He rubbed his temples and took out his cell phone from under the pillow.
The phone screen lit up, and in the game, Xu Zhiyi's character was shown as offline.
My roommate popped his head out of the bathroom and asked, "You're still looking at your phone during the finals today?"
Song Chengrui turned off the screen: "Wake up."
The sound of rolling suitcases could be heard from the corridor, and the team leader called out from outside the door: "Meet at 7 o'clock!"
He turned off his phone and stuffed it into his pocket.
—
In the video window, Zhou Yu'an's voice was as calm as if he was reporting the news: "I encountered this type of problem in last year's competition. The key is to find the extreme point of the function..."
Xu Zhiyi stared at the dormitory background behind him, and the pen left an afterimage between his fingers.
Xu Wangping sat in the living room with the door open, his eyes never leaving Xu Zhiyi.
"I have to take a call, wait a moment." Zhou Yu'an suddenly interrupted his explanation.
Taking advantage of this gap, Xu Zhiyi quickly clicked on the penguin avatar on his phone, but the other party's avatar was still gray.
Xu Zhiyi's fingertips trembled.
The sound of a scrap collector's horn came from outside the window. She sighed and put her phone back in the drawer.
I thought to myself that even if I went out to collect waste, I would be much freer than sitting here now.
Not long after, Xu Zhiyi stared at Zhou Yu'an's serious face on the computer screen, but his thoughts drifted away.
The video tutorial had lasted for an hour, and her notebook was almost blank except for a few unconscious doodles.
"Xu Zhiyi, are you listening?" Zhou Yu'an's voice came from the loudspeaker.
"Ah? I'm listening." She suddenly came back to her senses and scribbled a few numbers on a piece of paper.
In the living room, the footsteps of her father Xu Wangping came closer and closer. She immediately straightened her back and pretended to be thinking seriously.
My father stayed at the door for a few seconds, nodded with satisfaction, and left.
Zhou Yuan pushed up his glasses and said, "I'll go over this question one last time."
Xu Zhiyi secretly glanced at the faint light of the mobile phone coming through the gap of the drawer, and her heart beat faster unconsciously.
It has been a whole day and "L" is still not online.
"Let's stop here for today." Zhou Yu'an suddenly ended the tutoring session.
Xu Zhiyi felt as if she had been pardoned. Just as she was about to express her gratitude, her father's voice came from behind her: "Yu'an, thank you so much."
"Teacher Xu, it's okay." Zhou Yu'an responded politely, "We can make an appointment next time."
The moment the video was disconnected, Xu Zhiyi breathed a sigh of relief.
Xu Wangping frowned at her state and said, "Now that the tutoring is over, go sort out the wrong physics questions. How many points did you get last time?"
After the door closed, Xu Zhiyi slumped in the chair, his fingers unconsciously stroking the edge of the phone.
My phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from Zhang Ningxia: [Zhiyi, Song Chengrui said he'll be at the official Jungle Book store this afternoon! Do you really not want him to bring anything? The limited edition figures are going on sale this weekend. If you miss out, they'll be gone!]
Xu Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat.
She had always wanted that limited edition figurine, and the character figurine in the official trailer was almost identical to her character in the game.
But asking Song Chengrui for help would be too much trouble for him since they have only had a few contacts.
[It’s too much trouble for him…] She replied hesitantly.
[Oh my! He even asked in the group chat! If I miss this opportunity, it’s gone!]
Zhang Ningxia then sent an emoticon that said "Please."
Her fingertips hovered above the screen, unable to type a single word.
Just as she was hesitating, a private message suddenly popped up. It was Song Chengrui:
What should I bring?
Xu Zhiyi's eyes widened, his fingers trembling slightly: [How did you know? ]
【Zhang Ningxia said this.】
He replied quickly, [Limited edition character figures?]
Her face suddenly became hot: [Well... if it's not too much trouble...]
[No trouble, it's just on my way.]
Song Chengrui's reply was concise and clear: "Any specific requirements?"
Xu Zhiyi hadn't expected him to be so easy to talk to, and her nervousness dissipated a little: "It's that new character figurine with wings."
She added after typing, fearing that her request was too much.
[If you have it, bring it. If not, forget it. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for your trouble...]
【knew. 】
After Song Chengrui sent this message, his profile picture went dark.
Xu Zhiyi put down his phone, feeling a little strange.
She opened the game, looked at her character, and the corners of her mouth rose unconsciously.
Maybe I can own a physical figurine of it tomorrow.
At the same time, in the official store of "The Jungle Book", Song Chengrui was sitting in the rest area drinking milk tea.
He opened the "Psychedelic Forest" app, looked at the gray avatars in his friend list, and sighed softly.
The roommate next to him stared at them in surprise, "Song Chengrui, you treated us to a meal and milk tea just so we can come here with you?"
Song Chengrui locked the screen and chuckled, "Come out and relax. If you don't want to, you can go back anytime. I won't stop you."
The roommate nodded immediately, "I'm happy to, whatever you say is what I agree with."
"But you opened the game dialog box eight hundred times a day," my roommate teased. "Are you in an online relationship?"
"What nonsense." Song Chengrui stood up from his seat, "If you like something, go pick it yourself. I won't pay for it."
My roommates looked disgusted.
"whispering sound……"
—
At dinner time, Xu Zhiyi secretly logged into the game and found that "L" was still not online.
Xu Zhiyi chewed the food mechanically, without tasting the food.
After dinner, she returned to her room and found a photo sent by Song Chengrui:
[I bought it, and it also comes with a matching badge. ]
In the photo, the exquisite character figures shine brightly under the light, next to them are several metal badges from the same series.
Xu Zhiyi covered her mouth in surprise. This was the collection she had always dreamed of!
"Thank you so much! I'll transfer the money to you!" she replied quickly.
"Let's talk about it when we get back to school." Song Chengrui replied.
Xu Zhiyi held the phone in her hand, wishing she could go inside and thank Song Chengrui. He was like a god sent from heaven to save her and add a touch of color to her gloomy life.
She looked at the temporary conversation box and clicked on Add Friend in the upper right corner, but it showed that the add failed.
really……
Forget it, she thought she would ask Song Chengrui directly for the price when she got to school.
Xu Zhiyi was holding the phone and suddenly noticed that a slender figure in a black sweatshirt was vaguely reflected on the reflective glass window in the corner of the photo.
She zoomed in on the image but saw only a blurry outline.
Just then, a game notification suddenly popped up: "Your friend L is online."
Xu Zhiyi's heartbeat suddenly accelerated. She hurriedly switched interfaces, and the gray avatar finally lit up.
Almost at the same time, two messages popped up one after another:
L: [Sorry, I had something to do today and didn't have time to play. Why are you unhappy?]
Song Chengrui: [I'll bring it to you when I return to school tomorrow.]
Xu Zhiyi stared at the two dialog boxes and suddenly had a strange illusion.
She felt like she had a crush on both boys at the same time.
It’s over——
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