Chapter 15

Back in the dormitory, Bai Zining already knew that Zhu Shizhou was great at gaming; Zuo Xingwei was always shouting about wanting to “carry his games” by relying on Zhu Shizhou’s skills.

Although Bai Zining had never played with Zhu Shizhou before, he was confident in his own skills and wanted to see just how good Zhu Shizhou really was.

He deliberately asked Zhu Shizhou if he played mobile games. When Zhu Shizhou mentioned the game’s name, Bai Zining exclaimed in surprise, “Oh my gosh! What a coincidence, gege—we play the same game.” He paused briefly before adding, “But I’m not very good, so I probably shouldn’t drag gege down.”

This move was a classic example of playing hard to get, taking a step back to advance forward.

“It’s okay, log in. I’ll carry you,” Zhu Shizhou replied.

Bai Zining had it all planned out: first, he would play humble and lower Zhu Shizhou’s expectations. Then, once the game started, he would dominate the battlefield, showcasing his skills and flair, leaving Zhu Shizhou utterly stunned.

The art of pursuing someone, as they say, involves appropriately highlighting your strengths and using your shining points to attract them.

Being good at gaming was one of Bai Zining’s strengths.

Before this, he had already borrowed a friend’s alternate account and changed the username. The two added each other as friends in the game and successfully teamed up.

It was a competitive game where players picked heroes for 5v5 matches, with modes such as practice games, casual games, and ranked matches.

They started with a practice game. Bai Zining chose the marksman role, while Zhu Shizhou picked support. Bai Zining was slightly puzzled, he remembered Zuo Xingwei mentioning that Zhu Shizhou was amazing at playing assassins. However, it wasn’t a big deal, so he didn’t dwell on it.

He turned on his mic first and asked Zhu Shizhou if he could hear him.

He had tested it beforehand, and the premium voice-changing software was worth the money. It worked seamlessly with every app, ensuring that whether he was on a voice call or in a game chat, his real voice wouldn’t be exposed.

Since it was just a practice game, Bai Zining didn’t take it too seriously. Controlling his marksman hero, he headed down the bot lane for farming. Zhu Shizhou’s support hero followed closely by his side. After clearing a few waves of minions and upgrading his equipment, Bai Zining moved to the top lane for confrontation.

During summer vacation, students of all ages were off school, making it easy to run into elementary or middle school kids while gaming. Unfortunately, in this match, one of their teammates happened to be an elementary schooler.

The kid turned on their mic, and their high-pitched, immature voice hit Bai Zining like a shockwave. “Support! Support, come help me!”

Zhu Shizhou ignored them completely.

After a while with no response and getting killed by an enemy hero, the kid lost their temper and started cursing, “Hey, Ferry! Are you deaf? I told you to come and block the damage, didn’t you hear me?!”

Bai Zining immediately shot back, “Have you finished your summer homework yet? If you curse one more time, I’ll tell your homeroom teacher.” The elementary schooler instantly went silent and turned off their mic.

Then, in a gentle tone, Bai Zining said to Zhu Shizhou, “Gege, don’t be mad. Just ignore him.”

Zhu Shizhou calmly replied, “I’ve muted his voice chat.”

In the following team fights, Zhu Shizhou’s hero stayed protectively by Bai Zining’s side. He skillfully dodged various attacks and stepped in as a shield whenever Bai Zining’s hero was in danger, creating an ideal environment for him to deal damage freely.

He coordinated perfectly with Bai Zining, and each time, he even let Bai Zining have the final kill.

Not only was Zhu Shizhou great at gaming, but he was also incredibly selfless. Even Bai Zining couldn’t help but be impressed.

When the match ended and they entered the results screen, Bai Zining proudly claimed the MVP title.

“Baby, you’re amazing,” Zhu Shizhou praised.

With a loud “clatter,” Bai Zining’s phone slipped from his hands and fell to the floor. He scrambled to pick it up. Being called “baby” was way too much, it felt like they were in a relationship or something!

He had no idea whether Zhu Shizhou had ever dated before; the two of them had never discussed topics like that. Judging by looks alone, Bai Zining figured Zhu Shizhou must have dated at least five people, which would explain why he knew how to say things like that. As he admired another of Zhu Shizhou’s strengths, he mentally added a new flaw to his list: a flirt.

After playing games together for a few days, not only did Bai Zining rank up, but their in-game friendship intimacy also increased by 140 points.

That day, when Bai Zining invited Zhu Shizhou to log in, Zhu Shizhou asked, “I have a friend who wants to join us, do you mind?”

“I don’t mind at all. Go ahead and invite them,” Bai Zining replied, thinking it didn’t matter since he didn’t know any of Zhu Shizhou’s friends anyway.

However, there was one person Bai Zining hadn’t accounted for. The moment he heard Xie Cheng’s voice through the mic, he nearly spat out a mouthful of water.

His heart started to race, mostly out of fear that his cover might be blown.

“Ningning, this is my friend, Xie Cheng,” Zhu Shizhou introduced in a gentle tone. The next sentence was clearly not directed at Bai Zining: “This is my little girlfriend.”

The last four words had a playful lilt, carrying an unmistakable hint of flirtation.

Xie Cheng immediately chimed in, “Oh, so it’s sister-in-law! Seeing is believing, huh.”

“Watch your mouth,” Zhu Shizhou coughed lightly, pretending to reprimand him.

The three of them entered a 3v3 casual match mode, and Bai Zining calmed down. As long as he spoke less and avoided responding to Xie Cheng, everything would be fine. Besides, the fact that Zhu Shizhou introduced him to his friend indicated that he was serious about this “relationship.”

Xie Cheng: “What should I call you?”

Bai Zining: “I’m Cai Ning.”

“Hello, Ningning. I’m one of Zhu Shizhou’s buddies from the same major,” Xie Cheng replied.

“Don’t call her that randomly,” Zhu Shizhou interjected once again.

“What, is it a special nickname just for you? Fine, I’ll change it. Cai Ning, hello, I’m Xie Cheng,” he said, then continued, “So, how did you two start dating? Tell me about it. Zhu Shizhou is so tight-lipped. I’ve been asking him forever, and he won’t say a word.”

“I was the one who chased him,” Bai Zining replied shyly.

“You liked him first? Why, Cai Ning?” Xie Cheng asked, his tone full of curiosity.

“He’s great. Handsome, tall, thoughtful, and super talented. He’s good at everything.” Bai Zining praised Zhu Shizhou generously in front of his friend, intending to boost his ego and make him like himself even more.

“Thoughtful, uh…” Xie Cheng fell silent for a moment before laughing. “As long as you’re happy. Wishing you two everlasting happiness.”

Like that’s going to happen. Bai Zining inwardly rolled his eyes. Once the semester started, he was planning to break up with Zhu Shizhou.

“Xiao Zhu, I’m finally not worried about you being lonely for the rest of your life,” Xie Cheng teased. “But this is your first relationship, treat her well, okay? Do you need me to send you a 《Dating Guide》?”

First time? Zhu Shizhou had never been in a relationship?

Noticing Bai Zining’s silence, Xie Cheng assumed that she didn’t believe him and added, “Cai Ning, I swear on my gaming rank, I’m not lying. Don’t be fooled by how handsome my buddy is, he’s never even held a girl’s hand. Oh, and not a guy’s hand either. I used to think… Hey, hey, hey, Zhu Shizhou! What’s your deal? Why aren’t you blocking that attack for me? Are you doing this on purpose?!”

Bai Zining chuckled softly. He couldn’t quite say why, but for the rest of the day, his mood was exceptionally good.