Chapter 25

Jiang Zhiyu exaggeratedly turned away and said, “This is the gaming expert I recommended to you. She alone can knock out everyone here!”

“Really?” Xu Leyun’s grin stretched to the heavens. He was visibly excited as he grabbed He Shiduo’s hand. “You’re Sister Yu’s friend, which means you’re my friend too. Come on, come with me~”

He Shiduo never thought she’d ever be this close to this boy, let alone get the chance to play games with him. She glanced at Jiang Zhiyu and finally realized—she owed her yet another favor.

But the moment she sat down at the computer, she froze. The guys around them all looked fierce and unruly. Next to them stood girls in matching black-and-white maid outfits and black stockings—uniformly dressed, seductively charming.

She looked back toward the entrance—Jiang Zhiyu had already disappeared. Her phone buzzed with a message from her:
“You two have fun. My dad called and urgently needs me to go back for tutoring. Contact me if anything happens. See ya.”

—-

He Shiduo panicked after reading that. This was supposed to be a three-player game, but it was now down to two.

“Senior Sister, can you carry as a marksman?” Xu Leyun blinked and rested his chin on his hand as he asked.

He Shiduo wondered—was Jiang Zhiyu worried she was still scared from the bus incident and knew she liked Xu Leyun, so she created a chance for just the two of them?

That’s really thoughtful… But wait, what did that handsome guy mean by asking if she could “carry” as a marksman? Was he expecting her to lead the game?

No way, no way—she looked at that pretty face and thought, he’d never do that…

He must be testing her skills.

“Yo, you switched again, huh? The last girl was ugly and sucked at the game, so you brought a flower vase this time, didn’t ya? Hahaha.”
It was the same guy from before, legs crossed arrogantly, now wearing skinny jeans instead of school pants—looking every bit the punk.

Bang!

The table was slammed hard as Xu Leyun stood up.
“Ling Feng, say one more thing about my friend, and I’ll make sure you regret it.”

Ling Feng quieted down, but his face was full of defiance, smirking, “Alright then, let’s see if you can beat me in-game.”

He Shiduo suddenly realized how serious things were. She’d been dragged in last minute to fill a slot—and losing might bring serious consequences. She sighed inwardly:
Jiang Zhiyu, you’ve really thrown me to the wolves this time.

“Senpai, don’t be afraid. I’ll protect you,” Xu Leyun patted her head, flashing a healing smile.

But that was just the appetizer. Once the game started, He Shiduo discovered the real trap—it was Xu Leyun himself!

He was playing support—a healer no less—yet never managed to heal her. His lack of game sense even got him picked off repeatedly.

Luckily, Ling Feng wasn’t that good either and mainly relied on the maid-girl teammate beside him.

Meanwhile, Jiang Zhiyu stood by the café’s window, watching the two play. She gazed up at the sky with a helpless face,
“Good luck, He Shiduo. Just think of this as repaying me and getting back for all the times you bullied me. Now we’re even.”

She did feel a little guilty, even pained by her conscience…

Suddenly, a strange figure caught her attention—a man sitting alone in the corner of the café.

He wore a long brown trench coat and expensive sneakers—completely out of place, studying with a computer.

“Perpetual second place?”
What’s he doing here? Jiang Zhiyu couldn’t help but walk over, only to find him already staring back at her.

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re also named Jiang Zhiyu?”
The man stopped writing, slightly dazed as he looked at the high school girl in front of him.

The name “Jiang Zhiyu” coming from Shen Xingyi’s mouth sounded so much like her old self—it made her a bit uneasy. She nodded, unsure how to address him, mumbling awkwardly,
“Hello, Uncle.”

—–

Uncle?

Shen Xingyi frowned deeply, “Do I really look that old?”

“N-no, I misspoke. I should have called you ‘brother,’” Jiang Zhiyu stammered, finally forcing the words out.

Shen Xingyi spun his pen in his hand. “You nearly aced the recent Sunshine Eagle exam. Scored the highest, ahead of second place by over 20 points.”

Jiang Zhiyu didn’t look surprised—this was expected.

“Which high school do you go to? Anyone who scores that well on my test should be well known nationwide, but I’ve never heard of you.”

Hah, typical ‘perpetual second place’ tone!

Still, he wasn’t wrong. Though he never beat her in tests, Shen Xingyi had always been an academic top dog. Back in the day, Beijing North High had produced two legends—herself, the nationwide #1, and Shen Xingyi, the #2.

They took the top two spots in the entire country, leaving other schools green with envy.

“I’m just low-key. But you’re pretty low-key too, huh? Studying in an internet café.”

Shen Xingyi smiled. “With grades like yours, I’m guessing you’re studying here too. Where’s your book?”

“You misunderstood. I’m not here to study, I’m here to game. But I got wrecked. Only you could manage to study in an internet café,” she said, pointing at He Shiduo and Xu Leyun battling behind the wall.

Shen Xingyi shook his head, spouting the same preachy wisdom as always:
“You’re hopeless. Go home and memorize your notes. If you can’t answer tomorrow, you’ll regret it.”

That scholarly tone was always what annoyed her about him most.
“Life’s about balance—work and play. Plus, there are charming maid girls here,” she said with a wink. “You look single too. Want me to call one over for you?”

‘Life’s about balance’—she used to tell him that too. Maybe that’s why he studied at internet cafés in the first place.

For a moment, Shen Xingyi was stunned. The girl in front of him overlapped so much with the version of Jiang Zhiyu from his memories. Too much, even.

“No… no need.”
Every time he remembered the fact that Jiang Zhiyu was already gone, a wave of sadness hit him. His eyes wandered as his face turned sorrowful.

Jiang Zhiyu dared not speak further. She was always good at reading the room and quietly stepped away.

Just as she exited the café, her phone rang—it was Lin Yeci calling, his voice low and cold:
“Didn’t I tell you not to go to internet cafés? Why are you there again today?”

Jiang Zhiyu looked around. She wasn’t blind, but she didn’t see him anywhere.

Wait—

Did he… put surveillance on her?