These past few days, the deliveryman had already said many times that he wanted to come play games. But because He Fang had been endlessly worried about the possible crisis that “Ruins Without Restart” might soon face, he refused every time.
Yet the deliveryman’s enthusiasm was practically unshakeable. Now that He Fang indeed had nothing going on, he agreed to his request.
Right after that, he saw the deliveryman send over three dancing emojis in a row to express his joy.
He Fang truly hadn’t known that getting along with a friend could be so casual. At first, he would still worry whether rejecting the deliveryman would make him angry. But even after being turned down so many times, the deliveryman only became more persistent instead.
Thinking carefully about the deliveryman’s ideas, although they were quite good, there were still a few very important problems.
First, what kind of disaster could have no real danger, yet leave them with no way to save themselves and force them to turn to Hope City for help?
Second, how could they be made to have the will to seek help from Hope City, and only from Hope City?
Third, at the start, they could establish a brief connection, but how could that connection be maintained and continuously developed afterward?
He Fang felt that although these problems were also hard to solve, they were still much better than before when he’d been completely at a loss with no clue at all.
Looking at the post-apocalyptic map of “Ruins Without Restart” on the computer, when it came down to it, what he needed to take this time was the Library. But if the impact was on the entire post-apocalypse, then should he target only the area around the Library, or should he include all the mobile cities within the whole map in this plan?
It seemed he needed to check whether there was an alliance of mobile cities in the northeast direction, similar to Ao City’s. Whether there was one or not would make for completely different approaches.
He Fang’s fingers tapped on the computer desk as he carefully thought over how to plan out this first step.
He Fang went online and searched for a lot of information about “Ruins Without Restart”. Although very few people could afford the sensory simulator pods needed to play “Ruins Without Restart” online, there would always be a few rich kids who liked to play this sort of thing, wouldn’t there?
But there was nothing, absolutely nothing.
He Fang bit his finger in puzzlement, unable to understand why there wasn’t a single trace of information about it online.
If it were some unknown small game, that would be one thing. There were even streamers who specialized in picking out obscure indie games. At the very least, there would always be something.
But a game like “Ruins Without Restart”, which was practically perfect and provided an incredibly realistic experience, why would there be no news about it at all?
Yet people really did seem to genuinely love this game. Otherwise, his videos wouldn’t have gotten such a huge response the moment they were released.
Or was it just because the threshold to play was too high?
He Fang cast a strange look at his sensory simulation pod. This thing wasn’t something ordinary people could afford. Although he had won it in a lottery, it was hard not to suspect that the developers saw that he was the streamer who made the most “Ruins Without Restart” videos and secretly opened a backdoor for him.
A game this detailed, even if it occasionally had some odd little bugs or strange NPC behavior, should absolutely have caused a sensation by now.
So quiet…
Why was it so quiet?
Wasn’t this supposed to be a groundbreaking piece of technology?
He Fang felt that “Ruins Without Restart”’s intelligent algorithm could already be included in the scope of national examinations. The concepts involved were all so unique that He Fang simply gave up trying to understand them any further.
Because the deliveryman was coming over, He Fang consciously tidied up his little place. Although they were planning to play games all night, they’d definitely get sleepy at some point. When that happened, he’d just let the deliveryman sleep on his bed, and he would sleep on the sofa himself.
Looking at his bedsheets, He Fang suddenly remembered how the deliveryman had directly taken off his clothes and slept on his bed back then; fair skin pressing so intimately against his bedding…
He Fang stood up and simply changed the sheets and duvet cover altogether.
He Fang thought about buying some snacks. But then he realized that if he ordered delivery, it would be the deliveryman who would bring it over. There was already plenty of food at home, so he…
So he…
He Fang glanced at the time.
He sent a message to the deliveryman: What time do you think you’ll come over tonight?
——
The deliveryman specially changed into an outfit that was a bit… flamboyant. It was already late autumn, yet underneath he wore a slightly thin white sweater that showed off his figure well, with black pants wrapping around his long, perfectly shaped legs. Everything about him revealed an unusually flawless body. Humming a song in front of his little electric scooter’s mirror, he fixed his appearance, fussing over his head of golden hair again and again, determined to style it into something casual yet a bit seductive.
Out loud, the deliveryman repeated the same line he always chanted like a curse every time he came downstairs: Am I good-looking today? Can I tempt the Creator into a deliveryman romance?
At this moment, the little scooter that usually mocked him fell silent. If this were a normal delivery, eight times out of ten, the deliveryman would go upstairs, come right back down, and then sob. He didn’t see me. He made me leave it at the door again, sob sob sob.
But this time, the little scooter didn’t react at all.
The deliveryman smiled faintly and looked up at the towering building. He could feel dangerous, suffocating gazes coming at him from all directions. Gazes filled with the cold meanings of envy, jealousy, and hatred.
The deliveryman flirtatiously flicked his golden hair.
With proud, big strides, he stepped through the building’s main doors. Suddenly, he felt something strange on his leg.
Looking down, he saw that the little scooter had turned into a tiny divine beast, which was now biting hard into his thigh. Its sharp teeth clamped down viciously, even tearing through the deliveryman’s pants and biting deep enough to draw blood.
The deliveryman narrowed his eyes and reached out to pull the divine beast off. But this time, the divine beast had learned its lesson and refused to let go.
The deliveryman’s brute strength was useless. They were two halves of the same being, with equal strength, and neither could fully control the other. This time, the divine beast had sunk its teeth in for real. It absolutely would not release him.
In the elevator, the deliveryman spoke coldly, “I get it. I’ll take you inside. But you have to stay in doll form. You know very well that if he finds out about our identity this soon, he’ll be terrified.”
Finally, the divine beast loosened its bite a little. It slowly looked up at him, seeming to show a hint of doubt.
“You just behave and don’t move.” The deliveryman lowered his eyes to look at his other half, his expression extremely dark and displeased.
He reached out and grabbed the divine beast again. At once, the divine beast turned into a small plush toy in his hand, shaped like a creature with a lion’s body and a fish’s tail. Its big, round eyes are wide and innocent, looking oddly endearing despite its strangeness.
The deliveryman’s mouth twitched immediately, and he nearly threw the holy beast out on the spot.
But the moment he had that thought, the divine beast suddenly tore open its cute face, revealing sharp fangs inside. It was about to take another vicious bite as punishment for his change of heart. Its fierce, nasty attitude made the air between them tighten. The confined space seemed to freeze, the tension so strong that even the elevator felt it and gave a slight shudder.
However, the elevator had already arrived at the right floor. The moment the doors opened, the deliveryman’s delicate, flawless face appeared at He Fang’s doorstep, wearing the world’s most perfect smile, with the divine beast beside him, trying hard to look extra cute.
The deliveryman knocked on the door.
The door was opened quickly but with a hint of hesitation. The deliveryman didn’t push it open from the outside right away. Instead, he waited for He Fang to finish preparing himself to see someone.
When the door finally opened, a delicious smell drifted out from inside the apartment. The aroma of food immediately reached the deliveryman’s nose. His beautiful eyelashes fluttered slightly as he caught the scent and realized something.
At last, He Fang was ready and opened the door. When it swung wide, He Fang’s figure appeared in the deliveryman’s line of sight.
Because of slight underdevelopment since childhood, He Fang looked a bit frail, almost like a boy. Under the light, his figure seemed to glow faintly. He lifted his eyes and glanced timidly at the person outside the door. That single glance nearly made the deliveryman forget to breathe.
He Fang had been cooking.
Because he didn’t want to order takeout and make the deliveryman run around for him again, he’d checked the well-stocked fridge and decided to cook for himself.
He Fang’s cooking skills were pretty good. Because his social anxiety had caused a lot of trouble for his parents when he was young, he had always wanted to lighten their burden as much as he could. The household chores and cooking had mostly fallen to him. To make sure his family could eat tasty meals, He Fang had often looked up all kinds of recipes online.
Even though he ordered takeout most of the time after living alone, He Fang hadn’t let his cooking skills get rusty. Now, they were coming in handy.
He Fang wanted the deliveryman to come in on his own, but the deliveryman just stood there at the door, seemingly pausing for a moment.
He Fang quietly looked at him and then softly stepped aside, leaving the doorway wide open, showing his clear intention to invite him in.
But the deliveryman didn’t move immediately. Instead, he lowered his eyes slightly, as if confirming something with the plush divine beast he was carrying. The divine beast, now in the form of a small, strange doll, was quietly nestled in his arms, looking harmless and soft.
He Fang didn’t notice the subtle tension. He just tilted his head a little, his voice gentle yet carrying a trace of nervousness, “Come in… I… I made a bit too much, so you can eat first if you’re hungry…”
The warm light from inside the apartment spilled onto the corridor. At that moment, the deliveryman lowered his eyes and looked at this frail, clean person standing in the warm light. The words he’d prepared to say were stuck in his throat for a second.
Finally, he curved his lips into a smile that seemed casual yet somehow dazzling, “Then I won’t stand on ceremony.”
With that, he stepped inside, bringing in the slight chill of the late autumn night and the faintly dangerous presence that was now hidden under a harmless disguise.
He Fang cautiously lifted his head and sneaked a glance at the other person, only to see that the other person was staring at him, completely dazed.
He suddenly panicked a little and lowered his head to look at his own clothes. He was still wearing an apron. This apron had been a freebie when he bought kitchenware. It was a milky yellow color, covered with layers upon layers of cute little chicks. It was very adorable, the kind that girls usually liked.
Was it strange for a man to wear an apron like this? For some reason, He Fang suddenly felt his face burning, and the tips of his ears turned hot, too.
“C-come… come in. Um… thank you for your hard work… You can use the bathroom, wash up a bit… the f-food, the food is almost ready…” He Fang stammered through his words, then suddenly realized, wasn’t this exactly the classic ‘do you want to eat first or take a bath first’ cliché?! He immediately felt even weirder about it.
“Sure! Did the customer cook this meal himself? That’s so nice!” However, the deliveryman seemed to snap out of his daze, his smile warm and cheerful, delighted beyond words. “All this time, I’ve only delivered food to customers. I never thought there’d be a day when I’d get to eat a meal cooked by one! This is truly the pinnacle of my delivery career!”
The other person’s exaggerated laughter made He Fang feel a bit embarrassed. Yet for some reason, a few soft chuckles slipped out of him, too.
It had been a long time since He Fang had cooked for two people. When he ate alone, he would usually just make a single dish he liked and pair it with a staple food, which was already enough.
He Fang thought about it. The deliveryman seemed to have quite an appetite before, and besides, when hosting a guest, it would be better to have more food, right?
With that in mind, he made two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup: braised pork ribs, steamed fish, shredded potatoes, lettuce, and seaweed egg drop soup. He carefully seasoned everything to make the taste more suited to common preferences, timed it all just right, and when the dishes were set on the dining table, they practically filled the whole table to the brim.
For the first time, He Fang felt that the dining table in this small rental apartment was actually this tiny.
“Customer, you’re amazing at cooking!” When the deliveryman saw the food on the table, his eyes lit up. He Fang didn’t even know why his face suddenly turned a little red, not because of social anxiety this time, but out of shyness.
The deliveryman, acting far too familiar with the place, went to wash his hands and came back to eat. He Fang noticed that the other person’s eyes were already sparkling bright.
“P-please… please, help yourself.” He Fang sat on the other side of the dining table, tilting his head slightly to watch the happy deliveryman.
He saw the deliveryman pull a small hair tie out of his pocket, then gather up that beautiful golden hair and tie it back behind his head. To make sure it wouldn’t get in the way while eating, he even directly revealed his smooth forehead. His eyes never once left the food on the table.
Maybe because the deliveryman wasn’t looking at him, He Fang felt a bit braver and allowed himself to look at the deliveryman more openly. Usually, a person’s looks rely somewhat on their hairstyle to boost them, but once his hair was firmly tied back, He Fang realized that the deliveryman’s beauty only stacked up perfectly without any flaws needing to be hidden. Every feature of his was pleasing to the eye.
“Then I won’t hold back.” The deliveryman held the bowl of white rice in his hands, eyes shining, and somehow looked a bit like a starving ghost. If it weren’t for that face being able to handle any expression so well, He Fang might have felt a little scared.
The deliveryman ate with obvious joy. He tasted every single dish one by one, and before He Fang could even ask, he gave his commentary on each one.
“Wow, the braised pork ribs are amazing! Did you stew them for a long time? They’re so tender!”
“The fish is so fresh! What seasoning did you use? How can it taste this fresh? Your fish-cooking skills could totally open a restaurant!”
“Mmm, sour and spicy shredded potatoes. I love this flavor!”
He commented on each dish in turn. While He Fang seemed calm on the surface as he ate his food, his ears were perked high, listening intently to every bit of praise the deliveryman gave.
Truthfully… he liked being praised.
Because of his personality, he rarely ever received praise from other people. He didn’t even get many chances to talk with others in the first place, let alone be complimented. So even in games, if he got praise from an NPC for his efforts, it made He Fang genuinely happy.
He liked cooking in the first place because, when he first started learning to cook, his parents had praised him for it. Back then, he had felt so happy that he would often help out in the kitchen. But as time passed and he cooked more and more, it seemed like his family had gotten used to it, and he no longer received the praise he longed for so much.
“Customer, with skills this good, isn’t it a bit of a waste for you to still order delivery?”
“Customer, can I have another bowl of rice?”
He Fang looked at the deliveryman’s lips, shiny from the food. The other person showed no sign of flattery or deceit on his face at all. He Fang reached out to take the empty bowl from the deliveryman’s hands and took the initiative to scoop him more rice.
Even though He Fang didn’t say anything and kept eating his food, acting as if the deliveryman didn’t exist, the deliveryman still happily and tirelessly showered him with praise in his usual cheerful way. While He Fang stood in the kitchen with his back to him, he couldn’t help but let a small smile appear on his face.
The deliveryman finished all the dishes. His stomach seemed like a bottomless pit. He Fang was already full halfway through, but the deliveryman even drank up all the soup in the end. It was the first time He Fang had been this astonished by how much a man could eat.
He Fang couldn’t help but glance at the deliveryman’s stomach, and the deliveryman seemed to notice. He lifted his shirt right there, revealing a smooth, fair, jade-like belly with beautiful lines to show that he wasn’t overstuffed at all.
He Fang’s face immediately flushed red. This was too intimate, way too intimate. Would friends so casually lift their shirts to show their bellies like this?
“I’ll wash the dishes,” the deliveryman said, patting his stomach in satisfaction. The gesture looked a bit silly, but because it was him, it seemed kind of cute instead.
He Fang refused. He shook his head and, right in front of the deliveryman, simply closed the kitchen door.
The deliveryman was a guest. He couldn’t let a guest wash the dishes. Besides, his kitchen was too small and not suited for someone as tall as the deliveryman. He could handle it himself.
