MGRMFL Chapter 9

Blessings came pouring in, and Yan Linjian instantly received hundreds of friend requests, there was no end in sight even after scrolling down a few times.

 

Yan Linjian had no time to deal with them. As he watched two thumping hearts appear above his and God Yuè’s heads, his toes nearly clawed through the bed board.

 

【You’re not AFK? I thought you were AFK…】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Just got on, almost missed it :)】

 

Actually, he just wanted to mess around and give him a little scare only…

 

Yan Linjian was stuck between a rock and a hard place and gave an awkward laugh: 【Haha】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Did I do something wrong? Should I not have accepted it?】

 

In the game, the character tilted its head slightly, as if expressing God Yuè’s confusion from the other side of the internet. Yan Linjian asked himself, if he had rejected it just now, wouldn’t he feel even worse?

 

【No, I was just a little surprised.】

 

Yan Linjian decided to be honest: 【I thought you were AFK and just wanted to spook you a little.】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【So?】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【It was me who overthought it. I thought you wanted to take things further with me.】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【The contract can only be terminated after 24 hours. Let’s wait until tomorrow night to undo it. At least I’ll get to be your partner for one day.】

 

That sounded very pitiful, especially since Yan Linjian had been the one to initiate things.

 

【That’s not what I meant… Even though you suddenly accepted it and caught me off guard, I don’t actually want to terminate it.】

 

【We’re going to end up partners sooner or later anyway, so what’s a few days more?】

 

After sending that, Yan Linjian flopped backwards onto the bed and rolled around side to side: “Aaaahhhh——”

 

Even though the other party’s words had traces of guilt-tripping, just imagining God Yuè looking pitiful and helpless in front of his computer had Yan Linjian’s heart skipping.

 

It was like he had some strange fetish. The first time he met God Yuè, he was captivated by his handsome movements. But what made his heart stir again was hearing about his personal life. That contrast of a powerful person admired by all, choosing to open up only to you, was hard to not be moved by.

 

God Yuè seemed to have noticed this too. From time to time, he’d say sincere, heartfelt things to him, being completely direct and upfront about it. He had Yan Linjian completely wrapped around his finger.

 

Yan Linjian rolled around on his bed some more until Qi Jingzhi banged on the bed frame and asked, “Why are you being crazy?”

 

“I’m being crazy in a way that single people have no right to!”

 

Qi Jingzhi’s knock brought him back to reality. Yan Linjian sat up to find that God Yuè had already activated the automatic hand-holding function between partners and was taking him to fly through the sky.

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Partners can pick up a couple’s outfit at Lover’s Valley. There shouldn’t be many people there right now.】

 

Just moments ago, he was talking about cancelling the contract, yet now he couldn’t wait to go pick up matching outfits.

 

Yan Linjian had seen right through God Yuè, this man truly likes him a lot.

 

That narcissistic thought flashed through his mind. Yan Linjian rolled around on the bed again while hugging his head, attempting to cool down his flushed cheeks by rubbing his face against the pillow.

 

The two walked unhurriedly amidst the falling peach blossom petals. Yan Linjian gazed at his back and suddenly asked: 【Do you live alone in Jingdu now?】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Mm.】

 

Yan Linjian had heard him talk about his family situation before. After his grandmother passed away, he probably didn’t have any other relatives at home.

 

Yan Linjian suddenly thought of Qi Jingzhi. His family situation seemed to be about the same, maybe that’s why their personalities were similar. It was also because of Qi Jingzhi that Yan Linjian had made up his mind to find his first love again.

 

【I have a roommate who’s a computer science genius】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Hm?】

 

【I think you two are quite similar. You’re both great at gaming, and your personalities are similar too】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【So what? Do you like him?】

 

【Of course not! We’re just friends! I just wanted to tell you that it was because of him that I thought of coming back to find you. When you meet someday, maybe you could become friends】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Oh】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【I don’t like making friends, and dislike complicated relationships】

 

【I’m not forcing you two to be friends…it’s just, if we meet in the future, of course I’d introduce my friends to you, and it’d be ideal if you get along well】

 

Yan Linjian typed away while glancing behind himself. The bed curtain was pulled tightly shut and nothing could be seen from the outside.

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Why did you want to become my partner in the first place?】

 

The question caught Yan Linjian off guard. He thought about it seriously for a long time before replying: 【Because I feel at ease around you. Although you don’t talk much, and I’m usually the one rambling on, you always listen to me very attentively.】

 

Sometimes he had even forgotten what he had said himself, but God Yuè always remembered the tiniest details.

 

Yan Linjian was the laid-back type, and his friends were all a bit scatterbrained too. They’d forget today’s conversations by tomorrow, and often never took things to heart. The upside was that they didn’t hold grudges, but the downside was that they could accidentally piss someone off without even realizing it.

 

Yan Linjian had done fairly well in high school, but he was still a far cry from his older brother, who was always ranked number one. His older brother was well-known across the whole school, and the teachers were always comparing the two of them. Every time Yan Linjian got a compliment after an exam, they’d always add: “But your brother got first place back then.”

 

It left a bad taste in his mouth, so he offhandedly mentioned it to God Yuè in the game: 【Sure, my grades aren’t as good as my brother’s, but I’ve got things he can’t beat me at too, alright? No way he’s better than me at gaming.】

 

【… Then again, maybe not. He doesn’t play games, but if he did, he might actually be better than me. I’m just a noob anyway.】

 

He laughed at himself after sending that. He was just venting, anyone else with a brother like that might’ve grown up with a twisted complex from living in his shadow, but Yan Linjian was a total slacker. What was on his mind was: I won’t have to work hard in the future, I’ll just hug my brother’s thigh[mfn]To hug someone’s thigh is to cling to or rely on someone powerful/capable in order to gain benefits. Video explanation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGaMTLmIoyM[/mfn].

 

He had said it casually, but God Yuè took it to heart. The next day, he handed him a personalized strategy guide over 8,000 words long, and solemnly said: 【Your brother definitely wouldn’t defeat you】

 

There was something adorably awkward about how earnest he was.

 

That’s how God Yuè gradually won him over, little by little, though the relationship hadn’t even had a proper chance to begin before his dad had ruthlessly shut it down.

 

Now, looking at the matching couple outfits their characters were wearing, a quiet sense of contentment filled Yan Linjian’s chest.

 

Luckily, they were able to meet again.

 

【I’ve been talking about myself this whole time. I want to get to know more about you, too.】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Me? I’m pretty boring. In my life, aside from classes, part-time jobs, food, and sleep, there’s only you.】

 

This guy always casually says simple yet heart-melting words without even trying. Yan Linjian’s face, which had only just cooled down, started to heat up again: 【Let’s talk about something else. Have you not encountered any different events recently?】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【I did, someone confessed to me a few days ago.】

 

【Huh??】

 

Panic alarms immediately went off in Yan Linjian’s head.

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【I rejected him.】

 

【Him? It was also a guy?】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Mm.】

 

A hint of jealousy crept into Yan Linjian’s heart. Looks like his little moon was popular in real life too.

 

【Good. You’ve got me now, so you’re not allowed to accept anyone else’s confession. Just tell them your boyfriend will get jealous.】

 

Lú Biān Rén Sì Yuè: 【Alright.】

 

After chatting with Yuè-shen, Yan Linjian got down from his bed to use the bathroom. On the way, he passed by Qi Jingzhi, who was staring at his computer and smiling like an idiot, looking like he’d just sold his dignity.

 

“What were you looking at? You’re smiling so creepily.”

 

Qi Jingzhi’s gaze shifted to his face. Perhaps his mood hadn’t had time to change yet—he looked at Yan Linjian with eyes full of affection, enough to make his skin crawl.

 

“Nothing.” Qi Jingzhi dropped the smile, though the corners of his eyes were still curved. “Where are you going?”

 

“Bathroom.”

 

“I’ll come too.”

 

“… Don’t cling to me! Why are you smiling like that? It’s really scary!”

 

Their dorm had a private bathroom, but Shen Yang had already occupied it to shower, so the two of them headed to the dorm’s communal bathroom. Qi Jingzhi was smiling brightly, his arm slung around Yan Linjian’s shoulders the whole time, attracting strange looks from everyone around them.

 

“I’m warning you Qi Jingzhi, I’m a taken man now.”

 

“Oh, is it your little moon?”

 

Not only was Qi Jingzhi smiling radiantly, but his voice was equally magnetic. His warm breath blew on Yan Linjian’s earlobe, making it tingle.

 

Yan Linjian felt strange and shrank his neck: “Stop making me cringe. I’m the only one allowed to call him that.”

 

“Mhm. Your little moon belongs only to you.”

 

“Ahhhh!! Qi Jingzhi, you’re acting crazy tonight, stay away from me!”

 

Yan Linjian shoved him and ran off to the bathroom as if making an escape.

 

Qi Jingzhi followed at a leisurely pace, still smiling faintly as he watched Yan Linjian’s retreating back. But then, someone suddenly stepped into his line of sight. It was Hao Chengxuan, the guy he met during the day. He was in pajamas, carrying a washbasin, and staring at Qi Jingzhi with a strange look on his face.

 

Qi Jingzhi’s smile disappeared instantly. Facing someone he had just rejected, the mood turned a little awkward.

 

Hao Chengxuan looked at him, then looked at Yan Linjian who had already run far away, and greeted him: “What a coincidence.”

 

Qi Jingzhi nodded politely, saying nothing.

 

“I’m heading to wash up, wanna come?[mfn]Just to clarify: This is just a casual invitation to go to the communal bathroom together, not an invitation to shower together.[/mfn]” Hao Chengxuan asked, thinking that even if his confession had failed, they could still be friends.

 

Qi Jingzhi hadn’t given him a reason when he rejected him, so Hao Chengxuan turned to the school forums for gossip. After wading through a sea of CP posts[mfn]’CP’ stands for ‘couple pairing’, CP posts are posts of people sharing observations/discussions/fan content about two people being a potential couple.[/mfn] and gossip posts, he came to the ‘Qi Jingzhi and Yan Linjian are a couple’ conclusion. But a senior female student from the same department told him that Yan Linjian is straight and has dated girls before.

 

So that meant Qi Jingzhi was still single, and he still had a chance.

 

It had been a long time since Hao Chengxuan met a guy who was so much his type, so he wasn’t about to give up. He’d start by just being friends, and then…

 

“Excuse me, my boyfriend will get jealous.”

 

After Qi Jingzhi finished speaking, he flashed past Hao Chengxuan with a xiu[mfn]t/n: sound effect, similar to ‘whoosh'[/mfn].

 

Hao Chengxuan stood there with his mind in a mess, clutching his basin. After a long time, he finally finished sorting his thoughts.

 

The good news: Qi Jingzhi likes guys.

 

The bad news: He has a boyfriend.

 

Wait, where did this boyfriend come from?

 

The school forums never mentioned it at all!