The dormitory storage cabinet was positioned between the two beds, and Zhai Chi happened to be on the side closer to it.
When Yu Jiu heard the nickname “Little Yu Teacher,” he was momentarily stunned before looking up.
Zhai Chi’s face was just above him, slightly to the side.
The man was propping himself up with one hand on the edge of the bed, half his body leaning out. The ten-centimeter guardrail on the bed seemed insignificant in contrast to his 1.85-meter height, making Yu Jiu feel as if he might topple over at any moment.
Zhai Chi was still waiting for his response, his eyes filled with anticipation.
Yu Jiu paused for a moment and said, “Give me a moment.”
After finishing tidying his cabinet, he noticed that Zhou Duo and the others had all been eliminated. The four of them started a new round.
As the team captain, Cheng Yuanchao pulled the three of them into a squad.
Yu Jiu wasn’t exactly a novice. He put on his headphones, entered the game interface, and asked directly, “How are we playing?”
Cheng Yuanchao said, “Zhou Duo and I will drop at the military base. You and Zhai Chi… drop at Z City. Fewer enemies there—it’s good for practice. Keep an eye on him, don’t let him die.”
Yu Jiu: “…”
Zhai Chi: “…”
Yu Jiu tilted his head up and looked at Zhai Chi.
To make coordination and “teaching” easier, Yu Jiu didn’t stay in his own bed. Instead, he sat at the desk beneath Zhai Chi’s lower bunk. A slight tilt of his head allowed him to see the person above him.
Zhai Chi had also heard the captain’s instructions and coughed awkwardly.
Yu Jiu deeply felt that this was going to be a tough mission.
As the game started, Yu Jiu directed Zhai Chi to follow him and parachute down.
Compared to other locations, Z City had a relatively open field of view. Due to differences in operation skills, even when jumping at the same time, landing positions could vary. So, as soon as he landed, Yu Jiu’s priority was to regroup with Zhai Chi.
“Where are you?”
Zhai Chi’s voice came through the headset.
Yu Jiu checked the map and said, “Sixteen meters behind you.”
Zhai Chi: “Behind me? There’s a wall behind me.”
“…”
“Stay put, I’ll find you,” Yu Jiu said. After thinking for a moment, he added, “Adjust your view—your interface should show my location. Turn to face me.”
“Okay.”
“Kneel down first, watch your surroundings, and be careful of enemies—”
Bang.
Before he could finish his sentence, Yu Jiu turned a corner just in time to witness his teammate foolishly standing there, getting smacked to death with a frying pan.
Yu Jiu: “…”
Soon, the system broadcast an announcement:
Player XXX eliminated ‘Loves Eating Chicken Cat’ with a frying pan.
“Loves Eating Chicken Cat” was Zhai Chi’s in-game name.
Before Yu Jiu could even mourn his teammate’s sacrifice, the killer had already turned and set their sights on him, who had just peeked around the corner.
Yu Jiu’s pupils shrank. Without hesitation, he abandoned his teammate, shrank back behind the wall, and ran for his life.
He quickly hid inside a building, scavenged supplies as fast as possible, picked up a gun, and swiftly eliminated the frying pan killer who had followed him inside.
For now, he was safe.
Outside the game, Yu Jiu looked up at his fallen teammate with a complex expression.
Zhai Chi also looked at him, an innocent look on his face.
“…”
Teaming up with a directionally challenged player to play battle royale—what was their captain even thinking?
Meanwhile, their captain, Cheng Yuanchao, was locked in an intense battle at the military base. After finally securing a small safe zone for himself, he turned around and realized one teammate was already missing.
“What happened? Where’s Zhai Chi?”
Yu Jiu, devoid of emotion, replied, “He died the moment he landed.”
Zhai Chi: “…”
Cheng Yuanchao muttered some curses on the other end, but he soon had no time to continue—judging by the chaos in the military base, things were getting really intense.
Yu Jiu, on the other hand, was quite relaxed. He had looted the building thoroughly, picking up a level-two backpack and some useful equipment. Just as he was about to move to the next destination, he suddenly felt that something was off and looked up again.
At some point, the person above him had leaned even further forward.
If Zhai Chi were simply spectating, he could watch his teammates continue fighting through his phone after being eliminated.
But Zhai Chi was still peering down from above… Yu Jiu suddenly remembered the task the captain had assigned him.
He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Doesn’t your neck feel sore?”
Zhai Chi looked at him and honestly replied, “A little.”
Yu Jiu: “…Come down and watch.”
“Can I?”
Zhai Chi made no attempt to hide his excitement.
Yu Jiu nodded, finding it strange—was this guy always this eager to learn?
It was just a game; was there really a need to be this excited?
He lowered his head again and missed the sly smile that flickered across a certain someone’s lips as they climbed down from the top bunk.
The game continued.
Yu Jiu handed one of his earphones to Zhai Chi and even let him take control of the game.
At first, Zhai Chi refused. “It’s fine, I can just watch you play.”
Yu Jiu asked, “Aren’t I supposed to teach you?”
How was he supposed to do that if Zhai Chi didn’t actually play?
If watching was enough, wouldn’t it be better to just find some tutorial videos online?
Zhai Chi was momentarily at a loss for words, feeling unexpectedly nervous.
He hadn’t expected the captain’s casual remark about “handholding guidance” to turn into something so literal.
But in the end, even handholding couldn’t save someone with no sense of direction.
“Where’s the door? How do we get out?”
“Why are there so many buildings here? Which way is the road?”
“I can’t do this anymore, I’m getting dizzy. You take over.”
“…”
Yu Jiu suddenly understood why the captain always seemed so frustrated when playing with Zhai Chi.
Fortunately, if there was one thing he had in abundance, it was patience.
He reached over and gently moved Zhai Chi’s right thumb aside. “Stop tilting your view up all the time… The zone is shrinking, we need to move.”
Yu Jiu focused on maneuvering their character out of the cluster of buildings.
Zhai Chi’s finger, which had been pushed aside, remained resting on the edge of the screen.
As Yu Jiu played, his fingers occasionally brushed against Zhai Chi’s, light as a feather.
It wasn’t enough to feel warmth, but there was a subtle ticklish sensation.
Unconsciously drawn in, Yu Jiu leaned closer, fully concentrated on the screen.
The scent of shampoo lingered in the air around him—a faint fruity fragrance, fresh and pleasant.
Zhai Chi couldn’t help but glance up, only to find himself face-to-face with Yu Jiu’s profile.
His features were delicate, with his eyes lowered in focus. A few stray strands of hair rested against his temple, giving him a serene, almost dreamlike aura. With the sunlight streaming in from the balcony, he looked like a painting.
“…Did you get it?” Yu Jiu suddenly looked up.
Caught off guard, Zhai Chi’s breath hitched as he found himself staring straight into those clear eyes.
Yu Jiu stiffened slightly as well.
Too close.
He quickly straightened his posture, leaning back a little.
Zhai Chi blinked and came back to his senses. “Just now… you were blocking the screen a little. I didn’t see clearly.”
“…”
At that moment, a voice called out through the headset: “Yu Jiu, are you here yet? Zhou Duo got eliminated. The two of us should regroup first.”
Cheng Yuanchao’s voice broke the subtle atmosphere lingering between them.
Zhai Chi smiled, handed the phone back to Yu Jiu, and leaned in closer.
He placed one hand behind Yu Jiu, making it look as if he was enclosing him entirely.
Though they weren’t touching, the presence of that hand behind him was impossible for Yu Jiu to ignore. His nerves tensed for a moment before gradually relaxing.
Zhai Chi had concealed his pheromones well, so there was no discomfort.
Sensing Yu Jiu’s ease and the lack of any rejection, Zhai Chi’s own stiffness faded, and he settled in comfortably.
In the four-player squad, only Cheng Yuanchao and Yu Jiu were left to clear out the area, ultimately securing victory.
Once the game ended, the dormitory fell silent again.
Yu Jiu sat at his desk, going through practice questions, while Zhai Chi climbed back onto his bed and lay down, scrolling through his phone.
Neither of them brought up the topic of leaving school.
Even though they weren’t talking much, Yu Jiu could distinctly feel that the atmosphere was different from when he used to be alone.
After a while, scrolling through his phone started to feel dull. Zhai Chi glanced down and, seeing how focused Yu Jiu was on his studies, couldn’t help but ask, “Did you come back to school just to do practice questions?”
Yu Jiu gave a soft “Mm.”
Zhai Chi was silent for a moment before casually asking, “…Why not just do them at home?”
The tip of Yu Jiu’s pen paused slightly.
He looked up at Zhai Chi. “You stayed at school just to play on your phone?”
“…”
Zhai Chi was momentarily stunned, immediately realizing that he had asked the wrong question.
Both of them were free to do whatever they wanted. They could do the same things at home, where conditions were even more comfortable. If it wasn’t for some reason, who would voluntarily spend their holiday in an empty school?
Yu Jiu’s counter-question made it clear that he didn’t want to talk about it.
Zhai Chi, however, seemed unconcerned. He withdrew his gaze, lay back down, and chuckled. “No real reason. I just don’t want to go back. There’s no one at home, nothing fun to do. Instead of sitting there staring at the housekeeper or getting nagged, I might as well just stay here and leave when I feel like it.”
“…”
No one at home?
Yu Jiu was momentarily taken aback.
Did Zhai Chi… return to the country alone?
He recalled that Zhai Chi came from a large family. Though his parents passed away early, his grandfather adored him, and he had uncles and an older brother.
Even if the others didn’t matter, Zhai Chi’s older brother had been so protective when they were kids that he would have sent a dozen bodyguards just to make sure his little brother didn’t get hurt. Would he really let Zhai Chi return to the country alone?
Yu Jiu didn’t know how to respond.
Meanwhile, Zhai Chi had already grown bored and started browsing the school forum.
The first day of the holidays was when students were the most idle. All their plans were postponed for later, making the forum particularly lively today.
However, something seemed off about the atmosphere.
A new figure had appeared in the discussions—one who wasn’t Zhai Chi or Yu Jiu.
In a trending post titled “The School Prince Is Actually a Homewrecker,” someone anonymously posted an accusation.
[Yu Jiu is nothing but a homewrecker, the third party who came between a couple.]
[Everyone knows that Yu San and Chen Lixin from last year’s senior class were dating, right? Why do you think they suddenly broke up? It’s all because of Yu Jiu. Remember how Yu San used to cling to Yu Jiu back in their first year? Yu Jiu kept pretending to reject him, but wasn’t he still hanging around him all the time? Playing all high and mighty while leading him on. He was just stringing that fool along!]
[Yu San is just another omega who sleeps around, and Yu Jiu, a beta desperate to get with an omega, would stoop so low as to take someone’s leftovers…]
“…”
The anonymous poster used the harshest words possible, attacking both Yu Jiu and Yu San. Though some people in the comments were defending Yu Jiu, the damage was already done.
Zhai Chi’s expression darkened as he stared at the post.
His face grew cold as he clenched his teeth. After a moment, he suddenly asked, “Do you know Chen Lixin?”
…
