Chapter 11: Plan, start!

A group of people walked along the small path to the side of the wall.

There usually weren’t many people here, and with the School Gate closed at night, quite a few students came in through this spot.

Looking at the marks on top of the wall, it was clear that the anti-theft metal spikes had all been bent, leaving a gap.

With the trees covering it, if you weren’t looking for it on purpose, it would be hard to notice.

At first, it was Chen Ze in the dorm who discovered this place.

When Lin Xinyuan came here for the first time, he was completely shocked.

Those spikes were so thick—whoever bent them must’ve brought tools, right?

And who knows what kind of genius managed to bend them!

The six of them climbed in one after another.

It was a close call but nothing unexpected happened.

They walked openly to the dormitory building.

Since it was the weekend, the Auntie on night duty just turned a blind eye and let them in.

Once they got back to the dorm, everyone started taking turns showering.

After Lin Xinyuan finished showering, he used a towel to dry his hair as much as possible, then went straight to bed.

He picked up his phone, planning to watch some videos and wait for his hair to dry before sleeping.

He didn’t have a hair dryer—not just because he never bought one, but also out of habit.

It was hot anyway, so it didn’t matter. In winter, at worst, he could just borrow that guy’s!

That guy didn’t care anyway, so just snatch it!

As soon as Lin Xinyuan thought of Qin Nanfeng, his mind went back to the things he’d said at the barbecue stall.

Holding his phone, his attention wasn’t on the videos at all.

Instead, he couldn’t help but think about how to get back at Qin the Blonde.

Hmm… Maybe he could test things out first…

But how to test him?

He couldn’t just put on a dress and charge at him, right?

That’d be way too risky.

Who knows what that guy would do.

Besides, making him go in crossdressing right from the start to seduce that stinky blonde on the spot—wasn’t that just too embarrassing!

Sure, he was a bit shameless, but he wasn’t exactly a social butterfly.

In fact, he was a bit averse to taking the initiative, so he really couldn’t do something like that…

Ugh… What should he do…

Right!

A sudden flash of inspiration—Lin Xinyuan remembered the conversation between Qin Nanfeng and Chen Xu at the barbecue stall.

Of course!

Online dating!

Try it out online first!

What if that pervert takes the bait?

Exactly—in his eyes, calling Qin Nanfeng a “love guru” was putting it nicely.

He should really be called a “pervert.”

Otherwise, why would he hit on a married woman?

His mind kept going down a dark path, even wondering if that pervert had ever tried to hit on a forty-year-old auntie before.

Ugh… Just thinking about it made him feel even more creeped out and disgusted!

Screw it, damn him!

Lin Xinyuan finally figured out that the key was to break the ice with social media.

But how could he add him as a friend?

Searching his phone number or account directly was definitely out of the question…

Shake-to-add?

Please, that’s way too sketchy.

He’d played with that feature himself when he was bored, but honestly, most people using it weren’t exactly upstanding citizens!

Right… games!

He remembered that Qin Nanfeng didn’t usually play League, but instead played a really popular shooter game—something called CrossFire, right?

He himself had secretly gone to the Internet Cafe to play it back in his third year of junior high, but for certain reasons, he’d stopped.

That’s it!

A clueless newbie meets a pro, they add each other as friends by coincidence, play together, get closer and closer…

At first he thinks it’s a guy, but when they meet offline, it turns out to be a cute girl…

What a classic script!

Lin Xinyuan pictured himself from the pro’s point of view—a cute, shy girl throwing herself into his arms.

Damn!

If it were him, he’d be over the moon!

He got excited just thinking about it, but then remembered he’d have to play the girl’s role, and instantly wilted.

Ugh… What a shame.

Oh well, he’d just have to make a sacrifice…

Anyway, once the time was right, he’d dump him hard—let him not only fail to get the girl, but have his heart stolen by someone who didn’t even exist.

Let him suffer! Haha!

Of course, all of this depended on actually succeeding.

If they didn’t even know each other, it’d all be for nothing.

With his plan set, Lin Xinyuan felt a bit better and decided to start in the next few days.

As for the exact timing…

He thought for a moment, then decided to do it tomorrow afternoon.

He’d noticed that Qin Nanfeng almost always played that game on weekend afternoons.

As for playing, his own computer was alright, but there was no way he could do it in the dormitory.

He’d have to go to the Internet Cafe…

Thinking of this, Lin Xinyuan started feeling sleepy.

Maybe it was the alcohol?

He’d slept plenty today, though!

He forced his eyes open and watched videos, but in the end, he couldn’t resist the wave of drowsiness. Gradually, his head drooped…

Chen Ze had just finished showering and came out feeling refreshed.

He let out a few meaningless howls, earning a glare from Xiong Wei, who was hanging up clothes:

“What’s wrong with you! You sound like one of those monkeys from Mount Emei.”

“Hey, hey, hey, I’m happy~” Chen Ze said, twisting his body in a flamboyant way.

Xiong Wei shivered with disgust. “Get lost, stay away from me!”

“Fine, fine, I’m going to bed now~” Chen Ze replied in a high-pitched voice, swaying his hips dramatically as he went inside.

No one else, whether it was Qin Nanfeng smoking outside or the others busy with their own things after showering, was surprised by Chen Ze’s antics as the dorm’s mood maker.

Wasn’t this a kind of performance art in its own right?

Chen Ze went inside and started walking normally again.

But his expression turned somber and deep. He hummed softly, “Living like this for thirty years~”

With a fierce look on his face, Chen Ze hummed his tune, as if he’d transformed into a superstar, sealing his place in history with a single song.

However, when he passed by Lin Xinyuan’s bed, his singing stopped unconsciously.

“Watch closely, this man is called…”

At this moment, Lin Xinyuan was already asleep, but his phone was still lit up, playing the typical sounds of viral videos—clearly he’d fallen asleep while watching.

Chen Ze helpfully reached over and pressed the power button, turning off the phone’s screen, then glanced at the sleeping boy.

“This old rascal, he seems different today somehow?”

Chen Ze scratched his head and muttered as he walked back to his desk.

“What’s different? He still looks like a person, doesn’t he?”

Xu Wentao sat in his chair, scrolling through videos on his phone. When he heard Chen Ze, he asked curiously.

“Nonsense, what, is he gonna turn into Doraemon? I mean his face! He looks…handsomer? Oh, and paler!”

As he spoke, Chen Ze turned back to take another closer look.

Wen Yuanshan was at his own desk playing some open-world anime game.

Hearing their conversation, he turned slightly:

“So you guys just noticed?”

His “I thought you were blind” expression stung Chen Ze’s heart, but he still insisted:

“Who says? I noticed long ago, just didn’t bother telling you guys till now. I figured you hadn’t noticed!”

“Now that you mention it, he really does look a lot more handsome.”

Xu the Second was still holding his phone. He stood up from his chair, craned his neck to look over at Lin Xinyuan, squinting through his nearsighted eyes for a while before speaking uncertainly.

“With those eyes, you’re practically blind. What can you even see!” Chen Ze retorted.

“Can’t help it. Why don’t you give your son some money for laser eye surgery?”

“Give you what? Didn’t I just treat you to barbecue? Go jump in a dam.”

“If you won’t, how can you call yourself my dad?”

“Oh, you unfilial brat. If your father doesn’t give you pocket money, he’s not your father? Hilarious.”

“Then laugh all you want!”

“I really am ***!”

The two of them bickered without a care, getting more and more into it.

No one noticed anything unusual.

Usually, Lin Xinyuan was a light sleeper—any noise would wake him.

But now, there was no reaction at all.

Whether it was the two bickering, Wen Yuanshan, or Xiong Wei, who’d just come in after hanging up his clothes, no one noticed.

After Xiong Wei finished hanging his clothes on the balcony and went back in, nearly half an hour had passed.

Now there was only one person left on the balcony, with just the bathroom light still on.

Leaning against the railing, the young man held his phone in one hand, listening to the person on the other end for over twenty minutes.

In the darkness, his expression was unclear.

Between his fingers in the other hand was a cigarette.

He suddenly took a deep drag, staring at the light coming from the bathroom.

“I’m doing fine… You don’t have to worry.”

“I don’t want to go back yet. Maybe in a few years… I’m not sure…”

“That’s all… I’m going to sleep.”

“Beep—”

He hung up decisively, then kept smoking, his expression in the darkness impossible to make out.

“Phew…”