22

Lin Tiao had already reached the bus stop when her mother suddenly called her. She said there were issues with a company in the south, so she and Lin Tiao's father had to go handle it and would be back in a week. She reminded Lin Tiao to make sure to close all doors and windows before going to sleep at night.

Coincidentally, Meng Xin's parents were also out of town for a business trip this month, so she planned to stay at Lin Tiao's place for a few days.

Now, both of their parents were away, presenting a perfect opportunity.

Meng Xin had heard from some boys in class that there was an internet café called "Self-Cultivation" in an alley outside of school that had a good environment and allowed minors inside. More importantly, they didn't have to worry about teachers coming to check on them.

The two quickly agreed, and instead of taking a bus home, they went to a convenience store across the street to buy two bottles of water and headed over.

Who would have thought?

Who could have imagined that they would run into someone they knew in such a secluded place?

Next to the bar counter was a jade cabbage and a mechanical lucky cat.

Since the counter was already quite high, and with an additional object about several dozen centimeters tall, Lin Tiao couldn't see that someone was sitting behind it.

At that moment, the person inside stood up. Lin Tiao looked up and saw:

"..."

Meng Xin, who was standing behind Lin Tiao, was equally stunned.

"...."

The three of them just stood there, staring at each other.

The atmosphere was silent and awkward.

Lin Tiao swallowed nervously, feeling inexplicably guilty. Her voice was very soft and trembling, "What a coincidence."

"Coincidence, my foot."

Jiang Yan frowned, threw the key card back on the table, and Guan Che, sitting next to him, glanced over and asked, "Do you know each other?"

"My desk mate," Jiang Yan said.

"Well, that's good. Friends get a discount. I'll give you two a 50% off," Guan Che said, reaching for the key card on the table. "Let's go, I'll take you to the private rooms upstairs."

Jiang Yan kicked him, "Nice try, but you two are minors. No overnight stays or internet access. Go home and sleep."

It was a rare opportunity, and hearing this, Meng Xin was the first to protest, "So what if we're minors? You're a minor too, and you still work here."

Jiang Yan: "..."

"Damn it," Guan Che didn't expect this girl to retort back and laughed heartily.

Lin Tiao leaned against the counter, lowering her head, trying not to laugh.

After Meng Xin's protest, she lost her confidence and hid behind Lin Tiao. "Well, we just want to play some games. We're not doing anything inappropriate for minors."

Jiang Yan looked at Lin Tiao, his eyes gentle, "Don't want to go back?"

Lin Tiao responded with a surprised "ah" as Meng Xin tugged at her sleeve, giving frantic hints. She nodded, "I don't really want to go back."

"Alright." He turned to Guan Che, extending his hand, conceding, "The card."

Guan Che handed over the card with a curious look.

Jiang Yan took the card and tapped him on the head, "Stop staring."

"..."

The private rooms were on the second floor, a row of tightly closed doors. Unlike typical internet cafés that use dim lighting to create an atmosphere, the hallway was brightly lit.

At the end of the hallway was an open window, facing the sparkling high-rise buildings, their dazzling lights twinkling.

Lin Tiao glanced at the person walking ahead.

The young man's back was upright and slender, his steps steady. He wore a simple white t-shirt, with smooth and attractive shoulder lines. He held the key card in his hand, the tip of the card gleaming brightly under the light.

Lin Tiao kept her eyes on that spot.

When the spot finally stopped, she looked up to see Jiang Yan standing at the door of a room. He lifted the card to scan it at the door, and with a "ding," the door opened.

Jiang Yan reached for the wall switch, turned on the light, and stepped aside to let the two girls in.

Meng Xin was the first to walk in.

Lin Tiao followed behind and took in the room's layout. It was a small space with a long sofa, two computers, and a few potted succulents in the corners.

There was a window on the wall, overlooking the bustling street below.

Jiang Yan turned on the computers for them and then turned to Lin Tiao, saying, "Call me if you need anything."

He really did look like a typical internet café guy.

"Okay," Lin Tiao replied, looking at him. As she passed by, she noticed a faint gray stain on his shoulder.

"You have something here…" she started to say, but then she remembered that the stain was likely from when she stepped on the wall earlier that day.

Realizing this, she decided not to mention it or ask why he was working at the café instead of going home after school.

Before leaving, Jiang Yan reminded her, "Don't stay up too late."

Standing in the doorway, the light from the hallway made his skin look very pale, and his amber eyes were unusually serious as he looked at her.

Lin Tiao's fingers instinctively curled up, and she nodded, "Got it."

Satisfied with the response, Jiang Yan gave her his first smile of the night, bright and dazzling. "Have fun."

He then turned and went downstairs.

Lin Tiao sat down on the long sofa, and Meng Xin leaned against the back, teasing her, "You and your desk mate have something going on."

Lin Tiao moved the mouse to her left hand, not looking at Meng Xin, and joked, "Yes, we do. Our problem is quite big."

Meng Xin tsked and shook her head, sighing, "Ah, even heroes are troubled by beauty. School bullies are troubled by 'Tiao Tiao'."

Lin Tiao: "...."

Jiang Yan went downstairs, where a few regular male customers came in. They greeted him, "Brother Yan, good evening."

He looked up at the guy with purple hair and laughed, "With that hair color, how come your mom hasn't chopped off your head?"

"My mom isn't home these days." The purple-haired guy proudly brushed his bangs.

—

With the machines set up, the group greeted each other and went off.

Jiang Yan returned to his spot behind the counter, where Guan Che leaned in with curiosity, "What's going on with you and your desk mate?"

"What's 'what's going on'?" Jiang Yan asked, picking up his headphones and hanging them around his neck, tapping on the keyboard. "There's nothing going on."

"Do you expect me to believe that?"

Jiang Yan turned to him, "Whether you believe it or not is none of my concern."

"..."

Fine.

Guan Che wasn't interested in probing further. After all these years, he knew Jiang Yan well enough.

If he didn't want to talk about something, no amount of pressure would get him to spill. And if he did want to talk, you'd need to be alive to hear it.

Guan Che valued his life and chose not to pry.

Upstairs, Meng Xin and her teammates were tackling a new dungeon, defeating a boss, and acquiring a pile of rare loot. Their excitement was evident as they pounded the keyboard.

Lin Tiao, who was less skilled and not particularly interested in the active gameplay, lounged on the sofa watching a movie.

The time in the bottom right corner ticked away second by second.

Soon, it read 00:00.

Lin Tiao, who hadn't eaten much for dinner and was starting to feel hungry, removed her headphones and asked Meng Xin, "I'm going to buy something to eat. Do you want anything?"

"Spicy hotpot," Meng Xin replied, having smelled the enticing aroma of a hotpot place at the alley entrance and craving it even more now.

"Sure, I'll go buy it."

"Wait, let's go together. It's so late," Meng Xin said, removing her headphones and getting up.

The two of them headed downstairs together.

The area downstairs was much livelier than upstairs. People were seated at all the computers in the lounge. Lin Tiao glanced around and was drawn to a guy with purple hair.

For a moment, she wasn't paying attention and missed the last step, stumbling forward. Fortunately, Meng Xin caught her just in time.

Their commotion caught the attention of the two people behind the counter.

Guan Che removed his headphones, propped his head on his hand, and watched them with a smile. "Sister, not playing anymore?"

Lin Tiao steadied herself and shook her head. "No, we're going out to get something to eat."

"Oh, are you hungry? There's food here too—instant noodles, fried rice, fried noodles, and some simple meals. What would you like?"

Lin Tiao glanced at him and mentioned something not on his list. "Spicy hotpot."

"Turn right when you go out. There's a place at the end of the alley that's open."

Lin Tiao smiled. "Alright, thanks."

As she was about to leave with Meng Xin, the other person behind the counter stood up and said lazily, "I'll come too."

"What do you want to eat? I can get it for you," Lin Tiao asked, holding the door.

"I'm picky," he replied.

"..."

Hearing Jiang Yan was coming along, Meng Xin released Lin Tiao's hand. "Oh, Tiao Tiao, I won't go with you then. My master is in a group now."

"Okay."

The city of Xicheng had already entered autumn, but recently, the "autumn tiger" was making temperatures stay high. Even at midnight, it wasn't cool, just a bit more humid than during the day.

Lin Tiao and Jiang Yan walked side by side through the long, dim alley. Their shadows were long on the wet ground.

There weren't many shops in the alley, only a 24-hour convenience store with its lights on. However, the alley wasn't quiet; next door was a KTV, and the deafening music could be heard from a distance.

Occasionally, drunken men staggered by, and whenever this happened, Jiang Yan would wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close.

Lin Tiao suddenly realized why he was coming along.

If it were just her and Meng Xin, two girls in such a dark and unsettled alley, they might encounter all sorts of unsavory situations.

"Do you come here every night?" Lin Tiao asked as they passed a small alley.

"Not every night," Jiang Yan said, looking down at a small puddle. "I live here, with Guan Che."

Remembering he hadn't introduced Guan Che yet, Jiang Yan added, "The guy from tonight, from the school next door, Ninth Middle School."

"Then don't you go home?"

"Occasionally now," Jiang Yan said, glancing at her with an unreadable expression. "I won't be going home in the future if I get the chance."

Lin Tiao was taken aback.

Her desk mate had too many secrets.

Although she didn't know what had happened to him, behind these secrets were surely many wounds.

Lin Tiao didn't press further and felt a twinge of guilt.

She shouldn't have asked. She'd been stepping on landmines all day.

She was so inconsiderate.

When they reached the spicy hotpot shop, Lin Tiao realized why it was still open at this hour—the business was booming, even at a time when everyone else was asleep.

The place was packed, with not a single seat available.

The owner was busy, and the owner's wife was cheerfully collecting money.

Lin Tiao took two baskets, handed one to Jiang Yan, and they picked their favorite ingredients. Afterward, they selected some items for Guan Che and Meng Xin.

Because the shop was so busy, both meat and vegetarian items were priced the same.

The owner stacked the four baskets together, weighed them, and the owner's wife quickly calculated the total on the register.

"Eighty-three bucks and twenty cents. Let's round it to eighty." She smiled at them.

Jiang Yan took out his phone to pay, but Lin Tiao suddenly extended her hand and scanned the code before him.

A "ding-dong" sound followed, and the shop owner's phone rang. "Alipay received eighty bucks."

Jiang Yan: "..."

Lin Tiao put away her phone and looked at him, somewhat awkwardly touching her ear. "I'm out to eat, so I should cover it myself."

Jiang Yan frowned, not pleased. "I don't have a habit of letting girls pay. Give me your Alipay, and I'll transfer the money to you."

Seeing him so serious and not joking, Lin Tiao couldn't help but sigh. "Jiang Yan, don't you realize?"

"Realize what?" Jiang Yan asked.

"I'm just trying to make you happy." Lin Tiao smiled.