That evening, upon her return home, Song Duanli was already waiting for her.
Having heard her invitation to play games that morning, he had spent the day practicing excitedly, fearing his skills wouldn't be satisfactory. He had even returned earlier than usual.
"Shall we play?" he asked, his excitement barely contained.
Shen Jianxi looked at him with surprise, wondering why he was more enthusiastic than she was. However, the sooner they started, the sooner she could complete her task.
"In a moment."
She put her schoolbag back in her room, sent messages to Xie Shu and the other two, and upon receiving affirmative replies, washed her hands and went to the living room, sitting down opposite Song Duanli.
"Let's log in."
Hearing that they could finally begin, Song Duanli took out his phone. The screen displayed the lobby of "Nongyao," and he sat upright, his expression as serious as if he were discussing business rather than playing a game.
Shen Jianxi found his demeanor amusing. After creating a room, she invited Song Duanli in. Before he could feel happy, he saw that the remaining spots were filled.
"Hey,崽崽, can you hear me?"
Upon hearing Song Qi's voice, Song Duanli tightened his grip on his phone.
It was Song Qi again.
This was the first time he had felt so jealous of someone, and that someone was his own brother.
"I can hear you, brother." Seeing that the two seemed to have conspired, Shen Jianxi finally felt relieved and turned on her microphone.
Xie Shu and Fu Yi, meanwhile, were being remarkably coordinated, both choosing bright pink avatars. Thinking of their faces and then looking at these avatars, she couldn't help but want to laugh.
"Who are these people?"
"They are friends I met at school." Before Song Qi could ask further, she added, "All girls."
Hearing the last sentence, Song Qi finally relaxed.
For some reason, he subconsciously thought of the young man he had seen with 崽崽 at the restaurant last time.
"And who is this last one?"
Before Shen Jianxi could answer, Song Duanli directly spoke into his microphone: "Me."
He couldn't stand the way the two were chatting so intimately in front of him. Shen Jianxi's obedient demeanor towards Song Qi ignited his anger, and he directly interrupted them.
The familiar voice surprised Song Qi. He couldn't imagine his prim and proper, scholarly elder brother playing games, and it gave him a strange feeling.
Could his elder brother also...
This thought made Song Qi feel a sense of crisis. He glanced at the trophy on the table and made a plan.
"Then, shall I start?"
"Mm." / "Start, 崽崽."
Glancing at Song Duanli's face, Shen Jianxi quickly clicked the match button. For some reason, she felt a chill down her spine.
As soon as the game began, 77's voice rang out: "Song Qi's mission: Invite Song Qi and all攻略对象 to play games together and complete the task!" Su Dan Novel Network.
Hearing this, Shen Jianxi's shoulders relaxed. She would play this round and then log off. Otherwise, she would be too nervous, fearing something might happen.
This round of the game ended in her heart-pounding anxiety. Fortunately, Fu Yi and Xie Shu were very well-behaved and caused no trouble.
"Okay, okay, let's just play one round. We'll play again next time." After speaking, Xie Shu and Fu Yi exited the room one after another, as if they were escaping something unsavory.
"Brother, when are you coming back? I miss you."
Song Duanli clenched his fists.
"I miss you too. It will probably be a few more days."
Shen Jianxi continued in a disappointed tone, "Oh—alright then, I'll wait for you to come back."
On the voice channel, Song Qi chuckled softly, his voice seductive, "I won't let 崽崽 wait for long."
Song Duanli could no longer bear it. He stood up abruptly, the chair scraping loudly against the floor. Without looking back, he went upstairs.
This sound startled Shen Jianxi. Song Qi on the other end also heard it clearly. He asked worriedly, "What happened, 崽崽? Are you okay?"
Patting her chest to calm her racing heart, she said, "It's so strange, brother. Why did older brother suddenly get so angry?"
Song Qi guessed the reason. He closed his eyes tightly and took a deep breath, "It's okay, older brother is probably going through menopause."
Shen Jianxi: ...Isn't that something only women experience?
Although she didn't believe it at all, she pretended to understand: "Oh~ So that's how it is."
"Yes, so 崽崽 should stay away from him." Song Qi felt no guilt in deceiving a panda cub. Instead, Song Duanli's reaction earlier only strengthened his resolve.
"Okay, brother, I have to log off now. Bye-bye~"
"Bye-bye."
As heartwarming as their conversation was, the conversation between Fu Yi and Xie Shu was cold.
"Something wrong?"
Xie Shu's teeth itched at the sight of Fu Yi's face. He didn't know what gave him the nerve to ask him out.
Fists clenched, ready to attack at any moment.
Fu Yi, on the other hand, leaned lazily against the wall, unconcerned by Xie Shu's posture.
"Here, an old friend brought you a gift." His tone was flippant, a smirk of schadenfreude on his lips.
"Heh, no need..."
Xie Shu couldn't finish his sentence. Looking at the photo on the phone screen held up to him, his eyes widened in fury.
He snatched the phone, his eyes fixed on the intimate photo of two people, and gritted his teeth, "You think this will make us break up?"
Fu Yi had anticipated Xie Shu's defiance. He nodded and continued to himself, "Indeed, it cannot."
"But what if we add this?"
Saying that, he took the phone back from Xie Shu and played a recording:
"When you were moaning in my bed last time..."
"You looked at him?"
"Yes!"
...
Xie Shu was all too familiar with the female voice; it was his girlfriend's. And the male voice...
Xie Shu didn't want to think any further. He didn't know how to describe his current feelings.
However, Fu Yi was not willing to let him off the hook.
He leaned close to Xie Shu's ear and whispered, "Do you know when I recorded this?"
"It was on the day we went on a date to watch a movie."
"Your little girlfriend was being kissed by this person on your bed."
"Oh, and by the way, you didn't know, but it was in your apartment."
"Did she tell you she didn't watch the movie for long that day and left early?"
"She did. We just went on a date afterward. We took photos, held hands, hugged, and kissed. We did it all."
After speaking, he stepped back a few paces, looking at Xie Shu with satisfaction, preparing to deliver the final blow: "Oh, and does she know that you're a murderer?"
Xie Shu's mind was blank, and his body was filled with a deathly aura. Looking at Fu Yi's triumphant expression, he wanted to retort with a smile but sadly realized that everything Fu Yi said was true.
His hands, hanging by his sides, trembled uncontrollably. Fu Yi, of course, noticed this. He was becoming increasingly satisfied with Shen Jianxi. Xie Shu's concern for her was beyond Fu Yi's expectations, so he had no intention of giving up on provoking Xie Shu through Shen Jianxi.
He was still struggling in the darkness. Why should Xie Shu have such a happy life?!
Fu Yi, whose usually clear and harmless eyes were now filled with malice, stepped forward and patted Xie Shu's shoulder, then walked around him and left.
77: "Beep! Affection points +4, current Fu Yi's affection points are 20."
Xie Shu stood rooted to the spot for a long time. When he looked up again, his eyes were filled with shattered fragments, which, after several transformations, turned into ice-coldness.
Xie Shu: [We are breaking up.]
After sending this message, he walked away in the opposite direction, his back exuding immense grief.
Shen Jianxi, Fu Yi, and that man – he wouldn't let any of them go.
---
I had a fever today and felt very unwell tat. My dears, please take care! The temperature has been changing too much these past few days, don't dress too thinly ❤️