Chapter 28

The private club's lounge was a storm of argument, the noise piercing through Bai Xingmiao's door like a rumbling engine.

Bai Xingmiao sat at his computer, took off his headphones, and dug at his ear. He added a pair of earplugs and went back to typing code with a calm, unruffled air.

After finishing the day's work, Bai Xingmiao closed his laptop, removed his headphones, and walked out of his room on his own.

Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen were quarreling outside the door, pointing at a stack of archival folders on the table and hurling insults at each other like two stags locking antlers and straining to charge—no one dared to step in and mediate.

The spacious living room was thick with the tense atmosphere of war, the crystal chandelier overhead shaking from the force of their argument.

Ever since that luncheon, Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen's relationship had grown subtly tense. They bickered over trifles constantly now.

And given that both were heirs to prestigious, powerful ducal families, once they locked horns, their aristocratic arrogance flared, and neither would yield an inch.

Amidst the crossfire, Bai Xingmiao quietly typed his code, built his models, and read the news.

Counting carefully, the two had been at each other, on and off, for a week. Although the three had their disagreements before, usually they'd recognize their errors and move on—by the next day, everyone tacitly forgot the previous day's unpleasantness and got together amicably again.

Bai Xingmiao crossed through the storm between the two and settled into his own single-seat sofa. He poured himself a cup of green tea and asked lightly, "What's going on?"

Seeing Bai Xingmiao arrive, Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen both suppressed their anger and turned away, neither answering their clueless friend.

Jiang Yihao put his hands on his hips and snorted. "Ask him."

Bu Chen sat down on the sofa, poured a cup of tea, and with barely concealed traces of conflict in his brows, said, "Yihao's been meddling a bit too much."

"Me, meddling? Hear that, is that even human speech?" Jiang Yihao's voice shot up an octave, ready to demand an explanation from Bu Chen, but Bai Xingmiao held him back.

Bai Xingmiao was the coldest of the three, indifferent to most things, speaking with an objective calm that favored no one. No matter how furious Jiang Yihao was at Bu Chen, he'd calm down when faced with Bai Xingmiao and regain some sense.

Bai Xingmiao blew lightly on his teacup. "You two are too loud." The implication being they'd better resolve their issue quickly.

In the past, the three kept no secrets from each other, but today, Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen both remained conspicuously silent with Bai Xingmiao.

Bai Xingmiao took a sip, his gaze falling on the girl's photo on the file folder's cover, and frowned slightly. "Who is she?"

Jiang Yihao immediately turned and snatched Ruan Ning's file away before Bu Chen could, clutching it to his chest. Bu Chen tightened his grip on the teacup handle. "Jiang Yihao, you're the heir to the Duke of Tapei. Do you know what you're doing right now?"

Jiang Yihao's face turned pale, his fist clenching the file cracking audibly. "Bu Chen, don't push it. I've been tolerating you for the sake of brotherhood, but don't be ungrateful."

Jiang Yihao wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face at the memory. After their last family dinner, Bu Chen had ignored his warning and made no secret of his interest in Ruan Ning, turning around to ask what right Jiang Yihao had to interfere.

Today, when he'd walked in and seen Bu Chen lounging with his legs crossed, reading a stack of files with Ruan Ning's photo prominently on the cover, Jiang Yihao had flown into a rage.

"Bu Chen, Ruan Ning isn't some random girl you'd pick up at a club. If you dare bring that nightlife scum attitude to her, I won't let you off easy!"

Bu Chen, undaunted by Jiang Yihao's thunderous fury, casually flipped a page without looking up. "So, you're pursuing her?"

Jiang Yihao was struck speechless.

He'd never thought about it in those terms. He only knew that his sole goal was to win championships and the Golden Ball, and personal matters were absolutely off the table until his career was established.

Bu Chen curled his lips into a teasing smile. "If you're not chasing her, what's it to you if someone else does?"

Jiang Yihao's face flushed red instantly. He gritted his teeth as a sour, bitter flame of anger burned in his chest, as if swarms of ants were burrowing into his heart, gnawing away. He wanted to retort, but the blood surging to his head left him unable to string together a single coherent sentence.

"You call that chasing?"

"Name one girlfriend you've kept for more than three months."

"Ruan Ning is timid and honest. If you dare bully her, I'll make sure you get what's coming to you."

Jiang Yihao's kindergarten-level declarations had Bu Chen nearly laughing himself silly. Amid Jiang Yihao's endless warnings, he delivered a thunderbolt.

"Even without anyone else, you'd never end up together."

"Might as well give up now."

Bu Chen's peach-blossom eyes curved with a smile, seductive and arrogant.

He was naturally uninhibited; no law in the world could govern him. Whatever he set his sights on, he'd fight for with all he had, regardless of who it was. And because they knew each other too well, Bu Chen had no trouble hitting Jiang Yihao right where it hurt.

"What did you say?" Jiang Yihao indeed let out a low, hissing growl, full of the portent of an impending storm.

"You've never been the one to decide who you end up with. Your family alone is a hurdle you can't clear."

Bu Chen, in the midst of the blazing fire in Jiang Yihao's eyes, landed another clean, precise stab.

Rage exploded in Jiang Yihao's chest in an instant. He circled around to stand before Bu Chen, grabbed his collar, and threw a punch with all his strength.

Bu Chen let out a muffled grunt, his face contorted in pain, a crimson streak of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

He didn't hit back. He wiped the blood from his lips with his thumb, twisted his mouth into a satisfied, reckless grin. "That punch was well deserved. From now on, we're even—fair competition."

"You bastard!" Jiang Yihao moved to punch again, but Bai Xingmiao, seated nearby, spoke. "Enough, Yihao."

Bai Xingmiao's natural chill doused the raging fire in the room in an instant. Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen regained a measure of composure, glaring at each other sidelong.

Jiang Yihao suppressed his anger and withdrew his fist. Bu Chen sneered and licked the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Bai Xingmiao took the file from Jiang Yihao's arms, looking down at the girl in the photo with an unreadable gaze.

"You two are fighting over her?"

It was impossible to tell whether it was sarcasm or a simple question.

But both Jiang Yihao and Bu Chen felt a strange pang in their hearts at the same time. Thoughts of the bond they'd shared since childhood hit them like a crashing wave, stinging painfully.

Jiang Yihao shoved Bu Chen hard in the chest, his glare cutting into him like a knife. "Listen up. You can chase any girl in the world you want, but Ruan Ning is off-limits."

Bu Chen steadied himself and straightened his collar, his gaze unflinching and fierce. "What happens between me and her is none of your business."

The war that had just subsided reignited. Jiang Yihao swung another punch at Bu Chen, and Bai Xingmiao commanded coldly, "Both of you, stop."

"And her?" Bai Xingmiao remained seated on the sofa, unmoving, and lifted his eyelids slightly. "What does the girl have to say?"

A silence fell over the living room. Bai Xingmiao's sharp, penetrating gaze moved between the two. "Hm?"

Bai Xingmiao's question hit the crux of the matter. Neither Jiang Yihao nor Bu Chen had a definitive answer.

Bu Chen gave a cold snort and left with his jacket.

Jiang Yihao, face dark, snatched the file from Bai Xingmiao's hand and left without a word, leaving Bai Xingmiao alone in the empty living room.

Bai Xingmiao sat on the sofa, poured another cup of tea, and frowned.

"Steeped too long."

Ruan Ning didn't remember how she'd gotten back to her dorm from Jiang Yihao's place that day. She only remembered feeling dazed ever since.

Bu Chen had forced her to exchange contact info, even grabbing her phone and saving a strange number, #01201, saying that no matter where she was in the world, she could reach him with that number, and she was welcome to bother him anytime.

Ruan Ning snatched her phone back as if escaping a disaster.

Bu Chen smiled. "Don't think about deleting it later. I'll check next time we meet, unless you can recite it word for word."

Ruan Ning gave a humiliated "Mm."

She was mentally exhausted. She'd barely defused one bomb and now there was another ticking time bomb.

Bu Chen had promised not to disturb her studies or daily life, and not to let anyone know about their relationship—on the condition that when he wanted to see her, she had to come immediately.

Jiang Yihao, meanwhile, was relentless with calls and texts. RQ had entered the warm-up matches, and Jiang Yihao was busy training. But as soon as he got his phone, he'd call for an excessively long time, fussing over her, asking if Bu Chen had been bothering her, and telling her not to be afraid.

Jiang Yihao said that as long as he was around, Bu Chen would never be able to harass her again. He'd even arranged private bodyguards to protect her 24/7 on campus, and it took Ruan Ning considerable effort to make him withdraw them.

Ruan Ning had no idea how things had spiraled to this point.

She was just an ordinary student, completely unworthy of such attention from two young masters. Besides, being close to them meant being closer to danger. She just wanted to graduate without incident and go back to help with the family business.

For days, Ruan Ning did nothing but attend class, do homework, and sleep, all the while preoccupied with the last task. But the closer the third task loomed, the more she dreaded going to see Bai Xingmiao.

Since returning from the luncheon, she hadn't dared open the group chat. For the first time since joining, she'd gone a full week without logging in, prompting a flurry of speculation from her teammates, with over 999 mentions nearly digging her out through the internet.

"Lemon, did you quit the game?"

"Are you abandoning us and Big Boss 00?"

"No way, where else can we find such a professional, reliable, and affordable pro?"

"Lemon, come back~ Come back~"

Ruan Ning sighed softly. She'd gotten along well with everyone over this period. Some were sharp-tongued, sure, but they weren't bad people, and it had let her meet new friends beyond her real life.

But the reason she'd been lurking in the group and getting along with everyone was, at the end of the day, for Bai Xingmiao.

Ruan Ning scrolled through the week's backlog of messages, a faint, unnoticed hope stirring in her heart as she read each one carefully.

Regrettably, among the 999+ messages begging her to stay, not one was from Bai Xingmiao.

Ruan Ning felt a prick in her heart like a needle.

During this time, she and Bai Xingmiao had fought side by side in the game with seamless coordination. She thought she might count as a close, reliable friend to him, but apparently not.

Ruan Ning took a deep breath, opened Bai Xingmiao's avatar, typed out a message after some deletions and rewrites, and sent it.

Suddenly, her message was bounced back. A glaring red line appeared on the screen: "You are no longer friends with this user."

Ruan Ning instantly collapsed onto the floor, frantically tapping her phone screen.

She copied and pasted the unsent message and tried again. The heartless red exclamation mark and "You are no longer friends with this user" appeared on screen again, stabbing at her eyes.

Refusing to believe what she was seeing, Ruan Ning opened the add-friend request again. A familiar dialog box popped up immediately: "What's the thing you've been thinking about lately?"

She ignored the question, her fingers trembling, typing in disarray, sending in one breath: "Why did you delete me? Did I do something wrong?"

Ruan Ning clutched her phone to her chest, pacing restlessly around the room.

Bai Xingmiao always replied slowly. The first time she'd added him as a friend had taken days. Ruan Ning didn't know how she'd endure that again. She resolved to stay glued to her phone, waiting for his reply, no matter how long it took.

As if he'd predicted she'd come, Bai Xingmiao didn't take long. From the distant add-friend box, he replied.

"I already know what you're after."

Those simple words struck a great bell in Ruan Ning's mind, shattering the top of her skull.

Facing a face burning hot enough to boil an egg, Ruan Ning forced calm and rushed back: "What am I after? What could I possibly be after? Hahaha."

Bai Xingmiao didn't reply this time. Ruan Ning waited for days, left with his last add-friend request dialog box, everything back to square one.

"No—" Ruan Ning's tears streamed down from her eyes in grievance. Unwilling to accept it, her chest heaved violently with agitation, and she coughed hard, as if she might spit out her broken heart.

Ruan Ning jolted awake. It had all been a dream.

She was lying on her dorm bed, tears soaking the pillow. It was 3 a.m., and a faucet in the bathroom that hadn't been properly tightened let out a crisp, rhythmic drip.

Ruan Ning wiped the tears from her eyes, fumbled for her phone. The group chat still showed 999+ messages, and Bai Xingmiao's plain white avatar sat quietly at the top of the list, watching her.

Ruan Ning, as if escaping death, closed her eyes.

But moments later, she turned over and opened the chat. The history was still from last week, just like in her dream. Ruan Ning glanced at the white avatar, and it felt like she was staring into a pair of clear, indifferent eyes through the internet, her heart hammering wildly.

She tossed her phone away in a panic, pulled the covers over herself, and forced herself to go back to sleep.

But as soon as she closed her eyes, lines like "I already know what you're after" and "You are no longer friends with this user" surfaced like talismanic curses, spinning and circling above her head, cackling shrilly.

"Go away, all of you, go away!" Ruan Ning suddenly cried out into the empty air.

The cackling continued. Exhausted and losing her composure, she suddenly opened Bai Xingmiao's chat and sent a string of random gibberish.