“Open the door, you guys! Open up!” Mo Xiangwen pounded on the dorm door twice more. “What exactly did I do wrong to deserve this disrespect? You won’t even call me Lao Mo.”
“Go away. Dorm 503 has no one named Mo,” Xi Shaojie’s voice called from inside.
“Aren’t you getting along great with Classmate Yan?” Zhong Taihong said with a sarcastic sigh. “Why come back? Why not just have dinner with her too?”
“Hey, Lao Zhong was the one who told you not to be a homewrecker. Turns out the real clown is Lao Zhong,” Xi Shaojie remarked with a sigh of his own.
“Damn it, attack him, not me!”
“Well, you really are a clown.”
The two clowns bantered back and forth, leaving Mo Xiangwen torn between laughter and tears.
He couldn’t really blame them, though. Yan Nuoya had invited him to eat together several times already. He hadn’t realized it at first and hadn’t replied, so nothing came of it.
But now that he knew, it was perfectly normal for him to take the initiative and grab a meal with Yan Nuoya.
“Fine, then. I’ll go out, eat something, and come back later.”
Inside the dorm, Xi Shaojie and Zhong Taihong whipped their heads around to exchange a glance before rushing to yank the door open.
They looked left and right, but the hallway was empty. Not a soul in sight.
“Damn, Lao Mo really went to eat with Classmate Yan,” Zhong Taihong cursed. “Quick, call him back!”
Xi Shaojie whipped out his phone and fired off a message in the dorm group chat.
Xi Shao: Lao Mo, get back here quick.
Lao Mo: Lao Xi? I’m already out eating with Classmate Yan. No worries.
Xi Shao: Come on, Lao Zhong says Braised Chicken Rice doesn’t taste right without you.
Lao Mo: For real? Have Lao Zhong beg me.
Alarm Clock: Bro, I beg you. Come back.
Lao Mo: What? Lao Zhong, you’re actually begging?
Alarm Clock: I really can’t eat Braised Chicken Rice without you. Hurry back.
Lao Mo: Uh, but it’s too late. I’ve already made plans.
Alarm Clock: Nooo, bro. Tonight’s Braised Chicken Rice order has six dishes. Extra meal.
Alarm Clock: Lao Xi even ordered juice for you. Come back!
Xi Shao: Yeah, yeah!
“Sigh, since you’re all so sincere about it.”
Mo Xiangwen stepped out from the neighboring dorm room, a big grin on his face.
“Then I’ll reluctantly stay in the dorm and eat with you guys.”
Bang.
The dorm door slammed shut, and the two guys who’d been standing right there a second ago vanished.
“Damn.”
In the end, it took Mo Xiangwen threatening them again—”If you don’t open up, I’m really going out to eat with a girl!”—before the door finally swung open for him.
“Sigh, I told you, Classmate Yan and I are just pure friends,” Mo Xiangwen sighed as he finally made it back inside. “Can’t you guys trust me even a little?”
“Heh, spare me your bullshit,” Zhong Taihong snorted. His sharp eyes spotted the black plastic bag in Mo Xiangwen’s hand. “What’s that you bought?”
“Just some supplies. Might come in handy for military training.” Mo Xiangwen tossed the bag next to the cabinet, sat down at his desk, and booted up his computer.
Xi Shaojie asked curiously, “What kind of supplies?”
“Don’t worry about it. Might not even need them.” Mo Xiangwen shook his head and added, “Oh, and my juice has to be Hundred Fragrance Mango. Thanks.”
“Mo Xiangwen, don’t push your luck!” Xi Shaojie snorted coldly. “We’re not torturing a confession out of you already? And you’re still making demands?”
“Torture me all you want, it won’t change anything,” Mo Xiangwen said helplessly. “No matter how much you torture me, she’s still just a pure friend.”
“Yeah, yeah, you’re ‘pure friends’ with everyone,” Zhong Taihong said sarcastically.
“That’s just how it is. Hurry up and order the takeout. You’re the one talking too much.”
Though the two had plenty of gripes with him, they didn’t skimp on the extra dishes or drinks.
“Lao Mo, after we eat, let’s keep playing Truth or Dare,” Zhong Taihong suggested with a grin.
“Yeah, it’s been ages,” Xi Shaojie agreed with a nod.
“You guys just played yesterday. ‘Ages’ my ass,” Qin Yongfeng deadpanned.
“No thanks. If you wanna play, you three go ahead.” Mo Xiangwen shook his head. “I’ve got plans.”
Yeah, right. Even if he didn’t have plans, there was no way he’d play that game with these two again.
Play straight? They’d team up and pry every secret out of him.
Cheat to win? They’d notice if he won too much.
“What do you mean by that?” Xi Shaojie frowned. “We just finished eating, and you’re already heading out on a date? Ditching your bros for that?”
“Lao Mo, that’s not cool,” Zhong Taihong said righteously. “You skipped sitting with us this morning—that’s one thing. But now you’re bailing on gaming with your bros to chase girls? I look down on you.”
“You’re so bad at it, it’s normal not to want to play with you,” Qin Yongfeng quipped.
“Damn, Lao Qin, that hurts.”
Mo Xiangwen said helplessly, “I don’t have a girlfriend to date. I’m just playing a co-op survival game with some online friends. You guys don’t even like that kind of thing.”
“Oh, in that case, whatever. Get lost,” Zhong Taihong said dismissively, waving him off. “You’re dragging our trio’s climb down anyway.”
“No, playing with you is what tanks my rank. I don’t wanna,” Qin Yongfeng shook his head.
“No, you do!”
“No, I don’t!”
Mo Xiangwen ignored them, cleared the takeout boxes from the folding table, and returned to his seat. He opened the group chat and saw they were already waiting for him.
Pass One Charm: @Human-Dragon Unity Where are you? Four out of five.
Don’t Play Holy Slash: Probably eating right now.
Human-Dragon Unity: Coming, coming. Have you guys figured out the mods for Hungry Panic?
Bai Bai: All set. Just a backpack one and a localization pack.
Pass One Charm: Nothing else major to download. Unless you wanna try a specific character mod.
Human-Dragon Unity: Nah, let’s start with the vanilla characters and see.
Don’t Play Holy Slash: Yeah, vanilla first. If we don’t like ’em, we can grab character mods later.
Don’t Play Holy Slash: Most character mods break balance anyway. Ruins the early game vibe. We can try ’em once we’re pros.
Human-Dragon Unity: Cool. I’m logging in.
Human-Dragon Unity: Oh, right—where’s Pigeon? She not playing?
Pass One Charm: She said she didn’t bring her computer to school.
Pigeon: Yeah, left my PC at home. Thinking about buying a new one.
Human-Dragon Unity: I got a new one after coming to school.
Pigeon: Guess I’ll think about getting a new one too. You guys go ahead. I’ll join next time.
Don’t Play Holy Slash: Then we’ll just do a light run this time. Save the real stuff for when Pigeon’s rig is ready.
Human-Dragon Unity: Sounds good.
He fired up the familiar Steam client and clicked the bright green launch button for the game.
After a brief load screen, a eerie yet captivating tune filled the air.
