Lin Cheng had no idea where to go.
The rain wasn’t heavy, and the pedestrians along the street were few and far between. Going home meant facing an empty apartment alone again. He’d wanted to take a good walk last night to clear his head, but someone had interrupted him.
As he wandered, Lin Cheng found himself at a mall. He remembered there was a huge arcade on the third floor. After stowing his umbrella in a locker, he headed up, exchanged a hundred yuan for a hundred and twenty game tokens, and made his way to the claw machines.
The arcade was hosting a King of Fighters tournament at ten o’clock, and that was right up his alley.
Before that, though, he spent ninety tokens on the claw machines—three tokens a go. Unfortunately, after thirty or so tries, he only managed to snag one Rogue Rabbit plush. He really wanted the Little Bear hand puppets in the cabinet, but he only had thirty tokens left—ten more chances.
What a drag. Weren’t claw machines supposed to be a protagonist’s must-have skill in novels? Would Xu Wanyue have an easy time with it? Probably not. Claw machines were rigged; the backend adjusted the claw’s grip strength. Once you’d fed in enough tokens, it loosened up for one big grab. So it wasn’t purely luck after all.
With his last thirty tokens, Lin Cheng tried five times for the Little Bear hand puppets, but each fell short by a hair. He stared wistfully at the machine, vowing to stick it out until he won. Then, glancing sideways without thinking, he spotted a woman at another claw machine, holding a massive plastic bag stuffed with at least a dozen plushies.
Lin Cheng watched her closely. Was there some secret technique? His gaze drifted to her profile by accident—and it looked awfully familiar.
She was tall and slender, dressed in an oversized white hoodie paired with a pink pleated skirt. Her long, straight legs ended in white sneakers, her calves sheathed in sheer white socks. But that profile—it was definitely familiar.
Perhaps sensing his stare, Lu Xiaoxiao turned her head. Their eyes met.
It was like bumping into a ghost.
Lu Xiaoxiao stood still for a moment, giving Lin Cheng a single glance before looking away a few seconds later. A deliberate chill lingered in her dark eyes.
She still remembered his arrogance from that day. Compared to Lin Cheng, she might have been even prouder.
But this time, Lin Cheng approached her. “Hey, fancy meeting you here.”
Lu Xiaoxiao said nothing, focusing on her claw machine. Another plush came up. She bent to retrieve it and stuffed it into her big plastic bag. Lin Cheng grinned and winked at her. “Got any secrets?”
“You wanna learn?”
“Teach me?”
“No way.” Lu Xiaoxiao huffed coldly and stepped away from the machine. Lin Cheng trailed after her wistfully. “Help a guy out?”
“What for?” She glanced back.
“I want those Little Bear hand puppets.” Lin Cheng pointed to the machine. Lu Xiaoxiao’s eyes sparkled with amusement, her lips curving slightly. “Beg me.”
“Please?”
Her little spark of pride satisfied, Lu Xiaoxiao sauntered over, dropped in a coin, and tried. First go: fail. Second: fail. Third: success.
Lin Cheng still couldn’t figure out the trick. He just saw her jiggle the joystick this way and that until the hand puppet tumbled out. She handed it to him, and he slipped it on happily—though it was only one.
“What’s the secret?”
“This machine’s claw doesn’t lock. Shake the joystick first to predict the path, then use momentum to fling it out after it hooks.” Lu Xiaoxiao explained flatly. Armed with the knowledge, Lin Cheng tried for a matching pair, burning through his remaining tokens. Fail.
He gazed at her pleadingly. Lu Xiaoxiao sighed, stepped up, and snagged another in short order. Lin Cheng donned both puppets and shadowboxed the air with a combo.
So childish.
“Why are you here?” Lin Cheng asked casually, content for the moment.
“Bored, out for a stroll. You?”
“Same here. Small world.”
“Oh.” Lu Xiaoxiao nodded, eyeing the gaming platform where a crowd was gathering. The King of Fighters tournament was on—five yuan to enter, winner got a fancy designer bracelet. Dozens had signed up, packed in tight. She headed over and registered. Lin Cheng followed suit.
The tournament had refs and six machines for 1v1 brackets. Lin Cheng dove in eagerly, breezing through opponents. Few could even take down his first character.
Half an hour later, it was the finals. Lin Cheng blinked at Lu Xiaoxiao beside him. “You’re a pro?”
She sneered. “Just in time to crush you.”
“Watch out—I’m one too.” Lin Cheng grinned smugly. They sat side by side, both deadly serious. Lu Xiaoxiao had earned her spot; she was the only one who’d dropped two of his characters. But that was as far as she got.
“Gotcha.” Lin Cheng shot her a triumphant look. Lu Xiaoxiao bit her lip and glared sideways. “Rematch.”
He’d already won by the rules, but he didn’t mind indulging her. They hunkered down for another half hour. She lost, fought on, lost again—her stubborn streak kept her battling for a full hour. She started strong, dropping two characters, but soon he was wiping teams clean, leaving her flustered. Finally, she threw in the towel.
“You win.” The words came out grudgingly. But Lin Cheng slid the organizer’s little box—the bracelet prize—toward her. “Here.”
“No.”
“What am I gonna do with it? Big guy like me wearing a bracelet?”
She was still fuming, probably at him or her own failure. “Keep it. Go charm some little girl.”
“Isn’t this perfect for charming you?” Lin Cheng opened the box. It wasn’t extravagant—maybe a grand’s worth. Lu Xiaoxiao hesitated, then extended her wrist. He clasped it on gently. “Payment for the Little Bear help.”
He slipped on his hand puppets again and rubbed her cheek with them. “Aren’t these adorable?”
“Childish.”
“…”
The tournament wrapped up. Lu Xiaoxiao turned and headed to the dance machine. Lin Cheng watched expectantly, but she just stood there.
“Huh? Thought you’d dance.”
“I was gonna. Changed my mind.”
“Why?”
“You’re here.”
Lin Cheng’s mouth twitched. “After crushing you twice, that’s some grudge.”
“Next time.” She bit her lip.
“Fine, fine. But… you really dance?”
“Why can’t I?”
“Fair. Haven’t seen many girls who do IRL. Curious, that’s all.” Lin Cheng hopped onto the dance machine and beckoned. “C’mon, one more thrashing.”
Lu Xiaoxiao paused.
Before starting, Lin Cheng eyed her. “Hotpot on the loser?”
“You’re on.”
Lin Cheng only knew the basics of dance games, but his coordination was top-notch. Mastering energy nodes made body control effortless—key for physical-system ability users in combat. Most didn’t realize energy could burst or lock in place. In same-level physical fights, he was unbeatable.
But while he just stomped arrows, Lu Xiaoxiao danced with lively flair. His eyes kept drifting to her fluttering skirt. He knew safety shorts were underneath, but he stole glances at her pale thighs swaying anyway. Distraction led to mistakes. When the song ended, his score edged just below hers. Hotpot lost.
Lin Cheng grimaced. “Alright, rotating buffet mini-hotpot? Twenty-eight a head—bargain.”
“No. Chouchou.”
“That’s pricey. You’ll bankrupt me.”
“Wager’s a wager.” Lu Xiaoxiao smirked triumphantly. Lin Cheng sighed in defeat and nodded. She handed her plush haul to a little girl with arcade parents. He kept his Little Bear hand puppets and headed upstairs—hotpot spot right there.
Lu Xiaoxiao ordered. Credit to her, nothing too extravagant. Two milk teas pushed it to four hundred total.
Her dipping sauce was mild; his was chili overload. She side-eyed him. “Why so much spice?”
“Spicy hurts, but pain triggers endorphins. Addictive.”
“Masochist much? Total masochist?” Lu Xiaoxiao swished beef in the pot. As she raised a slice to her mouth, Lin Cheng pitched his voice high and whiny. “If it’s Master’s big sis, this little dog wouldn’t mind serving~”
Lu Xiaoxiao nearly choked, gulping her milk tea and glaring daggers.
Lin Cheng chowed down on duck blood and tofu, sweat beading from the heat. She finished quick, sipping milk tea and watching his flushed cheeks. Still didn’t get it.
He polished off his winter melon lemon tea in one go. “Afternoon plans?”
Lu Xiaoxiao started pondering—then froze.
Wait. Why was she planning with him?
