After class, Xia Zichen said goodbye to his classmates and, slinging his shoulder bag over his shoulder, headed toward the dormitory area instead of joining the throng of students rushing to the cafeteria for dinner. The October weather was a bit chilly in the mornings and evenings. It wasn’t completely dark yet; the orange glow of the setting sun faintly illuminated the campus paths, while the streetlights along the sidewalks hadn’t come on yet, subtly signaling the transition from day to night.
At this hour, there were quite a few students on the streets, gathered in small groups of three or five, chatting and laughing, which made the campus atmosphere feel even livelier. Xia Zichen pulled his windbreaker tighter around himself, quickened his pace, and paid no mind to the glances the girls were casting his way.
As he pushed open the dorm room door, he found three others sitting at their computers, completely absorbed in the screens before them, their fingers deftly tapping away at the keyboards. Tang Hui’s computer speakers were on, and familiar game music echoed through the dorm room.
“Xiao Chen’chen, you’re back?” Hearing someone enter, An Jing took off her headphones and flashed a bright smile.
“Mm,” Xia Zichen replied, closing the door behind him, setting his bag on the table, and taking off his windbreaker.
“Did the wind pick up tonight? Aren’t you cold dressed so lightly?” Tang Hui also took a moment to glance at Xia Zichen, who was dressed rather lightly. “Wear an extra layer tomorrow.”
“Mm-hmm.” Xia Zichen nodded and went to wash his hands. “Did you guys go run the daily dungeon already?”
“Lian Fei’er just hit the level cap half an hour ago. We’re taking her through the daily quests today,” explained Shen Yicheng, who had been sitting behind and to the right of Xia Zichen’s bed and hadn’t spoken until then. He smiled and urged, “Hurry up and eat—it’ll get cold if you don’t.”
Guiding players who had just finished the tutorial was a tradition in guilds; almost every guild did it this way. Otherwise, such newcomers would have a hard time finding a party to do daily quests. After all, even in a game, no one wants to waste time fussing over beginners. Xia Zichen didn’t think much of it either.
“Xiao Chenchen. Your Brother Yi waited in line for half an hour just to buy you this chicken cutlet rice. Eat it while it’s still hot.” An Jing, whose attention had returned to the computer screen, couldn’t resist teasing him.
“Thanks,” Xia Zichen replied, a bit sheepishly. Although his face remained expressionless, he was actually quite pleased inside.
Although they were in different majors, Xia Zichen, Shen Yicheng, Tang Hui, and An Jing had been assigned to the same dorm room since the start of the school year. Moreover, according to A University’s tradition, as long as no one requested a dorm change, the four of them would undoubtedly live together for all four years of college.
Of the four, Xia Zichen was the youngest. Thanks to his outstanding grades and sharp mind, he had been admitted to university at the age of seventeen. Although he was now a sophomore, he remained the youngest student on campus. As a result, everyone in the dorm looked out for him, and An Jing always liked to call him “Little Chenchen.”
Xia Zichen sat back down at the table, ate his meal, and opened his laptop to log into the game. As the screen changed, a young girl dressed in a duck-yellow outfit appeared in the main city square. The hem of her skirt fluttered slightly in the breeze, and her slender fingers gently brushed her bangs aside from her forehead, revealing a touch of cuteness beneath her cool, elegant demeanor. Xia Zichen controlled this young girl named “Chen Xi” as she ran to the
to claim her daily quest.
*Sword Soul*, a pure wuxia game, was suggested by An Jing at the beginning of the year. At the time, the four of them didn’t have much else to do besides attending classes, and Shen Yicheng had grown tired of the game he’d been playing. So, after discussing it, the four of them decided to join the *Sword Soul* player community together.
When it came to choosing a class, Xia Zichen didn’t have a strong preference; he thought they were all pretty much the same. But after he browsed the official website and thoroughly researched each class, his three roommates—who had already created their characters—told him that the group desperately needed a healer, since all three of them had chosen DPS classes focused on dealing damage. Thus, this daunting task fell to Xia Zichen.
Healer classes are commonly referred to as “healers.” Among the ten classes in *Soul of the Sword*, there are two healer schools: the Holy Immortal Valley and the Hall of Tranquil Concentration.
The Holy Immortal Valley specializes in group healing and has only one single-target healing skill. It’s easy to play, making it ideal for female players or newcomers, and it’s quite effective when farming monsters in a group. However, its drawback is that the effective range of its group healing is relatively short; if players are outside this range, their health cannot be restored. If, in such a situation, the only single-target healing skill has also been used up, the player at a distance whose health is plummeting will almost certainly die.
In contrast, Jingning Hall’s healing is slightly more difficult to master than that of Holy Immortal Valley. It possesses six single-target healing skills of varying potencies and three group healing skills. Its single-target healing output is very high, but its group healing capabilities fall short of those of Holy Immortal Valley. However, its advantage lies in its long healing range. Locations that Holy Immortal Valley cannot reach are no problem at all for Jingning Hall.
Comparing the two, Jingning Hall clearly suits Xia Zichen’s preferences better. However, another problem arose: Jingning Hall consists entirely of female disciples and does not accept male members. So if Xia Zichen wanted to play, his only option was to create a female character and cross-dress…
At first, upon seeing a sect composed entirely of women, Xia Zichen was a bit hesitant. But after An Jing remarked, “It’s good that you’re playing a female character—you can help ward off romantic advances for the guys,” Xia Zichen ultimately created a female character for the Jingning Hall. Not for anyone else’s sake, but solely to ward off romantic advances for Shen Yicheng.
None of them were new to gaming, so they picked it up very quickly. After playing for a few months, the four of them founded a guild called “Zhanming Hall,” with Shen Yicheng as the guild master. They recruited quite a few members and gained some fame in their server.
“Damn it, another wipe. What the hell is going on?” This was already the third time An Jing had wailed that night.
After finishing dinner, Xia Zichen cleared the table and happened to glance at An Jing’s screen—another wipe. It was rare for a daily dungeon to drag on for so long.
In *Soul of the Sword*, there are ten small five-player dungeons, each containing four bosses. One is randomly selected each day as the daily dungeon quest, offering quite generous rewards—it’s practically a must-do daily for every player. Of course, these small dungeons are a breeze for veterans, but they can still be a bit tricky for newbies, especially for healing classes.
“Fei’er is a newbie healer—we’ll just have to make do,” Shen Yicheng said, showing no sign of impatience. Among the four of them, Shen Yicheng
had the best temperament; he rarely lost his temper. However, deep down, he was a chauvinist who placed great importance on saving face.
“She’s clearly a healer from Holy Immortal Valley. It’s one thing if she can’t heal when the boss singles someone out, but now that we’re all grouped up together, she still can’t keep us alive.” An Jing sighed. A dungeon that should have taken fifteen minutes had dragged on to forty minutes without a clear end in sight—it was indeed quite a headache.
“Hang in there a little longer; we’re already on the third boss.” Tang Hui picked up the Coke beside him and downed it in one gulp. “Next time we bring her along, let’s cut one DPS and add another healer.”
“Mm-hmm,” Shen Yicheng replied, agreeing with Tang Hui’s suggestion. After all, even as the guild master, he didn’t want to go through this kind of hassle.
Seeing that they were still debating, Xia Zichen didn’t say much; he simply teleported to the entrance of the daily dungeon, intending to join a random party to finish the quest.
As a well-equipped healer, it wasn’t hard for Xia Zichen to find a random party, especially since Shen Xi was a girl. He joined a party quickly, but upon taking a closer look, he found himself in a bit of a bind—he had somehow ended up in a party with members of the rival guild “Tianfeng Yage.”
The top four guilds in the game were at odds with one another due to their different factions. During summer break, Zhanming Hall and Tianfeng Yage had even fought a guild war, though Xia Zichen and his father were on vacation in City X at the time and didn’t participate. Since several of the opposing guild’s top players were also absent, the battle ended in a close draw. Since then, aside from the battlefield, the two guilds had had no further interactions.
He had already braced himself for being kicked out of the party, but after waiting a while, nothing happened.
『Party』[Jianlang]: Chen Xi, please wait two minutes—another DPS is logging in.
『Party』[Chen Xi]: Okay.
Seeing that the other party showed no hostility, Xia Zichen was surprised but also thought this party had good character. He immediately entered the dungeon and ran toward the boss. In fact, Xia Zichen had neither joined a faction nor participated in guild wars, so his knowledge of Tianfeng Yage was limited to just the name. He didn’t have the time to check the leaderboards either; all this gossip about the opposing faction had come from An Jing.
After running to the first boss and waiting for a moment, a DPS player joined the party. Not long after, a white figure carrying a pair of light and heavy swords leaped over to Chen Xi’s side.
Xia Zichen had seen quite a few Duan Yuan Sect disciples carrying both light and heavy swords, but for some reason, he felt that this white figure leaping toward him was exceptionally graceful. Looking at their health pool, it was almost on par with that of a tank—known for its high health and defense—which left Xia Zichen at a loss for words. He suspected there were few DPS players across the entire server with such high health.
『Party』[Jianlang]: Let’s begin.
Seeing that everyone was present, Jianlang, the tank in charge of holding the mobs, spoke up and charged forward to pull the boss.
Xia Zichen didn’t give the white figure another glance; he ran behind the boss and began healing.
What does “sharp” mean? What does “brutal” mean? This time, Xia Zi—
Chen seemed to have gotten the hang of it. Everyone in the party was positioning themselves with great precision, so Xia Zichen no longer had to chase after the damage dealers—who used to dart around frantically to evade the boss’s attacks—to heal them like he used to. This made it easier for Chen Xi to move over immediately and fully restore the health of whoever needed it.
The man in white alternated between wielding his light sword and heavy sword, filling the screen with golden-white light. His dazzling maneuvers constantly caught Xia Zichen’s eye, suddenly sparking a desire to create a Duanyuan Sect character—though for now, that was just a pipe dream.
A boss that normally required five target calls to defeat fell after just two today. Such overwhelming damage output made the fight exceptionally easy for Xia Zichen. Although Shen Yicheng and the others dealt decent damage, the gap between them and this team was still evident.
They took down four bosses in a row like that, clearing them all in less than ten minutes. Seeing that his return-to-town skill still had a twenty-minute cooldown, Xia Zichen decided to just sit in the dungeon and wait it out. After the party disbanded, the other four members left one by one, and only then did Xia Zichen realize he hadn’t even remembered the name of that Duanyuan Sect disciple in white…
『Guild』[Fujia Hongniang]: Guild Master’s Wife, please protect me in the daily dungeon—I need 360-degree seamless healing!
『Guild』[Charming Light Blue]: Haha, Matchmaker, the Guild Master’s Wife is the Guild Master’s bound healer—you can’t have her.
『Guild』[Fujia Matchmaker]: The Guild Master didn’t bring the Guild Master’s Wife to the dungeon today ╮(╯_╰)╭
『Guild』[Charming Light Blue]: Huh? That doesn’t make sense! Guild Master, how could you abandon the Guild Master’s Wife!
『Guild』[Merciless Blood]: He’s mentoring a new member.
Shen Yicheng officially explained that, as the Guild Master, he’s mentored every new member in the guild before—it’s nothing out of the ordinary.
『Guild』[Midnight Stealth]: Without Little Chen, I really got beaten up all over.
In-game, An Jing still called him “Little Chen”—she’d just changed one character.
『Guild』[腐家红娘]: As expected, we still need a dedicated healer. Guild Master’s Wife, please heal me—and please heal my chest.
『Guild』[Chenxi]: …I’m already done…
Xia Zichen couldn’t remember exactly when it had started, but everyone in the guild liked to call him “Guild Master’s Wife.” It seemed to have just naturally become the norm, since he was always doing quests with An Jing and the others. Shen Yicheng in the game took great care of him, just as he did in real life, and over time, it was easy for people to misunderstand. Xia Zichen didn’t use his voice chat or turn on his video, and with An Jing and the others deliberately keeping it a secret, no one knew he was a guy.
Shen Yicheng didn’t correct the rumor, so Xia Zichen naturally had nothing to explain.
『Guild』[Fujia Hongniang]: Guild Master’s Wife, how could you abandon me? I’ve been waiting so long for a chance when you’re not running dungeons with the Guild Master.
『Guild』[Chen Xi]: Come earlier next time.
Fujia Hongniang sent a crying emoji.
『Guild』[Xiaogui Zui Gui]: Sister Hongniang, the title of Guild Master’s Wife has already changed hands ^_^
『Guild』[Fujia Hongniang]: Huh? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?!
『Guild』[Xiao Gui Zui Gui]: Don’t you know yet? Fei’er is the Guild Leader’s wife now.
『Guild』[Charming Light Blue]: No way! When did that happen?
『Guild』[Chrysanthemum Girl]: Oh my god, no way! Guild Leader, are you just stringing her along and then dumping her?!
『Guild』[Midnight Stealth]: Damn it, who said that?
『Guild』[Stunning Baby]: Xiao Gui is telling the truth! This afternoon, before any of you were online, the Guild Master sent Fei’er 999 roses and set off fireworks.
『Guild』[Fujia Matchmaker]: Oh my god, Guild Master, you’re such a scumbag! I fucking hate mistresses the most!
『Guild』[Chrysanthemum Girl]: Strongly protest!
『Guild』[Alluring Light Blue]: Strongly oppose +10086
……
Upon seeing Alluring Baby’s message, Xia Zichen turned to look at Shen Yicheng. At the same time, An Jing and Tang Hui, who had also seen the guild chat log, turned their heads as well, waiting for Shen Yicheng to explain himself.
Although Xia Zichen had never said it outright, everyone in the dorm knew full well how he felt about Shen Yicheng—it was just that no one had brought it up, not even Shen Yicheng himself.
Shen Yicheng smiled slightly, resignedly. “Don’t look at me like that. I got it from a boss drop during the last Qixi Festival event and had kept it in my inventory ever since. Fei’er said she’d finally reached the max level and wanted to celebrate, so I gave it to her.”
This explanation sounded plausible enough, but only Xia Zichen knew Shen Yicheng was lying. Last month, when he logged into his “Merciless Blood” account to transfer stones from the inventory to his own account for equipment refinement, he hadn’t seen any roses or fireworks. And the Qixi Festival quest was an August event.
『Guild』[Alluring Baby]: What do you mean “third wheel”? The guild master isn’t even married to Shen Xi.
『Guild』[Little Cutie]: Exactly. Fei’er isn’t the third wheel at all. The one who isn’t loved among the three of them—that’s the third wheel.
『Guild』[腐家红娘]: Haha, well said. I hope you’re always treated like the third wheel.
『Guild』[Xiaogui Zui Gui]: What do you mean by that? Even though Fei’er, Baobei, and I joined the guild later, you still shouldn’t bully us like this.
『Guild』[Charming Light Blue]: Who’s bullying whom here, anyway? Damn it, I’ve really seen some weirdos today.
『Guild』[Chrysanthemum Girl]: +1. Chen Xi, we’ll always stand by your side.
『Guild』[Alluring Baby]: Guild Master, look at them—they’re picking on us and Fei’er.
『Guild』[Alluring Light Blue]: Oh my god, and you still have the nerve to call yourself Guild Master? You think you can bully me just because my husband isn’t here? Let me tell you, even if Deep Blue isn’t around, I could crush you several times over.
『Guild』[Little Cutie]: Hmph, all you know how to do is bully people like this. No matter what you say, the Guild Leader definitely likes Fei’er more now. Besides, Fei’er is so pretty—it’s only natural she’s with the Guild Leader.
> 『Guild』[Stunning Baby]: Exactly, exactly. Chen Xi definitely isn’t as pretty as Fei’er; Fei’er is the real beauty.
Seeing them get to this point, Xia Zichen, who had remained silent the whole time, finally remembered that two weeks ago, Lian Feier had indeed posted a selfie in the group chat. The girl in the photo did have a pretty pair of big eyes, but she wasn’t exactly stunning—just pretty. At the time, it had indeed sparked cheers and admiration from quite a few male members of the guild.
『Guild』[Twilight Assassin]: When a man falls for a woman because of her face, it’s just for show; when he falls for her because of her body, he just wants to sleep with her.
Tang Hui, who had also remained silent, cut straight to the heart of the matter.
『Guild』[Midnight Stealth]: You’re right. To be honest, my little Chen Chen is definitely prettier than Lian Fei’er.
『Guild』[腐家红娘]: Wow, Vice Guild Leader Twilight said it perfectly! Vice Guild Leader Midnight is the best!
An Jing’s words weren’t meant to provoke anyone; she was simply stating a fact.
Xia Zichen’s good looks were universally acknowledged throughout the school: a pointed chin, beautiful almond-shaped eyes, a high, straight nose, and pale skin that never tanned no matter how much sun he was exposed to. Standing at 178 centimeters tall, he had excellent proportions, though he was a bit on the thin side.
However, these weren’t Xia Zichen’s most striking features; what was most captivating was his voice. Xia Zichen’s voice was incredibly melodious, with a touch of cool softness in its tone, yet without the slightest hint of femininity. Especially when he spoke in a low voice, it felt like a gentle tickle on the tip of one’s heart—a pleasant, soothing sensation.
An Jing once described Xia Zichen’s voice as “sexy,” joking that listening to “Xiao Chenchen” speak at night was more effective than watching adult films. As a result, he got hit on the head by an English dictionary Xia Zichen had thrown at him, leaving a bump that wouldn’t go away for several days.
So even though Xia Zichen habitually wore a stone-faced expression all day long, giving off an “keep your distance” vibe, the moment he opened his mouth, that wall of indifference would instantly crumble. Xia Zichen was well aware of this himself, which is why he spoke less and less—yet he still couldn’t stop the girls in his class from gazing at him with smiling eyes.
『Guild』[Charming Baby]: Pfft—in the end, it’s up to the Guild Master to decide who’s pretty.
『Guild』[Little Cutie Is the Cutest]: Exactly, let the Guild Master choose.
『Guild』[Lian Fei’er]: Oh my, guys, please don’t be like this…
When Xiao San’er appeared, the guild chat actually fell silent. The “Fujia Matchmaker” and her crew seemed to ignore her, while Lian Fei’er’s fan club waited for “Merciless Blood’s” reply.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but perhaps sensing the awkward atmosphere, Shen Yicheng finally responded in the guild chat.
『Guild』[Wuqingxue]: Stop messing around. We’re all in the same guild—let’s get along. Everyone, go back to what you were doing.
Although these ambiguous words seemed to take no side—as if it were all just a joke—Xia Zichen knew deep down that Shen Yicheng had already made his choice.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the dorm was also a bit somber.
Shen Yicheng pinched the bridge of his nose and said:
“Don’t let those little girls get to you.”
“Little girls? They’re a whole year older than Xiao Chenchen,” An Jing snorted coldly, then turned off the guild chat and headed off to the battlefield.
Xia Zichen remained silent the whole time, though a faint pang of bitterness gnawed at his heart. He logged out of the game, shut down his computer, grabbed the trench coat hanging nearby, and headed out.
“Where are you going?” Tang Hui called out to Xia Zichen just as he was about to leave.
“I’m going to run some errands. You guys keep playing,” Xia Zichen said casually, then turned and walked out of the dorm.
A breeze had picked up in the evening, and there weren’t many people on the walking paths through the dormitory area.
Xia Zichen walked to the coffee shop on the corner. The warm interior and gentle music stood in stark contrast to the quiet outside.
“Welcome,” the clerk greeted him warmly. There weren’t many customers in the shop at this hour, and Xia Zichen wasn’t in the mood to pay attention to the couples on dates.
“I’ll have a hot cocoa.” In truth, Xia Zichen wasn’t particularly fond of the taste of hot cocoa, but his father had told him since childhood that drinking a cup of hot cocoa would make him feel much better when he was in a bad mood. Gradually, this had become a habit for Xia Zichen.
“I’m sorry, the last cup of hot cocoa was just bought by this customer…” The clerk at the register smiled apologetically and pointed to the customer standing beside her.
“Then give me a mocha.” He didn’t look at the person who had “snatched” his hot cocoa; he had no choice but to settle for a mocha instead—after all, it had chocolate chips in it too. Only the other person’s white trench coat inadvertently caught his eye.
“Sure. Please find a seat and wait a moment; I’ll bring it over shortly.”
Xia Zichen paid and sat down on one of the single chairs by the window to wait. Feeling down, even the passersby outside the window failed to serve as a pleasant sight; he just sat there, lost in thought.
Before long, a warm takeout paper cup was placed beside him. Xia Zichen snapped out of his reverie and was about to turn around to thank the person, but he didn’t see the barista who had brought the coffee—only that white figure quietly walking out of the café.
Filled with curiosity, he lifted the lid of the paper cup, and the rich aroma of hot cocoa wafted toward him. Xia Zichen looked up in surprise, but that figure had already vanished into the street outside the window…