That night, Xia Zichen did not sleep well. He kept drifting in and out of dreams, all of them filled with fragments of things from the game, but when he tried to recall exactly what he had dreamed, he could not remember.
He opened his eyes in a daze. Outside, the sky was only faintly bright. He reached for the phone beside his pillow and glanced at it—still early. But after that sleep, his head was aching badly, and he could not fall asleep again even if he tried. Ever since he started playing the game, he had never really worried about anything in it, or rather, he had not taken it too seriously. But after meeting Canmo Wuhen, everything seemed to have changed.
The dormitory was quiet. He could only faintly hear everyone’s shallow breathing. Xia Zichen stared at the ceiling, trying to empty his mind to relieve the headache caused by anxiety.
After lying there until past seven, he still could not gather any sleepiness, so he simply got up to eat breakfast.
He got dressed, took his wallet and keys, and quietly left the dorm. All four of them had no morning classes today, so they would probably sleep until noon. Xia Zichen did not wake them—after all, he was the only one who could not sleep.
It was still very early. Apart from those who had morning classes, most students were still in bed. In cold weather like this, no one wanted to go out, so the dormitory area was quiet.
The breakfast service at A University cafeteria started at 6:30. There were many kinds of breakfast, and most students would either take it back to their dorms or bring it directly to class in a hurry, so although the cafeteria had many people coming and going, very few actually sat down to eat.
Standing in front of the counter, Xia Zichen looked around but did not see anything he particularly wanted to eat. Maybe because he had not slept well, he felt a little hungry, but had no appetite.
Just as he was thinking, he felt someone gently ruffle his hair. Xia Zichen instinctively turned his head and met Gu Xu’s eyes, carrying a faint smile.
Meeting Gu Xu here surprised him a little, but he quickly recovered and slightly smiled back. “Good morning.”
“Morning.” Gu Xu nodded, lowering his hand from Xia Zichen’s hair and asking, “What do you want to eat?”
“I haven’t decided yet.” Xia Zichen looked at the neatly arranged breakfast options again, still unable to choose.
“Let’s find a place to sit.” Gu Xu glanced at the cafeteria seats; most were empty.
Realizing Gu Xu might be treating him to breakfast, Xia Zichen did not move. “You’ve always treated me before. This time let me treat you.”
From cakes to snacks to take-home boxes, Xia Zichen felt like he had always been taking advantage of Gu Xu. This time, he should return it—even if a breakfast did not cost much.
“Don’t worry about that. Just go sit.” Gu Xu patted him lightly. “Sit near the air conditioner, don’t sit by the window.”
Xia Zichen wanted to say something more, but Gu Xu gently pushed him toward the seats and walked off to order, not giving him a chance to refuse.
Exhaling softly, Xia Zichen felt that taking advantage of Gu Xu might eventually become a habit, though for some reason, even though they were not really close, he did not dislike being treated by him.
He found a corner seat and sat down. It was close to the air conditioner, and the warm air drove away the cold from his body.
A few minutes later, Gu Xu came over carrying a tray, followed by a cafeteria aunt helping with another tray.
Xia Zichen quickly stood up to take it and thanked her. Gu Xu looked at the seat Xia Zichen had chosen and then moved two chairs over.
“Too close to the air conditioner—you’ll catch a cold when you go out later.” Gu Xu said as he sat down.
Xia Zichen moved with him and sat opposite him, placing the tray down. Gu Xu had ordered quite a lot—enough that it felt like they could invite An Jing and the others to join.
“I didn’t know what you like, so I just ordered randomly.” Gu Xu placed steamed dumplings in the middle and egg tarts by Xia Zichen’s side. “Eat the dessert after the meal.”
“Mm.” Xia Zichen picked up his chopsticks and began eating.
Even though there was a lot of food, each item only had one portion, so sharing between two people was not wasteful. Perhaps it was the warm breakfast stimulating his senses, or the presence of someone eating with him pushing away the morning heaviness—his appetite came back, and his headache faded.
Gu Xu placed a fried shrimp ball into Xia Zichen’s bowl and asked, “Didn’t sleep well last night?”
Xia Zichen looked up, as if asking how he knew.
“You have dark circles,” Gu Xu explained.
“Mm.” Xia Zichen did not deny it.
“Something bothering you?” Gu Xu continued.
“Nothing serious.” Xia Zichen curled his lips slightly and continued eating.
Gu Xu unwrapped a smoked meat roll and placed it within Xia Zichen’s reach. “If you’re stuck between two choices, and it doesn’t go against your principles, try stepping forward. Trying isn’t scary—it’s only scary if you don’t even have the courage.”
Gu Xu’s voice was pleasant to listen to, and Xia Zichen unconsciously took the words in. After a moment of silence, he asked, “You like trying things? Even if it might not end well?”
Gu Xu smiled. “I only try when I have confidence. You can prepare for the worst, but you can’t always think in terms of the worst outcome.”
Xia Zichen paused, thinking carefully about his words.
Gu Xu tapped his bowl lightly, signaling him to continue eating.
Biting into a shrimp ball, Xia Zichen thought for a while and said somewhat helplessly, “I don’t have confidence.”
“Then do you have a direction in mind?”
Xia Zichen did not answer. Even he himself was not sure what he was thinking—he only knew he could neither advance nor retreat.
“If you have even a thought or longing, it means you don’t truly want to give up. That alone is reason enough to try. As for confidence, you can plan before starting and find it along the way. Even if it still doesn’t work out, you’ll be able to let go. What’s most painful is lingering attachment,” Gu Xu paused, then added, “That is what’s truly unfortunate.”
Xia Zichen smiled. He was not sure whether these words would help him, but at least hearing them made him feel lighter.
After breakfast, Gu Xu went to class. Xia Zichen brought the packed egg tarts back to the dorm and took a nap before attending his own classes.
The 2v2 finals were scheduled for Saturday at 8 p.m.
At 7:30, Xia Zichen logged in. Canmo Wuhen was already waiting.
[PM] Canmo Wuhen: You’re here?
[PM] Chenxi: Mm.
Canmo Wuhen sent a team invite; Xia Zichen accepted.
[PM] Canmo Wuhen: I’ve already used the enchantments you sent.
[PM] Chenxi: Mm, I used your stones on refining Flame Sun Chasing Moon. I’ll use that set today.
[PM] Canmo Wuhen: Okay.
After some thought, Xia Zichen decided that Flame Sun Chasing Moon was also used by Jian Lang and Bai Caozhe. They would likely wear it in this match as well. Although not as strong as Canmo Wuhen’s full set, it could not be underestimated. So he had to go all out.
As a man, Xia Zichen had a strong desire to win, even if the opponent was strong.
At 8 p.m., Chenxi and Canmo Wuhen were transported into the arena. The countdown began.
At zero, the gates opened, and all four players met in the center.
Nearby chat: Bai Caozhe: Haha, couple outfits.
Canmo Wuhen and Chenxi—one black, one white—were striking.
Nearby chat: Canmo Wuhen: Same to you.
Jian Lang and Bai Caozhe were also dressed in black.
Without further words, Bai Caozhe immediately locked Chenxi down. Chenxi applied buffs to Canmo Wuhen, healed himself after losing half HP, and then began dragging Bai Caozhe across the field while Canmo Wuhen fought Jian Lang.
The battle intensified.
Chenxi kept healing, controlling, and dealing damage while being chased relentlessly by Bai Caozhe.
He admitted Bai Caozhe was one of the most troublesome opponents he had ever faced aside from Canmo Wuhen.
The fight continued back and forth until Chenxi’s mana was nearly depleted.
[Team] Chenxi: mana.
[Team] Canmo Wuhen: 1.
Canmo Wuhen immediately focused Jian Lang and quickly brought him down.
Chenxi, at critical HP, sacrificed his remaining resources to heal Canmo Wuhen instead of himself.
With Chenxi down, Canmo Wuhen eliminated Bai Caozhe.
System: Chenxi and Canmo Wuhen win the championship.
As fireworks exploded in the plaza, the game forcibly applied a 10-minute immobilization status so they could not leave.
Then suddenly—
Heart-shaped fireworks bloomed around them.
Inside was a ring of seven-colored roses forming a heart, surrounded by circular firework rings, with flower petals falling like rain.
System announcement: Canmo Wuhen used “One Lifetime of Only Love” on Chenxi in Hundred-Person Square…
A wedding-style confession item.
Xia Zichen froze completely.
He did not know how to respond.
Nor whether he should respond.
Players around them flooded the chat with congratulations, but he could not see any of it.
The fireworks continued to bloom.
Until the ten minutes ended.
Xia Zichen stared blankly at Canmo Wuhen on the screen.
Then he reached out and pulled the computer power plug straight out.