Rest House

"Pei Xiaohu, aren't you going to change?" Su Fengzi peeled another tangerine and tossed a segment into his mouth. "That hoodie's a lost cause, isn't it?"

At that, Pei Yanchuan looked down at his clothes. A huge hole gaped at his right shoulder, surrounded by a broad patch of red and black. It really was beyond saving. He pulled off his hair tie, reached down for an apple, and took a bite.

Pei Yanchuan glanced curiously toward Su Fengzi. "What are you watching, Brother Fengzi?"

Su Fengzi tilted the tablet so he could see. "A replay of the game's livestream. It even has the comments. Look, the viewers all call you Huzi."

Pei Yanchuan pursed his lips, not particularly pleased with the nickname. "Since when am I a reckless idiot?"

"You're saying you aren't?" Wu You fiddled with her twin ponytails and leaned over too. "Brother Fengzi, what do the viewers call me?"

"Hang on, let me check." Su Fengzi fast-forwarded the video and stopped at a part featuring Wu You. "Most of them call you Youyou. Huh? Why were you crying here?"

Su Fengzi paused the video and enlarged Wu You's face. Her reddened eyes and steadily falling tears were clearly visible on the screen.

"Oh, that," Wu You explained. "I have a condition that makes me cry involuntarily. Whenever I get worked up, I can't control the tears."

Pei Yanchuan pointed at the screen and burst out laughing. "Look at this comment! I'm dying! Hahaha!"

Su Fengzi and Wu You followed his finger. On the screen, Wu You was taking down monsters with a club, one blow apiece, crying as she swung.

[Monster: We've got a repentant god of war here. I'm not kidding.]

[Monster: Girl, I'm the one getting beaten up! I'm the one getting beaten up!!]

Su Fengzi and Pei Yanchuan collapsed against the couch, laughing over the tablet. Wu You said flatly, "I can't help it. I really have no control over that."

"A repentant god of war! Hahaha!" Pei Yanchuan laughed. "Why is that so funny?"

Wu You puffed out her cheeks and retaliated mercilessly. "Owww, my arm hurts so much~"

Pei Yanchuan stopped laughing at once, glaring at Wu You with his puppy-dog eyes. Wu You stared right back without batting an eyelid.

"You're so immature!"

"You're the immature one! You're just an eighteen-year-old brat!"

"And how much older are you? A twenty-year-old is still a brat!"

Wedged between them, Su Fengzi didn't dare move. Both of them were heavy hitters with terrifying combat strength. If he wasn't careful and they both turned on him, he'd be done for. Helplessly, he looked toward Ye Chu, who stood by the stairs enjoying the show.

Ye Chu shrugged, indicating there was nothing he could do.

Su Fengzi sighed. Was it a system bug? Why were both these little wolf cubs so childish?

The system's response: Don't blame everything on me.

Lu Rui was busy making lunch in the kitchen, and Ye Chu went in to help. As she placed the washed vegetables in a bowl, she saw him come in and greeted him. "Star, do you mind if I call you that?"

She had watched some of the livestream replay with Su Fengzi earlier and noticed that Ye Chu's nickname was Star.

Ye Chu froze for a moment, then smiled and shook his head. "Not at all. You can call me whatever you like, Lu Rui." As he spoke, he set another bowl of unwashed vegetables in the sink and began carefully washing them.

"Lu Rui," Ye Chu asked as he washed the vegetables, "you've seemed a little off ever since we left the game."

Lu Rui's knife paused, and her eyes softened unconsciously. "You're very observant. I have been feeling a little down since we got out."

"Was it because of that story?"

"Yes." Lu Rui rolled her shoulders. "It brought back some unpleasant memories."

"If you'd like to talk about it, I'm happy to listen."

Lu Rui smiled. After a long while, she sighed. "It's all right. It's in the past."

Ye Chu said nothing as he set the washed vegetables on the cutting board. "You can come to me whenever you feel like talking, Lu Rui. Some things hurt a little less when you talk about them instead of bottling them up."

Lu Rui went still for a moment. Looking into Ye Chu's eyes, she relented. She really hadn't put it behind her.

"I grew up in a family that favored boys over girls too, actually. So the first time I saw Tian Yatou, I felt like I was looking at my younger self. Tian Yatou could hide at a neighbor's house, but I could only hide under a bridge..."

Ye Chu had already guessed as much, so he showed no surprise. When the system announced that the game had ended, he had seen Lu Rui crouch down to hug Tian Yatou and whisper something in her ear.

She hadn't just been hugging Tian Yatou. She had also been embracing the wounded girl she had once been.

"I let my personal feelings affect me in the game. I owe all of you an apology. I should have remembered it was just a game."

"No." Ye Chu bent down slightly and gave Lu Rui a hug. "You did nothing wrong. I think that's part of what makes this game meaningful: it conveys certain values, and it gives us a way to save ourselves too."

A commotion came from the kitchen doorway. Ye Chu released her, and they both turned to see the other three shoving one another behind the door, awkward smiles on their faces now that they had been caught.

Wu You stepped forward and threw her arms around Lu Rui. "Lu Rui, you did nothing wrong. You were amazing in this game. Those scumbags were the ones in the wrong!"

"Exactly!" Pei Yanchuan chimed in. "If I'd known, I would've given that bastard Tian Fuguo a few more punches."

"Please don't," Su Fengzi said hastily. "With your strength, a few more punches would've killed him on the spot."

The moment Su Fengzi opened his mouth, the oppressive atmosphere in the little kitchen vanished.

Lu Rui had been holding up well enough, but with everyone crowding around and making a fuss, she couldn't hold back her tears. She covered her eyes with a hand. "Oh, I was fine before. Now you're all making me want to cry."

"No need to want to. You're already crying."

"Su Fengzi!"

Su Fengzi hurriedly waved his hands, then covered his mouth to show he wouldn't say another word. Even so, he stepped forward and hugged Lu Rui. "Give it time. It'll all pass."

Pei Yanchuan squeezed in too. "Come on, let me have a hug too. Ye Chu, you join in."

Ye Chu raised an eyebrow and smiled, then joined them. The five of them huddled together in the tiny kitchen, embracing.

"Wait." Pei Yanchuan wrinkled his nose. "Why do I smell something burning?"

Lu Rui sniffed too, then realized what was happening. "Oh no! My pan!" She shooed the other four out of the kitchen. "Oh no, oh no, I'll have to start over..."

The four of them exchanged looks after being driven out, then suddenly burst out laughing.

Pei Yanchuan walked beside Ye Chu. "Lu Rui seems so sharp and strong. I never imagined she had a past like that."

"Everyone has their own story, don't they?"

Pei Yanchuan looked at Ye Chu. "Then what's your story, Star?"

Ye Chu's steps faltered. Then he smiled. "That, I'm afraid, is something you'll have to find out for yourself."