Chapter 1

"I've liked your boyfriend for a long time."

By Jiang Zi Bei / January 17, 2020

The first time Pei Ran noticed something was off with his boyfriend was while they were playing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.

His boyfriend's name was Luo Qingshan. They had started dating in their second year of high school, nearly three years ago now. Later, they had gotten into the same university, though they were in different departments.

It was the weekend. He had gone home for a visit, and after dinner, he logged on to video chat with Luo Qingshan. But they had barely exchanged a few words before Luo Qingshan dragged him into a game.

Playing with them was one of Luo Qingshan's classmates. Pei Ran couldn't remember his name; he only knew the boy wasn't very tall, had skin as white as snow, and often went to the library with Luo Qingshan.

Pei Ran was pretty good at MOBA games, but he wasn't good at shooters like this. Luo Qingshan had often played Chicken Dinner with him before, and to accommodate him, they always landed in remote areas with few players.

At the start of this match, teammate number three marked the military base.

"Can we drop at the military base? I want an exciting round." It was Luo Qingshan's classmate's voice, soft and a little nasal, sounding somewhat pitiful.

Luo Qingshan agreed.

Pei Ran stayed silent. They were playing in a four-person squad, and there was another person he didn't know, possibly another friend of Luo Qingshan's. Like him, this person hadn't spoken since entering the game.

Only after Luo Qingshan and his classmate cleared out a building did he seem to remember there were other people on the team.

Luo Qingshan said, "Pei Ran, stay hidden."

Holding a pistol, Pei Ran had been standing in the corner of a room for ages. "Okay."

Luo Qingshan said, "Su Nian, come here. Someone's in this room."

"Coming, bro."

"I'll rush in first. Follow me."

"Okay. Don't die."

So this person's name was Su Nian.

Listening to the gunfire, Pei Ran suddenly felt a little bored. He moved his mouse, and his view happened to catch teammate number four in the building opposite.

His teammate was fighting single-handedly over there, cleanly and neatly wiping out a full squad on his own. His health dropped into the red, and afterward, he calmly stood by the window to heal.

From this angle, the two of them looked as if they were looking at each other.

"They're all dead," Luo Qingshan said. "Baby, you can come out now."

They hadn't deliberately hidden their relationship; almost everyone around them knew. Luo Qingshan had been calling him baby since high school.

Pei Ran came back to his senses. Without turning on his mic, he jumped out the window with his little pistol.

When he arrived, Su Nian was looting crates. Pei Ran stood still. He wasn't good at the game and wouldn't compete with his teammates for supplies.

"Bro..." Su Nian asked, "Did you take the M4?"

Luo Qingshan chuckled. "You even noticed that?"

"Let me have it? My aim's off today. I don't want to use an AK."

"Sure," Luo Qingshan said. "Bring dinner to my dorm later, and the gun's yours."

"This again..." The words were a complaint, but his voice held a smile. "Fine, I'll bring it."

Pei Ran frowned ever so slightly and opened a crate. There wasn't even a gun left inside.

Suddenly a little irritated, he turned to search elsewhere. But before he had searched even two rooms, an enemy lying in wait in the opposite building fired a burst at him, and his character abruptly went down.

The enemy mercilessly shot him twice more, leaving him with only half a bar of red health. Pei Ran hurriedly crawled into a blind spot beside him.

At the same time, a shriek came over voice chat. "Ah-bro, someone's in this building!"

Immediately afterward, the system displayed a notification that Su Nian had been knocked down.

"Ugh, this guy ambushed me! He's behind the crates and doesn't dare come finish me off. Bro, hurry!" Su Nian was so annoyed that his voice grew louder.

Pei Ran, meanwhile, had already given up struggling. The enemy was too close, and he figured he would be finished off very soon.

That suited him. He wasn't in much of a mood to play anymore anyway.

But then a shot rang out, and a notification suddenly appeared in the upper-right corner of the screen-

[111GOD knocked out zhiyefudi with a headshot from a Kar98k]

Number four, up on the tower, took out the enemy running toward him with a single shot.

Pei Ran froze, then couldn't resist opening the map for a look. Number four was very far away. To land a sniper headshot on a moving enemy from that distance, this number four had to be... either a god or a hacker.

But whether this person was a hacker or a god didn't matter.

Pei Ran's gaze moved down to Luo Qingshan's icon. Luo Qingshan was in a delicate position, right between him and Su Nian.

Luo Qingshan hesitated for only half a second. "Baby, hang on. I'll go to Su Nian first. I'm worried they'll finish him off."

[111GOD knocked out luwenz6 with a headshot from a Kar98k]

Just as Luo Qingshan finished speaking, number four landed a headshot on the enemy near Su Nian too.

Pei Ran checked the map again. Luo Qingshan hadn't stopped, running to Su Nian without looking back.

Su Nian had only been knocked down. Before the enemy could deal any follow-up damage, number four had killed him. When Luo Qingshan revived Su Nian, he still had well over half his health bar.

In contrast, Pei Ran's health bar was almost drained, much like his mood.

Luo Qingshan got Su Nian up, then glanced at Pei Ran's health bar. "Fuck."

Seeing that he was almost out of time, he rushed toward the car outside the fence, got in, and tried to drive, only to swear again.

Two of the car's tires had been shot out. It couldn't go anywhere.

"Baby, wait for me. I'm coming right now." Luo Qingshan got out, put his gun away, and sprinted toward Pei Ran's building.

Pei Ran said, "Forget it..."

Before he could finish, the sound of a motorcycle engine approached through his headphones.

Pei Ran paused and shifted his view, just in time to see number four jump off the motorcycle before it had stopped, instantly losing half his health.

Number four vaulted through the window and immediately crouched in front of him, starting the revive in the last second before his health ran out.

Pei Ran blinked. He didn't know whether it was because he had "escaped death," but he felt his heart speed up for a second or two.

He was still a little dazed after his character stood up. Number four dropped something on the floor, then turned and ran out of the room.

Pei Ran picked up the med kit from the floor. "...Thank you."

Number four stopped in his tracks, then suddenly came back.

Pei Ran thought he had changed his mind and hurriedly canceled his healing, only for an M416 to appear on the floor with a clunk.

Pei Ran glanced at the 98k, the only gun left on his back, and quickly said, "No need. I'm not very good at this."

Number four vaulted out the window without a word.

Pei Ran thought this teammate was a little strange. In the end, all he could do was pick up the gun. "Thank you."

Several seconds passed. Just as Pei Ran was starting to think the other player didn't have a microphone, the little speaker beside number four's icon suddenly flashed.

"You're welcome."

The words were hurried, his voice low.

Pei Ran raised his eyebrows. For some reason, that voice sounded a little familiar.

"That was fucking awesome, Xiao Zhun." Luo Qingshan let out a relieved breath. "I'll remember this. My baby and I will treat you to a meal next time."

Pei Ran remembered. Xiao Zhun-Yan Zhun-was Luo Qingshan's roommate.

Their university was divided into two campuses, with Pei Ran at one and Luo Qingshan at the other. Because they were so far apart, Pei Ran rarely visited Luo Qingshan's dorm. Strictly speaking, he had only met Yan Zhun twice. The first time, Yan Zhun had been using his computer. All Pei Ran remembered was that his shoulders were broad, and the arm holding the mouse looked strong.

The other time had been on the balcony on their dorm floor. Yan Zhun had been leaning against the wall smoking. When he caught sight of Pei Ran out of the corner of his eye, he froze, then hurriedly turned his back and lowered his head to put out the cigarette.

Pei Ran's impression of Yan Zhun was that he was somewhat aloof, not very talkative, and very handsome.

Of course, apart from the last point, those impressions didn't really prove anything. Take Su Nian: he had previously thought Su Nian was withdrawn and quiet too. Only now did he realize that perhaps the other person simply didn't like talking to him.

"Baby, why do you only have one gun?" Luo Qingshan ran up to him and hurriedly dropped his own gun on the ground. "Here, take my AK."

Remembering where that gun had come from, Pei Ran said, "No need. I'll use Yan Zhun's M4."

Bang.

Yan Zhun's motorcycle had only traveled a few dozen meters when its driver made a mistake, crashing head-on into a tree.