Chapter Fifteen

Early in the morning, Rainy Xingyue arrived at the Tianyuan Taekwondo Gym. As she entered, she happened to see Raindrop sitting in her seat, absorbed in a game. Rainy Xingyue crept over to take a look, and suddenly everything made sense. Just as Xiao Jian had said, Raindrop was fond of this very game—“Operation Blockhead.”

Rainy Xingyue glanced at Raindrop’s stats: 42 kills, 2 deaths, 16 assists.

She was astonished. Looking at the score on the screen—62 to 23—Raindrop had contributed the lion’s share. Watching her play, Rainy Xingyue was struck by the fluidity and precision of her actions, flawless and effortless. In team fights, Raindrop was a crucial force; the opposing side always targeted her. Who else would they focus on, if not the one who played so well?

Even if all five opponents ganged up on her, she could still take down three before falling.

When the enemy’s crystal finally exploded, Raindrop stretched languidly, her back aching from so much time in the game. As she stretched, her hair brushed against something—she turned her head and saw Rainy Xingyue standing nearby.

Raindrop was momentarily puzzled, but Rainy Xingyue’s smile grew sly and mischievous. Such skill, just as Xiao Jian had said—at last, their team had hope for a strong top laner.

Seeing that sly grin, Raindrop was startled enough to drop her phone. Rainy Xingyue quickly composed herself, retrieved the fallen phone, and handed it back.

“So you play this game too?” Rainy Xingyue gestured.

“Brother, you play as well?” Raindrop asked, a little annoyed.

“I only started yesterday. It’s great fun. Judging by your skill, you must’ve played for a long time?”

Raindrop opened her left hand and showed five fingers. Rainy Xingyue immediately understood—she was a five-year veteran. No wonder her skills were so polished.

A true master indeed, just as Xiao Jian had said. She must be brought onto the team.

Rainy Xingyue gestured, “Have you joined any team in the game?”

Raindrop shook her head to indicate she hadn’t.

“Would you join the team we’ve created?”

Raindrop looked puzzled. Why?

“We’ve signed up for Operation Blockhead’s tournament and need a top laner. I think your skills are excellent and would love for you to join us.” Rainy Xingyue’s sign language was a bit slow, but Raindrop could just about understand.

Raindrop pondered. After five years of gaming, she had quietly grown from an unnoticed newbie to the expert she was today, but had never joined a team. She’d always avoided it, fearing the hassle, and hated being used just to boost others’ ranks.

But Rainy Xingyue was an exception. Knowing that Xiao Jian, Huang Feifan, and Zhang Yi were also on the team, she quickly agreed. After all, in real life, the three of them treated her quite well.

Rainy Xingyue hadn’t expected Raindrop to agree so quickly. Raindrop sent an invite to their team, “Lucky to Meet You.” As long as Huang Feifan approved, it would be done. Raindrop gestured to Rainy Xingyue: she would only play top lane, and during team fights, she wanted to be notified with quick chat phrases.

Rainy Xingyue messaged Huang Feifan privately, explaining Raindrop’s conditions—she’d play top lane, no interruptions, notify her in team fights with quick chat. Five minutes later, Huang Feifan replied, agreeing to all requirements. Such a top laner couldn’t be missed.

Rainy Xingyue was curious about which champion Raindrop was best at, and where she ranked on the leaderboards, but seeing that Raindrop was done signing, she refrained from asking further.

In truth, Rainy Xingyue had no idea that Raindrop was actually the number one Tianmo in the entire server, with a win rate as high as ninety-five percent. Yet to hide her strength, Raindrop often played less popular champions. Even with the simplest heroes, in her hands, she left her opponents reeling.

Rainy Xingyue only played mages in the game, delighting in controlling enemies to death—that was his greatest joy. Xiao Jian played marksman, Huang Feifan was the assassin, Zhang Yi supported, and Raindrop was the warrior. Each had their own specialty, but it was up to them to see what new tricks they could pull off.

Raindrop gestured, “Care for a match with me?”

Rainy Xingyue nodded, immediately logging on and adding Raindrop as a friend. Raindrop’s in-game name was “Reading Rain in the Rain.” Whatever the case, she liked it. Rainy Xingyue’s name was “Stardust.”

Raindrop created a room, invited Rainy Xingyue, and challenged her to a duel. Rainy Xingyue chose his usual mage, Xi, while Raindrop went with a warrior—not her signature Tianmo, but the beginner’s choice, Cao Cao.

No need to detail the match from start to finish—suffice it to say, Rainy Xingyue was so thoroughly defeated that she began to doubt her existence.

The strongest top laner, indeed—not a single death, while Rainy Xingyue died repeatedly. Final score: Rainy Xingyue: 0/20/0; Raindrop: 20/0/0.

Rainy Xingyue was now absolutely convinced of Raindrop’s prowess—she was not to be underestimated.

Now, let us turn our attention to Huang Feifan.

Huang Feifan did not attend the same school as Rainy Xingyue and Xiao Jian. In fact, his school’s entrance requirements were even higher, on par with some of Beijing’s top universities. Thanks to his outstanding grades, Huang Feifan was admitted.

He wasn’t the only one—Chen Siyu and Wang Tianqi were admitted as well. Wang Tianqi, however, had just average grades and got in through connections.

In class, Huang Feifan held no particular status. The gender ratio was severely skewed, with girls far more likely to be admitted. Many boys, lacking academic drive, dropped out to work. Simply put, the school was becoming almost a girls’ school, with rarely more than one boy per class.

As usual, Huang Feifan was like Rainy Xingyue—preferring to stay in the classroom reading. Chen Siyu would drag him out to exercise or eat. Huang Feifan understood that, to some, being the only boy among so many girls might seem like bliss, a young man’s fantasy. But he didn’t see it that way.

He thought, if only Zhang Yi were here, he wouldn’t be the only one.

A lone green among a field of flowers—better in imagination than reality, for reality strikes with a heavy fist.

“Feifan, reading again?” Chen Siyu strolled over with a mischievous smile. Huang Feifan sensed trouble.

“What do you want?”

“Nothing, just want to play a game with you.”

“Play a game…” Huang Feifan swallowed nervously. He knew that Chen Siyu’s idea of “games” usually meant a prank on him. Whenever she said that, he’d brace himself for mischief. But perhaps he was overthinking it—this time seemed different.

Chen Siyu explained, “Relax, I won’t mess with you.”

“Liar! You say that every time, but in the end, trouble always comes.”

“This time I mean it. Trust me, I really just want to play a game.”

From her tone, Huang Feifan felt she was telling the truth. If she meant mischief, it would have already happened. He said, “Alright, I’ll trust you for now. Just don’t do anything weird.”

Chen Siyu smiled, “Of course not. Now, give me your right hand.”

Half-doubtful, Huang Feifan extended his right hand. Chen Siyu took it, and he felt his heart race.

So this… this is a girl’s hand? So soft.

Chen Siyu spread his hand open, traced something on his palm, and even she blushed furiously at the gesture.

“As long as you can guess what I wrote on your palm, the game is over.” With that, her reddened face ducked out of the classroom, leaving Huang Feifan rooted to the spot, staring at his palm in deep thought.

What was Chen Siyu trying to say?

“Feifan, the teacher’s looking for you.” A classmate called out.

“Alright, I’m coming.” Huang Feifan set aside Chen Siyu’s riddle and went to find the teacher.

...

Meanwhile, Lin Zimo and Zhang Yi met at the Heartbreak Café. The renovations were complete; it was now much larger and could accommodate more guests. Zhang Yi, frustrated in love, had come seeking solace, not realizing this was where Lin Zimo and Rainy Xingyue worked. Lin Zimo insisted on covering the coffee.

“Zhang Yi, if there’s something on your mind, just say it. Bottling it up won’t help,” Lin Zimo said.

“Will you really listen?”

“Why else would this place be called the Heartbreak Café? Tell me, and I’ll help you analyze it.”

“Alright, listen closely…”

Zhang Yi poured out his heart to Lin Zimo, telling him how he’d been with the girl he liked for almost four months. Yet she was always asking him for money, and to keep her happy, he spent everything he’d saved. Then one day, out of the blue, she told him she didn’t love him anymore and broke up. She never even knew that Zhang Yi was actually quite wealthy.

Lin Zimo, after listening, offered his analysis: “Maybe she was just after your money. There are plenty like that nowadays—gold-diggers.”

“Then why was she with me if she didn’t like me?”

“She wanted your money, obviously. How can you not see that? She made it pretty clear—why didn’t you break up with her?”

Zhang Yi wavered. Lin Zimo was right; nowadays, many girls care mostly about family background. If you have money, anything goes, and gold-diggers will come flocking.

Zhang Yi’s situation was just that—well-off, and the girl only wanted his money. Once she’d drained him, she’d just go find her next target.

Hearing Lin Zimo’s advice, Zhang Yi realized he’d been foolish, blind to the obvious.

Lin Zimo sighed, “If you meet someone better next time, I hope she’ll really understand and care for you, not just your money.”

“I understand. Thank you, Zimo. I feel so much better talking to you.”

“I’m glad. I like seeing boys recover from heartbreak. You’re the fastest I’ve ever seen to step out of the shadows.”

Zhang Yi’s resilience was remarkable. Others might take weeks or months to recover from a breakup, but just a few words from Lin Zimo were enough for him to move on. Lin Zimo was right—if he met someone genuine next time, he mustn’t let her down.

That evening, Zhang Yi went shopping alone, treating himself to make up for his failed relationship. With his family’s wealth, such small expenses were nothing. In the mall, he bought whatever caught his eye; money was no object.

A certain girl noticed Zhang Yi’s extravagant spending. It was none other than Zhou Jiajia, the girl he’d just broken up with. Annoyed, she thought, “So Zhang Yi is throwing money around now, when he used to give me so little? Was he pretending to be poor on purpose? That bastard.”

Wujia Ying grew more infuriated the more she thought about it, and immediately hurried after Zhang Yi to confront him.