Volume 3: A night of songs and dances, the night is still young.
No. 78 The Cuckoo Sings in the Jungle
“Alright, that’s all for today’s lesson. Starting next week, we’ll be entering the final stage of exam preparation. You’ve all heard, right?”
“Does that mean no more classes?”
“Correct. Until the high school entrance exams on June 24th, there won’t be any scheduled lessons. But!”
The homeroom teacher paused dramatically, savoring the anticipation in the students’ eyes before continuing. “But, listen carefully. If I catch anyone playing with their phones or sleeping during class hours, you’ll face the consequences. Especially certain individuals. I won’t name names, but you know who you are. Behave yourselves. Understood?”
“Yes, ma’am!”
“One more thing. Tomorrow and the day after, the 6th and 7th, are the college entrance exams. Our school will be used as an examination center, so you’ll have two days off.”
“Seriously?”
“Two days off? Two whole days?!”
“I’ve never been so grateful for the college entrance exams!”
“That’s all. Class dismissed.”
It was a typical Saturday morning at Upper Capital City No. 3 Middle School. Another week of classes had come to an end.
But for me, the familiar classroom felt strangely alien.
Many of the events I had anticipated, based on my memories, hadn’t occurred. It was like living a completely new life, one that defied my expectations.
But perhaps it was for the best.
What would be the point of reliving an identical life?
“Freedom!”
“Two days off! And no homework! Awesome!”
“Hey, any plans? Where are we going?”
“Duh, League of Legends, of course! I’ll be your support Yasuo. I’m amazing!”
“Support Yasuo? What kind of noob strategy is that?”
“You can play support Janna, but I can’t play support Yasuo?”
“Seriously, guys. We’re having a friendly match against Class 1 later. Are you in?”
The classroom erupted in a cacophony of excited chatter as the teacher dismissed us.
Boys and girls alike, even the usually quiet and withdrawn students, were beaming with relief, their faces lit up with anticipation as they discussed their weekend plans.
Two days of freedom might not seem like much, but for these ninth-graders, accustomed to a single afternoon off each week, it felt like an eternity.
“Yi Yao, are you still asleep?”
Xiaodie leaned closer, her mischievous grin teasing. “Maybe last night was too exhausting?”
“Stop it, you little pervert. I’m thinking about Shadow.”
Her words sent a blush creeping up my cheeks. She had been surprisingly… enthusiastic the previous night. I had always assumed she was as innocent and naive as she appeared, but once she shed her inhibitions, she was even more passionate than me.
I had harbored doubts, wondering if her attraction to girls was just a fleeting fantasy, a product of her anime obsession. After all, real life wasn’t a fairy tale. Liking yuri and actually being a lesbian were two different things. So despite our closeness, I had maintained a certain distance, a subconscious barrier.
But after crossing that line, I realized she had been sincere all along.
Her understanding of love transcended gender.
And that night, I had finally opened my heart to her completely.
“What about Shadow? Didn’t Dati say they were all arrested?” she asked, her brow furrowed as she closed her textbook.
“He said they arrested Shadow, but the group that kidnapped me was Fierce. And they mentioned two other branches, ‘Dark’ and ‘Glory.’ I’m worried this isn’t over yet.”
“What are they planning?”
“I don’t know.” The image of Hua She’s anguished face flashed through my mind. “Maybe they’re trying to create some kind of utopia, a world without pain.”
Sometimes, adults were more naive than children.
“Well, if they try anything, I’ll save you,” I said, patting her head reassuringly.
“There’s nothing to be afraid of anymore.”
“Cheesy.”
We were supposed to switch seats after every monthly exam. The top-ranked student got to choose first, and the rest followed in descending order. Naturally, I chose my current seat, and Xiaodie, without hesitation, wrote her name beside mine. We were deskmates once again.
Two girls from the back row approached us, holding beautifully decorated booklets.
“Yi Yao, Xiaodie, can you sign my yearbook? You’re practically celebrities now. If you become famous, this yearbook will be worth a fortune!”
“Me too! Me too!”
Soon, we were surrounded by a throng of classmates, their yearbooks thrust towards us.
It was a familiar scene.
During my last month of middle school in my previous life, my classmates had also clamored for my autograph. But back then, the only person who genuinely wanted me to sign their yearbook was my deskmate.
Gaining something often meant sacrificing something else.
My academic achievements had come at the cost of my social life.
I had dedicated myself to my studies, following my parents’ strict rules, living a monotonous existence—home, school, cram school—with no time for friends or extracurricular activities. It was no wonder I had been so lonely.
“Yi Yao, Xiaodie, are you free later?”
Tan Lijiang and Liang Tong approached our desk after I had finished signing the yearbooks.
“Yeah, we’re free. What’s up?”
“Wanna play some League with us?”
“Huh?” It took me a moment to process his words. “Are you sure it’s okay to ask two girls to play games with you?”
“Don’t be silly. I know you and Xiaodie play. Right?” He nudged Liang Tong playfully. “Your QQ icons are lit up, and you’ve been discussing it in your Qzone posts.”
“Yeah, we were planning to have a friendly match against Class 1, but Luo Yong and the others had to leave early. So we thought of you guys. Don’t worry, Lao Tan is Platinum. He can carry us.”
“Just so you know, I only play support,” Xiaodie said before I could respond.
Tan Lijiang and Liang Tong exchanged knowing glances. “Sure, you can even play support Yasuo.”
…
What have I gotten myself into?
Standing outside the internet cafe, I finally understood what it meant to have a former delinquent as a girlfriend.
I thought I was tough, but Xiaodie was on a whole other level.
She was reserved around strangers, but with people she knew, she was like one of the guys. She had become friends with Tan Lijiang and Liang Tong, exchanging QQ numbers and phone numbers.
She even consulted them on schoolwork and game strategies when I wasn’t around.
She had been a hardcore gamer, and while she rarely played now, she was no stranger to the world of online gaming.
She wouldn’t recoil at the thought of entering an internet cafe, unlike some girls.
But what surprised me most was that our opponents were from Class 1.
The top students in our school, the ones with the brightest futures, were also gamers?
“The owner of this internet cafe is a friend of mine.”
Tan Lijiang somehow bypassed the ID check and led us to a luxurious gaming area, booting up ten computers.
The setup was impressive—high-end PCs, comfortable chairs, a smoke-free environment. This was a high-class establishment.
“Lao Tan, those girls look familiar,” one of the boys from Class 1 whispered to Tan Lijiang.
“You don’t know them? That’s Yi Yao, the girl from the news. Everyone in school knows about her. And that’s Huang Yingdie, the school beauty. Seriously, man, do you live under a rock?”
“No way!”
The boy stared at me, his cheeks flushing slightly, then quickly averted his gaze. “Class 11 has all the luck.”
Xiaodie and I settled down beside Tan Lijiang.
“Haha, you’re going down! We have the top two students from last semester on our team!”
A voice boomed through the speakers, announcing Tan Lijiang’s arrival. “PC number 78, a Gold-ranked god from the Shadow Isles has logged in! Gather round and witness his greatness!”
League of Legends dominated the gaming scene, occupying most of the screens in internet cafes across the country. Themed internet cafes had sprung up, catering to the game’s massive fanbase. Many establishments offered rewards for high-ranked players and announced their achievements, fueling the players’ egos.
“Don’t get cocky. Being good at studying doesn’t mean you’re good at games. I’ve met plenty of girls who are terrible,” a chubby boy from Class 1 said smugly.
His friend elbowed him in the ribs. “Dude, be nice. They’re our classmates.”
“Haha, it’s fine. We’re just playing for fun. It’s a holiday, after all. And I can carry them anyway,” Tan Lijiang said cheerfully, logging into his account.
The announcement system blared again. “PC number 105, a Platinum-ranked god from the Black Rose server has logged in! Gather round and witness his greatness!”
“Whoa, Platinum? Lao Tan, you’ve been hiding your skills!”
“Scared now? I was known as the ‘Girl-Carrying King’ back in the day. I once won a match with four girls playing support.”
“Never trust girls online,” the chubby boy chimed in. “They could be middle-aged men pretending to be cute. All I know is, real girls are terrible at games.”
“You…” Tan Lijiang started to say something, then forced a smile. “It’s fine. We’re just here to have fun.”
“Yeah, it’s just a friendly match,” the skinny boy agreed. “Which server are we playing on? Black Rose?”
“Easy,” the chubby boy said with a smirk. “Let’s play on the girls’ server. They can use their runes, and we’ll create new accounts. That way, it’s fair. I don’t like bullying girls.”
“Huh?” I hadn’t expected them to target me. “I’m on Ionia.”
“Me too,” Xiaodie said.
“I have an account on Ionia!”
“Me too!”
“Alright, Ionia it is.”
Even Tan Lijiang logged out of his main account and created a new one on the Ionia server.
“Yi Yao, log in,” he said, noticing my hesitation. “We’re just waiting for you… Whoa, Xiaodie, you’re Silver 3? Not bad. Did you climb that high yourself?”
“I rarely play anymore. Yi Yao usually plays ranked for me,” she said sheepishly.
“Yi Yao plays for you? Is she Gold? That’s impressive!”
“Yi Yao, come on, log in!”
“Let’s show Class 1 what Class 11 is made of!”
Under their expectant gazes, I reluctantly logged into the game using my only QQ account.
The moment I logged in, the announcement system blared, its voice echoing through the internet cafe. “PC number 104, a Challenger-ranked god from the Ionia server has logged in! A reward of 5 yuan has been added to your account. Gather round and witness her greatness!”
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