Peninsula: I'm being supported by a top idol.

As Cui Shi'an and his senior left the teaching building, a gust of evening breeze blew, and Cui Shi'an immediately straightened his back, forcibly dispelling the weariness between his brows and eyes.

He felt that boys shouldn't show any signs of fatigue in front of girls; they should stand up straight and project an image that is reliable and reassuring.

"Are you sure you don't need to go to the infirmary?" Song Zhiya turned to look at him, a hint of worry in her eyes. "Didn't Tian Ming say your diarrhea was severe?"

"It's not as exaggerated as that guy said," Cui Shi'an deliberately stretched his body to make his point.

"My stomach was a little uncomfortable, but I'm completely fine now."

Seeing him deliberately acting all energetic, Song Zhiya couldn't help but chuckle: "As long as you're alright, that's good."

The two walked slowly along the campus path lined with ginkgo trees, and a subtle silence fell over them for a moment.

Cui Shi'an's mind raced. When he usually talked with his senior, eight out of ten sentences revolved around experimental data, literature reviews, and field investigations, with the topics highly focused on the academic field.

If we were to discuss "soil microbial community distribution" or "fragmentation of endangered species habitats" at this moment, this rare opportunity for solitude would likely slip back into the "academic partnership" setting.

We need to find a different topic!

"Senior... are you thirsty? Let's go to the supermarket and buy some drinks?" he suggested, pointing to a convenience store not far away.

"Okay." Song Zhiya nodded with a smile.

Standing in front of the convenience store's refrigerated display case, Choi Si-an hesitated for a long time before handing a bottle to Song Ji-ah. His fingertips inadvertently touched the bottle, and a slight thought stirred within him.

"Thank you." Song Zhiya took the drink, but didn't open it immediately. Holding the slightly cool bottle, she gazed at the bustling playground in the distance, her eyes filled with a faint longing.

"Shi An, I might... have to move out of the school."

"Move out?" Cui Shi'an's heart tightened inexplicably. "Why?"

Song Zhiya turned her head, amused by his slightly eager reaction, her eyes crinkling into a smile:

"I'm already a senior, and I'm about to graduate. I can't just stay in the dorm forever, can I? I need to find a place to stay in advance."

"Ah...yes, that's true." Cui Shi'an then realized, and the inexplicable tension in his heart was immediately replaced by a sense of melancholy at the impending separation.

"So," Song Zhiya said, her voice tinged with a barely perceptible expectation, as she looked at him again:

"Are you free this weekend? I'd like to look at some apartments, but I'm having trouble making a decision on my own... It would be better if a guy could give me some advice."

He's free! Of course he's free! Even if Hara stood in front of him with a hellish notice, he'd still have to make sure he had this weekend free!

"I'm free!" Cui Shi'an tried hard to suppress the urge to smile. "Don't worry, senior, I'll take care of finding an apartment!"

"Then it's settled." Song Zhiya's smile looked especially gentle in the sunlight.

On the way back to the dormitory, Cui Shi'an felt his steps were much lighter. Could this be considered a hint from his senior?

Is he implying that he can visit her at her rented apartment in the future?

Oh my god, what if she asked me to live together...

As soon as he pushed open the dormitory door, Tian Ming sidled up like a cat smelling fish, winking and making faces at him:

"How's it going? Your time alone with Zhiya-senpai? Any breakthroughs?"

Cui Shi'an tried hard to keep a straight face and maintain an air of mystery, but the smile in his eyes was impossible to hide.

"You're something else, kid!" Tian Ming punched his shoulder, more excited than if he were dating himself. "Come on, tell me all about it!"

……

Evening arrived quickly, and Cui Shi'an led Tian Ming to the internet cafe from the previous day.

"This internet cafe doesn't look very good. How could it have any skilled players? I thought you were going to take me to some e-sports club."

As he was complaining, a fragrant breeze wafted from the side, and a girl wearing a white tank top and pleated skirt came up to them. It was the internet cafe manager from yesterday.

"Wizard Oppa's here again~" The girl's eyes curved into crescents: "Are we going to stay up all night again tonight?"

Before Cui Shi'an could speak, Tian Ming's eyes lit up: "Looks like this internet cafe has pretty good specs!"

Then Cui Shi'an found himself being pushed aside by him:

"What's your name, little sister? Are you a part-time worker here? Do you like playing games? Oppa can help you rank up!"

Cui Shi'an looked at Tian Ming's eager expression and felt a few black lines appear on his forehead.

Without a word, he stepped forward, grabbed Tian Ming by the neck, and forcefully dragged him away from the internet cafe manager. He then gave the manager an apologetic smile.

"Troublesome, same old location, two machines."

"Hey~" The young lady watched them play around, smiled and started operating the device.

Tian Ming's eyes rolled back as he was being squeezed, and even after he sat down at gate B14, he was still complaining, "Hey! What are you doing! I was just about to ask for their contact information!"

"Stop talking nonsense and get to work." Cui Shi'an pressed him into a chair with annoyance, then sat down in B15 next to him and turned on B13 as well.

When the screen lights up, the same series of automatic pop-ups from yesterday appear again, until you enter the game interface.

The ID "Seoul Undefeated" was then prominently listed.

Cui Shi'an stared intently, and seemed to be able to glimpse that blurry, unidentified outline swaying in the screen's reflection.

"Where are the experts? Point them out quickly, so I can help my sister rank up after we finish cooking!"

Tian Ming rubbed his hands together, eagerly logging into his account, his ID being "Ontario Cannon King".

When he saw the "Invincible Seoul" ID that Choi Si-an had indicated, he scoffed, "Invincible Seoul? You've got quite the nerve! Watch me teach you a lesson!"

The battle begins.

Tian Ming initially played around, his movements fluid and precise, muttering tactics under his breath. However, a few minutes later, his expression shifted from disdain to surprise, and then from surprise to seriousness.

"Damn it... How is this possible?!" Tian Ming exclaimed in disbelief as his screen suddenly turned gray.

"How could he possibly predict the location of my Flash?! That hand speed... is he even human?!"

Just as Tian Ming exclaimed in surprise, Cui Shi'an keenly noticed that the blurry outline in the reflection of the B13 screen seemed to have slightly turned the direction of its "head" so that it was facing Tian Ming's screen.

Good grief, not only is he a cyber ghost, but he's also a sly ghost who peeks at the screen!

No wonder it felt like I was running naked under Tian Ming's nose no matter how I fought him.

He had an idea and patted Tian Ming, who was still frustrated, on the shoulder: "Stop howling, get up, let's change the machine."

"Change your device? Why?"

"Don't ask questions, just listen to me if you want to win."

Tian Ming was skeptical, but he still followed Cui Shi'an to the corner furthest from B13, with several rows of machines in between.

A fresh start.

This time, the situation is completely different!

Without the advantage of "on-site viewing," the Earthbound Spirit's operations, while still sharp, can no longer achieve that kind of miraculous prediction.

Tian Ming, as expected of a near-professional level expert, quickly regained his composure, seized several weaknesses in the opponent's defenses, and made a series of kills, ultimately destroying the opponent's base in one fell swoop.

"Hahaha! Noob! Weren't you so arrogant just now? 'Seoul Invincible'? I think it was 'Seoul Definitely Lost'!" Tian Ming raised his eyebrows triumphantly and launched into a tirade of sarcasm at the screen.

"With this level of skill, you dare use such an arrogant ID? Go home and raise pigs! Loser!"

Looking at Tian Ming's smug expression, Cui Shi'an felt secretly pleased, as if he had finally vented the anger he had been holding in last night.

However, just as Tian Ming was getting into his rant, something unexpected happened!

A soft "crackling" sound came from the direction of the B13 machine. Immediately afterwards, a distinct wisp of white smoke, carrying the smell of burning plastic, rose from the gaps in the computer case, and the air was filled with the unique smell of a CPU burning due to overload.

Cui Shi'an revealed a mocking expression, mimicking his roommate's sarcastic remarks:

"Oh my god, is it so angry it's practically smoking?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the white smoke condensed into a hideous face and fiercely floated towards his head!

Cui Shi'an was stunned for a moment, then he took off running...