Why did you make me reincarnate?

Xu Chaoyang got up from his seat, stretched, and prepared to leave with Zhao Shijun.

Unexpectedly, several people came out from the back of the internet cafe and blocked their way.

"Where's that cop who was playing with the M4?" The voice wasn't loud, but it carried a domineering air.

Zhao Shijun tensed up instantly, thinking that he had angered someone while playing CS and now they were coming to settle scores.

He subconsciously stepped forward, wanting to shield Xu Chaoyang behind him, but when he looked up and saw the three people opposite him, his momentum immediately weakened.

The three teenagers standing opposite were clearly not like the poor students in the internet cafe.

The extravagant leather jacket and the obviously expensive shoes exuded an air of wealth and gave off an imposing aura that kept strangers at bay.

Zhao Shijun's heart skipped a beat, but he still stubbornly insisted, "What do you want? You think you can just resort to violence because you're outmatched?"

Xu Chaoyang gently pulled him along, took half a step forward, and calmly met the gazes of the three of them, without the slightest hint of stage fright.

The atmosphere between the two sides was tense and a delicate standoff was formed. Many people in the internet cafe noticed the commotion and secretly glanced over, but no one dared to come closer.

To Zhao Shijun's surprise, the three people opposite him did not seem to be looking for trouble. The young man in the lead raised his eyebrows, looked Xu Chaoyang up and down, and then reached out his hand first, his tone carrying a hint of appreciation.

"Don't be nervous, I'm not here to cause trouble. I just watched you play for a long time on the other side, and you played really well. I wanted to come and get to know you."

He introduced himself: "My name is Zhou Jingran, this is my brother Zhou Mingcai, and this is Lin Zhong next to me."

Zhou Mingcai nodded to Xu Chaoyang as a greeting, his attitude being fairly polite.

Lin Zhong, on the other hand, crossed his arms the whole time, his eyes arrogant and his face full of disdain, his whole body radiating displeasure.

He glanced at Xu Chaoyang and Zhao Shijun, his tone dismissive and undisguised in his disdain: "Isn't that a bit unnecessary, Brother Ran? These two kids look like ordinary high school students. Are they really worth you coming all this way to meet?"

These words made Zhao Shijun feel very uncomfortable. "Damn it, what are you pretending to be so important for? You were getting beaten up in front of the computer and didn't dare to say a word, but now you're all talk."

Lin Zhong was taken aback that this timid-looking chubby boy dared to mock him. His gaze darkened. "You piece of trash, say that again?"

"I'm telling you, not only are you terrible at games, but in real life you're just a lackey who follows others around."

Seeing the two men on the verge of exchanging blows, Zhou Jingran frowned and interrupted, "That's enough, Lin Zhong, say no more."

Zhou Jingran was clearly not satisfied with Lin Zhong's tendency to deliberately cause trouble. He and his cousin happened to have the weekend off, and they came to Wenzhou with their elders because of some family matters.

Lin Zhong was a local from Vancouver and had some business dealings with his family, so he insisted on coming along as a guide. However, all he did was give people attitudes and act like a bully, which made Lin Zhong very uncomfortable.

Xu Chaoyang was also observing these people. Zhou Jingran was clearly not a local; he might have come from Yuhang. He didn't know what kind of business his family ran, but judging from Lin Zhong's obsequious attitude towards him, he must be very powerful.

As for Lin Zhong, he couldn't be bothered to lower himself to the level of such a person; there was no need to waste time on a few words of argument.

Out of consideration for face, Zhou Jingran couldn't directly reprimand Lin Zhong, so he could only subtly shift his body to stand between Lin Zhong and Xu Chaoyang, thus silently protecting Xu Chaoyang.

"That's just how my friend talks, don't take it to heart."

Zhou Jingran looked at Xu Chaoyang and said sincerely, "I just think you're very skilled and I want to make friends with you."

Lin Zhong's face turned pale and then red, but he dared not disobey Zhou Jingran's wishes. He could only glare at Xu Chaoyang and shut his mouth in a huff.

Zhou Jingran's attitude was indeed quite friendly, and Xu Chaoyang was not an ungrateful person. Moreover, he was quite curious about the other party's identity, since even the follower next to him was so domineering.

"It's nothing. My name is Xu Chaoyang. Since you think highly of me, let's exchange QQ numbers."

Zhou Jingran's eyes lit up, and he immediately gave his number. Zhou Mingcai added it as well. Lin Zhong stood to the side with his hands behind his back. He paused for a moment after hearing Xu Chaoyang's name, his expression thoughtful.

After they became friends, Zhou Jingran pressed on, "There will be an offline CS competition in Yuhang City soon. Mingcai and I are planning to team up, but we need a strong player. If you're interested, you can join us."

"We'll talk about it later; I don't have any ideas for now."

Xu Chaoyang did not directly refuse, but he knew in his heart that the lifespan of CS 1.4 was extremely short, and the so-called offline tournament would definitely not be very large in scale.

Moreover, given the Zhou brothers' skill level, they might be able to dominate in a random internet cafe room, but they wouldn't stand a chance against a professional player.

"Alright, bro, feel free to message me anytime you remember."

When Zhou Jingran left, Lin Zhong paused, not following immediately. He stared intently at Xu Chaoyang's back, his brows furrowed as if trying to recall something.

A few seconds later, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Xu Chaoyang? Isn't that the guy who got into a fight with Gu Wendong in Yulan half a month ago...?

Xu Chaoyang was unaware that he was being targeted by Lin Zhong. When he and Zhao Shijun left, the chubby boy was still savoring the thrill of his previous humiliation of defeating the trio.

"Holy crap, Yang, you're amazing! Those few rounds with the police were absolutely incredible!"

Xu Chaoyang raised his hand to interrupt the chubby boy who was still chattering. He had already put the grudges from the game behind him.

"By the way, I remember you're pretty close to Liu Jianghe and Chen Chu, right? Where do they usually spend their weekends?"

Zhao Shijun looked puzzled, wondering why Yang Ge suddenly brought up these two people, but he still answered honestly, "The two of them? Where else would they be? The usual place."

"Yang-ge, do you want to go hang out with them?"

Xu Chaoyang nodded, signaling the chubby boy to lead the way.

So the two changed direction again, turning and twisting through the old streets, and finally stopped in front of a slightly old-fashioned art building.

The building's walls were mottled, and the corridors smelled of rust and were filled with a faint dust, with the occasional faint sound of musical instruments drifting through the air.

Xu Chaoyang followed Zhao Shijun straight up to the third floor and walked to the door of a half-open practice room at the very back. Inside stood two boys, the very two Xu Chaoyang had planned to find over the weekend.

Chen Chu is tall and slender. He spends most of his time indoors, which has given him fair skin. His long, slender fingers rest on the guitar strings, giving him the air of a quiet and artistic young man.

Liu Jianghe, standing next to him, was the complete opposite. He was strong and had a sharp, cheerful look on his face. He had a neat buzz cut and looked very energetic.

It's hard to imagine that these two people with such distinct personalities would get together, form a duo, and even use their own names, the Chuhe Band.

Both of them were dressed in simple casual clothes with their sleeves rolled up, clearly indicating that they had been practicing here for quite some time.

Upon seeing Zhao Shijun push the door open and enter, Chen Chu was taken aback at first, then put down the guitar pick in his hand. "Little Fatty? Oh... Chaoyang is here too. What brings you guys here?"