Quick Transmigration: The Control Group in Sweet Novels

The room was well-heated, but it couldn't dispel the faint oppressive atmosphere surrounding Chen Zuo.

Lou Yu saw this scene when he came in.

Chen Zuo was lounging on the sofa playing games. He was shivering from the cold, but he had already poured himself a cup of hot water with practiced ease. Then he turned his head to watch Chen Zuo playing games. After watching for a while, he couldn't help but say, "What did the game console do to you? Look at you, this doesn't look like you're playing games, it looks more like you're digging up your ancestors' graves."

Chen Zuo lifted his eyelids slightly, pursed his lips into a thin line, and didn't bother to utter a single word.

Lou Yu wasn't annoyed. He rarely saw Chen Zuo like this. He sprawled out on the small sofa and admired him for a while with a sense of novelty. "Tsk tsk tsk, look at that resentful look on his face."

This time Chen Zuo reacted, his tone unfriendly: "Who let you in?"

"Hey, hey, hey—" Lou Yu spread his hands dramatically, "It's not like I offended you, don't take your anger out on me."

Chen Zuo snorted coldly: "Then shut up."

If Lou Yu could please him, he wouldn't be Lou Yu.

He leaned forward, adopting the posture of a caring older brother: "I think you're too idle. You've devoted all your attention to her. It's just that she doesn't have time to come out with you. Is it really that big of a deal? Can't she even have some things to do?"

Chen Zuo continued moving, "What do you know?"

"Indeed." Lou Yu nodded. "I'm not blinded by love."

Chen Zuo's fingers paused on the buttons for a moment. His character took a few hits in place, and the health bar was depleted. He suddenly put the game console on the table and stood up.

Lou Yu was startled by his actions: "What are you doing?"

"Want to play ball?"

Lou Yu blinked, and seeing how quickly his attitude had changed, she immediately perked up: "Sure, let's go."

Meanwhile, Qi Yang's home was bustling with activity.

Long-lost relatives came to visit, and the living room was packed with people. The elders sat together, and the conversation circled back and forth, inevitably ending with the children's studies.

"How did Yangyang do on her final exams?"

Qi Yang obediently replied, "It's alright."

"The second year of high school is a crucial period, so you can't let your guard down. Which university are you planning to apply to for the college entrance exam?"

Qi Yang smiled and said, "...I haven't decided yet."

"You can't do without a plan. You need to think it through now, including getting certifications and pursuing a master's degree. These days, many jobs require a master's degree as a starting point."

"..." A series of questions followed one after another. Qi Yang sat upright to the side, her well-behaved smile almost unable to be maintained. Although she understood that the elders' starting point was good, being repeatedly questioned made Qi Yang feel a little pressured.

Before long, she found an excuse, pulled her young cousin aside, and hid in the room to watch cartoons with her, finally escaping the endless questioning.

However, her cousin, who is still pursuing a master's degree and is single, became the center of attention.

A door separated them, and the cheerful sounds of the cartoon couldn't drown out the noise outside. But the little cousin watched intently, and Qi Yang, feeling utterly helpless, opened her phone and started chatting with Chen Zuo.

Their last conversation took place in the morning.

After she told him that someone had come to visit and it was inconvenient for her to go out, Chen Zuo replied, "Okay, then you go ahead and do your work," and didn't continue.

Qi Yang lightly swiped her fingertips across the screen, a faint sense of guilt rising in her heart.

She had promised to set aside some time for him, but these past few days, with her parents going home and relatives suddenly visiting, she had been busy dealing with her family and had indeed neglected Chen Zuo somewhat. In fact, after the winter break, a quick scroll up their chat history revealed all their messages.

Thinking about it, Qi Yang pursed her lips, typed a message and sent it: What are you doing?

The message was sent successfully, but Qi Yang waited for a while without receiving a reply.

Qi Yang didn't pay any attention, assuming he was busy and hadn't seen it, so she put down her phone and went to keep her little cousin company.

The afternoon passed slowly, and the relatives were about to leave. Qi Yang got up and accompanied his parents to see them off. They chatted for a while downstairs. When he got home, the first thing Qi Yang did was look for his phone, but he still hadn't replied.

She couldn't help but wonder to herself, could it be that he was angry because she had been too cold to him these past few days?

Qi Yang quickly dismissed the idea.

Probably not.

Chen Zuo doesn't seem like such a stingy person.

Unable to receive a reply, Qi Yang simply took out her test paper and started working on her winter break homework.

Meanwhile, on the court, Chen Zuo had been carrying an unvented energy all afternoon, as if he wanted to unleash all the unspeakable restlessness in his heart.

The team members were all panting. "Wait, did Chen Zuo take the wrong medicine today?"

Lou Yu, the only one present who knew the truth, took a sip of water and said, "She's taken the wrong love potion."

"What love potion? Chen Zuo is in a relationship?"

"You couldn't really say they're talking," Lou Yu said, considering the situation of the two of them. "It's more accurate to say that Chen Zuo is pursuing her unilaterally."

"Holy crap, Chen Zuo pursued someone else?" The other person was also Chen Zuo's junior high school classmate and knew about Chen Zuo's popularity. Unable to contain their curiosity, they asked, "Do you have a photo? Isn't she pretty?"

Lou Yu sneered: "How could I dare to have photos?"

Chen Zuo ignored the whispers of the group and went straight to his phone, which was lying to the side. The screen lit up, and an unread message stood out.

From Qi Yang.

Chen Zuo paused, his gloom vanishing instantly. He quickly tapped the chat box and replied: What's wrong? I was playing ball and didn't check my phone.

After sending the message, Chen Zuo simply sat down and waited for her reply.

After a moment, the screen remained silent.

Chen Zuo's heart, which had just calmed down, jumped up again instantly. He continued typing: What are you doing? Have your relatives left yet?

Still no reply.

He continued: I'm free now. Did you have something urgent to tell me at noon?

The phone remained silent.

Chen Zuo frowned deeply. Could he still be busy?

Lou Yu called out to him, "Chen Zuo, let's go to dinner tonight."

Chen Zuo responded, his eyes still fixed on his phone screen.

...Could it be that you're angry?

He remembered that people online said girls like boyfriends who reply instantly. Chen Zuo checked the time; it had been about two or three hours since he last replied. Was Qi Yang angry that he was replying too slowly and that he wasn't being sincere?

He stared at the chat window filled with green text, his heart tightening slightly, and asked, "Are you angry?"

It still disappeared without a trace.

Without hesitation, Chen Zuo turned to his friends who played basketball with him and said, "You guys go have dinner together. I won't go today. This meal is on me. Send me the bill tonight."

Without waiting for a response from the others, he picked up his coat, turned around, and left.

He had just finished playing ball, and the cold wind made him feel chilly. Without delay, he ran home, took a quick shower, changed into clean clothes, and before his hair was even completely dry, he took a car straight to Qi Yang's house.

He kept refreshing his phone screen throughout the journey, but there were still no new messages.

The boy tapped his fingers haphazardly on his leg, filled with anxiety.