Chapter 12: Going Online

Chapter 12: Going Online

The more time passed, the more Chen Shiyu realized the original Chen Shiyu memories were affecting her.

Thoughts that weren’t hers would pop up out of nowhere. Feelings—like that flutter in her chest when she looked at Shen Yan. Even her own mannerisms and reactions…

At first, she’d thought she was simply a good actress, mimicking the girl’s personality so perfectly. But now, looking back, it was more likely she’d been influenced from the start.

After all, she was just a shut-in who stammered whenever she tried to lie. How could someone like that pull off such flawless acting?

“Damn it!”

She clenched her fist and thumped the sink counter, glaring at the cute face staring back at her in the mirror.

Several students nearby turned their heads at the noise. Chen Shiyu ducked her head quickly, rinsed her hands in a rush, grabbed her bag, and hurried out of the girls’ restroom.

After school.

Shen Yan was already waiting outside.

When Chen Shiyu approached with her practiced cheerful smile, he just nodded coolly and started down the stairs. “Let’s go.”

The moment she trailed after him, her smile fell. Her lips curved downward ever so slightly as she stared blankly at the floor tiles.

‘Should I… keep some distance from him?’

But they’d grown up together as childhood friends. Without a good excuse, suddenly pulling away would just look weird.

“You wanna head straight home? Or go somewhere first?”

“Huh? I’m fine with either.”

‘Maybe I should start a fight with him? Pick a reason to fall out? Pretend I like someone else?’

“How about the internet café?”

Chen Shiyu froze, blinking in confusion. “Wait, we’re not even eighteen. Can we get in?”

“Didn’t you say you wanted me to teach you to play?” Shen Yan shoved his hands into his pockets, swaggering as he walked—like he thought it made him look cooler. “This is a small town. Nobody cares. Even if they do, it’s the owner who gets fined, not us.”

“Ooh~”

Truth be told, her heart skipped with excitement.

Before she’d owned her own computer, she used to spend plenty of nights in internet cafés with friends, playing until sunrise. Those days of five classmates shoulder to shoulder at the same row of PCs still burned bright in her memory.

But she kept her face composed, wrinkling her nose in mock displeasure. “You’re always gaming. Can’t you play at home? Why drag me to a net café?”

“Yes, yes, I know. So, are you coming or not? If not, I’ll just head home.”

“I’m coming!” She hurried to catch up, eyes shining. “Let’s go!”

It had been a week since she last touched a real computer—aside from that one CS match at Shen Yan’s house. For a shut-in like her, it was torture. Phones and tablets? Useless. Even watching videos felt cramped on such tiny screens.

Trying to justify herself, she added quickly, “I just want to see what’s so fun about these games. Fun enough that you’d ditch me to go shopping, apparently.”

Sure, keep telling yourself that.

Shen Yan had already noticed—this “fox spirit” was very interested in gaming.

But he couldn’t deny it. As the only serious gamer in class, every brilliant play of his went unappreciated, every loss with bad teammates went unshared. That suffocating loneliness… she was the only one who understood.

No wonder King Zhou had fallen for Daji.

Shen Yan led her into a cramped alley and pushed open the door to a small-town “net café.”

Despite the flashy sign, it was just another internet café, though the interior was at least bright and clean. A faint haze of cigarette smoke drifted through the air. Most of the customers wore the same school uniforms as them—it was practically an after-school hangout spot.

“…Can we really log in?” Chen Shiyu whispered, nervous. “What if the admin kicks us out? Shouldn’t we just play at your place instead? One life each?”

“It’s fine.”

Striding up to the counter, Shen Yan leaned in casually. “I forgot my ID. Get us two temp cards.”

The clerk pulled open a drawer and, without batting an eye, flipped through a stack of IDs before sliding two across the desk.

With their accounts set up, Shen Yan led Chen Shiyu into a small booth tucked in the corner.

It wasn’t much of a “private room”—just three thin partitions and a shared loveseat pressed against the wall. The PCs were no different from the ones out on the main floor.

Chen Shiyu slipped inside first, eager hands already booting up the machine. She typed with practiced familiarity, entering a username and password.

“You tell your mom?”

“I sent her a text. Told her I was shopping with you. Said I’ll be home by eight.”

Her mother was easygoing. As long as Chen Shiyu didn’t stay out too late or pull an overnight, she rarely made a fuss about her daughter hanging out after school.

“What are we playing? CS?”

Even as she asked, Chen Shiyu had already found the game in the library and clicked it open.

Her fingers twitched toward the login box on instinct—she was about to type in her real Steam account. Then it hit her. Right now, she was supposed to be a clueless newbie who had never touched games before.

“Uh… so, how do I register?”

Shen Yan leaned over, glancing at her screen. With a scoot across the seat, he slid right next to her and took over the mouse and keyboard.

“Here, I’ll do it. Just use your phone number, add an ‘A’ or something. Pick a password yourself. The annoying part is the CAPTCHA, I’ll handle it.”

The booth wasn’t built for personal space.

Chen Shiyu pressed herself back against the wall as much as she could, but his shoulder still brushed against hers. The back of his head filled her vision, close enough that if she tilted forward even slightly, she’d bump into him.

His body radiated heat. Just leaning closer made the air around her warmer. Every breath carried the faint scent of him—sweat mixed with something else, something clean and oddly comforting. Like blankets left to dry under the summer sun.

It was dizzying.

“Are you done yet?” she muttered, cheeks warming.

“Almost… damn CAPTCHA—” He bit back a curse just in time. “Hang on.”

Chen Shiyu turned her face away, trying to block out the smell, the heat, the him.

But her body betrayed her—her skin prickled, her face flushed pink.

‘What is this? Some kind of physiological reaction? Do I actually… like him?’

Her mind resisted, but her body had already surrendered.

—Though, speaking of accounts—couldn’t she just reclaim her old Steam? She’d sunk thousands into it. Skins, treasures, exclusives… That account was worth a fortune.

Her distraction cooled the flush on her cheeks.

“There. Account’s up. Just need to bind it to the CN servers.”

“Mm, you handle it.”

Shen Yan cheerfully finished the setup, a small smile tugging at his lips.

Finally, he wouldn’t have to play games alone.

If only it had been his real childhood friend. That girl never once cared about his matches. At best, she’d complain he was wasting time.

He snuck a glance at the fox beside him—her face tinged with shy pink, eyes turned away. A quiet sigh stirred in his chest.

‘Better to pretend I don’t notice…’

“Alright, you’re up!”

Chen Shiyu’s eyes lit up instantly. She was dying to launch the game, though she masked her excitement with a frown.

“Fine. Let’s see what’s so fun about this.”