Chapter 25

It lived up to its high overall rating; the experience throughout the game was fantastic. The story was well-rounded, too—any confusing details that seemed missing at the start were fully explained by the end. The aliens had vanished into thin air because they were under a genetic attack from another planet, and during the game, the players themselves had nearly been caught in that same attack.

When Xu Er’s lower body disappeared into the darkness, he had been genuinely startled; the high-tech effects were incredible.

"Did you see my legs back there?" Once they were out, Xu Er was still savoring the highlight of the session. "They just vanished."

Song Ruichi replied, "I saw."

"I even touched the spot," Xu Er added.

"And were your legs still there?" Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er laughed. "Of course they were. If they weren't, I’d have to suspect this place was actually run by aliens."

"Don't you know?" Song Ruichi said. "The owner of this place is an alien."

Xu Er was surprised for half a second before offering a fake smile. But soon, he really did start laughing. Song Ruichi’s deadpan delivery was just too amusing. Xu Er reached out and poked Song Ruichi on the shoulder. "Humorous."

"Does that earn me points?" Song Ruichi asked.

"It does," Xu Er replied. He grew curious. "How high are you planning to take this score? You get points for cooking, and now points for being funny?"

"What score would you like me to have?"

Xu Er laughed. "Why are you asking me what I like?"

"I'm just asking you."

"Then let's go with 99," Xu Er said. "Nobody needs to be perfect."

"Alright."

"What's your score right now?" Xu Er asked.

Song Ruichi countered, "What is my score right now, Teacher Xu?"

Teacher Xu was led into the trap again. Since he hadn't played this game before, he simply blurted out, "Sixty, starting from the passing line." He shook his head. "No, 62—one point for lunch, one for that joke."

Song Ruichi was amused by Xu Er. "Teacher Xu is very rigorous. I'll listen to Teacher Xu; everything Teacher Xu says is correct."

Xu Er thought for a moment. "And if you make me unhappy, I'll have to deduct points."

Song Ruichi nodded. "That’s only fair."

Their friends, standing just ahead, heard the entire exchange. They were practically biting their tongues, holding it in until it was unbearable. Since they couldn't speak, they took it to the group chat. Shi Ziyi typed out a few words and nudged the others to chime in.

The chat went as follows:

Shi Ziyi: *Song, you’re losing it.*
Shi Ziyi: *How are you going to wrap this up later?*
Shi Ziyi: *The guy on the other end is straight!*
Chen Yu: *I can't even watch, Song.*
Xiao Xia: *Song, call it off.*
Xu Ye: *That’s zero kills for the enemy and a thousand self-inflicted damage.*
Shi Ziyi added: *Though, this straight guy is actually pretty interesting.*
Xiao Xia: *True, he’s quite cute.*
Xiao Xia: *No wonder.*
Xu Ye: *No wonder.*
Shi Ziyi: *No wonder.*
Chen Yu: *No wonder.*
Xu Ye: *How could our Song ever hold back?*
Xiao Xia: *Not gonna lie, I'm actually looking forward to seeing our Song win him over.*

Song Ruichi saw the group messages, but he merely glanced at them before setting his phone down.

They all had dinner together at a nearby noodle shop. As the conversation flowed among Song Ruichi’s friends, Xu Er grew quiet, listening to Shi Ziyi talk about a friend and his father. Everyone seemed to know the backstory, but it had nothing to do with Xu Er, so he sat there idly, studying the menu.

He had barely reached the second item on the list when Song Ruichi handed him his phone.

The screen showed the live feed from his home security camera; Soso was playing with a ball in the living room. It wasn't a major event, but it was certainly more interesting than the menu.

"You can talk to him," Song Ruichi said, leaning in.

Song Ruichi seemed to have stepped out of the lively circle of friends, standing beside Xu Er. Now, the two of them were the only ones who didn't care about the rest of the group.

Xu Er leaned in too. "How do I do it?"

Song Ruichi tapped the microphone icon on the screen. Perhaps the ambient noise from the shop carried through to the living room, because Soso’s head snapped up, and he went on high alert. Or rather, the cat went on high alert.

Xu Er smiled. "So cute." He covered the phone, leaned in, and whispered, "Soso, it's me."

Soso approached the camera with careful, princess-like steps. Xu Er didn't know what to say, so he thought for a moment and added, "Be a good boy at home alone, okay?"

After he said that, he heard Song Ruichi chuckle.

Xu Er watched Soso play, and Song Ruichi watched Xu Er watching Soso play. It was a scene reminiscent of someone admiring a view. Soon, however, the noodles arrived.

Xu Er returned the phone to Song Ruichi. "Do you usually talk to him like that?"

"No," Song Ruichi said. "I only check to see if he's being good while he's home alone."

Xu Er glanced at him. "Point deducted."

Song Ruichi was clearly taken aback for a second, then started to laugh. "Why?"

"You were making fun of me."

"I wasn't."

Xu Er stared into Song Ruichi's eyes for a few seconds before saying, "Fine."

"Are the points still there?" Song Ruichi asked.

Xu Er burst out laughing. "They are, they are." He asked, "Why do you care so much about this?"

Song Ruichi laughed along, sounding a bit self-deprecating. "Good question."

The table was no longer filled with stories; everyone was busy slurping their noodles. After a while, Shi Ziyi suddenly said, "I knew something was missing—nobody gave me garlic."

Chen Yu passed the garlic paste over. "Eating noodles without garlic..."

"Is like not eating noodles at all," Shi Ziyi finished.

Xu Er immediately burst into laughter.

Song Ruichi turned to Shi Ziyi and said, "Don't say it, let me say it."

Xu Er laughed out loud. He leaned a little closer to Song Ruichi and whispered, "63 points."

After dinner, everyone parted ways to head home. On his phone, Xu Chen was asking Xu Er what he’d done that afternoon and if it was fun. This was easy to talk about, and Xu Er raved about it all the way until he got out of the car.

When the car stopped, Xu Er looked up. "Eh?" he asked, confused. "Aren't you taking me home?"

Song Ruichi looked as if he’d just realized it. "I'm just used to it."

Even as he said he was used to it, he turned off the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt in one fluid motion.

"Let's have some coffee," Song Ruichi suggested.

"Sure."

Xu Er seemed more familiar with Song Ruichi's home than Song Ruichi himself; all he was missing was the fingerprint access. They went upstairs, exited the elevator, entered the apartment, and Xu Er scooped up Soso. If he had asked "What would you like to drink?" next, it wouldn't have been a surprise at all.

Song Ruichi let him be, watching as he settled onto the sofa and took out Soso's treat sticks from the cupboard. Song Ruichi went behind the bar and pulled out the coffee beans he’d opened just yesterday.

While the water was boiling, he picked up his phone. It had been vibrating for a while; given the frequency, it was likely the group chat. It was a continuation of their earlier outing—they were saying the "otherworld" game was fun and that they should all get together again soon, with Song Ruichi bringing Xu Er along. They also complained that the noodles were a bit salty and that they’d had to drink a lot of water afterward, and grumbled about the terrible traffic on the way home.

Song Ruichi scrolled to the bottom. Once the chatter had died down, he typed out: "You guys were pretty quiet today."

Shi Ziyi immediately jumped in: *What do you mean?*

Song Ruichi leaned against the bar, typing: *Exactly what I said.*

Shi Ziyi understood instantly: *Didn't you say no helping?*
Shi Ziyi: *What do you mean, what do you mean?*

Ying Jing, who hadn't joined the activity, chimed in: *So he said not to help, and you guys really didn't?*

Song Ruichi copied that message and sent it back: *He said not to help, and you guys really didn't?*

Xiao Xia: *Oh, boy.*
Xiao Xia: *Oh, mother-loving boy.*
Xiao Xia: *I didn't think you were that kind of person, Song Ruichi.*

Shi Ziyi: *Tell us sooner!*
Shi Ziyi: *You were playing hard to get with us!*
Shi Ziyi: *Invite him out again!*
Shi Ziyi: *Right now!*
Shi Ziyi: *I’ll show you the power of my wingman skills.*
Shi Ziyi: *Hurry up!*
Shi Ziyi: *@s @s*

Xiao Xia: *@s @s*

Song Ruichi: *Stop calling, we're on a date.*

Shi Ziyi: *Alright, alright, alright.*
Xiao Xia: *Alright, alright, alright.*
Ying Jing: *Alright, alright, alright.*

Xu Er walked over, and Song Ruichi put his phone away.

Xu Er pulled out a chair and sat down. "Is this the same one I brewed yesterday?"

"Yes."

Xu Er tsked. "Now there’s a comparison."

"Does that earn me coffee points?"

Xu Er laughed out loud. "You really are..."

Song Ruichi’s eyes crinkled.

Sure enough, with the same beans and similar methods, it was just different in Song Ruichi’s hands. No wonder his friends had specifically told Xu Er that Song Ruichi’s coffee was excellent; it was clearly a certified fact.

By the way, after his first sip, Xu Er awarded Song Ruichi two more points—one for the coffee, and one for the sudden sense of humor he’d displayed.

But such good times are always broken by something inexplicable.

The "inexplicable thing" Xu Er was talking about was on his phone right now. This wasn't the first time; for some reason, this person kept contacting Xu Er outside of work hours. And it was always for some trivial matter that could be solved in thirty seconds. It was strange.

"He's not a novice, either," Xu Er muttered, circling the problematic area and sending it back. "Why does he have to ask me about this?"

Song Ruichi poured more coffee for him. "Who?"

"Someone from the company we're partnering with on this project."

Song Ruichi looked down at Xu Er’s phone and saw the other person send a cute "thank you" emoji.

"Man or woman?" Song Ruichi asked.

"Man."

Song Ruichi nodded and poured himself a cup.

A second later, a new message popped up on Xu Er's screen.

*Hengji Product Manager Wang Xiaoxiao: What is Designer Xu doing right now?*

Song Ruichi frowned as he watched. Xu Er frowned, too.

"What does this mean?" Xu Er asked. "What does he want now?"

"Tell him you're busy," Song Ruichi said.

Xu Er replied with an "oh" and typed out exactly what Song Ruichi had said.