Chapter 42: Decisions and Baths

It’s decided!

My turn! Draw!

Zhong Tian, with the fervor of a gaming card draw, pulls out a game disc.

The game he chooses is the renowned RPG, ‘Aiden Fane’!

Though not often exposed to such high-difficulty games, Zhong Tian, driven by curiosity, inserts the disc and starts a new game.

At the character creation screen, Zhong Tian hesitates.

Hearing that a Wandering Knight is beginner-friendly, Zhong Tian selects the knight’s silhouette and casually names the armored man ‘LJR’, proceeding to the character customization.

Zhong Tian quickly opts for a bald look, then, leveraging his skills as a manga artist, creates a face strikingly similar to Li Jianren, pairing it with a muscular build.

Zhong Tian stifles a laugh as he’s about to confirm the creation, when footsteps from the inner room signal Li Jianren, fresh from a shower and drying his hair.

‘So, playing ‘Aiden Fane’, huh?’ he says, taking two cans of cola from the fridge, opening one and taking a swig.

‘Pfft—hahahahaha—’

Zhong Tian, seeing Li Jianren, immediately bursts into laughter, recalling the muscular man he just created.

‘What are you laughing about?’ Li Jianren asks, confused by Zhong Tian’s uncontrollable laughter.

‘It’s hilarious, take a look at what I created.’

Li Jianren takes another swig of cola, glances at the screen, and grabs the controller, focusing on the face customization.

‘Pfft—’

Li Jianren nearly sprays the cola from his mouth. He quickly covers his mouth, but the reaction causes him to cough violently, sending cola spraying from between his fingers.

Li Jianren, half-drunk and half-sprayed, joins in the laughter.

‘Cough—hahaha, good one, that’s incredibly realistic, hahaha.’

Zhong Tian is momentarily startled by Li Jianren’s reaction but soon joins in the laughter, their amusement mirroring each other.

‘I never thought of creating a character that looks like me before.’

Li Jianren takes a tissue, cleaning up the spilled cola from the table and carpet, chuckling as he does so.

‘No way, I need to try this.’ Li Jianren finishes cleaning and settles on the sofa, ‘One life each, let’s go!’

‘Fine, I’ll go take a shower first.’

Zhong Tian rises, retrieving a new, unopened pair of underwear from his canvas bag—he had forgotten to bring any when he left, so he picked some up while buying snacks.

‘Ren, can I borrow a set of pajamas?’

‘Sure, you can borrow anything.’ Li Jianren responds, already engrossed in ‘Aiden Fane’s’ opening CG.

Zhong Tian enters Li Jianren’s room, rummaging through his somewhat disorganized wardrobe for pajamas.

He finds a slightly smaller set, likely from Li Jianren’s middle school days, that seems to fit just right.

With pajamas and underwear in hand, Zhong Tian heads to Li Jianren’s spacious bathroom.

True to its reputation as a villa, even the bathroom is meticulously designed, with both a shower and a built-in jacuzzi that appears to have massage functions.

Having never experienced a bathtub before, Zhong Tian is immediately drawn to it. He presses the bathtub fill button on the wall.

‘It even has a temperature setting.’

Zhong Tian sets the temperature to 39 degrees, starting to undress while waiting for the water to fill.

Next, he removes his chest padding, which he’s worn all day, feeling a sense of freedom as he does.

He spends five minutes quickly cleaning himself in the shower, then eagerly approaches the bathtub.

The water is filled, and Zhong Tian carefully tests the temperature with his toes.

It’s a bit hot but manageable.

Slowly, Zhong Tian steps into the tub, submerging himself until only his neck remains above water. His long hair spreads across the surface like ink, and his skin below the water takes on a rosy hue.

The warmth and pressure envelop him, washing away his fatigue and allowing complete relaxation.

‘Mmm…’ This feels no different from a hot spring.

I declare, bathtubs are one of humanity’s greatest inventions!

Once I have the money, I’ll install one at home!

This soak has given Zhong Tian a glimpse into his future plans.

‘Phew—’

He exhales, closes his eyes, and rests his head on the tub’s soft cushion, fully relaxed.

…… ……

Eight-thirty in the evening.

The students of Taishan Senior High, now on ‘typhoon holiday’, emerge from the school gates, quickly transforming the once-quiet streets into a bustling scene.

Lin Yu steps out of the school.

Just a short walk from the gate, she receives a call from her cousin, Lin Chu.

‘Have you finished study hall?’ Lin Chu’s voice is light and cheerful.

‘Yes, I’m on my way home now.’

‘You sound a bit tired.’

‘It’s high school, sister…’ Lin Yu sighs, ‘There’s a lot of pressure in the third year.’

‘Pfft, already feeling the pressure on the second day?’ Lin Chu teases, ‘Aren’t you going to be miserable all the time?’

‘It’s not that bad…’

Lin Yu continues walking, passing through the lively streets, turning into a narrow alley, and stopping in front of an old residential building.

‘So, did you need something?’ She unlocks the slightly rusted iron gate, using its closing sound to activate the motion-sensor hallway lights.

‘With the typhoon coming, I just wanted to check on my lovely cousin.’ Lin Chu replies, ‘Aren’t you afraid living alone?’

‘I’m not a kid anymore…’

Lin Yu slowly climbs the stairs to the second floor, unlocking her door.

‘Adults can be scared too, you know.’

She turns on all the lights in the small living room, sitting on the worn-out sofa.

‘So, are you scared?’

‘Me? Of course I am.’ Lin Chu admits, but her tone remains light, ‘I was thinking of coming to Taishan to spend the typhoon with you.’

‘Do you have a holiday too?’

‘We do, it’s both typhoon and Mid-Autumn Festival—just for two days.’ Lin Chu explains.

‘…Okay then.’

‘Good, I’ll be there in two hours.’

Already accustomed to Lin Chu’s decisiveness, Lin Yu simply responds with a ‘hmm’ and hangs up.

I’ll make some late-night snacks for Lin Chu and tidy up the apartment.

Lin Yu decides to take a shower first, leaving the rest for when Lin Chu arrives.

——

Zhong Tian nearly dozed off in the bathtub.

He shakes his head, submerging himself in the still-warm water, fully awakening.

He stands, drains the bathtub, and dries himself with a towel.

I soaked for too long, my head is spinning.

He puts on Li Jianren’s borrowed pajamas, dries his hair with a hairdryer, and exits the bathroom.

Zhong Tian is immediately enveloped by the cool air.

‘Man, it’s cold…’

He heads to the living room, where Li Jianren is feverishly playing, engaged in a fierce battle with a golden knight on the screen.

Great! Li Jianren successfully dodges the golden knight’s attack with a flawless roll!

The golden knight’s second attack is incoming!

Li Jianren can’t avoid it, and Li Jianren is down!

‘Ren, why did you attack right away?’

‘Damn it!’ Li Jianren vents his frustration on the sofa, taking a few seconds to regroup, ‘I won’t sleep until I take you down tonight!’

The nature of the game has shifted.

‘Don’t push it…’

Zhong Tian retrieves a light blanket from his room, wrapping himself up on the living room sofa, feeling just right.

He opens a packet of potato chips, planning to snack while watching Li Jianren’s challenge.

This is far more exciting than playing myself.

Amidst the crunching of chips and the clicking of controller buttons, the muscular avatar, resembling Li Jianren, resumes its battle with the golden knight… …

…… ……

Lin Yu stands by her bedroom window, letting the evening breeze in.

Perhaps due to the approaching typhoon, the wind is weak, barely moving the wind chimes or bringing any coolness. Nevertheless, it’s better than nothing.

I should turn on the air conditioner, or I might get too warm.

Lin Yu thinks, closing the window and turning on the air conditioner in energy-saving mode, setting it to 26 degrees.

Her bedroom is small, so the air conditioner quickly cools the entire space.

She lies on the bed, checking her phone for the time.

It’s 10:16.

She should be here soon.

As if on cue, she hears the sound of the door opening.

‘Lin Yu! Come out and eat some late-night snacks~’

Lin Yu exits her room, finding Lin Chu at the dining table, where she has placed two takeout boxes of noodles and a large box of mooncakes.

‘I was going to make something for you.’ Lin Yu sits beside her cousin, ‘What kind of mooncakes are these?’

‘Five-kernel.’

‘Ah? Five-kernel, are you crazy, or has your taste gone bad?’

‘Hahaha, just kidding, they’re red bean.’

‘That’s better.’

Lin Chu opens the noodle boxes, using a spoon to taste the soup, ‘Do we have chili sauce?’

‘We do.’ Lin Yu stands, ‘I’ll get it for you.’

‘This noodle shop has been my favorite since childhood. Every time I eat here, it brings back memories of my youth,’ Lin Chu says, accepting the chili sauce and adding some to her noodles, ‘I miss those junior high days.’

‘I think you still have a bit of that junior high mentality.’ Lin Yu smiles.

‘Hahaha, junior high doesn’t dwell on the past.’

‘How can you say that?’

‘Well,’ Lin Chu waves her chopsticks, ‘our wavelengths just don’t match. You’ll understand when you graduate and become a corporate s*ave.’

‘While high school is tough, it’s still happier than working life.’

‘Mm.’

Lin Yu nods, understanding. She opens her chopsticks and starts eating her noodles.

‘You’ve got to keep going in high school.’ Lin Chu gives her a thumbs-up.

‘Yeah, I will.’