In his phone, Li Zheng was getting impatient. What had seemed like a smooth, winning streak in the game was slowly slipping away. They’d managed to turn things around, but it still wasn’t enough to clinch the victory.
Starting another round, he could tell the opponent wasn’t fully focused.
Gu Ye, indeed, had his mind elsewhere. Splitting his attention, he suddenly had an idea. "Hey, little bro, how about we ditch the game and I take you out somewhere fun?"
Li Zheng didn’t refuse but asked, "Isn’t it too hot outside? Where would we even go?"
"Leave the location to me. Just stay home, and I’ll pick you up in my car," Gu Ye said, springing up from the couch and whistling as he headed out.
Li Zheng waited at the convenience store near his neighborhood gate, enjoying the air conditioning. When he got the message that Gu Ye had arrived, he glanced toward the roadside.
"Bro Ye, I don’t see your car."
Gu Ye replied, "The sports car—you didn’t spot it?"
"Oh, the sports car! Yeah, I see it now," Li Zheng said, jogging toward the sleek vehicle parked by the curb. No wonder he hadn’t noticed—Gu Ye had switched cars.
Once inside, Li Zheng looked around in awe. "Whoa, this is my first time in a sports car. It’s so cool."
Guys always had a thing for cars.
Gu Ye chuckled. "You got a license? If you do, you can take it for a spin."
"Nah, and even if I did, I wouldn’t dare drive yours. What if I scratched it?" Li Zheng asked, changing the subject. "So, where are we headed today?"
Gu Ye already had a plan. "A friend of mine runs a pretty nice arcade. How about we check it out?"
Li Zheng’s eyes lit up. "Sounds great!"
At the arcade, Gu Ye booked a private VIP room, ordered drinks and snacks, and they dove into gaming mode.
Li Zheng was having a blast—the high-end setup made everything way more fun.
"So, how’s the gaming spot I picked?" Gu Ye asked between rounds.
"Absolute fire!" Li Zheng gave a thumbs-up.
Gu Ye nudged a drink toward him. "Here, hydrate. You ever been to an arcade like this with your sister?"
"My sister never takes me to places like this. She’s more into food trips or ‘connecting with nature’—parks, hikes, that kind of stuff."
"If she’s into that, what else does she like?"
"Sometimes she follows celebrities, plays sports, or does crafts," Li Zheng said offhandedly.
Gu Ye nodded, fiddling with his controller. "So… does your sister have any crushes? Or any close guy friends?"
"Crushes? I’ve never seen any guys around her," Li Zheng glanced at him. "Close guy friends—aren’t you one?"
Gu Ye cleared his throat. "I mean, besides me. Anyone else?"
Distracted by the game, Li Zheng mumbled, "Don’t think so." Then he added, "Though a while back, I heard Dad mention some hot senior from her school..."
Gu Ye frowned. Senior?
He wanted to press for details, but Li Zheng was already fully absorbed in the game, so he let it go.
The arcade had a great atmosphere and tons of games. They spent hours snacking and playing.
Li Zheng, currently on break with nothing to do, suddenly worried. "Bro Ye, you’ve been hanging out with me all day. Didn’t I mess up your schedule?"
"Nah, I’m on vacation too. Good time to relax."
"Phew. Since you treated me to gaming, dinner’s on me. Just don’t expect anything fancy—I’m not made of money."
Gu Ye agreed without hesitation. "Deal. Thanks for the meal, little bro."
By 4 p.m., Li Zheng excused himself to the restroom and scrolled through restaurant reviews, weighing prices and feedback.
He had some cash—his dad’s travel fund was still untouched.
But he wanted a place with good ambiance and food.
He texted Jiang Mo: "Got any nice restaurant recs? I’m treating someone."
Jiang Mo replied: "How many people?"
Li Zheng: "Two. Somewhere classy with great food."
Jiang Mo found this suspicious. Was her little brother taking a girl out? He’d never been this particular before.
She’d grill him later. For now, she sent links to a few spots, adding: "Be a good host. If you’re short on cash, let me know."
"Got it," Li Zheng thought. If it weren’t for entertaining her big-shot celebrity friend, he’d have picked any random place for his buddies.
Back in the room, he asked Gu Ye, "Which of these places do you wanna try?"
Gu Ye picked the more affordable option. "Let’s go with this one."
At checkout, the staff mentioned a promotion—spend a certain amount and get free game merch.
"No way! This merch is kinda pricey," Li Zheng said, feeling lucky.
"Guess we’ve got good karma," Gu Ye said, handing the merch to Li Zheng before texting a friend. "C’mon, let’s eat."
In the passenger seat, Li Zheng snapped photos of the merch, clearly thrilled.
Luckily, they arrived early and snagged a corner table. Li Zheng wiped the table down. "Order whatever, Bro Ye. Don’t worry about cost—I’ve got it covered."
"Then I won’t hold back," Gu Ye said, scanning the menu and picking two dishes. Li Zheng added two more.
Pouring tea for Gu Ye, Li Zheng asked, "That sports car’s crazy expensive, right? Online says they go for like half a mil."
"Roughly," Gu Ye said. "You’ve got free time now—get your license. Then maybe your dad’ll buy you a car."
"Even with a license, he won’t," Li Zheng grumbled. "Dad said he’s buying my sister a car first. I get her scooter."
Gu Ye nodded. "Prioritizing your sister makes sense. You’ll manage with the scooter."
Li Zheng: "..."
The restaurant had a chic, romantic vibe—delicate plating, roses in vases, mostly couples or girl groups. Two young guys stood out.
Jiang Mo had misunderstood, recommending photogenic, date-worthy spots.
Some even hosted events.
Mid-meal, a server approached. "Care to join our activity?"
"What activity?" Li Zheng asked, curious.
The server explained, "This is a hugging challenge—the pair who can hold the hug the longest wins. It’s designed for couples, but if the two of you want to participate, you’re welcome to join. The top three winners will receive prizes."
Before Gu Ye could respond, Li Zheng refused outright. "Hugging? Nah, we’re good."
"Two guys hugging? That’d be weird. If my sister were here, it’d make more sense—she could team up with one of us."
Seizing the opportunity, Gu Ye asked, "Earlier, when we were playing games, you mentioned your sister’s senior. What’s that about? Is he pursuing her?"
"Not sure," Li Zheng replied casually. "I only heard it from my dad—never met the guy. Apparently, he’s good-looking, gave my sister a ride home, and works as a lawyer or something."
So, it wasn’t that Zhou Hang guy they’d seen earlier.
"Oh, I see," Gu Ye cleared his throat. "You and your sister are close—has she ever hinted whether she’s interested in him?"
Today’s outing had been quite informative.
Li Zheng chuckled. "Come on, I know my sister. She’s book-smart, but when it comes to relationships? Clueless. While everyone else was dating left and right, she was still stuck in la-la land. She’s a late bloomer in that department."
"Your sister’s plenty smart, emotionally too. Not dating young was the right call—saved her from getting played by some jerk," Gu Ye defended.
"College isn’t exactly ‘young’ though, and she still hasn’t shown any interest," Li Zheng said, popping a piece of beef into his mouth. "Hey, Gu Ye, you’ve known her forever—if you know anyone decent, maybe set her up?"
