Qiao Liuyue smiled, her tone carrying a casual air of not taking things too seriously.
"Ugly?"
Dong Jiaoyan nodded, her expression serious.
Qiao Liuyue tilted her head, her bangs swaying with the motion.
"But I think it looks pretty nice."
Hearing this, the smile on Dong Jiaoyan's face faded slightly, and a thin layer of displeasure crept onto her brows and eyes.
She felt that recently, Qiao Liuyue was increasingly slipping out of her control. In the past, whatever she said, the other would go along with, but now she occasionally blurted out things that left Dong Jiaoyan without a comeback.
Her tone took on a hint of mockery, her voice low.
But every word was enunciated clearly.
"I'm not saying you have bad taste, but ever since you were little, your sense of style has been pretty average."
She paused and added another sentence, slowing her tone.
"Besides, I'm just trying to remind you out of the goodness of my heart."
Qiao Liuyue didn't respond. She simply lifted her eyelids slightly, revealing an ambiguous expression that was half-smile, half-smirk.
The curve of her lips was subtle, but the light shining through her half-veiled bangs made Dong Jiaoyan inexplicably feel that something was off.
Dong Jiaoyan felt a faint chill creep up her spine from that look and couldn't help muttering, "What's with that look?"
Qiao Liuyue smiled again, the smile even fainter than before.
"Nothing."
Dong Jiaoyan was unsettled by her indifferent attitude and mumbled a complaint under her breath.
"What's with you lately? You've been acting weird."
She leaned in half a step, her tone carrying a righteous indignation.
"I'm your best friend. Would I ever harm you? It's all for your own good."
Qiao Liuyue didn't reply. She looked down at her phone, her fingers idly swiping across the screen.
Feeling snubbed, Dong Jiaoyan stood there hesitating for a couple of seconds before changing the subject, asking about the volunteer work that morning.
She took a couple of steps forward, then turned back, her tone carrying a seemingly casual tease.
"I heard from others that you've been getting pretty close to the Monitor?"
There was a hint of jealousy laced in her words.
Qiao Liuyue looked up, staring straight at her.
"Who said that?"
Dong Jiaoyan's words got stuck in her throat. Her mouth opened and closed again.
She hadn't expected Qiao Liuyue to fire back so directly.
Not like before, when she would blush and wave her hands, saying, "No, you're overthinking it."
The two stared at each other for two seconds. Dong Jiaoyan was the first to look away, shaking her head.
"In that case," she said in a magnanimous tone.
She paused, then suddenly remembering something, her voice quickened with urgency. "Oh, right, did you bring me lunch?"
Qiao Liuyue looked at her, utterly confused. "What lunch?"
Dong Jiaoyan grew impatient, her speech speeding up noticeably. "The one I texted you about! I asked you to bring me food—didn't you see it?"
Qiao Liuyue slowly picked up her phone, leisurely opening WeChat.
She showed Dong Jiaoyan an unread message marked with a red dot, her tone laced with just the right amount of apology.
"Sorry, Jiaojiao. I was too busy with the volunteer work this morning and didn't check my phone."
Dong Jiaoyan's lips pressed into a thin line in anger, her chest heaving a couple of times as a nameless frustration lodged in her throat, unable to rise or fall.
Why did everything feel so off lately?
She waved her hand dismissively.
"Forget it. I don't need you. I'll just order takeout myself."
With that, she turned around and grabbed her phone, scrolling through the delivery app in a huff, temporarily unwilling to talk to Qiao Liuyue.
Of course, Qiao Liuyue wasn't all that eager to talk to her either.
She opened a mobile game on her own, tapping her finger to launch it.
There was a sense of relief, as if to say, "Finally, a moment of peace."
As soon as she logged in, a familiar name popped up in her friend list—Big Hammer Crushes You.
Ah, her regular teammate.
Qiao Liuyue's finger hovered over the screen, ready to press the invite button, when she suddenly stopped.
Her gaze landed on the small note beside the game ID.
Monitor Chu.
Qiao Liuyue's eyes widened behind her glasses.
What?
Chu Xubai?
You're telling me Chu Xubai is Big Hammer Crushes You?
That Monitor who wears a white shirt and metal-framed glasses, always speaking in a slow, unhurried manner?
That's the same reckless top-lane warrior who swings Cheng Yaojin's axe through the canyon, charging around and shouting, "Brothers, charge!" while tearing the enemy backline to shreds?
The contrast was way too big.
Just as she was stunned, an in-game invite popped up on the screen.
Sent by Big Hammer Crushes You—so fast it seemed he'd been waiting for her to come online.
Before her fingers could decide, they instinctively clicked accept, and the screen shifted, landing her in the game room.
Big Hammer Crushes You: [Back in the dorm yet?]
Qiao Liuyue stared at the input box for a couple of seconds, then hesitated and typed a line.
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [Monitor... Chu?]
The reply came almost instantly.
Big Hammer Crushes You: [Ah, you finally figured it out.]
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [!!!]
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [How did you know this game account was me?]
Big Hammer Crushes You: [At first, I was just suspicious. There are quite a few schools in the nearby college town. But later, based on the distance and our usual gaming times, I guessed we were from the same college.]
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [So when did you figure it out?]
Big Hammer Crushes You: [During last class.]
Qiao Liuyue paused her fingers, rapidly scrolling through her memory of that last class.
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [I didn't say anything about the game during class, did I?]
Big Hammer Crushes You: [No, but we added each other on WeChat. The King of Glory base shows your friends' rank-up status, so I spotted you.]
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [...]
Well, that was a pretty straightforward deduction. No earth-shattering twist.
Big Hammer Crushes You: [Want to rank up?]
Little Qiao Loves Jungle: [Start.]
Their synergy in the game was seamless. Qiao Liuyue played marksman or jungler, while Chu Xubai handled the top lane. Their coordination was flawless.
They played three rounds straight, winning all three, with the enemy's crystal exploding one after another.
At some point, Dong Jiaoyan had finished her takeout and crept up again.
Her head peeked over Qiao Liuyue's shoulder, trying to see what she was doing.
Qiao Liuyue's fingers moved instinctively.
She flipped the screen over, pressing the phone face-down on her thigh.
Seeing this, Dong Jiaoyan's expression immediately changed. Her brows furrowed.
Her tone carried a hurt and dissatisfaction, as if she'd been wronged. "Liuyue, what are you doing? I was just curious."
She leaned in half an inch closer, raising her voice a bit.
"Besides, I treat you as my best friend. I even trusted you with something like testing my boyfriend. What do I have to hide from you?"
