Happy times always fly by.
The group had only arrived at the amusement park that afternoon, and with the overwhelming crowds, Shu Yuxin had no idea how the others fared. All she knew was that she and Jiang Zixuan barely got to ride anything.
Around seven p.m., Yan Zhikai sent a gathering message in the group chat. The meetup spot was a plaza in the park’s central area. By now, the crowds had thinned, and half the benches were empty. Early arrivals sat chatting about their afternoon adventures.
Lao Mei and Fu Bai were last. Under the twilight, they strolled over arm in arm—looking exactly as they had when they left. They traded playful jabs nonstop, bursting into loud, carefree laughter like lunatics.
Yan Zhikai glanced at them, pocketed his phone, and stood. “Right on time? We’ve been waiting half an hour.”
Lao Mei flashed his usual smug grin. “Hehe, missed the message. Played two more rounds.”
“Roller coaster?” Peng Xiaoxiao chimed in curiously.
“Nah, night session’s on—coaster’s closed. Something else.”
“Oh? So who won that coaster contest you bragged about?” Yan Zhikai raised an eyebrow.
At that, Lao Mei and Fu Bai locked eyes and nearly shouted in unison:
“Me, obviously! You should’ve seen this guy’s legs shaking like leaves on round three—dying of laughter!”
“Me, obviously! This bastard Lao Mei kept his eyes shut tight the whole ride, screaming bloody murder! Cracked me up!”
They glared at each other. “What, not convinced?! Wanna settle it tomorrow?!”
“Fine! Let’s go! Tomorrow!”
Shu Yuxin’s lips twitched. “You two performing a two-man show?”
“Every time,” Yan Zhikai stroked his chin thoughtfully, “I swear you could skip training and go straight to errenzhuan.”
Lao Mei and Fu Bai just grunted and fell silent.
Lao Guan, who’d been zoning out on a bench, stood once everyone gathered. “Shall we eat?”
Before Yan Zhikai could reply, Wei Zhanpeng grinned. “Phone died?”
“…Yeah. Totally forgot my power bank,” Lao Guan admitted with a helpless nod. For a hardcore otaku, not clutching his phone meant one thing—easy guess.
Yan Zhikai’s lips twitched—maybe his signature smirk. “Alright. Back to the hotel.”
It was late. Everyone was hungry. No objections. They headed out.
Shu Yuxin and Jiang Zixuan trailed behind. Watching the lively group ahead, Jiang Zixuan smiled softly. “Hungry?”
“Hmm?” Shu Yuxin, lost in thought while walking, snapped back.
“Hungry?” he repeated patiently.
She paused, then nodded. “Mm.”
She hadn’t eaten since noon.
“Hotel again?” Jiang Zixuan tilted his head. “You’ll be full?”
“We’ll see… Maybe tonight has something I like,” she replied carelessly.
She’d been like this since high school—picky, yet indifferent about meals. If dinner lacked her favorites, she’d rather skip it.
Jiang Zixuan rubbed his temples. “You’re something else… If you’re still hungry later, I’ll take you out for malatang.”
“Deal!” She nodded instantly. Fair trade—she’d treated him to a drink at noon.
The hotel was a short walk away. Few dined on the second floor now, making their table the liveliest spot—though really, only Lao Mei and Fu Bai caused the ruckus.
Yan Zhikai had cut their lunch drinking short, dampening spirits. Now, with no reason to stop them, they chugged straight from bottles, even coaxing Lao Guan and Wei Zhanpeng into a few rounds.
Dishes covered the table again, but dinner felt plainer than lunch—more simple homestyle veggie stir-fries. Yet these suited Shu Yuxin far better.
Halfway through, Yan Zhikai set down his chopsticks and tapped the table. “Pause a sec.”
Once all eyes were on him, he cleared his throat formally. “I brought you here not just to get acquainted… There’s another reason.”
The upperclassmen seemed unsurprised. Shu Yuxin, Jiang Zixuan, and Peng Xiaoxiao looked utterly lost.
After a beat, Yan Zhikai added softly, “My birthday was two days ago.”
“Birthday?!” Peng Xiaoxiao gasped. She’d hung out in the activity room with him recently—he’d said nothing.
“Mm. Too busy then. Wouldn’t have been fun. So I moved the celebration to today… for the vibe.”
“Haha, happy birthday!” Peng Xiaoxiao laughed, shoving a drink toward him. “Cheers!”
Yan Zhikai froze. Mood shift—way too fast.
Others raised glasses. Lao Mei whooped loudest: “Come on! Cheers!”
Yan Zhikai’s lips twitched. He lifted his orange juice. “Cheers.”
After they downed their drinks, he exhaled. “Save room. Cake’s coming.”
As if on cue, a waiter wheeled over a cart holding only a massive cake box. He placed it carefully on the table and smiled. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks,” Yan Zhikai managed a faint smile. The waiter nodded and left.
“Tsk tsk, Kai—cake gets bigger every year,” Lao Mei refilled his glass, smacking lips.
“Not your money,” Yan Zhikai shot back, opening the box.
A three-tiered fruit cake, exquisitely decorated. Clearly expensive.
“Help yourselves. Dig in,” he gestured.
The rest of dinner buzzed—not just from the birthday reveal. Lao Mei and Fu Bai kept spirits high. Even Shu Yuxin thought they’d ace errenzhuan.
Full and cake-devoured, no one wanted to go out. They swarmed into Yan Zhikai’s room for bedtime fun.
A mahjong table sat unused—few knew how to play. Lao Mei’s group grabbed cards instead, roping in Wei Zhanpeng. No money stakes. Loser got palm-slapped. Childish? Yes. Fun? Absolutely.
Sharp *smacks* and muffled yelps echoed from the table.
Yan Zhikai and Zhang Houlin took turns on the TV game.
Lao Guan sat by the bed, phone plugged in, utterly absorbed in his 2D waifus.
Wei Zhanpeng’s laptop became Peng Xiaoxiao and Shu Yuxin’s mission: hunting his “secret files.” Jiang Zixuan sat behind them, occasionally murmuring tips.
This distracted Wei Zhanpeng mid-game. He barely knew which card to play.
“Pair of sevens!” Lao Mei slapped cards down, smug grin in place.
“Pair of eights.” Fu Bai tossed his.
Wei Zhanpeng glanced toward the bed, slapped two cards. “Pair of twos!”
“Whoa, impressive. Pass.” Lao Mei jerked his chin at Fu Bai.
Fu Bai slammed down a bomb.
Wei Zhanpeng stared at his last pair of tens. Silence. *I’m doomed.*
Meanwhile, Peng Xiaoxiao groaned. “Can’t find it… Where’d he hide it?”
“Hidden file,” Shu Yuxin murmured, eyes locked on screen. “Drive F’s 47GB short. Just not sure where.”
(She’d once relied solely on a login password to guard her own secrets. Shameful.)
Jiang Zixuan stroked his chin. “Check the Baidu Cloud download folder. Maybe there.”
“Aaah—!” Wei Zhanpeng’s shriek cut through the room. As Lao Mei and Fu Bai mercilessly slapped his palm, he yelled, “Easy! Easy! Fuck! Aaah—! Shit—! You guys—swear I’ve got no videos! Stop looking!”
“Hey, found it!” Peng Xiaoxiao clapped, giggling. “Oho~ ‘Thermal Molecular Dynamics Demonstration’? *So* classy.”
Wei Zhanpeng’s face went pale.
As Peng Xiaoxiao scrolled, Shu Yuxin elbowed Jiang Zixuan lightly. “Tsk. Experienced, huh?”
“…Just a hunch. A hunch.”
