It turns out this girl, after rambling on and on, was just trying to comfort him…
As Sheng Kuang was thinking this, the last few words Lin Jing said popped out. He didn't quite grasp them at first: "Huh?"
The moment the words left her mouth, he realized what she had said and his expression froze again.
He stared at her intently for at least ten seconds, blinked his eyes, and asked again, "What was that last thing you said?"
"..."
He really knew how to pick out the important bits.
Lin Jing looked at Sheng Kuang expressionlessly for two seconds: "Are you still pursuing me now?"
Sheng Kuang paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Yes."
As if afraid she wouldn't believe him, he immediately emphasized it twice more: "I am pursuing you, I've always been pursuing you."
Lin Jing suppressed the urge to laugh, let out a very calm "Oh," reached for the half-empty water bottle on the table, unscrewed the cap, and slowly took a few sips. As if having made up her mind, she said, "Give me some time."
With that, she reached onto the sofa, fumbled around a few times, and pulled out her phone from under a cushion.
She held her phone, her head bowed as she swiped through the screen, as if searching for something. After about half a minute, she murmured, "Found it," and then looked up at him, "Look at your Moments..."
Sheng Kuang glanced at her, puzzled, but picked up his phone as she directed.
There was a new "like" on his Moments.
It was a post he had made a long time ago, visible only to her: Actively looking for a little friend named Lin Jing to use couple avatars with.
The accompanying image was a pair of couple avatars he had specifically found online from a student named Sweet Sweet Sweet Sweet.
He had been using the male avatar as his profile picture.
"It's what you said," Lin Jing said, and then lowered her head to tap the screen a few more times: "The avatar is here. Remember to give me a like when you want to take it."
As her words fell, Sheng Kuang received another new notification on his Moments.
Below this post, visible only to her, there was a reply.
Xiao Jing Jiang: Like received, avatar changed.
Sheng Kuang's mind went blank for a moment.
About a second later, as if realizing something, he clicked on her avatar. After an automatic refresh, her avatar had been updated.
He stared at his phone for a while, then looked up at her: "Does this mean what I think it means?"
Lin Jing didn't directly answer Sheng Kuang's question. She slowly turned off the screen, pushed her phone bit by bit back under the cushion, and then blinked, looking up at him: "The hotel rooms here are all fully booked."
Almost all the professional players were staying in this hotel, leading many of the fans who came to watch the competition to follow suit.
Not only this hotel, but even the hotels nearby were fully booked.
Lin Jing looked around the hotel room: "This hotel is quite nice. I'd really like to stay here for a night, but I don't know the others that well." She paused, meeting his gaze: "Can I stay with you?"
Sheng Kuang didn't overthink it, knowing that it was difficult to book hotels around here: "Yes."
Lin Jing nodded expressionlessly: "Thank you."
Before Sheng Kuang could say anything, Lin Jing, as if remembering something, added, "Sheng Kuang, there were quite a lot of people in the lobby when you went downstairs to pick me up."
Sheng Kuang was wiping the greasy stains from his takeout with a tissue: "Mm."
"Someone might have recognized you and taken photos," Lin Jing said, leaning forward: "What do you think? Someone might spread rumors that you're chasing fans, right?"
Sheng Kuang's hand trembled, and the tissue he was about to throw into the trash fell to the floor.
Lin Jing looked at his reaction and couldn't help but laugh, leaning back on the sofa.
Sheng Kuang looked at the girl laughing uncontrollably and clearly felt his temples throb.
He pinched the bridge of his nose. Seeing that she wouldn't stop laughing, he callously lowered his voice and said, "Lin Jing."
Lin Jing laughed for a while longer before managing to stifle her laughter: "I think it's possible. Maybe later, the trending topic will be Sheng Kuang..."
Sheng Kuang's eyelids twitched violently.
Just as he was about to stop her, she suddenly changed the subject: "The last thing I said earlier was, the future me will be your girlfriend."
The words Sheng Kuang wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
The room fell silent for a moment, neither of them speaking.
After who knew how many seconds, Lin Jing shifted her slightly numb leg: "If now is the future I was talking about, would there be the kind of rumors I just mentioned?"
Sheng Kuang: "..."
Sheng Kuang was stunned, looking somewhat lost.
"I think so. After all, it's quite normal for boyfriends and girlfriends to live together, right..." Lin Jing slowly swallowed, "... boyfriend."