Sheng Kuang saw that the game hadn't started yet, so he casually placed his phone on the table.
He glanced at the chat content on the game interface, paused, then subtly looked towards Lin Jing before picking up his phone.
Your Birthday: Not playing?
Lan Lan Eats Blue Blue: Class monitor, ready.
He Lin turned on voice chat. "I'm not playing anymore. I have some other things to do later. Lin Jing, want to go to an escape room?"
At the same time, two messages popped up on the screen.
Your Birthday: Little Jing sauce.
Your Birthday: Why did you block my ultimate for me back then?
Little Jing Jing Jing Sauce: Huh?
Both people were talking to Lin Jing at the same time, and for a moment, she couldn't even tell who her "huh" was responding to.
Those two were quite self-aware, both assuming she was replying to them, and responses came through voice chat and on-screen one after the other.
He Lin: "You know my friends too. One is my roommate, and the other is Wang Qingqing."
Your Birthday: In the first game, why did you, as Daji, block an ultimate for me, a support?
Lan Tingting: "Wang Qingqing? She didn't go home either?"
Wang Qingqing was in their class, living next door to Lin Jing and Lan Tingting's dorm.
He Lin: "She's back. School's starting soon, so she came back early."
Lin Jing was also curious why Wang Qingqing was there. Lan Tingting had already asked, so she simply turned her head and looked at Sheng Kuang beside her. "I didn't want you to die."
Your Birthday: Why?
Lin Jing: "..."
He was right next to her, and she was talking directly to him. Why wasn't he replying face-to-face, but insisting on messaging in the game?
After chatting with Lan Tingting for a bit, He Lin asked again, "Lin Jing, what about you?"
Lin Jing quite enjoyed escape rooms. On weekends, she often went with Lan Tingting and others from their class, and she had also gone with He Lin a few times.
She felt like she hadn't gone out much all summer, just staying in this villa.
If she were the only girl, she might have been too shy to go, but with Wang Qingqing there, she was genuinely tempted.
Lin Jing hesitated for two seconds and tapped on the screen.
Little Jing Jing Jing Sauce: Sure.
Sheng Kuang glanced her way again.
Lin Jing didn't notice and continued typing.
Sheng Kuang stared at her profile for a moment before looking away.
Your Birthday: I'm asking you, Little Jing sauce.
Little Jing Jing Jing Sauce: What time tomorrow?
Your Birthday: Why didn't you want me to die?
"..."
After Lin Jing replied to He Lin, she realized Sheng Kuang had sent her two follow-up messages.
She wasn't sure if it was her imagination, but she felt like Sheng Kuang wasn't genuinely asking why she'd blocked his ultimate, but more like trying to assert his presence.
Lin Jing paused for a moment. Just as she was about to look at Sheng Kuang, another message popped up from the class monitor.
Lin: I'm logging off. You guys continue playing.
Lan Tingting: "Bye-bye, Class Monitor."
Out of politeness, Lin Jing stopped herself from saying what she was going to say to Sheng Kuang and casually typed two numbers and sent them.
Little Jing Jing Jing Sauce: 8
Sheng Kuang cleared his throat next to her.
Only then did Lin Jing quickly look over at him. "No reason, I just didn't want you to die."
He Lin left the room, and Lan Tingting clicked to start the game.
The matchmaking was successful instantly. It was time to select heroes. Lin Jing quickly averted her gaze, looking down at her phone. She reflexively wanted to pick Daji again, but Sheng Kuang had locked in Jin as a jungler.
Lin Jing blinked and looked up at Sheng Kuang.
His expression seemed quite natural, but whether she was being overly sensitive, she sensed a hint of displeasure from him.
She hadn't selected a hero yet, and Lan Tingting reminded her, "Jingjing, choose a hero."
Lin Jing snapped back to reality and realized that in the time she had been spacing out, the mage position had already been taken. Since she could only play support, she chose Yao.
Sheng Kuang hadn't responded to her earlier question, and Lin Jing assumed the topic had passed, so she didn't say anything more.
The game started, and she focused all her attention back on the game.
Jin was unstoppable this round, playing at a blistering pace. They pushed to the enemy's high ground in just six minutes.
Throughout the entire game, there was nothing to criticize, but if she had to find one thing, it was that Lin Jing's Yao, several times when Sheng Kuang was fighting five against one, tried to protect him, but each time he dodged her before she could even jump onto him.
Later, Sheng Kuang continued to play as a jungler, picking only strong heroes. Lin Jing only managed to play support once, again as Yao. In one game, she only managed to jump onto Sheng Kuang once, and after less than ten seconds, she fell off.
In the past, when Sheng Kuang played jungle, he would deliberately wait for her ultimate to be used on him. After she died, he would even pick her up near the crystal when he was farming, and occasionally, if she was low on mana, he would even take her to steal blue from the enemy.
But today, in two games with Yao, let alone stealing blue for her or picking her up from the crystal, he wouldn't even let her jump on him.
Lin Jing was truly baffled.
At half-past eleven, Lan Tingting decided she was done playing. Lin Jing glanced at the time and saw it was getting late, so she also said she was done.
Sheng Kuang nodded, said nothing, grabbed his phone, and went back to his room.
Lin Jing was even more confused.
She had thought he seemed a little unhappy earlier, but she hadn't expected him to be genuinely unhappy.
And it seemed like an extreme kind of unhappiness.
Lin Jing's first thought when considering who or what could make Sheng Kuang unhappy was to eliminate herself.
She eliminated herself with absolute confidence and decisiveness.
While showering, she carefully replayed the events in her mind and felt that the reason for his sudden unhappiness was likely the incident with GDT that afternoon.
...
Sheng Kuang returned to his room, tossed his phone onto the bed, and went downstairs to the training room to practice alone.
He didn't return until two in the morning.
He took a shower, and after coming out, he picked up his phone. He saw that the girl living next door had sent him several WeChat messages at half-past twelve.
Little Jing Sauce: Are you a little unhappy?
Little Jing Sauce: Because of the GDT thing.
Little Jing Sauce: Actually, Daji blocking your ultimate for you to save your life was one reason, but another was that I wanted to make you happier.
Little Jing Sauce: ...How about, another day, if there's a chance, I can block Zhuge Liang's ultimate for you again?
PS: I've finally written a long chapter before the live broadcast. I've been too busy these past two days, I'm so sorry, so sorry.
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