Chapter 105: Tonight's Night, Slightly Chilly!

“Eh, Trickster?”

Having just finished a game, Ling Xue’er saw a video sent by a fan and stopped in surprise.

Wasn’t the person in the video Yang Hao?

“Pfft!”

“Hahaha…”

She clicked the video and watched for a few seconds before bursting into uncontrollable laughter, completely disregarding her image.

“Silly girl, what’s gotten into you?”

“Didn’t take your medicine tonight?”

“If you laugh any harder, you’ll rip your mouth!”

“Nonsense…”

Ling Xue’er’s infectious laughter immediately drew teasing remarks from Lu Ziqi and Shen Muxi, while Lin Zijin beside them shook her head helplessly.

“No… Ziqi, come look! Trickster is being chased at Tianhai University, pfft…” Ling Xue’er was laughing so hard she was near fainting. She glanced at the messages the fan had just sent along with the video and continued between laughs, “I heard he was chased across half the campus, and the people after him were almost—”

Before she could finish, she was stunned to see Lin Zijin suddenly rise and walk over to her computer, opening the video herself.

After watching, Lin Zijin’s brows knitted deeply.

She looked out the window at the house that hadn’t lit up all evening, a growing unease stirring in her heart.

Tonight wasn’t the first time she’d acted this way.

“Zi—”

Ling Xue’er tried to speak but was silenced by the sharp looks from Lu Ziqi and Shen Muxi.

Ignoring them, Lin Zijin silently returned to her seat and picked up her phone.

She opened the chat app where Yang Hao’s messages from an hour ago still waited.

But now, he was offline.

She immediately called his number, only to be met with a busy signal.

Lin Zijin’s frown deepened.

After a moment’s thought, she called Zhang Tian and the others.

“Where is he?” she asked.

“We can’t find him either…” came the reply.

Lin Zijin said nothing more and quietly ended the call.

“I’m going out for a bit. Can I borrow a car?”

Grabbing a jacket from a chair and the car keys from Lu Ziqi’s desk, Lin Zijin left a note and stepped out.

Seeing her leave, Ling Xue’er, who had been laughing at Yang Hao’s video, was suddenly stunned.

Lu Ziqi and Shen Muxi exchanged a glance and sighed softly.

The sound of an engine starting in the garage followed as Lin Zijin drove off.

Using Lu Ziqi’s car, Lin Zijin quickly left the neighborhood and soon merged into the bustling city traffic.

Watching the endless flow of cars and the city’s dazzling neon lights, Lin Zijin felt a momentary daze.

She had spent more than five years in this city.

And he had been here with her for the same length of time.

How many five-year spans did one have in life?

If it hadn’t been for that day when Yang Hao suddenly contacted her, perhaps now they would both still be in Yanjing, even engaged.

Now, he was here again with her.

But where was he now?

Without realizing it, Lin Zijin’s car came to a familiar place—Tianhai Sports Arena.

Besides hosting major sports events, Tianhai Sports Arena was the official venue for e-sports competitions, frequently holding national and even international tournaments.

This place held countless memories for her.

It had been her battlefield for five years.

There were no events tonight, and as the night deepened, the area was nearly deserted.

Passing the entrance, Lin Zijin slowed the car and suddenly caught a shadow in her rearview mirror.

She quickly turned around, drove back to the arena’s entrance, and stopped.

Getting out, she closed the door and looked up the long staircase. There, sitting and asleep, was Yang Hao.

Climbing the steps, Lin Zijin approached the sleeping figure with a pang of sympathy.

Without waking him, she quietly sat beside him and let the sleeping Yang Hao lean on her shoulder. Gazing at the distant starry sky, a faint smile curved her lips.

“Huh?!”

After an unknown lapse of time, Yang Hao suddenly awoke.

Their eyes met, and Yang Hao was utterly stunned to see Lin Zijin there.

“What are you doing here?”

Rubbing his eyes, still half drowsy, he asked hesitantly.

“Just passing by!”

Lin Zijin’s cheeks flushed slightly as she composed herself and replied calmly.

Just passing by?

Yang Hao was dumbfounded.

Shouldn’t she be at home at this hour?

Passing by?

Where could she possibly be going so late?

“You came here on purpose, didn’t you?”

After a brief pause, seeing the faint blush on Lin Zijin’s face, Yang Hao gradually understood.

His emotional intelligence was naturally high; with a moment’s thought, he saw through it.

Hearing Yang Hao’s question, Lin Zijin stiffened her expression.

“Passing by!”

Her answer was the same as before, no real change.

Yet Yang Hao seemed to see through everything and broke into a silly grin.

Seeing his smile, Lin Zijin couldn’t help but blush with a mix of embarrassment and anger.

“Fine, you’re passing by!”

Yang Hao, having uncovered her secret, didn’t intend to expose her outright.

“Knew you’d say that.”

Lin Zijin rolled her eyes in mock exasperation.

“I just have one question.”

Yang Hao looked innocent, and under Lin Zijin’s puzzled gaze, he uttered a sentence that left her stunned.

“I want to know if this place is your destination tonight?”

As he spoke, Yang Hao took Lin Zijin’s hand and placed it over his heart, looking at her with deep affection. “If it is, then you’ve arrived.”

Feeling his strong heartbeat, the usually composed Lin Zijin suddenly felt flustered.

Her heart, in sync with his, was thrown into chaos.

“Let’s go home.”

She hastily withdrew her hand, took a deep breath, and slowly said those words.

“Look, there’s a shooting star!”

Just after speaking, Yang Hao’s voice suddenly rang in her ear again.

But Lin Zijin’s reaction was not what he expected.

Instead of gazing at the ink-black sky, she tilted her head slightly and looked at Yang Hao, who was sneaking closer.

“Cough, there really was one just now. You’d be missing out if you didn’t look.”

Realizing his ruse had been seen through, Yang Hao pulled back his head, chuckling awkwardly but forced to explain.

“Come on, let’s go home!”

He had hoped to steal a kiss from Lin Zijin but failed again.

Sigh!

He knew that old trick wouldn’t work twice.

Having succeeded once didn’t mean he could succeed a second time.

Lin Zijin would never make the same mistake.

Yang Hao felt foolish.

In the next moment, as he turned to leave, his lips brushed against something cool—a sudden chill.

Tonight’s air was mildly cold.