Chapter 61: I Have Satellite Positioning

Wang Xiaohu watched the livestream for a while. Seeing Yang Hao sometimes perform with jaw-dropping skill, and at other times fumble so badly it was almost comical, he found himself completely baffled. After all that watching, he still couldn’t figure out just how strong Yang Hao really was. On one hand, his skills were definitely not weak, but then there would be those wild, inexplicable plays that overturned any judgment Wang Xiaohu had just formed. He was left in a state of utter confusion.

To be honest, after all this time observing, Wang Xiaohu still couldn’t determine what Yang Hao’s true level was.

After lingering in the livestream a little longer, Wang Xiaohu closed the browser.

If he was honest, Yang Hao’s “airborne stunt driving” and “flying through the air” maneuvers had genuinely stunned him.

He was just a little curious about Yang Hao and Yao Cheng; it wasn’t as if he was launching a full investigation. A bit of background was enough—there was no need to dig further.

At least now he had some idea, so if he ran into them again, he’d be a little more prepared.

Night slowly deepened.

Lin Zijin’s stream was also coming to an end.

The game concluded, and after a brief exchange with Yao Cheng, Yang Hao logged off as well.

He shut down his computer, picked up his phone, composed a message, and sent it.

At that same moment—

Not far away, in another house, Lin Zijin had just returned with a glass of water when she noticed a new message notification on her phone.

“Are you there?”

It was from Yang Hao, just two simple words.

Picking up her phone, Lin Zijin thought for a moment, then replied with a single word.

“Here.”

Barely three seconds later, he replied.

“I’ve discovered a difference between foreigners and people from Huaxia!”

When Lin Zijin saw this message from Yang Hao, she was speechless.

She replied with a string of ellipses.

Very quickly, Yang Hao sent another message.

“Foreigners, when they like someone, just say ‘I love you’ directly!”

At this, Lin Zijin seemed to realize what he was getting at. This time, she didn’t even bother to send ellipses.

As she expected, Yang Hao sent another message.

The message read:

“People from Huaxia are much more reserved. If they like someone, they’ll cautiously ask: Are you there?”

Lin Zijin couldn’t help but smile, the kind of smile that comes from the heart. Unconsciously, she looked up in the direction of Yang Hao’s place, and suddenly saw him standing on the balcony, waving at her.

At that moment, Ling Xue’er, who had noticed something odd, followed Lin Zijin’s gaze, poking her head out in confusion—only to see Yang Hao making a heart gesture toward Lin Zijin. Instantly, her face turned red as she ducked back, sneaking a glance at Lin Zijin.

Just then, Shen Muxi and Lu Ziqi also looked over. Lin Zijin, realizing she’d been caught, felt as if her secret had been discovered—her ears flushed scarlet with embarrassment.

Seeing Lin Zijin, normally so composed, display such bashful girlishness, the three friends were all astonished. Yet, faced with Lin Zijin’s warning glare, they had no choice but to suppress their burning curiosity.

Outside, a patch of cloud quietly slid across the sky, veiling the bashful moon. The stars, faintly visible, glimmered with flickering light, and the world felt unspeakably tranquil.

In the days that followed, Yang Hao led a peaceful life: cooking for Lin Zijin during the day, bringing her meals, chatting with viewers in the evenings, playing games with Lin Zijin—the days slipped by like this.

Yang Hao was both satisfied and content.

In this life, he had no grand ambitions or lofty ideals.

He didn’t care for complicated schemes, sought neither wealth that rivaled nations nor power that reached the heavens, nor did he ever desire to be surrounded by beauties.

For him, having Lin Zijin alone in this lifetime was enough.

If you were to ask Yang Hao what it’s like to have a legendary gaming goddess as a fiancée, he would answer: To play games with her, side by side, till the end of time.

...

The weekend arrived.

Yang Hao came to Tianhai University, standing before its grand gates, filled with emotion.

After all, he had spent four years of his university life here, and it was here that he met Zhang Tian and the rest of his closest friends.

Since graduating, this was his first time setting foot here again.

Many people, when in school, have endless complaints, but the moment they leave, most are left with only fondness and nostalgia for their alma mater.

By then, the school becomes “my old school” in every retelling.

Standing here again, Yang Hao found the feeling had changed, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on how.

Some feelings are simply beyond words.

“Haozi!”

Just as Yang Hao was staring at the university’s motto, lost in thought, a voice called out from behind.

A firm hand landed on his shoulder—Yang Hao turned instinctively to see a familiar face.

“Yaozi!”

The young man who’d appeared was none other than Yao Cheng, with whom Yang Hao had fought side by side in a recent game.

“Yaozi” was a nickname, another besides “Big Cannon,” that Yang Hao and his friends used for Yao Cheng.

“Come on, with all these people around, can you not call me that?” Yao Cheng’s face twisted in discomfort at the nickname, as if he’d swallowed a fly.

Looking at Yang Hao, he complained, “You keep calling me Yaozi—anyone who doesn’t know would think I’m a brothel keeper. I don’t even have a girlfriend yet! Don’t ruin my image, please.”

“Alright, alright,” Yang Hao chuckled, then asked, “So, Big Cannon, is the boss here yet?”

“Can’t you just call me by my name?” Yao Cheng, just relieved, now looked exasperated as Yang Hao switched to another nickname.

“The boss will be here later. He told us to go ahead and find Number Two first,” Yao Cheng replied helplessly.

The “boss” and “number two” they referred to were actually Zhang Tian and Zhu Ziyuan.

Back when they were assigned to the same dorm, the four of them ranked by age: Zhang Tian was the oldest, Zhu Ziyuan was second, Yao Cheng third, and Yang Hao was the youngest. That’s how these nicknames came about, though most of the time, they used their usual monikers.

Today, they’d arranged to meet up and revisit their university. The location was set here yesterday, a chance to see the campus they hadn’t visited in so long.

Especially for Yang Hao, who’d been away from Tianhai City for a while and hadn’t had a chance to come back.

The two of them stepped onto the campus, wandering about while waiting for Zhang Tian.

“Hey?” Yao Cheng suddenly exclaimed, sounding surprised.

“What’s up?” Yang Hao asked, puzzled.

Yao Cheng grinned, walked a few steps ahead, and picked something up from the lawn by the path.

“Look what I found?”

Yang Hao paused at the item Yao Cheng handed him.

“An iPhone X?”

This flagship phone had only just been released and was both expensive and hard to get. There weren’t many in circulation yet, but here they were, having found one.

“We’ll hand it over to campus security in a bit,” Yao Cheng said with a smile, passing the phone to Yang Hao.

Neither Yao Cheng nor Yang Hao was the type to take advantage of a lost phone, expensive as it was. The thought never crossed their minds.

They walked on, but then the iPhone X buzzed in Yang Hao’s hand, ringing with a pleasant chime.

“Must be the owner calling,” Yang Hao guessed.

“Put it on speaker. If it’s a girl, don’t say a word—let me talk. I still don’t have a girlfriend, you know,” Yao Cheng said hurriedly as Yang Hao prepared to answer.

Amused by his friend’s “desperate” expression, Yang Hao shook his head and smiled.

The call connected, but before either of them could speak, a male voice came through:

“You’d better return my phone. I have satellite tracking—I already know where you are…”