The Romance Extras Turned Out to Be a Yuri Story - Chapter 40.1

After finishing the game, Lin Luoluo was utterly exhausted. She forced herself to wish Zhang Qiu goodnight, then put down her phone, rubbed her face, and went to kick Lin Xiangdong’s door.

“Who is it?” Lin Xiangdong’s annoyed voice came from inside the room.

“Stinky Brother, open up!” Lin Luoluo hammered on the door with both hands.

Lin Xiangdong opened the door and looked at Lin Luoluo standing there, confused. “It’s so late, why aren’t you sleeping? What do you want?”

Lin Luoluo tilted her head back and huffed through her nose.

“It’s all because of that stinky fish you brought.”

“Didn’t you like Senior Yi? How come you’re also looking for a CP in the game now? And it’s with a low-rank green-tea fish!”

Lin Xiangdong couldn’t help but laugh. “No, you misunderstood. I don’t have anything going on with Sweet Fish. We’re just in the same clan. She’s close with the clan’s big shots, and she comes whenever they call, so I just tag along for a chicken dinner.”

Lin Xiangdong rubbed his nose. “It’s just that the big shots she called weren’t good enough, and we didn’t get a chicken dinner all night, so I thought about asking Zhang Qiu for help. Did she give you a hard time?”

Lin Luoluo crossed her arms. “Didn’t you hear what she said in the game just now?”

Lin Xiangdong looked sheepish. “I got a phone call just now and went to answer it. When I came back, the game was already over. I had something to do anyway, so I just quit.”

Lin Luoluo looked at Lin Xiangdong suspiciously. He let her scrutinize him, and she grudgingly said, “Fine, whatever.”

“What did Sweet Fish do? If you don’t like her, I’ll just block her.”

“No need.” Lin Luoluo rolled her eyes. “It’s all because of how you guys spoil her! She asked for an assault rifle, and you gave it to her. You guys have totally spoiled her rotten.”

Lin Xiangdong shrugged. “The big shots in the clan like her. She calls, and they all come running. I’m just putting up with it to rank up, you know.”

Lin Luoluo was speechless and scoffed. “Rank slave.”

Lin Xiangdong chuckled. “I won’t play with her anymore, but you have to help me call Zhang Qiu when I play.”

“Who has that much free time like you?” Lin Luoluo refused. “You can play with whoever you want. I’m not playing with you again.”

“Come on, Luoluo, help a guy out.” Lin Xiangdong lowered himself, clasping his hands together in a plea.

“I’m only two stars away from promotion. I promise I won’t bother Zhang Qiu during work hours. You just need to ask her for me. With you there, she’ll definitely agree.”

Lin Luoluo was puzzled. “How are you so sure? What if she doesn’t want to come?”

Lin Xiangdong grinned. “She’ll definitely come. You’re a girl! If I, a guy, ask her, nine times out of ten she’ll refuse. But you’re different; you’re her friend. Look, every time you’ve asked, she’s come. So you can definitely do it.”

Lin Xiangdong patted his chest, confidently assuring her, “Once I rank up, I’ll treat you two to a meal. Order whatever you want.”

Lin Luoluo snorted. “Then I want a feast!”

“Deal!” Lin Xiangdong clapped his hands over his chest, full of confidence.

Lin Luoluo was tired and yawned, waving her hand. “I’m going to sleep.”

“Goodnight, stinky sister.”

“Goodnight, stinky brother.”

Lin Luoluo lifted her eyes and gave Lin Xiangdong a weak glare before turning back to her room.

Lin Xiangdong turned around, but his brow furrowed.

Back in his room, he picked up his phone, and the chicken dinner clan chat was exploding.

Sweet Fish was tagging all the clan big shots, the group owner, and the admins, demanding they take her side and claiming that the sister of ‘The World’s Handsomest’ had bullied her.

Lin Xiangdong looked at the scrolling stream of vulgar language in the group chat and laughed angrily.

He felt indifferent toward this Sweet Fish. He’d only started playing with her more because he had too much free time nearing graduation and was constantly immersed in the game.

Because Sweet Fish had a sweet mouth and had even posted photos in the chat, she was considered maybe mid-to-high-tier in looks to Lin Xiangdong, but in a clan full of lonely men, she was practically a goddess.

It was rare to have such a sweet-talking, good-looking girl around, so when Sweet Fish called for a game, everyone answered immediately.

The players who came were all big shots, so Lin Xiangdong often hitched a ride.

His skills weren’t great, but he bought lots of expensive skins, making him look like a rich player, so the big shots tolerated him.

Today, the big shot was just having a bad run and had lost face in front of the girl he liked, so he left abruptly and asked Lin Xiangdong to accompany Sweet Fish for a while.

Lin Xiangdong had been losing all night and wanted to win, so he didn’t overthink it and asked Zhang Qiu and Lin Luoluo to join. He trusted that Zhang Qiu could get him a chicken dinner. He hadn’t expected Sweet Fish to be so inconsiderate.

Hadn’t she always been good at faking it in the game?

Lin Xiangdong was confused. He looked at the insults in the chat and took a moment to reply: [She’s your darling, not mine. I haven’t even settled the score with her for bullying my sister yet! She’s only been praised for a few days, and she can’t keep up the act anymore? Does she really think the world revolves around her?]

Sweet Fish didn’t say anything, but the other group members immediately started defending her.

[@The World’s Handsomest, isn’t that going too far? The person you brought killed Sweet Fish, sacrificing your own teammate. How can you have the nerve?]

[@The World’s Handsomest, we usually see you leeching ranks, calling people “sister” when things are good, and now you’re saying she’s fake? Are you a chameleon reincarnated?]

[@The World’s Handsomest, that’s too much! What fault can a beautiful girl have?]

…

The comments were scrolling too fast, and Lin Xiangdong couldn’t be bothered to deal with them.

He figured this clan wasn’t worth staying in anyway.

He simply clicked Leave. Just as he was getting ready for bed, a new friend request notification popped up. Lin Xiangdong was so tired his eyes were watering, but he fought off the sleepiness and saw it was Sweet Fish adding him.

Lin Xiangdong thought this woman was crazy.

The whole group chat was in an uproar; why was she adding him now?

Suddenly, another friend request popped up, and this one had a note attached.

[I’m sorry. I apologize to you on their behalf. My original intention wasn’t to get you kicked out, but your sister was really going too far. We were teammates fighting side-by-side, and after you left, they actually used a crossbow and a grenade to knock me down. I was so angry that I tagged everyone in the group chat to ask for a judgment.]

Lin Xiangdong sneered.

Sweet Fish was indeed green tea, and not a high-level one at that.

Lin Xiangdong had dealt with too many people like her. He knew what this woman was thinking without even accepting the request.

She had probably just seen his flashy skins and how he had done whatever she asked in the game for the past few days, and she was gloating that she had him as her golden lackey. She didn’t expect him to suddenly reveal his hand—he wasn’t going to play along anymore!

Lin Xiangdong was also aware of her tactics. He’d heard that she had flirted with a few of the clan’s big shots. Today’s big shot who was online but in a bad mood, losing game after game, was likely related to her, possibly having been rejected after confessing his feelings.

Lin Xiangdong knew this woman was using tactics to keep them all on the hook, and today she had simply become too complacent.

But Lin Xiangdong wasn’t falling for it. He didn’t even click Accept, choosing to hit Ignore and go to sleep.

The next morning, Lin Luoluo filled a food container to the brim and prepared to head to the hospital.

Tan Yi watched her busily moving about and sighed helplessly. “Where are you off to this time?”

Lin Luoluo replied sheepishly, “A friend got sick and was hospitalized. She’s being discharged today, and I’m going to see her.”

“Then hurry up.” Tan Yi didn’t stop her anymore, even urging her to be quick. Lin Luoluo picked up the food box and quickly got into a car and left. By the time Lin Xiangdong came downstairs, she was already on the road.

After looking around and not seeing Lin Luoluo, Tan Yi called her son over for breakfast. Lin Xiangdong yawned, struggling to keep his sleepy eyes open as he asked, “Where’s Luoluo? She hasn’t gotten up yet, has she?”

“She got up early. Don’t you think everyone is like you, sleeping until the sun is high in the sky?” Tan Yi chided.

Lin Xiangdong glanced at the wall clock. It was only a little past eight, which was quite early. He knew that when he didn’t have class, he could sleep until ten o’clock—that was really sleeping until the sun hit your backside, with the sun high in the sky.

“Why haven’t I seen her? Where did she go?” Lin Xiangdong asked.

⑥

Tan Yi replied, “She said she was going to the hospital to see a friend.”

Oh, right. Zhang Qiu was being discharged today.

Lin Xiangdong had originally planned to drive her, but Lin Luoluo had rushed off before him.

Grumbling inwardly about how overly enthusiastic Lin Luoluo was, Lin Xiangdong sat down to eat breakfast.

At the hospital, Lin Luoluo placed the food box on Zhang Qiu’s bedside table and asked the driver to help with the discharge procedures.

Zhang Qiu parted her lips: “I can do it.”

“It’s no trouble. Let him run the errand. Otherwise, he’ll just be sitting in the car waiting for us. Or should you sit and I go do it, Elder Sister?”

Zhang Qiu looked at Lin Luoluo. Though those eyes were full of spirit, Zhang Qiu seemed to still be able to see the turmoil within them. She sighed, “You sit.”

Lin Luoluo covered her mouth and chuckled mischievously: “I brought you breakfast. Let’s eat together.”

She opened the food box. Zhang Qiu glanced at it. Although Lin Luoluo said it came from home, the baozi pleats were tiny and exquisite, the porridge was soft, glutinous, and sweet, and the side dishes were delicious—it was even better than what was sold outside.

Zhang Qiu looked at the food in the box, then at Lin Luoluo, and couldn’t help but feel a rush of emotion.

She knew that people from these families had servants and were true young masters and young ladies. When she went to Gu Beichen’s house, even the hired help held their heads high, as if working for the Gu family made them superior and gave them the right to look down on others.

As she ate, Zhang Qiu thought of many things.

What she thought of most was how children raised in such households could tolerate simple food.

Humans are not born with the ability to tolerate hunger and poverty; they only learn to endure it through constant growth. But how could someone who has always grown up among flowers possibly endure a sudden drop in living standards?

Zhang Qiu’s expression grew solemn.

These things she did not have yet, and she couldn’t give them.

Zhang Qiu, whose heart had softened a bit because of their time together over the past two days, drew back again.

Life would still remind her that there was a gap between them.

Lin Luoluo was still excitedly “feeding” her, happy to see Zhang Qiu eat.

By the time they were almost finished eating, the driver had completed the discharge procedures. Lin Luoluo followed behind Zhang Qiu as they left the hospital.

With the car ride, it was still early. It was only a little past nine when they arrived at the school.

Lin Luoluo received a call from Lin Xiangdong.

“The driver is staying with you. Come straight back after your classes, don’t wander off.”

Lin Luoluo was a little speechless: “I’m an adult. Why is my curfew stricter than it used to be?”

“I have to go home and keep you company, too,” Lin Xiangdong said, rubbing his dull head. “Be good, don’t make me come pick you up myself.”

Lin Xiangdong still commanded a certain brotherly authority. Lin Luoluo grumbled reluctantly, “Got it, you stinky brother.”

After hanging up, Lin Luoluo asked Zhang Qiu, “I need to go to the library to work on a group assignment. What are you doing?”

Zhang Qiu nodded: “I also need to go and look up some information.”

Lin Luoluo smiled: “Shall we go together, then?”

“Mhm.” Zhang Qiu nodded. “But I need to go back to the dorm first. Do you want to come with me?”

Lin Luoluo’s heart felt a little nervous. She had never been to Zhang Qiu’s room, and her heart immediately sped up. Her face looked a little shy, “Is it okay?”

“It’s fine. Everyone has gone home, so I’m the only one in the dorm,” Zhang Qiu said with a smile, then turned and walked forward.

Lin Luoluo dropped her hand, which she had just raised, feeling a little disappointed. She had thought Zhang Qiu might hold her hand; wasn’t she very open about it at the hospital last time?

Lin Luoluo felt a bit let down and followed closely behind Zhang Qiu.

Zhang Qiu clenched her fist, ultimately deciding not to reach out. She restrained herself for a moment, then stopped to wait. Only when Lin Luoluo was walking shoulder-to-shoulder with her did she feel more at ease.

Lin Luoluo kept her head lowered. Zhang Qiu spoke some words to break the silent atmosphere.

“The conditions in our dorm are not bad. It was converted from the old graduate student dormitory building.”

Lin Luoluo looked up and saw the entirely white wall.

“It’s also called the Little White Building.”

Lin Luoluo nodded, but the atmosphere remained somewhat subdued.

Zhang Qiu’s heart tightened. She looked at the Little White Building and slowly said, “There’s no elevator upstairs. I live on the fifth floor, so we’ll probably have to climb the stairs.”

Lin Luoluo still didn’t say anything.

Zhang Qiu just asked directly, “Is your group assignment complicated? I can help you if you need it.”

Although she hadn’t taken any psychology courses, the psychology major should be the one with the most social practice among all majors. Every semester, a large pile of surveys came out just from the psychology department.

Lin Luoluo finally spoke: “The professor wants us to spend a month designing a survey and distributing it to 100 people to investigate their psychological state.”

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