When Winter Falls in Love - Chapter 4

Speaking ill of others behind their backs isn’t a good thing. When Dong Yin pushed the door open, those people froze like they’d bitten their tongues, stiff with fear, creating an even more awkward atmosphere than when Dong Yin had confessed her feelings to Xie Mingjun.

Dong Yin walked to her bed, placed her bag on the desk, pulled out a chair, and continued working on her thesis. She didn’t bother questioning why they were gossiping, simply focusing on her own tasks. The dormmates felt increasingly uncomfortable and eventually asked if she wanted to join them for dinner that evening.

Having eaten quite a lot in the afternoon, Dong Yin wasn’t the least bit hungry at night, her stomach feeling bloated. She shook her head. After tiring from writing her thesis, she fetched some hot water, took a shower, and then lay on her bed playing around.

Her bed was close to the air conditioner, and the cold air made her knees ache. She pulled a thin blanket over her legs.

Zou Yuxi sent her several messages, asking how her outing went and comforting her: “Xie Mingjun just has that kind of temper. She’s probably holding a grudge against you. Try to avoid going out with her in the future, and definitely don’t eat together. her tastes are way too expensive.”

Dong Yin replied: “She didn’t make me pay.”

Zou Yuxi: “The way she teased you must have been hard to take. I can’t really criticize her, it would only make things worse. Just don’t initiate contact with her.”

Dong Yin: “Yeah, I know.”

When they had first sat down at the restaurant, Xie Mingjun had immediately said she wasn’t used to letting others pay, so she probably never intended to make Dong Yin foot the bill.

Besides,

Dong Yin might be poor, but she wasn’t so destitute that she couldn’t afford a single meal. She just couldn’t bring herself to splurge on extravagant dining. Having this constantly brought up, being repeatedly reminded of her financial struggles, really wounded her pride.

Zou Yuxi: “How much did you spend? I’ll treat you, I’ll send you a red packet.”

Dong Yin: “No need.”

After sending that, she added: “Could you give me Xie Mingjun’s WeChat? I want to pay her back for the meal.”

When Dong Yin had asked Xie Mingjun for her WeChat earlier, Xie Mingjun had just stared at her after speaking, as if angered by the request, then ignored her completely. When her ride arrived, she left without another word.

Ah, sigh.

People always want what they can’t have.

Zou Yuxi wasn’t willing to give Dong Yin the contact either, saying: “Forget it, don’t add her. What if you say the wrong thing and she bullies you again?”

Dong Yin rolled over and typed: “I won’t. I won’t talk to her, I just want to send the money. I won’t do anything else.”

After waiting several minutes,

Zou Yuxi still said: “Never mind. I’ll take you gaming later.”

How Dong Yin longed to add Xie Mingjun on WeChat.

What Zou Yuxi called “taking her gaming” was actually secretly playing with her using a secondary account. He had her create a new character, reminding her to only play as male and never use voice chat absolutely ensuring Xie Mingjun wouldn’t recognize her.

It was a simple battle royale game a hundred players per match with limited resources and equipment that had to be scavenged. You could play solo or in teams, needing to kill everyone except yourself and your teammates, with victory going to the last survivor.

Dong Yin didn’t usually play games, finding them uninteresting.

“I’m using a friend’s alt account. She doesn’t know it’s me inviting her to play. Just help me collect guns later, and I’ll carry you to victory.”

Dong Yin said: “I could help you cheer her up.”

Zou Yuxi laughed. “Her? Impossible to cheer up. Just stay quiet and help me win this match. Hurry up and turn off your mic.”

“Okay.”

It took a while to load into the game. Zou Yuxi sent out invites, standing at the center of the team. After a moment, Dong Yin was on his left while someone with the username “Thank You” stood on his right likely Xie Mingjun.

Dong Yin tapped a dance emote and glanced at Xie Mingjun beside her. Xie Mingjun didn’t move, keeping her gun held firmly in position.

She wore a dark green crop top and a short skirt, probably one of the newly released premium skins in the store. Dong Yin tried another dance emote, but before the animation could finish, the match started.

They spawned at the airstrip first. Dong Yin went looking for Xie Mingjun, who was easy to spot—amidst a crowd of default T-shirt-and-pants outfits, hers was the most stylish. When Dong Yin ran up to her, Xie Mingjun didn’t recognize her as a teammate. Blocked by the sudden movement, she threw a punch straight at Dong Yin’s face.

Dong Yin chuckled softly, rubbing her cheek with her fingers as she called out, “Xie Mingjun.”

Her mic was off, so no one in-game heard her, but her roommate did.

Meng Mochou knocked on the bed railing and whispered to Ying Qiongxue across the room, “Damn, Dong Yin’s even calling out Xie Mingjun in her sleep now…”

Dong Yin sat up and plugged in her headset.

By the time she picked up her phone again, her character was already on the plane, ready to parachute down.

Zou Yuxi marked a location on the map, they were dropping at the desert mansion. Players rained down like dumplings in a pot. Here, you either struck it rich or died broke on the spot.

None of the teammates spoke, except for the random fourth player, “Strawberry Sweetheart,” who turned on her mic. Her voice was sugary and warm as she said, “Hey, Number Three, don’t run off on your own. Be careful, there are so many people here.”

Gunfire erupted almost immediately. Number Three’s health bar fluctuated wildly, dipping low before bouncing back up, teetering on the edge of death, until the muscular male character burst through a door, wearing a pink crop top and a sailor skirt he must’ve looted from somewhere. He cracked open a soda with a flourish, chugged it, then dumped a pile of medkits, bandages, and energy drinks at the feet of Number Two.

While Number Two picked them up, he danced in his skirt.

A message popped up in the game chat.

Thank You (No. 2): “?”

wsdywsdy (No. 3): [dancing dancing dancing]

By the time they fought their way out of the mansion, half the players were already dead. Dong Yin had secured most of their gear, leaving the whole squad loaded.

As they moved, Strawberry Sweetheart turned her mic on again, her voice soft as she asked, “Hey, big bro, you’re really good. Can I add you on WeChat?”

Zou Yuxi responded over voice chat, his tone gentle. “Thanks, but I’m just average. I don’t give out my WeChat.”

“Not you I meant Number Three, the buff guy.”

The burly man in the pink skirt had been sprinting ahead but stopped and turned around at her words. Strawberry Sweetheart immediately abandoned Zou Yuxi and ran toward Dong Yin instead. “Hey, can I add your WeChat? Let’s play again next round! You’re not on mic, but you can hear me, right?”

Just as she got close, the pink-skirted brute suddenly bolted. Turns out, he hadn’t stopped for her, when Number One spoke over mic, Number Two had paused, so he had too. He was just following Number Two’s lead.

Strawberry Sweetheart asked, “Number One, what’s your deal with them?”

Zou Yuxi gave an awkward laugh, hesitating to explain. “Well…”

“Ah, so they’re a couple and you got dragged along as the third wheel?”

“Uh…”

“Hahaha, I knew it! No wonder they’re ignoring me.”

“Heh.” Zou Yuxi was mortified. He muted his mic—third wheel his ass. Dong Yin was the real third wheel here, though she was surprisingly good at charming people.

He tried moving closer to Xie Mingjun. Before when his mic was off, Xie Mingjun treated him like any other teammate without resistance. But now, the moment he approached, Xie Mingjun would aim her gun at him. To make matters worse, there was a burly man in a pink dress standing beside Xie Mingjun.

Even though he knew it was Dong Yin.

He still couldn’t help thinking: What kind of pervert is this?

Later, when a supply plane dropped an airdrop, Xie Mingjun went to collect it while Dong Yin found a safe spot to pick off enemies one by one. After grabbing the supplies, they immediately fled.

Just then, Strawberry Sweetheart arrived in an off-road pickup to pick up Dong Yin.

Dong Yin maneuvered her character down the slope and hopped onto the motorcycle Xie Mingjun was driving. The bike wobbled unsteadily, but it looked cool with dust kicking up behind them. The only downside was that she had to hold her gun, unable to wrap her arms around Xie Mingjun’s waist.

Halfway through their ride, the motorcycle stopped. Xie Mingjun’s character got off and tossed her ghillie suit onto the ground. Dong Yin picked it up and put it on, covering up her flashy pink outfit.

Once dressed, they continued on to find a new spot.

Dong Yin stared at her phone, constantly adjusting the camera angle as she watched Xie Mingjun ride with her. Resting her chin on one hand, she calculated how much longer until they reached their destination. The wind in her hair felt nice, a moment of peaceful bliss.

Just as she was lost in thought, she heard Xie Mingjun’s mic crackle to life.

A few seconds later, Xie Mingjun said, “Gunfire.”

Dong Yin swiveled her view but saw no one. Glancing at the top-left corner, she noticed Zou Yuxi and “Strawberry Sweetheart” had been killed probably too slow and got caught by another squad.

The two of them worked in perfect sync: Xie Mingjun charged ahead while Dong Yin laid in ambush. They didn’t drag things out, swiftly eliminating everyone in their path.

They had a great time that round, but Xie Mingjun still left the team afterward.

Dong Yin followed suit and exited the team. She checked her recent friends list, Xie Mingjun was still online and immediately sent her an invite.

Rubbing her thumb against her phone case, she waited quietly.

Lying on her bed, her face illuminated by the screen, her eyes grew dry from staring. She blinked a few times before looking back only to see another character appear on screen.

Xie Mingjun had joined the team.

Xie Mingjun had changed into another new outfit, one that had just been released. She quickly readied up. Dong Yin was about to type and ask which map to choose when a WeChat notification popped up.

Zou Yuxi: 【Xie Mingjun probably won’t play anymore. Wanna duo later? But please, no more pink dresses, they don’t suit you.】

Dong Yin replied: 【She’s playing with me.】

After sending it, she quickly returned to the game and started a match.

This time, they dropped into Water Town, where the buildings were half-submerged.

The area was loot-poor and crowded. Like before, Dong Yin landed and immediately found a spot to camp, sniping players in flashy outfits to assemble her own pink-themed wardrobe, her little skirt swaying with each step. The game offered plenty of freedom, all you needed was a gun. But this time, she wasn’t alone. The two of them camped together.

Zou Yuxi went to spectate how Dong Yin and Xie Mingjun were playing.

He saw Dong Yin and Xie Mingjun lying in the grass lush green, their characters pressed close together. Dong Yin’s character kept sticking to Xie Mingjun’s, moving whenever she did, arms brushing, occasionally bumping into each other, making the grass sway wildly.

He tapped the screen, feeling a bit complicated.

It was like seeing something he shouldn’t have.

Xie Mingjun and Dong Yin rolling in the grass.

He looked again, Dong Yin’s character shifted slightly, her pink skirt pressing against Xie Mingjun’s pale legs, almost as if Dong Yin was pinning Xie Mingjun down. Damn this game, the clipping made it look like some kind of adult game.

They played a few rounds that night, not saying a word, just silently looting clothes, robbing, and riding motorcycles. Their win rate was surprisingly high.

Until the last round.

Xie Mingjun rushed out too fast and died right at the entrance.

Dong Yin hadn’t even fired her sniper rifle when Xie Mingjun dropped dead at the doorway, turning into a loot box. Just as Dong Yin was about to go down, Xie Mingjun turned on her mic and said, “Don’t come down. There are four enemies snipe them.”

Dong Yin repositioned, fired four shots, and took all four down.

Even though she was the last one standing, the spectators thought she could definitely win.

But what everyone saw instead was the pink-skirted brute running to the entrance, opening Xie Mingjun’s loot box, and taking everything inside. Xie Mingjun had been fully kitted out, and now Dong Yin was even more overpowered. Yet after looting the box, she ran back into the house, unloaded her own gear, and went back to loot again until there was nothing left in the box.

At the critical moment, no one spoke.

Then bang.

The pink-skirted brute turned into a box.

Turned into a box? She turned into a box?

She pulled the pin on a grenade and died.

Damn, she blew herself up.

The game ended, leaving everyone stunned.

It was too sudden suicide, in that lone little house, wearing Xie Mingjun’s clothes, holding Xie Mingjun’s gun.

One of the spectators said, “I don’t know why, but this game just got kinda tragic.”

“Yeah, their bond is so strong. Even a suicide pact.”

After the game, Dong Yin waited a while, only to see Xie Mingjun go offline, probably done playing. Just one death and she quit?

She thought to herself, I’ll have to practice harder, make sure I don’t die even once next time.

Games like this usually felt boring, but once you got into it, playing just one or two rounds wasn’t satisfying.

Dong Yin messaged Zou Yuxi: [Not playing anymore?]

Zou Yuxi replied: [Yeah.]

A few seconds later, he added: [I only played one round.]

Dong Yin asked again: [Is Xie Mingjun still mad?]

Having spectated, Zou Yuxi was feeling a bit off now. He replied: [Probably not anymore, but she’s not really talking to me. You were pretty enthusiastic with her today, Dong Yin. Doesn’t it get tiring, trying so hard to please her?]

Dong Yin said: [Yeah, I just didn’t want her to be upset. And I wanted to learn how to cheer her up. Next time she’s angry or unhappy, you don’t have to deal with it just call me. I’ll help you comfort her.]

Zou Yuxi was touched: [Thanks, Dong Yin.]

Then he sent a sticker: [Grateful to have you by my side.jpg]

Dong Yin: [It’s nothing.]

After replying, she cleared the chat and didn’t bother with the game anymore.

Dong Yin didn’t have many classes in her senior year, but she was busy writing her graduation thesis in advance and taking on several translation jobs to earn money, making her schedule quite packed compared to others.

When she didn’t have class, she stayed in her dorm working.

She only had one class on Wednesday. The weather was scorching, and though she had already mastered the material, she was the type of diligent student who never skipped lectures. She slung her bag over her shoulder and headed to the classroom.

Passing by a bubble tea shop, Dong Yin glanced inside, craving a drink.

Her translation payment would come in the day after tomorrow, so her budget was a bit more flexible. She decided to splurge on a four-yuan lemonade, asking for less ice so she could get a full cup refreshing and affordable.

Just as she finished scanning the payment code, she spotted Xie Mingjun at the neighboring tea shop. Xie had already bought her drink, and Dong Yin hadn’t expected to run into her. She was about to greet her when Xie walked right past without so much as a glance, coldly ignoring her.

With class about to start, Dong Yin could only sigh, clutching her iced lemon water as she headed to the lecture hall. The lesson was dull, so she plugged in her earphones and logged into the game, thinking of practicing her sniper rifle skills at the shooting range.

As soon as she logged in, she saw that “Xie Xie” had sent her several messages over the past few days, gifting her multiple sets of pink outfits, all sent after she had gone offline. So, Xie hadn’t quit playing that day; she had just gone to buy skins.

Xie Mingjun hadn’t recognized Dong Yin. Luckily, when Zou Yuxi had invited her to play yesterday, he hadn’t let her speak, making her pose as a random online player.

She had played the part diligently.

Xie Xie: 【You’re pretty good with the sniper.】

Xie Xie: 【Your playtime isn’t that high is this an alt?】

Xie Xie: 【Want to add my main and play a round?】

Xie Xie: 【You logged off?】

Dong Yin typed: 【Yeah yeah, this is my alt. I have a main account, a female one, but it’s linked to my Q.Q. I used to play in the Q.Q zone. Do you want to add my WeChat?】

Before she could send it, Xie Mingjun sent another message.

Xie Xie: 【Only replying now? You’re pretty cold not even a single word.】

A few seconds later, all the text was deleted. She didn’t send anything.

Dong Yin: 【en】

Xie Xie: 【?】

Xie Xie: 【Got time to play?】

Xie Xie: 【I have some friends here want to squad up for a match?】

A few seconds later, Xie Mingjun sent another message: 【You’re not a grade-schooler, are you? If so, forget it. Focus on your studies.】

Dong Yin: 【da xue.】 (college)

Xie Xie: 【Type something properly, let me see?Dong Yin: (Mm)
Dong Yin: Do you want to play with me?】 (Do you want to play with me?)

The next second, Xie Mingjun sent an invite.

The answer was obvious she did. Very much so.