My Deskmate Chapter 36 (Part 1)
Translated by Q the Panda (ko-fi)
Chapter 36.1
Wen Xiao asked, "See me for what?"
"To play a game together?" Chi Ye, stared at the two shadows on the ground. "I don't have much free time after this. Things will get busier."
The internet cafe was undoubtedly the most bustling place at midnight. After topping up their accounts, the two of them found a corner seat.
The mouse and keyboard were covered in a layer of greasy dirt. Wen Xiao frowned, went to the front desk to buy a pack of wet wipes, and carefully cleaned everything, including Chi Ye's equipment.
As he moved the mouse pointer, Wen Xiao asked, "League of Glory?"
"Mm." Chi Ye logged into his account. After the sound effects, a knight image holding a long sword appeared on the screen.
Wen Xiao raised an eyebrow. "Not Bunnienie Loves Carrots?"
"I only use that account when I play with Zhao Yiyang and the others. They're too bad, I can't even carry them, and we lose every game. The only way we win is through strategy, like pretending to be a loli player, getting those idiots to feed me time to farm and build up my gear." Chi Ye sat lazily back in the chair. His long legs stretched out, his right hand on the mouse, and his left hand propped up on his chin, casting a sideways glance at Wen Xiao.
The silver headphones had become more of a decoration, accentuating his sharp, well-defined features. He smiled. "Strategically playing weak, isn't it clever?"
Wen Xiao's gaze shifted to the bottom of the screen. Chi Ye's account ID was Wild God.
"Deskmate, your eyes are full of doubt. No need to question it," Chi Ye said with a smirk. "Back in the day, your Chi-ge was the jungle god in this game. My skills were so flashy, I even did some account boosting."
"What happened after?"
"The money was too little, and it took up too much time, so I quit." Chi Ye adjusted his headphones and turned his attention back to the game. "I’ll take the jungle. What about you?"
"Top lane." Wen Xiao also put on his headphones, his fingers pale as they hovered over the black mouse, his nails neatly trimmed and shaped.
The first game ended in twenty minutes.
Chi Ye played aggressively but with precision. Within ten minutes, the opposing team was crushed. They might have wanted to keep struggling, but they never hit surrender, holding out until their crystal exploded in defeat.
After the match ended, Chi Ye received eight friend requests in a row. He ignored them all with a single click and queued for the next game. Again, he took jungle, while Wen Xiao stuck with top lane. The second match also wrapped up in twenty-five minutes.
Wen Xiao realized that this was basically a casual game. As long as he didn’t mess up or hold the team back too much, there was no way they could lose. Chi Ye wasn’t lying — his skills were impressive, truly worthy of the title "Jungle God." Plus, his fighting spirit was high. Whether it worked or not, he just charged forward, playing as aggressively as possible.
It felt like he was venting something.
After the sixth match, Wen Xiao pushed the keyboard aside, which was still flashing with red and blue lights, and stretched his fingers to relieve the soreness in his wrists.
Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a new set of friend requests popping up on Chi Ye’s screen, the icons flashing incessantly. Wen Xiao took off his headphones, hanging them around his neck. Leaning back in his chair, he asked, "Aren’t you going to respond?"
Chi Ye skillfully clicked "ignore all," then turned his head toward Wen Xiao with a light chuckle in his eyes. "Did you really think your Chi-ge is this friendly with everyone?"
Wen Xiao relaxed his fist and propped his hand against his cheek. "Yeah, Chi-ge is too aloof and unapproachable."
It could have been the late hour, or maybe just exhaustion, but Wen Xiao’s voice softened, growing slower and more languid. His words were quiet, with a hint of nasal tone that made Chi Ye think he looked a bit like a Persian cat curled up by a fireplace.
"You can try. Maybe I’ll actually warm up to you." Chi Ye fiddled with his itching fingers, forcing himself to resist the urge to mess with Wen Xiao's hair.
Too prickly. He couldn’t touch it or he’d get scratched.
Straightening up in his chair, Wen Xiao asked, "Want to play another?"
It was already past two in the morning. The row of seats across from them had gone through two rounds of instant noodles, and the air was thick with the smell of braised beef and pickled vegetables.
Chi Ye took off his headphones and, adhering to the philosophy that "everything can be a fidget spinner," he twirled the earphones around his fingers several times. "Are you tired?"
Wen Xiao shook his head. "Not tired. I’m usually studying at this time."
Besides, playing games with Chi Ye was fun. Although they hadn’t teamed up for more than two games, their synergy was surprisingly good. As for bad luck with crappy teammates, the chances of that happening were low enough to be ignored.
Thinking about the classes he had the next day, Chi Ye placed his headphones on the desk. "Heading back?"
Wen Xiao had no objections. "Let’s go."
The streets were empty, with no sign of the bustling traffic from earlier in the day. Occasionally, a night rider would zoom past on a half-worn motorcycle, its engine roaring loudly, the sound lingering in the air as the bike disappeared into the distance.
Wen Xiao stepped on a patch of dry leaves, and the crunching sound was sharp enough to be heard. A 24-hour convenience store was still open on the corner, its white lights casting a faint glow. Inside, the cashier was propped up on his chin, struggling to stay awake.
Chi Ye patted his pocket and realized his phone was left behind at home, and his wallet was empty.
"Got any money, Teacher Xiao Wen?"
Wen Xiao rummaged through his pockets and pulled out three five-yuan bills, four one-yuan bills, and three fifty-cent coins. "This is all I have left."
Chi Ye chuckled. "How are we both so broke?"
"Want it?"
"Of course. Even a mosquito is meat."
Chi Ye took the money and headed into the convenience store to buy some cola. When he pushed open the glass door, the sensor chimed, and a mechanical "Welcome" echoed in the quiet.
The cashier, who had been dozing off, sat up slowly and, with a weary voice, mumbled, "Welcome. Please feel free to shop."
Chi Ye grabbed two bottles of cola and a box of cut-up sandwiches, paid twenty yuan, and walked out.
As he emerged, he handed Wen Xiao a bottle of cola. Wen Xiao took it and, mimicking the way Chi Ye was holding the plastic container, tried a few pieces of sandwich. The filling contained egg, bacon, and tomato. There was too much sauce, so all he could really taste was the tomato.
Noticing a smear of white dressing at the corner of Wen Xiao's mouth, Chi Ye stared at it for a moment before forcibly looking away. "It cost twenty in total. Want to give me the fifty cents change?"
Wen Xiao didn’t understand why Chi Ye wanted the fifty cents, but he didn’t mind. "Sure, it's yours."
The next day, Chi Ye didn’t show up at school until after lunch.
The fountain at the school gate, which had been out of service for half a semester, was finally turned on. Red banners hung everywhere, displaying phrases like "Welcome parents to the parent-teacher meeting." On the blackboard at the back of Room 2-1, everything had been erased except for a large red rose in the center. The only words now were "Parent-Teacher Meeting."
The campus radio was playing some light music, but the rhythm of the notes was almost drowned out by the noise from the classrooms.
"Shit, shit, where do I hide these photo albums? What if my mom searches my desk and finds them?"
"Where should I hide this test with ninety-one points? The boys' bathroom? Nah, too stinky, I can’t stand it!"
"Damn it, my dad won’t let me eat snacks. Good thing I hid them, but why are there so many snack bags in here..."