Xu Lin quickly brought Lei Haolong back home.
Xu Lin lived alone.
Xu Lin's parents divorced a long time ago, and they each went their own way afterwards.
No one really knows what his dad does, but money is never an issue.
His mom is a lawyer, very career-driven, well-known in the provincial capital, and a partner at a law firm.
As for Xu Lin's living expenses, they're transferred punctually every month, so he never has to worry.
If the living expenses run out midway, Xu Lin can always call and ask for more.
Without parents around, Xu Lin enjoyed a lot of freedom.
Yet, apart from visiting internet cafes, he didn't engage in much nonsense or bad habits.
At this moment, Lei Haolong felt right at home; he had been to Xu Lin's place before, so he headed straight to Xu Lin's room.
"Damn! Xu Lin, you actually got a 5090?"
Lei Haolong was truly shocked.
Because he saw the 5090 box on the floor.
Being a gaming enthusiast himself, how could he not know the weight of a 5090?
He was utterly stunned right then and there.
With a piece of preserved plum in his mouth, Xu Lin said, "This thing emptied my piggy bank!"
"Awesome!"
Without another word, Lei Haolong turned on Xu Lin's computer.
Xu Lin's setup consisted of a 27-inch screen and a 32-inch screen, both 4k240hz monitors.
The 27-inch was for gaming, while the 32-inch was mostly for watching videos.
"Damn, even the monitor beats the crappy screen at my place!"
Lei Haolong was filled with envy; his family's computer setup simply couldn't support such high-end equipment. His parents promised that if he scored above 560 in the college entrance exam, they'd buy him an Alienware laptop. He felt under a lot of pressure.
Lei Haolong complained, "With a nice computer like this at home, why bother going to an internet cafe?"
"You wouldn't understand."
Xu Lin said, "I love the gaming atmosphere at those places; it gets my blood pumping."
After messing around on the computer for a while, Lei Haolong felt great and declared he too wanted such an epic setup.
"Xu Lin, what's in your browser?"
It's well known that a guy's browser history is a deep secret.
Lei Haolong anxiously said, "Let me peek into your life."
Xu Lin didn't mind.
He wasn't into watching illicit videos; his computer was squeaky clean.
"Damn! Did you clear your browsing history, Xu Lin?"
"So you figured it out!"
Xu Lin was always one to avoid explanations, so he just admitted it. Of course, even if he watched something, so what?
Within that very second, at least a few million people worldwide were playing poker, while over a billion were browsing adult content.
The sage said: Eating and procreation are among human's greatest desires.
Even the Saint said matters between men and women are natural human instincts.
"Xu Lin, I'm going to leave you some top-notch sites!"
After saying this, Lei Haolong entered some URLs, opened them, and saved them in bookmarks.
"Haolong, you sly devil!" Xu Lin glanced over.
Lei Haolong blushed, "Xu Lin, you're the sly one!"
Meanwhile,
Yu Xinyan returned home.
It was Saturday, and her parents were both home.
"Yanyan, did you have fun at the thank-you banquet?"
Yu Xinyan's mom, Lin Yajing, asked while cracking sunflower seeds.
"It was pretty fun!" Yu Xinyan nodded.
Her dad, Yu Jianhua, put down his phone but noticed his daughter holding a sports drink. He was a little surprised because she never drank anything like that before, not even common sodas like cola.
So Yu Jianhua found it odd.
"Yanyan, why'd you get a drink?"
"Xu Lin gave it to me!" Yu Xinyan replied.
"Ah, that kid!"
Yu Jianhua suddenly understood.
In his mind, Xu Lin was always a bit of a rascal. Once, Xu Lin saw him sneaking a smoke behind a tree, as he hadn't managed to quit smoking yet.
Xu Lin crept up and said, "Uncle, you wouldn't want Auntie to find out you were sneaking a smoke, right?"
And Xu Lin had snuck up on him from behind at that! Nearly scared him to death.
Mind you, that was past eleven o'clock at night!
"Yanyan, how did Xu Lin do on the college entrance exam this time?"
Lin Yajing asked.
"He said…"
Yu Xinyan's brain worked quickly, "He said he might get into a first-tier university!"
Xu Lin's original words were: secure in a second-tier, might take a shot at the first-tier.
"First-tier, not bad."
Lin Yajing pondered for a moment, not saying much, though she thought Xu Lin's grades were far behind her daughter's, who would definitely attend a top-notch university in the country.
Being just a young girl, Yu Xinyan didn't dwell on the meaning behind adult conversations.
After entering her room, it was just her parents in the living room.
Lin Yajing said to her husband, "Yanyan is heading to a top university, while Xu Lin's only aiming for a first-tier. What happens in the future? Their paths will diverge."
Yu Xinyan was quite impressive.
She ranked first in the school for three consecutive years, and initially was meant to join the honors class, but chose to stay in the regular class. Yet, even so, it didn't affect her maintaining her top position, not only in her school but also in the city. She held this spot for three years, never surpassed, not even once.
Now, Yu Xinyan was just waiting for her early admission to the nation's best university.
An accident happening is out of the question, not to mention she did exceptionally well in the college entrance exam this time.
So her life path seemed clear, likely staying in a top-tier city, working, marrying, and starting a family there.
As for Xu Lin, it seemed unlikely for him to be in the same city as her. Plus, with one being a distinguished university student and the other an average college student, their futures might differ greatly, unless Xu Lin underwent some massive change, which seemed unlikely.
Yu Jianhua said, "Different school levels will eventually lead to emotional distance as differences grow; it's normal for kids not to understand this, no need for excessive worry."
On the other side, Yu Xinyan entered her room.
Sitting down, she texted Xu Lin: "Xu Lin, I'm about to open this War Horse bottle!"
Xu Lin replied: "See if you got lucky?"
"Xu Lin, I did!"
Soon after, Yu Xinyan sent a message along with a photo.
Sure enough, it showed under the cap: another shot for one yuan.
"Yanyan, you're a lucky little angel!"
"Humph, you don't have to tell me!"
Yu Xinyan replied again: "Xu Lin, I'll bring it over to you later!"
Then, feeling nervous, Yu Xinyan typed: "Your token of love!"
She hit send amidst her nerves, and immediately her heart raced.
Yu Xinyan was extremely anxious.
Feeling something was lacking, she quickly sent a cheeky emoji to ease the awkwardness and tension.
After doing all this, she quickly turned off her phone, laying it face down on the desk.
She hoped for a message from Xu Lin but feared he wouldn't respond, or worse, would reject her.
Bzzz!
Just then, her phone vibrated a few times.
A message from Xu Lin!
Two messages!
Yu Xinyan picked up the phone nervously, covering her eyes, yet peeking through slightly parted fingers, just like a kid watching a horror movie; afraid to watch, yet wanting to.
Finally, amidst her nervousness, she saw Xu Lin's message.
"That's it?"
"I, Xu Lin, am at least a good-looking young man, this token of love is a bit too perfunctory, don't you think?"
Yu Xinyan's eyes widened in mock anger.
She sent a voice message, "Xu Lin! You big dummy, I don't want to talk to you anymore!"