Chapter 25: There's Not a Single Drop Left
New Year's Eve.
As the clock struck midnight, the new year officially began.
Bang!
Bang!
…………………
Outside the window, the fireworks, which had been going off now and then, suddenly became even crazier.
The whole sky flashed white, and the endless explosions sounded like rolling thunder.
No one knew how many people were setting off fireworks at the same time.
The group chats quickly filled with people sending out digital red envelopes.
Lin Wan happily grabbed as many as he could.
Afterward, he split the money he had won into two parts.
He sent one batch of red envelopes to his dorm group and the other to the team group.
At first, everyone saw the red envelopes and happily thanked him.
"Thanks, Boss!"
But after opening them...
¥0.10.
Then they looked at the luckiest person's share.
¥0.50.
The mood changed instantly.
"You shameless old thief!"
"You're unbelievable!"
Everyone else was sending ten-yuan red envelopes.
Meanwhile, Lin Wan had split just one yuan into ten envelopes... and even grabbed one himself.
We're brothers, and this is how you treat us? Fine. Just wait until you come back to school!
The threats scared Lin Wan enough that he quickly sent a rolling-on-the-floor crying sticker.
He also posted a screenshot of his empty wallet with the caption: "I've already given you everything. There's not a single drop left."
Seeing how "pitiful" he looked, everyone suddenly felt generous.
Since it was New Year and their wallets were full, each person sent him a ten-yuan red envelope.
Without the slightest shame, Lin Wan accepted every single one, quietly moved the money into his savings, and thanked each of his generous but unlucky brothers.
After enjoying the feeling of spending ten yuan so boldly, everyone slowly came back to their senses.
Wait...
Didn't we just get tricked?
He could have moved the money out of his wallet himself!
We treated you like a brother...
And you played mind games with us?
As punishment, Lin Wan was muted in both group chats.
He didn't mind at all.
After all, being muted didn't stop him from grabbing red envelopes.
Joking was one thing.
But everyone still wished each other a Happy New Year.
Lin Wan called each of his roommates and teammates one by one to exchange New Year's greetings.
Happy times always passed quickly.
On the morning of the third day after New Year, his parents packed their luggage and prepared to return to the city.
Before leaving, both his mother and father repeatedly reminded Lin Wan and Grandpa to take good care of themselves.
His mother especially reminded Lin Wan to keep an eye on the medicine bottle hanging around his neck.
Every day he had to check whether there was still a pill inside.
If it was empty, he had to put another pill in.
Even though he hadn't had an attack for a long time, he must never become careless.
Since his parents wouldn't be there, he had to take good care of himself.
Reluctantly, his parents walked farther and farther away with their suitcases, turning around every few steps to look back.
Lin Wan and his grandfather stood quietly in the yard, watching until they disappeared from sight.
The yard lost the lively feeling it had during the holiday.
The whole village also became peaceful again.
The new year felt just a little lonelier than before.
After feeling down all morning, Lin Wan sent a message to the team group after lunch, asking if anyone wanted to duo queue for boosting jobs.
He waited a long time.
No one replied.
He smiled.
Not everyone was as free as he was.
Everyone else was busy visiting relatives for New Year.
So he could only play alone.
Still, thinking about the money he could earn made him feel much better.
That evening, someone finally replied.
Han Jinsong: "Want to play together tomorrow?"
Lin Wan was delighted.
Playing with someone else was much faster than playing alone.
"Sure!"
The next day, the two of them started duo queueing.
Lin Wan played a safe mid lane while Han Jinsong jungled and ganked.
The combination worked surprisingly well.
The mid-jungle partnership could easily support both the top and bottom lanes, making their games much easier to win.
After spending the whole day playing together, both of them had a great time.
They agreed to continue the next day.
The following morning,
while Lin Wan was still eating breakfast, Zhuo Feng called.
Scooping up a mouthful of rice porridge, Lin Wan answered the phone.
"Hello?"
"Want to duo queue today?"
"Huh? But I already promised Han that we'd play together."
"He's busy today. He can't make it."
"Oh? I see. Then sure."
After hanging up, Lin Wan quickly finished his bowl of rice porridge.
Meanwhile, Zhuo Feng made another phone call.
"Hey, Han. Have you found the bug in the code I sent you?"
"Not yet. I haven't even started. Relax."
"Alright. I trust your skills. Send it to me after you fix it."
"No problem!"
Damn it, Han!
So you've been secretly duo queueing with my support behind my back!
Take your time fixing that code.
As the saying goes: one cup of tea, one pack of cigarettes, one bug takes all day to fix. Sometimes you can't even reproduce the bug, so let's see how you solve it!
If Han Jinsong knew what Zhuo Feng was thinking, he would point at his nose and yell,
What do you mean I secretly asked him? He was the one who asked in the team group first!
And we talked openly in the group chat. Just because you didn't read the chat history doesn't make it 'secret!'
Man, your name is Petty!"
In the game...
Zhuo Feng played much more aggressively than usual.
His strategy was simple. Take every resource.
If the AD carry isn't fed, how can they carry the game?
As far as he could see...
Mine.
Mine.
Still mine.
With him leading, Lin Wan won far more games than he had the previous day with Han Jinsong.
The speed amazed Lin Wan.
"This is so fast! Seriously, so fast! Faster wins, and a lot more of them!"
The two of them continued playing together like this for several more days.
Finally...
It was time for the new school semester to begin.
Countless students returned to campus like swallows flying back to their nests.
Carrying his luggage, Lin Wan left the small courtyard.
Just like when his parents had left, he turned back every few steps to look one more time.
His grandfather stood quietly in the yard and softly called after him,
"Come home more often when you're on vacation."
Lin Wan's eyes slowly became blurry.
His grandfather's figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance.
When you're young, you don't understand what parting means.
When you grow up, you wish you didn't have to understand it.
If you have the chance, go home and visit your family more often.
Back at school...
Before Lin Wan even reached Room 205, he could already hear voices coming from inside.
Qiu Cheng: "Huohua?"
Sun Mao: "Giao!"
Zhang Dingding: "Hai hai hai!"
"Huohua?"
"Giao!"
"Hai hai hai!"
This was apparently how college students greeted each other after being apart for a long time.
Strange, confusing... and somehow completely normal.
Lin Wan knocked on the dorm room door.
Qiu Cheng opened it.
The moment he saw Lin Wan, he grinned and shouted, "Huohua?"
Lin Wan looked completely confused.
"???"
"Huohua?"
Qiu Cheng stretched his neck toward him.
Lin Wan slapped the tall, skinny guy's face away.
"What are you guys doing? This is a dorm room, not a monkey park."
Sun Mao and Zhang Dingding ignored him.
Instead, they looked at him expectantly.
One kept saying, "Giao!"
The other kept repeating, "Hai hai hai!"
It looked like they wouldn't stop until Lin Wan answered.
Rubbing his forehead, he gave up and shouted, "Aoli Gei!"
Only then did the two nod with satisfaction, finally recognizing Lin Wan as one of their own.
Lin Wan, however, could only see darkness in his future.
What is wrong with these people?
Did everyone lose their minds over New Year?
Ignoring his roommates, who were still shouting random internet memes, he took out his bedsheets and made his bed.
Just after finishing, Zhuo Feng called to ask whether he had arrived.
"Yeah, I'm back in the dorm."
"Come over to the supermarket."
"Why?"
"I've got something for you."
"Okay!"
The moment Lin Wan heard there was free stuff, his legs practically moved on their own.
He rushed to the campus supermarket.
When he arrived, he saw Zhuo Feng pacing back and forth with a plastic bag in his hand, looking a little anxious.
Lin Wan walked over and called out,
"Zhuo Feng!"
Hearing his voice, Zhuo Feng turned around and stared at Lin Wan's face for a full ten seconds.
Lin Wan felt puzzled.
He touched his face.
What?
Did I leave in such a hurry this morning that he noticed I forgot to wash my face?
"Ahem."
Zhuo Feng gave a light cough and handed him the plastic bag.
"Duck tongues. Homemade. Eat them as a snack while you're gaming."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "Everyone on the team got some."
"Oh, okay. Thank you."
Lin Wan accepted the bag. It was surprisingly heavy.
"Alright, I'm heading back. Remember to go to Maple Internet Cafe with everyone tomorrow for team practice."
"Okay. Got it."
On the way back to the dorm, Lin Wan began thinking about what he could give Zhuo Feng in return.
After all, when someone gives you a gift, it's only polite to return the favor.
He couldn't just accept it without giving anything back.