Love O2O: Getting to know you again, in real life

Guy Talk in Xiao Nai's Dorm

[Updated 1/12/21]

I can't believe it's the new year! Happy new year to all of you around the world. So busy at work. Doing a short chapter, just to keep things going. Short but sweet, hopefully.]

Dropping Weiwei off at the dorm, Xiao Nai then returns back to his own residence.

"Laosan!!!!" his three roommates greet him. "Where were you?"

"With a girl," he says.

"WHATTT!?"

The three other boys stare at him. Hao Mei kicks a soccer ball out of the way, then scrambles over to Nai's chair, where the genius had placidly seated himself.

"Mr. Xiao, tell us more," says Hao Mei, placing a water bottle upside down in front of Xiao Nai's face, pretending it's a microphone. "Who is this girl. Is this the same woman who ran away?"

Yugong sighs, "Something's strange. No woman would run away from our laosan. Let's analyze the flow of traffic around him. The only movement of girls is toward this man, not away."

"It was a date," says Xiao Nai.

A DATE!!!

A DATE!!!?????

约会?!?!?!?

Houzijiu runs up and puts his hand on Xiao Nai's shoulder. "So when do we get to meet her?"

Xiao Nai says, "When you all finish making our video game."

"AHHH— No way, laosan. It's going to take us a year. You're going to censor information on your love life for a year?"

A year!? Xiao Nai thinks. You all are such slow workers.

Out loud, he says, "Figure out how to make the game in three months, then."

Hao Mei sucks air through his teeth. Something's bothering him.

He's the defender of Luwei Weiwei, the lady in red. Sansao. He was her knight.

He says, "Ehhh, laosan. When are you going to tell your online furen, Sansao!?"

Xiao Nai looks up with a twinkle in his eye.

"Maybe I won't."

Houzi-jiou butts in, "Who's more beautiful, sansao or your mystery lady?"

"No comparison is possible," says Xiao Nai. There's a sly smile in his eyes.

The roommates can't believe it. Suddenly their friend's become as vague and hard to understand as an oracle. Well, he's usually like that. But today, even more than usual.

It's Yugong's turn to be dismissive. Pointing at all his roommates with one sweeping arc of his finger, he says, "Xiao Nai won't dish on the gossip. Here we are talking about a woman who's name we don't know. Who we've never seen. All because of this stingy man right here... well then let's talk about something more concrete. I'll give you my update:

Xiao Nai's not the only one who's progressing in the love department."

Hao Mei: "You have an update too? How are all our friends finding these women? Am I going to be the only bachelor sworn to single-hood?"

Houzi-Jiou: "Who's your update? You go on a date too?"

Yugong.... "No, but remember I mentioned that department beauty? Bei Weiwei? Remember I said that something was developing between her and me? I'm not wrong... I ran into her again. The other day in the hallway."

"So?" said Hao Mei.

No one notices that Xiao Nai's face is darkening. He sits there silently in his seat.

"So...," says Yugong, "It's clearly a sign. A sign that Bei Weiwei is manufacturing ways to run into me."

Hao Mei: "A sign that you both study computer science, maybe."

Xiao Nai's face is positively glowering now. He slams his palm on the table.

Hao Mei: "Whoa, what's up with you? Why do you look like a storm cloud filled your face?"

Yugong answered, "Maybe our friend can't stand the fact that he's not the only one who's going to get a girlfriend. Arrogant, a bit?"

Replied Xiao Nai, "You're going to regret your words someday, Yugong."

"Why?"

"Because if you go down that route you'll make a fool of yourself."

"You think I can't nail down the department belle huh?"

Xiao Nai smiles. "Don't you think she's taken?"

"Pffttt," says Yugong without caring. "What, you believe what everyone else thinks, that she's with Cao Guang? I know for a fact that she's not interested in that guy."

"And how do you know this?" Xiao Nai says tightly through his teeth.

"A month ago, I saw him waiting for her. And I saw her turn away in the other direction when she saw him...."

"... because she's waiting for a computer science guy..."

"...like me."

Inside, Xiao Nai's thinking to himself, Thank goodness Weiwei thinks she's almost ready to stop avoiding campus and keeping the lid on our relationship.

She always had a lot of suitors... but uhhh, it's really starting to hit too close to home.

[Author's Note: Wow, we made it to the new year. Thanks for still being with me and readingthis story. I can't believe we started our alt universe over half a year ago... Hope this is still making you smile. ]