Chapter 149 : Bi♂li♂bi♂li
"Um, Ling Ning, can I ask you something?" On the way home, Xia You suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?"
"I was just wondering if there's any place for rent near your home."
Upon hearing Xia You's words, Ling Ning raised an eyebrow, a little puzzled. "What's up? Why are you suddenly asking this? Are you planning on living alone? You could always stay at my place, you know."
Xia You shook her head. As tempting as it was to live with Ling Ning, long-term living in someone else's house wasn't practical. It would be better to rent a place nearby.
After organizing her thoughts, Xia You explained her situation—her father had left, and the lease on their apartment was up soon.
"Oh~" Ling Ning nodded thoughtfully, squinting slightly as she pondered. "It seems like my neighbors have been planning to move recently. I don't know if anyone will rent their place after they leave. How about I get the landlord's contact information for you when I get home? But I should warn you, the rent might be a bit high."
When Xia You heard that it was right next door to Ling Ning, her eyes lit up, and she replied excitedly, "N-No problem! Rent isn't an issue, so... so could you ask for me?"
Ling Ning raised an eyebrow at Xia You's response. As far as she knew, Xia You's family wasn't exactly well-off. Sure, she worked part-time at a cafe, but since they were in their senior year, work hours were few and far between. So, where was Xia You getting her money from? Could it be... from something shady...
Seeing Ling Ning's skeptical gaze, Xia You blushed furiously and said, "N-No, it's not what you're thinking! Besides working at the cafe, I also make money from game commentary videos."
"Game commentary?"
Ling Ning looked at Xia You's shy and reserved demeanor. It was hard to imagine Xia You being confident enough to commentate on games.
"R-Really! You can look me up on 'Bi♂li♂bi♂li.' My username is 'Yuyou One Summer.' That's me."
"Yuyou One Summer?" Ling Ning thought for a moment. She had heard of that name before. She didn't visit the gaming section of the site often, but even on her rare visits, she would see 'Yuyou One Summer' videos topping the charts.
"I'll leave it to you then."
After saying that, Xia You quickly scurried away. She couldn't explain it, but she suddenly felt very embarrassed. This was her first time telling someone that she was a game commentator, and the first person she told was her most beloved Ling Ning.
"No way!"
Xia You decided she had to go back and screen all her videos, deleting any that showed her in an unflattering light. She couldn't let Ling Ning have a bad impression of her.
Ling Ning watched Xia You's retreating figure and scratched her head, confused. Did I do something?
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Ling Ning's neighbors were a young gay couple trying to make a living in S City. She got along quite well with them. When they heard she was there for the landlord's contact information, they handed over the number without hesitation and told her they'd be moving out in a couple of days.
After sending the landlord's number to Xia You, Ling Ning opened her computer, browsed to her favorite site, the largest same-sex dating site in the country, 'Bi♂li♂bi♂li.'
She entered 'Yuyou One Summer' in the search bar.
Soon, the screen was filled with countless videos. Ling Ning carefully clicked on Yuyou One Summer's profile page. The earliest video had been uploaded four years ago. It was a stealth game called "Tail Stalker."
Judging from the number of views, it was already a legendary video for its time.
Ling Ning opened the video, and sure enough, the commentary voice was Xia You's. It sounded a little young, though. Then she clicked on the latest video, which was a full-collection walkthrough of the game "Light Learning 3."
The voice was unmistakably Xia You's. Ling Ning looked at the video. She'd heard of "Light Learning 3" before but had never played it. Her male classmates often talked about how many of them got stuck at the game's first boss.
But from what Ling Ning saw in Xia You's video, no boss or minion stood a chance—they were cut down with ease. Ling Ning had no idea Xia You's gaming skills were so terrifyingly good.
Without even realizing it, Ling Ning had watched the entire video. She found herself wanting more. Every swing of the sword, every dodge—everything was executed flawlessly without a wasted movement. It felt less like Xia You was playing a game and more like she was performing an art.
Ling Ning silently clicked on the next video.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
"Ling Ning, I've already talked with the landlord. As soon as the current tenants move out, I can move in," Xia You said enthusiastically the moment she arrived at school. Her speech was smoother than usual—it reminded Ling Ning of her game commentary style.
"Really? That's great! Do you need help moving in?"
"N-No, that won't be necessary. There’s... really not much to move, just some clothes."
Xia You had almost instinctively agreed, but then she remembered all the things at home that no one else could see, especially Ling Ning. If Ling Ning saw those things... well...
"No need to be polite! The more people, the quicker it'll go."
"N-No, really, there's nothing much to move. I... I can manage it on my own."
"Alright then. If you need help, don't hesitate to ask me."
Seeing Ling Ning relent, Xia You let out a sigh of relief. She decided she would pack up all her treasures as soon as she got home. She could unpack them again once she was settled in the new place.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Xia You moved quickly. On the very night that the couple moved out, Xia You moved in. The young couple had cleaned the house thoroughly before leaving, so Xia You only needed to do some light organizing. The furniture was all there; she didn't have to worry about a thing.
Looking at her new home, Xia You felt extremely content. Now she could walk to and from school with Ling Ning every day, and she could visit her anytime. Happiness had come so suddenly.
⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱
Author's Note:
Two updates done. Time for this lazy author to grind on FGO~