As a graduate student, Xin Yan became very busy, often staying in the chemistry lab for a whole day. After experimenting and returning to the dormitory, he would look up information and write his thesis.
Xin Yan’s goal was to enter a large pharmaceutical company after graduation from the doctoral program, researching drugs that could overcome human incurable diseases. Chemistry was the basis of all kinds of drug experiments, and many domestic pharmaceutical companies were short of high-end talents in chemistry.
Ke Shaobin was also very busy. Artificial intelligence was still in the stage of rapid development. The research content of his research group was the direction of household artificial intelligence. Ke Shaobin also had the idea—— to reproduce Xiao Tu.
The Xiao Tu he had met in the Library was virtual. He wanted to turn it into an entity that existed in reality as well. So, when he returned home later, a robot would say clearly, “Master, welcome home.”
To realize this dream, Ke Shaobin studied hard and spent significantly less time in the game.
The number of times Dark Night Guardian logged in to the game was also much less than before. They communicated more on Q, and Ke Shaobil still chatted with Dark Night Guardian every day to talk about his dreams and plans.
Ke Shaobin felt his blood boiling every time he chatted with Dark Night Guardian. This feeling of working together for their dream was quite good. Although they were in different fields, they had a lot of common topics.
Dark Night Guardian said, “It’s better if I come to you.”
Ke Shaobin: “That’s fine. I’m in Hua’an.”
Dark Night Guardian: “What a coincidence? I’m also in Hua’an.”
Ke Shaobin said excitedly, “Really? What school are you from ah?”
Dark Night Guardian: “Let’s talk about it when we meet. How about we meet in the central square on National Day? There’s a great revolving restaurant on the 8th floor over there. I’ll book a spot in advance.”
Ke Shaobin: “Okay! It’s scheduled for the evening of October 1st.”
The National Day holiday was coming soon. On September 30th, after Ke Shaobin returned to the dormitory, he opened the wardrobe and rummaged through it, taking out the clothes one by one and comparing them in front of the mirror.
Xin Yan looked at him seriously and asked, “What do you do? Are you going on a date?”
Ke Shaobin’s ears turned red. “It’s not a date. I’m going to meet a netizen tomorrow.”
Xin Yan walked over and said, “I thought you were going on a date. Is it necessary to pay so much attention just to meet a netizen?”
Ke Shaobin said, “Of course, that’s my best netizen! I need to make a good impression to him.”
Hearing this, Xin Yan smiled slightly. From a large pile of clothes in Ke Shaobin’s wardrobe, he picked out a set of white casual clothes and handed it to him. “Wear this set.”
Ke Shaobin took a closer look and also thought this outfit was good. This classic combination of light blue jeans and a casual T-shirt looked like an energetic university student, fresh and natural.
The following night, Ke Shaobin cleaned himself up and excitedly took a taxi to the central square.
The buffet restaurant on the 8th floor was overcrowded. Luckily, Dark Night Guardian sent him the private room number in advance. Ke Shaobin took a deep breath, walked into the private room, and sat down, taking out his mobile phone to send a message quickly. “Have you arrived?”
Dark Night Guardian: “Downstairs. I’m coming right up.”
Ke Shaobin put down his mobile phone. This was the first time he met a netizen, and he suddenly felt nervous.
A moment later, a man pushed the door open and entered.
Ke Shaobin immediately stood up and extended his hand with a big smile. “Dark Night… Xin–Xin Yan?!” His hand froze in the air, the smile on his face froze, and his wide-eyed look looked a little funny.
Xin Yan pretended to be surprised and raised his eyebrows. “Why is it you?”
Ke Shaobin: “……”
Xin Yan looked around and said lightly, “I’m here to meet a netizen. You didn’t go to the wrong room, right?”
Ke Shaobin blushed. “No, no. Are you Dark Night Guardian?”
Xin Yan: “En. Are you Refined and Courteous?”
Ke Shaobin was ashamed and wanted to dig a crack in the ground to bury himself, remembering that during this time, he had been complaining about his roommates ignoring him in front of Dark Night Guardian ah… Was this equivalent to complaining about Xin Yan in front of his face?
Seeing Ke Shaobin’s reddened ears, Xin Yan smiled slightly as he pretended to be calm and said, “Sit down.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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Xin Yan smiled. “I guess it’s fate.”
It was Xin Yan who once saw a screenshot of Ke Shaobin’s moments. He downloaded the game from the screenshot, looked for it, and added himself to Ke Shaobin’s guild.
Sometimes, fate also had to be artificially made.
Xin Yan stood up and said, “This is a seafood buffet. You can take whatever you want to eat.”
Mentioning food, Ke Shaobin’s embarrassment eased a lot. He hurriedly got up to follow Xin Yan.
This was the city’s most upscale revolving restaurant. Ke Shaobin was usually reluctant to come here because it was expensive. But when he looked at it today, it really deserved its name.
Abalone, sea cucumber, spicy lobster, garlic scallops, grilled oysters… All were available in unlimited quantities!
Ke Shaobin’s eyes lit up. He picked up the plate and took a lot of food.
Xin Yan also took a large plate, and then they returned to the private room. Xin Yan put on plastic gloves and peeled the shrimp slowly and methodically. Ke Shaobin was wondering why the other party had peeled a large plate. The next moment, he saw Xin Yan put the peeled shrimp before Ke Shaobin. “Eat it. Haven’t you been wanting to eat seafood for a long time? Eat enough at one time today.”
Ke Shaobin: “…”
Compared to his shock, Xin Yan seemed too calm.
Ke Shaobin lowered his head to eat the shrimp silently. After eating for a moment, he suddenly reacted, “By the way, when I added you on Q, I used my main account ah! We’ve been friends on my main account, so you should recognize me, right?!” He only had one Q number. The avatar and signature had remained the same for several years.
Xin Yan chuckled. “En. You’re not that stupid.”
Ke Shaobin blushed. “Then why didn’t you say so? Are you playing with me?”
Xin Yan shrugged. “It’s interesting to see you complaining about your roommate.”
Ke Shaobin: “…”
You’re the one I’m complaining about!
I can’t believe you pretended to be silent for so long after knowing who the other party was.
The feeling of being looked at as a joke was unpleasant. Ke Shaobin glared fiercely at Xin Yan and continued to lower his head to eat.
The next moment, a freshly roasted oyster was handed to him, and a voice carrying a hint of gentleness echoed in his ears. “Therefore, I invited you to a big meal today. It should be regarded as an apology.”
Ke Shaobin froze for a moment, raised his head, and met Xin Yan’s deep gaze. “Don’t be angry, okay?”
The tone was like coaxing a child.
Ke Shaobin’s cheeks burned, and he quickly averted his eyes. “I’m not that petty.”
To be honest, he was really shocked the moment he saw Xin Yan just now, but strangely, there was an indescribable joy in his heart—— It turned out that the person who had accompanied him for three years in the game was Xin Yan. It turned out that the netizen who was online every time he played late at night, helped him collect vegetables, patiently listened to his complaints, and gave him advice, was Xin Yan.
Xin Yan had two faces, usually as cold as an instrument in a chemical laboratory, which made people did not dare to touch it easily; But on the Internet, he was so tolerant that no matter what Ke Shaobin told him, he would respond patiently.
Ke Shaobin thought wildly while eating.
It wasn’t until the evening, when he was full, that he took the initiative to get up. “That, I’ll treat you today.” This buffet was definitely not cheap. Ke Shaobin wanted to take the initiative to pay, only for Xin Yan to say, “No need. I’ve already paid the bill.”
Ke Shaobin was a little embarrassed. “It’s too much to treat me to eat such an expensive meal.”
Xin Yan said, “It’s okay. There is a scholarship. I also deposited the money I was rewarded for passing the game before.” He paused and looked at Ke Shaobin. “This store tastes okay, right?”
Ke Shaobin nodded vigorously, rubbing his stomach and saying, “It’s so delicious! This is the most satisfying seafood buffet I’ve ever had!”
He finished off 10 oysters in one go. He had to eat enough for the money he’d spent.
Xin Yan said, “Let’s go. Take a walk to go back to digest the food.”
They went out together and walked side by side in the direction of the school.
It was not close to the university, and it took half an hour to walk back.
It was getting late, and the street was not too stuffy. They walked along the river and Xin Yan suddenly asked in a low voice, “Do you think that I’m a very difficult person to get along with?”
Thinking of the previous Q, ‘My roommate is difficult to get along with’, Ke Shaobin’s cheeks flushed, and he hurriedly said, “No, no. I’m talking nonsense. It’s just… I don’t know what to talk to you about. I don’t know anything about chemistry.”
Xin Yan said, “I don’t know anything about artificial intelligence, either.”
Ke Shaobin froze for a moment. “That’s right. It’s not like we are writing a thesis together. There’s no need to talk about academic things.”
Xin Yan said lightly, “Just like on the Internet. You can tell me if you have something on your mind in the future”
Ke Shaobin was silent for a moment before he stopped and said seriously, “Xin Yan, I still want to thank you for the past three years.”
Xin Yan turned his head to look at him. “Thank you for what?”
Ke Shaobin scratched his head and said, “Actually, I don’t have many friends at school, because I like to stay in the dormitory and play games. I rarely participate in club activities and the like… However, these three years have been very fulfilling.”
His gaze was sincere as he looked at Xin Yan earnestly. “Every night, you accompany me to play dungeons and arena. No matter how tired I’m during the day, I’ll be in a better mood if I play a few games with you at night.”
Xin Yan met his serious gaze and only felt a warmth in his heart.
I’m the one who should say thank you, right?
If it weren’t for you, I would have been living a life with no one to accompany me and no one to pay attention to since high school.
Like being a lone wolf, traveling alone in the night.
Xin Yan sighed lightly and said, “Now then, will you consider me as one of your friends?”
Ke Shaobin nodded his head vigorously, “Of course ah!”
Xin Yan joked. “It’s no longer a ‘chemistry classmate who doesn’t get along well’?”
Ke Shaobin blushed and said, “Forget the black history. You’re not allowed to mention it again in the future.”
Xin Yan made a promise. “Okay. I won’t mention it again.”
They slowly walked back to the dormitory. Ke Shaobin went to take a shower first, then turned on the computer, and greeted. “Come. I haven’t been to the arena for a long time! I don’t have to watch you type this time. I’ll call you directly later!”
Xin Yan also logged in to the account. They went to the two-player arena to play a few games.
Unsurprisingly, they won all.
After all, they knew each other very well, having been online friends for three years.
Ke Shaobin happily took a shower and went to bed to sleep.
In the middle of the night when he slept, he suddenly had a stomachache. The kind of pain that drilled into his heart made Ke Shaobin’s forehead break out in a cold sweat. He wanted to get up and drink some water, but in the end, as he got out of bed, the pain caused him to fall to the ground.
Xin Yan heard the movement, hurriedly walked over to support him, and asked in a low voice, “What’s wrong?”
Ke Shaobin’s face turned pale. “My stomach hurts…”
Xin Yan stretched out his hand to test his body temperature. His face changed, and he immediately picked Ke Shaobin up horizontally. He rushed to the Affiliated Hospital of Hua’an University.
Liu Zhaoqing happened to be on night duty in the emergency department tonight. When he saw Xin Yan rushing into the emergency room with Ke Shaobin in his arms, his face was ugly. He hurriedly stood up and asked, “What’s wrong?”
Ke Shaobin was breathless as he spoke, “Senior—senior brother Liu, why are you in the emergency department…”
Liu Zhaoqing said, “Resident doctors have to rotate departments. I ask you what’s wrong? Where does it hurt ah?”
Ke Shaobin pointed to his right lower abdomen. Liu Zhaoqing motioned to Xin Yan to take Ke Shaobin to the treatment room, checked him, and then said seriously, “I suspect acute appendicitis. I have to operate as soon as possible.”
Ke Shaobin’s face turned pale with fright. “Ope-operation!”
Liu Zhaoqing said, “Don’t be afraid. Appendicitis is the simplest surgical operation. The incision is very small. I’ll ask the teacher on duty to do it for you. In your case, you were taken to the hospital in a relatively timely manner. It shouldn’t have caused a perforated appendix yet, so it’s very easy to deal with.”
Ke Shaobin was afraid of pain, especially afraid. He gritted his teeth and said, “Can’t I get an injection to reduce the inflammation?”
Xin Yan said decisively, “Let’s do the operation.”
Liu Zhaoqing said, “The family must sign the informed consent form.”
Xin Yan: “I’ll sign. I’m responsible for anything that happens.”
Liu Zhaoqing nodded, turned around, and called the attending doctor.
Ke Shaobin’s face was extremely ugly.
Xin Yan leaned over and said, “Don’t be afraid. I’ll accompany you.”
Ke Shaobin’s voice was tinged with tears. “It must be because I ate too much today to cause appendicitis.”
The teary-eyed student Ke Shaobin made Xin Yan couldn’t help but feel distressed. Xin Yan gently touched his head and said, “It’s okay. It’s a minor surgery and it will be fine soon.”
Perhaps it was Xin Yan’s comfort that played a role. Ke Shaobin closed his eyes and nodded.
He was pushed into the operating room.
After the anesthesia, it didn’t hurt at all, and the operation was done quickly.
Half an hour later, he was pushed out with a still slightly confused look on his face. “Is it done?”
Liu Zhaoqing was helpless. “It’s just appendicitis. How complicated should it be?”
Ke Shaobin blushed and said, “I thought my belly was going to be cut open and then need to be sewn for a long time.”
Liu Zhaoqing pointed to the wound on his right lower abdomen. “Don’t touch water to the wound to avoid infection. I asked over at the Gastroenterology department and there are still beds available. I’ll transfer you over and you can be discharged within a week under normal circumstances.”
Ke Shaobin was transferred to a single room in the gastroenterology department.
After senior brother Liu left, Ke Shaobin whispered, “I have to be hospitalized for a week. I have to take a leave of absence from school. Also, call my mom and ask her to come over…”
Xin Yan interrupted him in a low voice, “Don’t bother Auntie, let me take care of you. Don’t worry about taking a leave of absence. I’ll go back to school tomorrow and help you with the leave procedures.”
Ke Shaobin said, “I’m so sorry to delay your experimental progress…”
Xin Yan said, “It’s okay. I’m not the only one in our experimental team.”
Ke Shaobin still wanted to say more. Xin Yan gently touched his head. “Don’t think too much. Have a good rest.”
Ke Shaobin quickly fell asleep, maybe because he was too tired.
Xin Yan looked at him sleeping quietly and gently held his hand.
Before, I never thought that I would have the patience to take care of someone like this.
But now, looking at Ke Shaobin lying on the hospital bed, Xin Yan couldn’t help but feel distressed.
He sighed softly, leaned over, planted a kiss on Ke Shaobin’s forehead, and whispered, “Fool. Do you know who the Dark Night Guardian wants to protect?”
“It’s always been you.”
Amazing
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
Thank you for the dog food…I mean update.
I’ve catch up…daym..
Thanks for the chapter!!!!