“Oh, aren’t Cai Ji and Jian Sha helping Changfeng with his test prep?” Juan-jie whispered.

“Yes, they are,” Jiang Ruotang nodded.

“I think they’re about to ascend to heaven!” Juan-jie pointed upwards with her finger.

Jiang Ruotang understood immediately. He clasped his hands together and bowed towards Zhao Changfeng’s room door, whispering, “Cai Cai, Sister Sha, your merits are boundless.”

Lu Guifan stood to the side, hands in his pockets, his lips curving into a smile.

Jiang Ruotang turned to him. “What are you laughing about?”

Lu Guifan gently pressed his hand on Jiang Ruotang’s head. “Because I’m luckier; I get to tutor you.”

Without test prep to worry about, Jiang Ruotang focused more on his drawing. Lu Guifan was “pushed” into the art studio and became his model. He sat cross-legged in the center of the studio, reading the book he hadn’t finished that morning. Jiang Ruotang quietly drew opposite him.

Though he was drawing, his imagination had already soared beyond the clouds. Lu Guifan’s composure was far superior to Zhao Changfeng’s; he could sit motionless in the same pose for an hour. Occasionally, he would look up and glance at Jiang Ruotang across the easel. Lu Guifan sensed something was amiss. He quietly put down his book and slowly moved. For a long time, Jiang Ruotang didn’t look up once, naturally not noticing that Lu Guifan was no longer in his original spot.

When Lu Guifan circled behind Jiang Ruotang, he found the fellow drawing while lowering his head and chuckling to himself, clearly up to something in his mind. Looking at the easel, Lu Guifan paused. On it was a top scholar dressed in red, wearing a flower in his hat, riding a gallant horse.

His robes billowed in the wind, looking incredibly unrestrained and elegant. Even the flower in his hat swayed, and his dark hair tucked beneath the brim of his hat created a classical aesthetic. As for the scholar’s expression, it was exactly like Lu Guifan’s when he looked down at his book: gentle and refined. It was as if becoming a high-ranking official wouldn’t affect his inner world of indifference and broad-mindedness. Jiang Ruotang continued to laugh quietly like a child, then added a few more strokes.

Lu Guifan leaned in little by little, looking at his lively eyelashes and the dimples at the corners of his mouth. He just felt an immense joy in his heart every time he looked at this person.

Jiang Ruotang finally had enough of laughing and looked up, about to apply another coat of color to the flower in the hat. Who knew Lu Guifan’s voice would suddenly sound in his ear? “It’s red enough; it looks good just like this.”

Jiang Ruotang froze, instinctively looking up. Seeing the paint on the brush tip about to smudge the painting, Lu Guifan swiftly blocked it with his hand, and a streak of red landed on his palm. Jiang Ruotang immediately felt like a student caught slacking off by the teacher. He lowered his head and didn’t dare to speak. After all, Lu Guifan had sat there motionless for nearly an hour, and he had ended up drawing an ancient-costume version of a top scholar passing the imperial examination.

Lu Guifan’s slightly amused voice sounded in Jiang Ruotang’s ear. “Hmm, what is this? ‘The spring breeze is swift, the horse’s hooves fly, seeing all of Chang’an’s flowers in one day’?”

“I was just thinking about it,” Jiang Ruotang heard that the other party wasn’t angry, then he raised his face and smiled with curved eyes.

“What else were you thinking in that little head of yours?” Lu Guifan asked.

What else could I be thinking? Of course, I was thinking about stripping off the zhuangyuan lang’s clothes to see how many layers there were!

But Jiang Ruotang still said earnestly, “I was just thinking of buying a soft sofa so you could lie on it, and I could paint a sleeping beauty.”

“Do you think I believe you?” Lu Guifan leaned closer to Jiang Ruotang, his black-framed glasses like a window. Jiang Ruotang inexplicably remembered how he had pretended to kiss the other person yesterday. By the time he realized it, his nose had already bumped into Lu Guifan’s. In that moment, his mind reacted quickly. He pretended to joke, mischievously saying, “You have to believe me even if you don’t!” Lu Guifan’s glasses were bumped up by him, then fell back onto his nose. He held Jiang Ruotang’s shoulders, laughing heartily in front of Jiang Ruotang for the first time.

Unknowingly, it was already ten o’clock at night. Lu Guifan lightly tugged at the back of Jiang Ruotang’s collar and said slowly, “We have class tomorrow. Is young master ready for bed?”

Perhaps it was because he never expected Lu Guifan to be so intimate with anyone, Jiang Ruotang’s heart fluttered slightly. “Mhm, going to bed.”

After they both returned from showering, Jiang Ruotang had been looking forward to Lu Guifan changing into his pajamas in front of him. Who knew the guy would actually hide in the bathroom and put on his pajamas, even buttoning it all the way to the top? Lu Guifan didn’t understand why Jiang Ruotang looked so regretful, as if he was wailing to the heavens.

“What’s wrong?”

“I didn’t see anything yet!”

“Didn’t see what?”

“Your rectus abdominis, internal and external obliques, latissimus dorsi…”

Lu Guifan raised a hand and ruffled Jiang Ruotang’s head. “It sounds like you don’t just want to see me.”

Jiang Ruotang’s mind buzzed. He felt he must have been too arrogant and wondered if he had made Lu Guifan uncomfortable. Who knew, Lu Guifan’s next sentence immediately put Jiang Ruotang at ease.

“You want to dissect me, don’t you?”

“Yes, didn’t you know that many Renaissance painters would secretly dissect bodies to understand human anatomy?”

Lu Guifan replied, “Like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci?”

Jiang Ruotang was a little surprised. “You know that?”

Lu Guifan gestured with his chin towards Jiang Ruotang’s bookshelf. “I saw it in your books.”

Since it had come to this, Jiang Ruotang rubbed his hands together mentally, showing an arrogant expression. “Haha, then let me visually dissect your muscles!” With that, he pounced forward fiercely. Both of them were sitting by the bed. Jiang Ruotang thought that with his strength and body weight, he would surely be able to push Lu Guifan down successfully. Who knew the other party only swayed slightly and quickly regained his balance, looking as steady as a mountain. Most importantly, he lowered his eyes and met Jiang Ruotang’s gaze, as if to say: What are you trying to do with such little strength?

Jiang Ruotang was a bit annoyed. He had to at least put up a fight. He moved away from the bed and stood in front of Lu Guifan, gripping his shoulders and pressing down hard. Lu Guifan tilted his head back, watching Jiang Ruotang exert all his strength, his gaze seemingly carrying a hint of amused leisure, as if to say: Please perform until dawn.

At least a minute passed. Jiang Ruotang stood with his hands on his hips, asking incredulously, “How can’t I push you down? You didn’t eat a steelyard tonight!”

Lu Guifan stretched out his hand, gently grasped Jiang Ruotang’s wrist, and pulled him closer. “Usually, to know someone’s name, you have to state your own first. If you want to see someone’s rectus abdominis, you should show yours first, right?”

Suddenly, an unpleasant thought bubbled up in Jiang Ruotang’s mind. Before he could dodge, Lu Guifan pulled him over. Due to inertia, Jiang Ruotang’s head tilted back. Lu Guifan slightly got up, using one hand to support his head. By the time Jiang Ruotang realized it, he had already been pressed onto the bed.

“Hmm, young master, I highly doubt—do you have abs?”

With that, Lu Guifan’s fingers lightly hooked the hem of Jiang Ruotang’s pajamas. Seeing that he was about to lift it up, Jiang Ruotang quickly rolled over to avoid him, hugging the blanket and rolling to the wall.

“I don’t have abs!” He didn’t dare to look back because he suspected his cheeks must be very red.

Lu Guifan playfully poked Jiang Ruotang’s head. “Do you have a belly button?”

“Nonsense, who doesn’t have a belly button?”

“How about you let me see your belly button then?” Lu Guifan said in a very casual tone.

When Jiang Ruotang heard this, he immediately got excited. “Then you show me your abs?”

“Hmm, okay,” Lu Guifan nodded. Only then did Jiang Ruotang slowly open the blanket and lift his pajamas slightly. Just as the small indentation was revealed, he immediately pulled his clothes back down, not caring if Lu Guifan had seen clearly or not.

“I thought you’d have a small tummy, but you surprisingly don’t,” Lu Guifan said with a hint of disappointment.

Jiang Ruotang nudged the other person with his elbow. “You listen to Zhao Changfeng’s nonsense. My abs just aren’t obvious, but I don’t have a small tummy! And I won’t for ten or twenty years either.”

“Oh,” Lu Guifan responded somewhat perfunctorily, pulling the blanket up as if he was about to go to sleep.

“I haven’t seen yours yet, don’t cover up!” Jiang Ruotang pulled the blanket back, staring intently at Lu Guifan’s waist and abdomen. To be honest, with Jiang Ruotang staring at his waist and abdomen like that, Lu Guifan had a premonition that he might lose control. But if he didn’t keep his promise to Jiang Ruotang, his credibility with him might be damaged.

“Alright, I’ll let you take a look.” Jiang Ruotang’s eyes lit up. He propped himself up with one hand beside Lu Guifan and leaned his head closer. The next second, Lu Guifan lifted his pajamas. Tight, attractive lines flashed before Jiang Ruotang’s eyes. Before he could clearly discern them, the other party pulled his pajamas back down, pulling the blanket with it.

“I didn’t see clearly!” Jiang Ruotang pounced over, only able to lie on top of the blanket.

“We agreed on one glance. I only looked at you once, so you can only look at me once too.” Lu Guifan casually took off his black-framed glasses and placed them on the bedside table. Jiang Ruotang seized the opportunity to pull at the blanket but was pressed back onto the pillow by Lu Guifan.

“Sleep.”

“I’m so mad, I can’t sleep!” With that, Jiang Ruotang turned to face the wall.

The lights had dimmed.

Jiang Ruotang, whose brain cells were fried from studying, claimed he couldn’t sleep, but soon, his breathing became steady, and he slowly turned to face Lu Guifan.

Lu Guifan extended his arm, took his glasses from the bedside table, and put them on. He gradually adjusted to the darkness and could clearly see Jiang Ruotang’s appearance. He was so well-behaved, as if he belonged only to Lu Guifan. A little while later, Jiang Ruotang shifted positions, kicking his feet in the blanket. The soles of his feet landed precisely on Lu Guifan’s calf.

With this audacious behavior, Lu Guifan suspected Jiang Ruotang was using him as a stepping stone to the heavens in his dream. Lu Guifan reached out his hand and gently brushed Jiang Ruotang’s cheek with his knuckles. Unexpectedly, Jiang Ruotang instinctively leaned closer to his hand, as if his secret thoughts had been reciprocated. The rippling sensation in his heart, spreading from the depths of the water, returned. Perhaps it was because he was sleeping in Jiang Ruotang’s bedroom, but that night, Lu Guifan didn’t have trouble adjusting to the bed and slept very soundly.

As the New Year’s Day holiday ended, the small game designed by Cai Ji passed approval and, under Mu Xianqing’s efficient operation, was brilliantly launched. “Dreamy Bubbles” was promoted not only on social platforms like Big Eyed Boy but also on Kirin Video and Yunfeng Video, both of which gave face to Mu Xianqing by providing advertising space on their homepages. Cai Ji felt nervous seeing the comprehensive advertising spread. This was just a small game, incomparable to large RPG or FPS games… Could it make money? Could it break even? He could be mediocre his whole life, but he really didn’t want Jiang Ruotang to lose money because of him.

However, Jiang Ruotang was very calm, thinking that in his previous life, this small game had considerable revenue even with Lin Chendong’s terrible distribution. In this life, with Mu Xianqing’s operation, it could only earn more, definitely not lose money.

As expected, this small game sparked a craze among young people. A large number of users who didn’t usually play games also became immersed in “Dreamy Bubbles” and found it hard to stop. This small game became an entertainment killer during fragmented time, such as sitting on a bus, in the subway, or during breaks at work. With “Dreamy Bubbles” accompanying them, time became more interesting. As they played, many young people discovered it was a神器 for dating. What bubble chase, bubble shock, and there even circulated online memes – “Do you love me or not, will you pass the level or return to the starting point?” – referring to the level Lu Guifan used to appease Jiang Ruotang. Even Jiang Ruotang’s school started to popularize this small game.

It is said that a sophomore student was so engrossed in the game that he didn’t notice the class bell ringing, and his phone was confiscated by the homeroom teacher. When the student went to retrieve his phone after school, he found that all the teachers in the grade office were hunched over their desks, playing the same game on their phones… Even Old Man Wang, who wasn’t very adept with smartphones, could dominate the bubble world, winning three consecutive rounds against the youngest English teacher. Teacher Song Qinghe even joked, “In the bubble world, our Old Man Wang no longer has a sore back or aching legs; with one ultimate move, he shatters all the young bubbles!”

In just one week, Mu Xianqing informed Jiang Ruotang that “Dreamy Bubbles” had reached five million registered users and was expected to surpass thirty million by the end of the month. The game’s advertising revenue was also continuously growing. Conservatively estimated, by the end of the month, Jiang Ruotang’s revenue share would be in the millions, and Cai Ji’s copyright revenue share would also be in the six figures. Lu Guifan, who designed the most popular level, would also participate in the revenue share according to the previous contract. Most importantly, this income was not a one-time thing but settled quarterly. As long as this small game continued to operate and was continuously upgraded, Cai Ji and Lu Guifan would continue to receive revenue shares.

Mu Xianqing gave Jiang Ruotang some friend accounts, allowing them to play for free until the last level. Jiang Ruotang gave these accounts to Cai Ji, asking him to fulfill his promise to his classmates. During breaks, a group of students would gather around Cai Ji to log into the free accounts. For a while, Cai Ji’s popularity surpassed even Bai Yingchuan’s. Students from other classes were incredibly envious of their Senior Three Class One.

---

At noon, Lin Lu, as usual, invited Bai Yingchuan to go out for lunch. They were in the hallway when they heard other students discussing.

“Cai Ji from Class One is too awesome, isn’t he? I usually see him being quiet, but he designed ‘Dreamy Bubbles’!”

“Yeah, I feel like I’m still playing with mud, but his code can already sell game copyrights!”

“How much money do you think he can make from this game?”

“Not much. Game companies are shrewd; they directly buy out the copyright. From then on, whatever happens to it has nothing to do with Cai Ji!”

“Even so, this copyright must have sold for more than tens of thousands of yuan, right? And the game company gave him so many friend accounts, which means they value him a lot!”

“The key is that with this experience, after Cai Ji graduates from university, he can choose any large game company he wants; he won’t have to worry about finding a job at all!”

Lin Lu listened, feeling increasingly uncomfortable. If he could have maintained his previous relationship with Jiang Ruotang, he could have gotten close to Cai Ji and discovered his game design earlier. Now, it would be their Lin family making a fortune!

Bai Yingchuan just glanced at him and saw through Lin Lu’s thoughts. He said faintly, “You never paid attention to Cai Ji, and you never stood up for him when he needed help the most. So even if you could get close to Cai Ji, you wouldn’t be someone he trusts.”

Lin Lu knew immediately that Bai Yingchuan was hinting at something. He wanted to defend himself, but he opened his mouth and nothing came out. Not to mention Cai Ji, even when Jiang Ruotang was suspected of cheating on his monthly exam, Lin Lu never spoke up or supported him. He had no excuse to defend himself.

But Lin Chendong was incredibly jealous of the success of Dreamy Bubbles. As soon as Lin Lu returned home after evening self-study, Lin Chendong was waiting for him in the living room. To be honest, Lin Lu had also become fearful of his father during this period, especially after Lin Chendong punched him a few days ago.

“Dad…”

Lin Chendong didn’t even soften his approach, immediately going into interrogation mode. “What’s wrong with you? The copyright owner of Dreamy Bubbles is your classmate! Didn’t you notice anything at all?”

“This classmate is usually very low-key and doesn’t make many friends. By the time I found out he designed a small game, he had already sold the copyright.”

“Then you should get close to him, approach him, and cater to his preferences. If he can design one small game, he can design a second, a third! Tell him your dad will pay a big price to buy and develop it!”

Lin Chendong had been having bad luck recently; whatever he invested in, it failed. For example, Fangzhou Mobile, Cheng Tan’s fish farm, and his small game company were all about to go bankrupt. Looking at the bloodshot eyes of Lin Chendong, Lin Lu felt a little panicked. He instinctively took a step back. There was no road ahead, but behind him was still a bottomless abyss.

“Do you understand?” Lin Chendong asked, looking at Lin Lu.

“Mhm!” Lin Lu nodded vigorously, swallowed, and turned back to his room.

Getting close to Cai Ji, how could he get close to Cai Ji? The old Cai Ji might have been lonely and isolated, a small act of kindness could have made him utterly devoted. But now, he was surrounded by so many friends. Lin Lu simply didn’t know how to enter his circle.

The next day, Lin Lu could only steel himself and say he had some game-related questions to ask Cai Ji. Fortunately, Cai Ji’s personality was relatively gentle, and they had spent New Year’s Eve together at Jiang Ruotang’s house. Since Lin Lu asked, Cai Ji invited him to his current residence. Cai Ji’s grandparents cooked home-style meals, so if Jiang Ruotang and the others didn’t have special dinner plans, Cai Ji would go home to eat.

After dinner, in Cai Ji’s small room, Lin Lu subtly conveyed his father’s intentions. Cai Ji listened, then tilted his head back, thinking for a while. These days, Jiang Ruotang had explained copyright transfer formats to him, such as one-time buyouts and revenue sharing. Cai Ji even had a say in the design of future levels for Dreamy Bubbles.

Cai Ji’s grandparents were also naive and spread the word that Cai Ji designed Dreamy Bubbles. Somehow, the news reached relatives on Cai Ji’s father’s side who rarely contacted them. Suddenly, uncles and aunts who had been out of touch mysteriously showed up asking to borrow money. Jiang Ruotang then taught him the principle of “a precious object brings trouble” and “wealth should not be flaunted.” Lin Lu’s visit now made Cai Ji feel like he was encountering another freeloading relative, though Lin Lu’s approach was more subtle.

“Firstly, I want to have a say in my own game. My current collaborators highly respect my ideas and opinions. This is something money can’t buy; it requires mutual recognition and respect.” Lin Lu saw a firmness in Cai Ji’s eyes. “Also, we have less than half a year until the college entrance exam. Do you think now is the time to focus on designing new games?” This rhetorical question left Lin Lu unable to persuade him further.

Cai Ji looked at Lin Lu and said very earnestly, “Lin Lu, I actually think you should focus all your energy on the college entrance exam.”

“Huh?”

“I used to always try to please my father, my stepmother, and my stepbrother, but they wouldn’t appreciate this pleasing; they would only demand more from me. The closer people are, the more they hurt me.” Lin Lu knew what Cai Ji had gone through. He lowered his head, because all his comfort felt like hindsight. “So, we have to live for ourselves, make ourselves strong, so that others’ malicious demands and attacks can’t hurt us.” Lin Lu looked up and found Cai Ji’s gaze clear and bright, showing no trace of his former timidity and cowardice.

But for Lin Lu, the real problem was how to explain this to his father. Cai Ji seemed to read Lin Lu’s thoughts and smiled. “Just tell your father that I won’t cooperate with other companies within the next few years.”

Lin Lu could only return home and relay the message verbatim. A low pressure enveloped Lin Chendong, and Lin Lu was afraid just looking at it, but at least he didn’t lash out at Lin Lu. After a long time, Lin Chendong finally spoke. “It seems he signed some exclusive agreement.” Only then did Lin Lu safely leave.

But Lin Chendong was unwilling. He had invested so much money in his game company; how could he just give up? Since he couldn’t cooperate with Cai Ji, he would follow the trend. He hired a team to deeply analyze the code of “Dreamy Bubbles,” planning to be a follower in the market’s gaps. Even eating up the small amount of traffic that “Dreamy Bubbles” leaked would be enough for him to make some money.