Lu Hui didn’t know who Li Qiang was, but she saw no reason to refuse his friend request. After a mont’s thought, she accepted it. anwhile, Liu Shuo, still fumbling with the ga’s rules, asked her how to play.
“What’s your role?” Lu Hui asked, glancing at his screen.
“Villager.”
“Then just say you’re a villager when it’s your turn to speak.”
“That simple?”
“Yep.”
The group’s ga of Werewolf was far from professional, as many of them were playing for the first ti. As the players introduced themselves, Lu Hui scanned their profiles. Most of them were first-level accounts, showing only a nickna, gender, age, and hotown.
Zhou Yuwen’s profile, however, was outrageous—everything but his gender was fake. His voice also sounded young, not at all like the rich heir Lu Hui had imagined.
She couldn’t help but turn to Liu Shuo, who was fiddling with his phone nearby. “What kind of people did Zhou Yuwen invite?”
Liu Shuo was annoyed that Lu Hui used Zhou Yuwen’s full na. Without warning, he reached under the blanket and pinched her. Hard.
“Ow! What was that for?” Lu Hui grumbled, genuinely hurt.
Liu Shuo replied matter-of-factly, “You’re my girlfriend now. Why are you still calling him by his na?”
“I’m older than him! What else should I call him?” Lu Hui protested.
“Call him ‘Brother’ like I do,” Liu Shuo said smugly.
Lu Hui was dumbfounded. Liu Shuo climbed onto the bed, grinning slyly. “Not only do you have to call
‘Brother,’ but you also have to call him ‘Brother.’ Go on, my good little sister!”
Fed up, Lu Hui pushed him away. “Stop it! I’m trying to play the ga.”
“Not until you call him ‘Brother.’”
“Fine, fine. I’ll call him ‘Brother.’ Happy now?” Lu Hui sighed in frustration and turned her attention back to the ga. “So, who are these people? Are they Zhou Yuwen’s friends?”
“Oh, the girls are his girlfriend’s roommates, and the guys are his roommates,” Liu Shuo explained, quickly distracted by the ga.
Lu Hui’s interest waned. So, they were just students?
Watching Liu Shuo burrow into the blanket with his phone, Lu Hui felt a pang of regret. At 25, here she was, playing children’s gas with college students.
Still, sothing crossed her mind. “Isn’t one of Zhou Yuwen’s roommates from Beijing?” she asked.
“Oh, you an that idiot?” Liu Shuo replied nonchalantly, not even looking up.
“What do you an?”
“There is one from Beijing,” Liu Shuo said. “He had a crush on my brother’s girlfriend and got beaten up by
for it.”
“You hit him?” Lu Hui was stunned.
“Yeah, why not?” Liu Shuo finally looked up. “Problem?”
Seeing his indifferent expression, Lu Hui felt a surge of disdain. Was dating Liu Shuo too much of a compromise?
She rembered a college lecturer once joking, “If you girls from vocational colleges don’t find boyfriends in undergraduate programs, you’re not ambitious enough.”
Her previous boyfriends had all been from prestigious universities, with the lowest being from a top 985 school. During her sophomore year, she even dated a Tsinghua University graduate student she’d t in an online dancing ga.
She’d traveled alone for a day and a night on a slow train to Beijing just to see him. Those three days in Beijing were unforgettable—her boyfriend, with his black-rimd glasses and intellectual deanor, had shown her the charm of one of the nation’s top universities.
Their relationship lasted six months before he left for the U.S. to study, ending things between them. Even now, Lu Hui sotis fantasized about randomly encountering her "White Moonlight" on TV or on the streets.
“Don’t just beat people up. Learn from Zhou Yu... Brother Zhou,” Lu Hui corrected herself, catching Liu Shuo’s glare.
“Learn what? You won don’t understand,” Liu Shuo retorted. “My brother and I are a team—one handles brains, the other brawn!”
Liu Shuo then launched into a tirade about Chang Hao, the Beijing student, calling him delusional for trying to compete with Zhou Yuwen for Zheng Yanyan.
Lu Hui secretly rolled her eyes. He has no idea of Beijing’s significance.
She recalled how her ex would brag about the capital: the best hospitals nearby, world-class universities requiring only modest test scores for locals, and a life destined to be better than 90% of the country.
In her youth, Lu Hui had dread of marrying into such a life. Those dreams, however, remained unfulfilled.
As the ga progressed, the Werewolves began to make their moves.
Chang Hao, playing as the Seer, hesitated on whom to investigate. Choosing Yanyan might backfire if she turned out to be a Werewolf, and investigating Zhou Yuwen could complicate things further. In the end, he chose Lu Lin.
“I’m the Seer. Seven is a Werewolf. Let’s vote her out today, and the Witch can lead tomorrow,” Chang Hao declared.
Lu Lin, sitting in the living room with her phone, rolled her eyes. “What’s wrong with you? Why ?”
Both Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin were Werewolves this round. To protect their strategy, Zhou Yuwen countered, “Five is a Werewolf pretending to be the Seer. I’m the real Seer, and I investigated Yanyan—she’s clean.”
Hearing this, Yanyan giggled, “Oh, hubby, I knew you’d pick .”
When it was Yanyan’s turn, she pouted and said sweetly, “Who said you could touch , huh? I didn’t give you permission, you naughty boy! Anyway, I trust my boyfriend completely, so I’m siding with him.”
Chang Hao was livid. “Player 1, take the ga seriously! This is about logic and analysis!”
Zhou Yuwen calmly replied, “Player 5, please watch your tone. Player 1 has her own reasoning.”
Unsurprisingly, Chang Hao was voted out in the first round.
With Yanyan’s unwavering support, Zhou Yuwen easily sailed through the ga. As the final Werewolf was about to be voted out, Yanyan was already celebrating, convinced their teamwork was flawless.
But to her surprise, the ga didn’t end.
“Huh? Wait, this doesn’t make sense. On the field, there’s one God role, one cleared Villager, one normal Villager… I’m the only one left without a role. But I’m not a Werewolf!” Zheng Yanyan muttered in confusion.
At this mont, Zhou Yuwen spoke up. “I’m the Seer, and I’ve discovered Yanyan is a sneaky little Werewolf.”
Lu Lin chid in, “Yeah, I think she’s acting like a Werewolf too.”
Yanyan panicked. “No, I’m not! I swear!”
Su Qing, the only remaining God role, burst out, “Sister, are you blind? They’re clearly two Werewolves controlling the ga!”
“Ah!?” Yanyan finally realized what was happening. She had trusted Zhou Yuwen’s Seer act the entire ga and didn’t even catch on when he accused her.
Once it clicked, Yanyan leaped out of her room and stord into the living room, confirming Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin were indeed Werewolves.
“You traitors!” she yelled, tackling Zhou Yuwen onto the sofa.
Zhou Yuwen laughed heartily. “It’s just a ga. Don’t take it so seriously!”
“Hmph! I’ll never trust you again!” Yanyan pouted. Then, glaring at Lu Lin, she added, “And you! You’re just as bad!”
Lu Lin shrugged. “Hey, don’t bla . Your boyfriend was the one who decided to save .”
“You’re just throwing
under the bus now?” Zhou Yuwen teased Lu Lin with a smirk.
Lu Lin smiled and said to Yanyan, who was still sprawled over Zhou Yuwen, “Your boyfriend has ulterior motives toward , you know.”
“Hmph! You’re both awful!” Yanyan huffed, but she secretly enjoyed this dynamic where her best friend and boyfriend got along.
She thought back to when she first t Lu Lin. At the ti, Lu Lin was aloof and rarely smiled. But after months of friendship, Lu Lin had beco much more cheerful.
To Yanyan, this change felt like a redemption of sorts—like she had “rescued” her best friend.
After the ga, Yanyan admitted her mistakes but shifted the bla. “It’s not entirely my fault! Zhou Yuwen was too convincing, and the actual Seer didn’t communicate properly!”
Hearing this, Chang Hao, who had been eliminated in the first round and spent the rest of the ga stewing, snapped. “What do you an I didn’t communicate properly? Player 1, how about you try listening instead of blindly siding with your boyfriend?”
Yanyan imdiately bristled. “What’s wrong with siding with my boyfriend? If I don’t trust him, should I trust you instead? Besides, if your logic was even a little convincing, maybe I would have believed you!”
“My logic isn’t convincing, but his is!?” Chang Hao was livid.
“You’re both lacking logic! Under those conditions, of course, I’ll trust my boyfriend over you. If you want my trust, you should give
a better reason. But all you said was, ‘Lu Lin is a Werewolf.’ How can I believe that?”
Lying on Zhou Yuwen’s lap, Yanyan directed her comnts at her phone. She added, “And even if we forget Zhou Yuwen, Lu Lin is my best friend. You accused her right away. Even if Zhou Yuwen didn’t counter, I wouldn’t have trusted you.”
Chang Hao was speechless. “Boyfriend? Best friend?”
“Have you ever considered that your boyfriend and your best friend might be teaming up to deceive you!?” he finally shouted, his voice cracking with frustration.
“It’s just a ga. Why are you getting so worked up?” Yanyan asked, confused by his outburst.
“It’s not just a ga! What if your boyfriend and your best friend are lying to you!?” Chang Hao’s voice was shaking, his pent-up emotions spilling out.
“You’re crazy,” Yanyan said dismissively. “Why are you even bringing reality into this?”
Chang Hao froze, realizing he had crossed a line. Trying to salvage the situation, he muttered, “I didn’t an anything by it. I just think you should be more rational during gas and not let personal relationships influence you.”
Their argunt, audible through the group chat’s open mic, entertained everyone else in the room. Li Qiang laughed uncontrollably. “Hahaha! Hao, now you know what it’s like when I play with Liu Yue. But I gotta admit, Yanyan is way more savage!”
Even Su Qing joined in, fanning the flas. “Hey, Chang Hao, what exactly did you an by that?”
Shen Yu tried to diate. “Alright, alright, let’s all calm down.”
By now, Yanyan was thoroughly annoyed and stopped speaking. Realizing he had gone too far, Chang Hao backed down. “Forget it. Let’s just play the next round.”
However, Yanyan abruptly declared, “I’m done playing!”
“What’s the point of playing if people take it so personally? Whether or not I trust my boyfriend is my business. Even if I knew he was a Werewolf, I’d still trust him. What does it have to do with you? This is ridiculous!”
With that, she exited the ga.
Her departure sucked the energy out of the room. Zhou Yuwen coughed awkwardly and said, “Well, in that case, let’s call it a night. I’m logging off too.”
Lu Lin, Su Qing, and Shen Yu followed suit, leaving the room empty.
Chang Hao sat there, stunned. He had spent the entire ga preparing to expose Zhou Yuwen and Lu Lin, only for Yanyan’s declaration—“Even if he’s a Werewolf, I’d still trust him!”—to render all his efforts futile.
Li Qiang sighed. “Hao, you need to let it go. She’s been dating Zhou for ages. Why get so worked up? She’s clearly made her choice.”
“You don’t understand,” Chang Hao muttered. “I just want her to see the truth and not get hurt.”
“Maybe, but that’s her choice. Look, she’s living a good life—fancy cars, luxury hos, expensive clothes. Can you provide that? The suite she’s in tonight costs ??2,800 a night. Can you afford that?”
Chang Hao fell silent.
“Let’s be real,” Li Qiang continued. “You’re a Beijing local, sure. But that only impresses girls who aren’t from Beijing. What does Yanyan gain from being with you?”
His words hit Chang Hao like a slap. For a mont, he sat there, frozen.
Li Qiang sighed again. “Think it over. I’m off to play another ga. And because of you, I didn’t even get to enjoy playing with Lu Lin.”
Chang Hao didn’t respond, lost in his thoughts.
anwhile, Li Qiang, back in the bathroom, found that Lu Hui had started another ga.
“Hey, beautiful, why aren’t you sleeping? (Grinning emoji)” Li Qiang ssaged her.
Lu Hui, unable to sleep after lounging all day, responded: “I napped too much earlier.”
“Wanna play a couple of rounds? (Grinning emoji)” Li Qiang asked.
“Sure,” Lu Hui replied after so thought. She didn’t want to disturb the snoring Liu Shuo and decided to head to the hotel lobby, where she could play undisturbed.
As they played, Li Qiang found the conversation enjoyable. Lu Hui, at 25, effortlessly chard the younger Li Qiang.
However, sothing about Li Qiang’s deanor made Lu Hui suspicious. “Hey, your profile says you’re from Beijing, but you don’t sound like it. Why’s that?”
“Oh,” Li Qiang paused. “Our family is just average in Beijing. My parents earn about ??10,000 a month. There’s nothing special about the city except for the high housing prices.”
Now that’s the tone she was expecting.
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