"Oh, come on. Hanging out with HOUZI always means spending money—we know him too well." Liu Yina shoved the cash into my hands.

When HOUZI was wheeled out, he was still unconscious. Once settled in the hospital room, he was hooked up to an IV for antibiotics.

The doctor said he needed to be monitored for a few days. After running errands to get him some essentials, I glanced at the clock—it was almost 11 p.m. The ward was silent except for the bubbling sound from the oxygen machine on the wall. The food I had bought for HOUZI had long gone cold—there was no way he’d be eating it tonight.

Hunger gnawed at me, so I picked up a dumpling and took a bite.

"You… mother… f***er…" A weak, fragmented voice suddenly rasped out. "Don’t… eat… my… food…"

I jolted upright. "You’re awake?!"

But there was no response. HOUZI remained motionless, eyes tightly shut, the oxygen bubbles still rising rhythmically.

Dream-talking, probably. I sighed and continued eating.

"Don’t… eat…"

"What the hell?!" I glared at him, dumpling in one hand while I slapped his face with the other.

Still no reaction.

I was dumbfounded—this guy could guard his food even in a coma.

Resigned, I put the food down. He needed rest more than I needed a meal. As expected, he didn’t speak again. I rented a small folding bed and drifted off into a half-sleep, half-dream haze.

The next morning, HOUZI finally woke up, devouring the cold leftovers like a starving beast. When I mentioned his bizarre sleep-talking from the night before, he scoffed and called me a liar.

I couldn't be bothered to argue.

Once he finished eating, he started clamoring to be discharged. The doctor scolded him thoroughly before he reluctantly stayed put.

"Just stay put, man. No need to rush after the Ninth Prince for revenge. There’s always time," I reassured him.

"Bullshit," HOUZI retorted. "I’ve got a game quest to finish today."

I raised an eyebrow. "So, you’re not thinking about revenge anymore?"

"Of course, I am," he snorted. "But I need you to go find someone for me. Tell him I got stabbed by Big Cat."

"Who?"

"Class Two’s Huang Jie. He should be sleeping in the dorms. Here’s the room number."

That’s when I realized—so HOUZI had friends after all. If he was sending me to find this guy, it meant he was assembling reinforcements.

After making sure HOUZI was settled, I headed to the dorms.

Sure enough, inside the room, a guy was sprawled on his bed, snoring.

I nudged him awake. He cracked open his eyes groggily. "Who are you?"

"I’m HOUZI’s friend. He told me to find you."

The moment he heard that, he flopped back down.

"Hey—" I prodded him again.

"I got no money. Tell him to find someone else," Huang Jie grumbled, irritation lacing his voice.

"No, listen. HOUZI told me to tell you—he got stabbed by Big Cat."

"What?" Huang Jie shot up, suddenly wide awake. "Who got stabbed?"

"HOUZI."

His expression sharpened. "By who?"

"Big Cat."

"Which Big Cat?"

"The one from Ninth Prince’s gang."

"For real?"

"For real."

Huang Jie froze, eyes wide with disbelief. For a second, I thought—yeah, this is true brotherhood. The moment he heard HOUZI was stabbed, he was dumbstruck.

"I was sent to—"

Before I could finish, he suddenly burst into laughter.

A quiet chuckle at first. Then a snicker. Then outright cackling. His laughter grew louder and wilder until he was clutching his stomach like he'd just heard the best joke of his life.

I stood there, stunned.

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What the hell? He’s this happy to hear HOUZI got stabbed? They must be sworn enemies. So why did HOUZI send me to find him?!

Huang Jie wasn’t done. He sprang from his bed, slid into his slippers, and started dancing around the dorm, singing:

"The vast horizon is my love, the endless green hills bloom in spring, what kind of rhythm sways the most, sways the most—"

I watched him lose his mind in real time.

Finally, I snapped. "Alright, cut it out! Even if you hate HOUZI, there’s no need to celebrate like this!"

Huang Jie stopped, staring at me in surprise.

I scoffed, turned on my heel, and headed for the door.

"Hey, wait," he called after me.

I paused, turning back.

"What’s your relationship with HOUZI?"

"We’re brothers."

Huang Jie raised a brow. "He has brothers?"

I rolled my eyes. "Yes. Me."

A grin stretched across his face. "Good. Tell HOUZI—I got the message. I’ll wait for him so we can take revenge together."

I stopped in my tracks. "You’re saying… you’re going to help him?"

"Of course. We’re brothers. That’s what brothers do."

"But you were just laughing like crazy—"

"Yeah, because I know he took that stab on purpose."

I gaped at him, my brain struggling to keep up.

"What?"

"Think about it. Unless he let it happen, you really think that useless bastard Big Cat could stab him?"

"I’m asking why he did it."

"He didn’t tell you?"

"No."

Huang Jie pondered for a moment before shaking his head. "Then it’s best if he tells you himself."

"Fine." I knew I wouldn’t get any answers from him, so I turned to leave.

"Hey, wait a sec."

"What now?"

"Can you lend me five bucks? I haven’t had breakfast yet."

"…."

What the actual hell is wrong with these people?!

I slapped a five onto his desk and stormed out.

Now, I truly believed he and HOUZI were brothers. I also finally understood why they didn’t live together—two broke bastards like them wouldn’t survive in the same room.

After meeting Huang Jie, my curiosity about HOUZI’s motives only deepened.

I rushed back to the hospital—only to find the bed empty.

HOUZI was gone.

The IV bag was still half-full, swaying slightly.

I grabbed a passing nurse. "Where’s the patient?!"

The nurse blinked in surprise. "Huh? He was just here—"

"You motherf***ers," I growled, shoving past her. "If anything happens to him, your hospital better be ready to answer for it!"

The corridor was empty, the restroom was vacant—there was no trace of him anywhere. Calls went unanswered, and a creeping sense of unease began to gnaw at me. I feared the Ninth Prince had come to the hospital to finish the job, so I ran frantically through the streets, searching every corner. For a moment, I even considered calling the police.

Then, like a bolt of lightning, it struck me—I had completely overlooked the most obvious place.

I rushed to the internet café, and the moment I stepped inside, there he was—HOUZI, donning an oversized headset, hurling profanities at his teammates.

"Are all you Shanghai players idiots? Running straight to your deaths the moment the match starts? Oh, you're from the Northeast? Even worse! I swear, Northeasterners are even dumber—hell, your piss freezes into icicles in winter! Ever considered tying a hand warmer to your balls?!"

I stormed over and yanked off his headset.

HOUZI stared at me, stunned. After a long pause, he finally spoke. "Oh, Zuo Fei, you're here! Have a seat, have a seat."

"Sit, my ass! What the hell are you doing here instead of resting in the hospital?"

"I’ll go back once I finish my mission."

"Mission? What’s more important, your game or your health?" My frustration mounted, my breath coming in short bursts.

"...Both," he muttered after a long hesitation.

"HOUZI, you seriously need to change this self-destructive lifestyle of yours. You just got stabbed yesterday, for God's sake! You're still under observation! Could you, for once, take care of your own damn body? You keep talking about revenge, but how do you expect to fight anyone in this state?"

HOUZI lowered his head, burying his face in his hands, looking as though he was finally contemplating his life choices.

I sighed in relief. Finally, I had gotten through to him. Perhaps he wasn’t entirely beyond saving. I reached out to pat his shoulder, just as he spoke again—

"I totally screwed my teammates over. They’re probably cursing me to high heaven right now. Damn it, I might've even single-handedly ruined our entire province’s reputation..." he lamented in despair.

I was done. There was no saving this man.

Five minutes later, I found myself seated at a computer as well.

If you can’t change the world, you might as well adapt to it. Who was it that said this profound truth?

But gaming had never been my thing. After a short while, I grew restless and stepped outside for a smoke. I had barely taken two steps when I spotted Huang Jie standing at the front desk, handing over a five-yuan bill.

"Put this in my membership account," he said.

I marched straight over, snatching the bill from his hand in fury. "You said you needed this for breakfast!"

I recognized the bill instantly—it was the same one I got as change when buying preserved egg and pork congee, with a slightly folded corner.

Huang Jie blinked at me, dumbfounded.

Five minutes later, all three of us were seated at computers.

If you can’t change the world, you might as well adapt to it.

HOUZI and Huang Jie barely exchanged a word. From the moment they sat down, they acted like complete strangers. But once the game started, they became eerily in sync, effortlessly hurling insults at players across the nation.

I added them both on QQ and created a discussion group, typing out a single question: So, what’s the plan for revenge?

No response. The two were too busy cursing out their opponents.

When noon finally rolled around, I suggested, "Let's go eat something."

"I'm not hungry," HOUZI said.

"I'm not hungry," Huang Jie echoed.

"I’ll pay."

Both immediately sprang to their feet. "Wow, suddenly I feel a bit peckish!"

We ended up at a noodle shop, where the two of them devoured their meals as if they hadn't eaten in days—or as if they wouldn’t be eating again for the next three.

I rapped my knuckles on the table. "Can you finally tell me why HOUZI deliberately took that stab?"

"We're eating. No need for useless chatter," HOUZI muttered, his mouth stuffed with noodles.

"Fine, then we’ll talk after you’re done."

The two of them finished their food almost simultaneously, then stood up in unison, making a beeline for the internet café like it was their long-lost mother.

"Boss, I don’t have any money," I said casually.

The apron-clad shop owner immediately blocked their way.

They begrudgingly returned to the table. "Zuo Fei, you can’t go back on your word," HOUZI grumbled.

"I’ll pay—if you explain everything first."

HOUZI and Huang Jie exchanged glances.

"Half a year ago, I stabbed Da Mao—you know that, right?" HOUZI finally said.

"I do. Ever since then, they’ve never dared to mess with you again. They treat you with utmost respect."

"That stab," Huang Jie interjected, "was one HOUZI let him land. Back then, we were roommates, but I eventually moved out—I couldn’t stand him constantly borrowing money from me."

"Spare me the bullshit. Have you never borrowed from me before?"

"You ever lent me a single dime? You're stingier than a dead miser."

"Oh, and you’re any better? You wouldn’t lend me a cent even if your life depended on it!"

The two of them glared at each other, their tones growing more heated by the second. It seemed they were just moments away from throwing punches.