A/N: Yay an update! I'm so sorry it took me longer than expected to come up with this chapter, but I hope it is funny enough to make up for the slow update.
When Ye Xiu returned, both Jing Jing and Cai Lin were sulking in their chairs, sitting far away from each other.
Releasing an exasperated sigh, he set the takeout down on the table, and called, "Jing Jing? Cai Lin? I've come back with the food."
They perked their heads up, and scooted over, though making sure to keep their distance. Tang Rou quickly divvied up the food according to their orders, and handed them out.
"Is there any sauce for dipping?" Jing Jing asked.
"Barbeque and garlic chili." Tang Rou answered.
"Both please!"
"Garlic chili? Is it nice?" Cai Lin wondered.
"...You can try some of mine, see if it's to your taste."
"...Okay."
Jing Jing and Cai Lin smiled softly, bringing their food over to the next table, the awkward atmosphere slowly dissipating.
Hmmm, looks like they will make up before the night is over. Ye Xiu observed, before settling down to munch on his supper.
"How much money?" Tang Rou asked Ye Xiu.
"What?"
"Food." Tang Rou said.
Tuning out to their conversation, Jing Jing squeezed out the garlic chili, gesturing to Cai Lin, "here, try some."
Cai Lin took a fry and dipped it into the sauce, before she tentatively took a bite. "...It tastes pretty good, but it's not spicy enough. Back home I used to dip fries in sambal."
"Ohhh I love sambal too, especially sambal belachan."
"Sambal belachan?"
"It's a kind of spicy shrimp paste."
"Ohhh, we call it sambal terasi here."
Jing Jing and Cai Lin continued chatting, their bodies becoming more relaxed, their squabble water under the bridge. They were aware that the others had finished their food, but it still came as a surprise when the lights flickered back on.
"Oh! It's fixed?"
"Yup."
Seeing the electrician carry his bag and leave, both politely shouted, "thank you uncle!"
"Don't worry. It's my job." Smiling, he waved and left Happy.
"Are the both of you going to stay up tonight?"
"Nope, but we are going to stay up awhile more. Don't worry, we'll go to bed soon."
Tang Rou nodded, and kindly left the lights in their area on, reminding them to let her know when they are going to sleep. They thanked Tang Rou, and continued chatting softly.
"If I remember correctly, Liu Hao and gang will appear tonight." Jing Jing frowned, vaguely recalling the story.
Cai Lin frowned as well, displeased with the idea. She said, "Jing Jing, though I would love to see Ye Xiu put them in their places, I don't want that confrontation to occur. Is there some way we can chase them away without Ye Xiu making his appearance?"
"Hmmm… ... I think I have an idea…" Jing Jing smirked, an evil grin spreading across her face.
Cai Lin shivered. "Jing Jing, your smile reminds me of the clown from IT, that instant change is super frightening. But I like it! Count me in!"
Chuckling evilly, both girls huddled together as they concocted their master plan, keeping an eye out for their unsuspecting victims. Upon finalizing their plan, they hid in an obscure corner close to the reception. They waited patiently, but as time ticked by, they began feeling sleepy. It was already past one and no one had showed up. However, Jing Jing and Cai Lin refused to go to bed. To kill time, they started playing Glory, with Jing Jing focused on leveling and Cai Lin creating her character.
"Which server are you planning to go?" Jing Jing asked.
"Tenth server! I want a front row seat to the drama!" Cai Lin declared.
"Hahaha sure. Enjoy, and don't forget to share all the juicy gossip."
"Of course!" And Cai Lin went back to character creation.
A short while later...
"Jing Jing, should I name my character HuangYe or God Ye Is Uke?"
Jing Jing sweatdropped. "Shouldn't you choose a less...revealing name? After all, you will be bringing this character into the pro scene."
"...Right. Alsheon it is then." Cai Lin rapidly keyed in the name, and started playing Glory. She began bombarding Lord Grim and Soft Mist with her PMs, the former promptly refusing to play with her and no reply from the latter. He also said that she should level up Alsheon first, so that she can join them in setting dungeon records. Cai Lin felt a bit disappointed, but understood his reasoning and ran off to do her mains.
Tang Rou eventually replied Cai Lin, apologising for her late reply and explaining that she is rushing levels so as to join Lord Grim and his party tonight. She wished Cai Lin good luck in her grinding and hopes Alsheon quickly reach their levels. Cai Lin politely thanked Tang Rou, before plowing back into her quests.
Nearing 2 A.M., four men entered the internet cafe. Jing Jing and Cai Lin were so engrossed in Glory that they nearly missed the four men, but Cai Lin happened to look up at that moment and nudged Jing Jing. Surprised, Jing Jing spammed all her fingers on the keyboard, Green Fish contorting in the game. Thankfully, she was in an isolated area devoid of mobs, so she quickly hid her character in a nearby bush. Grinning wickedly, Jing Jing and Cai Lin smeared their fingers in chili sauce, and crept closer to the reception.
"You play pretty well."
"Thanks."
As Liu Hao was puzzling over Tang Rou's calm reply, Jing Jing and Cai Lin appeared, squealing, "Vice Captain Liu Hao!"
They pounced on him, eagerly shaking his hands, making sure to dirty his hands and sleeves with garlic chili. They grabbed his hands so hard that they started hurting, but he suppressed his irritation and flashed a charming smile (not really, it's his own opinion) at them. They squealed even more, their screams so high-pitched that everybody winced and covered their ears. Except Liu Hao. He got even more irritated, but he knew that he couldn't flare at them. Gritting his teeth, he suppressed his mounting anger and tried to speak. Before he could say a word, Jing Jing started rambling.
"Vice Captain Liu Hao, today's match versus 301 was so amazing! Sun Xiang's 1v3 really gave us hope! One Autumn Leaf was so mighty, so fierce, when he swept away 301's players! It's almost as if the Battle God is back! It's a pity about the team match though, if only Sun Xiang had broken in, we would have won! That despicable Xu Bin actually dared to bully Goddess Su! Vice Captain Liu Hao, please make sure to take revenge and win 301!"
Cai Lin chimed in, "Yea! Defeat 301, and show them who's boss! ...Vice Captain Liu Hao, are you drunk? Please don't beat yourself up over the loss, no one is to blame!"
Jing Jing continued, "Yea! Please don't drink because you are heartbroken over the loss! Drinking is not good for your health! …" (continues rambling non-stop)
Fuck, this girl is so noisy! Liu Hao, Wang Ze, Fang Feng Ran and Chen Ye Hui thought. Even Ye Xiu and Tang Rou were astonished at Jing Jing's lung capacity, but they kept silent and continued gaming as if nothing happened. After all, who would want to hang around a chatterbox?
Forcing his mouth into a ugly smile, Chen Ye Hui spoke up, "thank you so much for your support. However, it is really late and we need to go back and rest. We still need to train tomorrow morning."
Releasing Liu Hao's hands, Jing Jing and Cai Lin nodded fervently. "Of course of course!" They chorused. Jing Jing continued, "Training is very important! It…"
Without even waiting for Jing Jing to finish, they smiled weakly at the two girls before hurriedly escaping. Jing Jing even chased after them, protesting, "wait! I haven't finished yet!" which made them run even faster. Cai Lin bit her lip, struggling to control her laughter. Even Ye Xiu and Tang Rou were snickering quietly at the reception.
The moment Excellent Era's door banged shut, Jing Jing pursed her lips and silently entered Happy. Upon seeing Jing Jing's expression, Cai Lin broke out into uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahahaha! Jing Jing, that was AMAZING! Hahaha! Did you see their faces?! Hahaha! It's almost as if you are a female Huang Shao Tian! Hahahaha!"
Having exhausted her saliva for the past few minutes, Jing Jing simply rolled her eyes, ignoring the laughing trio. Fck, just because Huang Shao Tian and I happened to have the same surname doesn't mean I love to talk! Do you know how torturous it was for me to ramble on and on?! Bah!
Flushed with irritation, she strode back to her computer, quickly logged off Glory and headed upstairs to sleep.
P.S. Before anyone bash me for my obvious dislike of Liu Hao, let me explain myself. He is arrogant and full of himself, and when things go wrong he pushes the blame onto others instead of reflecting on his actions. Plus, he is a smooth talker, one who is all talk and no substance. There's nothing wrong with being good at talking, but when you do not have the skills to back up your exaggerations, you are being irresponsible, because your team will have to cover for you, especially your leader.