Chapter 558: New Year’s Eve

    With the lack of response from Imhotep, the players who were anticipating Jin Jiuchi’s downfall soon grew bored and the heat of the gossip slowly dwindled in the following days, leaving only a thread where players clocked in every single day just to spam rainbow farts toward Ying, the fourth Legendary player.

    After all, it had been over two years since a new Legendary player had emerged, and the trend of the Nightmare Cycle had always been to worship the strong!

    Unfortunately, not even once had Ying appeared on the forum, nor was she affiliated with any organization. She wasn’t even willing to disclose her name during the final announcement in the annual Cycle, indicating that she valued her privacy very much.

    Modest, reserved, low-key, and mysterious— as expected of a Legendary player!

    Her absence failed to deter the players; they grew more emboldened and spirited instead, dropping one flowery essay after another in hope that she would notice their dedication someday, feel moved and decided to take them under her wings. It wouldn’t hurt for one to dream of reaching the skies, right?

    It was in this lively manner that everyone welcomed the New Year.

    As a freshman, Gu Luoxin had two days off classes. Rounding it up with the weekend, it meant he could have four full days of holidays!

    He hadn’t planned to go home at first; there was no one welcoming him back either way. Ever since his parents passed away when he was young and he was taken in by his uncle, he had gotten accustomed to spending each holiday alone. His uncle was an utter workaholic who flew around the globe all year round. He loved his job so much that he hadn’t even considered finding a lover, much less settle down with a family.

    Sometimes, Gu Luoxin couldn’t help but suspect that his uncle had forgotten about his existence, this crybaby brat he had picked up on a whim.

    Gu Luoxin might have felt a little resentful when he was still an adolescent in his rebellious phase, but growing up, he had come to learn his uncle’s temperament very well. Never again would he throw a tantrum or force the other person to spend time with him. He was sensible enough to figure out that becoming a guardian figure was the most his uncle could do for him, and it was impossible to hope for any fatherly love.

    For that reason, just receiving a simple greeting for holidays alone was enough to leave him in an exuberant mood for the whole day, as it proved that his uncle still had him in his mind.

    Going back to the topic, Gu Luoxin had planned to spend the whole holiday holed up in his dorm room, bundled in his blanket while catching up on some movies and anime series which had just been released— hmm, what a perfect plan, if he could be honest!

    Yet a single message from his long-absent uncle threw a wrench into his plans.

    [Uncle: Long time no see, Xinxin. Are you coming back for New Year? I think I can drop by our hometown the day after tomorrow. Would you like to meet up and have a meal together?]

    Gu Luoxin bolted upright, his eyes widening in sheer disbelief. He did a double-take on the sender’s name and reread the message two more times before his mind managed to process the content. And the instant he did, he immediately leaped out of bed, punched the air twice and did a little silly dance around the room, "Yes—!!!"

    His cheeks flushed in excitement, and he was grinning so wide that his facial muscles began to ache. But that was the last of Gu Luoxin’s concerns at the moment.

    After such a long time, he could finally meet his uncle again. Not to mention having a meal together, he would already be satisfied if they could have a brief talk for ten – no, five minutes!

    Gu Luoxin had even lost count of how many days since the last time they met. He was truly worried that his uncle would work himself to the bones and neglect his health.

    Taking a few deep breaths to calm his pounding heartbeat, Gu Luoxin picked up his phone and carefully drafted a message in return. The two of them settled on a date and time, which happened to be on New Year’s Eve. Unfortunately, his uncle had to catch a long flight the day after and expressed his apology for being unable to stay with him longer.

    Gu Luoxin couldn’t resist clicking his tongue, feeling a little sympathy for the other person who had to spend the first day of the year on a plane. Alas, who told him to be such a workaholic?

    After everything was settled, he tossed his phone aside, pulled out a small backpack from the cabinet and began to pack his belongings. Even though the appointment was the day after tomorrow, Gu Luoxin reckoned he should return sooner and tidy up the house a little bit lest they choke on a mouthful of dust later.

    He hummed a little song as he busied himself, and it did not take much time for him to finish. After that, he checked the weather forecast for tomorrow, set up an alarm, switched off the lights and slipped under the warm blanket.

    It was better to sleep soon so he could rise early tomorrow!

    With a contented sigh, Gu Luoxin closed his eyes with a faint smile lingering on his face.

    Outside, the snow was still falling akin to exquisite feathers, and the whisper of the wind sang to his ears akin to a soothing lullaby.

    Gu Luoxin could feel himself sinking deeper and deeper into the dreamland... or not!

    He snapped his eyes open, wide awake. "Ugh, I’m so excited that I can’t sleep!" he kicked the blanket in frustration.

    Rolling over, Gu Luoxin grabbed his phone and, amidst the darkness, scrolled through social media for a while. Growing bored, he then watched two episodes of a shounen school-themed anime where the tsundere protagonist moved to a new school and joined the guardian squad of the town, but instead of sleepy, he felt himself becoming more and more awake...

    Stop! If he continued, he would wind up binge-watching until the sun rose tomorrow!

    Shaking his head, Gu Luoxin forcibly closed the app with more force than necessary. He had intended to lock the phone and put it away, but then his fingers slipped and he accidentally opened the chatting app instead.

    As soon as his gaze landed on the contact pinned on top, Gu Luoxin’s heart skipped a couple of beats.

    Their last conversation dated back to yesterday.

    After being discharged from the hospital, he had returned to the campus after having a big, sumptuous meal at the all-you-can-eat hotpot restaurant with his two teammates and then he had, on a whim, sent a message to Noir, asking what the man was doing right now.

    Cheesy, he knew— but Gu Luoxin couldn’t think of another way to start the conversation.

    It would be a big fat lie if he said that he had not harbored any hopes after that minor incident with Noir, yet just as he was mentally calculating his chances of success if he were to confess, he was slapped back to reality by the man’s curt reply:

    [Senior: Busy.]

    No matter how many messages he tentatively sent after that, Noir never replied again.

    It wasn’t until later on that he discovered that Noir had locked himself in his studio to finish his sculpture. But when Gu Luoxin offered to visit him and bring him some food, he received an even colder reply:

    [Senior: no need. I won’t be able to get anything done with you here.]

    Somewhat at a loss, Gu Luoxin could only reply with [Oh I’m sorry... Then fighting, Senior!] He even added a cute sticker in the end, but the message was only read a few hours later with no reply thereafter.

    Gu Luoxin had no idea why this single message could make him feel so despondent. Hadn’t he always known how aloof and detached Noir was? This was how his senior was supposed to be! But maybe... maybe because he had known how it felt to receive the man’s heartfelt concern, to see his own reflection in those clear emerald eyes... that he mistakenly let the inconceivable idea get to the top of his head.

    Gu Luoxin had practically squeezed out every last ounce of his courage to take the initiative, but after being met with several consecutive rejections in a row, his bold and courageous heart had shriveled up. He had once again reverted to being the timid and hesitant Gu Luoxin.

    With a forlorn sigh, he put the phone aside and lay down on the bed.

    Thinking about Noir effectively dampened his enthusiasm and excitement to meet his uncle, and he soon drifted off to sleep.

    ***

    The next day, Gu Luoxin took the bus home early in the morning.

    It was fortunate that his destination was only in the neighboring city, thus he managed to arrive at noon. The temperature had been dropping so much lately that he felt his nose and fingertips turn frozen after a brief fifteen minute walk. And that was on the account that he had bundled himself up from head to toe!

    He grabbed a quick lunch at a noodle shop nearby before returning home. And as expected, he was greeted by a thin carpet of dust on the floor, cobwebs on the ceiling, and a damp, musty smell in the air.

    "Good thing I decided to go back earlier." He mentally patted his own back for the insight, feeling proud. Then he rolled up his sleeves and cheered himself on, "Alright, let’s do this, Xinxin!"

    "Ugh, the dust is killing me..."

    "Holy shit, there are cockroaches ahhhh!"

    Time flew by swiftly when you were busy, leaving no room for any distractions.

    Gu Luoxin spent the rest of the day cleaning the house inside out and battling the enemies of humankind before it became somewhat presentable. On the day of the appointment, he left bright and early and headed to the supermarket to purchase fresh ingredients, intending to cook some of his uncle’s favorite dishes. He wouldn’t call himself a great cook, but he had prepared these dishes quite a few times in the past that he was somewhat confident in the taste.

    Rather than going to an expensive restaurant, wouldn’t it be more meaningful to enjoy some home-cooked dishes?

    By the time he was done, it was just in time for lunch. His uncle should be arriving soon. Gu Luoxin scanned the five beautiful dishes on the table and clapped in satisfaction, "Perfect!"

    He sat on the dining table and waited.

    The first fifteen minutes, he was still humming to himself.

    When it reached forty minutes’ mark, Gu Luoxin kept fidgeting on his seat while craning his neck toward the front door once in a while. "Is he running late? The meal is going to get cold soon..."

    By the time the hour hand switched places, Gu Luoxin chewed on his bottom lip and tentatively sent a message to the other person. [Where are you now, Uncle?]

    The possibility that his uncle would bail on him did not even cross his mind, and that was because Uncle Gu was a man of his words. In the past, not even once had he failed to keep the appointments once they were made. Therefore, the first thought Gu Luoxin had was that the man must have been delayed due to unforeseen circumstances.

    Oh no, he couldn’t have gotten into an accident somewhere, right?!

    Feeling uneasy, Gu Luoxin unconsciously bit his nails as he waited for a response.

    He waited and waited, until his stomach let out a loud growl.

    "Ah..." he clutched his stomach, lips pursed into a tight line.

    Only then did he recall that he had simply munched on a sandwich in the morning because he was too excited to prepare lunch. Despite his slender build, he actually had quite a big appetite, so it was no wonder he was now starving after busying himself all morning.

    Looking at the meticulous dishes laid out before him, he couldn’t help but swallow hard. But he resisted the urge to take a bite. He still wanted to wait for his uncle so they could have a meal together!

    By the second hour, the meal had gone completely cold. With a quiet sigh, Gu Luoxin stood up and heated them up once more.

    The days in winter were short. It wasn’t even four in the afternoon yet, but the sky had already begun to darken. Gu Luoxin cupped his chin with a hand and looked out of the window, watching as the last traces of sunlight was obscured by thick, overcast clouds just like the current state of his heart...

    By the time he glanced back at the table, the meal he reheated earlier had already turned ice-cold once more.

    Just then, the phone he placed on the table buzzed with an incoming call. Seeing the name of the caller, Gu Luoxin’s eyes instantly lit up as if his entire person had been injected with chicken blood. In a blur, he snatched up the phone so fast that his hand left an afterimage behind.

    "Hello, Uncle? Are you okay? You didn’t run into any accidents on your way here, right?" his words tumbled out in a rush, laced with concern, anxiety, and the faintest trace of anticipation.

    But when he heard the answer from the other side, his expression froze, and the light in his eyes dimmed in an instant.

    "O-Oh, I see..." he squeezed a forced smile on his face and tried to make his tone as cheerful and casual as he could. "It’s okay, Uncle! You called just in time, I was just about to prepare our meal! Uh-huh, there’s nothing we can do if there’s an emergency, right?" he let out a soft chuckle. "What are you apologizing for? I’m fine. Mn, I’m studying well. Don’t worry about me..."

    The entire call lasted only a little over three minutes, and after that, only a heavy silence remained.

    The ceiling light fell upon his motionless figure, stretching a dark, lonely shadow over the floor.

    SLAP!

    All of a sudden, Gu Luoxin slapped his own cheeks with both hands so hard that it left a burning and throbbing sensation. "It’s okay!" he told himself as he fought to keep his spirit up. "Uncle has a sudden emergency, so it’s not his fault that he couldn’t show up. I can just enjoy this feast all on my own!" He picked up his chopsticks, his gaze landing on the cold, untouched dishes before him. "Woah, look at how perfectly you’ve cooked that mushroom, Xinxin. You’re a genius!"

    With curved eyes, he popped a piece of saute?ed mushroom to his mouth and chewed with a touch too much enthusiasm. "Ugh... it’s too salty. Did I mistake sugar with salt? Good thing Uncle didn’t get to eat this..."

    His voice trailed off as a single teardrop splashed softly onto the back of his hand.

    Sniffling, Gu Luoxin continued to shove cold food into his mouth, finding them utterly unpalatable. He had been so famished earlier, but now each bite he took seemed to be stuck on his throat, forming a heavy lodge that could neither go up nor down.

    "Damn it..." he roughly swiped his arm over his face to wipe the tears away, frustrated. "Why are you crying over something like this... so embarrassing..."

    As Gu Luoxin stuffed his mouth full until his cheeks puffed up like a hamster hoarding seeds, his phone vibrated once more. He glanced at the screen, and through his blurry vision, saw the name he least expected to see at a time like this:

    Senior is calling...

    Gu Luoxin froze. For a moment, he did nothing but stare dazedly at the screen, unable to believe what he was seeing right now. N-Noir? Was that Noir? Of course, the only person Gu Luoxin had saved as ’Senior’ on his phone was Noir, so there was no mistaking who’s calling him right now.

    But why...?

    The ringtone nearly ended before he snapped back to his senses. Get a grip on yourself, Gu Luoxin! Now is not the time to be asking why! Heart pounding, he forced himself to swallow all the food in his mouth without chewing, almost choking himself to death, before he fumbled to swipe the green button just in time.

    "H-Hello, Senior...?" his voice came out soft and slightly hoarse, thick with a nasal tone.