"What should we play first?" Fu Wang asked cheerily as he held the basket of one thousand arcade coins he had just purchased.
Yes... one thousand arcade coins...
(One coin equals one yuan... which means he spent over a hundred American dollars on just arcade coins.)
To a commoner like this author, that was a high sum of money to be spending on an arcade, but to these three... it seemed to be dust.
Looking around with sparkly eyes, Chen Jingyun stared at the arcade machines as if they were all lollipops of her favorite flavor. Most of the machines were like a whole new world. New mechanics, new modes, new everything.
And she was eager to try them all.
It was safe to say it quite a few years since she played at the arcade.
In fact, the last time she remembers going to an arcade was when she was around ten years old.
"Let's go... to that one!" She pointed at a rhythm game.
Fu Wang cracked a smirk. One that he quickly hid.
He didn't want to brag, but the game Chen Jingyun had chosen happened to be one of the most popular arcade rhythm games at the moment, and also the one Fu Wang spent quite a long time playing. He could confidently call himself a pro player.
"Sure." His voice was cool as they walked there. As he said, he didn't want to brag.
He will let his skills shine through.
As for Li Minghao, he found himself to be more interested than he thought he would be in arcade games. He was curious as to how some games worked here.
While they waited for the people to use their round up, Chen Jingyun admired and absorbed what she could from the performance the players were putting. They were playing a fast-paced song and the notes appearing on the screen were plenty and sneaky. The players hit the notes, one after another, increasing their combos, but sometimes they would let slide one single note that ruined their perfect score.
However, she could feel why they all liked that game. As you broke through the levels, you would find yourself enjoying the chase of notes, trying your best to hit them perfectly while enjoying the songs.
When it was their turn, she felt her hands itching in excitement. She didn't want to brag but she was 100% confident she would nail this game. She was so confident she chose to skip the tutorial.
"You already know how to play?" Fu Wang asked a bit surprised.
"Nope!"
Oh well, that seemed like her style anyway.
Then, they only have to wait for the dark lord to pass the tutorial then...
Unlike Chen Jingyun, Li Minghao did seem deeply interested in what the tutorial could teach him. He was serious and focused, his eyes fixed on the screen and the buttons.
He was a bit clumsy as he followed the instructions and hit the notes, but in the end, he did well.
He was also attracting many eyes of many young girls at the arcade. They whispered and wondered about this handsome guy.
But he was not the only focal point of their group, there was Fu Wang too getting some spotlight. They mostly talked about his dashing foreign yet Asian appearance.
As for Chen Jingyun... she did not get much attention. It might have been because her aura overflowed flowers and the innocence of a young boy. The people would often write her off as the little brother.
However, as long as they were not directly bothered, the three of them ignored the looks and comment directed their way.
"How about you two chose the song?" Fu Wang suggested once the tutorial was done.
As the three machines were connected, they all played the same song, but at different levels.
"How about... I can't stop me?" Chen Jingyun looked at Li Minghao for his opinion.
In response, he shrugged.
"I don't mind."
"Alright! Let's play then." Chen Jignyun chose the medium level for the song.
On top of not going through the tutorial... she skipped to the medium level!
Shaking his head at her, but not making any effort to change her mind, Fu Wang chose a high-level difficulty. He instantly garnered a bit of attention to himself.
"He must be a pro." Someone commented.
Meanwhile... Li Mignhao didn't bat an eye as he chose the easy level. It was the most natural and obvious for him to do. The crowd did lose interest in him though.
1... 2... 3... START!
The game has begun.
Fu Wang was having a breeze with his game, but in the end, he sadly lost his combo because he got curious as to how Chen Jignyun was fairing.
Chen Jingyun was... terrible. Missing notes left and right. She tried her best to hit the notes... but it was not enough to pass to the next stage.
Li Minghao safely passed the round. Albeit not perfect, he seemed very satisfied with his performance and had a look of understanding.
Stepping back from the machine, out of the race, Chen Jingyun watched the two of them go to the next round.
"What song would you like to play?"
Once again, Li Minghao shrugged.
"You choose."
Turning to look at Chen Jingyun, Fu Wang directed the question towards her.
"What song would you like to hear?"
Excited to still be part of the game in some way, Chen Jingyun went on to chose the next song.
"Hmm... Cherry Bomb."
Fu Wang only laughed at her choice, she still liked those bands.
"Okay."
Already on the next stage, Li Minghao and Fu Wang chose their level of difficulty again. For Fu Wang, it was still hard level, and for Li Minghao... he raised it up to medium level. The one Chen JIngyun played and failed miserably.
Arching his eyebrows, Fu Wang only smiled and looked back at his screen.
Each level was different from the other due to three factors: speed, numbers of notes, and note patterns. The higher you went, the more patterns you encountered.
For a new player like Li Minghao, only playing one song was not enough to even get familiar with easy level patterns. Fu Wang honestly didn't think he could do as well in medium-level settings.