"Not bad, but it's been a while since I played, so my skills have definitely dropped."
Shen Lang boasted, pretending to be regretful while cracking his fingers.
"I used to be a beast in King tier, and now I'm sweating just playing a suburban Platinum game."
"Hey, hey, hey, stop acting so smug."
Ye Xinxin laughed and playfully scolded, giving Su Lexuan a look. "Aren't you going to keep your boyfriend in check? He's showing off on your face."
"I can't do much about it."
Su Lexuan stuck out her tongue cutely. "I'm always the one getting scolded in front of him."
Ye Xinxin, who had been an online goddess for years, had excellent social skills and eloquence. Talking to someone like her was always pleasant as long as you didn't say anything too foolish.
Su Lexuan's parents were business people, so she grew up around refined conversation and had high emotional intelligence herself. Under Zhang Chunling's subtle guidance, she knew how to give her boyfriend face and would never let him embarrass himself in front of others.
So the atmosphere among the three was very harmonious, and there was no drama about friends urging breakups.
"Shen Lang, it's still early. Help me with a couple more games," Ye Xinxin said hopefully. "I'm just 40 points away from Diamond."
"I can do that. What do you think? Should we go out for a walk now?"
Shen Lang handed the decision to Su Lexuan, showing respect for her as his girlfriend. If he immediately agreed to Ye Xinxin's request, it would seem like he didn't care about her opinion.
This wasn't a trivial matter. A more sensitive girlfriend might even worry if her boyfriend was cheating with her friend.
Su Lexuan smiled happily. "Sure, play a few more games. We can go out later this afternoon."
"Hehe, that's the spirit. You're a great bestie," Ye Xinxin chirped, then asked, "I'm going to buy some snacks at the front desk and get three milk teas. What do you guys want?"
Ye Xinxin was clearly a regular at this internet café. She knew it was always busy, and ordering online would take forever, so buying directly at the front desk was the fastest.
Shen Lang said, "Just coffee for me."
Su Lexuan glanced at the internet café's store on the desktop. "I want bubble tea."
"Oh~ do you want ice with that?"
Ye Xinxin asked playfully, her face lit up with a "you know what I mean" smile.
Su Lexuan blushed and made a small fist, threatening cutely.
"Ugh, so annoying."
Su Lexuan grumbled as she turned around, only to meet Shen Lang's eager eyes.
"So, do you want ice in your bubble tea?"
"No way!"
Su Lexuan retorted, showing her slightly sharp little tiger teeth. She pushed Shen Lang's cheek away with a mix of shyness and annoyance.
"Seriously, you and Xinxin should just date. You guys seem pretty perfect for each other."
"Hahaha, no way, no way."
Shen Lang laughed and reassured her. His little girlfriend was adorably stubborn.
A few minutes later, the internet café staff brought the milk teas and a big plate of assorted snacks.
Su Lexuan sipped her steaming milk tea and munched on chips, her face slightly flushed as she pretended to watch a movie on the computer, not wanting to see the lovesick looks between her boyfriend and her friend.
"Glad there's nothing going on tonight."
Shen Lang sighed with relief. It had been a while since he'd spent time with his little fairy, and he was determined to make the most of it tonight.
So, in the Platinum games Shen Lang personally played, it was a total massacre.
With his top-notch gaming talent and insane hand speed, he dominated the games, making the local Platinum players flee in terror.
"Lexuan, I see now why you liked Shen Lang."
Ye Xinxin glanced at Shen Lang's fast-moving hands on the keyboard and whispered to Su Lexuan, "With that hand speed, who wouldn't be impressed?"
"You're so annoying!"
Su Lexuan instantly understood and blushed, smacking her cheeky friend.
"Alright, you're Diamond now."
After successfully winning another game, Shen Lang sincerely suggested, "I recommend you avoid playing ranked for a while. The new season's filled with noobs. Try playing some ARAM instead."
Shen Lang's implied message was: don't mess up ranked games for others.
He had always looked down on players who used boosters and then misbehaved in games. Of course, he couldn't be so blunt with his girlfriend's friend.
"Shen Lang, let me give you my account password. Help me out when you have time, okay?"
Ye Xinxin pouted cutely. "My account was King last season. I want to reach King again this season."
Su Lexuan tilted her head, puzzled. This sounded so familiar. Wasn't this what Ye Xinxin said to her boosters? Why was she saying it to her boyfriend now?
But Su Lexuan figured Ye Xinxin probably just wanted a gaming buddy or genuinely wanted to reach King.
Shen Lang probably wouldn't dare to blatantly agree to Ye Xinxin's request, so he continued watching the latest idol drama to pass the time.
Even if Ye Xinxin and Shen Lang did have something going on, Su Lexuan, who had been friends with Ye Xinxin for over ten years, trusted that Shen Lang was the one making the move.
As for Shen Lang, when faced with Ye Xinxin's request, the system options popped up:
1: No problem, you're my girlfriend's friend. Helping you rank up is normal. Send me the password.
2: Seriously? My girlfriend is right here. Can we discuss this privately?
3: Why do you need a password? I'm a King already. Let's book a hotel tonight if you want.
"I can't believe this. My girlfriend is right here."
Shen Lang put on a pretend troubled look.
Ding! Su Lexuan's affection for the host increased by 3 points. Current total: 60 points. Keep it up!
"Hmph, I knew it."
Su Lexuan proudly lifted her chin, clearly satisfied with Shen Lang's answer. Her expression seemed to say: Look, this is my boyfriend. How devoted he is!
Then Shen Lang suddenly whispered to Ye Xinxin, just loud enough for Su Lexuan to hear, "Can we discuss this privately?"
"Shen Lang!!"