An hour later,Chen Duling returned and felt guilty seeing Tu Xiaolong seated on the floor. She could tell what had happened between Tu Xiaolong and her friends.
"How long have you been waiting here?"Chen Duling asked in a concerned voice.
"Duling Jie you're back,"Tu Xiaolong said getting up,"Don't worry I haven't waited for long."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I wouldn't be around at this time."
"No need to apologize. It's my fault. I didn't inquire about the time earlier."
"How would you inquire when you don't even have my number?"
"You're right."
Once again Tu Xiaolong was embarrassed because of his own stupidity. Chen Duling opened the door and got in. Tu Xiaolong went in right after her. When they got in,the others were busy playing games. Tu Xiaolong paused for a while at the entrance to admire the studio. It was his dream kind of studio.
"Duling you're back from shopping. What did you buy?"Jia Wei asked taking off her headphones and walked towards Chen Duling.
"It's just some underwear nothing special,"Chen Duling whispered smiling shyly.
"Oh."
Chen Duling called Tu Xiaolong over to introduce him to her friends.
"Everyone this is Tu Xiaolong my new friend."
"Hi everyone,"Tu Xiaolong bowed respectfully.
"I'm Jia Wei but you can call me Spring."
"Hi I'm Ai Xia."
"Ai Xia ?"Tu Xiaolong's face brightened, surprise evident in his voice,"I have an aunt called Ai Xia."
"See? I told you guys. My name is quite popular,"Ai Xia bragged.
Zhang Liying didn't even turn to take a glance at Tu Xiaolong. Her friends could sense the awkwardness caused by Zhang Liying's hostility towards Tu Xiaolong.
"And that is Zhang Liying our leader. You can call her Winter,"Chen Duling said after a while.
"Chen Duling your hospitality sure is on another level,"Zhang Liying said sarcastically as she placed her headphones on the table as a sign of declaring war.
"Liying he's my friend. I'm the one who invited him over."
"You know we don't allow strangers into the studio. Do you even know what motives he has when he befriended you?"
"What motives? I didn't even know her real identity before. I only found out that day I waved at her. So what motives could I be having by being her friend?"
"Maybe you're just pretending."
Tu Xiaolong's innocent face turned into a scary one. If there was something he hated the most was being accused falsely. And he also felt Zhang Liying held some kind of unspoken grudge against him .
"I'm not that despicable as you think. I'm just here to play games. Even if I have motives it's to become the best video gamer."
"Best video gamer?"Zhang Liying snorted,"Do you think you can get that title?"
"What? Are you looking down on me?"
"Are you really a gamer or a scammer?"
"You!..."
"Since you claim you're a gamer how about we have a match? If you win I will allow you to come to the studio whenever you like."
"Deal. What game?"
"You choose."
"Celestial Duel,"Tu Xiaolong said confidently.
Everyone was shocked by how daring Tu Xiaolong was. No one had ever spoken to Zhang Liying like that. Furthermore since they became professional video gamers there were very few people who had defeated Zhang Liying in playing Celestial Duel. Zhang Liying was better at playing complex video games than the simple ones.
Tu Xiaolong settled down on Chen Duling's spot to play the match.
'Celestial Duel ' was a 2D fighting game set in an ancient Chinese-inspired realm. Players controlled martial arts masters, each with unique abilities and techniques. The game combined fast-paced combat, strategic positioning, and mystical elements.
For the characters Zhang Liying chose the Jade Serpent; a graceful fighter who wielded twin jade daggers. Her attacks focused on agility and precision. Tu Xiaolong chose the Iron Tiger; a burly warrior with iron gauntlets. His moves emphasized raw power and resilience.
The game constisted of three arenas;
Bamboo Grove;a serene grove surrounded by towering bamboo. Players could leap off bamboo stalks for aerial attacks.
Dragon's Gate; a narrow bridge over a chasm. Beware of falling into the abyss!
Mist-veiled Pagoda; a mystical pagoda with shifting platforms. The mist concealed hidden traps.
Gameplay Mechanics involved;
Energy Flow where players built energy by landing successful attacks. Energy powered special moves.
Stances where each character had three stances (Agile, Balanced, and Power).
Stances affected attack speed, defense, and energy gain.
Chi Arts which were unique abilities tied to each character's backstory. The Jade Serpent could vanish and reappear behind her opponent; the Iron Tiger gained temporary invulnerability.
For the first round,the arena was at the Bamboo Grove. Zhang Liying (Jade Serpent)gracefully dodged Tu Xiaolong's (Iron Tiger)heavy punches, using bamboo stalks to vault around him. Tu Xiaolong (Iron Tiger)charged his Iron Fist technique, smashing the ground. Zhang Liying (Jade Serpent) leaped,avoiding the shockwave.
Zhang Liying (Jade Serpent)landed a flurry of dagger strikes, draining the Iron Tiger's energy making Zhang Liying the winner for the first round.
For the second round the arena was at the Mist-veiled Pagoda. Tu Xiaolong (Iron Tiger)adapted using the shifting platforms to corner Zhang Liying ( Jade Serpent).
Zhang Liying (Jade Serpent) activated her Jade Mirage ability, confusing Tu Xiaolong (Iron Tiger).The Iron Tiger lunged, but the Jade Serpent sidestepped, sending him over the edge and once again Zhang Liying emerged the winner.
'Celestial Duel' blended martial arts, strategy, and mysticism, inviting players to master their chosen fighter and ascend to celestial greatness.
"Little brother with your skills don't go around telling people you're a gamer."
Tu Xiaolong was embarrassed and hearing Zhang Liying's words.He felt like crying.
"Loser,I hope you won't trouble us by setting your feet in our studio again,"Zhang Liying said mockingly and stood up to leave.
"Just wait I'll definitely defeat you in the future,"Tu Xiaolong declared feigning confidence.
"Why don't you wait till you sleep so you can dream about defeating me?"
Tu Xiaolong's eyes were wet with tears. He tried fighting them back. He picked up his bag and stood up to leave . When he bowed to leave,a teardrop rolled down his cheek.He couldn't remember the last time he cried. He hated acting vulnerable around them. If he knew earlier about Zhang Liying's ability he wouldn't dare have a bet with the she- devil herself. Zhang Liying's harsh words kept ringing in his mind as Chen Duling escorted him to the outside.
"Are you okay?" Chen Duling asked worriedly.
"Yes."
"That's how Liying is. She is always vengeful. She did that because you talked back at her. But don't worry you'll be a better player in the future."
"I'll see you around."
Tu Xiaolong wiped his tears, composed himself and walked away. Chen Duling watched him till he disappeared out of sight. She felt guilty because if she hadn't invited him to the studio he wouldn't have encountered such an ordeal. She sighed and walked back in. Ai Xia and Jia Wei were waiting for her to ask about Tu Xiaolong.
"Did he leave?"
"Yes."
"Liying just shattered his dream like that,"Jia Wei said with a pitiful look on her face.
"Why am I the only one thinking of the possibility of Zhang Liying becoming closer to Tu Xiaolong than us?"Ai Xia said smiling mischievously.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because that's how enemies to lovers kind of stories begin."
"If I knew you would apply K-drama plots like that I wouldn't have introduced you to Kdramas,"Jia Wei scoffed and walked away.