BXBX NOVEL Chapter 115 - Yay!
Over the years, most arcades around the city had closed down as time passed.
Those old arcade machines had long become obsolete, but there were still plenty of people who occasionally wanted to spend a few coins for some fun.
As a result, many arcades chose to integrate with malls and became part of the mall itself.
Before coming to this world, HuMing had actually played on these machines a few times, though mostly as a cover while carrying out surveillance missions.
However, when he heard Ye QiuXue saying wanting to go to the arcade, HuMing couldn't help but be surprised.
He even wondered if he had heard wrong.
"President, are you sure you didn't mean the bookstore but the arcade?"
On the way, HuMing glanced at Ye QiuXue.
In response, Ye QiuXue stuck out her tongue at HuMing, seemingly displeased with the stereotype he had of her.
"What's that supposed to mean? I can't go to places like that? I'm not the student council president right now, so I can do whatever I want! Also, stop calling me president; call me Ye QiuXue, okay?"
Ye QiuXue was unhappy with HuMing still addressing her as president on a day off, making her feel like she was still at school.
Faced with Ye QiuXue's displeasure, HuMing immediately surrendered!
Only in moments like these, he could see a different side of Ye QiuXue.
Ye QiuXue was too perfect at school, and everyone's impression of her was incredibly high.
But HuMing knew very well that people's excessive expectations only created an invisible pressure.
Ye QiuXue had endured all of this high pressure while also dealing with the pressure of her family.
He couldn't even imagine how she had managed to bear it all these years.
When the two of them arrived at the arcade inside the mall, it was bustling with people. Most of them were young, trying out the experience for the novelty, and there were quite a few couples playing co-op games together.
As HuMing looked at the scene before him, he felt a sense of nostalgia stir in his heart.
Aside from the lack of a smoky and chaotic atmosphere, these places all seemed to feel the same.
Ye QiuXue's eyes sparkled as she walked straight over to the whack-a-mole game, then excitedly called out to HuMing.
"HuMing, look! It's whack-a-mole!"
"It's just whack-a-mole, not a slot machine. Why are you so excited?"
"No, no! When I was little, my grandma bought me a whack-a-mole toy, but after playing with it for a while, it broke! This is the first time I've seen such a big machine!"
Ye QiuXue's eyes were brimming with longing as she placed both hands on the machine, her gaze gleaming.
Watching this, HuMing seemed to remember something. The smile on his face gradually faded, and he quietly watched her.
Even such a simple game could evoke such excitement from her. It seemed that aside from studying, Ye QiuXue really hadn't had any other form of entertainment over the years.
"HuMing, do we need to insert coins to play this?"
Ye QiuXue pointed at the coin slot, her face full of curiosity.
HuMing nodded and then turned toward the counter.
The girl at the counter had a lollipop in her mouth, her hand on the directional keys as she swayed her body with the rhythm.
When HuMing got closer, he realized that she was playing a racing game, and the music playing was the latest pop hit.
Noticing someone approaching, the girl quickly pressed ALT + F4 to close the game, then greeted him with a smile.
"Hey handsome, how many coins do you need?"
"Fifty."
HuMing took out his phone to scan the QR code just as Ye QiuXue walked up beside him.
She curiously glanced at the price of the game tokens and couldn't help but exclaim, "Wow, why is it so expensive? One coin costs a whole dollar?"
Ye QiuXue immediately felt conflicted. Buying fifty coins would cost fifty dollars? In her mind, fifty dollars could last for a long time!
With that much money, she'd rather treat HuMing to a meal!
But HuMing lightly knocked on her head, and Ye QiuXue let out a startled cry, covering her head in response.
"Today's on me. Consider it a thank you for helping me study all this time."
"But."
"It's fine, it's fine. Let's go."
HuMing took the coin box from the girl at the counter, and they returned to the whack-a-mole machine.
Unfortunately, someone else was already playing.
"How about we play something else first?"
Ye QiuXue pointed to an arcade machine not far away, where several young people were shaking the joysticks.
They walked over to one of the machines and sat down.
"Metal Slug? It looks pretty simple," Ye QiuXue remarked, brimming with enthusiasm.
However, the game soon delivered a harsh lesson. The small enemies seemed easy at first, but the game's hit detection was unforgiving. A single mistake meant death.
Although each coin gave her two lives, Ye QiuXue's character kept dying repeatedly. In contrast, HuMing hadn't lost a life since his first coin drop.
Most of the coins in the box were spent by Ye QiuXue, and after a while, she stopped inserting them.
Sensing her behavior, HuMing instinctively turned his head and saw Ye QiuXue looking slightly dejected, clearly upset with her performance.
HuMing blinked, still deftly maneuvering his character to dodge bullets, but he eventually let himself get hit by a missile and died.
"Hey, why aren't you putting in any coins? Hurry up and help me beat this boss!"
The screen displayed a countdown to continue. If no coins were inserted in the next ten seconds, the game would end, and all their progress would be lost.
As he spoke, HuMing quickly fed coins into both slots.
Just as Ye QiuXue was about to stop him, HuMing said, "Don't tell me you're going to drag me down. The Ye QiuXue I know isn't like that. Besides, this game is only fun when played with two people!"
With the game restarting, Ye QiuXue's determination reignited. Her slender fingers danced rapidly across the controls.
By now, a small crowd had gathered, watching the two of them play.
HuMing focused on the large screen and continued to dodge bullets, drawing gasps of awe from the onlookers.
When they reached the final stage's boss, HuMing's character nearly got hit by a bullet, but Ye QiuXue's character jumped in front of him just in time, shielding him from death.
HuMing's character threw its last grenade, finally taking down the boss!
"Yay!"
Sweat covered Ye QiuXue's forehead, but the sight of the victory screen made her feel more exhilarated than she ever had before.
She turned to HuMing, her face full with excitement, and HuMing smiled back at her.
"Come on, high five!"
Their hands, large and small, slapped together in a satisfying clap. For the first time, Ye QiuXue felt this kind of pure joy.