Chapter 1
After finding out I scored a 1480 on the SAT, my online gaming boyfriend dumped me.
“With that score, and wanting to major in engineering? She’s probably a total nerd,” he scoffed to his roommate, forgetting to mute his mic.
Then, one of our teammates shot him dead in the game.
“Messing with my little sister from the engineering department? You’re asking for it.”
At the orientation, I stared at the gorgeous 6’2” guy in front of me, speechless.
Dude, with a face like that, calling someone else shallow? How ironic.
1
After the SAT scores came out, I gamed all night. My parents were busy bragging to rela- tives and friends, so they left me alone. As a result, my voice was hoarse when I got Josh’s call in the morning.
He got straight to the point: “Sarah, let’s break up.”
I met Josh randomly in a game. He wasn’t very good, but he was rich, a typical “whale.”
He was also sweet–talking and charming. The night after the SAT, he confessed his feelings, and we started dating.
0.09%
10:09
Chapter 1
I didn’t expect us to break up less than a month later.
“Okay,” I said without arguing. We hadn’t met in person anyway. It was like losing a virtual
pet.
Josh seemed relieved: “So, we can still play games together, right?”
I agreed.
After a round, Josh changed his profile picture. I didn’t pay much attention and was about to log off.
Suddenly, a teasing voice came from my headphones, “Yo, Josh, why the sudden profile pic change? Break up?”
Josh hadn’t muted his mic.
Before I could warn him, I heard him scoff, “Of course we broke up! Did you know she got a 1480 on the SAT? And she wants to go to MIT for computer science!”
“With that score, and engineering? She’s probably a total nerd. I can’t imagine what she looks like! No way I’m meeting that!”
The other teammates fell silent.
Josh sounded confused, “Hey, why aren’t you guys moving—”
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Suddenly, the pro gamer on our team shot Josh three times, killing him instantly,
7.9%
10.09
Chapter 1
Josh exploded, “Are you crazy?! Why did you kill me-”
His voice abruptly stopped as he realized everyone had heard him.
288 Vouchers
A laid–back voice drawled, “Messing with my little sister from the engineering department? You’re asking for it.”
Huh???
This teammate usually never spoke, but he was an incredibly skilled player. I’d always thought he was the aloof type.
I didn’t expect his first words to be defending me.
My phone started buzzing like crazy. It was Chloe, my best friend.
I quit the game and answered. She immediately bombarded me with excited chatter.
“Sarah! You’re my hero!”
“You got a 1480! Top of the state! Carry me to glory, please!!!”
I pulled the phone away from my ear, “Hold on, girl, I just got dumped.”
Chloe: “?”
I repeated what had happened, “He probably thinks I’m ugly.”
Chloe was furious, “??? Is he insane? If you’re a nerd, then what are we?!”
15.5 %
10:10
Chapter 1
17 THE PR
“Forget it.” I was too lazy to care. I remembered the pro pamer teammate and mewwayed kim privately, “Hey, thanks for that! Want to add me on Snapchat? F’ll buy you lunch when school starts!”
A minute later, the aloof gamer replied with one word: “Sure,”
2
Getting headshot in front of everyone was humiliating for Josh, and he immediately left the
game.
Unexpectedly, he messaged me later that evening.
“Come online, let’s play another round!”
Apparently, he was determined to get his revenge. He had a temper.
I glanced at his teammates: “That ID looks familiar.“,
A lazy voice came from my headphones, “Professional player, for hire.”
I was startled, fidgeting with my ear. This guy had barely spoken after playing with us for so long. But after standing up for me, he seemed to prefer voice chat over typing.
It took some getting used to.
Looking at Josh’s newly acquired gear, I was a little worried: “Can we win?”
He was determined to make a comeback and had clearly spent a fortune.
92.6.94
10.16 y
Chapter 1
The pro gamer asked lazily, “Do you want to beat him?”
I didn’t hesitate: “Of course!”
288 ¡Vouchers
Money doesn’t buy skill!
He chuckled softly, “Okay.”
Nine minutes later, Josh and his expensive hired gun were both dead.
Josh cursed and logged off.
After thinking for a long time, I finally messaged the pro gamer:
“Hey, does studying computer science at MIT make you as good as you are?”
“…Not necessarily,” the pro gamer actually typed a whole sentence. “Depends on your apti- tude.”
I got it.
“Then I’ll cover your breakfast for a month!”
The pro gamer went back to being aloof and didn’t reply.
After the scores came out, my life got busy again. Interviews, college applications, driver’s ed.. there was so much to do that I barely played games for over a month.
30.6 %
10:10
Chapter 1
Unexpectedly, Josh messaged me again.
288 Vouchers
“Sarah, we broke up amicably, you don’t have to stop playing games just because of me, right?”
Me: ??? What are you talking about?!
When I logged back into my long–neglected account, I realized rumors were flying. Several of our regular teammates immediately messaged me.
“Sarah! You’re finally back!”
“It’s just a breakup! No big deal!”
“Josh is so shallow, only caring about looks! Good riddance!”
I was completely confused: “No, I’ve just been busy lately.”
But no matter how I explained, no one believed me.
After a while, I finally understood why – Josh had a new girlfriend.
“That new account he’s been playing with, that’s her. I heard her profile picture is her. She’s studying broadcasting.”
I took a look and cringed. She was terrible, even with all the in–game purchases Josh was showering her with. It was painful to watch, and I felt bad for Josh having to carry her so pa- tiently,
To cleanse my eyes, I went to find the pro gamer to team up.
388%
10:10
Chapter 1
Sometimes he seemed busy, sometimes free.
288 iVouchers
I was very direct about my needs: “Pro gamer, my eyes are burning. Need some pro plays to cleanse them?”
Five minutes later, the pro gamer and I teamed up and destroyed the other team.
Finally satisfied, I was about to log off when I heard that low, laid–back voice again.
“Seems like you really liked him.”
I thought I was hallucinating, “What?”
The pro gamer explained, “They said you cried your voice hoarse the day he broke up with you.”
Me: “…”
“But now he has a new girlfriend, and they seem pretty happy. You shouldn’t dwell on it. He’s not worth it.”
Me: “…”
This was getting ridiculous.
I deadpanned, “Why would I bother chasing after him? There are plenty of guys at MIT.”
Pro gamer: “…”
Realizing that sounded a little too eager, I corrected myself, “Actually, I shouldn’t be greedy.
44.7 %
10:10
Chapter 1
I just want the cutest one!”
There was a pause before a low chuckle came from the other end.
“You have high aspirations.”
3
288 ¡Vouchers
At the end of August, I dragged my suitcase to campus for orientation.
The sun was scorching, and there wasn’t a breath of wind. I pulled down my baseball cap and continued walking.
MIT was great, except the campus was huge. I was practically dying of heat.
Suddenly, a guy jogged over from a short distance away, “Hey! Are you a freshman? For- eign Languages?”
I looked up, and he seemed to freeze for a moment, his ears turning red.
“Thanks! But I’m in the School of Engineering. Do you know where their check–in is?”
His eyes widened in surprise. Only when I asked again did he quickly reply, “Oh, just go straight ahead, then turn left at the end. That suitcase looks heavy. Want me to help you?”
I politely declined and continued on, finally finding the place.
Several guys were lounging in chairs. When they saw me stop, one of them clicked his tongue.
“Hey, are you looking for Ethan too? Bad timing, he just went to the advisor’s office. Come
51.6 %
10:10
Chapter 1
back later.”
Ethan?
Who?
“No,” I handed over my ID, “I’m here to check in.”
The guys lounging under the tent all turned around in shock.
“Whoa?!”
288 iVouchers
Just after settling into the dorm, I received a message from Chloe.
“Sarah, I miss you so much! The thought of not seeing you every day breaks my heart!”
“Chloe, if I remember correctly, your school is right across the street from mine.”
“I don’t care, I don’t care!” Chloe whined, “Did you know you’re already on the MIT confes- sions page on the first day?! So many people are going to try and steal my best friend!”
Me: “…Confessions page?”
I clicked on it and found someone had indeed posted a candid photo of me.
Emmm… I was dragging my suitcase, sweating like a dog under the sun. I hadn’t realized someone took a picture.
60.2 %
10:10
Chapter 1
“OMG! This year’s freshmen are so pretty!”
288 Vouchers
“She’s gorgeous! Future campus queen, anyone disagree? Which department? Foreign Lan- guages?”
“Looking for contact info! Please!”
“Forget it, buddy. She’s in EECS! How did those nerds get so lucky?!!”
“??? Seriously? EECS already has Ethan, and now this? Campus king and queen in the same department, is this fair?”
Ethan? That must be Ethan Payne, the guy they mentioned earlier. He seemed pretty popular.
Oh right, I almost forgot to message the pro gamer.
“Hey, I’m on campus!”
A while later, he replied: “Was busy, didn’t see it. You’re here already?”
“Yep! You’re busy, so I’ll let you go. My roommates are here, we’re going out to eat later”
A few minutes later, he sent a short list, “These restaurants near the west gate are pretty good.”
Having a “local” was definitely convenient!
My roommates were all from different departments, but they were nice. After introductions, we were ready to go out.
66.5 %
10:10
Chapter 1
Just as we sat down, Josh suddenly sent me a picture. My heart skipped a beat.
-It was the candid photo from earlier!
4
“Sarah, is this girl in your department?”
Seeing Josh’s next message, I felt a strange mix of emotions.
3
288 iVouchers
“Yeah, how did you know?”
Josh chuckled, “Don’t you know? This girl is super popular. Even our school’s heard about her. MIT’s got a stunning new freshman, and she’s in EECS!”
This guy… wasn’t he just showing off his new girlfriend? Why was he asking about this?
“I’ve heard a little.”
Then, Josh sent a Venmo request: “You’re right there, can you get me her contact info?”
Me: “.
“1
There are many ways to reconnect with an ex–boyfriend, but I somehow missed this one.
“Won’t your girlfriend be mad?” I asked.
Josh seemed indifferent, chuckling, “Just making a new friend, why would she be mad? If you get me her contact info, I’ll double the Venmo, how about that?”
74.2 %
10:10
1 288 Vouchers
Chapter 1
I accepted the request without hesitation.
“Sure, I’ll try.”
We’d already added each other months ago, so I didn’t feel guilty about taking his money.
Just as I put down my phone, one of my roommates gasped.
“Is that Ethan?!”
Huh?
I turned to look out the window.
Even though I didn’t know who “Ethan” was, I immediately guessed.
-He was too striking.
The guy was tall, probably around 6’2“, with a slender build, broad shoulders, and long legs.
He was standing by the road with a few other people, looking down at his phone, seemingly waiting for a ride. I couldn’t see his whole face, but his high nose bridge, sharp jawline, and slightly messy hair exuded an air of effortless cool.
He was captivating.
My phone buzzed. It was a message from the pro gamer.
“How’s the food?”
81.4 %
10:10
Chapter 1
I sent a picture of the hot pot, “Your recommendation was spot on!”
Pro gamer: “Chen’s Hot Pot?”
1 288 Vouchers
I was impressed. He’d clearly been at MIT for two years, recognizing the place instantly.
My roommates suddenly got excited, squealing softly, “Oh my god! Ethan’s looking over here!”
I instinctively looked up and saw the guy across the street glance in our direction.
But before I could get a clear look, a car stopped in front of them.
One of his friends patted his shoulder, and he put away his phone and got into the car.
As the car drove away, my roommates were still gushing.
“We saw Ethan on the first day! What luck!”
“He’s so handsome! The definition of a prince charming!”
I timidly interjected, “…Do you all know him?”
The three of them stared at me in shock.
“Seriously, Sarah? He’s a legend in EECS! How do you not know him?”
“He’s super handsome, gets perfect grades every semester, and is amazing at badminton! So many girls have chased after him, but none have succeeded!”
87.8%
10:10
Chapter 1
“We were hoping you’d try your luck with Ethan! How can you not know him?!”
Me: “…”
设备
288 iVouchers
Back in the dorm after showering, I logged into the game, surprisingly.
The pro gamer was online, “Shouldn’t you be busy with orientation? You have time for games?”
I was honest, “Orientation’s over. Military training starts the day after tomorrow, then I won’t have time.”
Pro gamer: “…”
་་
I remembered my roommate’s words and couldn’t resist asking, “Hey, do you know Ethan?”
Pro gamer: “?”
“Who’s better, you or him?”
Pro gamer: “???”
95.7 %
