Reality Programming Association

Chapter 157 -66: Are These Melons Guaranteed to Be Ripe?

“Yang Liu Yiyi is inviting you to a voice call.”

Yu Xian’s finger hovered over the screen, hesitating for a moment. He instinctively glanced at Wen Xiao beside him. The girl tilted her face up and blinked her large, clear eyes in apparent curiosity.

Yu Xian withdrew his gaze, his chest tightening slightly.

His senior lived alone in an off-campus apartment. Although she had been checking in on WeChat over the last few days to let everyone know she was safe, he hadn’t heard a peep from her all day.

He couldn’t help but wonder if something had happened to her.

At that thought, he hurriedly swiped the screen and pressed the phone to his ear.

“Hello? Senior?”

As soon as he spoke, Yu Xian distinctly felt the air around him freeze for a split second. Wen Xiao, who had been softly splashing through the puddles, abruptly stopped. Perhaps afraid of interrupting his call, she politely kept quiet.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?” Yu Xian’s voice carried a notable trace of tension.

In stark contrast to his tight nerves, Yang Yiyi’s voice sounded completely normal.

“I’m fine, don’t be nervous,” Yang Yiyi said with a soft chuckle, seemingly picking up on his anxiety. “It’s just that while I was organizing the files on that flash drive, I came across some more experimental concepts regarding our advisor’s hidden ‘Hijacked Spindle Wave’ project. I found them pretty bizarre and wanted to run them by you.”

Relieved to hear it was just work, Yu Xian exhaled. “What’s strange about them?”

“It’s hard to explain over the phone.” Yang Yiyi paused, a hint of confusion entering her voice. “Are you outside? It’s pretty late. I thought you’d be back in your dorm.”

“Yeah… I am.” Yu Xian glanced at Wen Xiao, who was keeping her head bowed and staring at her toes. “I just came out of the Second Main Building.”

“The Second Main Building?” Yang Yiyi seemed to be recalling something. “You guys shouldn’t have any classes on Wednesday nights, right? Didn’t we all go out for hotpot the Wednesday before last?”

Yu Xian froze for a second. Now that he thought about it, she was right. Two weeks ago on Wednesday night, they had been eating sliced mutton at the South Gate’s Old Copper Pot restaurant, celebrating the success of Su Mingyuan’s book-sharing event.

“Yeah, we don’t have class.”

“I see. Very studious of you.” Yang Yiyi didn’t pry any further, smoothly steering the conversation back to the main topic. “Are you free right now? If you haven’t gone back to your dorm yet… do you want to swing by? I really don’t think I can explain these findings over the phone. I’d like to discuss them with you in person.”

“Right now?” Yu Xian asked reflexively.

He glanced at Wen Xiao, who was huddled silently in her collar beside him, and then looked toward the pitch-black North Campus intersection in the distance.

He couldn’t.

It was already past ten o’clock, and he still had to head to the North Campus tonight to explain Professor Ning’s message to Shao Yiyi.

“Tonight… probably won’t work,” Yu Xian said into the phone, his tone tinged with apology. “I have something urgent to take care of, and it’ll be way too late by the time I’m done.”

There was a brief moment of silence on the other end before Yang Yiyi’s understanding voice came through. “Okay, there’s no rush. That’ll give me time to organize my thoughts anyway.”

Her tone remained as gentle as ever, without the slightest hint of displeasure. “Make sure you head back to your dorm and get some rest once you’re finished. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself.”

“Yeah, I know. You get some rest early too.”

Hanging up, Yu Xian shoved the phone back into his pocket and exhaled a soft puff of white breath into the cold air. He turned to Wen Xiao beside him. “Let’s go.”

Wen Xiao didn’t move right away. She kept her head bowed, staring at their silhouettes reflected in a puddle on the ground.

“Hmm?” Yu Xian wasn’t sure if she had heard him. He was just about to call her name again when Wen Xiao softly uttered an “Oh,” as if she had just snapped out of a daze.

The rain continued to fall as the two umbrellas bobbed unevenly, making their way toward the North Campus.

Due to the delay from the phone call, Shi Zuozhou was already waiting for them by the time they arrived at the lobby of Building 3, North Campus.

The lobby’s heating was blasting on high. A faint, refreshing lemon fragrance wafted over them, immediately dispelling the chill of the rainy night.

Shi Zuozhou was acting as if he owned the place. Without a shred of self-consciousness, he was sprawling in a wide, gray fabric sofa with his legs boldly crossed, resting his eyes with an expression of pure bliss. He looked so completely at ease—like a tourist on a tropical vacation—that one couldn’t find a single trace of the miserable, rain-soaked trek he had just endured.

“Oh man, you guys are finally here.”

Only when he saw the two of them fold their umbrellas and walk in did Shi Zuozhou reluctantly peel himself off the cushions. He sighed dramatically, acting like a country bumpkin experiencing luxury for the first time. “Old Yu, I’m serious, you’ve got to sit down and try this. It’s the absolute epitome of capitalist indulgence! The bounce on these cushions, the way they just envelop you… TSK, TSK. Compared to this, those wooden stools in our dorm are literal torture devices!”

Yu Xian smiled helplessly. Ignoring his dramatics, he simply gestured toward the elevators. “Come on. Let’s head up first.”

As the elevator doors slid shut, Yu Xian watched the floor numbers tick upward before asking in a low voice, “How did it go at the boys’ dorms?”

“The installation packages have been distributed. I didn’t want to draw too much attention, so I just copied them over for a few guys next door who love tinkering with new tech.” Shi Zuozhou’s tone brimmed with anticipation. “As for how deep this little rabbit can dig its hole, that’s up to fate now.”

The elevator chimed at the twelfth floor. The trio navigated familiar hallways toward the public lounge at the end of the corridor. Sure enough, through the glass doors, they spotted a familiar figure in a dinosaur onesie huddled on a sofa in the farthest corner.

Shao Yiyi was slumped over a table, looking utterly bored. A thick, thread-bound book lay open in front of her, though it was glaringly obvious she hadn’t absorbed a single word.

The moment she saw the three of them walk in, she immediately hugged her throw pillow and sat up ramrod straight, fixing her large, round eyes dead on Yu Xian, who was leading the group.