[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-play-for-real":3,"chapter-i-play-for-real-i-play-for-real-chapter-19":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I Play for Real!",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2313117,4523,"Chapter 19","i-play-for-real-chapter-19",19,"\u003Cp>After receiving the towel, Yi Zhen continued scrubbing; the black grime on his skin wasn’t sticky, and aside from turning the towel black, it washed off easily without needing to rub hard—it was like layers of clothing quietly waiting to peel away, revealing skin beneath that was pale and luminous, perhaps the most perfect neutral complexion, even more exquisite than that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The texture beneath his fingers—tch tch—made him wonder if this was the very skin women envied and longed to possess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he’d touched women’s hands only a few times, he knew deeply that such skin was truly unique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget these trivial matters—for now, wash thoroughly, and since he was in high spirits, it was a pity he’d heard so few upbeat songs and hadn’t saved any; even after racking his brain, he couldn’t recall many joyful tunes. Not singing while bathing happily was a regret, but luckily he had mountain songs to accompany him—he sang aloud and washed quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to make too much noise, mainly because he hadn’t reached the level of a social butterfly—he had plenty of social anxiety and barely any social confidence; that was just how it was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Yi Zhen was scrubbing vigorously, Zhen Lin, who had vanished earlier, returned—but stopped at the door. The smell hadn’t dissipated yet; even the floral water couldn’t mask it effectively. The strange odor still lingered thickly in the air, far worse than the toxic gas bombs they’d played with before—calling it a chemical weapon was an understatement. For now, he dared not enter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with no phone in hand and no chair to sit on, standing outside was unbearably boring, with no one to chat with. Going to the neighboring room? Obviously, he’d chickened out again—otherwise, the neighbors would’ve said he’d come by. He’d only wandered aimlessly, nothing more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh—damn, this is nauseating. Hey, whoever—you, Yi Zhen, where’d he go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Lin, pinching his nose to get closer, was again repelled by the smell. He leaned against the wall, gagging a few times, but nothing came up. He muttered sullenly, then looked up and noticed something odd—Yi Zhen was gone. Only Ming Yang remained inside the dorm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He almost called out his name, but caught himself. He’d just promised Yi Zhen he wouldn’t acknowledge him—so now he was going to call him by name? That’d be idiotic. Instead, he stuck to his usual generic term and waited to see if the other would respond. If not? Fine. Old rule: keep the cold war going. What else could he do? He wasn’t about to back down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Bathroom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though he wanted to snap at Zhen Lin, Ming Yang knew that to ease tensions, he himself needed to show some willingness. If Zhen Lin pushed further, that’d be the true breaking point. Yi Zhen was settled. Zhen Lin? That fool had a dim mind—if they couldn’t truly connect, then keep it simple: stop at the surface.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh! Huh? He wasn’t completely weak, right? How’s he able to wash himself? Weird. Is he faking it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Lin first gave a casual reply, but quickly sensed something off from Ming Yang’s brief words. Wait—wasn’t Yi Zhen just lying there looking utterly drained? How could he get up so fast and go wash? Was he pretending? Or had some supernatural event occurred he didn’t know about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Yang maintained his newly adopted persona: silent and reserved. Fewer words, more action—better not say too much and risk being called “girly” again. His poor heart couldn’t take it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch, go get my phone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll forget what happened before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Lin found this a bit dull—was this going to be a “three-nothing” routine? He gave up asking further. His real goal was to get Ming Yang to help him. He stopped playing CF mid-game—idle mode was fine anyway, worst case he’d get voted out. Besides, his computer needed to stay plugged in or it’d shut off. He couldn’t just take it out to play. Hmm, he’d need to upgrade soon—this rig was practically obsolete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fine.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ming Yang responded quickly—he’d been quietly waiting for an opportunity to ease tensions. If Zhen Lin asked for help within his capacity, he’d gladly oblige. The smell? It had been unpleasant before, but he was gradually adapting. He didn’t feel nearly as repulsed as Zhen Lin did.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the bed where the smell originated couldn’t be used anymore—it was too stubbornly lingering, utterly disgusting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Let’s see how Yi Zhen handles it. Wonder what Zhen Lin will think when he finds out? Maybe some entertainment will follow—enough to repay a little of the annoyance from being lectured earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, he was this way: grudges were never forgotten, just bided. When the time came, he’d laugh heartily. Cough!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He still had to maintain his persona: not good with words (but verbose when he wanted to), eager to help (but sarcastic), a peculiar type nearly indistinguishable from a good person—switching between red and white face at will, depending on his mood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, that’s the spirit! We’re still bros. Hurry up, hand it over. Bored out of my mind standing here. Lights are about to go out—if I don’t play my phone, I’ll think the place is haunted.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Ming Yang agree, Zhen Lin immediately forgot Yi Zhen’s earlier words. They were dorm mates—no need to be this hostile. The other had made peace; holding a grudge now would be unreasonable. He urged urgently, yet still dared not approach the door—the smell was still overwhelming. Better to take it from Ming Yang’s hands—easier, less trouble.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The phone was soon handed over as desired. Zhen Lin was thrilled—he gripped Ming Yang’s hand, then quickly let go, still afraid of catching the smell. He sniffed it carefully. Hmm… how to put it? Same old phrase: hard to describe. No matter how hard he guarded, the damn odor had clung to it anyway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though faint, almost ignorable, the memory of the toxic gas incident made it impossible to ignore. Ehh? Shit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhen Lin walked off, holding the phone with one hand, disgusted. He’d take it downstairs to let the wind carry the smell away. If that failed, he’d have no choice but to give up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had no intention of using this stinking phone again. Imagine playing a game, getting pumped, then accidentally kissing it—tch tch, the thought made him nauseous. Luckily, he’d eaten little tonight—couldn’t even throw up. Otherwise, the dorm supervisor would’ve made him clean the entire hallway.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Left fast.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Zhen Lin head for the elevator, Ming Yang muttered under his breath and ignored him. He’d loved to see Zhen Lin and Yi Zhen clash, but if the other wanted to leave, he couldn’t stop him. They’d just reconciled—more talk now would only annoy him and gain nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He habitually stepped over to peek at the neighboring room. The window was half-covered, but he saw a small table in the center, neatly arranged with four bottles of beer, a pair of chopsticks, and a box of food—unknown what it was, but it looked appetizing. Based on what he’d heard earlier, it was true: there was alcohol and meat. If not for his personality clashing with the neighbors, he’d have knocked and walked in already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whatever. Let’s go. But what the hell had Yi Zhen done to turn Yun Hen’s bed into such a pitch-black, stinking mess? What was going on with him? He was curious. Maybe he’d find out eventually. Well, wait—there was still plenty of time tonight.\u003C\u002Fp>",1248,"2026-06-20T13:14:28.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a1b175946fca41a5e57221373d698030fa7304f93420bef7b2b3360e652a1084","i-play-for-real-chapter-20","i-play-for-real-chapter-18",25,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-play-for-real-cover.jpg"]