Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 2
Jinghai University, Girls’ Dormitory Building, Room 211.
“Xie Jing, are you going to the club activity on Thursday?” Zhou Yan poked her head halfway out of the bathroom and asked.
“Nope, I’ve got a raid scheduled with my friends.”
Xie Jing replied without hesitation, a milk-flavored lollipop in her mouth and her fingers clattering away at the keyboard. She didn’t even look up as she firmly declined her roommate’s enthusiastic invitation.
With that, she dove straight into the arena.
Xie Jing, 18 years old, Sagittarius, Computer Science major, first-year student. 159cm tall, a Southerner studying in the North.
She was a cheerful, game-addicted girl. Her favorite things in the world? Gaming, listening to music, and reading web novels.
With such “slacker” hobbies, the fact that she got into university was nothing short of a miracle—pure ancestral blessing.
But even after getting into college, she remained a proud slacker.
Her mom ran a company, and her dad was a doctor. Her parents’ only wish for her was to live a happy life. Growing up, she never had to worry about food or clothes. Her greatest joy was gaming, and she had tried almost every game available on the market.
Her main game was JX3 Online—not because it was the best, but because the people in it were interesting. Xie Jing had a knack for gaming, so she genuinely enjoyed herself.
After wrapping up the weekly “20 wins” run with her friends, she quickly grabbed her clothes and rushed to the campus bathhouse. The plan: a quick shower before heading to evening study hall.
When she first arrived at this university, Xie Jing was super uncomfortable about showering naked in a public space. For a long time, she went off-campus to shower alone. But the hassle of traveling and the absurd cost eventually wore her down. By mid-semester, she gave in.
After all, she was near-sighted and astigmatic—she couldn’t see a thing unless someone was literally naked and standing inches from her face.
She showered quickly and started walking back to the dorm.
At Jinghai University, first-years were required to attend two evening study hall periods every weeknight. Xie Jing didn’t complain—there were no teachers monitoring, so phones were allowed, and time passed easily enough.
But the good times didn’t last.
After the school leaders discovered that most students were glued to their phones during study hours, a new rule was enforced: all phones had to be surrendered before class.
It was like dropping a bomb in a crowded room—chaos erupted, but no one dared to resist.
Later, their class monitor used class funds to buy a cloth pouch with numbered slots for every student. If you didn’t hand in your phone, it was obvious.
From that point on, the two-hour evening study session became absolute torture.
At 8:30 p.m., Xie Jing sat there, bored out of her mind, picking at her fingers as the minutes dragged like hours—when suddenly, she locked eyes with someone.
She wasn’t great with faces and had no idea who that person was—didn’t even know her name.
The girl wore a face mask, revealing only a snow-white forehead and deep, dark eyes. Her gaze on Xie Jing was… a little odd.
Xie Jing stared back for two seconds, stunned, trying to figure out who she was.
“Why are you spacing out? It’s your turn.” Zhou Yan nudged her with an elbow, signaling her to play their game of tic-tac-toe.
Room 211 housed three girls, though one bed had been empty. Aside from Zhou Yan, there was Chen Yuan—unlike Xie Jing and Zhou Yan, who were inconsistent students at best, Chen Yuan was a model of academic discipline. She stayed up even later than Xie Jing, and got up before dawn to bury herself in the library or study room. The center seat in the front row of every lecture hall was her permanent throne.
Naturally, someone like that wasn’t going to bond with gaming junkies, but their personalities meshed well enough that there’d never been any conflict.
After finishing two games of tic-tac-toe with Zhou Yan, the evening study finally ended.
As usual, Xie Jing rushed back to the dorm for a 25-player raid. Tonight was no exception. She booted up her PC and joined the team. Even though she wasn’t leading, she still put on her headset and mic.
But something was off tonight.
During the raid, her mind kept wandering. Those deep, dark eyes from earlier kept flashing through her mind.
She made a few careless mistakes, and embarrassed, left the group without asking for payment.
The dorm was unusually quiet tonight. Zhou Yan had already gone to bed, her blackout curtain fully drawn. Whether she was asleep or not, who knew.
Chen Yuan was still studying in the self-study room at the end of the hall. Xie Jing glanced at her pristinely made bed, yawned, and climbed the bunk ladder.
The next second, she missed a step.
Thankfully, she had a good grip and didn’t fall.
Startled, she looked across at the bed opposite hers—now no longer empty. Had she heard Zhou Yan say something earlier during the raid? Something about a new roommate?
Who could it be?
The bed across the hall was completely concealed behind a black curtain. She stared at it for a moment, puzzled, then crawled into her own bed.
Not long after she lay down, the door creaked open. Chen Yuan returned from studying.
Xie Jing and Chen Yuan’s beds were side by side, Zhou Yan’s was across the hall, and the newly occupied bed—identity unknown—was directly across from Xie Jing’s.