Twist of Fate (GL) - Chapter 3

The next day, 8 a.m., Second Floor of the Second Canteen, Jinghai University.

“Have you heard? We’ve got a new transfer student in our class,” Zhou Yan whispered mysteriously into Xie Jing’s ear.

“Huh? Who transfers at this time of year?”

Isn’t it usually only allowed after the first semester, once you’ve passed the exams?

“No idea. Probably has some connections up top,” Zhou Yan mumbled through a mouthful of thin-skinned, generously stuffed wontons. “That’s not the point. The important thing is—do you know where she’s

living?”

Xie Jing suddenly remembered the new bed from last night and gasped, “Don’t tell me… our dorm?”

“Bingo. She’s sleeping right next to me,” Zhou Yan gave Xie Jing a thumbs-up. “She gets up super early and doesn’t make a sound. I opened my eyes this morning and she was already gone.”

“Her schedule’s like Chen Yuan’s. Who the hell leaves the dorm at 7 a.m. when classes start at 8:30?”

“What am I gonna do? I heard she’s another study freak. What if she’s hard to get along with? How am I supposed to slack off in peace?” Zhou Yan said worriedly.

Xie Jing was chewing on a delicate, translucent steamed dumpling. She glanced sideways at Zhou Yan and thought, There’s someone lazier than you right here, and I’m not worried—so why are you?

“Relax. Worst case, you’ll end up like me—gaming and watching dramas with your headphones on,” Xie Jing said with a grin.

“I don’t want to wear headphones. They hurt my ears. And we three were doing just fine. Now some stranger is suddenly living with us. Of course it feels awkward.” Zhou Yan had been hearing gossip lately about dorm fights—word was, some girls in a neighboring department couldn’t get along and ended up renting off-campus.

There were few girls in their computer science major. Their dorm had always been under-occupied, and now someone from a different department had transferred in. Who knows what kind of personality she has?

What if she insists on lights out at 9:30 every night?

“Don’t overthink it. Maybe she’s not as hard to get along with as you imagine,” Xie Jing tried to reassure her.

“You didn’t see her yesterday. She was so cold. I said hi and she just nodded with a ‘hm.’ She’s ten times colder than Chen Yuan. Thinking about living with her for four years makes my head hurt…”

Xie Jing had finished eating. She put down her chopsticks and wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Well, how about we switch beds? You sleep next to Chen Yuan instead.”

“What? Really? Jing, I love you! From now on, I’ll go east if you say east—I won’t even think about west!” Zhou Yan was practically glowing with gratitude, ready to hug and kiss her.

“Uh… that’s really not necessary…” If Xie Jing hadn’t finished her breakfast, she would’ve choked on that line.

They returned to the classroom after breakfast. It was Thursday, with only morning classes. The afternoon was reserved for the university’s weekly club activities.

“Jing, you’re really not coming to the club fair?” Zhou Yan clung to her arm before heading out after their nap.

“Nope.” Xie Jing glanced at an Excel spreadsheet and replied decisively, “I’ve still got to finish my first battleground win and a bunch of ten-man raids. Everything resets tomorrow!”

“But I did a tarot reading for you! It says you’ll meet your true love today if you go out!” Zhou Yan pulled out her trump card.

Xie Jing: “…”

That excuse is really stretching it.

“I’m serious!! Come on, just go! You can play your game tonight. I’ll even help you grind the battlegrounds! I suck at PvE, but I can hold my own in PvP!” Zhou Yan was desperate for someone to go with her and willing to risk her neglected laptop in the process.

“Please, spare your poor ultrabook.” What Xie Jing didn’t say was, You’re barely better than a rookie in PvP too…

“Um… so you’re not going?” Zhou Yan asked carefully.

“…Alright, let’s go.”

Xie Jing had planned to stay in the dorm gaming all day, but Zhou Yan’s hopeful puppy-dog eyes got to her. She sighed, changed her shoes, and went along.

She didn’t care about that “true love” nonsense. She was just going to keep Zhou Yan company.

The club fair was held outdoors near the campus lake. Besides students and faculty, people from outside the school often came to watch. Since they arrived early, Zhou Yan threw two books onto the sleek black marble bench to reserve seats and dragged Xie Jing down beside her.

For the sake of her extracurricular credits, Xie Jing had applied to a few clubs. She was fair-skinned, pretty, and graceful. Thanks to her experience as a raid leader in JX3, she had zero social anxiety. Even though she was from the south, her Mandarin was flawless. She passed several club interviews, but due to scheduling conflicts, she had to drop a few and only kept Skateboarding Club and Broadcasting Club.

The club fair usually featured song and dance performances, comedy skits, and the like—Xie Jing found it all pretty novel.

Since it was a northern university, there were plenty of tall, good-looking students, and they really shone on stage. The lead dancer in particular was so stunning she looked ready for a K-pop debut. Xie Jing felt the trip was already worth it.

There were a few minutes of rest between performances. After the dance troupe came offstage, they scattered into the audience—some grabbing water, others replying to texts.

Xie Jing watched as a girl in flowing water sleeves approached her and Zhou Yan.

“Are you Xie Jing?” the girl asked.

“Huh? You know me?” Xie Jing stared at her face, trying to place her, but the makeup made it hard to tell.

The girl smiled, the rhinestones under her eyes sparkling in the sunlight. “My name’s Shen Xinghe.”

Hearing those three syllables, Xie Jing’s eyes widened.

Shen Xinghe!!!

She had never told anyone—not even Zhou Yan—that she once had a crush on a girl for several years. It started in early middle school. Though it had been a long time, and Xie Jing could barely remember what the old Shen Xinghe looked like, the moment she heard that name, her heart began to race.

Back in seventh grade, Xie Jing was in Class Three. Their homeroom teacher, a fresh college graduate barely in her twenties, also taught English. She was warm, cheerful, and kind—a favorite among the students.

Apparently, she wasn’t just popular with students—halfway through the semester, the math teacher from the neighboring Class Four pursued and won her over. After that, Classes Three and Four became very close. The two homeroom teachers helped watch each other’s classes, and the students, then in their early teens, bonded over shipping the couple.

That’s when Xie Jing first noticed Shen Xinghe.

It started with the two classes forming a group to play 5v5 matches. One thing led to another, and soon they were trying different games together. That’s when Xie Jing noticed the quiet little healer always sticking by her side.

Whether in battlegrounds or PvP, that little healer focused solely on her. Even in PUBG, she’d switch to a survival build just to keep Xie Jing alive.

Once in PUBG, Xie Jing was ambushed by a full squad. She barely survived, using top-tier gear and skillful movement to take out three enemies. But she was low on health, with no cooldowns left.

She made a desperate escape using a burst skill, ending up far from the fight. But then the safe zone shrank… right back to where the enemy squad had been.

Just as she thought she was done for, her health bar suddenly surged green—three little pink flowers circled around her.

Xie Jing: “!!!”

She was about to die—but there came another strong heal. Shen Xinghe had followed her into the circle, saved her, and… died.

System Notification: MeowMeowMeow killed Xinghe.

That Xinghe had joined silently when Xie Jing posted in their group, asking if anyone wanted to play. She’d brought healer gear but clearly knew how to DPS. She gave Xie Jing her best heal… even when her own HP was low.

How could Xie Jing not be moved?

Damn it.

No DPS could resist that.

With her heart pounding, she placed her fingers on the keyboard. 5… 4… 3… 2… 1… Her invincibility ended, and the moment the buff faded, she struck hard—clearing the map.

First Place. They won.

After the match, Xie Jing sent Xinghe a friend request.

Strangely, Xinghe didn’t accept right away. Only after Xie Jing messaged a single question mark did the “mutual friends” icon appear.

Immediately, she typed a message:

[Xinghe! You’re amazing. Let’s play together more often!]