“I can go to the escape room with you,” Tan Jing said from beside him, hinting heavily. “But I’m timid. Can you protect me a bit?”
He paused, then added, “Let me hold your hand, or hug me?”
“…”
He Siheng was genuinely stunned by the guy’s thick skin.
He stopped, typed back to Zhou Yu that he wasn’t going, and faced Tan Jing stone-faced. “We’ll do something else instead. That cool?”
Tan Jing beamed like spring sunshine. “Whatever you say.”
He Siheng didn’t want to head home so early on New Year’s Eve. He’d already come out, and the subway had stopped running. Cabs this late would just mean sitting in traffic.
That was his thinking, and everyone else at Starry Sky Plaza thought the same. As a tourist city, everywhere was packed during holidays—lines at every entertainment spot.
After weighing options, the arcade seemed best: crowded, but plenty of games, less waiting.
Still, He Siheng hesitated. He glanced at Tan Jing, cleared his throat awkwardly. “Arcade?”
Tan Jing’s smile didn’t waver. “A date with you—anywhere’s fine.”
“…I said it’s not a date!”
He Siheng irritably turned and stalked off. He shouldn’t have bothered asking.
There were several big arcades near Starry Sky Plaza. He Siheng picked the closest, exchanged some cash for tokens.
The two-player racing game had no line. He Siheng jerked his chin at Tan Jing, who’d trailed him. “Race?”
Tan Jing was used to his competitive streak. “Stakes?”
He Siheng blurted, “Loser calls winner ‘Daddy.'”
Tan Jing laughed, unsurprised. “You’re really hung up on that title.”
He Siheng shot back, “Aren’t you?”
“I am. But you won’t have to say it.” Tan Jing paused, glancing at him. “Your kid will later.”
It took He Siheng a few seconds to process, and he flushed angrily. “Can you have some shame?”
Tan Jing feigned innocence. “Wasn’t that your stake?”
He Siheng: “…”
Stake my ass. Talking to this guy was a minefield.
He Siheng refused to race Tan Jing. Luckily, a rhythm game machine freed up nearby. He snorted and headed there.
Tan Jing followed with a smile, watching from the side.
He Siheng had played rhythm games since elementary school—mobile or arcade, they were his domain.
His smooth, expert moves screamed pro, and with his handsome looks, girls soon gathered, snapping photos and videos, whispering about asking for his number.
Tan Jing listened quietly, eyes narrowing slightly.
Same old attracting bees and butterflies.
Unlike He Siheng thriving there, Tan Jing felt like a dragon stranded in shallow waters.
He preferred quiet and rarely visited noisy arcades. The few times he had, He Siheng was involved—but the memories weren’t great.
Tan Jing recalled his first time in an arcade.
Third grade had just started, his first day back at school after recovering. For some reason, he and He Siheng had a falling out.
He Siheng ignored him all day; no chance to talk.
Unsure what had upset him, Tan Jing figured he must have done something wrong.
So he secretly messaged his then-junior-high sister Tan Wan, asking her to pick them up after school and play third wheel to cheer He Siheng up.
He Siheng loved sweets when down, so Tan Jing suggested Tan Wan take him to his favorite dessert shop for cake and gave her his pocket money.
But unreliable Tan Wan abused her authority. Craving games herself, she dragged them to the arcade, claiming He Siheng would prefer gaming over cake.
He Siheng did seem happier, so Tan Jing let it slide.
He Siheng and Tan Wan went wild, buzzing with excitement like long-lost siblings—the center of attention.
Tan Jing was the opposite.
Weak from illness, he tired quickly, clumsy at games, relegated to watching silently.
From an inconspicuous corner, he watched their vibrant, spotlight-stealing energy. Still young, an inexpressible jealousy stirred in his heart.
He tried not to dampen the mood. When Tan Wan wanted photos, He Siheng grinned brightly at the camera, so Tan Jing forced a smile too.
That was when he heard He Siheng blurt to Tan Wan that he liked her.
She brushed it off, but Tan Jing saw the sparkle in He Siheng’s eyes.
From that day, he became the bystander to He Siheng’s youthful crush.
The boy he liked was the center of attention.
The person he loved had someone they loved.
…
He Siheng focused on the game, but his peripheral vision kept drifting to Tan Jing.
Tall and standout in the crowd, Tan Jing didn’t play anything—just stood there, watching him.
It made He Siheng uncomfortable. He debated calling him over when Tan Jing suddenly turned and walked away.
He Siheng froze, watching his back vanish into the crowd. The words he’d rehearsed stuck in his throat, swallowed bitterly.
Fine. He doesn’t like it anyway. Good that he left.
But seconds later, He Siheng second-guessed the venue choice.
He’d hesitated outside for that reason: Tan Jing wasn’t good at games and rarely came to arcades.
Their shift from friends to true rivals wasn’t when Tan Jing stole his popularity on enrollment day—but after that arcade trip, from a quarrel there.
After Tan Wan introduced him, He Siheng got hooked on the arcade rhythm games.
Playing alone was boring, so he dragged Tan Jing along.
But he’d overlooked Tan Jing’s poor stamina.
Back then, his emotional intelligence was inversely proportional to his competitive spirit. Without thinking, he complained, “We’ve only played two rounds, how are you already this tired? Last time, Wanwan Sis and I played for an hour without breaking a sweat.”
Tan Jing’s heavy breathing paused.
He lifted his head, his face expressionless, a chill in his eyes.
He Siheng’s heart skipped a beat at that icy gaze. Realizing he’d said the wrong thing, he was about to apologize when Tan Jing spoke coldly.
“She plays even better. Go call her if you want. Why call me?”
The boy’s still-youthful voice was as sharp as a frozen dagger. “Oh, because you can’t call her. The Wanwan Sis you like only sees you as a little kid. Compared to babysitting you here, of course she’d rather go shopping with her peers.”
That was the first time He Siheng heard Tan Jing say something so cutting, and it truly stung.
![Conquering the Psycho Villain [Quick Transmigration]](https://i3.wp.com/dobynovels.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/01/ins.jpg?resize=151,215 "Conquering the Psycho Villain [Quick Transmigration]")
