A palpable anxiety gripped Xia Yue. She was desperately scrambling for a plausible excuse, a shield against an unknown threat, when the office supervisor made his unsettling entrance. He wasn't alone. Several men followed, each strikingly handsome, yet their distinct features seemed to cast long, unsettling shadows in the already tense atmosphere. Their presence felt less like a visit and more like an inspection.

One of them, exuding an unsettling 'cute puppy' charm, bounded forward with an unnerving eagerness. Without a word, he yanked up his shirt, exposing a sculpted torso. "Sister, feel my abs," he chirped, a strange glint in his eyes. Instinctively, Xia Yue's hand began to rise, drawn by a fleeting, almost primal impulse.

But a sudden, glacial stare pierced her. It wasn't from the 'puppy' but from someone standing silently behind the group. Her smile vanished instantly, replaced by a cold dread. Her hand dropped, and she mechanically pulled the young man's shirt back down, a nervous cough catching in her throat. "You're so young," she managed, her voice strained, "don't always lift your shirt. Your navel can easily catch a cold if exposed to the wind."

The 'puppy' blinked his almond eyes, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing his face. "Sister, you're the first person to tell me to put my clothes back on instead of taking them off." Xia Yue's mind raced, a cynical thought forming: *No, there's also your grandma.* She risked a furtive glance at Sha Hao, the source of the chilling gaze. He sat there, utterly nonchalant, a still, unreadable statue. His silence was far more terrifying than any accusation.

"Ahem, anyway, you guys can leave," Xia Yue stammered, desperate to dismiss them, to disperse the unsettling energy they brought. "I don't need anything right now." The 'puppy' started to protest, but a silent signal from the icy man beside them cut him short. He and his companions, with a collective, almost synchronized movement, quietly exited, leaving Xia Yue with a gaping void of unease.

Xia Yue offered a weak, awkward laugh into the silence. "Uh, so..." Sha Hao finally stirred, his eyes, like chips of ice, fixing on his watch. "Do you have anything else to do?" he asked, his voice devoid of warmth. "Uh, no," she replied, the words barely a whisper. "Then let's go." The command was simple, yet absolute. "Oh." Obediently, Xia Yue rose, her mind a dizzying whirl of unanswered questions. She didn't dare ask where they were going. Sha Hao's integrity, she reminded herself, was supposedly commendable. Yet, a knot of fear tightened in her stomach.

They walked, one in front of the other, to the waiting car. A persistent, nagging feeling pricked at Xia Yue's mind – she was forgetting something crucial, something important, but the exact memory remained elusive, like a shadow at the edge of her vision. This time, Sha Hao didn't touch his work. Instead, he simply closed his eyes, a portrait of serene, almost menacing stillness. Xia Yue stole a glance at him. *He's so handsome!* she thought, a brief respite from her fear. *Compared to him, I was probably just a mud blob tossed aside by Nüwa.* Her gaze lingered on his sharp, straight nose. *Hmm, it's said that men with big noses also have big...* Her eyes, against her will, drifted downwards, a reckless, dangerous curiosity taking hold.

Sha Hao's eyes snapped open, his expression a complicated, unsettling mix of exasperation and something else she couldn't quite decipher. He looked as though he wanted to demand: *What goes through your brain all day?* Xia Yue cleared her throat nervously, her cheeks flushing. "Where are we going?" she asked, the question forced. "I thought you wouldn't ask," he replied, his voice laced with an enigmatic amusement.

They arrived at the entrance of an imposing apartment complex. Xia Yue recognized it as Sha Hao's residence, conveniently close to the company. A sense of unreality settled over her as she was led through the registration process, her finger being pressed against a scanner, her biometric data now undeniably linked to this place. "What's this for?" she asked, her voice hollow. "In case a certain someone can't find the place when delivering food and ends up eating it herself," Sha Hao deadpanned, a hint of steel in his tone. Xia Yue winced, a wave of guilt washing over her. *Guilty.jpg* she thought, acknowledging the truth behind his subtle accusation.

"Should we add each other on WeChat then?" she ventured, trying to inject a semblance of normalcy into the strange situation. Before Sha Hao could refuse, Xia Yue quickly interjected, her voice filled with a forced righteousness. "I don't have any ulterior motives, it's all for work. Otherwise, I won't be able to find you if something comes up." Sha Hao didn't refuse. His silence was a careful calculation. His true intention for getting close to her, after all, was to find out what her background truly was. He pondered her bizarre nickname, 'Crazy Monkey in Love,' a small, unsettling piece of a larger puzzle. *With her level of intelligence,* he mused, *was he overthinking things?*

It was only a little after nine, still early. The quiet of the room, however, pressed in on Xia Yue, making her, a person who thrived on lively atmospheres, feel deeply antsy. "So, no work for you today?" she asked, the silence becoming unbearable. *Waah, she wants to play games...* a desperate thought echoed in her mind. "Do whatever you want," Sha Hao replied, his voice distant, "I'm going to work first." With a final, lingering glance, he disappeared into another room, leaving Xia Yue alone in the oppressive quiet.

Xia Yue let out a shaky breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She retrieved her phone, her heart leaping into her throat when she saw the screen: Fen Yue had called her five times and sent eight frantic messages. "!!!" A cold realization washed over her; she remembered what she had forgotten. The nagging dread now had a name.

She called back, but Fen Yue hung up. She sent messages, but received no reply. A rising panic clawed at her throat. Just as Xia Yue was about to call the police, to scream for help, a message finally came through from Fen Yue: [Xiang: I'm having dinner with my crush, talk later!!!] The relief was immediate, yet fragile. Xia Yue knew Fen Yue had a crush she'd entered the entertainment industry for, but the identity remained a mystery. Fortunately, it seemed, nothing truly terrible had happened to her friend. Still, a chill lingered. Although Fen Yue had insisted the bar was safe, human hearts were complicated, unpredictable, and no one could guarantee absolute safety there.

Linghui Linghui also sent a message, a lifeline back to normalcy, asking her to play games. Xia Yue replied, her fingers trembling slightly, and opened King of Glory, waiting a few anxious minutes for Linghui Linghui to finish her last match. After Linghui Linghui pulled her into the room, Xia Yue saw there was another person whose ID was "Cool Tyrannosaurus Rex." A bad feeling, a premonition of childish chaos, settled over her. *That name, could it be an elementary schooler...?*

Linghui Linghui turned on voice chat, her voice a little subdued. "Sister Monkey, this is my brother, can you bring him for a bit?" [No problem] Xia Yue typed, trying to mask her growing unease. Their match was duo queue. Their opponents, ominously, were a couple with the IDs "Heaven" and "Yin." Xia Yue frowned, these kinds of IDs always set her teeth on edge, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Xia Yue played Marksman, Linghui Linghui played Little Jiao, and 'Tyrannosaurus Rex' played Jingyu Xin. The enemy couple chose Yao Xiu and Jingyu Bai, a classic, almost predatory duo.

From the very start, Yao Xiu clung to Jingyu Bai. The two didn't turn on voice chat, instead communicating through a series of increasingly saccharine, unsettling messages that filled the team chat. [Heaven: Hubby, can you give me blue buff?] [Yin: Baby, come take it] [Heaven: Hubby, you're so handsome] [Yin: Love you, wifey] Xia Yue felt a growing sense of disgust, a feeling of being trapped in a sickening display. *Joy and sorrow are not shared by all,* she thought bitterly.

It's said Marksman players are one level lower than others. Yao Xiu Marksman players are two levels lower. Xia Yue sat isolated under her tower in bot lane, a solitary target. The enemy ADC and support relentlessly poked at her, chipping away at her health, her resolve. The enemy mid and jungler, sensing her vulnerability, ganked her several times, almost diving her under the second tower, a blatant disrespect. Aside from Linghui Linghui coming to offer a few desperate moments of help, her own 'allies,' that obnoxious couple, never once came bot lane. Never once. Her score plummeted to 0-3, a testament to her abandonment. A surge of raw irritation, hot and stinging, overcame her. She typed, a burning accusation in her words: [Crazy Monkey in Love: Jungler, can you come gank bot?]

[Yin: Can't you be more shameless? How did you die so many times?] [Yin: With your rank, you must've spread your legs to get carried here right?] The words were a vile, toxic spray. [Sweet Kitten: Are you talking about yourself?] Linghui Linghui's gentle, almost timid retort was like striking a match to dry tinder. The couple immediately turned on voice chat, their voices screeching, a cacophony of verbal abuse. They spewed every censored phrase imaginable, vile curses that ripped through the quiet of Sha Hao's apartment, poisoning the air. Linghui Linghui was furious, but her upbringing held her back; she could only argue back with reason, her words a futile defense against their onslaught. The 'grade schooler' arguing top lane couldn't type fast enough to counter their verbal barrage.

Xia Yue couldn't stand it anymore. A primal roar escaped her, a furious release of all the bottled-up fear, anxiety, and anger. She turned on voice chat, her voice a weapon. "F**k, so gutsy?" she roared. "Eat sh*t, even chickens play better than you." "You really think your 0-0 score is hot sh*t? Were you sleepwalking in the jungle? What, gathering magic mushrooms for your moms there?" "Foul nasty mouths, how much sh*t have you eaten?" Her voice cracked with venom. "People always say you harp on what you lack the most. You two must be motherless orphans!" She paused, a mocking, disgusted sound escaping her lips. "Tsk tsk, so pitiful. Call me mom and I'll consider giving you some maternal love." Xia Yue didn't wait for their reaction; she muted them, cutting off their vile retorts, and continued her relentless, one-sided verbal assault.

In the end, the couple, shattered by her barrage, rage-quit. Of course, they lost that match, too. After leaving the game room, all three of them reported the couple, and a small victory was achieved as their credit score was successfully docked. However, a notification popped up for Xia Yue: she herself had received a chat restriction. "..." A wry, bitter smile touched her lips. She then pulled the couple back into the room for one last, satisfying round of curses before kicking them out for good. *N/o/vel/b//in dot c//om*.

Xia Yue sighed, a hollow sound in the silent room. *Yao Xiu's reputation has been ruined by these kinds of people,* she thought, a melancholic regret. Linghui Linghui, her voice filled with guilt, whispered, "I'm so sorry, my words are too clumsy, and I didn't help you cuss them out just now..." Xia Yue turned on voice chat, her voice now softer, yet still firm. "Don't overthink it. That couple was the problem. Don't blame yourself, always look to others for the cause." She paused, a cynical wisdom in her words. "Rather than blame yourself, blame others instead."

'Cool Tyrannosaurus Rex' spoke up, his voice unexpectedly deep and resonant. "Sister Monkey is so awesome!" Xia Yue froze. "???" she typed. "You don't sound like a grade schooler!" she stated, his voice a surprising auditory treat, smooth and mature. He laughed, a low, rich sound. "I didn't say I was a grade schooler." Xia Yue was lost in thought, a new mystery unfolding. She had been wrong to judge him based on the name alone. "You're right," she conceded, a new suspicion forming. "The name's a bit childish for a grade schooler." 'Cool Tyrannosaurus Rex' replied, his voice laced with an enigmatic amusement. "Exactly, it's just right for a college student." It was just one game, Xia Yue told herself, yet a seed of doubt had been planted. She didn't take it to heart, not entirely. They played a few more ranked matches afterwards. Thankfully, no more weirdos appeared, and they smoothly gained some stars. But as the night wore on, Xia Yue couldn't shake the feeling that the game, much like her life, had just taken a dark, unexpected turn, and the 'Cool Tyrannosaurus Rex' was an unknown player in a much larger, more dangerous game.