Chapter 135: You Have to Live for Yourself at Least Once

Chapter 135: Chapter 135: You Have to Live for Yourself at Least Once

Ruby Forrest pouted, looking incredibly wronged. Rian Sinclair had no idea what was going on in her head, but judging by her little expressions, she could guess a thing or two—Ruby had probably been tricked by that big bad wolf, Wyatt Winslow.

Figuring it was just a lovers’ quarrel, Rian didn’t press the matter. Jason Rivers and the others soon caught up from behind. When Wyatt came out, he immediately noticed Ruby’s red, swollen eyes and let out a soft sigh.

Resigning himself to his fate, Wyatt went off to buy his little princess her favorite snacks. Meanwhile, Rian took Ruby to get a cup of milk tea. After all, very few foodies could resist the temptation of a good milk tea. Ruby obediently hugged her cup, sipping away as her eyes crinkled into happy little crescents. Rian mused that the girl was truly easy to coax.

Rian turned down the others’ offers to walk her home. After saying her goodbyes, she headed in the opposite direction.

Uncle Forrest arrived quickly, and it wasn’t long before Rian was sitting in the car.

Inside, the scenery outside the window blurred past in a frenzy. Suddenly, her phone buzzed beside her. It was a message from Ash Sinclair: [Sis, I’m heading to an internet cafe. Attached: Location.]

Rian didn’t mind. Since Ash had already finished his college entrance exams, she wouldn’t micromanage his free time anymore. Still, she was a little curious. She wanted to see what kind of games he was into, so she messaged him back. After getting his okay, she instructed the driver to head toward the internet cafe.

The cafe was located in a rather remote area, so when they got close, she got out of the car to walk the rest of the way. Along the street, she spotted two vaguely familiar figures. She wondered how those two could possibly be connected.

Intrigued, Rian pulled the brim of her hat down and quietly trailed behind them. The two men walked ahead. To any other passerby, they might have looked like two strangers who just happened to be walking in the same direction, but their distinct auras were incredibly striking.

It wasn’t long before the two parted ways. One turned down the left path, while the other stopped and glanced back, locking eyes with Rian. She hadn’t made any attempt to hide, nor did she avert her gaze. Instead, she just stared at him with a faint smirk. The man panicked for a split second before hurriedly walking away.

Rian watched him leave. She was absolutely certain he had recognized her, but why did he look so frantic? Was he afraid she would tell someone? She wondered what exactly Shawn was up to. Still, everyone was entitled to their privacy. While she hadn’t expected those two to cross paths, it wasn’t her place to interrogate him. After all, they had only met a few times and barely knew each other.

Entering the internet cafe, Rian didn’t bother asking the front desk for directions since Ash had already sent her his VIP room number. Checking the message, she made her way inside.

Reaching the door, she gave it a push. It was unlocked, so she walked right in. The room smelled of cigarette smoke, though thankfully there weren’t any other foul odors. However, the cluster of brightly dyed hair in the room was quite an eyesore.

Her entrance caught the attention of a guy standing nearby. He was just about to speak when Rian shook her head and whispered in a pleasant voice, "No need to call him. I’m just here to watch."

The man nodded and went back to watching Ash play. Rian walked up beside Ash and looked at his monitor. The screen displayed the chaotic battlefield of *Battle Royale*. Rian didn’t say a word, simply watching him play in silence.

Ash was completely absorbed in the game, his eyes and energy locked onto the screen with absolute focus. He frequently keyed his mic to communicate with his teammates. His shot-calling was solid—clear, concise, and straight to the point. The virtual weapons in his hands seemed to come alive; his aiming, firing, and recoil control were executed in one seamless, incredibly smooth motion.

However, his playstyle was overwhelmingly aggressive, leaving him open to what she considered quite a few fatal flaws. Standing to the side, Rian quietly analyzed his technique. There were fifty players left in the match. Suddenly, Ash swapped his assault rifle for an M24 sniper rifle, quick-scoped, and took a shot.

An elimination notification instantly popped up on the screen, bringing his kill count to twenty-one. Rian pursed her lips. From the looks of it, Ash actually had some serious talent for gaming.

Still, she kept quiet and continued to observe. Ash was running a loadout featuring a Groza assault rifle and an M24. He used the M24 equipped with an 8x scope to pick off distant targets, then quickly swapped to the Groza, outfitted with a 6x scope, to finish them off. She watched his right hand control the mouse’s recoil. While he couldn’t quite keep the assault rifle’s spray pinpoint-accurate, his recoil control was still highly impressive.

Rian shifted her weight, leaning on her other arm. Ash’s playstyle was simultaneously reckless and steady. He kept up a steady stream of communication. Rian glanced at the two people sitting nearby, unsure if they were just friends playing a casual squad match or dedicated teammates. The fourth squad member seemed to be a random matchmaking player who was following Ash’s lead. Ash’s commands were incredibly lucid and purpose-driven. He had a sharp mind, quickly predicting enemy movements and immediately formulating the right counter-strategies.

As Rian silently watched, Ash pulled off one god-tier maneuver after another. With her highly developed cognitive processing, she could see that he still made plenty of unnecessary movements. Yet, watching him today made her realize that his love for gaming wasn’t just empty talk. He was truly chasing a passion and pouring his heart into it.

When the match finally ended, Ash had secured thirty-nine kills. The map was massive, making it difficult to hunt players down, but as the safe zone shrank and forced engagements, Ash’s kill count stood as a testament to his sheer skill. However, Rian frowned when she checked the scoreboard. Even though she didn’t know which two were his regular teammates, their kill counts were glaringly low.

*Battle Royale* was a wildly popular PC shooter. In an era with a limited selection of quality PC titles, this game had captured the hearts of the masses. Since each account required real-name identity verification, there were no AI bots in the lobbies. The game boasted a staggering daily active player base of up to thirty-five million. But the competition was insanely fierce.

Pulling off his headset, Ash reached for his phone, intending to ask his sister where she was. Suddenly, the guy beside him tapped his shoulder. Ash gave him a confused look, but the guy merely pointed to his left. Turning his head, Ash was immediately met with Rian’s deeply furrowed brow.

His first thought was that his sister was upset he was spending his time gaming. Ash pressed his lips together. After wrestling with his thoughts, he declared with absolute seriousness, "Sis, if you’re going to tell me to give up gaming, I... I won’t agree to it."

Rian listened to his outburst in total bewilderment. Seeing his deadly serious expression, she realized that her frowning earlier had probably given him the wrong idea.

"I’m not asking you to give it up. I’m actually happy you have a goal, Ash," she said gently. "I can see how much you love playing games. It’s your life to live, and I won’t stand in your way. I just hope that when you look back on this later, you won’t have any regrets."

Ash stared at her in utter disbelief. He studied her face again and again, searching for any sign of disapproval, but there was none. He wondered if his sister was actually giving him her blessing.

Rian had no idea what was going through his head. In the past, his only job was to study hard, not skip class to play games. But now that the college entrance exams were over, she had no reason to stop him from chasing his passion. After all, everyone had to live for themselves at least once.