144 Hellish (1/2)

”So you mean, if someone were to inform Lin Guiying of this, then she would be able to retrieve it from this arcade?” Lin Guiying's eyes shone, looking at the guy in front of her with anticipation.

”Huh, if Lin Guiying were to come here... of course she'd be able to get it back. Well, I think she knows already, she always interacts with her fans online!”

Hearing this, Lin Guiying was embarrassed. This guy so proudly proclaimed that the idol in question was very active and always talked with her fans online, yet here she was not knowing a single thing about this whole fiasco.

”Another question, have you seen a person? Male student, about this tall, and very very handsome.” Lin Guiying asked the stranger expectantly.

”Oh, I have seen him. Very handsome, right? He's over there, in the middle of everything.” The guy pointed towards the center of the crowd, which was roughly where the DDR machine was.

”Erm, thanks then.” Without anything else to ask him on, Lin Guiying smiled at the guy before walking away.

That one smile made the stranger widen his eyes. 'That grin... it's so eerily similar to Goddess Lin's...'

.....

Zhou Lei raised his eyebrow.

”White Flower OST, left last Saturday. Right behind the machine.

Lin Hanying's bag full of White Flower merchandise, left last Saturday. Right behind the machine...

Hmmm...”

Even though Zhou Lei thought that it was a mere coincidence, he couldn't help but be amazed at the coincidence that happened.

”Could it be... that Lin Hanying is Lin Guiying in disguise all along?!” Zhou Lei speculated. However, once their respective faces came into mind... ”Goddess Lin is too beautiful, Ying can't even compare. I'm sorry, Ying.”

He spun around and glanced at the massive crowd of people around him. ”People, calm down! I have perfectly contained the site where she dropped her items.”

On the floor, a plastic sheet covered a specific tile, one that had a slight crack on it. The fanatics all looked at the tile with worship evident in their eyes.

”We can now visit this place every time we feel distant from our Goddess. I hereby declare this day, Lost Lin Day!”

Hearing the words ”Lost Lin Day”, the crowd went silent. After a few seconds, one of the people clapped his hands, the sound echoing through the silence. Another set of clapping hands followed, and then another, then another...

Soon enough, everyone in the arcade was clapping, some even whistling and some cheering the name ”Goddess Lin! Goddess Lin!”

Zhou Lei watched the scene unfold before him, a tear dripping down his cheek. 'This... this is what I call a perfect scene.'

As he scanned the crowd, he caught a side glance of the DDR machine. '...Wait. I was supposed to perfect Despaghetti.

What time is it?'

He searched for the digital clock hanging on the ceiling, and looked at the time.

'...I have about 2 and a quarter hours left. That means I should finish this right now!'

Right now, Zhou Lei's mind went blank as he jumped on the machine. He landed without any noise, the arrows under his feet flashing different colors.

He quickly grabbed a quarter from his pocket and threw it into the air. Using his other hand, he grabbed it with a swipe as it fell down. Then, he put it closer to his mouth and blowed a very small breath on it.

'This should be enough preparation...'

Zhou Lei sucked in the air from the surroundings, then exhaled all of it. He closed his eyes, preparing himself mentally for the challenge that he was about to face.

He inserted the coin into the slot, and the screen of the machine automatically went into the level picker.

Zhou Lei scrolled through the levels until he got onto the hardest one: Despaghetti.

Shaking both his hands and his head and jogging his feet a few times, Zhou Lei slapped himself on both cheeks.