From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 109: Russell’s Crush, Archie’s Clue

Chapter 109: Russell’s Crush, Archie’s Clue

That night, after dodging three consecutive calls from his mother, Archie finally gave in.

"Fine, fine. I’ll go check on him," he muttered, pulling on a hoodie as he left the gaming room. His teammates had already moved on to the next match, but Archie had been forced to step aside because his mother had been spamming the team WeChat like a ghost with a grudge.

"Check on your younger brother, Archie! He can’t leave the uni! What if he’s starving? What if he fainted during training? Come home right now and bring food to your brother before I cut off all of your allowances!"

Archie sighed, remembering how his mother had given him an earful before coming to university. He dragged his foot across the campus in dismay.

He was held up in the gaming room training with his teammates for the past few days, totally ditching his classes for the chance to compete with a famous international team.

Archie reached the front of the freshman dormitory and dialled Russell’s number.

"Yo, kid," Archie said as soon as the line picked up. "I am outside."

There was a sharp rustle on the other end of the line, followed by an excited voice. "Brother! Really? Give me a sec, I’m coming down."

After a few minutes, the dormitory doors burst open. Russell came jogging out. "Why didn’t you come up?"

"Why would I go up? I already smelled enough stinky socks today. Please, Your majesty, spare me from another assault on my senses!" Archie said, placing a hand on his chest, pleading mockingly.

"I shall grant your wishes, my loyal subject," Russell answered him like an ancient king. Then laughed. "I bet it was Zian!"

"Of course. His sneakers could be used for torturing criminals!"

Archie’s smile deepened. His younger brother was the apple of the Norris family’s eyes. They all treated him like a king. And Archie always joked about it by playing the role of his trusted minister.

"Here, Mum made it for you. She has been nagging all day, worrying about you losing weight." Archie said, handing a bag full of packed food.

"Ah, yes! Thanks! I really missed mum’s cooking," Russell grabbed it with delight, clutching the bag to his chest like a treasure. "She made the sour cherry rice, didn’t she?"

"Yep, and the honey caramel nut candy you like."

Russell rummaged through the bag and popped one candy straight into his mouth. "Umm..."

"You and Mum! Both acting as if you were shipped off to Mars or something. You only left home for three days!"

"Hehe, you don’t understand! This is the first time I slept outside!" Russell mumbled through eating the candy.

Archie shook his head and stuffed his hands into his hoodie pocket. "So, how is the military training going?"

"Awful!" Russel’s face twisted. "The instructors are harsh and scary. The food is nasty, and don’t even get me started on the heat! I feel like a dried fish on a rock!" Russell wailed.

Archie ruffled his brother’s hair. "Stop whining like a baby. I told you to get an exemption. You insisted on attending."

"Hey!" Russell tried to dodge his hand but failed. "I wanna be like others! Experiencing everything!"

"Fine, fine. Just be careful. If you think it’s too much, just give a dad a call."

"Okay, okay. Enough about that. Why didn’t you reply to my texts?" Russell’s eyes bent into crescents. "Brother! I found the one! You know the advertising idea for our club!"

"Hmm? What advertising?"

"You forgot again! It was the agenda for our last meeting!"

"Sorry, sorry... what was it?"

"You know, like branding! We need a face for our club. Someone hot and sexy, or cool and noble, or both! A student spokesperson, maybe live streams, or a social media post. That kinda thing."

Archie nodded. "Okay, go on."

"So, get this," Russell said, eyes shining. "There is this freshman rep. He is super dashing and has aced math! Like perfect! He has the vibe, calm, a bit distant, but mysterious. People are already talking about him."

"Oh?" Archie raised an eyebrow. "He is better than me?"

"What are you talking about? You said it yourself, you don’t have time for these pointless activities. You were our first choice!"

"Fine. So you want this guy to be the poster boy for the club?"

"Exactly! If we teach him a few basic games, he can stream for us, do promotions, and people will flock to the club!"

Archie smiled. "So, has he accepted your offer?"

Russell’s face fell a little. "Nah, I was inviting him, real polite too, but then Flinn barged in and started gossiping about him to his face. It was so awkward."

"Did he get angry?"

"No, but his friend sure did. That guy ripped Flinn to shreds. In public. We didn’t have any choice but to apologise and bolt." Russell said, face wrinkling.

"You are telling me this for?" Archie arched his brow.

Russell kicked at a pebble on the ground. "Well.... I was wondering, maybe you could check him out? I just want to know if you think it’s worth a shot to ask him again."

"Why are you so fixated on this guy?"

"Elly likes him...." Russell mumbled.

Archie groaned and facepalmed. "Of course, why didn’t I guess? You only care about anything if it’s related to her!" Archie shook his head.

"That’s not true! I joined the gaming club because of you!"

"Sure, sure... when you were still in high school, you joined the university club? You saw her, and that was it."

"Brother! Just answer me!" Russell huffed and crossed his arms.

Archie grinned. "Aren’t you the one in love with Elly? Why are you dragging a potential love rival into the club?"

Russell turned tomato red. "No, who said that? She is like a goddess, okay! Pure and radiant. Don’t soil her reputation with that!"

Archie snickered. "You and the rest of her followers. What hold does she have on you guys? Is she running a cult?"

"Please?! I’m serious!" Russell grabbed his sleeve in frustration. "I’m kinda scared of that guy’s friend. He was glaring at us like that one husky Auntie Lian used to have, you know, the one that bit me?"

Archie laughed. "Really? You mean that dumb dog with the cute face?"

"What cute face? He was terrifying! That boy, especially with that silver hair, looked just like him before attacking me!"

Archie’s pupils dilated. "Silver?"

"Yeah! Even under a cap, it stood out! The instructors were even gossiping about him during drills."

"Do you know his name?" Archie’s expression shifted.

Russell blinked. "Who?!"

"The boy with silver hair."

Russell scratched his cheek. "No... we are in a different group."

"Can you find more about him?"

"I guess... but why are you so interested in him? Weren’t we talking about the freshman rep?"

"You said it yourself, he is the problem. If we get through him, the rep is a sure thing." Archie lied smoothly.

"Okay. I’ll do it." Russell gave him a suspicious side-eye.

"Thanks, kid. I have to go. I have a match to catch on." Archie turned to leave, giving a casual wave.

"Break a leg!" Russell called after him.

Archie raised two fingers in a salute without turning back. His mind filled with catching that silver-haired boy, or should he call him FrostbiteAshe?