《Folding Moon》


 CH 1

    In the darkness, the thunder failed to wake many from their dreams.


    Under the endless wind and rain, Nanwu Airport was peaceful as a mountain and bright as the sun. It seemed to be a giant box, containing the daytime that had already gone off work.


    It was just past two in the morning, but the number of people had not decreased.


    Tourists and travelers went by Yun Li, who was standing still and checking her phone from time to time; one after another. [1]Yun (ÔÆ£©means cloud, and Li (Àå) means centi, as in the unit of measurement (one thousandth)


    This was Yun Li¡¯s second time to Nanwu.


    Her last time here was this Spring when she came to attend Nanwu Institute of Technology¡¯s postgraduate retest. And this time, it was because she received the invitation from EAW Virtual Reality Experience Center.


    EAW was Yousheng Technology¡¯s first VR Experience Center, which was planned to open at the end of next month.


    Some time ago, they did a trial opening, and the results were not as good as expected. So they invited more bloggers and social media influencers to come and help promote their business before the official launch.


    Yun Li was one of them.


    Through email, Yun Li got in touch with Miss He.


    The plane ticket, accommodation, and food were all taken care of by the company, and Miss He also informed her that she would arrange for someone to pick her up after she arrived.


    But the weather changed unexpectedly, and Yun Li¡¯s flight was delayed by three hours.


    After learning her new arrival time, Miss He once again said that she would arrange for another person to come to pick her up. And after Yun Li got off the plane and asked her, she said that the driver had already left and that she just had to patiently wait for a little.


    Until now, however, the driver still had not appeared. And Ms. He had still not responded.


    In three minutes, Yun Li would have waited for an hour.


    Yun Li leaned on her suitcase and typed a message with an ugly face. After she finished, she went back and read it over again completely.


    Good.


    No curse words.


    Explained how it¡¯s her fault.


    Passive aggressiveness is used.


    But even so, she stared at the screen for a while and still didn¡¯t press the send button.


    Sigh.


    It sounds kinda mean.


    As she was wondering how to make it nicer, her thoughts were suddenly interrupted, ¡°¨CHello?¡±


    Looking over, Yun Li saw a stranger looking at him.


    The person looked thin and handsome, like a college student who haven¡¯t graduated yet. It seemed that he wasn¡¯t very good at doing these kinds of things, as he said shyly, ¡°Did you come here for vacation or?¡±


    He was already the sixth person who tried to strike up a conversation with her.


    Without exception, the previous five all asked her whether she wanted to ride their car or a hotel room.


    So Yun Li automatically filled the rest of his words in her head and waved her hand, ¡°No thanks¡­¡±


    The man paused, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for someone, and I don¡¯t need a room.¡±


    The two looked at each other awkwardly.


    A few seconds later, the man scratched his hair, ¡°Um.¡±


    He gave a gentle cough, ¡°I just wanted to ask, can I add you on WeChat?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Yun Li was dumbfounded.


    The man¡¯s voice was clear, but now it was a bit quieter, ¡°Can I?¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± realizing that she had mistaken him, Yun Li was rather embarrassed, ¡°¡­Okay.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± said the man as he took out his phone. He smiled, ¡°Should I scan you?¡±[1]For those who aren¡¯t aware of how WeChat works, it¡¯s a Chinese messaging and social media app where you can scan each other¡¯s QR code to add each other as friends.


    Yun Li nodded and tapped her screen. The long text that she had just composed was shown. She immediately clicked out of it and opened the QR code for him to scan.


    The man bent down and scanned the code while he introduced himself politely, ¡°I¡¯m Fu Zhengchu, if you have time later we can¡­¡±


    The friend request appeared.


    As she took a look at his profile picture, Yun Li felt that something was off. A guess rose in her head.


    Sure enough.


    The next second, his username showed up.


    ¨CBar and Chill Inn


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Is this how far solicitors have gone nowadays?


    Yet Fu Zhengchu didn¡¯t realize that he had used the wrong account at all. His expression still had a ¡°yes, I did it!¡± look. Immediately after, he asked with care, ¡°Are you going to EAW after?¡±


    Yun Li looked at him.


    ¡°That VR Experience Center?¡±


    Yun Li became alert, ¡°How did you know?¡±


    ¡°I accidentally saw your chat window just now and noticed the person¡¯s alias. Sorry, I didn¡¯t mean it,¡± said Fu Zhengchu, ¡°And this center opened near my school, so I took a guess.¡±


    Miss He¡¯s alias on Yun Li¡¯s phone was just EAW but did not mention anything about VR Experience Center.


    So his explanation was rather convincing.


    She nodded again.


    ¡°But why are you here at this time? I don¡¯t think it¡¯s open yet, you¡¯ll have to wait a month,¡± said Fu Zhengchu.


    All his information was correct, and Yun Li didn¡¯t know how to reply. All she could honestly say was, ¡°Uh, I was invited.¡±


    ¡°Invited?¡± Fu Zhengchu didn¡¯t seem to understand, but he didn¡¯t keep asking either, ¡°So you¡¯re waiting for them to come to pick you up?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that you¡¯ve been waiting for a while,¡± after hesitating, Fu Zhengchu did not give up after her indifferent words and expression and kept going, ¡°Where are you going? Maybe I can give you a ride?¡±


    Hearing this, Yun Li¡¯s alertness rose again. She shook her head, ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, this matter has something to do with me.¡±


    Yun Li asked puzzledly, ¡±Mm?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Fu Zhengchu realized he didn¡¯t explain yet, and said briefly, ¡°Because my brother founded EAW.¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Yeah right, why don¡¯t you just tell me that you¡¯re the CEO instead?


    ¨C


    After a second of silence, Yun Li considered it. This person¡¯s series of actions seemed very strange.


    Bunch of lies, and randomly asked her to go with him. He seemed to be part of some criminal organization that targeted single women. With this thought in mind, she gradually grew anxious.


    Even considering the fact that it was in public, it was late at night and she didn¡¯t know this place well.


    She didn¡¯t want to express her anxiety, so she used a random excuse as she wanted to leave the area.


    Fu Zhengchu seemed to have also realized that not only did he seem like he¡¯s boasting, it also made him look suspicious. He quickly tried to explain, but it wasn¡¯t of much use. The more he said, the more sketchy he sounded, and so he could only after the failed attempt.


    Out of caution, Yun Li didn¡¯t stay much longer..


    After taking several turns in the airport, she finally relaxed a little after she was sure that the man didn¡¯t follow her.


    Due to what happened, Yun Li didn¡¯t want to stay much longer, and she opened her phone again.


    The screen still showed the chat window.


    Miss He still hadn¡¯t replied. Because the impulse from the anger had faded, she sighed and deleted what she was about to send.


    Rather than waiting in place and doing nothing, she decided to try to think of a solution herself. She scrolled up the chat history, found the name of the hotel, and searched its location on the map.


    It was near Nanwu Institute of Technology.


    Before she could think more, Miss He, who disappeared a while ago, finally replied.


    Perhaps it was because of the dozen or so messages that she sent earlier, Miss He kept apologizing, saying that she accidentally fell asleep and didn¡¯t see the message that the driver sent saying he couldn¡¯t make it. She also said that she has already arranged for someone else to come pick her up.


    It was a member of the EAW staff, who happened to be nearby.


    This time Miss He was very clear.


    Not only did she send the license plate, but she also promised that he would arrive within ten minutes.


    Although she had been waiting for so long already, her problem was finally solved.


    She was not in the mood to continue blaming her, so Yun Li just sent an ¡°okay¡±, and walked outside. After coming out did she feel the dampness and coolness.


    ¡­¡­


    Five minutes later.


    Yun Li¡¯s phone rang; it was an anonymous call from Nanwu. Seeing this, she reflexively hung up. But the second she hung up, she realized that it was probably someone from EAW.


    She looked at the missed call and didn¡¯t dare to call back.


    But she was also afraid that the other party would grow impatient.


    After hesitating.


    She bit her knuckles and called back.


    Beep.


    With just one ring, the call was picked up.


    But nothing was said.


    Yun Li took the initiative to explain, ¡°Sorry, I accidentally  hung up.¡± Now knowing how to call the other party, she asked, ¡°Are you from EAW?¡±


    A few seconds later.


    The man gave an ¡°mm¡±. His voice was cold and sounded tired as if a phantom illusion. His voice was without any emotion as if it was capable of taking one¡¯s soul. ¡°Come out, cross the road, and you will see a parking lot¨C¡±


    Yun Li paused him, ¡°Wait what?¡±


    The man stopped and explained, ¡°You can¡¯t park at the exit.¡±


    ¡°Ohoh, okay,¡± said Yun Li, ¡°I¡¯ll come over now.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring an umbrella?¡± asked the man.


    Yun Li took a glance at her back subconsciously, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Meet me at the entrance of the parking lot.¡±


    With that, the call ended.


    The whole conversation lasted no more than a minute


    Yun Li pulled out her umbrella with confusion.


    Following the man¡¯s instructions, the second Yun Li got to the parking lot, she saw a car coming over. After comparing it with the license plate Miss He had sent over, she confirmed that it was the correct car. From the passenger side, she bent down and politely asked,  ¡°Hello, can you please open the trunk?¡±


    Trees beside the parking lot blocked some of the street lights, causing the light to be fragmented as it shined below.


    Inside the car, Yun Li could only see his sickly white jaw.


    The man turned his head and seemed to glance towards her. He didn¡¯t say anything as he wore his hat and coat and got out of the car.


    Yun Li was stunned and quickly said, ¡°Um, it¡¯s okay¡­ I can do¡­¡±


    Her voice was soft, and the loud rain seemed to have swallowed it. The man acted as if he didn¡¯t hear. He came up to her and took the suitcase from her. She could only swallow the rest of her words back and say instead, ¡°¡­ thank you.¡±


    The raindrops landed on the floor one after another in the city.


    Yun Li studied these unfamiliar surroundings. As she looked around, she suddenly stopped, with her eyes towards the sky. Even in such weather, she saw a rare sight: the moon through the rain.


    The man lifted the trunk, which made him lift his head slightly. The dim lights shone on his face.


    It seemed as if time was forced to slow down. His appearance gradually grew clear.


    Yun Li held her breath for a few seconds.


    The man¡¯s eye sockets were deep, his thin lips were closed tightly, and his expression seemed distant. His hair and eyelashes had water on them, and he looked tired, but still had an offensive aggressiveness on him.


    So handsome that it made it impossible to look away.


    But also as if he had thorns, making people not dare to approach.


    After seeing him lift the suitcase, Yun Li recovered from her daze. She got closer and covered him with her umbrella.


    The umbrella wasn¡¯t too big, and it was hard to contain two people without them being close. Yun Li was a little embarrassed to be so close, so she stood at a safe distance and allowed part of herself to be caught in the rain.


    There were, unexpectedly, many things in the trunk.


    The man piled some loose items onto the side and barely shoved the suitcase in. Then, he noticed Yun Li on the side.


    He was very tall. In his dark thin coat, his face didn¡¯t have any expression, bringing some sense of oppression. At this moment, he seemed offended. He looked up, staring at her with his ink-black pupils.


    Yun Li swallowed hard and was a bit nervous.


    Then.


    Yun Li saw the man raise his hand, and come towards her.


    She froze in place.


    In such circumstances, Yun Li still noticed that the man¡¯s slender fingers were wet with water. His hand went past her¡¯s and rose. Then slowly, he touched the black shaft and pushed gently.


    The shaft went past her hair, then her ear, then to her neck.


    Yun Li¡¯s full body was covered by the umbrella again.


    The process took no more than a few seconds.


    Then, the man turned around and closed the trunk. The sound was dull and was drowned in the crisp sound of rain. With that, two words arose from his mouth.


    ¡°No need.¡±

 CH 2

    As she prepared to board the car, Yun Li hesitated for a moment between the passenger and the back seat.


    Miss He didn¡¯t make herself clear enough and only said that this driver was an employee of the company. Maybe he came to pick her up just to help. If she sat in the back, that might be a little bit disrespectful and would make him seem more like a driver than an employee.


    Her only option was to bite the bullet and choose the former.


    The light and rain interlaced as they came from above, and the windows were full of stars.


    Yun Li fastened her seat belt, took out a piece of paper from her bag, and roughly wiped off the large drops of water on her clothes.


    The ride was silent.


    In the past, she would just sit in the back and play dead after getting in a taxi; at most she would ask for the price when she was about to get off. It was rare for her to sit in a stranger¡¯s passenger seat, as it always felt awkward not to speak.


    After she racked her brain to think about something to say, Yun Li spoke up, ¡°Sorry for the trouble to have to come and pick me up.¡±


    A few seconds later, the man lightly said, ¡°Mm.¡±


    It fell silent again.


    Yun Li couldn¡¯t think of what else to say, and so she began to pretend to look busy. She took out her phone and flipped through several commonly used apps repeatedly.


    After driving for a while, the man suddenly asked, ¡°Where to?¡±


    ¡°Ah?¡± Yun Li sat upright and said hurriedly, ¡°Yangjin Hotel.¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡±


    After this, the man never spoke again.


    He didn¡¯t seem to have the slightest desire to talk, except for the necessary questions. Aside from that, he was dead silent. As if he really was just a taxi driver.


    The two people she met tonight were really two extremes in character.


    One was too enthusiastic, the other was too cold. It was just that their appearances were both quite eye-catching


    Thinking of this, Yun Li secretly glanced in his direction again.


    From her angle, she could see most of the man¡¯s side face, partly covered by shadows. His hat was taken off, and his jawline was clear. The hair on his forehead was wet, partially covering his eyebrows.


    His lips were still quite pale.


    He was wearing his jacket already, but still looked like he was cold.


    She retracted her gaze and pretended to look back at the scenery. But she couldn¡¯t help but look back at him again.


    When it came to looks, he was the type of man that she liked.


    His temperament was indifferent and cold, and he appeared to have no worldly desires and weaknesses. Seemingly weak, but inexplicably revealing a hint of viciousness.


    He could be described as a seemingly dying wolf from the streets, who could jump up and bite you any second.


    When they arrived at the hotel, the quiet atmosphere along the way was finally broken.


    There was a glass canopy at the door. The man stopped the car, dropped the word ¡°arrived¡± and got out of the car. Yun Li replied thanks and hurriedly took her things and followed him closely.


    The man carried the suitcase to the doorstep for her, and he lifted his chin inward, ¡°Just go in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    The man nodded and said nothing, then turned and returned to his car.


    It was still raining cats and dogs. Looking at the man¡¯s back, Yun Li imagined him to be washed away by the heavy rain. She took a step forward and yelled, ¡°Uh, um!¡±


    The man stopped and looked back.


    Yun Li¡¯s heart was beating heavily as she handed him her umbrella, ¡°The rain doesn¡¯t seem like it will end soon.¡±


    He didn¡¯t move a muscle.


    ¡°I will go to EAW tomorrow,¡± Yun Li met his eyes for no reason, and her voice trembled a little, ¡°You can put it at the front desk then, and I¡¯ll go get it.¡±


    Afraid that the scene where he turned down the umbrella would be repeated. She simply put the umbrella on the hood of the car and said quickly, ¡°Thank you for bringing me here today.¡±


    She did not wait for the man to respond and had already walked inside with her suitcase.


    After walking a few meters into the hotel, Yun Li finally had the courage to look back.


    The place where the umbrella was originally placed was empty.


    The car drove forward as the rain continued to pour down. The taillights disappeared into the darkness, breaking the evenness of the rain.


    Yun Li let out a sigh of relief.


    In her room, Yun Li fell asleep after taking a shower. Because of the unfamiliar environment, she didn¡¯t sleep very well.


    She had a dream about tonight¡¯s scene.


    Everything went as it did, but after getting in the man¡¯s car, what had happened went in a completely different direction.


    The man did not drive her to the hotel, but to a wilderness.


    There, Yun Li also saw the man at the airport. He laughed wildly, mocking her for being stupid, and declared that the man was the leader of their criminal organization.


    The man¡¯s eyes looked at her as if he was a hunter looking at its prey. A cold-blooded, cruel predator.


    She was nervous and wanted to leave as soon as possible.


    As soon as she turned around, the man used the umbrella that she gave him tonight to pierce her in the heart.


    Then Yun Li woke up.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    The panic in the dream persisted, and she touched her chest unconsciously. After relaxing in bed for a few minutes, she calmed down, and she realized how absurd this dream was.


    After a while, Yun Li picked up her phone to check the time.


    On WeChat, Miss He added her into a group and notified everyone to gather in the hotel lobby at 3 o¡¯clock in the afternoon.


    Yun Li didn¡¯t dawdle and quickly went to wash up.


    She went out ten minutes early.


    There were two men and a woman sitting on the sofa, and only the woman was facing her. Through the corner of her eyes, she caught a glimpse of her, and the woman immediately got up and greeted her, ¡°Are you Miss Lazy Cloud?¡±


    Yun Li nodded.


    Lazy Cloud was her username on E site.


    The full name of E site was Endless Sharing, which was a video platform for content creators. It was once a small communication platform, and later, an option for video creation was set up. The number of online users gradually increased and the website gradually expanded.


    That summer before her sophomore year, Yun Li had nothing better to do and started to post videos on E site.


    She was just filming for fun at first and never thought anyone would watch it. The content was very mixed, focusing on food and other interests of hers. She would just record whatever she wanted.


    And now, although she wasn¡¯t too popular, she still had a good couple hundred thousand followers.


    The woman on the sofa was Miss He, her full name was He Jiameng. The two men were also famous content creators at E site, one was called Unknown, and the other was called Fee Water.


    After they greeted each other, they got into the car.


    The arrangement was a seven-seater SUV. Yun Li and He Jiameng sat in the middle row, and the other two sat behind them. Along the way, they all chatted.


    Her phone vibrated.


    Yun Li opened her phone, and found that it was a message from her friend Deng Chuqi.


    Deng Chuqi: [You¡¯re at Nanwu?]


    Yun Li  gave a non sequitur reply: [I almost died just now.]


    Deng Chuqi: [?]


    Yun Li: [In my dream]


    A moment later.


    Deng Chuqi: [I almost got a job with an annual salary of one million today.]


    Yun Li: [?]


    Deng Chuqi: [In my dream.]


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Yun Li couldn¡¯t help but burst out laughing.


    Immediately, perhaps it was just her mind playing tricks with her, the noisy background sound became quieter. She turned her head and looked over, just to meet He Jiameng¡¯s smile.


    ¡°Miss Lazy Cloud, you think it¡¯s funny too?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yun Li didn¡¯t listen at all, and said with a guilty conscience, ¡°Um¡­yeah it is.¡±


    They may be aware of her perfunctory prevarication, and they didn¡¯t keep the topic on this. They soon switched the conversation.


    Yun Li relaxed but felt a little bad.


    She felt that she was a mood killer.


    ¡­¡­


    EAW Technology City opened in a large business district called Haitian Commercial City. Not too far from the hotel, it was only a fifteen-minute drive in the car.


    The neighborhood was very lively, with commercial streets on both sides along the way, and it passed by Nanwu University of Technology. Coincidentally, that day, it was the Qixi Festival1 and the pedestrians on the road were in pairs, bustling and full of energy.


    Looking out the window, Yun Li could see a huge Ferris wheel perched on the top of the mall.


    The entrance to EAW was on the first floor.


    Today was not the official shooting day, just a day for everyone to get familiar with the building and the shooting process. It wasn¡¯t a mandatory event to attend either.


    Yun Li didn¡¯t want to be left behind and was afraid to not know what to do when it was the day for the shooting, so she came along.


    In addition to them, a few more people arrived at the scene. Yun Li didn¡¯t know or recognize them.


    They said hello and He Jiameng led them inside.


    After entering, there was a front desk and a ticket gate. Down the escalator, EAW¡¯s play facilities occupied a large part of the upper three floors, separated from other stores in the business district.


    Because it had not yet opened, there were no people in the store, and the equipment had not been turned on. Here, He Jiameng only briefly introduced them to the projects on each floor.


    Yun Li acted alone, and when she saw an item of interest, she wrote it down in hermemo. After she was done, she started to think about what content to make. At the same time, the phone vibrated once again, this time notifying her of low battery.


    She flipped through the bag, and failed to find her power bank.


    I forgot to bring it?


    She looked around and saw He Jiameng sitting on the lounge chair in the corridor on the same floor. Yun Li walked over, ¡°Jiameng, do you have a charger here?¡±


    He Jiameng looked up: ¡°No, but there is one in the lounge.¡±


    ¡°Then nevermind¡­¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s okay, the lounge is very close. I¡¯ll take you there.¡± He Jiameng glanced at the time. ¡°We may stay for another hour or so, you can rest there and recharge the battery along the way.¡±


    Because having one¡¯s phone dead was a very inconvenient experience in this era, Yun Li did not refuse, ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    She exited from EAW, then walked out to the nearest fire exit and walked down the stairs to the first floor. She entered from the side door, which led to a long corridor, and she could see several single-open glass doors, one of which said ¡°EAW Technology City¡±.


    Marked below, ¡°Employees Only.¡±


    He Jiameng swiped her card to unlock it.


    There were two doors on the front and left of the building: the office and the staff lounge.


    The two entered the lounge and turned on the lights.


    There were lockers on the entire left side, and there were two small dressing rooms next to it. In the middle were two rectangular tables and a small bar.


    The space was not small, so He Jiameng only turned on the lights on their side. The room was still a little dim, but one could see clearly that there were three sofas at the innermost location. They were put together into a U shape, and there were several lazy chairs around them.


    He Jiameng picked up the remote control of the air conditioner and muttered, ¡°Why is the air conditioner turned on, and it¡¯s 30 degrees¡­?[2¡°


    ¡°Is it because someone¡¯s here?¡± asked Yun Li.


    ¡°Maybe someone has come down before. A few people have come here today, but they are all in the store now.¡± He Jiameng turned it down a few degrees, turned over the charger to her, and pointed to one of the tables, ¡°Do you want to charge it here? Or you can go to the sofa.¡±


    ¡°Okay, thank you.¡±


    He Jiameng wanted to sit down and accompany her for a while, but when she glanced at the phone, she suddenly took out her foundation from the bag to enhance her makeup.


    Yun Li blinked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°The boss is here, and he is in the store now!¡± He Jiameng said excitedly, ¡°My boss is super handsome and gentle! Miss Lazy Yun, you should be reapplying your lipstick too!¡±


    Super handsome?


    Hearing this keyword, Yun Li asked, ¡°Was it the person who came to pick me up?¡±


    ¡°No. Yesterday for your incident, the boss called me, and scolded me first,¡± He Jiameng put her hand on her chest as if it was the most painful thing ever, ¡°Then, he said that he will arrange someone to pick you up. I don¡¯t know who it was. I guess it should be my colleague.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°My boss rarely comes here. He only came once during the trial period, but I didn¡¯t get to meet him that time,¡± added He Jiameng, ¡°I can¡¯t believe he¡¯s free today on Qixi, he must still be single.¡± After she finished speaking, she smiled as she invited, ¡°Would you like to go up and meet him with me?¡±


    Yun Li was amused by her, ¡°No thanks, I¡¯ll let my phone charge for a little.¡±


    He Jiameng didn¡¯t force it, ¡°He should still be here by the time you¡¯re done, I¡¯ll go now, see you later!¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    There was a socket at the table, so she didn¡¯t bother to go to the sofa. She didn¡¯t plan to stay too long either, as she wanted to leave by the time her phone was just half full.


    After a while, Deng Chuqi sent her a voice message, ¡°So what dream did you have yesterday?¡±


    Yun Li briefly described the content of the dream to her.


    Deng Chuqi inquired: ¡°Can an umbrella stab someone to death?¡±


    Deng Chuqi:  ¡°What a weird dream, the umbrella you lent out turned into a life-threatening knife. Make sure you remember to take the umbrella back, so that the murderer¡¯s weapon doesn¡¯t stay in the murderer¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    This was not unreasonable.


    Yun Li was a bit superstitious.


    She would almost always forget the dreams she had in the past right after she woke up, but this time, it was as if it actually happened. She could even still remember the blood splattering before her eyes.


    I asked him to put it at the front desk yesterday, wonder if he¡¯s here today.


    Thinking of this, Yun Li didn¡¯t even bother to recharge anymore. She packed up her things and got up. But at this moment, she heard a slight movement from the sofa.


    Yun Li stopped and hesitated to walk in that direction.


    When she approached, she realized that there has been a person lying on the sofa the whole time.


    This position was blocked by the back of the chair, and the light was dim and a certain distance away. Since she didn¡¯t look closely, she didn¡¯t notice at all.


    The man was very tall, and this sofa couldn¡¯t fit him. He was covered with a thin blanket, and he was frowning. Moreover, she couldn¡¯t tell whether he was asleep or awake.


    Yun Li recognized him at a glance.


    He was the man who had come to pick her up on yesterday¡¯s rainy night.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She stopped breathing.


    Thinking of what she had just said, Yun Li was not sure if the man heard it.


    She saw the man open his eyes.


    He didn¡¯t seem to have just woken up though, he probably has been awake for a bit longer.


    The surrounding area was still; even a single breath could be heard.


    The next second, the man retracted his eyes and sat up. Moving slowly, he picked up her umbrella from the side of the sofa. He didn¡¯t hand it to her, but instead, put it on the coffee table in front of her.


    ¡°Your umbrella.¡±


    As if she was caught by the teacher for playing games in class, Yun Li stayed in place for a few before reaching to grab it.


    The man calmly said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Yun Li didn¡¯t dare to look at him, so he just gave an ¡°mm¡±.


    Seeing that he had no intention to speak anymore, Yun Li couldn¡¯t stand the embarrassing atmosphere anymore. She swallowed, and said, ¡°Then, I¡¯ll get going now.¡±


    But before she could move, the man spoke. His voice was still very soft, like a casual reminder.


    ¡°It¡®s a folding umbrella, it can¡¯t kill.¡±


    Yun Li froze, tilted her head, and met his eyes again. As if returning to the rainy night in her dream, the cold, damp rain, along with his next words, drilled into her chest mercilessly.


    ¡°It is possible though with a straight one.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±

 CH 3

    With a guilty conscience, Yun Li could only hear threats and coldness from these words.


    This was what it felt like: I¡¯m going to kill you now, but the knife in my hand isn¡¯t sharp enough. But no worries! I still got a gun.


    What do you mean it is possible with a straight handle???


    How does he know?


    Could he have tried it¡­


    Various detailed and terrifying thoughts kept pouring up, and at the same time, the man got up strangely and walked in her direction. Yun Li didn¡¯t know the reason and took a step back subconsciously.


    The man didn¡¯t look at her. He passed by her, moved on, and picked up the remote control on the desk.


    He turned the air conditioner back to 30 degrees.


    Then he put the remote down and walked to the bar to get himself some water.


    Realizing she was overthinking again, Yun Li wanted to say something as soon as possible to alleviate the atmosphere, but she had no time to think, ¡°Then straight handle, what kind should I buy, to kill¡­¡±


    Yun Li got stuck and realized that there was something wrong.


    The man did not lift his eyes and just drank his water quietly.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Yun Li changed her words, ¡°What kind are they usually like? I just want to know which ones not to buy¡­ So that¡­ I can avoid accidentally killing someone.¡±


    Hearing this, the man looked at her. His eyes dropped and stopped on her thin wrist. Like an emotionless machine, he gave the most intuitive answer after analyzing her, ¡°You are not strong enough.¡±


    ¡°Ok?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter which ones you buy.¡±


    ¡­¡­


    Back at the club, Yun Li was still stuck in the situation from earlier.


    After she thought about the conversation again, it became far more frightening.


    Like a novice who was just getting started, she was not afraid of the consequences and blatantly asked the habitual offender what kind of umbrella was the right kind to kill.


    One dared to ask.


    And the other one dared to teach.


    Before leaving, she even said ¡°Thank you for your advice¡± very stupidly. At that moment, she really wished to fly out of Nanwu immediately.


    The wind from the air conditioner failed to cool off the summer heat. Yun Li covered her face, but even her hands were boiling hot, as if they were repeatedly reminding her of the shameful moment just now.


    Not far away, He Jiameng found her and shouted, ¡°Miss Lazy Cloud.¡±


    Yun Li withdrew from her thoughts.


    Then she found out that the originally scattered people were now gathered in a small rest area in the center of the second floor. A group of people sitting on it chatting, and a few others were standing nearby.


    The overall atmosphere was very lively.


    After she walked over, He Jiameng asked her, ¡°Wow you came up so quickly, is it charged already?¡±


    ¡°Almost done,¡± After thinking about it, Yun Li said again, ¡°Someone is sleeping in the lounge.¡±


    ¡°Who? I didn¡¯t see it when I went with you just now.¡±


    ¡°The person who picked me up yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± He Jiameng turned her head, ¡°Boss, who did you find to pick up her up last night?¡±


    Yun Li followed her gaze.


    In the very center of the sofa, sat a strange and eye-catching man.


    He was wearing a light-colored shirt and casual trousers. With a smile in his eyes, and leaned back completely on the sofa. He seemed decorous and gentle, and even his temperament was written with the word ¡°Noble Childe¡± all over it.


    The ¡°noble childe¡± raised his eyebrows, and he seemed to just remember, ¡°I¡¯ll go down real quick.¡±


    After a few polite parting words with others, he got up and left. When passing by Yun Li, he stopped and politely stretched out his hand to her, ¡°Nice to meet you, I¡¯m Xu Qingsong.¡±


    Yun Li was taken aback, and then also raised her hand, ¡°Hello.¡±


    Xu Qingsong shook her hand for half a second, then let go, ¡°Sorry for the inconvenience we brought you yesterday, please forgive us..¡±


    Yun Li replied dryly, ¡°It¡¯s okay.¡±


    It seemed as if everyone had come to have a fan meeting. Once Xu Qingsong left, the rest of the people also soon scattered and left.


    The four of them who came together met again, and He Jiameng¡¯s excitement remained unabated. Almost all she talked about was Xu Qingsong, and it felt really close to a brainwashed MLM scheme.


    After their chit-chat, they did not wait until Xu Qingsong¡¯s return, and the group went back to the hotel.


    When they approached the hotel, He Jiameng and Yun Li mentioned the return air ticket. Originally, she should have booked the round-trip air ticket directly, but Yun Li said that she wanted to spend a few more days in Nanwu as an excuse, and so she has not yet given He Jiameng the date she decided to return.


    He Jiameng didn¡¯t urge her either and told her to just let her know after she has decided.


    Now that they were mentioning it, Yun Li¡¯s heart became heavy.


    She came from Xifu this time and said that it was because of work. In fact, the more important reason was that she had a fight with her father: Yun Yongchang. The fuss was that she was admitted to the graduate school of Nanwu Institute of Technology and she did not even tell Yun Yongchang.


    Since a long time ago, Yun Yongchang was particularly opposed to Yun Li going to another city to study university.


    When filling in the application for the college entrance examination, Yun Yongchang was very firm in his decision and insisted on applying for a local university. After several unsuccessful fights, Yun Li had no choice but to verbally agree and secretly put her primary choice as NIT1.


    At that time, Yun Li was naive and felt that she was officially admitted, and Yun Yongchang would have no way to stop her from going. Looking at his current attitude, even if she was admitted, he would definitely be equally cruel and not let her go.


    So she didn¡¯t know whether it was good or bad luck.


    She was off by one point from getting in.


    In the end, Yun Li stayed in Xifu as Yun Yongchang wanted for her college education.


    Because of how close she was back then, her dream college for graduate school has always been NIT.


    But Yun Yongchang¡¯s attitude was the same as four years ago.


    His claim was that he had watched her grow up, and would be worried about her if she went to a distant city alone.


    The older generations didn¡¯t have much knowledge about the system and how universities operated. They thought that Xifu had some decent universities as well, and that applying for a local college wouldn¡¯t be much of a difference.


    So, Yun Li could only use the same method as at the time: she pretended to prepare for the postgraduate entrance examination of the school her father wanted, but in fact, actually submitted for NIT as well.


    After she received the news that she was accepted, she hasn¡¯t got the chance to let her father know yet. Every time she wanted to mention it, she swallowed her words back.


    Her mother, Yang Fang, and her younger brother, Yun Ye were aware of the situation, but they didn¡¯t want to get involved. They just stood aside and watched this situation like a play.


    The time when she must let her father know was approaching day by day. And with this in her mind, Yun Li couldn¡¯t eat nor sleep peacefully.


    Occasionally she felt pissed. She was already in her early twenties, why must she ask her parents for permission to go study elsewhere like a three-year-old asking for candy?


    When she received an invitation from EAW some time ago, because the location was also in Nanwu, Yun Li texted Deng Chuqi, who had been in Nanwu for four years, and asked if she knew about this VR Center.


    It happened that Deng Chuqi¡¯s roommate had relatives who worked at EAW. After understanding the situation, Yun Li felt that this matter should be pretty much set. In addition, the conditions provided by the other party were very good, and so she decided that it was about time to test the waters.


    One day, Yun Li casually brought this topic up at the dinner table. Seeing that Yun Yongchang had a very little reaction at the time, she felt that the time had come, and took advantage of this opportunity to confess carefully.


    However, Yun Yongchang immediately changed his face when he heard this. He also said that she should either go directly to find a job, or re-register as a local graduate student.


    Yun Li¡¯s guilty conscience had all turned into a cloud of smoke because of his authoritarian attitude, and the emotions that have been accumulated for a long time also exploded.


    She couldn¡¯t understand, feeling as if she had been wronged, she couldn¡¯t help but reply, ¡°This is my business, I will decide what I want to do.¡±


    The fuse was lit.


    It was also because of this that Yun Li stopped caring and replied to EAW that she would accept this opportunity.


    Her flashbacks were interrupted by a ringtone. Yun Li entered her hotel room and glanced at the caller ID. It was Yun Ye. She picked it up and put it on speakers and threw the phone on the bed. Holding the elder sister¡¯s attitude, she spoke first: ¡°Report your identity.¡±


    The boy seemed to be taken aback, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Are you my mom using my brother¡¯s phone or my little brother?¡±


    After a few seconds of silence, Yun Ye was a little speechless, ¡°Your brother?¡±


    Yun Li, ¡°Oh okay, go ahead, what is it?¡±


    ¡°When will you go home? Bring me some Nanwu specialties by the way.¡±


    ¡°What do you want? I¡¯ll mail them over.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing; running away from home? Sis, isn¡¯t this kind of naive?¡± Yun Ye said, ¡°When you are old, will you not be embarrassed to tell people that you ran away after a fight with your parents?¡±


    Yun Li didn¡¯t eat his set, ¡°Who will know it if you don¡¯t tell anyone?¡±


    Due to the sullen atmosphere at home, Yun Ye became a punching bag on both sides for no reason. He didn¡¯t want to wade into this muddy water, and asked helplessly, ¡°Then when will you come back?¡±


    There was still more than half a month before school will start, and Yun Li didn¡¯t want to go back so soon, lest another quarrel Yun Yongchang again.


    Yun Li told the truth, ¡°Probably never.¡±


    Yun Ye, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°School is about to start anyway, I¡¯m too lazy to run back and forth, so I should come over and get used to it for a while.¡± Yun Li began to reason, ¡°And Deng Chuqi is here too, I can also play with her for a few days as well.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the more she said, the more Yun Li felt that there was no need to go back, ¡°Okay, not probably anymore. I¡¯m sure I won¡¯t go back.¡±


    Yun Ye couldn¡¯t believe his ears, ¡°Aren¡¯t you afraid of being beaten to death by dad?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about,¡± Yun Li tried to explain, ¡°I will be killed if I do go back.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    After the thoughts started to make sense in her mind, Yun Li¡¯s mood suddenly became great. She would just simply not go home! Everything could be prevented!


    Yun Li had a good night¡¯s sleep and set off early the next morning.


    The state of everyone today was different from yesterday. They held their cameras from the hotel lobby and took pictures from time to time. Yun Li was rather embarrassed to shoot in front of others, but Unknown and Fee Water took the initiative to come over and say hello to her.


    Seeing this, Yun Li became less nervous and returned a warm smile.


    Before entering, several people found a location where they could capture the scene of Haitian Commercial City, and started shooting as if no one was beside them.


    Yun Li imitated them and quickly recorded her clip at a place further away from the others.


    Compared to an experience center, EAW was more like a small theme park.


    The decoration style of the entrance was cool, with a sense of fragmentation. The background board, which was flowing with the galaxy, was cut open by a row of white light, spreading to the ceiling. One seemed to be able to enter this illusory world along this gap.


    On the top, it also wrote the full name of this technology city: Enjoy Another World.


    Different from the desertedness and darkness of yesterday.


    All the equipment in the center was turned on, and the bright and gorgeous scenes were rushed to make people immersed in it.


    There were many types of projects, such as thrilling adventures, experience feelings, puzzle-solving, and online battles.


    EAW invited nearly twenty people. After entering the venue, the guide first organized them to experience several multi-person projects, such as indoor virtual roller coasters, 5D movies, and various other immersive projects.


    The free staff were all pulled in temporarily, and the best use of the material was used as a follow-up photo. Before putting on the VR glasses, Yun Li saw that there were several drones next to her, which were operated and filmed by people on the side.


    It was her first time seeing such a big occasion.


    After they finished with these projects, the group went to the second floor.


    This layer mainly contained single and multiplayer projects, like space capsules, dark chariots, motion capture games, and so on. The other half of the area was closed private rooms for players who wanted to experience the game quietly.


    Before she decided which one to play first, Yun Li heard someone enthusiastic greeting from behind.


    Yun Li looked up, it was Xu Qingsong.


    And also, the man she saw two days ago.


    Although he wore a mask, he could be easily recognized.


    In that short time since yesterday, Xu Qingsong already built a good relationship with many of the people. At this time, someone had taken the initiative to talk to him and say hello.


    Inevitably, Yun Li remembered the embarrassment in the lounge again and didn¡¯t want to run into the man head-on. She happened to see that one of the projects beside her was one that she had marked in her memo, called Extreme Bungee Jumping.


    She turned her head and walked over.


    The name and style of the project looked much more exciting than the others, but there was no guide by the side. After reading the instructions, Yun Li felt like it would be better if she waited for a staff member to come over and help her rather than attempting it on her own.


    With nothing to do while she waited, Yun Li simply set up a tripod, put the DSLR camera on it, and adjusted the camera and ring light.


    This project looked like a swing, but it was a lifting type and required safety equipment to be attached to the body. This maximized the feeling of bungee jumping.


    It was advised to wear the safety rope.


    Several minutes passed, but Yun Li still did not see anyone in an employee¡¯s uniform passing by. Just as she was thinking about whether to skip this one for now, Xu Qingsong¡¯s voice came from behind, ¡°What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    Yun Li turned back.


    Before she knew it, two people had already come up to her.


    Yun Li was at a loss, and she subconsciously replied, ¡°I want to try this.¡±


    Xu Qingsong raised his eyebrows lightly, and patted the shoulder of the man next to him, ¡°It¡¯s time to work.¡±


    The man¡¯s eyebrows were tired and there was no immediate movement.


    Xu Qingsong shrugged and explained, ¡°It¡¯s okay, he¡¯ll help you out.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    What she was afraid of really came.


    After a while, the man came over, picked up the safety rope hung on the shelf, and lowered his head to check. He did not wear a uniform like other staff, but a simple T-shirt and casual trousers.


    Yun Li also couldn¡¯t figure out his identity.


    Because of this, there was another worry about whether he would do it properly.


    The man carried the safety rope and stood in front of her. Because of his height, he bent a little, and guided her quietly, ¡°Put your feet into the black circle.¡±


    This distance was very close between Yun Li and the man.


    Yun Li inevitably felt nervous and did not have time to ask questions, so she just did what he said.


    After passing both his left and right feet, the man took the rope upwards and asked Yun Li to put his hands into the corresponding circle, tightened it to her body, and then let her sit on the device.


    She didn¡¯t feel anything when she looked at it on the ground, but now that she sat on it, she felt uncomfortable and uneasy. Yun Li stared at the man¡¯s actions. He was buckling the safety rope on her body to the corresponding position, slowly checking.


    At this time, Xu Qingsong next to him was still involved. He just smiled and commented to the man, ¡°Very good, especially for your first try.¡±

 CH 4

    Having heard that, Yun Li¡¯s emotions that became relaxed after he came to assist immediately tightened again.


    What do you mean first time?


    Yun Li didn¡¯t quite understand what he said and asked hesitantly, ¡°Have you not tied it for others before?¡±


    ¡°Mm.¡± The man replied.


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    She was shocked speechless by what he thought was a natural response.


    Yun Li was even starting to doubt if she was making too much of a fuss.


    Although the height of this project seems to be only more than two meters, it also had certain dangers. At this moment, without any other thoughts on her mind, Yun Li asked him again to seek comfort, ¡°Then did you have any prior training?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t even lift his eyes, ¡°What training?¡±


    ¡°Like,¡± Yun Li couldn¡¯t think of anything else at the moment, so she spoke rather directly, ¡°How to tie this safety rope to be the safest, and to minimize the risks.¡±


    The man waited for her to finish, then said, ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    At this moment, Yun Li felt like she was going on a real bungee jump. And then the staff told her that the rope might break, but it might also not. Good luck.


    Yun Li¡¯s whole body froze, ¡°Will I be thrown out if the safety rope is not fastened properly?¡±


    The man glanced at her and seemed to think for a moment, ¡°Not sure.¡±


    Seeing that both of them looked relaxed, Yun Li pursed her lips. Just as she was wondering if she was just overthinking, the man suddenly tapped the buckle on the safety rope, and said casually, ¡°Do you want to try it?¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°¡­..¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°?¡±


    The words of the person in front of her were like the whisperings of a demon.


    But the man just mentioned this, and then he withdrew his hand without any extra motions. Yun Li somehow started to feel guilty again, forming the feeling that he held a grudge because of her previous words, and so he used this to scare her.


    Yun Li stiffened her back, then lowered her head to touch the buckle to check if it was loose.


    At the same time, someone in the distance called Xu Qingsong over.


    Before leaving, Xu Qingsong laughed softly and assured her, ¡°He¡¯s just joking with you, don¡¯t take it seriously.¡± Immediately, he turned to remind the man, ¡°What are you doing, be more responsible, and stop talking scary nonsense like that again.¡±


    The man was still acting casual and uncaring, but because of this, at least he finally said something human to Yun Li, ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯ve checked everything.¡± Then he pointed to the rope next to him, ¡°If you get scared, grab here.¡±


    Yun Li nodded, hesitated, and then slowly moved her hand away.


    The man picked up the VR glasses from the side and put them on for her, ¡°There is a button at the back, adjust the tightness yourself.¡±


    The picture in front of Yun Li turned into a line of long-distance characters; there was also some fire blazing underneath the characters as special effects.


    ¡°Is it clear?¡± asked the man.


    Yun Li narrowed her eyes, ¡°It¡¯s a little fuzzy.¡±


    As soon as the words fell, she could feel the man¡¯s hand against her glasses and buckled it down. The vision also immediately became clearer, then Yun Li raised her hand and fine-tuned the glasses to a comfortable angle.


    Because the project involved some physical movements, the glasses were easy to fall off just by wearing them like this. Therefore, two straps were reinforced and buckled at the chin, like a helmet.


    After wearing the VR glasses, her eyes became disconnected from the real world.


    Yun Li didn¡¯t know what was going on around him and was a little nervous, only to hear the man say ¡°it¡¯s starting¡±. Immediately afterward, the scene began to change.


    A bottomless cliff, with mountains and clouds in the distance.


    The game did not start the jump right at the beginning. The NPC in front of her opened and closed his mouth, as if he was talking. After that, Yun Li¡¯s perspective was that the protagonist wanted to jump off the clip, but he didn¡¯t dare to jump, so he hesitated for a long time.


    Before she could react, the protagonist suddenly jumped down.


    The bungee equipment she was on started to take effect.


    When she fell to the bottom, she was immediately pulled back up because of the elastic rope and repeated the up and down motion for a while. The sense of weightlessness was strong, and just as the deep sea was close at hand, she was pulled back up.


    Yun Li closed her eyes in fright for a moment and then forced herself to open them again.


    She was the cowardly yet playful type. Every time she went to the amusement park, she would be very interested in those high-altitude simulation rides, but when she got to the entrance, she would never have the courage to actually go in and ride it.


    And this kind of VR experience project, Yun Li knew that it was virtual, and thought that she would try it out. After all, things might not be as scary as compared to reality.


    In short, her courage existed only in the virtual world.


    Once she got back to reality,  it all returned to zero.


    The experience did not last very long, but because of the insanely realistic feeling, Yun Li felt as if time had slowed down. But after ¡°escaping the catastrophe¡±, she felt refreshed and excited.


    The man took it and untied the buckle for her.


    Yun Li returned to the ground. She turned her head and saw a screen next to it, which seemed to be synchronized with the scene she had just seen. That was what she just saw, and everyone else could see it too.


    According to He Jiameng, the video was produced to show better effects, and then these scenes would all be sent to the corresponding people.


    Yun Li thanked him, thought for a while, and asked, ¡°Is there no sound in this game?¡±


    The men looked up.


    Yun Li explained, ¡°I saw someone open their mouths, but no sound was heard.¡±


    The man wasn¡¯t very sure either, so he just put it on himself. After a while, he took it off and held the VR in his hand to see. ¡°There is sound, but the right ear speaker seems to be broken.¡±


    After speaking, he asked to confirm, ¡°Did you not hear anything?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Yun Li took a breath.


    This really wasn¡¯t her fault.


    With the right speaker broken, it meant that only sound coming from the left speaker could be heard.


    But she was born deaf in her left ear.


    Therefore, she didn¡¯t hear anything.


    ¡°Ah, is that so?¡± YunLi said dryly, ¡°That might be because I was too nervous, so I didn¡¯t hear it clearly.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    The man didn¡¯t continue asking. After finishing ¡°dealing¡± with Yun Li, he resumed his attitude of ¡°nothing really matters to me¡±, focused back on the device, and quietly continued to test it.


    ¨C


    After that, Yun Li went to play with some other projects, and when she passed by here again, the man was already gone. By the time she finished with most of the projects she was interested in, most of the day had already passed.


    She was the most energetic of the people who came.


    Some people would feel dizzy after playing for a long time, so they finished very early and were chatting in the rest area at this time.


    Finding a corner where no one was around, Yun Li quickly checked the clips she had just filmed and went over in her mind on how to edit them.


    After a while, He Jiameng found her and notified her of a news.


    As the host, Xu Qingsong wanted to treat everyone to a meal, as well as use this opportunity to officially get to know them and send them off. Hearing that the others had readily agreed, Yun Li had no choice but to put away her refusal thoughts and choose to go with the flow.


    ¡­¡­


    The dining place was in a famous restaurant in Nanwu.


    EAW reserved a private room with two large round tables. Yun Li sat at the inner table, with He Jiameng and ¡°Unknown¡± beside her.


    Some people knew each other before they came, and some people were naturally good at socializing with others. The dinner tables were very lively, and most of them were talking about the post-play feelings of each project.


    Yun Li was afraid of situations like this the most. The moment she got seated, she started to pretend that she was playing on her phone.


    Xu Qingsong and the man were the last to arrive.


    There were only two empty seats at the back table, and the two came over. He Jiameng blinked. After seeing them, she turned to Yun Li and asked, ¡°Miss Lazy Cloud, did you see this handsome guy under the mask today?¡±


    Today?


    Yun Li replied truthfully, ¡°I didn¡¯t see it today.¡±


    After a pause, she wondered if she should add ¡°But I¡¯ve seen it before.¡±


    Before he could say anything, Xu Qingsong shouted, ¡°Xiao He.¡±


    He Jiameng, ¡°Ah?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to change seats?¡± Xu Qingsong looked around the seat and patted the man on the shoulder, ¡°He¡¯s caught a cold these days, the AC is facing this seat, I¡¯d like him to sit elsewhere.¡±


    He Jiameng got up immediately and said repeatedly, ¡°Of course, of course, no problem.¡±


    Before Yun Li could react, they had already somehow sat together.


    She was already put in discomfort being in a social event like this, and now the person beside her was a stranger that she has only met a few times. Yun Li didn¡¯t know whether to say hello or not, and she became even more restless.


    She didn¡¯t look over, and only lowered her head to drink some water.


    Xu Qingsong did not seem to have any intention to introduce the man. Someone at the table tried to start a conversation with the man. He was silent for a moment before answering, as if to confirm whether the other party was talking to him. But all his replies were very brief as well.


    It seemed that another ¡°conversation ender¡± appeared.


    Yun Li could imagine what he felt right now and wanted to see if he was annoyed too, but she didn¡¯t dare to look.


    It didn¡¯t take long for the focus of the topic to return to Xu Qingsong.


    Yun Li also turned away.


    But soon, it started to occur to everyone that they all seemed to have forgotten to ask the man¡¯s name.


    Not long after, the man took off his mask.


    The first few times Yun Li met him, either the lighting conditions were poor, the angle wasn¡¯t a clear view, or she didn¡¯t look carefully. After looking closely at this moment, Yun Li realized that his hair color was a little light, not knowing whether it was dyed or natural.


    Looking down, there wasn¡¯t the slightest thing about his facial features that looked bad, and he also looked somewhat half-blooded.


    Only considering his looks, he was excellent.


    Yun Li suddenly felt that he looked a little familiar.


    She seemed to have seen¡­¡­


    Before she had time to think about it, the waiter started serving the food.


    The dishes on the table were varied and catered to everyone¡¯s taste.


    Perhaps it was because he had a bad appetite, or maybe he was too picky, but Yun Li could see from the corner of her eye that the man barely ate anything during the meal. He barely finished the porridge halfway, which was the only thing he asked for.


    After the dinner, someone suggested going to a nearby KTV to sing.


    Xu Qingsong agreed with a smile.


    This meal was quite expensive, and the guest didn¡¯t want him to pay for everything again. Someone proposed to play a small game, with the two tables divided into two groups, and the losing group would pay the bill.


    After some discussions on what game to choose, it was settled to play a simple and fast communication game, called ¡°telephone¡±.


    The rule was simple: each group would have one person come up with a sentence to say to the first person in the opposing group. The sentence must be less than 30 words, and the more confusing it sounded the better. Then the opposing group would pass it on. The sentence must be whispered so that no third person could hear it.


    The group with the most correct words repeated by the last person would be the winner.


    Yun Li groaned in her heart.


    Later, she heard even more bad news: ¡°Then let¡¯s pass it counterclockwise.¡±


    Counterclockwise, from left to right.


    That meant, the man on the left would be the one to telephone her the sentence.


    Which also meant¡­ she would have to lean her left ear over¡­


    The sentences set by each group were discussed quickly, and the game began.


    Xu Qingsong was the person to start their table. He was sitting four seats away from Yun Li. The speed of the message was fast, and as the distance got closer, her anxiety surged.


    The deafness in her left ear had little effect on Yun Li¡¯s life, and she never really cared about it either.


    Still, she didn¡¯t want to announce this flaw of her¡¯s to the public.


    Yun Li hesitated and looked at the man: ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    The man turns his head.


    She opened her mouth and wanted to say, ¡°Can I listen with my right ear when it¡¯s my turn?¡± But she felt discouraged before even saying anything, ¡°Nevermind, it¡¯s okay.¡±


    Before she knew it, it was the man¡¯s turn.


    Looking at the person next to him whispering him the message, Yun Li leaned over to eavesdrop, but she didn¡¯t hear a word.


    The whisper ended, and the man looked at her.


    Yun Li looked at him and was left with no choice but to lean her head over.


    The air froze for a few seconds.


    The man didn¡¯t move, then suddenly said, ¡°Come closer.¡±


    Yun Li was stunned, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Although he said it emotionlessly, the meaning was still quite misleading. Someone at the dinner table couldn¡¯t help but crack a few jokes about it.


    He pretended that he didn¡¯t hear the jokes and lazily rested his elbow on the table. As if he understood her concerns, he looked towards her right ear and repeated emotionlessly.


    ¡°Come closer.¡±

 CH 5

    A small disturbance sound created by a crowd of people could be heard in her ears, and Yun Li was most afraid of such a situation. She panickly raised her eyes in haste, caught his gaze, therefore she subconsciously raised her hand to touch the corresponding seat.


    She suddenly understood, but she also was not very sure.


    But from the look in her eyes, Yun Li could sense that he had no other thoughts in his mind.


    Yun Li shifted her body as she probed out and moved her body leaning to one side towards his.


    The man moved closer at the same time, stopping about three centimeters from her ear. His breath was unsteady and his voice was low: ¡°When the Bodhisattva practices deep Prajna (highest wisdom) Paramita, he sees the emptiness of the five skandhas, and he cures all suffering.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    Perhaps it was because he wanted her to hear him clearly, his speech was neither too fast nor too slow.


    Yet failing that good intention.


    Yun Li didn¡¯t understand a word at all.


    So to put it more seriously,


    Yun Li felt that the current situation was no different from being deaf.


    What kind of child¡¯s play is this?!!!


    Is it a sutra?


    Yun Li was confused in the same place.


    The man waiting for the message next to him couldn¡¯t hold back his laughter: ¡°What¡¯s that look on your face?¡±


    She didn¡¯t answer nor did she dare to delay any further. Before her memory faded, Yun Li half guessed, half recited from her memory, put together out a sentence that barely made sense.


    She had a confused look on her face but her heart had calmed down.


    That she shouldn¡¯t be a hindrance either.


    Only after the tension had passed did Yun Li have the mind to watch the others play the game. It was only then she realized that some people also listened with their right ear. Because using this side of direction, listening to other people talking, her face did not have to face the crowd.


    Yun Li cared so much that she would think that listening with her right ear seemed deliberate. But for people who didn¡¯t care about this, they didn¡¯t pay attention to which ear other people were listening with.


    Just like she didn¡¯t pay attention to which foot someone used to walk on first.


    With this in mind, Yun Li gave the man a quiet look.


    So when she played the virtual ¡®commit suicide by jumping from a building machine¡¯ project today, he already noticed that she was deaf in her left ear?


    But at that time, he had given her the benefit of the doubt and did not expose her directly.


    The man didn¡¯t notice her line of sight, he was playing a one-handed game with his head down to pass the time with a lack of interest.


    It was a single-player game called 2048.


    The maximum number has now been synthesized to 1024.


    By this time, the words have also been passed to the end.


    The last person was He Jia Meng. While everyone was watching she confidently reported her answer, ¡°Guanyin Bodhisattva wants to eat the jackfruit.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The box was quiet for a moment and then burst into uproarious laughter.


    He Jia Meng scratched her head, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Isn¡¯t that right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Xiao He, what¡¯s wrong with you? You gave such a sacred sentence to pass like this.¡± Fei Shui was happy, ¡°But I¡¯m kinda surprised, how come the front is passing so fast? It made me think of ch¨¢ngdu¨£nj¨´ [³¤¶Ì¾ä: long and short verse (a pre-Tang verse form consisting chiefly of seven-character lines interspersed with shorter or longer ones / ci, a poetry written to certain tunes with strict tonal patterns and rhyme schemes, in fixed numbers of lines and words, originating in the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and fully developed in the Song Dynasty (960-1279)], I was baffled when I heard it.¡±


    Xu Qing Song let out a low laugh, ashamed as he apologized: ¡°Sorry, I just couldn¡¯t remember the direct transmission of the first paragraph of the Heart Sutra, what I can recite, I recite it.¡±


    The few people after him also held their laughter for half a day, ¡°Plus one.¡±


    The sequence stopped at the men.


    The target was set and the conversation didn¡¯t last long. Everyone just assumed he had a wide range of knowledge. Besides, the Heart Sutra is not very long, so it was no surprise that he had memorized the first paragraph. Shortly afterwards, the opposite table also finished passing the word, narrowly winning by a single word.


    After a few words of banter, the crowd began to pack up their things and prepare to leave.


    Yun Li was torn again and again before she plucked up the courage to talk to the man, ¡°That¡­¡±


    The man paused and raised his eyes.


    His eyelashes were thin and long, his eye sockets deep. His double eyelids were thin and the ends of the eyes were naturally upturned, outlining a cold and stern profile. When unemotional, they carry an elusive awe.


    ¡°You just told me to come closer¡­¡± Yun Li regretted it a little yet she couldn¡¯t help but continue, ¡°Was aware¡­?¡±


    ¡ª¡ªwas aware that my left ear couldn¡¯t hear?


    To carry on meant the same as announcing the answer, she stopped in time as he looked at him.


    The man didn¡¯t answer.


    Yun Li faltered in speech, ¡°Why don¡¯t you say anything?¡±


    The man looked at her and said calmly, ¡°You didn¡¯t finish your words.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li changed her question, ¡°It¡¯s just that, just now why did you ask me to come closer?¡±


    Four eyes locked.


    There was a blurry shadow of people around them, noisy and seemingly silent. Just as Yun Li felt he was about to point it out in the next second, the man put his phone back in his pocket and said casually, ¡°Rules, you can¡¯t let the third person hear.¡±


    There happened to be a KTV nearby.


    Xu Qing Song seemed to be a VIP here, and there was no need to book in advance, so he went in and was taken by the waiter to a party room. The space was huge, with three steps dividing it into two split levels, more than enough to accommodate ten more people.


    Drinks and snacks and fruit plates were served one after another.


    A few of the more relaxed ones have already started singing with their mics and the platform was occupied one after another. The rest of the group was divided into several piles, either playing cards or liar¡¯s dice (dice game).


    Other people like Yun Li, sat around chatting and listening to songs.


    There were seven or eight people sitting at this table, several of whom Yun Li could not name. In the middle was Xu Qing Song, smiling and clinking glasses with others. The man who had just come with him was nowhere to be seen.


    She looked down at her mobile phone and swept around again, intentionally or unintentionally.


    At this moment, a woman half-joked: ¡°Mr Xu, where is that handsome man you just brought with you? Why didn¡¯t he come over to pay the bill after losing?¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s attention was diverted.


    Xu Qing Song was helpless: ¡°He is not feeling well, let him go.¡±


    The woman¡¯s name was Du Ge Fei who according to He Jia Meng, was a female news anchor of a platform and had asked for the WeChat of almost all the men present today. She held her cheeks and continued to pry: ¡°Is it your girlfriend checking up on you?¡±


    Xu Qing Song declined to comment.


    Du Ge Fei: ¡°Didn¡¯t have time to ask for WeChat yet.¡±


    As if he didn¡¯t understand the implication, Xu Qing Song sighed with regret: ¡°That¡¯s such a pity.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Du Ge Fei was obviously frozen.


    Someone at the table snorted a laugh.


    Yun Li pressed the corners of her lips together, wanting to laugh a little too. But afterwards, her mood for no reason, fell flat again.


    It came out of nowhere, like a mimosa in the sun, with its head hanging¡ªdejected and losing its spirit.


    It was also like a coin that had been dropped into a wishing pool had come to nothing.


    After a while, He Jia Meng came up next to her and asked in a whisper, ¡°Miss Xiao Yun, do you want to go to the toilet? I don¡¯t really want to use the toilet in the private room.¡±


    Yun Li looked back, ¡°A bit, I¡¯ll go with you ba.¡±


    When they came out of the private room, the corridor was dimly lit and the lights seemed to be glued with a layer of cloth.


    Within a few steps there was a public toilet and as you entered, the cloth was lifted.


    After settling, Yun Li came out to wash his hands.


    He Jia Meng was already outside and suddenly asked, ¡°Why are your ears so red?¡±


    Hearing that, Yun Li looked at the mirror.


    He Jia Meng surveyed it for a moment and added, ¡°And it¡¯s only the right side that is red.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Yun Li also just noticed, ¡°I didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t,¡± He Jia Meng laughed ha ha, ¡°that handsome guy just passed the word too close to you?¡±


    Yun Li was busy denying, ¡°No.¡±


    He Jia Meng didn¡¯t believe it at all and continued, ¡°That handsome guy is like an iceberg, see, others can¡¯t even get a few words out of him, but I never thought he would take the initiative to flirt with a girl.¡±


    Yun Li couldn¡¯t resist and had to change the subject, ¡°Don¡¯t you know him?¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t know him, probably because I¡¯ve been at headquarters before and haven¡¯t come over here much.¡± He Jia Meng said, ¡°I just heard from a colleague that I saw him in the shop this morning too.¡±


    ¡°Hn?¡±


    ¡°It seems that he¡¯s a friend of the boss. He came over to help out a few days ago and will be working at EAW afterwards too.¡± He Jia Meng was bouncing with joy as she said, ¡°I¡¯m fortunate to see something beautiful, I saw him with his mask off and my boss sitting next to me, I was in a trance and thought I was in heaven.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    ¡°But to be honest, I¡¯m a bit worried again.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you think this handsome guy looks pretty hard to get along with? This kind of ¡®with special connection¡¯ guy, basically couldn¡¯t work well either.¡± He Jia Meng added, ¡°Besides that, he¡¯s quite gloomy and a bit intimidating.¡±


    Yun Li unconsciously spoke for him, ¡°Didn¡¯t Mr Xu say he wasn¡¯t feeling well? Maybe he just doesn¡¯t want to talk too much.¡±


    He Jia Meng: ¡°Right oh, I forgot.¡±


    ¡­


    Most people¡¯s flights were booked for tomorrow, so this second one didn¡¯t last long.


    Back at the hotel, it was just after twelve o¡¯clock when Yun Li got out of the shower. She lay down wearily on the bed, content to cuddle up under the quilt as she just wanted to sleep until it was dark all around.


    It was true that she still felt tired of social interaction.


    She didn¡¯t know why she had gone to the karaoke too.


    After a long time, Yun Li opened her eyes, stared at the white ceiling and suddenly raised her hand to touch her right ear.


    It wasn¡¯t hot anymore.


    The next day, Yun Li woke up and told He Jia Meng that he would not be returning to Nanwu for a short period of time, so that she did not need to book a flight.


    He Jia Meng said he understood, and then gave her a room renewal for a week.


    Yun Li had nothing to do today, so she dawdled out in bed and wanted to order a takeaway. After thinking about it, she sent a message to Deng Chuqi, asking her when she was free to have dinner together with her.


    The next second, Deng Chuqi called: ¡°I¡¯m having dinner right now and since I¡¯m too lazy to type so I call you directly. What day are you coming back to Xifu?¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t go back.¡±


    ¡°Ah? Why?¡± Deng Chuqi was stupefied, ¡°Don¡¯t you report at the end of the month?¡±


    The word ¡®run away from home¡¯ was really embarrassing and Yun Li was too embarrassed to say it, ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to do even when I go back there anyway, so I might as well come here and get familiar with the environment first.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh, do you want to come over and stay with me then?¡± Deng Chuqi said, ¡°My roommate is very nice, it¡¯s just that my room is a bit small.¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°No, my hotel room is not due for another week and I¡¯m going to rent a flat first. I¡¯ve been looking at the rental website for the past two days and there¡¯s one that seems pretty good. Will you go with me to take a look then?¡±


    Deng Chuqi: ¡°Sure ah! Can you do it on the weekend? I have nothing to do on weekends.¡±


    Yun Li curled her lips, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Deng Chuqi asked again, ¡°But you¡¯re not staying?¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°I stay, but I occasionally have to shoot videos and have to find a place, otherwise it will affect my roommates.¡±


    The two of them chatted for a while and after hanging up the phone, Yun Li watched an old drama while eating takeaway.


    Time passed and it was already afternoon. The sun had just set when Yun Li received a message from He Jia Meng. It said that the video corresponding to the item she had tried yesterday had been sent to her email address.


    Yun Li replied with a ¡°Yes¡±.


    If she was going to rent an apartment, she would be quite busy the next time.


    Yun Li wanted to cut short the video first. She pulled out the SD card from the camera and connected it to the computer. She skimmed through the footage she had shot earlier and stopped the video when she saw the VR bungee jumping section.


    At the end of the project, Yun Li had left her camera on the tripod there and only remembered it halfway through the walk.


    The video also included a scene after she had left¡ª¡ª


    Du Ge Fei came over to talk to her, ¡°I want to try this game too, how do I play it?¡±


    The man didn¡¯t even bother with perfunctory business this time, staring at the VR in his hand and saying without a ripple, ¡°Find the staff.¡±


    Then it was Yun Li who came back to get the camera, and Du Ge Fei didn¡¯t say much anymore and directly went away.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    This did correspond to what He Jia Meng had said, that people with special connections basically didn¡¯t work properly.


    For some reason, Yun Li pulled forward and watched the part where the man tied the safety rope for her all over again. Although she knew the man should be out of patience, she somehow still had the feeling of being treated specially.


    Only then did she open her mailbox, pretending to be calm and unconcerned, and download the zip file that He Jia Meng had sent her.


    After waiting for some time, she extracted data from a compressed file and opened it.


    Each of these clips was also marked with the name of the project, so that she could easily post it to the corresponding video. Glancing at the thumbnail of one of the videos, Yun Li paused for a moment.


    She didn¡¯t know if He Jia Meng had put it in with a shaky hand, but it wasn¡¯t a clip of the project she was playing.


    Instead, it was the face of the man she had just been staring at for a long time.


    The one without the mask.


    Yun Li licked her lower lips and clicked away.


    He seemed to have accidentally pressed the record button without looking at the camera. With the remote control in his hand, it looked like he was debugging it and playing with it carelessly.


    The picture went up and down.


    One moment it traveled several meters high, close to the ceiling, so that you could clearly see the game items around you; another moment it dropped to the bottom, so that you could only see the grain of the floor.


    Yun Li suddenly reacted.


    This seemed to be the drone the club had seen today.


    At the end of the video, it seemed that someone next to him called out to him and the man suddenly stopped moving. A few seconds later, the view descended from mid-air back to the ground. This was also where the clip ends.


    Because of this action, the man¡¯s appearance became more and more familiar, and the impression in her mind became even clearer.


    Thinking back to a certain flashing point, Yun Li opened up the E site and flipped to a video he had bookmarked a long time ago.


    It was first posted in the exchange post on E website, but was later moved to the video section.


    It was from a previous National University Robotics Competition.


    The video was edited and extracted footage.


    The youngman is handsome, tall and thin, wearing a black team uniform with a moon badge fastened to his sleeve. On the back is the emblem of the West Voltaic University of Science and Technology and the team name: Unique.


    He holds a remote control in his hand, concentrating on the robot in front of him.


    Several people next to him jumped up and cheered when the victory was announced.


    The young man is extremely well-built, but he did not smile and stood stoically by. His temperament is warm and clear, not as gloomy as it is now and then one of them grabbed him hard. He frowned and struggled a few times before finally laughing uncontrollably.


    He was at an age where he was wildly enthusiastic and did not need to hide his emotions.


    It overlapped with the man in the video just now.


    It was the same man.


    Moreover, it didn¡¯t look like the same person.


    The video was a minor internet sensation at first. Later, it was also revealed that the youngster had skipped a grade to go to university and was only fifteen years old when he entered the competition.


    Unbelievably good life.


    There were various comments under the video at the time. One of the hottest was a joke that extended from the moon badge worn by the teenager ¨C so there is even a moon on earth.


    When she saw the video, Yun Li was still fifteen years old and had just started her first year of high school.


    At that time, she was an average student, but she accidentally got into the best high school in Xi Fu (West Volta). Introvert and reticent, hardworking yet limited in her abilities, she was overwhelmed by the excellence of her classmates.


    She also aspired to be gifted and fell short to be out of the ordinary.


    The teenager entered into a lens at this time.


    He became the existence she had briefly admired and desperately wanted to be when she was young.


    After all these years, the internet fever was short-lived yet the traces still remain.


    Tapping this information into the search box, Yun Li could still find the interview the teenager gave back when the results of the college entrance exams came out, it was accompanied by a photo taken at random.


    The young man looked into the camera with a youthful brow. He had the spirit of a man who couldn¡¯t be defeated by the mundane world.


    Below it was marked with a bunch of text¡ª¡ª


    The top student in the science examinations of Nanwu City in 2008, Fu Shi Ze.

 CH 6

    After a few days of light rain, the long-awaited sunny days finally showed up in late August.


    The radiant sun was high in the sky, the world was gilded with sunlight, and the oiled roads seemed to be on fire. Small insects flew past every now and then, and the cicadas sounded hoarse and continuous, endlessly.


    Yun Li felt like she was going to melt by the sun.


    After meeting up with Deng Chuqi, they didn¡¯t bother to pick a shop and went straight to the Haitian Commercial City next door.


    The two of them went into a random wonton shop.


    ¡°This shitty weather is just going to roast people alive.¡± It was only when the air conditioner was blowing that Deng Chuqi felt alive, ¡°I really can¡¯t stay any longer, it¡¯s better to be in Xi Fu, I don¡¯t feel this hot in Xi Fu.¡±


    Yun Li denied, ¡°That¡¯s because you haven¡¯t been back for too long, it¡¯s so hot in Xi Fu too.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? All right.¡± Deng Chuqi said, ¡°Ugh, I wish it would rain for a yuqian (green tea picked before Grain Rain (¹ÈÓê)) in Nanwu, the temperature was very nice just the other day.¡±


    ¡°Then Nanwu will have to be flooded.¡±


    ¡°Or don¡¯t let the sun out all the time!¡±


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you see the light yet?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Deng Chuqi couldn¡¯t take it anymore and leaned in to pinch her face, ¡°Yun Li, you really are such a prick! I should have brought a needle and sewed your mouth shut when I came over today!¡±


    Yun Li hid herself back in pain, laughing and begging for mercy, ¡°I was wrong, I was wrong.¡±


    Only then did Deng Chuqi reluctantly stop. After the brawl, staring at Yun Li¡¯s face, she couldn¡¯t help but sigh, ¡°I remember the first impression I had of you was that although this girl was good looking, why was she so reserved and why does she act like a pretentious prick?¡±


    Yun Li glanced at her, ¡°Watch what you say.¡±


    Deng Chuqi: ¡°It turned out that only after getting acquainted did I realize that your previous lack of words was probably just a means of protecting yourself.¡±


    ¡°Hn?¡±


    ¡°To avoid offending multiple parties and being assassinated.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The waiter happened to bring up two bowls of wonton.


    Deng Chuqi poured a spoonful of chili and suddenly remembered, pointing upwards, ¡°By the way, is that VR experience fun? I was planning to go there before the trial business, but I was so busy that I forgot about it.¡±


    ¡°I kinda liked it.¡± Yun Li said truthfully, ¡°I was a bit regretful about taking it, but after I went there, I thought it was quite profitable. There¡¯s money to be made and fun to be had.¡±


    Deng Chuqi was curious: ¡°Apart from you, who else did you guys invite?¡±


    After racking his brain for a long time, Yun Li reported a few names that he could still remember. One of them Deng Chuqi had heard of, and she immediately spoke excitedly about the rumor she had heard about this person before.


    Yun Li listened with rapt attention and commented, ¡°It feels so fake.¡±


    After a while, Deng Chuqi asked again, ¡°Are these the only ones? Are there any more?¡±


    Yun Li pondered for a moment, but she couldn¡¯t really think of any. When he looked at Deng Chuqi¡¯s expectant expression, the words ¡°Fu Zhi Ze¡± that he had searched for on the web the day before suddenly came to his mind.


    She twitched her lips and hesitantly asked, ¡°Do you remember when we were in high school, there was a video that had become a trend on the E site?¡±


    Deng Chuqi: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It was that what,¡± Yun Li was not good at mentioning names directly, and held it in for half a day before coming up with a sentence, ¡°¡­the moon of the earth.¡±


    ¡°The moon?¡± Deng Chuqi¡¯s face was bewildered.


    ¡°It¡¯s that¡­one from Xi Fu University.¡±


    ¡°Oh! Is it that genius from Xi Fu University?¡± At the mention of the keyword, Deng Chuqi immediately responded, ¡°I remember, when I first went to your house in high school, I also saw you posting his picture on the wall like an worship¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Also forgot that there was such a thing.


    The embarrassing thing she did when she was young was mentioned and Yun Li¡¯s cheeks burned as she interrupted her, ¡°Alright, alright, let¡¯s eat.¡±


    Deng Chuqi was overjoyed, ¡°Why are you suddenly bringing up this person? I¡¯ve forgotten what he looks like.¡±


    Yun Li paused for a few seconds before replying, ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen him.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not quite sure if it was the same person.¡±


    It was actually similar to what happened when she went to EAW this time and met a few bloggers she had only seen on screen before. But compared to that, the emotions that meeting Fu Zhi Ze brought up were definitely a little more intense.


    After all, it was a person she had adored.


    Yun Li only felt slightly strange in her heart.


    What was strange or add about it, she couldn¡¯t tell.


    That she didn¡¯t recognize the person.


    Or was it the unexpected sight of someone she thought she would never ever meet in her lifetime.


    It¡¯s been seven years since then,


    The young man had grown taller, his facial features had grown, and he had added a maturity that could not be disguised by time. His appearance was not much different from before, but what was most different was the aura he displayed.


    It was really different from what she had imagined.


    The few times we had met, he had acted a little antisocial and not able to get along well with others.


    She had expected a man like this to be the center of her attention, the moon surrounded by stars. He was a man of grace and appropriateness, handled things carefully and skillfully since he realized the way of the world but also unsophisticated, persistent, indestructibly powerful, and kept on fighting in spite of all setbacks.


    This should not be as it is.


    The light seemed to be covered in a layer of gray and fused together with the night.


    Silent and decayed.


    Yun Li was distracted for a moment, remembering for no apparent reason the image of him lying asleep on the sofa. The man was slightly curled up, his body thin, the outline of his butterfly bones visible through his clothes.


    Disheveled, fragile and untouchable.


    ¡°Then maybe it¡¯s not really the same person, maybe it just looks like one.¡± Deng Chuqi didn¡¯t give it a second thought, ¡°I remember this genius seems to be the same age as us, right? Several years had passed and it didn¡¯t necessarily still look like the one in that video.¡±


    Yun Li responded and smiled, ¡°That¡¯s also true.¡±


    When she thought about it, she seemed to be overdoing it.


    Even if it really was the same person.


    He was probably just low in spirit because he¡¯d had a cold the last few days.


    There are many neighborhoods, both old and new. Yun Li was not too bad with money and chose the neighborhood with the best environment and security. Across the street was the Haitian Commercial City, which was less than ten minutes away from the Southern Polytechnic.


    After the meal, Yun Li contacted the agent again and confirmed the time so he dragged Deng Chuqi over with him.


    The house was fully furnished and completely clean.


    Deng Chuqi had just signed a rental contract and had a little more experience, so she was the one who communicated with the agent throughout the whole process. The landlord¡¯s requirement was that the person must stay for a year and pay a three-month deposit in cash.


    Yun Li did not find it unacceptable.


    It was quickly decided and the rental agreement was signed the next day.


    After Deng Chuqi went home, Yun Li went online and found a cleaning service to clean the house.


    One by one, they bought a lot of necessities, filming equipment and small items online to fill the space.


    The day before the hotel room was due to expire, Yun Li officially moved in.


    By the time Yun Li had finished tidying up the house, it was already dark. As an afterthought, she felt hungry and remembered that she had packed a dried fried noodle in a food court next to NIT during her last review, which tasted very good.


    Later, when she went back to Xi Fu, she ate at several restaurants and felt that it was not good enough.


    Thinking of this, Yun Li looked around for takeaways, but couldn¡¯t find any.


    She didn¡¯t think that this restaurant had takeaway service.


    Yun Li looked at the wall clock, it was a little after ten o¡¯clock.


    Looking out the window, he could still see the brightly lit Haitian commercial capital.


    It was not too late, and as the cravings were rising, Yun Li had a feeling that she would not rest until she ate today. She simply went to his room, changed her clothes, grabbed his wallet and went out.


    With a rough memory, Yun Li went out of the district, crossed the road and walked along the Haitian Commercial City. On the way, she saw it several times, several people burning paper for the dead on the roadside.


    Puzzled and uneasy, Yun Li took out her mobile phone and looked at it.


    Only then did she realize that today was the (Hungry) Ghost Festival (15th day of the seventh lunar month when sacrifices are offered to the dead).


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s scalp tingled as she instantly regretted going out.


    But having already traveled most of the way, it was no good to come back empty handed.


    Yun Li continued walking, crossed a square, crossed another road and arrived at the familiar snack street.


    The street lights were bright and there were many pedestrians. She breathed a sigh of relief with it.


    Earlier, Yun Li had come here for a celebgram¡¯s milk tea shop, and within a few steps of coming out, she could see the fried noodle shop. At this point she couldn¡¯t quite remember the exact location, only that it was quite inclined to one side.


    Yun Li opened the navigation.


    Following a hundred or so meters ahead, she didn¡¯t know if it was a delay or not, but the route on the navigation was crooked next. The direction she was reminded of was for her to go through an alleyway.


    The inside was dark and the ground was wet; ten meters or so away was a corner.


    From here, turn right and then left, and there was another street.


    It wasn¡¯t far, so Yun Li plucked up her courage to walk in, and just as he turned the corner, he heard the sound of men laughing and giggling from the front. As he looked up, she smelt the overwhelming smell of alcohol.


    Two men appeared in the field of vision.


    One had dyed light blue hair and a string of letters with unknown meanings tattooed on his collarbone; the other wore a vest that showed off large muscles on his arms.


    A dark and isolated alleyway,


    This scene made Yun Li avoidably even afraid as she didn¡¯t even dare to look face to face at them either and continued on calmly. Before she could take a few steps, she was blocked by Lan Mao: ¡°Hey, little sister, how are you?¡±


    Yun Li backed away warily.


    The big man on the other side flirted, ¡°Da Feng, what do you act indecent for?¡±


    ¡°Where did I act indecent?¡± Lan Mao intoxicatedly said with a big tongue, ¡°I, I just said hello!¡±


    Yun Li tried to get around them, but the alley was narrow and blocked by the two men with no way out. Afraid that looking too timid would make the other party go too far, she said softly, ¡°Can you move over? I want to go over there.¡±


    Lan Mao shamelessly said, ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll let you pass, and you can accompany me to have a midnight snack later.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡­¡±


    ¡°Is that alright ah, little sister?¡±


    ¡°¡­Okay.¡± Afraid of offending him, Yun Li didn¡¯t dare to refuse and could only pull reasons to stall for time, ¡°Can you let me pass first? I still have to go shopping.¡±


    Lan Mao shrugged his shoulders and turned sideways to vacate a place.


    The few shops along the alley were closed, and the left side was empty, like entering a no-man¡¯s land. On the other side, a few meters away under a dim streetlight, a man stood next to him, his head down and smoking.


    With his back to the light and his face pale and bloodless, he looked gloomy and deceptive.


    Like a lonely ghost from a foreign land that enters the earth in the dead of night through a ghostly door.


    Yun Li¡¯s heart skipped a beat and he saw his face almost immediately.


    It was Fu Shi Ze.


    She didn¡¯t think that they would see each other again.


    At this moment, he also seemed to hear the movement as he looked up.


    Not knowing what the two men behind her would do, Yun Li did not want to provoke them by rashly speaking out. She pursed her lips, with a little look of help in her eyes.


    The two people¡¯s eyes met for just a second.


    Fu Shi Ze then looked away and exhaled a cloud of mist as if he hadn¡¯t seen it.


    Yun Li stayed still in place.


    For a moment, he did not dare to believe the meaning of his gesture.


    ¡ª¡ªHe had no intention of helping her.


    The blue-haired man in the back began to urge, yelling with little patience, ¡°I told you to come over, go have a snack sister, why aren¡¯t you moving? Go back on one¡¯s word¡ª¡ª¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s voice trembled and she couldn¡¯t help but shout, ¡°Fu, Fu Shi Ze!¡±


    The air seemed to freeze as the words fell.


    Even Lan Mao¡¯s stance seemed to fade for a few moments, and he quieted down with it.


    After what seemed like a long but brief silence, Fu Shi Ze tilted his head and waved lazily. Yun Li¡¯s hope was raised, and she thought it was a gesture towards her and was about to go over.


    But who knew the next moment, a blue-haired man walked past, wondering, ¡°Ge, you know him?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s mind went blank.


    The dream he had had the other day, which had blurred quite a bit, became incomparably clear again in this instant.


    That young man at the airport laughed as the words he was yelling in her ears echoed again: ¡°Stupid, aren¡¯t you? You didn¡¯t expect it, right? He¡¯s the boss!¡±


    For her part, Fu Shi Ze didn¡¯t express his opinion, ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    Lan Mao¡¯s expression was a matter of course, ¡°I let her go and have a late night snack with me. I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Have a midnight snack with you¡­¡± He repeated carelessly and then looked at Yun Li, ¡°Would you willing to go?¡±


    The sky was high and the stars were far away, and the wind was dry and long, blowing for a long time and still leaving a lingering heat.


    That moment,


    Yun Li didn¡¯t know where she got the courage to shake her head.


    Fu Shi Ze then, ¡®hn¡¯ softly and relayed for her, ¡°She doesn¡¯t want to go.¡±


    Lan Mao seemed to be still sober after drinking wine and he tried to reason with her. Before he could make a sound, he was pushed on the shoulder by Fu Shi Ze. He stumbled twice, nearly falling over and turned back.


    ¡°You¡¯re scaring people,¡± Fu Shi Ze said gently, ¡°Go over and apologize.¡±

 CH 7

    ¡°I¡¯ll be damned¡­¡± Lan Mao wanted to make a fuss, but when he looked at him, he lost his temper, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m sorry¡­ then just apologize, this brother, why are you pushing me¡­?¡±


    He was willing yet unwilling. He didn¡¯t even look at Yun Li and spoke quickly, ¡°Sorry.¡±


    As if he was afraid of being overheard.


    Fu Shi Ze did not let her slip away unpunished, ¡°Say it again.¡±


    Lan Mao could only say one word at a time, ¡°Excuse me.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze said, ¡°What are you sorry for?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± Lan Mao¡¯s lips gradually straightened as he stared at him, ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Do you have your eyes on me?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡± Lan Mao took a deep breath and didn¡¯t want to apologize endlessly, so he said honestly to Yun Li, ¡°I¡¯m sorry, I¡¯m not too clear-headed at the moment, and I don¡¯t know why I did such a thing. Don¡¯t take it personally.¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s heart had a lingering fear and she replied vaguely,


    ¡°Brother Ze, why haven¡¯t you returned back yet?¡± The big guy came out to smooth things over, ¡°You don¡¯t smoke anymore, you haven¡¯t recovered from your cold yet, have you?¡±


    ¡°Hn.¡±


    The big guy added, ¡°This guy is drunk already, he¡¯ll know his mistake when he sobers up.¡±


    Lan Mao was annoyed: ¡°Where am I drunk?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze ignored him, ¡°Go back ba!¡±


    Feeling that the whole world was against him, Lan Mao said in an aggrieved voice, ¡°It was this woman who said that I would let her come over and¡ª¡ª¡±


    Before he could finish his sentence, his mouth was covered by the big man and he could only let out a strangled cry. The big guy easily dragged him back into the alleyway, ¡°Brother, we¡¯ll leave you to it then. I¡¯ll take him to sober up.¡±


    With these two gone, the already remote location became even more deserted.


    Yun Li wanted to ask him what his relationship with them, but he felt it was too presumptuous. After standing for a moment, she clutched the bag and said, ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Not receiving a response, Yun Li was in a dilemma or without having a way out, hesitating to say goodbye.


    Then Fu Shi Ze suddenly asked, ¡°What did you just call me?¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Unsure of the meaning, Yun Li dared not not answer, ¡°Fu Shi Zhe?¡±


    ¡°Ze.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Fu Shi Ze.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡± Yun Li still didn¡¯t get it and read along, ¡°Uh, Fu Shi Ze.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze put out his cigarette, ¡°Straighten your tongue and say it again.¡±


    Yun Li suddenly understood and her face turned red.


    Yun Li¡¯s video was often pointed out by fans for her indistinguishable flat tongue. Later, she deliberately tried to adjust it, but some of the words were always indistinguishable, and she couldn¡¯t even hear the difference.


    Her mouth moved and she began with a mosquito-like voice, but she didn¡¯t have the heart to continue.


    But Fu Shi Ze only brought up her mistakes, not holding on to them like he did to Lan Mao. Then he asked thoughtfully, ¡°How do you know my name?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡± He said and in a few seconds, Yun Li searched her brain and was one million percent sure that she did not introduce herself the last few times she had met him.


    There was no way Yun Li could have told the truth. She had specifically searched for the internet and got the information through this.


    Isn¡¯t this a fucking pervert?


    She stumbled and explained, ¡°I heard, I heard from the EAW people, that you were their new colleague.¡±


    This was a reasonable excuse, and Fu Shi Ze nodded. Glancing at the clock, he said casually, ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    Yun Li whispered, ¡°I want to buy a fried noodle.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze didn¡¯t ask too much and said, ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But forget it,¡± Although nothing happened earlier, Yun Li was still a bit uneasy at the moment, ¡°It seems a bit out of the way, I¡¯d better go back and order a takeaway.¡±


    After two seconds of silence, Fu Zhi Ze asked, ¡°Where?¡±


    Yun Li subconsciously pointed to one direction.


    Fu Zhi Ze: ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After saying that, without waiting for her response, he lifted his feet and walked forward.


    The heart rate of Yun Li inexplicably increased as she watched the back of Fu Shi Ze. After a moment¡¯s pause, she catched up with him.


    The dried fried noodle shop was located in one of the alleys.


    Although the location was remote, there were still a lot of customers at this hour, and they looked like university students from the neighborhood. The milk tea shop is still open, but after the trend of the moment, the business in front of the shop is not as good as before.


    They don¡¯t say much and there is no more conversation while they wait.


    After ten minutes, Yun Li took the bags.


    The two of them walked out.


    They walked along the street, all the way to the road. Across the street was the square where Yun Li had come from, where people were still dancing and skateboarding.


    Fu Shi Ze stopped here and said, ¡°Go home early.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡± Yun Li slowed down a little, ¡°¡­Oh, okay. Then I¡¯ll go back first.¡±


    After walking a few steps, Yun Li couldn¡¯t resist looking back.


    He was still standing in the same place.


    The man¡¯s eyebrows were dark, his skin pale and cold. He was tall and wore a white short sleeve. His body is thin, like a lonely pine, but not too thin.


    For a moment, something broke through the cage.


    A flower, reluctant to sprout, breaks out of the ground where no one is aware of it. Timid and small, it is tempted by the moonlight to step out into the world and take a peek.


    Yun Li had forgotten her fear of socializing, her long-standing avoidance of strangers. At this moment, there is only one thought in her mind.


    If she didn¡¯t take a step forward now.


    This could be the last meeting between the two of them.


    But she wanted it to be.


    There will be another time for them to meet.


    Yun Li swallowed and slowly closed her palm: ¡°That, I¡­ can I ask you for a way to get in contact?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze raised his eyes.


    The first time to do this kind of thing, Yun Li was at loss to explain: ¡°I heard them say you have a cold, I know a brand of cold medicine is still quite effective, I want to recommend it to you¡­¡±


    He did not answer immediately, as if waiting for her to finish.


    A few moments later, Fu Shi Ze said flatly, ¡°Thank you, no need.¡± Then, after a moment of silence, he added, ¡°I forgot to mention that I hope my friend¡¯s behavior will not affect you.¡±


    A very simple statement that instantly shattered Yun Li¡¯s reverie and misinterpretation.


    She didn¡¯t need to think deeply to understand what he meant.


    It was not that he was thinking of her in a different way.


    It was simply because his friend had done something to offend her tonight. And since he had apologized, it should have been an effective apology.


    He did not want it to affect her original plans.


    The long, endless night, the busy, deserted streets, the roads that cut the world in half. There was a sharp chirping in the ears, as if cut off from the surroundings, collapsing one after another.


    An uncontrollable embarrassment washed over her heart.


    Yun Li smiled reluctantly and whispered, ¡°It¡¯s okay, forget it then¡­Hope you get over your cold soon.¡±


    With that, Yun Li forgot to even say goodbye and just wanted to get out of this place as soon as possible. The moment she turned her head, her nose turned sour, she looked at the direction of the incoming car and quickly crossed the road.


    ¡­¡­


    When she got home, Yun Li kicked off her shoes and threw the bag on the dining table. She took three steps to the living room and slumped onto the couch, sinking down.


    He wanted to pretend that nothing had happened, but the look on Fu Shi Ze¡¯s face replayed before her eyes.


    There was no hint of fluctuation from the beginning to the end.


    It was as if the recklessness and retreat that had occurred tonight because of him had only been about her. Even when he refused, he didn¡¯t even apologize for the possibility of hurting her.


    Because he didn¡¯t care at all.


    Covering her face with a pillow, Yun Li pursed her lips hard.


    So humiliating.


    In such a sorry state.


    Why would she do such a thing?


    Yun Li desperately needed someone to talk to, someone she could empathize with, but didn¡¯t want to mention it to anyone. After a long time, she picked up her mobile phone, opened the webpage and started searching, ¡°I asked someone for a WeChat and was rejected.¡±


    Many people have had the same experience.


    It seemed to be a commonplace, trivial, unimportant thing.


    But no matter what, most people wonder if they were really that bad because the other person wasn¡¯t even interested in getting to know them better. Most people wonder if they were really that bad.


    It took a long time to recover from reading other people¡¯s stories. No longer sad, she sat down at the table and opened the dried fried noodles that she had put on hold for so long.


    She took a bite.


    It was already cold.


    Yun Li swallowed it and muttered in frustration, ¡°My heart is not as cold as yours.¡±


    She took the lunchbox to the microwave to heat it up, and while she waited, she turned on her E-site. She had taken a leave of absence and hadn¡¯t posted a video for a few weeks.


    The comments at the bottom of the page were all wailing, pleading for the return of the missing person, and some had even given her a nickname.


    Yun Li was amused by a few of the comments, so after thinking about it, she typed and posted a message.


    Tik-Tok sauce: Stop calling me salted fish Tik-Tok sauce and thank you all on your knees, update it on Saturday night.


    The first time she posted it, hundreds of comments were scrolled down.


    When she looked through them, she found that apart from urging her to update, there was also a reminder that the 500,000 fans she owed hadn¡¯t been paid. She had been asked to make videos on various topics, and they were so diverse that they were dazzling.


    But the one that got the most response was for her to go live.


    The first time she did it was a novelty, so she went offline after a few minutes. I felt that I was not very responsive to the scene and that the live broadcast would be boring, so I have been reluctant to play this game.


    The only times she played it because he had been encouraged by fans.


    But for some reason, they all seem to like it.


    She noticed that it was late and there shouldn¡¯t have been many people there. Besides, Yun Li was in a bad mood and wanted to talk to someone. Hesitantly, she returned to the living room sofa, looked at the camera to see what she was wearing and the angle, made sure it was right, and then clicked on the live feed.


    The next second, users swarmed in.


    Yun Li adjusted herself and said hello. Staring at the screen, he began to read out the pop-ups and replied, ¡°Why are you ¡®live¡¯ all of a sudden? ¨COh, it¡¯s one of the perks of being a million fans, I¡¯m rehearsing in advance.¡±


    ¡°Why did the background change?¡± Yun Li opened his lunchbox and simply started eating, eating dried fried noodles as she said, ¡°I¡¯ve moved and I haven¡¯t sorted it out yet. I¡¯ll get a better background later.¡±


    ¡°What are you eating? ¨CDried fried noodles.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s so boring, put on a talent show, otherwise live broadcast for what?¡± Yun Li also didn¡¯t care, she said indifferently, ¡°No, you can change the studio.¡±


    ¡°Why do I feel like Salty Fish is so shut in today? ¡ª¡ªYou got it wrong.¡±


    As soon as this comment was made, the pop-ups were swarming with people playing:¡¾It¡¯s autism, not autism.¡¿


    ¡°¡­¡± Yun Li immediately thought of today¡¯s correction of Fu Zhi Ze, deep breath, very sure that she did not allow the words to become warped and rightly dividing, ¡°You do not confuse between right and wrong, I said there is nothing wrong.¡±


    Next, the screen gave her words and tongue twisters, as if to give Yun Li¡¯s standard Chinese a training session.


    Perhaps she was trying to play along with her fans, or maybe she was trying to make a statement for herself, and Yun Li read every word properly. Some of the words were even improvised and made into nonsensical sentences.


    And so it went on for about 10 minutes.


    After eating the dried fried noodles, Yun Li scanned the screen and caught a word in the constant stream of pop-ups.


    ¡ª¡ªShi Ze.


    As he exits the sweet soup water shop, the mobile phone in Fu Shi Ze¡¯s pocket rings.


    Taking it out, he glanced at the caller ID and pressed the answer button. On the other end came Xu Qing Song¡¯s voice: ¡°Where is he? I¡¯ve finished picking up the car.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze: ¡°They¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°Okay, come to the station.¡±


    ¡°Hn.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze hung up the phone and walked out of the street again with a bag in his hand. He found Xu Qing Song¡¯s car, got into the passenger seat and put the bag aside.


    Xu Qing Song looked at it as he drove: ¡°This, who are you going to buy it for?¡±


    ¡°My dad.¡±


    ¡°Is the old man still awake?¡± Xu Qing Song said casually, ¡°So are you going back to the maple forest in the northern mountains now? Or are you going somewhere with me?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze¡¯s eyes drooped, looking extremely sleepy: ¡°Not coming.¡±


    Xu Qing Song shook his head and sighed, ¡°You¡¯re quite attractive to girls with your character. I¡¯ve received several messages in the past few days, all asking me for your WeChat.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze acted as if he hadn¡¯t heard.


    When he was weak, dejected and weary, Xu Qing Song didn¡¯t say anything more and reached out to turn off his mobile navigation. At the same time, a tweet from the E website popped up at the top of the screen: Your followers @éeë…àÖàªáu started their live broadcast 15 minutes ago.


    Xu Qing Song clicked the wrong button.


    He didn¡¯t notice until there was suddenly some noise in the closed and quiet space, and Xu Qing Song unconsciously looked at his phone, only to find a girl who looked familiar on the screen.


    He also gave him an account number, and the list of followers were all the upkeepers who had arrived this time.


    To show that he was responsible, Xu Qing Song went to his account. However, he didn¡¯t bother to look at it and only scanned it a few times. However, the software pushed him from time to time, and he had already clicked on it by mistake a few times during this period.


    Xu Qing Song was just about to turn it off when he suddenly realized, ¡°Ah Ze, isn¡¯t this the girl who sat next to you the other day?¡±


    When he heard the movement, Fu Shi Ze¡¯s eyes lifted.


    He saw the girl he had met only a short while ago appearing on Xu Qing Song¡¯s mobile phone screen. She was sitting on the sofa, still wearing her fresh clothes. Her face was small and white. Her face was not much different from reality.


    Her eyes are big and bright. She looked straight into the camera, less restrained than in front of his face.


    Then, the girl spoke out, repeating a word: ¡°Shi Ze, Shi Ze¡­¡±


    In the middle of the night, in ghostly festival, in the cold and empty streets, in the live broadcast room that he accidentally clicked into and as the words that echoed in his ears, as soon as he entered the live broadcast room, the anchor repeated the words that sounded the same as the names of the people he was talking to.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    It was a slightly bizarre scene.


    Xu Qing Song was silent: ¡°Why does it look like she¡¯s calling you by your name?¡±


    Without waiting for a reply from Fu Shi Ze, the girl ended her ¡°Repeater¡± mode. Then, staring at the camera, she said quickly, ¡°He looks like a wolf.¡±


    After a pause, she slowly stifled a few more words: ¡°¡ª¡ª but he¡¯s a dog.¡±


    A silence fell over the car,


    Three seconds later, Xu Qing Song reacted. He only caught the last half of the sentence and asked sideways, ¡°You were scolded?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze did not understand: ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°She said you are a dog.¡±


    ¡°¡­.¡±

 CH 8

    Having said that, Yun Li also realized that something was wrong.


    Originally, it was because she hadn¡¯t been reading the word correctly today so she wasn¡¯t sure if she was pronouncing it correctly when she was practicing, therefore she read it a few more times. The later sentences were also made because they had gone through this process earlier, so she just went along with it.


    She didn¡¯t expect to say this sentence.


    The fans wouldn¡¯t have sensed that it was wrong, but she had a guilty conscience like a thief and felt that the connotation was very obvious.


    After all, it was Fu Shi Ze¡¯s choice whether he agreed or refused, and no one could criticize him.


    And her behavior came across as petty and angry.


    Yun Li was ashamed, the more she tried to hide, the more she was exposed, ¡°It doesn¡¯t mean anything, I¡¯m just making up a sentence.¡±


    A few more minutes of broadcast followed before she hurriedly got off the line.


    The room was quiet, with only the air conditioning whirring.


    After this little episode, Yun Li was inevitably frightened by the ¡°scolding¡± behind her back, but only for a moment. She soon figured it out, and her heart fell to the ground.


    Because Yun Li was sure.


    It was unlikely that someone who was obviously not interested in her would have the time to watch her live.


    ¡­¡­


    She had been suffering from a ¡°love injury¡± for a few days now, and Yun Li has been unable to work hard. It was not until she received a message from He Jia Meng that she realized that EAW had officially opened today.


    During this time, the only thing Yun Li did was to make good on her promise to update the video of her visit to the EAW club. Judging from He Jia Meng¡¯s reaction, the response to the video promotion seemed to be very good.


    She was also in a much better mood as a result.


    As we chatted, He Jiameng also sent her a few photos from the opening ceremony.


    The other day He Jia Meng had invited Yun Li, but she didn¡¯t really want to go, so she found an excuse to put it off.


    Yun Li looked at them and found that there was a picture of Fu Shi Ze among them.


    He was wearing EAW¡¯s black shirt and uniform, sitting at one of the desks, leaning against the back of his chair and resting his eyes. It looked like a sneak peek and was a bit blurry.


    He Jia Meng:¡¾One of them was sent out with shaky hands qvq.¡¿


    He Jia Meng:¡¾He¡¯s really handsome!¡¿


    He Jia Meng:¡¾But it looks so tugged, gloomy and cold, I am also afraid to talk to him¡¿


    The mention of this man reminded me of that day, so Yun Li pulled away her depression:¡¾So are you guys very busy today?¡¿


    He Jia Meng: [Yes, there are still a lot of people in line.¡¿


    He Jia Meng:¡¾I¡¯m exhausted! I¡¯ve just been dragged downstairs to help!¡¿


    Without saying a few words, He Jia Meng went back to work.


    Yun Li was bored and didn¡¯t want to muddle on seeing others working so hard. Thinking that she would be reporting to school in a couple of days, she wanted to get her video for next week made before then.


    When she came across a towel roll that looked mouth-watering, Yun Li decided to make it a towel roll feast. With the kitchen fully stocked, she got up and got to work without delay.


    Following the tutorial, adjusting the recipe to her liking and setting up the camera, Yun Li began to make it.


    She loved the cooking process and had produced many food videos in the past. Although it was time-consuming and labor-intensive, the finished product comes out with an unusual sense of achievement.


    This tossing and turning takes several hours.


    It was only when the taste and appearance were perfect that Yun Li felt it was finished. When she looked out of the window, it was almost dawn. After packing the finished product into the fridge, she hastily tidied up the kitchen, took a quick shower and went to sleep.


    The next day, Yun Li woke up from a call from Deng Chu Qi.


    Today, Friday, she and her roommate came to EAW Tech City to play. She was just finishing up and since she didn¡¯t usually come to this side of Tongxi, she simply invited Yun Li to have dinner with her.


    With a stranger around, Yun Li didn¡¯t really want to go, but she couldn¡¯t resist Deng Chu Qi¡¯s persuasion.


    Yun Li got up, washed up and put on her make-up neatly. Remembering the ice rolls she had made last night, she saved only one of each flavor and stuffed the rest into a thermal bag with dry ice, intending to take them to Deng Chu Qi and her roommate to try.


    And then she left the house.


    The place for dinner was a chain of hot pot restaurants in Hai Tian Commercial City, which was doing a brisk business. When Yun Li arrived, there was still a long queue at the door.


    Yun Li:¡¾I¡¯m here, which table are you at?¡¿


    Deng Chu Qi:¡¾So soon? We just got our number and came in. You wait, I¡¯ll go out and get you.¡¿


    In less than half a minute, Deng Chu Qi came out from inside: ¡°Sisters!¡±


    Yun Li laughed: ¡°It¡¯s just a few steps, why did you come out here?¡±


    ¡°I just came out to give you an early warning.¡± Deng Chu Qi clasped her hands together, as if she felt sorry for her, but also felt too good for her, ¡°I know if I had told you on the phone, you would never have come over.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°My roommate has two relatives! Both extremely fucking handsome!¡± Deng Chu Qi was excited and righteous, ¡°Yun Li, you¡¯re my best sister! How the hell could I forget about it when something like this happens?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li¡¯s hair stood on end, ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people in there?¡±


    Deng Chu Qi: ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people! Plus me, there are only four!¡±


    Yun Li resisted: ¡°No, I¡¯m leaving. Let¡¯s make another date.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll regret it if you don¡¯t see it, it¡¯s really handsome!¡± Deng Chu Qi tugged her hard and walked inside, ¡°If you don¡¯t want to talk, think of it as going to enjoy the scenery! I can still embarrass you? And just in case you run into one that interests you!¡±


    ¡°How could that be!¡±


    ¡°How is that not possible!¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li couldn¡¯t wring it out, so she had to follow it in.


    Never mind.


    There were only three people, much fewer than at the last EAW party.


    Anyway, not knowing each other, so we¡¯ll just pretend to have a meal and leave.


    The shop was filled with smoke and aromas. The seats were all full, without exception.


    A Little distance from the doorway, Deng Chu Qi was still explaining the situation to her, ¡°I¡¯m hanging out with my roommate today and my roommate¡¯s little brother.¡±


    Yun Li didn¡¯t care to listen and nodded perfunctorily.


    Deng Chu Qi: ¡°My roommate¡¯s uncle happens to work at EAW, he seems to be some kind of equipment engineer. They later shouted at his uncle¡­¡±


    Before he could finish, he had already walked over to where they were.


    The hot pot restaurant had arranged for a large table. The U shaped hard seats in a corner of the restaurant which seemed quite quiet. Past this direction, all Yun Li could see was a very pretty woman smiling and talking.


    The other two were blocked by the seats.


    Deng Chu Qi stopped talking and pulled Yun Li into a seat from the other side: ¡°I¡¯m here with my baby!¡±


    The woman turned her head, her gaze resting on her, her eyes bent in a smile, ¡°It¡¯s Yun Li isn¡¯t it? I¡¯ve often heard Chu Qi talk about you.¡±


    Yun Li was shy and was about to say hello when her eyes swept over and caught a glimpse of the two across the room. Pausing, she looked over again and her smile just froze on her face.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Who could?


    Tell her.


    What¡¯s going on now?


    Fu Shi Ze was another story first.


    The boy I met at the airport, why is he here too?


    Fu Zheng Chu¡¯s eyes widened and he was confused too.


    Deng Chu Qi didn¡¯t notice that something was wrong, she just thought she was afraid of being a stranger and took the initiative to introduce herself, ¡°Li Li, this is my roommate and colleague, Xia Cong Sheng.¡±


    ¡°Crap!¡± Fu Zheng Chu¡¯s mind returned to its place and he looked at Yun Li incredulously, ¡°You still recognise me, right? You still recognise me, right?¡±


    Yun Li barely managed to stifle a ¡°hn¡±.


    Xia Cong Sheng was puzzled, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you guys know each other?¡±


    Omitting the details of which he asked for a weibo, Fu Zheng Chu briefly explained what happened that day, most emphatically when he said that EAW was owned by his brother, which Yun Li did not believe.


    Deng Chu Qi was happy: ¡°Such a coincidence?¡±


    Yun Li also understood: ¡°Your brother is Xu Qing Song?¡±


    ¡°Sort of related,¡± Xia Cong Sheng explained, ¡°My grandmother was Qing Song¡¯s mother¡¯s adoptive mother.¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu nodded: ¡°I sent a WeChat to Qing Song¡¯s brother after I went back that day, asking if they were looking for someone to promote their shop, and there was a man who had been waiting for a long time at the airport for a pick-up. Later, he asked me to ask my little uncle to go pick up the person.¡±


    The more he heard, the stranger she felt, Yun Li couldn¡¯t resist asking, ¡°Sorry for asking, your little uncle is?¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu pointed to Fu Shi Ze who was next to him.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li almost couldn¡¯t control his expression.


    Didn¡¯t these guys look the same fucking age?


    How did they become uncle and nephew?


    Fu Zheng Chu reacted, ¡°So the two of you should have met, right?¡±


    ¡°Hn?¡± Yun Li didn¡¯t even dare to look at Fu Shi Ze tugging at the hem of Deng Chu Qi¡¯s shirt under the table, ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Receiving the signal, Deng Chu Qi coughed lightly and immediately changed the subject, ¡°Speaking of which, it¡¯s indeed quite a coincidence, I remember that my younger brother is also a student of Southern Polytechnic, right?¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu: ¡°Yes, is there anyone else?¡±


    Upon hearing this, Yun Li was a little surprised and subconsciously looked at Fu Zheng Chu.


    He also studied at Southern Polytechnic?


    When she thought about it, when she met Fu Zheng Chu at the airport, he had said that EAW was near his school.


    But at the time she didn¡¯t think about it either.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Xia Cong Sheng remembered, ¡°You told me last time that Li Li had taken the post-graduate course at South Polytechnic, right?¡±


    Yun Li nodded.


    Fu Zheng Chu was stunned, his eyes wide, ¡°So we¡¯re still alumni?¡±


    Xia Cong Sheng said, ¡°You should call her senior.¡±


    ¡°Oh oh,¡± Fu Zheng Chu was able to bend and stretch and was also excited by this fate, ¡°I¡¯m returning to school the day after tomorrow, so do you report to school the day after tomorrow? It seems to be the same time in our school.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡± Yun Li replied.


    ¡°Huh? You report to work the day after tomorrow?¡± Deng Chu Qi was confused, ¡°I was going to accompany you, but I wrote it down as next week¡­ and just promised my colleague to go shopping that day.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Yun Li said, ¡°I¡¯ll just report for work.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say you had a lot of luggage?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay, my little uncle is driving my little brother there the day after tomorrow.¡± Xia Cong Sheng volunteered, ¡°We¡¯ll be passing through here anyway, Li Li, why don¡¯t you take a ride with them then, and let them carry the luggage for you?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Having just been rejected, all Yun Li wanted at this moment was for the meal to end quickly and for the two of them to go their separate ways and never see each other again.


    He had no courage to ask Fu Shi Ze.


    How could he have the energy to deal with the next meeting?


    She waved her hand and didn¡¯t have time to refuse before Fu Zheng Chu readily said, ¡°OK, my little uncle has nothing to do anyway, so let¡¯s give him some exercise.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    After he had finished, he looked at Fu Shi Ze with a false sense of respect, ¡°Is that okay, little uncle?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze raised his eyes slowly and gave a casual, ¡°Hn.¡±


    Deng Chu Qi breathed a sigh of relief: ¡°That¡¯s fine, I¡¯ll take care of you then.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Without saying a word, Yun Li was set in motion by the remaining three.


    The other remaining man at the table, who had the same treatment, did not have any half-hearted mood swings. It didn¡¯t seem to matter much either, as if it had nothing to do with him.


    ¡­


    Yun Li¡¯s thoughts were all on the tomorrow that was yet to come, and on her own soon-to-be-dragged self.


    She ate a very torturous meal, without any appetite.


    Later in the meal, Deng Chu Qi¡¯s phone rang a few times and curved her lips to give a message back.


    Seeing this, Xia Cong Sheng teased, ¡°Who are you messaging with, laughing so happily?¡±


    ¡°I met a young little brother on the underground train the other day, it¡¯s my type so I asked him for his WeChat.¡± Deng Chu Qi happily shared, ¡°I¡¯ve been chatting with him for a few days, and he just asked me to go see a movie together next week.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡± Xia Cong Sheng sighed, ¡°I¡¯ve only asked someone for contact information once and I met a scum.¡±


    ¡°Huh? Tell me about it.¡±


    Xia Cong Sheng poked the meat with his chopsticks, ¡°Just when I was in college, when I went to my little brother¡¯s school, he and one of his classmates were both invited to their parents. That little classmate is her big brother who came over and was so handsome that I couldn¡¯t resist asking for contact information.¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu immediately guessed, ¡°Sang Zhi his brother?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. That guy was too unreasonable, I can still remember what he said. He said, ¡°Xia Cong Sheng said that he changed his girlfriend every day, and that he was just short of one this month, and that he¡¯d give one if I wanted.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°What would I lie to you about?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Fu Zheng Chu laughed out loud, ¡°I was at a classmate reunion before, and I heard Sang Zhi say that her brother had been widower for over twenty years, and now he¡¯s finally found himself a partner, bragging to the whole world that it was the woman who chased him.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    The topic of conversation has moved on to ¡°asking people for WeChat¡±.


    Without realizing it, by default, everyone had to say an experience.


    When this was mentioned, Fu Zheng Chu looked at Yun Li with embarrassment, probably realizing that he had worn the wrong vest that day. But when he saw that she didn¡¯t have any intention of mentioning that day, he relaxed a bit and quickly said a few words before it passed.


    It was Yun Li¡¯s turn.


    In front of the person in question, she was too embarrassed to lie so she could only admit with a stiff upper lip, ¡°I did.¡±


    Deng Chu Qi originally thought that there could not be. After all, it was difficult to let Yun Li have contact with strangers, not to mention asking for WeChat. So when she heard this answer, she was particularly surprised: ¡°When?¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°Just a while ago.¡±


    Deng Chu Qi: ¡°How did it go?¡±


    Yun Li said vaguely, ¡°He didn¡¯t give¡­¡±


    Deng Chu Qi thought she had heard wrong and was surprised at the answer, ¡°Huh?¡±


    Yun Li had to say it clearly again, ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t give it to me.¡±


    Apart from Fu Shi Ze who didn¡¯t say anything, the rest of the group either managed to get Weibo or didn¡¯t care much about it, just taking it as a joke and flirting. But Yun Li was obviously still a bit concerned and the atmosphere at the table couldn¡¯t help but seem strained.


    Sensitive to the situation, Yun Li said hurriedly, ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    The smile was forced.


    Xia Cong Sheng couldn¡¯t help but reassure, ¡°Maybe that guy just wanted to act like a coward for the first time when he saw such a good-looking girl asking him for a WeChat, and then regretted it so much that he cried out in pain after he returned.¡±


    After saying that, she glanced at Fu Zheng Chu.


    Fu Zheng Chu was cooperative, ¡°Or maybe he has a girlfriend.¡±


    This was not the end of the story, like a story solitaire, he bumped Fu Shi Ze¡¯s shoulder and squeezed his eyebrows: ¡°Little Uncle, it¡¯s your turn to comfort. As an elder, why don¡¯t you act like one?¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    An unexpected development.


    Yun Li was suffocated.


    How were they still understanding enough to start flogging the body in front of the executioner?


    Fu Shi Ze on the other hand was expressionless: ¡°What did you say?¡±


    She didn¡¯t expect him to even think of this, so Fu Zheng Chu hated him and had to come up to his ear to give him an example: ¡°Just say it¡ª¡ª¡±


    ¡°?¡±


    ¡°And probably a gay.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±

 CH 9

    These were valid reasons, but both parties were present and knew each other well, and these consolations magnified her embarrassment and made it difficult for her to sit still.


    The scene was not confined to this table, Yun Li felt that the entire hotpot restaurant, the entire Haitian commercial capital and even the entire Nanwu, had fallen silent again.


    She closed her eyes in torment.


    Not daring to throw this dilemma at Fu Shi Ze, Yun Li mustered up the courage to interrupt them, ¡°Thank you, but I¡¯m really fine.¡± Striving to be truthful, she also lied: ¡°Besides, it¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve asked someone for WeChat.¡±


    Sensing her discomfort, Deng Chu Qi grinned and answered, ¡°Yes, you even asked me for one.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to ask me for one now too?¡± Xia Cong Sheng joked in passing, ¡°I promise not to refuse you.¡±


    The subject was then carried over.


    Yun Li secretly sighed in relief and smiled, ¡°Sure.¡±


    Everyone at the table took out their phones and exchanged We Chats, still accepting Fu Shi Ze. Seeing this, Fu Zheng Chu frowned, disapprovingly: ¡°Little uncle, why don¡¯t you get along with others?¡±


    Xia Cong Sheng also joined in, ¡°Yes, I was just in a trance, I thought you were sharing the table.¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu: ¡°This big brother, please change your table. We don¡¯t accept table sharing.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Not expecting him to agree, Yun Li silently put away his phone.


    Whereas, Fu Shi Ze looked like he was letting them fool around and handed the phone to Fu Zheng Chu.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it right?¡± His phone didn¡¯t have a password, so Fu Zheng Chu opened it smoothly, ¡°You don¡¯t have to be so alone all day, isn¡¯t it good to meet more friends?¡±


    Fu Shi Ze didn¡¯t bother to pay attention to him.


    Fu Zheng Chu handed them the WeChat QR code and said politely, ¡°My little uncle works at EAW, so when you go there in the future, you can tell my little uncle in advance.¡±


    Yun Li could not believe this situation. Recalling the way Fu Shi Ze had refused earlier, she held up her phone, feeling that she wasn¡¯t included in this ¡°group¡±, and hesitated to take the next step.


    However, Deng Chu Qi thought she was out of reach and took her phone directly to scan it for her.


    ¡°¡­¡±


    A few seconds later, a red dot was added to the list.


    No one felt bad about it, and the person in question, Fu Shi Ze, didn¡¯t even raise an eyelash, not even half-heartedly trying to stop it. Not wanting to look too concerned, Yun Li turned off the screen and dazedly put her head down to eat something to suppress the shock.


    Unexpectedly,


    Really, really added to ¡­


    Originally, Yun Li was going to go straight home, but Deng Chu Qi said she would see her less often after the school year started and couldn¡¯t let her go, so he asked Yun Li to spend the night at her place tonight.


    Yun Li thought that school would not start until the day after tomorrow. There was plenty of time to pack up tomorrow, so she readily agreed to do so.


    After the meal, the group took a straight elevator to the car park.


    Fu Shi Ze drove, Fu Zheng Chu sat in the passenger seat, and the three girls sat in the back.


    On the way back, they passed by a large supermarket and Xia Cong Sheng remembered that all the consumables at home were running out, so he had an impromptu idea to do some shopping.


    The rest of the group agreed.


    The rest of the group agreed. Fu Shi Ze was like a machine, not refuting or agreeing, but doing everything he was told. Yun Li sat in the back, staring at the side of his face as he occasionally looked in the rear-view mirror, thinking that he was uncharacteristically suitable for the word ¡°well-behaved¡±.


    Entering the supermarket, the shopping cart was pushed by the youngest, Fu Zheng Chu. He was in a hurry, and within a few steps he was heading straight for the area he was interested in, and soon disappeared.


    Fu Shi Ze, on the other hand, was the opposite of him, and followed behind them with a weary look.


    Yun Li didn¡¯t feel much involved, after all, it was Deng Chu Qi and the girls who had to do the shopping. But she was staying here for a few days, so she picked out her usual essentials, such as chocolate milk. She didn¡¯t see the brand she was used to buying, so she compared them to each other.


    In the end, she picked three brands of chocolate milk and bought three bags of each.


    She asked, ¡°Li Li Jie, when my uncle picked you up last time, did he give you a face? Tell us, we¡¯ll all do it for you.¡±


    Yun Li was busy waving her hands, ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Fu Zheng Chu obviously had to find something wrong: ¡°Then did he smile at you?¡±


    ¡°¡­ Neither.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s why, little uncle, it¡¯s not okay for you to be like that.¡± Fu Zheng Chu shook his head and taught him, ¡°If you go out and hang around like this, you will definitely get beaten up. You need to learn to be gracious, gentle, and kind to people.¡±


    Fu Shi Ze answered with, ¡®Hn.¡¯


    Yun Li watched the drama from the back, seeking that he had actually listened.


    After driving for a while, Fu Shi Ze suddenly found a place to stop. He leaned his arm on the steering wheel and looked at him sideways: ¡°Get out of the car.¡±


    ¡°¡­Ah?¡± Looking at this deserted place, Fu Zheng Chu¡¯s anger disappeared instantly, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Little Uncle, have you forgotten? I¡­I¡¯m going back to grandfather¡¯s house with you today right?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t learn,¡± Fu Shi Ze said indifferently, ¡°I¡¯m afraid of being beaten and dragging you down.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    For the next whole journey, Fu Zheng Chu finally subsided, not daring to say half a word more.


    Arriving at their destination, he said goodbye to them.


    The three of them returned to the house, took turns to wash up and sat together in the living room to find a film to watch. Most of the time they just chatted casually.


    Not long after, Xia Cong Sheng looked at his mobile phone and asked, ¡°Ei Li Li, the bag you brought today, you left it in my little uncle¡¯s car. My grandfather¡¯s house is quite close to here, so I¡¯ll ask my little brother to bring it to you?¡±


    ¡°Huh? No, I don¡¯t need it.¡± Yun Li said, ¡°The bag contains towel rolls, which were meant for you to eat. If they don¡¯t mind it, they can taste it.¡±


    Xia Cong Sheng: ¡°Okay, thank you then. I¡¯ll tell them.¡±


    ¡°By the way,¡± Deng Chu Qi unwrapped the packet of chips, ¡°Do your little uncle and your little brother have a girlfriend?¡±


    ¡°My little uncle doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Hearing that, Yun Li subconsciously looked at her.


    Pretending not to care again, he continued to look at the TV screen to hide his mood.


    So strange ¡­


    Even though it had nothing to do with her.


    But still, when she heard the answer, she couldn¡¯t help but be a little bit happy.


    Xia Cong Sheng told the truth: ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about my little brother. I don¡¯t think so, he broke up some time ago. What¡¯s wrong, which one do you like?¡±


    Deng Chu Qi sighed: ¡°Forget it, one is too cold, and the other is too stupid.¡±


    Xia Cong Sheng laughed and said, ¡°What about Li Li? If there is someone you like, you must tell me about it ah, I¡¯ll set you up.¡±


    ¡°¡­¡±


    Yun Li, who had other intentions, felt like she was walking on a tightrope, wavering. Not daring to admit it and not wanting to lie to them, she simply said nothing and just laughed with them.


    The other two were both just joking around too.


    Deng Chu Qi bit into her fried potato chips and changed the subject: ¡°Li Li, didn¡¯t you say you wanted a job before? Have you started putting in your CV?¡±


    ¡°Not yet, I¡¯m always hesitant every time I want to put in my resume.¡± Speaking of this, Yun Li was a bit depressed, ¡°I haven¡¯t really thought about it yet, whether to be a full timer host or to find a job.¡±


    Yun Li was actually quite frustrated.


    During her senior year, she focused all her energy on her graduate studies, not thinking about the consequences of not passing the exam. She missed the spring time on campus and submitted several resumes through social media, but they were all unsuccessful.


    Later, she thought about going to graduate school for the second time, but it was really just a goal she found for herself because she didn¡¯t know what she wanted to do next.


    She wanted to try to find a job, but kept delaying.


    Just wanted to stay in her comfort zone.


    She¡¯s addicted, hiding, and unable to help herself.


    A lot of her face is exposed only to the internet, or to people she knows well. She was also missing out on common topics with many people, unable to talk to them and gradually distancing herself.


    She wonders if there were people like her.


    She wondered if there were also people like her, people who yearn for liveliness but also afraid of socializing.


    ¡°You see which one you want to do?¡± Deng Chu Qi said, ¡°Actually, finding a job that¡¯s a bit more laid back shouldn¡¯t hold you back from making videos.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, whatever you want to do, you can try it all out and see if you¡¯re not happy if you are doing it.¡± Xia Cong Sheng¡¯s tone was gentle, ¡°By the way, what kind of major are you studying?¡±


    Yun Li: ¡°Automation.¡±


    ¡°I think I saw my friend recruiting earlier, I¡¯ll send it to you afterwards okay?¡± Xia Cong Sheng said, ¡°If you think it¡¯s suitable, you can put in a resume and try it out.¡±


    ¡­


    After watching the movie it was almost one in the morning, the other two were corporate officers, usually sleeping at this hour at the latest, at this time were too sleepy to lift their eyelids.


    When they returned to their room, Deng Chu Qi said good night to Yun Li and quickly fell asleep.


    Hearing her breathing become regular, Yun Li touched his phone on the bedside table and went under the covers like a thief. She opened WeChat and found the business card of Fu Shi Ze who he had added today.


    There were other people around, so she didn¡¯t dare to click in to see it today.


    She waited until late at night, when no eyes were staring at her, before she could not resist the desire.


    Fu Shi Ze¡¯s nickname is a capital F.


    The profile picture was plain black, with a white curved object at the bottom. It looks like a moon and a little heart. Overall, it looks like a smiley face without the upper half of the face.


    There is a sense of humorous sarcastic cuteness.


    When you think of Fu Shi Ze¡¯s face, which has no extra expressions, it¡¯s incongruous and indescribably appropriate.


    After staring at it for a long time, Yun Li gradually gained some sense of reality.


    She really couldn¡¯t believe it.


    There was really such a thing as the ¡®moon falling from the sky¡¯ in this world.


    Having made a start, what Yun Li did next became bold and let nature take its course.


    When Yun Li opened her circle of friends, the background was the same as the initial default picture. She basically did not post her daily routine, and the few entries she made were to share information about her data.


    It didn¡¯t take more than a few scratches to reach the bottom.


    It was empty, but it was pretty much what she expected.


    Back to the dormer window.


    Yun Li poked the dialog box absently and was about to exit again when there was suddenly some movement from Deng Chu Qi, who was sleeping next to her. Her heart fluttered and she reflexively covered her phone down and locked the screen.


    Within a few seconds, there was no movement again.


    Yun Li quietly peeked out and through the moonlight, saw that Deng Chu Qi was still asleep.


    It seemed that she had just rolled over.


    She sighed in relief and felt a little sleepy. She put the phone back on the bedside table, adjusted her sleeping position, and was about to fall into deep sleep when a sound vibration suddenly sounded in the silent room.


    In her ears, it was almost deafening.


    Yun Li was startled and looked at Deng Chu Qi once again,lest she should wake her up. The default should be a push from the software, and she gingerly picked up her phone, trying to turn off the traffic data.


    Tapping it open.


    The interface was still stuck in the chat window with Fu Shi Ze.


    Five minutes ago, she sent a sketch emoji to Fu Shi Ze. She had just stolen it from Deng Chu Qi ¨C a hand with a clenched fist and an outstretched index finger, the finger pointing out of the screen, with the words ¡°Be my wife¡± underneath.


    Yun Li¡¯s expression froze.


    And just now, the other party had also replied with a message.


    Fu Shi Ze:¡¾?¡¿


    ¡°¡­¡±