Whenever Ji Ranyou was stuck on a scene, revising a draft, or had to make major edits due to sensitive topics, her sleep quality tended to suffer.

She had gotten used to wearing thick-framed glasses to hide her dark circles. But somehow, after that overly sweet dream last night, she looked at her tired reflection in the mirror and suddenly felt a little aesthetically fatigued.

It was Saturday morning.

While her close friends’ profile pictures remained the usual grayscale, the group chat with her editor and fellow authors was as lively as ever.

They say three women can put on a whole show. In just the time it took to mix her meal-replacement shake, Ji Ranyou watched as the conversation in the chat jumped from the hype around YSL’s Star Glow lipstick to debates on whether Maybelline’s colour-changing lip balm actually changed shades, then veered into skincare with discussions on SK-II’s “miracle water” and Dior’s go-to concealer pen…

Scrolling through the messages, Ji Ranyou lazily stirred her soup. When the conversation shifted to the upcoming Singles’ Day sales in a month, she put down her spoon and blew on the hot steam.

[Er Fu]: Where do you all usually buy makeup? Going to the counters every time is such a hassle… Any trusted resellers or must-have products you can recommend? 【starry eyes】【starry eyes】

For someone with her reputation, staying low-key was a given.

Even though her group chat status was still the dimmed-out “lurker,” the moment Ji Ranyou sent her message, everyone in the chat collectively froze for a second. And then—

[Daily 10K Words of Salted Fish]: Er Fu!!! Sending Hearts!! Seeing is believing!!
[10K Words of Salted Fish]: I usually ask friends who travel to buy them for me—guaranteed authenticity… Er Fu, are you planning a surprise for your little wifey?!

[Endless Night]: Er Fu muah muah!!! I can’t believe I’m witnessing this—a living legend returns!!! This is a once-in-a-lifetime event!! I love my Luo!!!
[Saving money for a House]: Er Fu, muah muah!! Sending hearts!! I’m following your novel!!
[Saving money for Kids]: +1!
[Immune to Recommendations]: +1!
…

The thought of fellow authors reading her work was surreal enough—let alone so many at once.

Between all the “sending candy,” “sending flowers,” and “muah muah” messages, Ji Ranyou found herself overwhelmed by their enthusiasm but still tried her best to respond with playful emojis.

Exchanging casual greetings was easy, but when the topic turned to questions like “How much are your copyright fees?”, “How much did you sell the film rights for?”, and “When is the second edition being released?”—those were contract-sensitive matters.

Using “starving, must go hunt for food” as an excuse, Ji Ranyou took a breather.

But just as she logged off from her computer, her phone buzzed twice—Weibo DMs.

The moment she saw the sender’s ID, Ji Ranyou stiffened.

She hesitated for a long while before shakily opening the message…

Not a writing deadline reminder. She patted her chest, relieved.

[Editor Yingcao V]: Tried pinging you on QQ, but no response. I’m on vacation in Seoul right now, flying to HK tomorrow. If you need anything, I can buy it for you and ship it over! But before using any skincare, you should check your skin type first~ ╰(￣▽￣)╭

[Er Fu V]: If this doesn’t count as perfect…
[Er Fu V]: I had to take care of my skin for a while after getting sunburned during freshman-year military training, so it’s a bit sensitive. I’ll email you the details later! Should I transfer the money first, or pay after it arrives?

[Editor Yingcao V]: Of course, after I send it! Er Fu, why are you so straightforward?! I’m your editor, okay!! Ever heard of being polite?! ｀O′
[Er Fu]: ……

Since you messaged first, clearly, it’s convenient for you—why should I pretend otherwise?

Their friendship didn’t need unnecessary pleasantries. Ji Ranyou typed whatever came to mind.

That ridiculous “Polite, Courteous” made Gu Jingying burst into laughter with a ‘pfft’. ^[1]“KE客，QI气” is a playful way of writing “客气” (kèqì), which means “polite” or “courteous” in Chinese. It’s written this way to mimic an … Continue reading

.

Then, with a teasing smirk, she sent:
“Aren’t girls supposed to be all coy and indirect?”

Ji Ranyou nearly choked on her soup, barely stopping herself from spraying it all over her screen.

[Er Fu V]: I’m a girl?!!
[Er Fu V]: Why are you joking like this?!!

Her phone was loaded with all sorts of communication apps.

Gu Jingying, still wiping the water she had just spilled from laughing too hard, switched directly to voice messages:

“Not only do I know you’re a girl, I also know you study at West University… and that you live across from Zhiyuan Hall…”

Huh?

Why did this sudden switch to voice messages feel so familiar?

Wait, why did Editor Yingcao’s voice sound so good? The kind of tone that perfectly matched the image of an elegant white-collar woman?

And—

Wait, she just said she knows I’m a girl and that I study at West University…

Hold up!!

Her mind went blank.

Ji Ranyou instinctively looked left and right.

No horror-movie jump scares appeared, hooking a slender finger around the delicate handle of her bone china cup, she let out a breath, calming her nerves and… reactivating her brain

[Er Fu V]: [smile] [smile] What happened to editors keeping authors’ privacy confidential? What happened to me being a rough old man? Can we still be friends like this? 🙂

[Editor Yingcao V]: Back then, out of tens of thousands of new books in the library, I spotted yours at a glance. Er Ye, you should’ve known… in the face of keen perception, privacy equals zero!! ≧▽≦

Easily imagining the smug look on the other end, Ji Ranyou took a deep breath. One, two, three times.
Then, she smirked.

[Er Fu V]: Oh? Then take a guess—how long is my ding ding?

Where was this conversation going?! What even was this “ding ding”?!                                                                                           

The term was way too suggestive, and Gu Jingying’s face flushed red.

“How would I know if you’re a golden needle mushroom or eighteen centimetres? Er Ye, where’s your shame?! Flirting with your editor?!”

Shame? It wasn’t edible, so what was the use of having it?

The thousands of stampeding mythical beasts in Ji Ranyou’s mind instantly turned into little dancing stick figures. Satisfied, she slowly poked her pinkies together and said, “See? You admitted I have one.”

“……”

“Heh,” pausing from packing gifts for family and top authors under her care, Gu Jingying curved her lips into that signature smirk she usually reserved for roasting Gu Chen. Then, word by word, she shot back at Ji Ranyou, “Two-faced dog!”

Instant reply from the other side: “Bored but still lovingly patting your wounded soul.”

Gu Jingying: “……”

#Even the way they talk sounds alike#
#She must maintain a polite smile at all times#

.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

If customs clearance goes smoothly, SF Express will deliver it within two days.

Let alone on a sunny day, even on a drizzly autumn evening with raindrops tapping against fallen leaves, Miss Yuzu actually grabbed an umbrella, took a set of keys, and left herself alone in the dormitory?!

Qin Dai had just heard that Tanuki (狸猫) was a notorious meta pick in high-ranked Dual mode and hadn’t even managed to upgrade it to three stars when she heard a familiar set of heavy footsteps echoing through the hallway. She got up to open the door—only to find Miss Yuzu panting heavily at the entrance, she didn’t even have the strength to drop off the large box she was holding?!

Hurrying to help move it inside, Qin Dai shut the door and curiously asked, “What is all this? Why so much?”

Once Ji Ranyou finally caught her breath, she slowly tore off the clear packing tape, carefully unboxing each item and laying them out on the table. Then, she turned to Qin Dai and said— “she wanted to learn makeup.”

Qin Dai’s whole soul screamed NOOOO!!

“Oh wow! Back in freshman year, I asked a certain someone to learn makeup with me, and guess who said it was too much trouble? That it’d be better to just eat more, watch more dramas, and sleep more?”
“……”

“And I remember! Back then, when I was late because I was putting on makeup, a certain someone complained that all lipstick shades looked the same, so why bother picking and choosing,”

Qin Dai neatly arranged the row of sleek black tubes and luxurious leather casings. “Alright then, tell me—what’s the difference between these 303#, 205#, 210# lipsticks and those 300#, 400#, 500# lip stains over there?!”

“……”

“And another thing! That certain someone once said, ‘Women dress up for themselves. If there’s no one to please, just keep it simple and comfortable.’”

Qin Dai picked up a box of face masks with lengthy instructios and handed it over with a deliberately mocking tone. “Now, read the instructions out loud for me—tch tch, simple, huh?”

“……”

Faced with the bold and underlined “I’M JUDGING YOU“ on Qin Dai’s forehead, Ji Ranyou knew she had no comeback.

She tugged on Qin Dai’s sleeve and looked up, her innocent expression framed by a pair of bright, jewel-like eyes, looking utterly pitiful.

Ji Ranyou licked her lips and let out a soft, weak whimper: “But… right now… I kind of… want to please him…”

She looked so shy—like an ancient maiden leaning against a railing, watching the rain, spotting a passing scholar, wanting to speak yet holding back.