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The atmosphere was suddenly a little awkward.
The person Li Huanhuan was on a blind date with today turned out to be… Coach Yang from the team?
Qin Shi looked across at the familiar man he saw every day and remembered seeing Coach Yang riding off on his little electric scooter earlier when they left the club. Akun had said he was going on a blind date.
But who would’ve thought that the person he was meeting was Li Huanhuan?
“You… You two…”
For a moment, Qin Shi couldn’t process what was happening.
Li Huanhuan seemed to understand what he was feeling at that moment. But, faced with Qin Shi’s coach, she couldn’t really say anything.
Yang Shantai, being the only one of the three who didn’t know the full story, didn’t grasp Qin Shi’s emotional turmoil. He merely assumed Qin Shi happened to be here by coincidence.
“Well, since you’re here, the league just released new regulations. Come back with me for a meeting,” Yang Shantai said to Qin Shi. “Do you know where Hu Xun and the others are?”
Qin Shi, Hu Xun, and Zhou Jianyu always acted as a group.
Speak of the devil—here they came.
“Old Yang? What are you doing here?” Hu Xun’s voice rang out.
He and Zhou Jianyu were carrying trays full of egg tarts.
Soon, Hu Xun noticed Li Huanhuan standing to the side and lit up with surprise. “Huanhuan-jie, what are you doing here?” He looked at Qin Shi. “Did you come to see Qin Shi?”
Li Huanhuan glanced at Qin Shi, who wore a cold expression, and avoided answering directly. “Hello.”
Zhou Jianyu sensed something was off between her and Qin Shi and quickly elbowed Hu Xun, signaling him to shut up.
“You all know each other?” Yang Shantai asked curiously, though he didn’t press further. Instead, he turned to Hu Xun and Zhou Jianyu and repeated his earlier message.
Upon hearing they had to return for a meeting, Hu Xun groaned. “Nooo, I just bought these egg tarts, and our tea hasn’t even been served yet!”
Yang Shantai wasn’t about to indulge him. “Go to the counter, pack them up, and take them with you.”
Grumbling, Hu Xun and Zhou Jianyu headed off to get takeaway bags.
Yang Shantai then turned to Li Huanhuan. “Sorry, Miss Li, there’s something urgent with the team. I need to leave.”
“No problem, go ahead,” she replied quickly, waving her hand.
Qin Shi stood silently, frowning.
Sasa stood next to Akun, thoughtfully observing Li Huanhuan.
Overhearing the conversation, Hu Xun leaned toward Zhou Jianyu and whispered, “Xiao Yu, what does this mean? Wasn’t Old Yang here for a blind date, according to Akun?”
“Shut up!” Zhou Jianyu snapped. “Don’t talk. No one will think you’re mute.”
“Qin Shi, let’s go.” Yang Shantai waved him over, grabbed his keys, and headed toward the door.
The tea restaurant was near the Tianlang Club, so sometimes fans of the Tianlang Esports Team would come here. The earlier commotion had already drawn attention—some people had recognized Qin Shi and looked ready to approach. Qin Shi knew now wasn’t the time to dig into this situation.
He stared at Li Huanhuan, frowning.
He realized he couldn’t understand her anymore.
What kind of person was she?
They had just been getting to know each other. Why had she suddenly gone on another blind date after just one week without contact? And if she cared so much about Fox, why even go on blind dates—especially with someone like Old Yang?
Did she just enjoy playing with people’s feelings?
But now, Qin Shi couldn’t even ask these questions anymore.
After Li Huanhuan had once coldly called him “mentally unwell,” his pride, his ego, simply wouldn’t let him chase after her again.
Maybe she was right. Maybe there really was something wrong with him.
Ever since he met her, he had been completely bewitched by her every word and action. Thinking about all the time he spent torn up inside while she clearly didn’t care, still going out to meet other men—it was all too much.
It was time to end this ridiculous entanglement.
Actually, to Li Huanhuan, it probably didn’t even count as a relationship. All she cared about was that cunning, manipulative Fox. What did he, Qin Shi, even mean to her? Probably less than a tea egg.
“Li Huanhuan,” he growled, voice tight with emotion.
“Hm?” She looked over.
“I hope you and Fox grow old together!” His voice was harsh, but his eyes had gone red.
“Huh—?”
Before she could react, Qin Shi had turned and stormed off.
“Qin Shi? Qin Shi, what’s wrong?”
Hu Xun came over with the packed egg tarts and saw Qin Shi’s stormy departure. “Huanhuan-jie, we’re heading back. Let’s catch up some other time. Here, take these egg tarts—they’re really good.”
“Hu Xun! What are you doing, dawdling like that?”
At the restaurant entrance, Qin Shi turned back angrily and shouted.
Hu Xun stuffed the bag into Li Huanhuan’s hands. “Bye!” Then he grabbed Zhou Jianyu and rushed out.
From the sidelines, Sasa and Akun nodded at Li Huanhuan before following them out.
“Qin Shi, why’d you yell like that? I was just saying goodbye to Huanhuan-jie! You seriously looked like a jealous boyfriend,” Hu Xun said.
“Shut up! We have nothing to do with each other anymore!” Qin Shi snapped.
“Oh really? For real? Did Huanhuan-jie dump you? In that case, I’m not holding back—I’m going to pursue her… Ack, cough cough—let go of me!”
Qin Shi clamped Hu Xun’s head under his arm, finally making him shut up.
As they left the restaurant, he looked back one last time at Li Huanhuan before quickly looking away and disappearing from her view.
Li Huanhuan stood in place.
She looked down at the bag of egg tarts in her hand.
The sweet aroma drifted up, pleasant yet somehow… melancholic. For some reason, she suddenly felt incredibly sad.
The connection between Li Huanhuan and Qin Shi ended with his one-sided, bitter departure.
And not just him. Even Fox—Zhang Canyang, the boy who had reminded her of the younger neighbor she once knew—had faded from her world like morning mist. And this time, he had truly vanished.
Her life returned to peace: staying home, petting her cat, fading back into the role of a background character. Yet sometimes, she’d still think of those whirlwind moments. Though brief, they had felt surreal.
Xiao Jing: “Like Cinderella, finally back to her real world.”
0.0: “Cinderella is the main character—she’ll always be found by the prince. But me? I’m just a background character in this story.”
That conversation had taken place the day she realized Qin Shi had deleted her on WeChat—about a month and a half after the tea restaurant incident.
Spring arrived, and with it, a gentle rebirth of everything.
Everything about the “main characters” ended there for her.
She returned to normal life. Occasionally her heart would ache a little at the memories. But fortunately, Li Huanhuan was a lazy, escapist sort of person—she’d simply avoid anything unpleasant.
Xiao Jing never “awakened,” so Li Huanhuan could freely talk to her about being a “background character” without triggering anything.
Xiao Jing: “So, Miss Background Character, when’s the next cat-dog video coming?”
Despite her failed blind dates, her recent cat-dog videos had unexpectedly gone viral, earning her a growing fanbase on the video site.
Xiao Jing had become one of her most eager followers.
0.0: “Just a few captions left to adjust. I’ll post it after dinner.”
Xiao Jing: “[Bowl-ready].jpg”
Conversation over.
Li Huanhuan sat at her computer, working away.
An hour later, the new video was ready and uploaded. Within seconds, new comments and bullet chats started flying:
“111!”
“First!”
“Front row! Selling sunflower seeds, benches, and water~”
“Finally! The creator updated again!”
…
The usual early viewers were grabbing the “front seats.”
A few minutes in, the real content got more reactions:
“That dumb dog is so stupid. Why would he steal the cat’s treat?”
“Husky: Snacks are yummy.”
“Is it really about snacks? He’s obviously craving the cat’s attention!”
“LOL! I’m not the only one who ships them. I thought I was crazy for thinking the husky was trying to win the cat’s heart~”
…
Some viewers had started shipping the cat and dog as a couple.
Li Huanhuan’s latest videos followed her usual stick-figure style. The stars: a goofy, overly energetic husky and an aloof, elegant cat.
She meant them to be opposites—just friends whose contrasting personalities led to amusing daily antics. But after only two videos, fans were already pairing them romantically.
FantasyTune: “They’re just friends~”
Li Huanhuan replied in the comments.
But people responded:
“Friends? That kind of friend?”
“Oh, I get it! Sure, sure. Totally just friends. [smirk].jpg”
“FantasyTune clearly doesn’t understand what ‘friend’ really means~”
…
“FantasyTune” was her nickname among viewers.
Li Huanhuan glanced over at her real-life cat—her video inspiration. Its icy green eyes looked at her with silent demand.
“Meow~”
She instantly got the message: it wanted treats.
She glanced at the video window. It was past 8 p.m. Someone had asked when she’d be livestreaming next.
Besides her main account, she had a pet account just for her cat—streaming its meals, grooming, naps. Rare, low-effort content.
But since her main fans had found the pet account, they’d started begging for livestreams.
Her cat even had a “top fan”—a user with a husky profile picture.
She suspected someone was playing along with the “cat-dog couple” joke.
FantasyTune: “10 minutes.”
The replies came pouring in:
“Waiting!”
“Bringing my stool!”
“Ready to park my butt!”
Li Huanhuan got up to fetch the treats.
But as she reached the living room, a noise outside caught her attention.
Her building had four units per floor. Besides hers, only one other was occupied. That unit had recently been sold.
Was this her new neighbor moving in?
She usually avoided social interactions, but the noise grew louder—something even fell to the floor with a crash.
After a moment’s hesitation, she opened her door to check if someone needed help.
And the moment she did—
A large, fluffy husky with piercing blue eyes pounced toward her—