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Li Huanhuan didn’t even know what she was busy with all evening.
Had she known Zhang Canyang was so fickle, she wouldn’t have turned down the dinner with Qin Shi. And now? Great. Not only would she have to squeeze in time to go out tomorrow, but she’d also have to spend money to treat Qin Shi to dinner!
“Arghhh!”
Clutching her head, Li Huanhuan let out a dramatic wail.
An elderly couple out for an after-dinner stroll near the basketball court was startled by her sudden outburst. They stared at her, wide-eyed in shock.
Six eyes locked.
Li Huanhuan froze.
At that moment, her phone rang. She pretended to be busy, grabbed her phone, and quickly fled the scene. Once she made it out, she finally checked the message—it was from the adopter of Ah Hua and her kitten. The young woman said the cats had been checked at the clinic and everything looked fine.
Li Huanhuan went to the clinic to meet the adopter.
She explained that the cats’ “guardian” had a last-minute emergency and couldn’t come, apologized, and said the cats could go home with the adopter. Since they had agreed to split the vet bill, she transferred her share via WeChat.
After a brief chat, she stood by the roadside and watched the adopter take Ah Hua and her kitten away.
Her stomach growled. She decided to head home.
She didn’t want to stay out any longer—who knew what might happen next? After 40 minutes, she returned home, patted her cat lord on the head, washed her hands, and made herself a bowl of plain noodle soup.
While eating, she scrolled through her phone and hesitated before sending a message to Zhang Canyang:
0.0: “【screenshot】 Here’s the vet bill for Ah Hua and her kitten. Please transfer the other half when you see this.”
Since the adopter covered half, she and Zhang Canyang would cover the rest. Li Huanhuan considered herself a sort of “guardian” too, so she didn’t mind chipping in.
Given their distant relationship, this arrangement seemed fair.
Zhang Canyang hadn’t replied yet—he probably hadn’t seen the message.
After washing up, Li Huanhuan lay on her bed in pajamas, flipping through her phone. Her cat dozed off on its special little pillow beside her.
She fretted over where to take Qin Shi for lunch the next day.
As a broke homebody, she rarely dined out. When she did, it was always budget-friendly meals with friends.
But tomorrow, she had to treat Qin Shi to a “fancy meal”…
She was out of ideas and messaged her bestie Xiaojing.
Xiaojing: “Going out to eat? But tomorrow’s not the weekend. Who are you meeting?”
All her friends worked 9-to-5 weekday jobs with weekends off. She usually only met up with them on weekends or holidays. So Xiaojing immediately picked up on something unusual.
0.0: “【cat lord】.jpg”
She tried to dodge with a sticker.
But Xiaojing knew her too well and saw right through it. Li Huanhuan had no choice but to vaguely explain the situation with Qin Shi, omitting his name and the fact that he was a professional esports player.
Xiaojing: “Didn’t you say, ‘The wise don’t fall in love’?”
She remembered Huanhuan’s declaration from that morning.
0.0: “It’s a blind date! Just a blind date! No romance involved!!!”
0.0: “Besides, he’s younger than me, okay~”
Xiaojing: “So what? Younger guys are great! Peak energy, peak… everything! Once a guy passes 25, he’s—”
0.0: “Tsk tsk tsk, shut up! 【Here’s a pack of detergent】.jpg”
Xiaojing: “Broad shoulders, long legs, good-looking—what’s the problem? 【Takes the detergent】.jpg”
0.0: “I don’t like younger guys 【smile】.jpg”
Xiaojing: “Careful what you say, or you’ll eat your words.”
…
After their playful banter, Xiaojing—ever the foodie—recommended two restaurants: a romantic Western restaurant ideal for couples, and a well-reviewed seafood buffet with great ambiance and fresh dishes, priced at around 300 per person.
Li Huanhuan thought it over and messaged Qin Shi:
“Can you eat seafood?”
She already had him on WeChat.
He quickly replied:
Qin Shi: “Yes.”
So she booked the seafood buffet.
Before bed, she finished a freelance article for her public account. Soon, it was the next day. She left home at 10:30 AM and arrived at the meeting spot at around 11:40.
Just as she reached for her phone, she heard a cough behind her.
She turned and saw Qin Shi standing there. He wore a black jacket, black pants, and matching boots. With the cold weather, he had a navy scarf around his neck. His hair was styled—he looked sharp.
Li Huanhuan was wearing a cream-colored long coat over a pearl-embellished white turtleneck, a dark blue winter plaid skirt, and black boots. She had a yellow scarf around her neck—similar in style to Qin Shi’s.
His gaze brushed past her scarf, then he stuffed his hands in his pockets, looking slightly awkward.
“You’re here. I thought you’d stand me up again,” he said shyly.
Li Huanhuan blinked, surprised.
Qin Shi turned away quickly, “Let’s go. It’s about time.”
She looked at his sharp jawline and sighed inwardly, deciding not to fuss with him.
They entered the building and took the elevator to the buffet. Along the way, Li Huanhuan felt like he was sneaking glances at her, but every time she turned, he looked elsewhere.
The buffet was nice, the food fresh. Qin Shi seemed ready to criticize something but didn’t.
“What do we do after eating? Want to see a movie? Hu Xun said there’s a really good action film. We could go in the afternoon—I’ll buy the tickets now.” He pulled out his phone.
“Huh? This afternoon?”
Li Huanhuan hadn’t expected any post-lunch plans. She waved her hand, “No need, I’ve got something later. You can go with a friend.”
In truth, she had nothing. She just wanted to go home early.
Qin Shi paused, scrolling aimlessly on his phone.
“Leaving so soon?”
She nodded.
He looked disappointed.
“Oh. I didn’t really want to see the movie anyway.”
So did he want to or not?
She glanced at him but said nothing.
A moment later:
“Let’s take a picture together,” he said.
“Huh?” She looked at him, puzzled.
“You forgot? I said we should take a photo together at lunch—to show our moms.”
She paused—right, he had said that.
Still…
“No need.”
She shook her head.
“I’ll just tell my mom we ate. Then your mom won’t blame you.”
Silence.
She looked up. Qin Shi was staring at her.
Tap tap tap.
His slender fingers tapped the table.
“That’s the third time you’ve rejected me today,” he said.
“…Right.” She felt awkward.
“What now?”
He raised his chin and waved his phone.
“Take the picture.”
Short and to the point.
For a homebody who had paid the single-person tax for 26 years, this was Li Huanhuan’s first time taking a photo alone with a guy. Not even with her father as a child.
She glanced at Qin Shi, who had moved next to her, and froze. Her smile looked stiff.
“Smile naturally. I’m not kidnapping you,” he said, annoyed.
Since it was a selfie, they had to sit close, brushing shoulders and arms. Her smile stiffened further.
“More natural.”
Qin Shi still looked effortlessly cool.
“Cheese!”
“Cheese.”
Click.
Done.
Qin Shi looked just as cool as ever in the photo—maybe even cooler than usual. Li Huanhuan, though, despite smiling with teeth, looked awkward, as if she might cry any second.
She asked to retake it.
Qin Shi, afraid she’d grab his phone, quickly pulled it back and sat down again.
“This one’s great. I look good.”
“I look like I’m crying,” she complained.
“Really? I think you look fine.” But she saw the smirk on his lips.
Tch. He did it on purpose.
So childish. Whatever.
Li Huanhuan gave up.
She wasn’t used to taking photos with others. A second take probably wouldn’t help.
“Don’t send that photo to my mom,” she said, negotiating.
“I’ll think about it.” Qin Shi raised an eyebrow.
He stared at the photo on his phone.
Suddenly, messages popped up in a group chat. He didn’t want to check, but it kept buzzing, and he accidentally opened it.
It was the “Skywolf” team’s casual chat. Players, assistants, operations, and coaches were all in it.
Someone posted a photo, saying they’d spotted Fox from CoolPlay with a new girlfriend on Furong Road last night.
Xiao Dong: “Fox still living it up. Lost a match yesterday, and already on a date.”
Gossip Crowd: “Eh? New girlfriend again? Didn’t look like the last one.”
People were teasing.
Qin Shi never joined these convos. He was about to close it—then paused.
He zoomed in on the photo.
The girl standing next to Zhang Canyang looked… oddly familiar.