Xu Yitong’s vision went black.

-Conquer: [You still don’t know? [Surprised]]

-Conquer: [It’s fine, knowing now is okay too [Haha]]

Seeing that the other party really wasn’t replying, after a few minutes, Chen Yucheng leisurely sent a voice message, “Alright, tell me, what’s up?”

-Heartbroken Zhenzhen: [Piss off]

-Conquer: [I told you not to ask, and now you’re unhappy XD]

-Heartbroken Zhenzhen: [When did I ask you?]

-Conquer: [.]

-Heartbroken Zhenzhen: [Just wait, Yu Ge will definitely kill you.]

……

……

“What?” Jasmine was also shocked by this news and couldn’t help raising her voice. 

“Little brother is dating someone? With Yu Ge’s sister?!”

Xu Yitong rolled down the car window, letting the wind blow in as she sighed gloomily.

Just two days ago, when she was drinking with Chen Yucheng, both siblings were lovelorn and miserable, commiserating with each other.

Please, Heaven, open your eyes… 

If anyone should find happiness first, it should be someone like her who’s sincere and hardworking, right?

Jasmine sat in the passenger seat peeling an orange, worried. “Yu Ge is a big shot in their circle, with so many fans… If the little brother just steals his sister like this, won’t he get torn apart online…”

Cai Cai, a complete outsider who didn’t follow the esports scene at all, asked curiously, “Oh? How big of a shot?”

“Probably a really big one,” Jasmine said, recalling what happened earlier at the venue.

“The fan support was insane—I thought only guys watched gaming, but there were so many female fans, and Yu Ge alone accounted for like eighty percent of them. It was seriously exaggerated… his popularity is sky-high.”

“That big?” Cai Cai understood. 

“No wonder Xu Yitong can’t get him.”

Hearing this, Xu Yitong got upset again and lashed out at them, “Does anyone care about me? My little brother is dating my crush’s sister. He’s happy now, but what about me?”

Cai Cai said calmly, “Isn’t this great? You can be happy along with them.”

Xu Yitong: “?”

“You’ve already become family with your crush ahead of time,” Cai Cai teased. 

“How heartwarming, a perfect family reunion.”

“……”

Xu Yitong was rendered speechless.

*

After returning home—dragging the rejected 20-pound gift home, sweating and exhausted—the first thing Xu Yitong did was take a shower.

When she came out, she saw a message from her mom on WeChat: [What’s wrong, baby? Back to being Heartbroken Zhenzhen again?]

That’s right, Xu Yitong’s nickname was Zhenzhen.

It was given by her grandfather before he passed away, meaning she was the family’s most precious little pearl. 

Later, when Chen Yucheng was born, during family gatherings, they’d call him Zhengzheng too. 

Xu Yitong felt like she’d been copied and even secretly beat up the defenseless little Chen Yucheng over it.

Xu Yitong’s WeChat nickname was like her mood barometer. 

When she was happy, it was Happy Zhenzhen; when she was sad, it was Heartbroken Zhenzhen; when she was neither, it was Pretty Zhenzhen.

Xu Yitong made up a random excuse: [Nothing much, just had a fight with Cai Yishi today.]

Chen Bolan: [You’re so grown up, yet still acting like kids]

After a day of highs and lows and being infuriated by her so-called friends, Xu Yitong’s heart was oddly calm now.

She put on a face mask, sat cross-legged in the living room, and began dismantling the gifts she’d painstakingly assembled. 

When she got to the little fish pendant, her heart ached with sorrow.

If only she’d put this thing on top…

Sigh…

Xu Yitong spaced out for a moment, thinking, At least the cookies had a few months before expiring.

Surely, she’d manage to give them all away before then?

……

Before bed, Xu Yitong habitually scrolled through Douyin.

When she was unhappy, she liked filling her brain with this kind of mindless joy.

She’d originally wanted to forget her troubles, but because she’d been searching for Yu Ge so frequently lately, every few videos, she’d come across one related to him.

Usually, the recommendations were highlight reels of his epic plays in matches. 

Though Xu Yitong didn’t understand what made them so epic, that didn’t stop her from enjoying them. 

Especially with the commentators screaming their lungs out, her adrenaline would spike right along with them.

But today, for some reason, the algorithm pushed her to a shippy, pink-bubble video about Yu Ge.

And it was super popular??

Xu Yitong’s drowsiness vanished instantly.

The video’s title was: Love Weird Ships: Cold Beauty Host x Aloof ADC, with a special note at the end: Fans stay away.

Xu Yitong clicked on it, her heart burning with indignation.

This host with long black hair…

Xu Yitong remembered now.

Wasn’t this the one Yi Yi had pointed out to her before?

At the start of the video, the host in a qipao tilted her head slightly and smiled faintly at the person beside her: “Shall we begin?”

Yu Ge took the microphone someone handed him.

What should’ve been a perfectly normal interview was edited into what Xu Yitong considered a scam video.

For example, Yu Ge merely glanced at the host—something that probably lasted less than a second—but the edit made it seem like he’d stared at her for an eternity.

Or, because of their height difference and the noise at the venue, the host repeated a question, and Yu Ge leaned down slightly to listen.

This was captioned with frilly text: “Her exclusive gentleness, his rare patience”.

Xu Yitong’s heart burned with jealousy and bitterness.

After watching the video, she sat up in bed and opened the comments section, which was even more infuriating.

Top comment: Who else gets it? Iceberg guy and cold-faced girl.

Xu Yitong replied: [Well, I don’t get it.]

Second comment: The colder they seem, the hotter they are in private. Acting distant in public, ‘fighting’ behind closed doors… just thinking about it is intense.

Xu Yitong angrily hit ‘report,’ citing ‘inappropriate content.’

Third comment: They have such a destined feel.

Xu Yitong replied again: [They’re not a match at all.]

By the time she’d replied to the fiftieth comment, Xu Yitong was exhausted.

Late at night.

The original creator of the shipping video stared at the username ‘Angry Zhenzhen’ in bewilderment.

Where on earth had this ultimate troll come from in the middle of the night?

*

The past few days hadn’t been smooth for Xu Yitong.

Normally, Xu Yitong’s troubles never lasted overnight.

Since childhood, she’d never liked studying or reading, nor had she given much thought to life.

The elders in her family often said, “Our Zhenzhen has the kind of personality that’ll let her enjoy life anywhere.”

But lately, because of Yu Ge, Xu Yitong had been sulking for days.

She dabbled a bit in the metaphysical.

A friend read her astrological chart and hesitantly said she and Yu Ge didn’t seem compatible.

Xu Yitong refused to accept this and went to Baidu to check their zodiac compatibility—only to find a pitiful 10% match.

Even tarot readings gave unclear results.

So Xu Yitong concluded that Western mysticism just wasn’t suited for Chinese people.

She decided to turn to Buddhism and Taoism instead.

On the recommendation of her cleaning lady, she went to a small street stall near the park, lining up with the aunties and uncles to consult a master.

The setup was simple—a cloth banner with white lettering on a black background: “Solve your worries, foresee the future. (No charge if inaccurate.)”

“What would you like to know, benefactor?” the master asked.

“I’d like to know about my love life.”

The master studied her birth date and, after some thought, said, “Your fate is quite good. You’ll face no major hardships in life, and your romantic prospects are excellent. The stars are aligned—you’ll have a good marriage.”

“Really?” Xu Yitong sat on the bamboo stool and confided, “But lately, I’ve fallen for someone, and it’s been really tough.”

The master, wearing round black sunglasses like a charlatan, said, “Is that so? But judging by your birth chart and face, you’ve already begun to attract peach blossom luck.”

“Huh?”

The master pinched his fingers together, speaking cryptically: “The swallows soar high behind you. The swallows bring new life; the peach blossoms arrive. Miss, today is a lucky day.”

Xu Yitong was baffled. “Today?”

“When heaven favors you, blessings will come.”

……

……

After the reading, Xu Yitong skeptically paid 40 yuan via WeChat.

On her way home, just as she was puzzling over what kind of good omen the master had meant, Yi Yi suddenly called her.

“Tongtong~ I just saw a dress while shopping that would look perfect on you, so I bought it. Where are you? I’ll bring it over now.”

Xu Yitong was surprised. “Ah! You’re too kind.”

Yi Yi laughed. “I’ve received so many gifts from you—it’s only right to return the favor.”

Xu Yitong checked the time on the dashboard. 

“Where are you? I’m free right now, so I can come to you.”

Following Yi Yi’s directions, Xu Yitong drove for half an hour before arriving.

They met on a pedestrian street.

Since they hadn’t known each other long, their conversation topics were limited. 

Naturally, they ended up talking about Yu Ge again.

Remembering the video she’d seen earlier, Xu Yitong asked Yi Yi about the female host.

Yi Yi smiled. “Why the sudden interest?”

Xu Yitong didn’t hide it. “I just saw them online.”

“From what I’ve heard, Mi Yin did have a thing for Fish before. But she’s too proud—after being rejected, she wouldn’t keep chasing him.”

Xu Yitong didn’t even look up. “Oh.”

Yi Yi glanced at her and quickly clarified, “Not that I’m saying you’re chasing him or anything.”

“It’s fine.” Xu Yitong didn’t mind at all and grinned. 

“There’s no shame in pursuing someone you like.”

Yi Yi suddenly remembered something. 

“Oh, right. Roy mentioned that something happened in Fish’s family recently.”

Xu Yitong: “Huh? What happened?”

“Not sure about the details, but he hasn’t been at the base lately. No one knows when he’ll be back.”

As they chatted, they wandered aimlessly. 

Seeing that it was getting late, Yi Yi bought some fresh meat mooncakes, saying she wanted to give some to Roy and the others.

The OG base wasn’t far, and since Xu Yitong had nothing else to do and a car, she naturally offered to drive her.

This was her first time coming here.

No wonder people online called OG the “luxury battleship”—their jerseys were plastered with sponsor logos, almost running out of space. 

The OG owner was seriously loaded, building their base in a prime location like Puxi, and it was even a standalone villa.

Xu Yitong dropped Yi Yi off near the intersection. 

“Want me to wait for you?”

“No need.” 

Yi Yi unbuckled her seatbelt. 

“I’ve already troubled you enough today. I’ll hang out with my boyfriend for a bit before heading back. Thanks for today.”

“Alright.” Xu Yitong didn’t insist and waved. “Let’s meet up again soon.”

“Sure!”

Xu Yitong watched Yi Yi walk in. 

Just as she was about to leave, she felt a sharp pain in her heel. 

She touched it and winced—the new shoes had rubbed her skin raw, drawing a little blood.

Luckily, there was a convenience store nearby. 

Xu Yitong parked haphazardly and went to buy some band-aids.

As dusk fell, after buying the band-aids, Xu Yitong felt a bit hungry and grabbed some oden.

Sitting by the glass window, nibbling on a fish ball, she wondered: What had that fortune-teller meant earlier?

Why was today a lucky day?

Was she supposed to message Yu Ge and check on him?

Xu Yitong agonized.

After how harshly he’d rejected her last time, if she reached out again so soon, wouldn’t that make her dignity as thin as a shoe insole?

After six, the sky darkened quickly.

Xu Yitong felt like she’d only sat for a few minutes, but by the time she left the store, the neon lights of the shops outside were already glowing.

Eating the ice cream cone she’d just bought, her mind still lingered on what Yi Yi had said. 

After much deliberation, she decided to text Chen Yucheng first:

[I heard something happened in Yu Ge’s family. Do you know what it is? Is Yu Nuo okay?]

As she typed, she debated whether to message Yu Ge directly.

Lost in thought, she didn’t notice the step ahead.

Her foot missed the ground, and Xu Yitong jerked her head up, nearly face-planting. 

In her dazed state, she spotted someone sitting on a bench not far away.

Black T-shirt, jeans, white sneakers.

That profile looked eerily similar to…

For a moment, she thought her longing had conjured a hallucination.

Under the dim yellow streetlight, Xu Yitong took a closer look and felt her breath catch.

Holy shit!

It really was Yu Ge!

Xu Yitong’s mind went blank. 

Her first thought was: That fortune-teller was worth every penny.

Xu Yitong hesitated, not daring to approach recklessly.

Hiding behind a small tree at a safe distance, she stared at Yu Ge like a stalker.

For some reason, even though he always had this unreadable expression, Xu Yitong could tell—he seemed really unhappy today.

Yu Ge sat with his head slightly bowed, elbows resting on his knees, quietly eating cookies.

One pack after another.

Late at night, just sitting there alone, eating cookies. 

It was surreal.

After an internal struggle, Xu Yitong decided to walk past him casually.

Yu Ge kept eating his cookies, not even glancing up.

…Fine. So Xu Yitong had to loop back.

She feigned surprise. “Yu Ge, what are you doing here?”

Yu Ge looked up, and their eyes met.

“I just dropped off Yi Yi. What a coincidence,” she added unnecessarily.

He just stared at her.

As she got closer, Xu Yitong noticed an empty beer can by his feet.

Huh? Had he been… drinking?

Her heart leaped.

Observing his reaction, she inched closer, then—when he didn’t stop her—slowly, carefully perched on the edge of the bench.

Yu Ge still didn’t object.

Xu Yitong’s heart leaped again.

She glanced at him cautiously and tried to strike up a conversation. 

“You remember who I am, right…?”

Yu Ge didn’t answer, lowering his head to open another pack of cookies.

After a while, when he still hadn’t responded, she wondered: Was he already drunk?

Just as she thought she wouldn’t get an answer, she heard him say four words—

“SpongeBob SquarePants.”

The completely random reply left Xu Yitong stunned. 

She looked around, double-checking. 

“Are you talking to me?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh…” Xu Yitong blinked, then eagerly played along. 

“Good evening, Patrick Star! Want to go jellyfishing?”

Yu Ge paused mid-cookie.

A moment later, Xu Yitong clearly heard a low chuckle from him.

Yu Ge tilted his head, studying her. 

Then, with a lazy, casual tone, he said, “Your ice cream is melting. Didn’t notice?”

Oh my god…

Had Yu Ge just smiled at her?

Xu Yitong froze for a second, then realized—it had dripped onto her clothes.