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Xiang Yuan’s entanglement with Xu Yanshi wasn’t something that could be explained in just a few words. She admitted she had been in the wrong back when that thing in the grove happened. It was she who had coerced and tricked him into going there. But she swore she had done nothing to betray Feng Jun. The two of them were innocent.
At the time, she had swallowed her pride and confessed to the teacher that she and Xu Yanshi were in an early relationship, all for the sake of his future. But he didn’t appreciate it at all. Instead, he said her skin’s thicker than a city wall, and if no one wanted her, she should donate herself to the country. Because they might be able to develop a new type of bulletproof vest with her.
Xu Yanshi had called her shameless, and even a fool could hear it. Those were his exact words. Xiang Yuan remembered them word for word even after more than ten years. That’s how much she hated him.
Just recalling the cold tone he’d used back then made a chill crawl down Xiang Yuan’s spine. She silently tied the bow on her hoodie into a dead knot. She absolutely must not be recognized by him.
But before she could finish the knot, someone in the backseat suddenly let out a bone-shaking, roof-splitting howl, “Ahhhhhh!”
Xiang Yuan’s hands trembled from the scare.
Xu Yanshi, who had been staring out the window, turned his gaze back at the noise. Xiang Yuan glanced at the rearview mirror. He was sitting with his legs spread wide, slouched against the seat, shooting a sideways glance at the culprit with a ‘what the hell is your problem’ kind of irritation.
The short guy was named Gao Leng[1]cold and aloof— an ironic name completely at odds with his personality.
With a miserable face, Gao Leng wailed, “I was only gone for a week, and my goddess Ashers announced her retirement! She even deleted her Weibo. I can’t watch her livestreams anymore…… Wuuwuuwuu…… I’m so sad. Can you buy me a late-night snack?”
Ashers?
Xiang Yuan’s lips curled. Her mood finally brightened. She slowly undid the dead knot and retied the bow elegantly, lowering her head to scroll on her phone as if nothing had happened. She couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. She has too many fans…… She really needs to self-reflect.
Out of the corner of her eye, she peeked again at Xu Yanshi. Little Brat, even you will have a day when you’ll be charmed by me.
Damn, the impulse to return to livestreaming was flaring up again.
Calm down.
……
“No.” Said Xu Yanshi.
So cold and heartless. Xiang Yuan couldn’t help but laugh. But then came his next sentence, which made her freeze.
“She always uses a voice changer during livestreams. What’s there to watch?” Xu Yanshi pushed his glasses up with his finger and continued flatly, “Xu Chengli keeps thinking you’re watching a talking hen pecking at a keyboard that he won’t even do his homework.”
Xiang Yuan’s head shot up in disbelief. Through the narrow gap in her hood, she locked eyes with the two guys in the rearview mirror.
Her whole face beneath the hoodie turned as stiff as a chocolate bar fresh out of the freezer.
She once again told herself to calm down.
Once you get out of the car, you’ll never see them again.
Forgive him.
Truth be told, Gao Leng knew this jerk didn’t watch livestreams or play games. He lived like some monk in a temple. Gao Leng had just been about to start arguing when Xiang Yuan suddenly looked up. That scared him so much that he lost his train of thought.
After all, someone sitting in front of you with their entire head wrapped up, no visible face, and nothing but a pitch-black hood staring at you like some alien— it’d be impossible not to feel creeped out.
Only when Xiang Yuan lowered her head again did Gao Leng manage to recover and stammer, “You…… you…… how could you fantasize about my goddess sounding like that? I used to think you were a decent person. You’re disgusting!”
As he spoke, he even playfully pounded Xu Yanshi’s chest with his fists. Xu Yanshi couldn’t be bothered and casually pushed Gao Leng’s hands away, not even lifting his eyelids. His gaze returned to the window as he tugged his jacket back into place, which had been rumpled by Gao Leng’s tugging. His expression said plainly, ‘Don’t drag me into your nonsense. Go back to watching your Peppa Pig’.
Before the trip, Gao Leng had downloaded Peppa Pig on his iPad for Xu Chengli. But Xu Chengli refused to watch it. Gao Leng didn’t want to waste it. To his surprise, a three-year-old in the next seat had been eyeing the screen hungrily. So the two of them had ended up watching it together on the plane for three hours straight, like besties.
Silence returned briefly.
Then Xiang Yuan heard Gao Leng pipe up again, “Hey, why’d you use your middle finger to push up your glasses just now? Who were you judging?”
“……”
What a sensitive man, so good at picking up on the slightest clues.
Xu Yanshi still slouched lazily in his seat and replied in a listless tone, “Go ask your grandpa why he uses his middle finger to press his phone screen. Is it because his index finger isn’t slim enough, or his thumb isn’t long enough?”
Gao Leng: “……”
The car went quiet for a moment. Then came the sound of Gao Leng furiously typing on his phone. After a while, he tucked it back into his pocket and muttered smugly, “I already posted what you said about Ashers being a talking hen. Soon, rabid fans are gonna come for you.”
Of course, it was mostly bluff. Gao Leng’s Weibo barely had any followers, and his posts rarely got more than single-digit views. He wasn’t worried anyone would actually see it. Xu Yanshi didn’t respond. He didn’t use Weibo or play games anyway.
That wasn’t entirely true. Xu Yanshi had a Weibo, and Gao Leng followed it. But he barely posted anything. He didn’t even update his Moments. As for games? Gao Leng had never seen him play. He always joked that Xu Yanshi had a high-IQ brain but useless hands, proof that heaven was fair.
Unlike Gao Leng. His face may be unfortunate, but at least he had ‘blessed hands’.
Gao Leng babbled on, “Don’t underestimate her fans. Ashers’ fans are crazy. I remember there was this one dude who donated millions during her livestreams just to impress her. Guess what she did?”
Xu Yanshi glanced at him disinterestedly.
Gao Leng didn’t care and went on, “The next day, she donated it all to charity and posted the receipt on Weibo. She even wrote, ‘Don’t send me gifts. I’m not short on money’.”
Another glance from Xu Yanshi.
Gao Leng grinned and nudged his shoulder. “Now that you know she’s rich, are you tempted?”
“I’m not that desperate.” Xu Yanshi sneered as he adjusted his glasses. “Make sure you repay what you owe me next month.”
“Don’t be like that……”
Xiang Yuan remembered how everyone had been stunned when she posted that statement on Weibo. A game streamer who didn’t play in tournaments or ask for gifts said she wasn’t short on money. Everyone had truly believed her when she claimed gaming was just a hobby.
Gao Leng sighed, “Seriously, I don’t know what kind of man could ever marry Ashers. He must’ve saved the universe in his last life. But guys like us who’re so broke…… Forget it. Society’s still realistic. Rich folks marry richer folks. No one wants to be someone else’s charity case.”
Xu Yanshi finally turned to look at him, with a strangely sincere expression. “When you’re serious like this, you look……”
“Charming?”
“Like Grandpa Wang under the bridge who installs phone screen protectors.”
“……”
Xiang Yuan never imagined she’d one day search ‘Ashers hen’ on Weibo.
Even more unexpected? There were so many results, she couldn’t scroll through them all.
She was both furious and amused. In the end, she forced herself to calm down and refined the search to ‘Ashers talking hen’.
Sure enough, she found it. She followed the thread all the way to Gao Leng’s Weibo, ‘Gao Leng Is Your Daddy’.
【The boss was being savage again today. He said my goddess Ashers sounds like a talking hen smashing a keyboard. Don’t get mad, folks. I already gave him a lil’ punch for it.】
【What even is the boss? Why’s he so fast at solving algorithms? I’m burning with jealousy.】
【During meetings, if you watch whether the boss pushes his glasses up with his middle finger or index finger, you’ll know if he agrees with your idea. I’m so clever.】
Under that last post, someone replied, 【You know all that, and he still doesn’t approve of you.】
Gao Leng responded with a motivational emoji. 【One day, I will earn the boss’s approval.】
Xiang Yuan actually felt a bit sorry for him.
She had just started gleefully digging through the list of people Gao Leng followed when suddenly, the driver pulled over and got out of the car.
Behind her, Gao Leng’s brain went on high alert. He clutched the aloof man beside him and whispered nervously, “Holy crap…… did we get into an illegal taxi? I heard from Lao Yang and the others that some people get scammed into carpools, then the driver stops halfway and demands more money before he’ll go on. We’re not that unlucky, right?”
Xu Yanshi pushed him off in disgust, still wearing that deadpan expression. “Then walk back. You’ll get there by sunrise.”
Gao Leng cursed, “Damn, if you don’t care about me, can’t you at least care about the kid……” Then he shot a suspicious glance at the tightly bundled Xiang Yuan and whispered in Xu Yanshi’s ear, “You think this person with the face all wrapped up might be in cahoots with the driver?”
“Maybe.” Xu Yanshi finally cast her a glance, expression unreadable.
A mischievous urge rose in Xiang Yuan’s heart, a wicked little flame flaring into a blazing fire. She suddenly whipped her head toward Gao Leng and gave him a sinister smile. He couldn’t see it, of course, but acting was all about getting into character. As a professional in broadcasting and hosting, she had a voice range ready at her fingertips. Back in the day, she had even done voice acting for a few well-known audio dramas. Other than being bad at school, she was decently skilled at all sorts of miscellaneous things.
“An illegal taxi?” Xiang Yuan lowered her voice. “You’re overthinking it.”
Just as Gao Leng was about to exhale in relief, he heard her continue, “We’re here to rob you.”
“R-r-r-r-robbing?!!!”
A shrill, belated scream tore through the night like a blade.
But before Xiang Yuan could get to the ‘robbing someone for their beauty’ part, all four of them were kicked out of the car. The driver claimed the tire had blown and said help was on the way. He told them to find another ride themselves.
Xiang Yuan looked around. It was pitch-black, the trees barren and leafless, with not even a broken twig in sight. It was even more desolate than the uninhabited area she had visited in Gansu last year. She glanced at the man in the outdoor jacket standing by the road— expression listless, clearly not thrilled about getting off.
After the driver urged them a few more times, Xiang Yuan reluctantly fumbled her way out of the car.
Xu Yanshi and the others had already called a ride. Gao Leng saw her stumbling out like a blind person learning to walk. Even though this woman was all bundled up and weird— and had just scared the life out of him— he was, after all, a kind little angel. So he casually asked, “Wanna join us? It’s hard to hail a ride out here. And, well, more people means we can split the fare.”
Mainly, he just wanted to split the fare.
After he asked, Xu Yanshi said nothing, head down as he texted someone one-handed. His long fingers flew over the screen, face indifferent and uninvolved.
Xiang Yuan thought for a moment. It was only a ten-minute ride anyway. She pressed her lips together and gave Gao Leng a solemn ‘OK’ gesture.
“Then let’s add each other on WeChat.” Gao Leng said, pulling up his QR code. “You can just transfer me your share later. Don’t overthink it. I have a girlfriend. I’m not hitting on you. Or do you have cash?”
Of course, she didn’t have cash. She rolled her eyes and added him.
Then she realized too late that her WeChat display name was her real name.
The dummy Gao Leng even confirmed out loud, “Xiang Yuan, right?”
Xu Yanshi, who had been idly on his phone, probably found the name familiar. Xiang Yuan noticed his eyes flick lazily toward Gao Leng’s screen, then drifted over to her. A second later, he let out a soft, indifferent scoff and returned his gaze to his phone.
Xiang Yuan resisted the urge to bash his head in. She took a deep breath and reminded herself for the third time to stay calm.
Gao Leng noticed the slight intake of breath. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. The hood’s just a little tight.” Xiang Yuan replied stiffly.
Gao Leng chuckled. “Who told you to wrap your head up like that? Afraid we’re criminals or something? Are you, like, super pretty?”
Xiang Yuan said lazily, “A bit better looking than you.”
“Still not as good-looking as my goddess, though.” Gao Leng huffed.
Feigning curiosity, Xiang Yuan asked, “Who’s your goddess?”
“Ashers, duh! Also known as the Living Daji Microwave Oven.”
?
Xiang Yuan blinked, unfamiliar with the nickname. She didn’t recall ever using such an ID.
Gao Leng leaned in conspiratorially and whispered, “Number one Daji[2]a famous historical and mythological femme fatale in Chinese culture player in the server. Rumor has it she’s flat-chested, so her fans affectionately call her the Living Daji Microwave Oven[3]microwave oven = flat front with nothing inside, i.e., flat-chested. Oh, right, do you play games?”
“No.”
Gao Leng suddenly felt a chill in the air. Her voice sounded weirdly eerie. He muttered, a little aggrieved, “Okay, okay, no need to get hostile just ’cause you don’t play.”
“……”
Gao Leng continued, “My boss doesn’t play either. Honestly, I don’t get you people. What’s life without games? I mean, look at my boss. With that face, if he were a game streamer, he could easily make millions a month. Too bad he’s got trash hands.”
“Impressive.” Xiang Yuan muttered unconsciously.
“What’d you say?” Gao Leng asked, not catching it.
Xiang Yuan replied, “I said, with looks like his, if he were also an esports player like your goddess, the rest of us might as well give up.” She even complimented herself in the process.
A moment passed.
Gao Leng nodded slowly, as if her words made a lot of sense. Then he said thoughtfully, “Then Ashers really must be a cross-dresser.”
“……”
Get lost.
Gao Leng really did move to the side to send a WeChat voice message to his girlfriend, “Babe, we’re almost there.”
Xiang Yuan heard the voice reply, “Where’s Xu Yanshi?”
Gao Leng faked a jealous tone, “Why are you always asking about the boss? He’s dead.”
The man next to him stayed focused on his phone without even lifting his head. At the words, he reached out and shoved the back of Gao Leng’s head. Gao Leng was prepared and dodged with a mischievous grin. Annoyed, Xu Yanshi kicked him in the butt and pulled his hood back up, eyes glued to his phone. The screen’s glow cast shadows on his face, giving him an even colder air.
From the speaker, the woman snapped, “Wade’s order got rejected again! Do you know the trackers from your last batch had issues? I’ve been covering your *ss all this time, but I’m only human, you know. That model’s been discontinued, and Lao Liang locked everything down. Where the hell am I supposed to get high-precision boards now? Isn’t Xu Yanshi tight with that team? Tell him to ask around, see if there’s another way!”
The voice message ended.
Gao Leng looked like a scolded puppy as he stared at Xu Yanshi. The latter finally looked up from his phone and said flatly, “Tell her to send the model number.”
“Got it!” Gao Leng instantly perked up and opened WeChat. “Babe, Boss says send the model number. He probably has a way.”
The reply came quickly, “Okay.”
Then another message followed, “Tell Xu Yanshi he doesn’t stand a chance in this life, but in the next one, I’ll definitely devote myself to him.” She ended the sentence with a laugh that practically shook the phone.
But Gao Leng was mad.
“Don’t think I don’t know what you’re thinking. Jokes are fine, but if you cross the line again, we’re done.” He said to the phone with a dark look.
…..
The wind rustled the trees, and the place was bleak and barren.
Xiang Yuan stood quietly off to the side, backpack slung over her shoulders, hands tucked into her hoodie pockets. Her head was tilted up, wrapped tightly in the hood, as she silently gazed at the sparse stars above, clicking her tongue in exasperation.
She remembered back in high school, she once begged Feng Jun to ask Xu Yanshi to help write an English self-reflection letter. Feng Jun had said he wouldn’t agree. But Xiang Yuan had insisted, and unexpectedly, he had agreed. His tone on the phone back then was just like it was earlier— cold and a little helpless, “Have her bring it over.”
So……
Why did he always have a thing for messing with his bros’ girlfriends?
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pocketrobbin[Translator]
Chapter Schedule ─ 〚Mon & Thurs: SFCIGI, TMPS and TPW〛, 〚Tue & Fri: SFCIGI and RND〛, 〚Wed & Sat: MFTV and LC〛