The blonde girl lay sprawled on her bed, her chin nestled into the soft pillow, creating a small depression. A pair of large blue eyes stared intently at the chat window, fixated on the user with the nickname "Farewell to Fleeting Years" and a pure white avatar, watching for what felt like an eternity.

The sun set in the west, and the night gradually deepened outside her window. Street lamps lit up one by one along the roadside. It was now 7:30 PM in Los Santos, Country M, which converted to Chinese time would be 10:30 AM the day before.

She had always been careful to chat with him only at times when she wouldn't annoy him, even though he repeatedly emphasized that she could message him anytime.

She had already been disliked by many people, but she especially didn't want him to say such things to her.

The girl stared fixedly at the unchanging chat window. Time seemed to have become a false proposition for her, until her eyes began to sting with sourness. Whether from keeping them open too long or for some other reason was unknown.

She buried her head tightly under the pillow, and the sourness and unease in her heart quietly emerged again, like vegetation in a desert that couldn't reach water sources and could only desperately extend their roots deeper and deeper to reach that sole source of life.

Why, why won't you reply to me...

The girl bit her lip tightly. The unease and fear in her heart had already fermented into sourness, seeming ready to turn into tears that would slide down from the corners of her eyes. But she couldn't cry. Even if she did, no one would sympathize with her, except him.

But now he wasn't replying, so who should she turn to?

The girl lay on a large bed, rolling back and forth without falling off. But this large bed only occupied a small portion of this luxurious bedroom. Outside the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows was Los Santos' bustling streetscape. As night fell, the lights outside began to twinkle, with flowing traffic and bustling crowds creating a lively scene.

But no matter how lively it was, it had nothing to do with her. The room was extremely quiet; quiet to quiet that perhaps even the sound of a teardrop hitting the floor could be heard. No, the entire building was extremely quiet. Here, she could do whatever she wanted; even if she screamed and shouted, no one would care. This place was too high; high enough to overlook almost all of Los Santos.

This place was too big; so big that whether the girl sat or stood, she never felt comfortable or at ease. This place also seemed too small; so small that she could only huddle within the confines of her screen, staring blankly at that pure white chat box.

What is he doing right now?

Is he with that friend of his?

What should friends do when they're together...

She always pestered him with conversation, from pointing out his gaming mistakes to chatting about daily trivialities, from how some group of overconfident bitches came to pick fights with her today only to get beaten until they were crawling on the ground looking for their teeth, to which presumptuous person tried to hit on her only to be glared away with a single look.

She didn't know. Perhaps he was her only friend. Having lived alone in Country M for over ten years, the word "friend" was quite foreign to her, so foreign that she no longer understood what a friend really was.

She and he—they should count as friends, right...

The enormous display screen on the wall continuously looped his published videos, his voice resonating throughout the entire room without pause. It seemed only this way could put her at ease.

But those dozen-plus hours of disconnection had really frightened her, even though he had replied to her immediately after handling things and explained the reason,

But what about that female friend...

Clearly, I've asked him about it several times in roundabout ways...

Unease quietly grew, and a piece of clothing was carelessly thrown to the head of the bed. Several clicking sounds came through.

She sent all the photos at once.

Still no response...

The girl truly didn't know what to do anymore.

She caressed the tattoo on the inner side of her thigh. The center part of the tattoo seemed to have a large black spot different from other areas, more like something natural, deeply carved into her flesh and blood, impossible to wash away no matter how much she tried.

That was a large black birthmark.

That's right! There are still games!

The girl's eyes suddenly lit up, and her dejected expression dissipated considerably.

Making videos was his only source of income. Usually when he streamed live, he didn't even enable gift donations.

He'll definitely make game guide videos...

And when he usually makes game guides, he can't do without me!

My skills are good, my game understanding is solid, and I always carry him in ranked matches.

That friend of his surely can't play games with him too!

The girl's heart seemed to be filled with security again.

Her thoughts drifted back across the ocean.

And soon, I'll be going back.

Xie Ci, when you see me, will you be happy?

The blonde girl hugged her phone and smiled. This expression seemed somewhat out of place on her exquisite yet sharp face.

The night gradually deepened.

......

Perhaps because it was approaching noon, Xie Ci felt the fitting room was unusually stifling.

The mall has air conditioning running… but this shouldn't be happening!

The standard fitting room wasn't designed for two people, especially not with a chair taking up space. That chair had been pushed to one side, so Xie Ci and Ye Li could only squeeze into the remaining space.

After taking the first photo of the black bra, turning around in this cramped space, he struggled to suppress the restlessness in his heart.

The citrus fragrance from Ye Li's body flooded his nostrils. Behind him came the soft rustling sounds of changing clothes, so clear that Xie Ci could even accurately judge from the sounds what movements she was making and which step she had reached.

Although Xie Ci had long given up hope regarding matters of the heart and wouldn't dream of being a poor boy favored by a rich woman, this stimulus from humanity's most primitive instincts still made his mind wander.

Calm down! Xie Ci, you need to calm down!

A 22-year-old professor, the eldest daughter of the Dong family—any of these identities creates an unbridgeable chasm between her and me, a poor student.

What am I? Just someone who happened to grab her hand before she jumped into the sea, who happened to keep her here with some words even I found ridiculous.

Nothing more.

Just a long part-time job with room and board but no salary.

We're ultimately people from two different worlds. One day we'll inevitably part ways. Don't invest too much emotion.

At least, manage yourself first. Don't become her burden.

.......

Of course, Ye Li had no idea what kind of self-hypnosis and mental storm Xie Ci was experiencing.

All she knew was that Xie Ci, a red-blooded college student, really was just like a photographer who had emptied his mind of everything, calmly and without any emotional fluctuation taking photo after photo.

If she didn't have absolute self-awareness, she would really start to doubt whether there was something wrong with her own charm.

Thinking back to before, I clearly hated it most when those disgusting men stared at me with those lust-filled eyes.

But now, I'm actively creating this ambiguous atmosphere.

Photos of various styles of bras were taken. Sexy ones, cute ones, all kinds,

Yet he remained unmoved, without even the slightest change in expression.

Ye Li crossed her arms and stared wide-eyed at Xie Ci, who had turned his back to her.

She no longer felt dejected emotions, but intense frustration!

This was already the last bra. By all accounts, this shopping trip should end here.

"Um... Ye Li, I've already sent you those photos. It's getting late now, and we should have bought everything we needed. Let me see..."

Why are you sending them to me?!

She put on that white shirt and watched as Xie Ci turned around with an innocent expression, saying things that seemed matter-of-fact. For some reason, a feeling she had almost never experienced before welled up in her heart.

Grievance!

"Little Ci..." Ye Li's somewhat trembling voice came through, making Xie Ci freeze.

"What's wrong? Ye... Ye Li?"

Ye Li's face darkened, and she silently put on her high heels and stood up, reaching almost the same height as Xie Ci. She suddenly grabbed Xie Ci's collar and pressed him against the wall.

This reminded Xie Ci of what happened yesterday at the coffee shop.

The difference was that this time she brought a determined force. She raised her head, and a childlike stubbornness flashed in her amber-colored beautiful eyes, reminding Xie Ci of a child who wanted to attract attention after being ignored.

She looked up, staring straight at Xie Ci. Their gazes crossed, and her lips trembled slightly.

"Little Ci."

"What is it?" Xie Ci quickly thought about why she was upset.

"I want to collect rent! You can't stay in my bedroom for free!"

"Huh? But I..." Before he could finish speaking, Xie Ci's mouth was blocked by a sweet fragrance and smoothness. A soft little tongue brazenly broke through his teeth, like an unreasonable invader ruthlessly plundering his mouth. Something soft and elastic pressed firmly against his chest with undeniable force.

After a long while, their lips parted.

Ye Li cleanly wiped the corner of her mouth, picked up her bags with flair, and walked away, leaving only Xie Ci standing there in confusion. Before leaving, she didn't forget to add one more line.

"Little Ci, this is just today's rent."

Ye Li: ＜(▰˘◡˘▰)

Xie Ci: ╭(°A°`)╮

Translator’s Corner

Los Santos: GTA’s Los Angeles. Respect if you already knew.

Country M: America. A way to refer to it without saying it.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.