“Boss, is that drone outside yours?”
“It’s been parked at the store entrance for ages, so of course it’s yours, isn’t it?”
“666, Boss, how much is your drone? How about selling it to me? Name your price.”
The convenience store owner stared blankly at the excited young men in front of him.
He scratched his head, completely confused.
What drone?
When did I ever buy a drone?
The drone made very little noise—only a faint “buzzing” sound could be heard up close, just a bit louder than a fly.
If you didn’t look up, you’d never know something was there.
“That drone outside your store, Boss. Can you sell it?”
“Outside my store?”
Puzzled, the convenience store owner walked outside, and saw the silver drone hovering above his store sign.
A box hung beneath the drone, wrapped in a white waterproof bag, making it impossible to see what was inside.
“You guys are mistaken, that’s not mine.”
“It’s not yours, Boss? Then whose is it? Why is it parked here?”
“How should I know?”
The owner gave a wry smile and went back inside.
At that moment, a petite young man entered everyone’s line of sight.
It was eleven at night.
In front of the convenience store, the neon sign cast its glow, the streetlights pushing away the surrounding darkness.
The young man slightly lowered his head, making it hard to see his face.
“Excuse me, please let me through.”
“Uh… okay.”
The group of young men, startled by the voice, quickly stepped aside.
They glanced curiously at the young brother before them.
Clearly male, but his voice was like a songbird’s—clear and pleasant.
Just then, someone nudged him.
The young man turned his head, only to see his buddy give him a look and point at the back of the newcomer’s head.
As if to signal him to look.
Look at the back of the head?
What’s there to see on a guy’s head…
But as his gaze landed on the back of the newcomer’s head, his inner complaints froze as if time had stopped.
A not-too-big, not-too-small baseball cap was puffed up, and a tuft of hair poked out from the back, swaying in the wind.
The young man’s eyes widened in shock.
No wonder the voice sounded so nice and nothing like a guy’s—it was a girl dressed as a boy.
What a pity, though—she’s a bit flat.
Even without seeing her face, from the voice alone, she must be good-looking.
Unlike that other loli, this girl’s voice was highly recognizable.
Not the kind of voice you fake on purpose—naturally beautiful.
It’s like the difference between a surgically made beauty and a natural one—easy to tell apart.
So he’d bet his own happiness—this had to be a little beauty.
Chen Xiaoyan walked under the drone, looked up, and couldn’t help but twitch the corners of her mouth.
Seriously?
It’s parked this high up, how am I supposed to get it?
Even if she jumped, she couldn’t reach.
Helpless, Chen Xiaoyan took out her phone to report to Mu Qingxue.
Chen Xiaoyan: Qingxue, I’m not a giant who’s three or four meters tall.
Mu Qingxue: What’s wrong?
Chen Xiaoyan sent her a photo.
Mu Qingxue: My bad, I forgot to mention—I had them park it higher on purpose, so no one else could take it.
Mu Qingxue: Yanbao, the drone has Face Recognition, just face the drone and you’re good.
She nearly laughed in exasperation.
Is this girl taking me for a fool?
We’ve never even met in real life, where would you get my facial data?
Hmph, you just want to see my devilishly handsome face, what kind of excuse is that.
Chen Xiaoyan: I treat you as a friend, but you treat me as a fool?
Mu Qingxue: (sticks tongue out) I knew I couldn’t fool the clever and quick-witted Yanbao.
As soon as she sent that message, the drone slowly descended.
Chen Xiaoyan took the box and hurried away.
She kept feeling that people around her were giving her strange looks, but couldn’t quite figure out why.
After Chen Xiaoyan left, the drone didn’t go away—it quickly ascended, trailing after her from above.
Zhongzhou City.
Mu Qingxue sat on her sofa, cradling her laptop, eyes glued to the surveillance feed on the screen, the corners of her mouth curving proudly.
Did you really think my purpose was to take pictures?
No, that was just to throw her off.
My real goal was to figure out her current address.
If she doesn’t show up tomorrow, then things will be easy.
Chen Xiaoyan was cautious as well, glancing back every few steps.
But the drone was already a thousand meters high—she couldn’t possibly see it at night.
After taking several detours, she never saw the drone tailing her.
Was she being too paranoid?
Chen Xiaoyan shrugged, then finally returned to her rented apartment.
Meanwhile, Mu Qingxue closed her laptop.
Mission accomplished—there was no point in watching further.
Mu Qingxue was not a pervert who liked to spy on others.
Everything was ready—just waiting for tomorrow to be revealed.
Mu Qingxue was quite satisfied with the results this time.
Not only did she learn her address, she also got photos.
Yes, photos.
The moment Chen Xiaoyan looked up, the drone snapped nearly a hundred photos.
Qiu Xue: Miss, the photos are filtered and ready.
Qiu Xue: (image)
Mu Qingxue opened it, and saw a close-up.
That bright, picturesque face—she’d recognize it even if it turned to ashes. It was the same Chen Xiaoyan from the game who haunted her dreams.
“As expected, it’s you, Yanbao. You’re still as captivating as ever.”
Mu Qingxue hugged her face, silly with happiness.
The cold, aloof air around her instantly disappeared, leaving only a lovestruck fool.
Qiu Xue: There’s one thing I forgot to mention—the address from the drone matches Chen Xiaoyan’s residence.
Chen Xiaoyan.
That man whose name was nearly identical to hers.
Just thinking about him put Mu Qingxue in a bad mood.
Mu Qingxue: Go on.
Qiu Xue: There are two possibilities. One, they’re siblings. Two, Chen Xiaoyan is Chen Xiaoyan.
Qiu Xue: But neither is proven. First, there’s no record of a Chen Xiaoyan in Chen Xiaoyan’s family. I even sent someone to check the household registry—neighbors and relatives have no impression of a girl named Chen Xiaoyan.
Qiu Xue: Second, I guessed Chen Xiaoyan was a boy with a girl’s face, and that caused a bug in the Immortal Realm system, mistaking him for a girl. But that was just disproved. I got info from his interviews a month or two ago—there are photos too.
It’s obvious—Chen Xiaoyan is Chen Xiaoyan, Chen Xiaoyan is Chen Xiaoyan.
They are two different people.
As for why Big Boss Xiaoyan is living with that Chen Xiaoyan, you’ll have to ask her yourself.
Mu Qingxue: Are they a couple?
Qiu Xue: I don’t know.
Even if she did, she couldn’t say.
She knew all too well how her little ancestor felt about Chen Xiaoyan.
If the object of her affections were snatched by a man she despised, she’d probably go mad.
Mu Qingxue: Alright, you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll ask her tomorrow myself. Is everything ready for the gathering?
Qiu Xue: All set, the party can start anytime.
Mu Qingxue: Good.
After locking her phone, Mu Qingxue’s face was reflected in the black screen—her expression was extremely unpleasant.
She gripped her phone so tightly that her fingertips turned white.
A “crack”—the phone screen splintered in several places.
But she didn’t care at all.
Her mind was full of that name—Chen Xiaoyan.
That infuriating name.
Chen Xiaoyan!!!
Xiaoyan said she might not be able to make it tomorrow, and that it was about a matter of lifelong importance.
Could it be because of him?