Just as Himuro Mio was about to take things a step further and draft a complete, rigorous summary to diagnose Baiye Duxing with a mental illness, her phone suddenly vibrated.
Baiye Duxing had accepted her friend request.
“Ah, there is no need for now, Shirozakura.”
“No need?”
“Yes, there is no need for the time being.”
‘Good, Xiaobai. You made the right choice. I hope there is never a next time.’
Himuro Mio clutched her chest.
An ethereal, lingering ache remained there, as if something small and cold was tightening around her heart.
At 11:00 AM, Gu Yebai installed QQ on a brand-new ROG laptop.
Once the installation was finished, the first thing he did was check if there were any messages from his readers.
Over the last two days, he had delayed his updates significantly due to personal matters.
For those readers who had supported him for a long time, this was undoubtedly irresponsible behavior.
“Huh?”
“What is it, Uncle Bai?”
“One of my QQ friends… why are they gone?”
Tokyo student Yukino.
He was one of Gu Yebai’s major patrons.
He was also one of the first and most steadfast readers to support him back when Gu Yebai was just an obscure nobody in the webnovel circle.
They chatted often about anything and everything.
Although the other party loved to show off the girlfriend he was dating in Tokyo, Gu Yebai would always playfully act jealous.
In reality, he quite enjoyed their relaxed, casual interactions.
Yukino never called him Uncle Bai.
Instead, he called him Xiaobai, as if he had seen through the “online old fogey” persona at a single glance and knew it was just a disguise.
Gu Yebai stared at the Yukinoshita Yukino avatar used by the other party.
He waited for his resent friend request to be accepted.
If he had lost this friend simply because he had failed to update on time, Gu Yebai would be very sad.
It was not just about the tips.
It was about that sense of connection between people.
Gu Yebai did not know Tokyo, nor did he know Sakura Country.
It was through Yukino that he could catch a glimpse of a wider world.
It was also because of his support that Gu Yebai managed to grit his teeth and persevere with his writing.
“Uncle Bai…” Gao Hongyi stared gloomily at the computer screen.
“Ah, they accepted it.”
Gu Yebai breathed a sigh of relief, though a look of self-reproach crossed his face.
“I might have upset him. Not only did he delete me, but he even left the group. I have to apologize properly.”
“Let’s go eat first, Uncle Bai.”
Gao Hongyi wore a reluctant expression, seemingly unwilling to let Gu Yebai have too much interaction with Yukino.
“Wait a moment. Yukino is an important friend. Since he suddenly left the group, I have to ask why. If it was my fault, I should apologize.”
“How could you possibly be at fault, Uncle Bai? If he wants to leave the group, then just ignore him. Honestly… it’s enough for you to just have me.”
Gao Hongyi suddenly leaned in from behind.
Her slender arms reached over Gu Yebai’s shoulders, lightly circling his neck, while her chin rested on the top of his head.
A soft sensation pressed through their clothes.
She leaned against the back of his head without any reservation, her chest rising and falling with her breath.
“You sound a bit like a yandere when you say that.”
“I am not a yandere! It is all Uncle Bai’s fault for being such an insensitive blockhead.”
Gao Hongyi stared fixedly at the screen.
She truly wished that the person named Yukino on the other end of the computer would simply vanish from the face of the Earth, never to have any contact with her Uncle Bai again.
Baiye Duxing: Good afternoon, I just woke up.
Baiye Duxing: Yukino, why did you delete me?
Baiye Duxing: I know I have been terrible about updating, but I had some important personal business over the last two days.
Please try to understand.
You are the one person I don’t want to lose.
Yukino: You were the one who deleted me, Xiaobai.
Even though I always nag you to update and annoy you, I would never delete you.
Yukino: [Chat History]
Gu Yebai clicked on the chat history.
What met his eyes were words he had never spoken…
Baiye Duxing: What is going on here?
Yukino: I should be asking you that. Why did you take it upon yourself to delete me?
Baiye Duxing: I never said those things, and I never even thought about it!
Baiye Duxing: Yukino, you are an important reader to me. I know many readers drop a book because of a plot point they don’t like, and that’s normal. But even without the novel, I hope we can maintain a long-term friendship.
Yukino: I have always liked your books. I will keep reading them, and I will always be your friend.
Baiye Duxing: Maybe my account was hacked.
In truth, another suspicion crossed Gu Yebai’s mind.
However, he could not say it to Yukino because Gao Hongyi was also staring at his computer screen right now.
Although the possibility was miniscule, it was not impossible.
Quickly, Gu Yebai shook his head.
‘Suspecting a girl who likes me without evidence is really shitty of me.’
Baiye Duxing: Anyway, I really don’t know why this happened. I know I am being shameless, but could I ask you not to cut off our connection because of this? I don’t want to lose you.
Yukino: Fine, Xiaobai… I don’t want to lose you either.
Yukino: Dammit, that sounds so gay!
Yukino: Anyway, let’s just go back to the way things were. Go do what you need to do, and remember to go home and write your novel on time.
Baiye Duxing: Thank you, and I’m sorry.
Gu Yebai invited Yukino back into the group chat and restored his status as a group administrator.
At the same time, the novel app immediately sent a notification for a donation.
It was a massive amount.
Yukino had just tipped Gu Yebai’s novel 10,000 yuan.
Good heavens…
Gu Yebai felt dizzy.
Something like this had happened just moments ago.
Even if his family background was good, shouldn’t he be spending a lot of money as a student in Tokyo?
The author group chat had already exploded, with many people tagging Gu Yebai.
Meanwhile, Yukino sent another private message.
Yukino: This is the friendship fee for this month.
Baiye Duxing: Brother, why would you tip this much? It’s not easy being a student in Tokyo. 10,000 yuan… my god.
Yukino: It is my money anyway; I can spend it however I want. I can afford this small friendship fee. To make this money worth it, you’d better work overtime and write. Got it?
Baiye Duxing: Yes, I shall remain forever loyal to Lady Yukino!
Baiye Duxing: I am Lady Yukino’s dog.
“Tch.”
A very clear clicking of the tongue came from behind him.
“Hongyi?”
“I don’t like Uncle Bai being so lowly. What do you mean you are his dog? I don’t like that! My Uncle Bai is noble!”
“Let’s go. Stop chatting with this guy and go eat.”
Gao Hongyi firmly grabbed Gu Yebai’s arm, forcing him to stand up.