Reality, 6:30 PM.
Chen Xiaoyan removed her helmet, shook her dizzy head, got out of bed, slipped on her slippers, and stood up.
At that moment, a sudden “gurgle” came from her stomach.
She touched her abdomen. In her ravenous state, her little belly was already protesting fiercely.
Ah, another day without lunch.
“Yaoyao!!!”
Chen Xiaoyan shamelessly called out for her little chef’s support, but there was no response from outside the inner room.
It seemed that little chef wasn’t here.
She opened the door, walked into the living room, and found a sticky note on the dining table.
Picking it up, she saw it was a message from Yaoyao.
(Xiaoyan-jie, since you didn’t log off, I didn’t wait for you to eat lunch. If you’re hungry, your lunch is in the insulated pot in the kitchen.)
After reading it, Chen Xiaoyan immediately became ecstatic and scampered into the kitchen. Lifting the lid of the insulated pot, a puff of hot air burst out, carrying the rich aroma of meat.
Mm—her favorite braised pork.
Hoo hoo! I hereby officially declare.
Yaoyao.
This great little chef is now my god. No objections accepted.
After eating and drinking her fill, Chen Xiaoyan went to the bathroom to bathe. Soon, she came out in another set of pajamas, drying her damp hair with a towel as she walked into the inner room.
She picked up her phone, opened Penguin, and was about to ask Liu Yue why she hadn’t logged in that afternoon.
Before logging off, she had even taken a special look at her friend list—she really hadn’t been online at all.
As soon as she opened Penguin, Chen Xiaoyan saw six new messages from Liu Yue.
Hm?
Xiaoyue sent me a message?
Entering the chat interface, the first five were just her own name—nothing interesting. But the last one stunned Chen Xiaoyan.
Liu Yue: Xiaoyan, do you like me?
This single sentence alone revealed a problem. A shy girl like Xiaoyue wouldn’t normally be so direct.
Was it possible that these words weren’t actually from her?
Without a second thought, Chen Xiaoyan immediately sent a voice call request.
After about ten seconds, the other side answered.
“Hey, Xiaoyan?”
That voice—she was now certain it was her.
“Xiaoyue, did you send me a message?”
Liu Yue fell silent.
Chen Xiaoyan could vaguely hear the other’s rapid breathing. Was she nervous right now?
“Yes… yes.”
“You really sent it?” Chen Xiaoyan was shocked.
“Mm.”
“Why did you suddenly ask that?”
Liu Yue replied anxiously, “No, it wasn’t sudden. This question has been in my heart for a long time—since the moment we cleared Monster Village, I wanted to ask, but I didn’t have the courage.”
“Cleared Monster Village?”
Hearing this, Chen Xiaoyan’s mind instantly recalled that first time they cleared a dungeon.
But what did that have to do with Liu Yue?
Wait!!!
The Qingxin Ring.
She suddenly thought of that key point.
“Is it because of the Qingxin Ring?”
“Mm.”
Chen Xiaoyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
So it was all because of a ring—a misunderstanding.
But then again, who gives someone a ring unless they’re lovers?
“My fault, my fault. Xiaoyue, I didn’t mean anything else. Honestly, back then I only gave it to you because I thought the ring suited you.”
Clatter.
It sounded like something had fallen to the floor.
“Xiaoyue, what was that noise?”
“It’s nothing—I accidentally knocked something over. Xiaoyan, I’m sorry, I was mistaken.”
At that moment, Liu Yue really wanted to ask why she had said those things on Penguin before, but she no longer had the heart or the courage to ask.
The whole starting point was a misunderstanding. What more was there to say?
“Ah? It’s not your fault, it’s mine.”
As soon as these words were spoken, both ends of the call fell into silence.
One side thought it was an interrogation.
The other side thought she was reading too much into things.
Two misunderstandings tangled together, forming a huge gap.
“Sorry, Xiaoyan. I still have things to do, so I’ll hang up now.”
Finally, Liu Yue couldn’t bear the pressure anymore and ended the call.
“Hey? Wait, Xiaoyue, did you today…”
Beep.
(Call ended.)
Chen Xiaoyan stared at the notification on her phone screen, shrugged slightly, and could only resort to voice messages.
“Xiaoyue, why didn’t you log in today? Did something happen?”
After sending this voice message, she remembered Liu Yue’s abnormal tone just now.
Hesitating for a moment, she decided to add one more voice message.
“Even though the Qingxin Ring was a misunderstanding, I honestly still like you.”
No matter whether Liu Yue had feelings for her or not, this sentence was broadly applicable—it all depended on how one understood it.
Chen Xiaoyan waited for a while but got no reply. She forced a faint smile.
Looked like it was the worst-case scenario.
But still, this was fine. Her yuri constitution had finally met an exception in Liu Yue. Ah, what a pity.
If only she were really into girls, how wonderful would that be?
‘Hah, I’m such a joke.’
Chen Xiaoyan found her own thoughts ridiculous.
She used to pray to the gods that Xiaoyue would be normal, but now she wished she were a lesbian.
How fast her face could change.
After sighing, Chen Xiaoyan put down her phone, lay on the bed staring at the ceiling, and unconsciously touched her lower body.
It was completely numb now.
The next step was the final transition from a 1 to an 0, huh.
Ding.
Suddenly, the phone on the bed vibrated once. Chen Xiaoyan knew it was a Penguin notification.
She rolled over, picked up the phone, and opened Penguin. It was a text message from Liu Yue.
The first sentence stunned her.
Liu Yue: Xiaoyan, you should understand what I mean, right? I’m asking about that kind of like—between a man and a woman.
Liu Yue: Mm, something did happen. Sorry for holding you back from clearing the new dungeon.
—
Ten minutes earlier.
The Liu residence, Kyoto City.
Chen Xiaoyan’s comment about purely giving the ring because it suited her—that really shattered Liu Yue.
I had already developed feelings, and now you cruelly tell me it’s all a misunderstanding?
Too much. Really too much.
Her phone slipped from her hand and fell onto the bed.
Liu Yue seemed to lose all strength, collapsing onto the bed. Silently choking on her tears, she stared at the pure white ceiling. For a moment, she couldn’t control her emotions, pulling the blanket over her head.
Then she broke down sobbing.
She wept soundlessly, recalling the days gone by. The playful chats on Penguin, the heart-thumping moment in the Monster Village dungeon when he had personally slipped the ring onto her finger, the days spent with him in the game.
Those beautiful memories scrolled like pictures, replaying endlessly in her mind.
Was she supposed to give up?
No. I don’t want to give up.
But even if I don’t want to, what can I do?
Love is the result of two people running toward each other. One person alone is just an unrequited crush.
Forget it. Father wouldn’t approve of us anyway. There’s no future. None at all. Hah…