“Pfft…”
Spark snickered. “Didn’t you once play a similar role in a void realm?”
“The devoted childhood friend who’s a simp for his first-love white moonlight?”
“That’s different. That girl was my target. Luo Yueli… isn’t on my list. I’m not interested in anyone outside my objectives.”
Flicking ash from his fingertip, Su Yichen turned into the stairwell. “So… this identity feels deliberately restrictive. The void realm is making things difficult for me again.”
“Ohh, Spark gets it now. You’re worried that improper actions will increase your deviation value?”
“Mm. You’ve finally improved.”
Su Yichen nodded. “Once deviation value starts rising, it’s almost impossible to pull it back.”
“Alright, Spark, go rest. I need to buy milk tea for her.”
Deviation value… in other words, whether one’s actions matched the current identity.
Once something didn’t match, the deviation value increased.
At the same time, though, a certain range was allowed.
A simple, crude example: if Su Yichen, with endurance of two, went to run a hundred-person marathon and still placed in the top three, that would obviously create deviation.
Unless something was wrong with the other ninety-seven participants.
But if his endurance were nine, even winning would be perfectly reasonable.
As long as it fit the void realm’s logic judgment, deviation value would not increase.
There were clear ranges and boundaries, yet it wasn’t rigid. It fluctuated at any time according to the character’s current overall state.
This was the basis for calculating deviation value, and also the room for maneuver that void breakers had when carrying out void-breaking missions and pursuing targets.
So the milk tea naturally had to be bought.
Su Yichen had no intention of changing his relationship with Luo Yueli.
Even if this childhood friend of his in the void realm was a delicate little beauty who was probably already the goddess in many boys’ hearts—
As long as he maintained his character persona in front of her and didn’t generate deviation value, that was enough.
After buying the milk tea, Su Yichen returned to the corridor and, while no one was around, sent Luo Yueli a message.
Libao, the milk tea’s ready. I left it on the windowsill outside the corridor.
I asked the shop to add extra red beans, the kind you like.
It matched the setting perfectly, and he even added an especially cute sticker at the end.
A simple persona like a simp was something Su Yichen handled with effortless familiarity.
Luo Yueli didn’t want others to know the two of them were connected, especially not that they were childhood friends.
So most of the time after buying things, Su Yichen would leave them somewhere quiet.
Then she would come get them herself.
Their story was actually very simple. Su Yichen had a one-sided crush on his childhood friend Luo Yueli. But he was too shy, didn’t know how to flirt, had no money, and his looks weren’t outstanding either.
All he knew was to treat her well, almost obeying her every word, never saying no once.
It could only be said that this identity fit his character panel extremely well.
For the sake of this childhood friend, Su Yichen gave up the best science and engineering major at Qingyue University and instead came to the slightly inferior College of Liberal Arts.
Back in the summer before high school started, he had secretly confessed to Luo Yueli. The result was exactly as expected. He was rejected.
‘It would’ve been strange if she hadn’t rejected me.’
After placing the milk tea down, Su Yichen closed the chat window with Luo Yueli and thought that to himself.
Their conditions were completely unequal. Even their childhood friend status had smothered the last possibility of romance between them—
Attraction. Only mutual attraction could produce feelings. But being childhood friends erased even that final possibility.
Yet after being rejected, Su Yichen hadn’t given up. He still longed for that white moonlight in his heart. That was the character persona.
The standard rebirth trope where the childhood friend chases her husband through a crematorium plotline: first comes “making up for regrets,” then tormenting the childhood white moonlight, then showing off talents, plagiarizing literature to make money, and finally collecting a few girls who throw themselves at him.
A classic among classics.
Only, Su Yichen had no regrets, and certainly no peculiar hobby like using the current dynasty’s sword to execute officials of a previous dynasty.
For Luo Yueli, who wasn’t even a target, he had no interest in looking at her twice.
Even though he was confident he could win over this childhood friend within one month and shape her into whatever form he pleased.
But that didn’t fit the character persona. It violated the void realm’s logic, would increase deviation value, and waste time.
Therefore, maintaining the simp persona for now was the most profitable choice.
Besides, could Luo Yueli really be blamed? Was it all her fault?
Su Yichen didn’t think so. Luo Yueli had already rejected him. She just hadn’t completely fallen out with him, which created the illusion that there was still a chance.
It was he who hadn’t given up, who kept simping.
“Not liking someone” was the truest reason for rejection.
Actually, both sides had their issues.
Perhaps out of childhood affection, Luo Yueli still accepted Su Yichen’s kindness and… occasionally showed concern for him. It looked like the tactics of a manipulative girl.
But Su Yichen felt Luo Yueli herself probably hadn’t figured it out.
His childhood friend… likely had a rather complicated personality.
As for the fifteen-unit transfer she sent, Su Yichen didn’t accept it.
Because he hadn’t accepted any previous transfers, and this time naturally couldn’t be an exception. The persona had to stand firm.
After finishing all this, Su Yichen returned to the classroom the same way he came, downloaded a Radish Bun app on his phone, and prepared to read a novel for a while.
Tap.
Tong Ya had just come out of the restroom. After drying her hands, she held her phone and chatted with a close friend she’d known since high school about what she’d seen and heard in university.
Daily life, what she’d been doing—
What they talked about most was roommates.
Unlike many boys who, when they opened their mouths, talked about games, girls at this stage chatted about roommate gossip far more often.
They would talk about whether there were handsome guys, but that topic usually came a bit later.
Right now Tong Ya was chatting with her friend about her three roommates.
She didn’t say much about Zhao Shubai. Mostly the other two.
Luo Yueli was taller than her, a pure-style goddess with a first-love face that could captivate anyone. Even she felt her heart flutter when looking at her.
Shen Ran’s face couldn’t compare, but her height made Tong Ya envious.
Although in her own high school Tong Ya had also been considered pretty, in a dorm full of beautiful girls she still felt a lot of pressure.
Especially when facing Luo Yueli.
As for boys…
Unlike most girls, Tong Ya didn’t like ones who were too tall.
She’d been bullied by tall boys before, and besides…
She didn’t like the feeling of looking up.
So tall guys were the first to be eliminated from her dating pool.
But among the shorter ones… there didn’t seem to be many outstanding ones either.
Lowering her height requirement didn’t mean lowering her appearance requirement.
Tong Ya liked writing short romance stories in her spare time, and the ideal lover in her heart was a peerlessly beautiful young man.
Since ancient times, whether men or women, everyone was drawn to good looks.
She was no exception.
Looks like she’d be single for a while…
Tong Ya felt a little regretful. In class, boys really had come looking for her. Not only from her class, but from others as well.
But none were her type. Even when they showed obvious interest, she could only refuse directly.
Even if she wanted a backup simp, not just anyone could qualify.
Seems she could only search other classes or other colleges for hidden treasure boys.
How could university life be complete without dating?
She wanted a sweet first love.
That was what the girl longed for.