April 1st.
Filled with excitement, I grabbed my small bag and pushed open the villa door without giving anyone a heads-up.
I hadn’t left the house in nearly 3 weeks. This time, I was going to enjoy myself to the fullest.
“Where are you going?”
Su Liumeng poked her head out.
“Out to play,” I said succinctly. I checked the time — 8:05 AM. I should just barely make it.
“With whom?”
“Does it matter? I haven’t been out in so long, and the second I do, you’re interrogating me,” I replied grumpily.
“…”
“I’m just looking out for you. I’m worried you’ll be tricked.”
“An online friend…” I answered casually while shoving Su Liumeng’s head back inside. With a thud, only the metal door remained before me.
Going out to play with a newly met girl — why would I bring my cultivation partner along? Even Meng Meng wasn’t bringing any family. Because of that, I didn’t even bring my daughter.
Coincidentally, Zhizhi had headed out early this morning, saying she was going to find the final main ingredient for my medicine.
The person I was meeting was my latest online friend. Her screen name was Meng Meng. We had met in a gaming group I joined a long time ago.
Over the past year, I had many questions about life, and she was the only one who patiently answered every single one. Eventually, we started talking more and more.
A few days ago, she asked me how old I was. I told her I was 19, with only a few months until I turned 20.
“What a coincidence! I have 3 months until I turn 19.”
“What does that mean? It means we’re fated!!!”
“Hehehe, want to meet up if you get the chance?”
Our agreed meeting spot was on the first floor of a shopping mall.
Jing City was massive. She mentioned she lived near the Second Ring Road, and I lived there as well. However, I stayed cautious and didn’t specify exactly where I lived. I simply told her I would arrive at the scheduled time.
She had arrived at the rendezvous point very early.
[Xin Bao, how much longer until you get here?]
[I’m waiting for you right here.]
There was a photo attached.
A young girl in a pale yellow dress appeared next to the stone steps of a fountain. She didn’t look very old, but the photo didn’t show her face, leaving a bit of suspense.
Before this, we had never exchanged photos. This meeting was essentially like opening a blind box.
Su Liumeng always said I was too introverted and lacked friends, so I decided to make some online. She was the sister I was closest to.
‘What kind of person would she be?’
Muttering to myself, I tucked my phone away, put on a mask, and stepped into the ride-share car waiting ahead.
***
Su Liumeng stood on the third floor of the villa, watching the light blue figure enter the back seat of the car.
Xinyan had woken up early today to change clothes. Breaking her habit of wearing colorless outfits, she had specifically put on her most comfortable light blue immortal dress. Su Liumeng knew she was definitely going out, but she hadn’t expected her to meet someone.
Su Liumeng felt a bit worried, but she quickly suppressed the emotion. She wasn’t a psychotic control freak. How could she limit her beloved’s freedom like that? Going out didn’t require constant reporting or surveillance.
Although Baby’s cultivation wasn’t great, she carried countless defensive treasures. They were top-tier items that triggered automatically and sent a distress signal upon impact. Even if she were suddenly attacked by a Benwo Realm expert, she would likely remain unharmed during the initial assault.
With that thought, Su Liumeng felt completely at ease. She went to the study, opened a map, and picked up a brush to draw a circle on it.
Jing City’s primary commercial district.
The land there was worth its weight in gold, and property prices had long since reached staggering levels. It was also the place with the highest consumption rate in all of Dongfang.
Low temperatures didn’t mean the UV rays weren’t strong. I wasn’t afraid of the heat, but I was afraid of getting a tan. Those were two different things.
‘I’m a girl who loves beauty now too,’ I thought as I gripped my parasol.
Hurrying to the meeting spot, I locked onto Ye Xi’s figure at a glance. Her outstanding aura was far too conspicuous.
‘Could this new friend of mine also be a young miss from a wealthy family?’ I wondered idly.
[I’m here. I’m behind you.]
Ye Xi suddenly stood up and turned around.
The sunlight was dappled, breaking in the depths of her eyes. Her face was as serene as quiet years, and her posture was as elegant as the spiritual mountains, possessing a beauty like the bright moon in spring. Her unique gaze was enough to leave an imprint on one’s heart.
At 18 years old, her slight smile was like a hundred flowers blooming. She possessed both the innocent charm of a young girl and the refined elegance of a true beauty.
Seeing my friend, I waved happily and jogged over.
“Wait a moment.”
Ye Xi was faster than me. I had only taken a few steps before she covered the remaining dozens of steps between us.
“I’m the one who asked you out.”
“You only need to tell me where you are. I will walk the remaining 100 steps myself.”
‘What kind of opening line is that?’ My eyes blanked for a second. She reached out a slender hand toward me. “Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Ye Xi.”
I instinctively reached out. “Sister Yixin.”
Our handshake lasted only a fleeting moment.
The next second, Ye Xi suddenly became excited. She grabbed my arm and started pulling me toward the mall. “Quick, quick, quick! I heard they just introduced a new game today. If we don’t go now, we won’t catch the first wave of players!”
It was a single-player game. However, it was a fully 3D game, and the mall had the equipment to play it.
Since we met in a gaming group, Ye Xi was naturally an internet-addicted girl.
My gaming talent was definitely nothing to scoff at, but it had been a long time since I played. Being suddenly dragged off to play, my brain couldn’t quite process it. “Hey, hey, wait a minute! My health isn’t great, don’t pull me so fast.”
When she ran toward me earlier, I could tell she wasn’t an ordinary person. She had a certain level of cultivation. Limited by my own dwindling cultivation, I couldn’t see exactly how deep her strength was. In short, she was definitely much stronger than me.
Ye Xi stopped and looked at me suspiciously. “Are you… weak and sickly?”
“That shouldn’t be right. I saw that you have a bit of cultivation yourself,” she whispered to herself. I didn’t hear her clearly.
“Oh, right. Cultivation and physical health don’t have a fundamental relationship.”
“Sorry about that,” she said with an apologetic smile.
I smiled back. “It’s fine.”
“You didn’t know before, so it wasn’t rude.”
Ye Xi blinked. Her eyes were like stars, and as she smiled, her gaze rippled like autumn water — it was truly beautiful.
“Are you used to wearing a mask?”
I blinked. “Can I say… I actually forgot to take it off?”
“…”
I casually removed the mask. “Because if I don’t wear one, there’s a lot of trouble.” My friend wasn’t wearing one, so it would definitely be impolite for me to keep mine on. I simply took it off.
Ye Xi’s gaze froze. She nodded in agreement. “You really should wear a mask…”
She had never seen someone so beautiful. It was as if a banished immortal had stepped out of an ancient scroll. No worldly words could describe the shock of her appearance. People said the limit of physical beauty was 80 points, and the final 20 points depended entirely on temperament. The person before her was the type whose temperament was a full 100 points. She didn’t have the fragility of a willow in the wind, yet she could subconsciously evoke a sense of goodwill and a desire to protect her. The inner resilience reflected in her eyes elevated her natural delicateness even further. Her picturesque features lacked even a single flaw.
Even as a daughter of the Hidden World Ye Family who had met countless people, she was dazed for 1 second. Clearly, she had never imagined that the friend she chatted with online would look like this in reality.
I replied a bit shyly, “Whatever. If I don’t wear it, I don’t wear it.”
“Let’s go. Didn’t you say you wanted to play a game?”
Ye Xi caught up to me from behind. “I’m really good at games. I promise I’ll help you get the first kill of the day.”
My eyebrows arched. “Mm, I’m looking forward to it.”
“After we’re done, we can have lunch.”
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